Writer Wrong

Moving shop...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 14:46:00 +0000

I know I've been gone for a long time, but things are ramping up for my YA writing this year, so I'm shifting gears and moving over to Wordpress. If you still want to follow my exploits, I hope to see you over there. If not, it's ok... I'll miss you.

One More Push Around the Ice

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Forgive me, it's been a while I know. I've had a bout with writer's block that seems to have encompassed all of my writing, not just the fiction.

I took my son ice skating the other day for the first time since he was 2 (so, 4 years or so ago). We did so after several requests from him. So, we looked up the times at the local rink and took him over on Sunday afternoon. The Mercer County NJ area has a pretty strong school-based ice hockey program and the county park has an open-air covered rink. It's a 5-minute drive for us.

Now, I can probably count on two hands the number of times I've ice skated. I remember having the double blades as a kid and skating on the flooded patch over by Centenary College in Hackettstown (now a parking lot) and up at Budd Lake. I always remember being cold (duh) and the skates never feeling like they fit properly. I also think I fell down a lot. Go figure. Now, as an adult, it had been ~4 years since I had last skated. As a kid, the prospect of falling on ice used to be comical. Heck, my buddy Brian and I once walked the length of a frozen creek just so we could fall through the ice once in a while. Twenty years later, I just think of bruises and waking up stiff the next day. On top of that, I now have to pretend like I know what I'm doing while supporting a 50-lb 6-year-old in the process. It wasn't a necessarily a daunting task, but I admit I was somewhat concerned about not being able to skate myself, let alone help my son in the task.

When we arrived at the rink, my potential anxiety deepened a little. It was busy. No, that's wrong. It was packed. A conservative estimate might be 100 people. Put them on an ice hockey rink at the same time and it felt like 200. We got our skates and strolled out to rinkside. the zamboni was just coming out, so we had to wait, but it meant that we'd have nice smooth ice to skate on when our chance came. My son was very excited and loved watching the zamboni go back and forth over the surface. Probably helped that he honked (Zamboni's have horns? Who knew?) every time he passed the kids standing at the glass.

Then we took to the ice. Mind you, when I say "took to", I mean "stepped out onto, then latched onto the wall." At least in my son and wife's case. Oh yes, I don't want to give the impression tha I undertook this little adventure on my own, but my wife turned out to be only slightly less helpful than my son when it came to skating. She has her reasons, but that's another post for another day. Ten feet down the wall, my son was giving the "railing" a death grip. Twenty feet down and the tears were starting to show. Thirty feet down and this was looking like the biggest, quickest waste of $30 ever (well, ok...maybe not ever). I was holding my own. I'd managed to not hold the rail, but nothing I said could convince my son that he needed to stop trying to walk and start trying to slide. At forty feet, we paused for probably the fifth time and some tears were actually shed. This was obviously not what he had expected (when Daddy watched the Devils games, it looks so easy!) and I was doing nothing to solve this new problem in his life. For a moment, I contemplated letting him off with a single lap. I knew that if we got off the ice as soon as possible, he would never get back on that day (and possibly never again, until his 6-year-old begged him). But, that's not how it was going to be.

The first half of the rink was the worst. Nothing I said or did could convince him that this was a fun activity if you just gave it a chance. The second half went smoother, but I would have liked to see the look on his face when I told him he had to do another lap (I was too busy making sure I didn't run over/get run over by someone/someone's kid).

"But, Daddy!"

"No. One more lap and then you can get off."

Besides, he'd started to do better. He only had one hand on the railing and we were moving faster. I'd even managed to drag him off the wall when we needed to go around someone. His technique was still suspect (he looked a bit like he was trying to run away from me most of the time), but we were progressing. By the time we finished the second lap, we weren't even holding on to the wall. I heaped him with praise as we came off, hoping that finishing the way we had would make up for the rough start. He was smiling and laughing and despite the break, he agreed to go out again. We did another three laps together with breaks in between and he was loving the fact that we were "leaving Mommy in the dust." It turned into a great afternoon and he was excited at the prospect of going back. Mission accomplished in my book.

I see a lot of myself in my son, as I'm sure most fathers tend to do in their sons. Unfortunately, I see a lot of the tentativeness and anxiety that I remember having as a child. When he was born, I remember thinking, I'm not going to baby him. I'm going to let him fall and though I'll be there to pick him up, it'll be to say try again. Then, despite my desire, my son grew up and was just like me. Lo and behold, it wasn't something I'd been taught. It was in his nature, just as it had been in mine. He considers everything when he is unfamiliar with the situation and rarely takes risks. Some might see this as a good thing, but he's cursed with over-thinking things to the point of ruination, just as I was (am still at times). But, I seem to remember that, as a child, if I balked at something, I was allowed to quit. In fact, I was allowed to quit a lot. I just had to voice my opposition and whether it was reasonable or not, the catalyst was removed. So, yeah, I made my son continue doing something when he didn't want to. In the end, it worked out and he loved it. I'm sure there will be other times when I push him and he won't be so happy, and that's ok. I'll have done my part and I won't be left to wonder if all he needed was one more push around the ice.

