Tuesday, February 8, 2011

50k

Don't have a job at the moment but I have been writing on a daily basis. I just passed 50,000 words towards my manuscript but most of that is unedited. I feel like I'm probably about halfway done with completing my first draft. The work just doesn't seem to end.

The three hardest things I've come across while writing...
A. Content - What is worth writing about?
B. Editing - What was I trying to say? How am I going to turn this into something seamless?
C. Atmosphere - Did I include enough details to make this scene work? Did I include too many?

Here's a short list of stuff I like at the moment...

1. On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardener
This is both interesting and helpful. It's not very long either, running at around 150 pages. Sometimes Gardener's input seems tedious or obvious but most of what he says about being a novelist is worth reading.

2. A More Perfect Union by Titus Andronicus
Not as brutal as its namesake but Titus still pulls off some raw and fun punk hooks. This is the first track from their new album The Monitor, a concept album about the Civil War.

3. Batman: The Long Halloween (Graphic Novel)
The book that was the inspiration for The Dark Knight. I'm not that far into it right now but I'm finding it pretty interesting, despite the fact that super hero comics are not my personal preference.

The game, not the movie. I joined a D&D group that meets every Monday night. It's a lot more fun than most people would think.

Clever English sitcom that I first saw on my flight back to from England. What really makes the show is the character Moss. Funny stuff.

Speak easy,
Neil

3 comments:

Cynthia Sherrick said...

Good luck with the novel and the job search! :)

Dell Smith said...

Glad you got something out of the Gardiner book. When I first read it (when I was a little older than you are now) I knew I hadn't made a mistake going to school for film instead of writing.

JKW said...

Loved the Gardiner book. I recommend STORY by Robert McKee (don't have to be a screenwriter for it to be a great help) - its in audio format too. I saw Tiffany's again not long ago after I had seen it years ago. It's not quite how I remembered it, but it is still good. Thanks for sharing. Blessings, Janet