Dark Comedy

I’ll admit, I’m rarely a fan of dark comedies. There are exceptions… one might propose that my favourite novel of all time, “Good Omens” by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, is a pretty dark comedy in a lot of ways. But overall, I like my genres to be more pure. I want my comedies to be funny, my tragedies to be dark and bleak, and my science fiction to have lasers and starships and all that glorious stuff.

We’re covering a couple Medieval plays in my British Literature course, and one of them is “The York Cruxifixion” play, which is a dark comedy in many ways. The play focuses on four Soldiers (one might assume Romans, due to their work, location, and the subject matter) who are affixing Christ to the cross. It’s… not really “comedic”, but they are sort of bumbling idiots the whole time, and there is a tension between the ridiculousness of how they do their jobs and the horror of what they are actually doing.

It was an interesting (and thankfully short) read, and I can understand to some extent what the playwright was going for. Specifically, there is a part where they are attempting to fit Jesus onto the cross and they find that they measured incorrectly: here is a subtle nod to the fact that ‘one can never truly measure God, who will always be larger than your measurements.’

It was a neat read, but not subject matter I feel a particular attachment to. That stated, it was also not the worst thing I’ve read this semester, so I guess we can be thankful for that.

Right! I’m off to finish up an assignment (just a touch of editing), and then write! Going to write all the words today! And then on Sunday… I start my winter vacation! Won’t be much of a vacation this year, since we’re obviously still stuck at home, but that’s okay… just having the mental space of not having to go into my other-job and focusing on my writing will be glorious.

Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

Blog Post about Blog Posts

Writing a blog has always been somewhat self-indulgent. The opening assumption, that people are actually interested in what I have to say about… well, anything, really… is pretty conceited. Who am I to bother shouting into the void? Or, rather, why do I think the void should bother to listen?

The short answer is that I don’t, but I do know that running a website and maintain a consistent amount of online presence is pretty critical for those of us who aren’t “traditionally” published authors (despite my hope to one day become a traditionally published author). People need to know that I’m working on stuff, otherwise they’ll go look for other stuff… or something like that, I’ve never really been that clear on the specifics.

Now, it turns out that I don’t mind writing twice weekly blog-posts. Daily might be pushing it a little, if only because I usually write these posts when I don’t have to be at work the same time (December not withstanding, since I have to work 24/7 during the holidays), since my mental state and attitude tend to be more positive. And a little bit of online positivity is nice!

But, that stated, this here website has never really generated a tonne of interest. A very, very good day will see 20 unique visitors (assuming the tracking software on Squarespace is accurate, and really, who knows?). Most days will see a few visitors. And that too is okay, because I’m legit not doing this to be famous or because I have a deep, important message that everyone on Earth needs to know about.

I just want to write. I want to be able to eat, and have someplace warm and safe to sleep, and that’s about it. And in order to do that, I have a website that lets people know both what I have done in the past, and what I am working on for the future. And that’s kinda it.

Anyway! Ramble-filled post today. I applied for funding through the university I attend (Wilfrid Laurier, in Waterloo, ON) for the writing group I run, since we haven’t had much ability (read: any) to get together in the last little while but I would like to maintain it as an important aspect of my writing. Fingers crossed for that! And other than that, I’ve secured my next editorial time-slot (my editor is now popular enough that I have to reserve her work in advance), but that isn’t until April 1st, which means the next novel should drop around late April, early May at the latest. Exciting!

Speaking of which, I should get back to that!
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

The Miller's Tale

I’ll be honest, if you asked me what “The Miller’s Tale” was a week ago, I would’ve probably said something about a Whiter Shade of Pale and Annie Lennox (and maybe said something about A Knight’s Tale, which I am 99.9% sure has nothing to do with Chaucer, although it is a silly, fun bit of cinema).

Having now read the story… yeah, okay. It’s better than I expected, and while I still wish I didn’t have to read it in Middle English, I am a bit less bitter about that now. The story Chaucer told almost a thousand years ago (800? There’s abouts?) feels contemporary in a lot of ways. It was fun! And funny! And surprisingly egalitarian in its own way.

