Blog Happenings for the End of 2012

Because I'm using National Novel Writing Month to launch myself back into writing my fantasy series, my blogging time has been short lately. So, instead of pushing through and getting out some sub-par entries, I've decided to put my blogs on hold for the rest of November.

However, I will be posting the entry for Stanza 8 of "Dum Diane vitrea" this coming Tuesday, while the final wrap-up entry for that poem will be posted on 4 December.

So, enjoy what's posted here and over at A Glass Darkly for the rest of November, and watch for new content come December!

Oh, and if you're interested, watch my Examiner.com video game blog for a new article every Saturday, plus an extra one this Monday!

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The Last of its Name

These look back/look ahead entries have proven to be less useful than anticipated. Because the lists that get posted here are seldom worked on over the course of the week, and part of each of the last three Sundays have been consumed by these entries to little avail, I'm going to be stopping their posting all together.

However, as one final list, here's what I'm planning on doing between now and the end of the calendar year:

• Outlined and completed Dekar 4
• Outlined and completed Dekar 5
• Edited and made publicly presentable a very loosely autobiographical novel about an English teacher in South Korea
• Edited and made publicly presentable a poetic novel about mythological creatures
• Edited and made publicly presentable an epic poem about a night in the life of a dishwasher
• Gathered and organized all of my poetry
• Gathered and organized all of my short stories
• Had 3 short stories accepted for publication
• Had 1 poem accepted for publication

As you might've guessed from such a list of creative writing-related tasks, I'm dropping this update from my blogging schedule so that I can have more time for my fiction and poetry writing.

However, as counter productive as it may seem, I'm still planning to start a video game playlog over over the coming weeks.

Until then keep checking out this blog and my general blog: A Glass Darkly.

The latter has the usual creative writing post on Monday, movie review on Friday (this week: The Screaming Skull), and "annotated links" post on Saturday.

Meanwhile, here at this blog you'll be able to find the second stanza of "Dum Diane vitrea" on Tuesday, and the first of Wiglaf's reactions to Beowulf's death on Thursday.

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After a Partial Peter Gabriel Eclipse

Over the past week, here's what I've done for the sake of my fiction and poetry writing:

• Outlined four of the five acts of the audio drama that I'm currently working on;
• Worked out all of the climactic events for my perspective characters in Dekar 4 - except for the main female character;
• Begun to research some of the magazines I'm thinking of sending my short story to;
• Noted more story ideas.

By this week's end I'll have:

• Completed my research into magazines and made a short list of five to send my stories to;
• Sent my stories to the first magazine from this list;
• Written up and organized a chapter-by-chapter outline of Dekar 4;
• Written out the next act (4 scenes) of the audio drama I'm working on.

If you're wondering why this second list is fairly similar to the to-do list from last week's entry, my only excuse is that going to see Peter Gabriel in Toronto was a major distraction. In fact, here are the two highlights of the show (thanks to babyVantage and apc611 respectively):







This week's distraction will be a jaunt out to see "Whose Live Is It Anyway" at the Center in The Square. All the same, I'll have ample time for writing and planning, so I think that I'll be able to make short work of this week's to-do list.

Along with that, I'll be posting my translation of the first verse (for real this week) of "Dum Diane vitrea" on Tuesday and of Beowulf's final words on Thursday.

Over at A Glass Darkly, you can find some creative writing tomorrow, a search for the salient in Samuel L. Jackson's The Samaritan on Friday, and some more "Annotated Links" on Saturday.

And, watch for regular updates over at my examiner.com page.

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Blog Update: Posts Will Return (Update Entry #10)

I've completed enough of my list to start posting some regular entries again. On Monday, I'll have a new piece of creative writing up, the rest will start back up again next week.

This is what's left to do:

• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
Done. You can find it here.
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
In the process of making time to edit, and search out good homes for them.
• Outlined the entirety of the fantasy novel that I'm currently writing;
I've written out a list of key events in the novel and am building a chapter-by-chapter outline in my mind as I type this.
• Completed five of those chapters;
The form of these chapters is slowly taking shape.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
The plan from update number eight still needs to be implemented.