My 9/11 Story

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:29:00 +0000

Everyone has one. Anyone with any self-awareness can probably recount exactly when and where they were when they found out.
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A Day at the Park

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:02:00 +0000

Did you ever go to a theme park when you were a kid? Remember much? Yeah, me neither. I do remember not wanting to go on anything "scary" when I was little (ie, less than 16). ;) This past weekend, my wife and I took our 5.5-year-old son to Hershey Park.
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Leading Two Lives is Hard!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:37:00 +0000

Well, ok...not quite two "whole" lives, but still...trying to edit, release, blog, and market for my pseudonymous novel AND keep up with this blog and write and edit other stuff has been tasking to say the least. I've actually had to set alarms on my cell phone to pry me away from forum hopping/promotion. Can't say that it's really gotten me anywhere this first week, but when you're an indie newbie, bestsellers don't happen overnight. Caution...there's a bit of snark beyond the jump...
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Happy Release Day for Multiples of Six!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:58:00 +0000

I am very proud to announce that my pseudonymous suspense/thriller, Multiples of Six, is now available through most ebook retailers. It's been a long time coming, as the initial idea for this story began in 2004. Phew!

It's just over 70,000 words and I've had a lot of great feedback on it so far. I hope you'll give it a chance and let me know what you think if you do.

For Nook owners, the book can be found at Barnes & Noble.

For Kindle owners, you can click on the link below:

For all other formats (Sony, Apple, Kobo, PDF, etc), please check out Smashwords.com.

New Interview!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:18:00 +0000

Hi!

Be sure to check out my interview of Ty Johnston over on my other site. It's going to be a regular feature, every Monday and Thursday!

Thanks!

P.S. Multiples of Six, my pseudonymous suspense/thriller releases this Friday! I know, shameless plug. Sue me. ;)

New Feature on My Pseudonymous Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:22:00 +0000

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to give some air time to a new feature I'll be introducing on my other blog (http://andyrane.blogspot.com). The Same Six Questions will feature brief indie author interviews. I've had a great response so far, but the more the merrier, so feel free to contact me about getting involved! the first feature should be up soon! For readers, make sure to keep an eye out and meet an up and coming indie author! Ok, enough of the exclamation points...:)

Sometimes You Have to Just Walk Away

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:32:00 +0000

It happens. You reach a point where you’re either going to break…or you’re going to break something. Guess what? If it’s gotten to that point, just walk away. You might be doing yourself a favor.Read more »

Bad Food = Good Times

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 02:21:00 +0000

We took my son to a little local festival on Saturday and then to the movies on Sunday. When I finally introduced a vegetable back into my body Sunday night, there was a collective sigh of relief from all of my major organs.

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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:03:00 +0000

I had a strange experience the other day. I walked up to the cashier at Home Depot and she turned, looked at me, smiled and said, "Ooo! I love your hair color!" Now, I've heard this before, but not quite the way she meant it, which was reinforced when she asked, "Is it your true color?" "Yep, it's all me. Au naturale," I said. She then commented about how lucky I was and that people paid to get it that color. I simply smiled and walked away, thinking, "Oh, if you only knew how much I would have once paid to have it any other color!"
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When My Book Gets Made Into a Movie, Things’ll Be Different

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:26:00 +0000

Hahahaha! Right? I mean…talk about getting ahead of oneself. Let’s get published first. But, the impetus behind this post is my recent experience with Rick Riordan’s first book in the Percy Jackson series, which was subsequently made into a movie. I had yet to read any of the books (I know!), but my wife had most of them, so I delved into The Lightning Thief. I was hooked and about 60 pages in, I thought “You know, I’ve watched the end of the movie, but never saw the beginning. I wonder what it’s like.” Well, it’s nothing like the book.

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So Many Projects, So Little Time

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 16:39:00 +0000

I used to complain about not having enough good novel ideas. Now, as I wrap up my second novel (check out the excerpt to Multiples of Six if you haven't already), I can only complain about the opposite. With two novels now recently "finished", I have some choices to make about where to put my energy next. Obviously, the two novels I've finished will still require work, but I am at a point now where I've set them on autopilot for a little bit (one is an exclusive with an agent, the other with beta readers). So, I find myself now with a choice to make. Both completed novels require sequels (one has been plotted out entirely with a couple chapters started, the other I've got the first six chapters plotted and one solid chapter written), but I also have not one, but three other novel ideas in various stages of completion (a YA sci-fi piece at 50,000 words, a paranormal thriller piece at ~10,000 words with another 12 chapters plotted, and a steampunk idea in its infancy). Decisions, decisions!
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If You’re Reading This, We’ve Survived the Rapture

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 May 2011 18:34:00 +0000

So, in case you were living under that rock of yours for the last week or so, the world was supposed to end yesterday. Oh, and I guess it was supposed to wait until it was Saturday here in the US…because the folks in Australia were already digesting their Saturday lunch by the time we all went to bed. Big shocker, right? I mean, c’mon people. There are better ways to promote your website (every single banner/sign included their URL…who says there isn’t money to be made at the apocalypse?).