I have a short assignment on it due in a week, so I’ll be cranking that out in the next few days (I always like finishing assignments early and then revising… a habit from my writing of fiction, actually, since my work is usually very rough when initially formed and then refined through extensive editing). And then back to the novel!

I actually have a full week off scheduled in the middle of February (coinciding with Reading Week), and the current plan is to have the novel done by the first or second day of that, and then to dive right into writing Novel 2 for 2021! I know I need to get a head of the curve, because something will go wrong at some point, and I need some work stored for when that happens.

Anyway! Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy, and here’s to a strong and happy February!

So Much Chaucer, so Little Timecer

I’ve been working my way through The Canterbury Tales. It’s better to read than Beowulf, but the trade-off is that I’m reading it in the original Middle English, which is considerably less fun to read than Beowulf in modern English.

It makes what could be a really interesting story into a chore. I don’t know if that was the professor’s intention, of course… I suspect he just sees it as an interesting layer of flavour, much in the way most people don’t “modernize” the text of Shakespeare. But man is it sucking all the potential joy for this story out of the pages for me.

Ah well. I’m still gonna finish it, and I look forward to moving up in time (I think this is the last of the “not-modern” English we study this semester… with any luck, this will be the last not-modern English I study for my degree!).

Anyway, I should get back to it. I have a big assignment due next week that I want to get started on, and that requires finishing this story, AND I have about twenty-bazillion words I want to write for the novel… ah! So much to do, so little time!

Hope everyone out there is safe and healthy!

One Month Down, 11 To Go!

Well, it’s certainly been an interesting January thus far! Technically not over just yet, but it will be (probably!) by the time I get to writing my next post, so I figure might as well say farewell to it now.

Progress on the next novel has been slow, but not due to a lack of interest or intent. I’m not sure how many of these early chapters will actually survive into the final book, but that’s always the way it works out with my novels. The first three (or so) chapters are usually all axed, as they’re as much for me as they are for anyone else. That stated, I kind of like the opening of this novel thus far… it sees the heroic Captain Hattori landing her definitely-crashing spaceship on a remote little trading world, and also introduces the naive but capable DiSenza (still not married to that name, but that’s an easy change if I decide) and her deep love for her lazy-ass boyfriend, tied up with whether what she feels is really love or not.

I think the boyfriend’s father is a little too stereotypical at this point, but again, early days!

Anyway, progress on the novel is coming along nicely, although slower than I’d like. And, meanwhile, I’ve been reading Chaucer for the first time… I wish we were studying a translation rather than in its original “Middle English” (every time I write “Middle English”, I have to be very conscious not to write “Middle-Earth”), but that’s a minor annoyance.

I should get back to do more of my readings for this course… I can definitely finish them this weekend, but I should probably finish them sooner, since they are supposed to have been finished yesterday. Oh well.

Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

New Patrons!

From time to time, I manage to get another patron or two. At this stage of my career, it’s rarely more than that, and usually I lose one a year or so as well, so it all kind of works out, but at the same time it’s still a bit of a rush every time I get a new supporter.

I don’t know how to explain it. It’s kind of like a small confirmation from the universe that I am on the right path. That putting one foot in front of the other means I am heading in approximately the right direction, and that’s a really nice feeling.

Especially considering how hard many days are. A lot of my time and energy recently has been devoted to trying to make the most of some pretty awful circumstances. In the grand scheme of things I am very fortunate, but that’s not the same thing as saying that things have been easy. They are rarely easy.

Anyway, we’ve finished our analysis of Beowulf in class, and that was… interesting… I’m glad I read it, although I can’t say it really impressed me. We’re tackling Chaucer this week, and hopefully that will be a bit more enlightening… although I will say that between “Stories inspired by Beowulf” (The Hobbit) and “Stories inspired by Canterbury Tales” (Hyperion), I’m a bigger fan of Beowulf’s impact…

Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

An Auspicious Day

Well, today the USA has a new president, and one that hopefully most Americans aren’t embarrassed by. That’s not to say it will magically fix all (or really, any) of the problems that America has struggled with for the last four torturous years… heck, I’ll be stunned if much of anything is fixed quickly, since that’s not usually the way a good government works. But at least it’s a positive step.

