More on Sunset Perfect

As you all know, I am a fan of this loose series of mysteries and thrillers. Vapor Trail, On the Edge, Toe the Line all have working out and athletics as a theme (see HERE). 

As a part of Sunset Perfect there is a theme of culture and trust, there's also a murder that brings up a theme of family and simmering betrayal, but all of this takes place around and among a football team that is going through some drastic turbulence and challenges. 

What’s This Novel Title?

So I was pecking away on a novel that I had tentatively titled Sunset Perfect. An old friend helped me with that title years ago. She said she thought a friendship, a close friendship should be simple and perfect, like a sunset. So, ergo, Sunset Perfect. 

That was the working novel title for this little story for years and years. Now, the novel has changed, which is funny cause that friendship sunsetted too when I left my old job! HA! 

Epiphanies

I love when inspiration strikes. 

One of the most memorable moments of inspiration for me was one day while I worked with that contractor organization and I was on a jog trying to figure out how I was going to design the craft certification training that Brad and Rick wanted to be completed. Now, I don't remember exactly what hit me, but I remember how it hit me and where. BOOM! I had been chewing on the problem, and it just hit me. It was almost like a dog worrying on a bone, and then POOF the problem was fixed when I least expected it. It was a great feeling. And the idea was a great one.

Well, it happened again. This time with my writing. 

Sunset Perfect

Isn't it funny the things we convince ourselves of over time and in life. And how wrong we realize we are when we look back.

I had a girlfriend once and we were sure we were in love with each other. Didn't last. No matter how hard we tried it just couldn't last. In her case it had the most to do with distance and space. Distance does NOT make the heart grow stronger, instead what I've found is that it undermines and degrades love unless one finds other ways to keep it strong.

Another girl, wasn't at love "love", has contacted me in the past bit. I was sure back when I dated her that she was the end all beat all for me. She was a sales girl for Hormel meat products and always drove around with a trunk full of meat to sell. What more could a starving, kid from the Army who never had money want than a girlfriend with ready access to great meat!

Now that she and I talk there is nothing there. It's like the pilot light just went out with her.

What's the point?

Things change. People change. Feelings change.

I think about something that my grandmother, Muzzie, once told me. She said that she thought her son, Richard, loved her, but that he didn't like her. How often has that been the case. I know it has been for me, and has been recently. Where I loved someone but I didn't necessarily like them. It's a tough feeling to have.

What's this have to do with writing?

I have a novel I'm currently working on called Sunset Perfect (great title right?). It's all about this. Loving someone but falling out of like with them. The title too is indicative of this difficulty. On the face of it the title sounds like a description of a perfect sunset, but the novel is about the challenges the two main characters face. That perfection has a sunset clause or an end. Toughest novel I've written, but I'm thinking that that fact, the fact that it's the toughest might make it worthwhile in the long run.

More Shades

Ugh, this one hits hard. Why? I guess cause it's so true. 

You deserve a calm love with someone who's your safe space, your best friend, and soothes your soul during stressful situations. Life is hard enough, you deserve someone who brings you peace, not problems. 

Composite Characters

In each of my novels I like to include as many characters as possible who have compelling and interesting back stories. I don't remember where I read about it, but I remember reading that plot can only take a book so far. Readers don't read a book for the plot, they read a book for the characters. It's not the distance or route traveled that readers want to know about, it's the story of the people on that journey that is important and compelling.

I create composite characters. Madison and Wynn in Toe the Line, Joe in On the Edge and Stubby and Elizabeth in Vapor Trail are all composite characters of people that I've known. It's not just one person but a whole host of people encapsulated in one character. But always there is a basis for that character. One single person who inspires the character. For Sunset Perfect one of the cornerstones for one main character is going to be my wonderful friend and neighbor, Marianne.

Marianne is a terrific neighbor. I've yet to see her down or depressed. She is perhaps the best cocktail party guest in that when she arrives for a visit she always brings something (usually many things) to help make the food and drinks, and she doesn't drink so she's a cheap date too! She's the best and I can't wait to use here as the foundation for a terrific character. Sure it may not look like much, those characteristics up there, but they will be enough for me to create someone that readers are drawn to and want to know more about. She's a terrific angel, or white knight to come charging in to help the main character with his problems.

You'll notice that I've labeled this post Composites, so I expect to write more of these in the days to come to discuss some of the other characters who will be showing up in Sunset Perfect.

Done? Doesn't Feel Like It

 I have two major papers due in the next few weeks. The end of my semester long class. It's been a long slow haul, this class. It's on qualitative research and it's not my cup of tea. 

But this post isn't about my class. You'll notice I haven't labeled it as adult education. This is about writing. I started writing the best draft yet of Sunset Perfect the other day. I got 7 chapters through and then I had to switch gears to writing my papers. Now that the papers are (almost) done, I can't switch gears back to writing fiction. 