While you wait for this blog to come back up, check out my writing about video games here.

And, don't miss next Friday's hunt high and low for the good in David Gordon Green's Your Highness which will be posted at A Glass Darkly.

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Blog Update: Perspectives (Update Entry #9)

Things are going to change with this blog, beyond the update, since I've recently found local employment. More on that later, right now, here's the update's status:

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
All of the translation recordings have been edited, and now just need to be uploaded. Watch for this tomorrow evening!
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
Hyperlinks will be up by the end of the weekend.
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
I just need to edit them both and figure out where the best places to send them are.
• Outlined the entirety of the fantasy novel that I'm currently writing;
I've read it all and have learned that what I've written is good, but after nine chapters the story is *just* getting started. In hip writer-speak, I have nine scenes and no sequels, so I already know what I need to do in one regard. Right now I'm working out who the perspective characters need to be.
• Completed five of those chapters;
The form of these chapters is slowly taking shape.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
The plan from the previous update still needs to be implemented.

While you wait for this blog to come back up, check out my writing about video games here.

And, don't miss this Friday's salvo into In the Name of the King in search of the salubrious!

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Blog Update: Plans (Update Entry #8)

There's little to say that can't be said by the list itself. So, without further ado, here's how the remaining tasks stand:

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
All of the Beowulf recordings have been edited. However, after a little bit of poking around and double checking I realized that I have about as much as I had to do for the Beowulf recordings left to do with Isidore's Etymologies. This discovery is a minor setback, but it means that this item gets another two days on this list.
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
Hyperlinks will be up by the end of the week.
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
With some feedback in hand, and my own fresh take on one story in particular, it's clear that I need to do some editing. Once that's finished I'll decide whether to push forward with it or to put it through another round of pre-readers. The second story is locked away in a notebook, waiting for some keys.
• Outlined the entirety of the fantasy novel that I'm currently writing;
I still intend to sprinkle reading this throughout my editing slog.
• Completed five of those chapters;
Without a plan, my ideas for these chapters are so nebulous that I can't yet grasp their form.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
The plan is to finish the draft I have of one of the scenes, do some outlining to get a better sense of where the plot of this audio drama is going, and then to just motor through the next three scenes. As far as plans go, it's a good one, and I'll soon see how it pans out.

For some of my writing about video games check out my examiner page.

And, don't miss this Friday's quest for the positive qualities of In the Name of the King over at A Glass Darkly.

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Blog Update: Plotting (Update Entry #7)

I've completed the job that I'd picked up last week, so now all of my time will be devoted to finishing this list. Here's what's left to do.

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
I've just scratched the surface, so far, having editing the Latin recording of "O Fortuna." I still have the Modern English recording, 14 Beowulf recordings and the newest Telos AM podcast to get through. Tomorrow will see most (hopefully all) of this done).
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
Hyperlinks will be up by the end of the week.
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
I'm in the midst of sending one of these stories to pre-readers.
• Outlined the entirety of the fantasy novel that I'm currently writing;
I still intend to sprinkle reading this throughout my editing slog.
• Completed five of those chapters;
Without a plan, my ideas for these chapters are so nebulous that I can't yet grasp their form.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
No progress yet.

Things are quiet over there as well, but for some of my writing about video games check out my examiner page.

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Blog Update: Plodding (Update Entry #6)

Little by little I am, as they say, "gettin' 'er done":

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
My plan right now is to spend as much of the weekend as I can editing these and the newest Telos AM podcast, so that come Sunday night they're all finished.
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
The hyperlinks are all that's left for these.
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
To be 100% sure that it's as good as I can get it, I've decided to send out my story to pre-readers before I let it into the world at large.
• Outlined the entirety of the fantasy novel that I'm currently writing;
Reading what I have to refresh my memory and making this outline will be a great way to break up my otherwise audio editing intensive weekend.
• Completed five of those chapters;
Without a plan, my ideas for these chapters are so nebulous that I can't yet grasp their form.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
No progress yet.
• Created a Commissions page (accessible through every blog) to accept new commissions.
Completed! I'll likely be adding fan fiction to the options, I just need to figure out some things about that.