As a Canadian, this doesn’t really have a direct impact on me or more work. It does make me slightly more optimistic about the future, and that’s important to me since I tend to write optimistic sci-fi. I think much of the sci-fi that’s been produced in the last few years has been darker overall as people struggled to see a bright, hopeful future. Maybe today will be a small step towards correcting that.

Regardless, work on my next novel is coming along nicely. I’m about half as far into the story as I want, but the word count is small enough (around 6,000) that I can remedy that with one good day or writing… which I intend to do right about… now!

Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

Ye Olde English

So I finished reading Beowulf today… or at least one translation of Beowulf (it opens with “Listen!”, which is a newer translation, replacing “Hark!”, which is equally a weird translation of “Hwat!”, which apparently nobody really knows what it specifically means).

It’s… hmm. It was neat to read, but I am left wondering if it is both the best example of a written 1,200-year-old English story, and the worst example of a 1,200-year-old English story. It diverges in topic frequently, there’s no dramatic tension, and it still bothers me that Grendel’s mother is never worthy of a name aside from “Grendel’s mother”.

But it was neat to read, and I look forward to analyzing it for the next week or so.

Oh! And I learned the old English “y” was pronounced like “th”, meaning that “Ye Olde Shoppe” signs are actually “The Olde Shoppe”… amazing! I don’t know if that’s universally true, but it is neat.

Anyway. lots of writing tomorrow. Hope everyone out there is staying healthy and safe!

Blink And You Miss It

Not much time to write today, folks (especially considering I wanted to write this post yesterday, we can all see how my week is progressing!).

Novel is coming along pretty well, all things considered, and I have a good feeling about it. I can also tell already that it’s going to take a hefty dose of revision, but that’s okay! At least it’s getting done.

Started my new English class (British Literary Traditions I), and phew, do I ever have a lot of difficult reading to do in the next 4 days. That stated, I am excited to finally officially read Beowulf, which I have a passing familiarity with but have never actually read.

Okay, that’s it for today! Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

By the numbers

As a man who holds a physics degree (kinda-sorta two, but that’s a long story full of sighs), I like numbers. A live a lot of my life by things that can be specifically quantified and measured… things like “how many words have I written today?” or “On a scale of 1-to-10 how good is this game?” or “How many hours of guitar practice have I done this week?”

Numbers are important to me. I have a father who imposed a very rigorous set of conditions on my success, and coupling that to an understand (albeit a limited understanding) of mathematics means that I like numbers. We don’t always get along (hello partial differential equations and Matlab), but that doesn’t displace how important they are.

In my transition to a writer, some of that has bled through. Those of you who have read my work know that I frequently include some rough calculations in my books: Tintian and Millesabord, for example, the first time they meet have some quick mental calculations to determine both their rotational speed and the velocity at which they are approaching a crash landing on the moon. But this also comes across in my goals: I have a specific yearly dollar amount that I need to make in order to consider myself a full-time author, I have specific numbers of novels I want to release every year (four a year for this year, and eventually down to 2 or 3 a year when I have a bit more breathing room and time), and I track how many visits my website gets multiple times a week.

I think that there are people who live without this hyper-focus on the numbers in their careers. People who don’t need to know exactly how much money they’re making (for example, my job I work to pay for my writing, I don’t actually know how much I make a year or per hour. I have a kind of vague idea, and every week money appears in my account as a result of my work, but I don’t really care how much since I know it’s “enough”). I suspect that those people are probably happier, in a general sense, but by the same token I don’t really want to be one of those people (although if you are one of them, more power to you!). I like seeing how far I’ve come, and that involves, in some way, counting the steps I’ve taken.

