My rating: 5 of 5 stars!

A beautifully told story of friendship, honesty, love and forgiveness.  Thoughtfully written and expertly told, the characters are lovingly drawn and every one of them feels like someone I might know in real life.  Pearl is one of those rare books I know I’ll treasure reading again and again.

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Until recently, I never really considered the value of counting the total words I write each day.  As a writer, I tend to revise as I go.   Since my goal, even while drafting, has never been mainly to get new words on the page, I always suspected if I actually kept a running count I would come away feeling like I wasn’t making an real progress.  Of course, new words do get added, but plenty of other words get changed or moved around along the way.

Instead of counting words, I’ve always measured my writing progress in terms of completed chapters.   When my non-writing friends (the few who I’ve been brave enough to actually tell I’m writing a book) ask me how my writing is coming along saying,   ‘I’ve finished drafting chapter 12′ goes over much better than, ‘I wrote 1,200 words today.  Good ones, too!‘.  The latter typically results in blank stares or a friendly but abrupt observation about the weather.

Nevertheless, I recently started tracking my total word count and have even gone so far as to add a word count widget to my blog.  I’m still not sure how much it will help me in the long run, but here are some of the benefits I can already see for those who do it.

• Estimating Your Completion Date:  If you set a goal for how long you want your book to be, and you’ve been tracking how may words you write per day, you’ll have a rough idea when you’re initial draft will actually be completed.
• Setting Goals:  If you want to set a goal goal for when to have your draft completed, you can lay out your writing strategy in measurable chunks to reach your goal (or even to determine if your writing goal is too lofty for you.)
• Providing Status Updates:  For established writers with a growing fan base, this can be a fun way of bringing eager readers into the process while keeping them updated on your latest project.
• Staying Motivated:  Seeing the numbers increasing daily or weekly means your novel is growing.  ’Nuff said.
• Accountability:  Sometimes writers need the accountability a public display of writing progress offers.  This allows your writing friends to either offer their congrats or to bust your chops which ever the case may be.

If you’re interested in setting up your own and your progress bar and you’re using WordPress you can get the plugin I use at http://jasonpenney.net/wordpress-plugins/progpress/.  There are other options which work on all platforms such as http://www.writertopia.com/toolbox/meters.  These don’t require WordPress at all, just simple HTML which can be placed on any blog anywhere.

What about you?  Do you track word counts?  If you do, do you find them to be discouraging or do they actually help?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars!

A delightful surprise!

This book was not at all what I was expecting. The story is a compelling blend of science fiction, mystery, love, secrets, intrigue and more all unfolding within a society specifically engineered for life on a generation ship – Godspeed. Thoughtful and exciting, parts of the story will keep you guessing until the very end!

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This “telling” is ~1,400 words (3 pages).  There are five characters, including the Narrator.  In case you’re wondering this mini-play actually has been performed.   By children.   Mine.   (Yes, I played the Narrator.)

Rather than allowing it to collect eDust on my laptop I’ve decided to try sending it out.  Another BIG step for me.  Still, I have no idea where to begin querying something like this.  (Suggestions are always welcome!)

While I ponder what to best do with it, I wanted to offer anyone interested a chance to read it first.  If you fall into that category, you can use the form below to request an email message with the password to the protected post.  Please feel free leave any feedback you may have in the comments section of either post.

To whet your poetic appetite, I’m posting the opening two stanzas here.  After requesting the password, you can read the rest of the story here.  I hope you enjoy it!

NARRATOR:

Squire Lovell lived alone, lone managed his estate,

without another soul about to toil or conversate.

He preferred things his own way, as you are soon to see,

yet wearied he of doing chores like cooking and laundry.

Deciding he the time was right to add an extra hand,

alone he rode one Autumn morn to seek in Burian

for one to come to spin and knit and mend his fraying garb,

when he did overhear a shout of angry disregard.

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My rating: 5 of 5 stars!

I admit when I first read the description of this book where the character of Eldric is described has having “golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair” I almost passed it by.  I was afraid I might be in for a glossy romance novel. (Not my thing).  However, several friends on Goodreads whose opinions I regard gave it high marks, so I decided there must be more to it.  There is.  And thankfully, none of it is glossy romance.

The characters are well-crafted and appropriately sympathetic, while the language used to describe them is in keeping with the setting of the novel.  And speaking of setting (The Swampse), I don’t recall when I’ve last encountered a book where the setting so thoroughly permeated the story that it felt like a character all by it self.  It is quite beautifully done.

The storyline is equally engaging.  It is as much an exciting mystery, full of danger and old swamp magic, as it is a thoughtful examination at the power guilt and shame have in affecting our experience and our memories.

