Friday 26 September 2014

Putting on the show

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That really is the whole entire life cycle of writing. It’s a party.
            You are putting out your fiesta, and everyone is invited to your special event. The first chapter is the introduction. You pointed everyone out, and tell every Tom, Dick, and Harry who they are. The middle of the party, is all about the gathering of people, and they start to groove about as they make the next part. Happenings happen! People laugh at a joke, they play a video game, they cook some wieners on your heater, they start playing baseball in your bathroom, and build a flourish statue to the chair god out of your table. Time pass by, and you get to the end. Everyone leaves, and they tell you what your party was like.
             Your party goers are going to like the party, get bored, pass out in the bathroom, or return to want one more party.
            What makes a good party? You! You are the maverick showstopper party with host with the most…uhmm..host.
                        
                          YEA! DOUBLE ENTENDRE! NYUNYAAN! ß Guitar solo noise 
                                    
                                     Be prepared to go out there with a smile.

As my next step is starting. I find myself facing two divided decisions. One being that I can go to school, and spend a whole bunch of time on more writing, or what my mentor is pointing out to me. My mentor told me to head towards the writing circles. I never really been in one right away.


                    From my understanding, you go in, and you write. This has been done by every author, every writer, and every critical thinker. Just like scientist using coffee houses in the 1800’s. Like Isaac Newton went to the Grecian Coffee house, and used to have conversations with the Whigs!

                But you and me, we got to put on the show. We got to put the fireworks on, and dance with the guitar strapped on our shoulder. Slide your tongue up and down on those strings/words on your paper. Raise our hands in the air, and say “Thank you very much, I will be here all week, and try the liver!”
    
           What I’m trying to say, to be an author, you got to know that you are an author. Do not be afraid to spread around. Though, personally I have never been to writing circle. I am going to rock and roll my ideas in there, and walk out a rock star. But with a book, and not a guitar strapped to my shoulder. Texts and sentence, baby! NYUHYAAH! Book solo! Get it? Instead of guitar solo?


                                                  Keep on writing. 

Friday 19 September 2014

The Frist Edit.

The first edit,

I am going to be hiding names for now. I do not want to offend people; but really, the only people I know that read this blog right now are close relatives or close friends.

I should or could go on about other things first. The first write, the first page. How I got where I am, how I created the story, and yadda yada. But I prefer to take this root. As you already have your own story, you know what it must take to get to this certain points. I went through 17 reimagining of my story- no joke, and to take you through all 17 I would have to list all of my main protagonist’s names first. Kit, James, Kid….. And so on. Those edits are important. What’s kind of crazy is the one person name that did not change was Calico’s name. Off topic here, sorry.
                The first edit was really an adventure. The huge journey I went on to get to just one person to read the first Chapter, and help me get ideas. I got reject from schools, teachers, famous authors, friends, family members, and even a ninja that was dressed up like the siding of a building. They kept saying they have no idea how to publish; how to start editing. Luckily, I found someone that would help me.
                See when I first came up with the story I wanted I was so excited, but I failed an English. The first time I tired getting an idea on where to start this publishing of my book I sat down for a meeting for two hours to talk to someone for about three minutes. She told me about her mentor that helped her in her class. I talk to him, and he blew me off right away. Saying that I crazy, and pretty much never going to make it because there’s no way to get in.
               
                 I got lucky! I had found a way to get an hour sit down time with an author! I had a chance for a famous author to sit down and read it with me, but after half an hour, I only got to sit down and joke with him. He did not point out any flaws in my story, he just said to keep on writing. So now what?
                                                  Then I meet my mentor.
               

                   A teacher I knew told me to talk to someone. She knew I was having issue with starting my book in the proper way. So she pointed me to someone. My mentor.  
                
             It was in a class room we meet. I kept asking who this women was to each person, and assuming each person the entered the room would be her. They all laughed, and said no; however, she know who I was, and greeted me instead. That day was wonderful. We went through the first page, and the first chapter. I still have her notes, all of them, in a blue binder from that day. This was it, and I knew than I was an Author. You've heard if it before.

                                             The spark. 

              The rapper Eminem sings that you only get one shot, y’know, that song from his movie 8 Mile. I’m being simple here, and I am talking about how people all have dreams. But you’ve got to have that dream, you see what I mean? You've got to be crazy about it. Can you lose hope? NEVER! Life’s too short to be sane, and get some real job that just pays your bills. You’ve got to go fully into it. Be a Funky Bozo, who care if you get embarrassed that someone reads your story. ‘Cause you’re only given a petite trigger of fantasy…and if you misplace that, drop it, or lose it. You’re nothing. You are not just one more person texting on cell phone on how much your day job sucks.

                You are an Author. Say it to yourself! Make a book cover of your book, and place it on your desk to prove you are. Open your writing tools each day, and read them to remind yourself you an Author. KEEP DOING IT!
                
                                               The first edit is a must! 

                           My mentor-I tell her that she is, has taken my story leaps ahead of what I would it could be! This would have never of happen without her. She encourages me, she even told me that no one she knows has gotten this far, and a lot of people would have given up by now. Not me. I am trapped in my fantasy. I look at my first edit of my story and tell myself, “I can now stay that one other person has read my story.” As my Mentor would say: Keep writing Lucas. I’m reading.
                                                        I’ll keep writing. 

                   So one day the world will know that I am an Author. I will have my dream. 
                                                         And so will you.



Sunday 14 September 2014

How long will it take?



How long will it take to write your novel?




 That is an enquiry I cannot answer, but can give you an idea by how long it will take you by the appearance of myself and how long it has taken me to get where I have been. Back in 2008 (being 2014 now), I came up with the idea behind Staff in the Stone. I worked at bottle depot in Kamloops called General Grants for a very long time, and I was very happy there. After that, I moved down to Vancouver. In-between all that I have been writing. I write on buses, cars, parks, and even on the greyhound. I went to school to improve my English and writing skills for two years, and need to learn more about English.  I am now close to my 3rd edit of my story. I tired being Dungeon Master for my DnD group, and think of idea I can get from there, and that has been four years of my life. You can find a great many idea from a couple of friends and a dice that has twenty sides.






Why am I telling you all this?

I have invested a lot of time into this. A LOT! Many weekends, and many things I have skipped to keep writing. I am not even close to being done. I will need all of this and more if I am going to publish my book. So how long will it take? Your life. It is a dedication to your story. Career, kids, and other such society achievements will never or may be late. If you want to write know that you will always be writing. Your first novel might take two years, or it could take ten to fifteen years. I am up to six years now, and I think I still have four more years to go. Good luck.