Anyway. I saw that I landed two unsolicited sales in the last couple days, and that was a really nice feeling (one that I hope picks up pace by a lot some day, but I can still appreciate it right now!). Made me think about numbers.

I’m going to get back to writing my first novel of 2021! I’m really excited about this one, even if I think I have to completely re-write Chapter 2 already… but that’s okay! That’s what first drafts are for!

Hope everyone out there is healthy and safe!

The Joy of Discovery

Today I want to write about two very different elements of discovery.

First, I want to mention that I’ve started watching Star Trek Discovery, and it is quite delightful. I’m only on the first season (no spoilers, ^_^), and only 7 episodes in, but it is a very different take on Star Trek and I have to say I am really enjoying it. The aesthetic is heavily influenced by the most recent wave of Star Trek movies, but honestly I am 100% okay with that. I know they’re not to everyone’s taste, but I really enjoyed them. And, perhaps not coincidentally, I’m really enjoying Discovery as well! If what everyone says about the series only getting better as time goes on is true, then I’m very happy!

But the other more important discovery is related to how I write. While it is well-known that I am far more of a ‘pantser’ than a ‘planner’ (referring to the two main ways that most writers identify their book-writing-style, ‘planners’ being those who make elaborate plans and notes before starting a novel, and ‘pantsers’ being fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants writers who tend to forgo pre-writing notes to instead discover the story and characters as they proceed). I am primarily a pantser, myself, although like all writers the truth is somewhere in the middle: I usually take about a day to put down major plot points and character notes, and then fill those in further as I go along.

But this is great for me, because it means I am excited and engaged by the surprise of what is going to happen the whole time! Not to say that the way planners write is incorrect, of course, and anything that gets you in front of the keyboard or with pen in hand is good, but for me the joy of writing is learning about these characters locked in my head.

And Monday when I was writing, I was struggling with a pretty significant plot point (one that is several chapters down the line from where I am currently writing), and then yesterday a solution occurred to me that I am excited to put into the story! It’s going to be great!

So! Onward towards discovery!

Hope everyone out there is safe and healthy!

A Solid Start!

The year has well and truly begun. So far, 2021 is off to a pretty good start, honestly… I watched a delightful romance series (“Bridgerton”) which, despite a few stumbles, was thoroughly enjoyable, and my partner and I have started to tackle “Star Trek Discovery”, which I am enamored with at this point (only 6 episodes in thus far, but I really like the character of Michael and I’m very happy with a lot of the tropes they’ve avoided in your usual Star Trek series… plus it has a very cinematic feel to the series, which I am very much enjoying. It’s not perfect, but it’s been great!).

And, of course, I’ve started the next novel!
I’ve been diligent this time and I’ve written out a pretty comprehensive (by my standards) set of notes for the universe and world-building, plus a rough outline for the story. The protagonist, Mina Hattori, is on a quest, and the other main characters are determined to join her for their own reasons or to stop her from succeeding because it would rock too many boats (metaphorically speaking). I don’t have a complete picture of who Mina is just yet, but that’s okay! I look forward to getting to know her at I dive into the writing of the novel itself.

Goal for this one is going to be 75,000 words for the first draft, to be tightened down to about 65,000 before it goes off to the editor. We’ll see how that works out, but I am hopeful to have that done by midway through February (I know it sounds like a lot, but I am nothing if not prolific when it comes to putting one word after another!).

So I am happy with how this year has started, honestly. Perfect, no, but happy.

I hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

2021 Incoming!

Well, here we are, about 48 hours or so remaining in 2020 (closer to 36, but whatever, who’s counting?). I think a lot of people are excited about finally putting this year in their rear view mirrors.

2021 is going to be an interesting year. The Canadian government has stated that everyone should have the vaccine by September 2021, which sounds lovely on the one hand, but on the other hand we’ve been dealing directly with the pandemic since March 2020, which means that we’re about 9 months into it, and September is about 9 months away… or, to put it differently, we’re probably about halfway through this.

Halfway. Like, the midpoint. Can’t say I’m crazy about that thought.