Greatness of NaNo

So I finished the 2017 NaNoWriMo successfully and it's a great feeling to have accomplished that. Is it a complete novel? Far from it. In fact I remember it was Vapor Trail (here) that made me realize that writing isn't "writing" . . . writing is "re-writing."

I wrote Vapor Trail as a NaNo submission back in 2013 or 2014. I only published it last year. It takes a lot of re-writing to get a NaNo submission into a publishable book . . . and even what I think is publishable is still a long way from perfect.

Still, it's nice to have a draft. Am I working on Sunset Perfect now? Nope. Not even considering it. I have a great 50,000 word draft, but it will be another year or two before I work on it and want to try and publish it.

What am I working on now?

I'm working on my 2015 NaNo submission. I wrote a thriller about an orphanage in Kenya, and a team of mercenaries who are hired to protect it. The great thing about NaNo is that I have absolutely no recollection of ever writing that draft. None whatsoever. It's like picking up a completely foreign manuscript and being able to work on it. It's a great feeling to be so far into writing a novel and already be so far along.

Character, Character, Character

In writing classes we are always taught that it is character that moves a reader to continue with a book or story. The plot can be wonderful and intriguing and engrossing but without a compelling character the reader will probably put the book down.

I think it's very interesting when I read a book about character(s) and the author has slammed so many at the reader, the reader can't help but be compelled by at least one.

When I was in high school I read The Fountainhead and loved it. I thought it was the best book I had ever read. I loved the struggle that Howard Roark went through and how he fell for Dominique. Then I saw a tweet last year that basically said that Ayn Rand novels were perfect for teens but that adults should see through them. I put that theory to the test.

The theory (at least in my case) was correct.

I didn't care about Howard or Peter or Dominique or any of them. Their motivations were insane to me, their caring was silly, their struggles seemed false.

Now I'm reading WEB Griffin's, The Lieutenants. I would have sworn I had already read this book, but now, reading it, I don't know if I have. But what's funny is that there may be one central character (Sandy Felter I'm guessing), but there are twenty or more characters just as central to the plot as Sandy. So even if the reader doesn't like Sandy, there's bound to be one of the other twenty that the reader will like.

This is the type of book I might write next. This National Novel Writing Month I may finish out Sunset Perfect, but somewhere on the horizon there is a multi-character novel just waiting to be released.

Still On Par

So I am proof that NaNo does work. I did NOT want to write today. Been busy at work. Distracted by closing on a house. Got personal issues that I'm contending with. All sorts of reasons not to write . . . but write I did. Why?

This whole time I've been writing I've been ahead of par. I didn't want to fall behind.

I am still just above par at seventy-seven words over 25K. Tomorrow will be a true test. I don't think I'll have time to write much less the inclination.

I have come up with several knew themes for this novel. My last novel, Vapor Trail had several themes that dealt with family loyalty, friends vs family, secrets, and the nine circles of hell. This new novel, tentatively titled Sunset Perfect, will be dealing more with perspective and how two different perspectives can see two completely different events in amazingly different ways. This will be good to use by having the short story about my novel at the end of the book. It will literally be the same novel from a different perspective. But all throughout the story I'm going to play on this theme of differing perspectives, particularly in the MC's relationships and his working with issues in his own life. So all in all it was a good thing I wrote today.

And like I said, I wouldn't have written if not for NaNo and just having the little bit of mass hysteria to prompt me forward.

Tweaking the Plot and Story

I am about 30,000 words into my draft of Sunset Perfect. I'm really thinking this draft has a very good chance of being the final version that I take all the way to publication. I changed up the model by which I am introducing the story. Instead of the hero being involved in the first partner, he comes into the storyline with the second murder. I also like the fact that he is an outsider to the professional football team, which means he has heard about professional football with the reader.

I also like the fact that he is an outsider to the professional football team, which means he has heard about professional football with the reader.

Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis

I heard a great podcast this morning that was all about ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a fungus that infects ants and drives them manic or insane. The podcast likened this fungus in ants to the idea that people need leaders, or that leaders are better and more apt that people. It was a bit of a libertarian podcast as you can guess. 

It's an interesting concept, the zombie ant, and anyone can easily see how it could be translated into a terrific zombie movie or zombie series. Fungus that is supposed to infect ants crosses over to infect humans. It writes itself to a degree. 

Noveling and First Lines (again)

I've been making progress on the fourth novel, Sunset Perfect, in fact, I've found a writing buddy, or accountability partner, so I felt another good thing to do would be to keep the blog going as I move forward. 

BUT, this first post is not about that. This post is about my reading. Right now I'm reading 1984, again. I've read 1984 several times, and each time it's a bit more eye-opening. 