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Writing Will Be a Hobby Until You Treat It Like a Business

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 May 2011 18:22:00 +0000

Someone recently called my writing a hobby. Luckily for that someone, I love them very much, so I politely explained that writing was my side business, not my hobby. Collecting baseball cards is a hobby. Building little ships inside glass bottles…that’s a hobby. Writing is a form of art, the results of which some people will actually pay for! If you expect to be paid to do what you do, you need to treat it like a business.
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Writing What You "Know" Into What You Don't

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:05:00 +0000

There are moments out of the past that stick with us for a variety of reasons. Some are happy moments, some not so happy...okay...maybe a lot of them are the not so happy. It's sad that we often can reflect back on 10 unhappy memories quicker than equally happy ones. They've made the kind of mark that joyful moments just don't leave as often. One of the more memorable unhappy childhood moments in my life just spawned the beginnings of an entire book.

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The Balancing Act

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 May 2011 01:24:00 +0000

For my current situation, creating a pseudonym makes perfect sense. It distinguishes my writing between two very different audiences. However, as if finding the time to establish one following hasn’t been hard enough, I’ve now encumbered myself with two!

Two blogs (this one and that one), two Twitter accounts (@samulraney, and @andyraneauthor), a Facebook page, a soon to be active web site, and two email accounts. Yeah, maybe I pushed it a little too far. Perhaps I should have just stuck with an extra page on this blog and a twitter account. But, at the same time, I’m convinced that I’ll need these tools to deal with two completely different readerships.

The real trick right now is finding the time to juggle all of this extraneous social networking while trying to fine tune one novel and develop the story line for the sequel to the other. Oh yeah, and I have to work 40 hours a week as well…and not completely ignore my family. Do I hear someone in need of a Wah!-mbulance? Yeah, maybe a little. What’s funny now, is that I used to dream of having ideas for a novel. Ideas that I could shape into thousands of words. Well, as they say, be careful what you wish for. Now, the ideas are there, just not the time to dedicate to them. Anyway, I don’t want this to be a whiny blog. Some people would kill to have too many ideas.

Balance is always important, but perhaps even more so now. Things are only going to get crazier if all goes well. If your life is in balance, you’re more likely to take challenges in stride, then stumbling. Here's to not stumbling over the next couple of months!

They Say It's Your Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:21:00 +0000

...and they'd be right. :-)

Allow Myself to Introduce...Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:14:00 +0000

Pen name, nom de plume, pseudonym. Call it what you will, but many authors over the years have used one for a variety of reasons. George Eliot, Richard Bachman, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll to name but a few. Some did it to transcend sexual barriers. Some did it to avoid persecution for what they wrote. Today, most authors use it to separate one body of work from another. And, while I don’t have a huge body of work to deal with, I presently have two very distinct genres I’m pursuing.

The Corrections – A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:38:00 +0000

I love a book that makes me think about life in a new way. Heck, I like a book that makes me think, period. Jonathan Franzen’s book, The Corrections had me doing as much thinking as reading and that's a good thing.
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Aging

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:42:00 +0000

The trouble with getting older isn't necessarily what happens to the body as it ages. What I've found most relevant is the regular reminders of age that come from without.
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Making Something Out of Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:15:00 +0000

I took a step back in time this weekend. My wife and I took my son over to the Jersey Shore, with the intent of walking around Belmar. Our recent move puts us within an easy hour drive of the shore and my wife was excited to be so close (used to be about two hours, depending on where we were headed). The day was sunny, breezy, and warm enough that a light coat sufficed. We glanced at a map and headed out. It's not an area we're afraid of getting lost in, and we figured it would be a fairly straight shot to the boardwalk...or we'd see a sign...or something. So, when it became clear that we'd missed a turn somewhere, we decided to go to Asbury Park instead.
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Thoughts From the Wrong Side

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:19:00 +0000

I promise…this is the last post about Hawaii…and a short one at that!
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Hawaii – View From the Top of the World

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:51:00 +0000

During our stay on the Big Island of Hawaii, we tried to spend our time avoiding the typical touristy things and get to the out-of-the-way places that only the locals (and the tourists with the time and proper vehicle) visit, but the guided trip up to the top of Mauna Kea was something we didn’t want to miss.
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Hawaii - Too Tired to Be Afraid

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 04:10:00 +0000

Ever been in a hotel where they come over a loudspeaker in the middle of the night and tell you there is an imminent tsunami? No? Yeah…neither had I.
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