Still, Ontario is in lockdown again, and that’s actually quite nice. My job has become a lot safer (despite the fact I would argue we shouldn’t be open at all, since that’s not a call I can make at least my bosses are being reasonably safe and cautious with their employees, which is a lot better than most companies are doing), my hours are more reasonable again, and I have a few weeks to go before my next English course starts (British Literature I, I believe). Which is great! I’ve got the foundation for the next novel started, and I’m going to finish that today (or possibly just start writing and then finish up the outline later… not 100% sure at this point). And tomorrow is a half-day followed by another day off on Friday, and then a nice Saturday shift followed by two more days off… I mean, in the grand scheme of things, while I am going to miss my friends we usually see on New Year’s Eve, this isn’t as bad as it could potentially be.

Anyway, moral of the story is that I’m pretty calm at the end of this year. Things aren’t great, but they are definitely trending in a positive direction.

So, with that, I will wish all of you a very safe and happy end of 2020, and all the best for the New Year as it approaches! Let’s be kind to each other, read lots, and stay safe out there!

A Year In Review

Well, that just about does it for 2020. Good riddance to bad trash.

Overall, the year was pretty good for me professionally, with 3 new novels out into the world and a fair number of sales to go along with that. Now, we’re not talking “Can Live On It” levels of sales, of course, but there are people who I don’t personally know who have bought my books and some of them even seemed to enjoy them, and that’s a massive step forward. My reviews on Goodreads continue to be in the 4-to-5 star range (and a couple really nice text reviews!), and while I have received my first-ever 1-star review on Amazon, even that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I mean, sure, I want everyone who reads my work to love it, but that’s just not reasonable. The best authors in human history have people who hate their work. Art is nothing if not highly subjective. And I’m not upset by a 1-star review! One of the biggest things about being an author is having a relatively thick skin (I say “relatively” because we’re all human).

So, numbers-wise… not a bad year. I mean, the year itself outside of my writing career was multiple dumpster-fires simultaneously, but aside from that, it was a good-ish professional year.

I’ve started the next novel (the first for 2021) today, and that’s always fun. But my post on Wednesday will probably be about my plans for 2021, so no need to go into those just yet.

For all of you out there who read this, whether the day I’m writing it or, for some reason, years later, thank you for your interest in my writing, and I hope you’re all safe and healthy and happy!

Just a Few More Days...

Well, three more days until I get a day off. That will be nice! I work until 3pm on the 24th, and after that… a nice relaxing dinner (no idea of what, but relaxing of some variety!), and then on the 25th I am going to wake up, make pancakes, and then play video games until I fall asleep on the couch.

On the 26th? The 26th I start writing the next novel. One day off is probably more than enough, right? Right.

I can’t say I’m going to miss this holiday season. Usually working at a game store to pay bills is a hard gig for the holidays… long hours, busy crowds, and lots of very irate customers who always ask the wrong questions, but to be honest I usually enjoy it (while simultaneously being ground down like rock under a torrent of water). But this year has been three times the stress. The store finally decided to have a no-exception mask-required policy (long overdue), which is a weight off my mind, but it’s still stressful and we’re all approaching our wits collective end.

But that’s okay! Only three more days. Three more days…

Exam Done!

Well, I have Shakespeare’d my last Shakespeare, I hope. The exam was fine, I think I did probably fine (maybe a little less fine, but probably not spectacular). But, most importantly, it’s done! That’s that. On to British Literature next semester (which I am looking forward to like a root canal).

In other news, today is my last day off for a full week of customer chaos. Fun! But only one week left, and then a bunch of days off. It’s chilly today, but that’s okay, and I’m at home alone and enjoying a little bit of peace and quiet before heading back to the paying job tomorrow. Might actually get a bit of writing done, if I’m lucky!

Not much else to report. The news of the vaccine on the horizon has been very encouraging, as is the continued signs of a change of administration to our south, so all in all today is a pretty positive day.

Here’s hoping it lasts!

Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

Stupid Technology

In the grand scheme of things, I have very little to complain about. The big one, of course, is not being able to make a living by being a writer (yet!). Everything else in my life that I could complain about sort of pales in comparison.

That stated, technology can be a fickle, fickle thing. Friday I had my exam review class for the Shakespeare course I am taking (“Tragedies and Histories”), and my laptop had decided at some point between Wednesday and Friday morning to lose 3 days worth of lectures.

Now, normally, this would be a minor annoyance, but with the exam looming, this is 4.5 hours of lectures I have to re-watch, re-take notes on, and then start studying. I mean, the upside is that I am going to know Antony and Cleopatra really well! Downside… ain’t nobody got time for that! I have to be at work in about an hour today… thankfully I should have the required time afterwards, but this is pushing back the review part of “exam review” quite precariously.

Oh well! As I said, few things I can really complain about. Never enough time, not making a living from writing… and then everything else. Can’t be too upset about that, I suppose!

Hope everyone out there is safe and healthy!

Had to happen sooner or later!

Well, it’s official. I’ve received my first 1-star review on Amazon. It was going to happen eventually, and considering it’s my 12th review (11 of which are four or five stars)… I think I’m okay with that.

Let’s be honest. There’s no such thing as perfect art. Some people will love it, some people will hate it, and at the end of the day that’s probably a good thing. It means different people like different things, and I’m really okay with that! Sure, I’d like to rack up a better ratio (100-to-1 would be nice!), but again, if we project this forward (unsafe), 90% of readers loving my work and less than 10% hating it… that’s okay!

It is even, in its own way, kind of a good thing. This means that people are seeing my work! And (probably) paying for it… that’s good! I mean, they may have downloaded it for free (legally through Kindle Unlimited, for example), but even then, more eyeballs on my work is almost always going to be a good thing, and I am definitely not so arrogant that I think my work is perfect and that everyone will love it.

Anyway, it was going to happen eventually, and it has. Hopefully the only one for a while, though, but I suppose if you’re here reading my work you kinda agree with me on that (unless you’re hate-reading in which case… maybe get a different hobby? Lots of books out there, mate, I’m sure there are ones you’d like better!).

Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!

The Queen of the A.I.s is now available!

Woo! Happy to see it up and available for purchase! My first YA-novel, and sci-fi (of course) out in the world.

Heck of a ride with that one. But I’m happy it’s available to people, and I am very, very proud of the story that I made. The last few chapters in TQotAI are among the best things I’ve ever written.

So that leaves me with no pressing stories (as we established a few days ago), which is fine. This is always a bit of a frantic time to write anyway… under the best of circumstances, which December 2020 is most certainly not. But that’s okay! I’m going to take a few days off writing, and just do my best in the few remaining classes I have this semester (and the exam, of course), and then just try to make it through to the end of the holiday rush without stabbing anyone.

Then I’ll have a few days to do some world-building (one of my favourite parts of writing new fiction!), layout some plot points, outline a few new characters… exciting!

Anyway! For now I’m going to bask in the joy of having finished 3 novels this year. And for everyone out there who has purchased one (or more!), thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Next novel submitted!

And that’s three novels for the year. A little shy of the four I was aiming for, but honestly, considering the year… I’m going to call it a win.

It’s been submitted, so hopefully in the next week or so “The Queen of the A.I.s” will go live on Amazon, and I’ll announce it here (and over on Patreon, of course!) shortly thereafter. I have no super-impending homework assignments (aside from listening to Antony and Cleopatra, since I’m struggling mightily against the length of the work), which is nice, and this wraps up my writing obligations for the year (aside from a short story I still haven’t finished… whoops…), but since I am going to be up to my ears in retail work for the next 23 days, that’s okay! Home stretch, as it is.

Anyway! Good news for me, at least, and hopefully people like the new novel! And it leads them to more of my other novels! That would be great. Now I just have to decide if I want to increase my advertising budget for it for a few weeks, try to get more eyeballs… ha, why does everything cost so much money…

Oh well! Upwards and onwards!
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!