Weekly Writing Status Update - 5

So, the biggest thing that I should provide an update on with this status post is about my 300 words a day goal. How did it go? Is it positive?

Overall it was a good  . . . and IS a good exercise. First, I'm stunned that 300 words really isn't that many words. I can knock out 300 words in no time. 

Follow Up - One Off

So, it looks like I may have been off by one game (see here). I will NOT be getting a jeep from this year's ridiculous bet. But, I was close. 

I thought the first game would be the one that could go either way. It went the way of the Texans. I'm a tad surprised by Urban Meyer. I thought he would be a better coach. Looks like he had lots of people snowed. 

Just 500

Right now I’m a word counter.

The other day I wrote that I’m flipping ole Sunset Perfect on it’s head. I’m simplifying a lot! Like a lot a a lot. Which is good. I think the story through the years had taken on a bit of a Frankenstein’s Monster look. It had become something it wasn’t. It was several stories lumped into one. Worst of all, it was boring. 

Now, I think it’s far sleeker, far more to the point. TOTALLY brand new characters who are all an amalgamation of the ones that were in the Frankenstein version, and the EXACT same plot and story, just told from a different, more appealing angle. 

Things Have Slowed . . .

Things may have slowed, but it's still trickling . . .just in the wrong way.

What's that mean?

I'm writing . . . in fact I'm writing alot. But I'm writing for work not for fun. I'm writing a white paper about my new company and our newer tools and solutions. This is absurd for many reasons.

I am the newest member of the company and yet I'm the one who is tasked with writing about it. That doesn't say much about my colleagues I suppose, but I like to think it says volumes about my abilities and the confidence my boss/bosses have in me.

I say, "in me" and not "in my writing" because they haven't seen any of my writing. So it must just be confidence in me.

I just wrote:

How can this ability affect a single contractor? The Houston Area Safety Council has trained 1,043 people for one of our Houston Area Contractor Members in the past 365 days. For the past year this contractor benefited from 6,735 courses in which a Basic Plus or Basic Plus Refresher course was already taken for other sites. Assuming the $25 dollars per unit price and the same $28/hour average from before, this contractor would have paid $168,375.00 on the Basic Plus and Basic Plus Refresher courses and would have had to pay $565,740.00 which translates to a total savings over the year of $734,115.00.

Not my most compelling writing.

Here's the next most silly part . . .

I've never written a white paper. Nope . . . never written a white paper. I've written oodles of term papers, and tons of marketing material, but never blended the two into one to make a white paper. It's taken a bit so far, but I'm making progress. The sad part of all of this is that its taking away from my daily ration of writing that I might put toward writing Sunset Perfect.

I'll get back to it though . . . National Novel Writing Month is closing in.

Always Good to Read and Old Friend

When I was in middle school I spent summers with my grandfather helping him at his bed and breakfast in the country. He was a huge fan of the half price books store in the little town near the place, and we would go into town for more books often. That little book store had a vast collection of Louis L'Amour novels and I started churning through them. Never got through them all, so now, when I'm hard up for a book to read, I'll turn to them.

I just finished Reilly's Luck and it was less than Louis' best book. The story by itself just wasn't that compelling. It started strong with a young boy being saved from being abandoned and killed. And the middle was decent, but the run up to the story and the end of the book were both things I'd rather just forget.

Still, as the title of this post suggests, it's always fun to go read books from an old favorite author. Old friends are always friends, right? So even a bad Louis L'Amour isn't so bad as long as he sticks with his strong points. At least the reader always knows what he's going to get.

One thing that continues to amaze me, especially as I work on my two works in progress, Sunset Perfect and Dev Palmer, is how prolific Louis was. When I do a quick look up of his bibliography I see over 188 separate novels. Here I am stuck on novel number 4 and he's spitting out 188. Even his worst probably better than mine.

Weekly Writing Status Update - 1

 I started reading another book on writing. This one is called Intuitive Writing by Jaqueline Fisch. It’s supposed to be a book about how to write more and with more focus. What I’ve found is that when she says “writing” she means all writing. Copy writing, writing emails, newsletters, etc. etc. Now she does talk about creative writing, which is why I picked this up, but the author means it all. 

She also encourages the reader to complete the chapter exercises. So I’m going to use this space to do just that. 

Funny Ole World of Writing

This week, I didn't have a tone of meetings, so I thought I would have a ton of time to write. I have that writing bug right now, I was hoping to capitalize on it. Sadly, I did not.   

Work piled up quickly. Tons of little things, a couple of big ones, and more politics and personnel decisions than I normally have to deal with. It's the end of the year, and so we are dealing with wage increases and bonuses, and no matter how generous you think you might be, it's never as generous as your employees hope.