In less than an hour check out A Glass Darkly for my search for the salvageable in This Means War.

And, as always, check out my examiner page for some of my writing on video games.

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Blog Update - Portfolio'd! (Update Entry #5)

The update is slowly moving forward. Here's where the list stands:

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
These recordings will be edited at some point over the next four days. I'll probably edit them the same day that I sit down to edit the newest Telos AM podcast.
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
All the citations are up. I now just need to get them all hyperlinked and work out how to improve the appearance of this page.
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
Magazine lists still need to be compiled, but I'm confident that my stories are ready.
• Outlined the next 10 chapters for the fantasy novel I'm writing;
I still need to read the rest of what I've written to date. However, inspired by the great Writing Excuses podcast, I've decided to outline the entirety of this novel before going forward with writing it.
• Completed five of those chapters;
The plan is still outstanding, so the same can be said of these chapters.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
No progress yet.
• Created a Commissions page (accessible through every blog) to accept new commissions.
This is the next thing that will be crossed off the list.

Come Friday this blog will be home to a double header: the next blog update, and my look for the likeable in This Means War.

Plus, if you want to read some of my writing on video games, check out my examiner page.

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Blog Break Purpose (Update Entry #4)

Working on something other than this blog has reminded me why I wanted to pause my regular updates in the first place.

One of my reasons was to make these blogs more coherent, and the other was to bring writing fiction back into my routine. Somewhere in the mix, I forgot that I am a writer and not a PR guy or social media wizard. So, this is the revised to-do list that has things directly related to these two purposes in mind:

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
These recordings still need to be edited. I'm slowly psyching myself up to tackle this.
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
All citations will be up over the next two days, and at that point I'll add this as a blog page. Every citation will be hyperlinked by the weekend.
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
After my current work is done I'm going to pull out my copy of The Short Story and Novel Writer's Market, pick the ten best venues for each story I'll be sending, and then I'll send them. This is still likely to be the last thing from this list to get finished.
• Outlined the next 10 chapters for the fantasy novel I'm writing;
I've read some of what I'd written and, aside from being a little ashamed of my younger self (ah, what a difference a year can make!), I've got a plan percolating. I'd previously guessed this step would be done for today, but alas, it has not. Still, this item is the most likely to be crossed off the list come Wednesday.
• Completed five of those chapters;
The plan is still outstanding, so the same can be said of these chapters.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
No progress yet.
• Created a Commissions page (accessible through every blog) to accept new commissions.
Since my two previous commissions have been completed, I have no reason to not set up this page. Expect it over the next two days.

Check back here on Wednesday for the to-do list's current status. Check back on Friday for my search for the salient in This Means War. Oh, and, if you want to see some of my non-Blogger-hosted writing, check out my video game blog over at Examiner.com.
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Blog Break Paused (Update Entry #3)

My writing work has picked up over the past two days, and so I haven't had time to make any further progress on the blog updates.

However, over the next two days I will be making time to tackle a task or two from the to-do list.

Check back here then for a progress report. Also, if you haven't already, track down and watch This Means War, the final film for this year's All-Request August.