I’m so glad I didn’t pass this one by.

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Actually, I’ve been feeling reflective for a while now. It’s not like this date hasn’t been on the calendar for the last 40 years, but it’s only been within the last few weeks I’ve really given myself over to any serious contemplation about it.

The result of all my intense brooding thinking is a list.

Two, actually.

I’ll begin by acknowledging I’ve made my share of mistakes in life. Some I would give almost anything to undo. Others, I wouldn’t trade for the world because they’ve helped to make me who I am today. I can also own I’ve done a lot of good in my life, including making the right calls on some difficult decisions which continue to be a source of joy and happiness in my life.

So, in the spirit of Dear Teen Me, I’ve written these 40 Things as a birthday gift to my 40-year-old self.

Today: April 11, 2011

However, unlike Dear Teen Me I’ve not written these to a past me from the present. I’ve written them to the present me from the future. One list is a list of 20 things to watch out for or to stop doing. The other is a list of 20 things to start doing or to do better. My intention is to make these 40 Things stand as my own personal guide for living my next 40+ years to the fullest.

So here they are.

20 Things Not To Do:

1) Don’t Be Afraid To Take Risks
2) Don’t Miss Opportunities To Show The People You Love That You Love Them
3) Don’t Lose Sight Of What’s Most Important To YOU
4) Don’t Give Up
5) Don’t Be Afraid To Try Something New
6) Don’t Mistake Being Right For Doing Right
7) Don’t Assume, ASK!
8) Don’t Do It If You Already Know You’ll Regret It Later
9) Don’t Expect More From Others Than You Do From Yourself
10) Don’t Ignore The Counsel Of A True Friend
11) Don’t Assume You Understand Anyone You’ve Never Spent Time Really Listening To
12) Don’t Offer Unsolicited Advice
13) Don’t Refuse To Give Advice When Someone Who Trusts You Asks For It
14) Don’t Simply Assume Everything Will Turn Out Fine If You Don’t Act
15) Don’t Forget The Lessons Of The Past
16) Don’t Nurse Resentment
17) Don’t Wait To Be Asked Before Deciding to Forgive
18) Don’t Try To Solve Anyone’s Problems But Your Own
19) Don’t Waste Time Trying To Change Other People
20) Don’t Blame Others For Anything That Happens To You

20 Things To Do:

1) Listen More Often Than You Speak
2) Say ‘YES’ More Often Than You Say ‘No’
3) Do What You Can To Help Those You Love To Find Their Own Answers
4) Stand Outside Alone In The Moonlight
5) Look For Opportunities To Show Those You Love How Important They Are
6) Look For The Good In Everything, Especially In Everyone
7) Decide What Is Truly Important To You And Focus On That
8) Put First Things First, But Remember To Make Time For Second And Third Things
9) Live For Today With One Eye To Tomorrow, Not Both
10) Fix What Is Broken
11) Finish Writing Your Book (Then Start Another)
12) Walk The Dog
13) Remember That The Best Things In Life Really ARE Free
14) Invest More In People Than In Things
15) Only Put Off Until Tomorrow What Can’t Wait Until The Day After That
16) Be Honest With Yourself
17) Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
18) Play
19) Seek To Understand More Than To Be Understood
20) Love. Love. Love

That’s right! I’ve completed the final revisions to my story, “OLLIE’S TREASURE”.  Ollie is now safely on his way to possible publication destinations unknown.  Okay, I know Ollie’s destination, but whether or not he will be welcomed with open print space when he arrives is another story.

Sending my first short story manuscript out into the world was a little scary.  It’s silly I know, but scary none the less.  Once I’d decided it was finished, I found I kept obsessing over my words each time I picked it up.  I’d change a verb here, and adverb there, or perhaps change the word order.  Nothing major.  But with each change I felt sure the story was better.  Each time I told myself “I am so glad I didn’t sent it out like it was yesterday“.  Then tomorrow would inevitably become today, and today would become inevitably yesterday.  I’d look at the story again.  I’d change something else.  Something small.  Or several somethings.  Then I tell myself “I’m so glad I didn’t sent this out like it was yesterday.”

This process went on for about ten days straight.  Really.  I finally realized the story wasn’t actually getting any better.  I knew I could look that story every day for a year and find some little change I could make.  But, if I did that the story would never see the world outside my house.

Ollie deserved better than that.

And so, Ollie is gone.  I kissed him goodbye today (yes, literally) and pushed him out of the nest.  I hope he will fly.  Not that I really think an octopus can fly.  Although that would really be something to see.  And for now, that’s all I can do – just wait and see.

Thanks to those who took the time to read and comment on this story.