Blog Break Progressing (Update Entry #2)

The blog update has picked up a bit over the last two days, but so has my non-blog work. As a result, the to-do list has seen steady progress but less than I'd expected. As of tonight here is where each task stands:

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
All of the outstanding recordings are now finished and just need to be edited and posted.
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
I'm in the middle of completing the entries for the portfolio - about 1/3 are finished and almost all of them are hyperlinked.
• Made all of the titles of entries uniform across both blogs;
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
I have the short stories chosen, and just need to send them. However, this task might be the last to be finished since I still need to organize a list of prospects.
• Created a central, personal blog on tumblr;
I now have a tumblr account, but it isn't yet set up as a blog page. Expect more on this front soon.
• Created a Facebook Writer/Author page;
I now have a Facebook Writer's page, but it's still something of a blank slate. You can find it here.
• Outlined the next 10 chapters for the fantasy novel I'm writing;
I've peeked at what I have written so far, but since I haven't done anything outside of world building for months, I need to re-read it more closely. This should be completed by Monday at the latest.
• Completed five of those chapters;
Since the plan still needs writing, these chapters aren't anywhere near being written just yet.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
No progress yet.
• Completed my two outstanding commissions;
Both of these have been completed and just need to be shown to the people who've requested them. Since I've done all I can with them (for now), I've crossed them off this list.
• Created a Commissions page (accessible through every blog) to accept new commissions.
The draft is still sitting, just as it was on Tuesday.

Check back here on Saturday for the to-do list's current status.

And, of course, be sure to catch tomorrow's All-Request August movie review over at A Glass Darkly. I'll be looking for the likeable in the TV miniseries Earthsea!

Plus, for some of my writing that's not hosted on Blogger, check out my video game blog over at Examiner.com.

Blog Break Progress (Update Entry #1)

So far the to-do list has been going slowly. However, as of tonight here is where each task stands:

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
All of the Beowulf passages that have "{Forthcoming}" where their recordings should be are one step closer to having them there. I've finished recording all of them and now just need to edit and post them. I still need to record "O Fortuna."
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
I've planned out how I'm going to do this, but haven't enacted the plan yet.
• Made all of the titles of entries uniform across both blogs;
This task has been completed.
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
I have two short stories that I've sent off to recent contests (unsuccessfully, alas), but that I'm going to edit and then send.
• Created a central, personal blog on tumblr;
This has been planned out, but hasn't yet been executed.
• Created a Facebook Writer/Author page;
No progress yet.
• Outlined the next 10 chapters for the fantasy novel I'm writing;
No progress on this, directly, but I have been struck with some world-building ideas of late.
• Completed five of those chapters;
See the above.
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
No progress yet.
• Completed my two outstanding commissions;
No progress yet beyond a rough draft and a rough idea.
• Created a Commissions page (accessible through every blog) to accept new commissions.
I have this in draft form, and will be looking it over once I've finished those two commissions.

Check back here for more updates as they come, I plan to post them here bi-daily. Even if that might seem a bit counter-productive.

Also, don't miss part four of All-Request August over at my writing/editorial/review blog A Glass Darkly. It'll feature a look at the TV miniseries Earthsea.

Why the Blog Break? (Update Entry #0)

My taking a break from these blogs is nothing new. I've done it before a few times but, since each of those breaks has been motivated by an unfulfilled desire to tidy things up and to post new pages, I've decided to stop regular updates to both this blog and A Glass Darkly until I've:

• Recorded, edited, and uploaded all of the missing translation recordings;
• Created and posted a hyperlinked portfolio page on these blogs;
• Made all of the titles of entries uniform across both blogs;
• Sent out two short stories to magazines;
• Created a central, personal blog on tumblr;
• Created a Facebook Writer/Author page;
• Outlined the next 10 chapters for the fantasy novel I'm writing;
• Completed five of those chapters;
• Completed the next act (four scenes) of an audio drama I'm working on;
• Completed my two outstanding commissions;
• Created a Commissions page (accessible through every blog) to accept new commissions.

I might not be regularly updating these blogs for the next week or two, but I want it to be clear that, despite more than half of the list being indirectly related to my blogs, these blogs (and those reading them) haven't been forgotten. So, as I complete each of these tasks, I'll post an update explaining how the process as a whole is coming along.

Plus, because they're often the most anticipated and the most fun to put together, I'll continue to post my weekly movie redemptions/condemnations while I work on these various tasks.

That said, watch this space for updates on my progress, and for this Friday's attempt to redeem the TV mini-series Earthsea over at A Glass Darkly.