10 Year Anniversary

I just noticed the 10 year anniversary of this blog is upon us. Figured I'd look back on the blog's origins and see where I was. See what's changed, what's the same.

First off, a picture guarantees higher views so let's knock out the me 10 years ago vs today bit:

Exploring the woods of the Sandbar with sunglasses I bought on honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. Jax the dog was surely with me (RIP). And I bet I turned this day into a short story.

a month ago

Right. I'ma just post my very first blog and react to it in bits. (Original post here)
Bolded, smaller text is the original, posted March 2nd 2012. All else is my reaction.

I am one hundred percent new to blogging.  This is partly because I've never felt I had anything worthy of being heard to say and partly because it has no immediate return on investment for me. (I am a simple person)
However, with the rise of social networks, let's face it; we're all bloggers to some degree, albeit some more detailed than others.

I'm no longer new to blogging, but I have solved the dilemma of believing I have nothing to say worthy of being heard: I don't care! I post for future me.
'No immediate return on investment' still rings true. What's the point of this post? Nothing really other than to document one slice of one moment in time. I do value that. Things change a lot. When I wrote the above, chances are I didn't know that ten years down the road I'd be a bereaved parent nearing the far side of a global pandemic. 
Lastly, I'd say that we're more bloggers (aka micro-historians) now than we were then, but now also vloggers and streamers, etc.

My main motivation to blog (I really do hate that word... and twit... seriously) is to post news and status updates of my writing.  I am currently in the wild throes of writing my first fantasy novel (based in a new and as yet unheard of world) and it is a learning experience to say the least.  I am hesitant to write anything specific, including words, names, events, histories, etc. so therefore, I'm not very sure exactly what it is I will write... I guess only time can tell.

I'm over my aversion to blog. Twit is still stupid. Then again, I'm not sure it was ever a term.
Little did I know this blog would become my definitive 'news and updates' solution.
I'm now in the wild throes of writing my second fantasy novel, based in the same world as the first - Silexare.
It's adorable to look back at my overprotective nature about revealing writing specifics. I know some part of me is like "this is subject to change" and that is a valid reason not to discuss details. But a larger part was fiercely (naively) protective of my own ideas, as if an idea without work is worth a half a hill of steaming shit.

It would still be three years from that post until I eventually published A Sawmill's Hope. I hope it's not another three before I publish V&V.

As I log more, you may notice a subtle (and by subtle I mean extreme) inconsistency in my writing style.  To be clear, this happens as my mood shifts and flares... In my finished work, I have means of solidifying a style and I intend to administer said means effectively.

Accurate prediction, I'd say. And with lots and lots of time, my writing has gotten more consistent despite mood shifts and flares. My novel-writing style is still a work in progress and hopefully it always will be.
But I have no idea what that last sentence was referring to. More naivety, doubtless.

So, concerning my current project...

So far it is a tale of several fellows who set out from their homeland to search for a ___.  Actually so far it is a story of a young man who seeks to save his family's business and possibly gain some sort of acceptance from his mildly disappointed father...  Actually so far it is just some guys wandering around in the woods.  

Another thing that hasn't changed since then: I'm absolutely horrendous at succinctly pitching my books.

I have had to take a break in the actual writing, however, to learn everything I can about alchemy.  When I tell this to people and they ask me, "What is alchemy?" I find that my wildly uneducated response has changed depressingly little despite the hours and days of research I've put into the subject.  This is mainly because alchemy, for its purposes in the book, will have its own definition, history and uses; all based loosely on my studies of alchemy's true, shady history.
That said, after compiling all my notes down from over a hundred pages to a single MS excel document (an annoying habit I have) I think I'm ready to continue writing.

We shall see.

Here's a thing I've improved. I am more able to recognize and differentiate productive writing time from other things. I studied alchemy for months. I'm still infatuated with the topic. But it wasn't at all necessary. In the chapters in question I could have written [they do alchemy stuff] and moved on in the draft. Then on second draft, I could have expounded. As it was, I stopped writing for like two months and when I returned to write out the scene I was overburdened with concepts I found cool, but that didn't add to the story.

Please note: I have never aspired to be a great author... only to create.  The ability to tell stories began as a child when I discovered that fiction was far less incriminating than fact.

That part hasn't changed at all. I don't aspire to be a great author. I do aspire to create, and whatever quantity of ideas and plans and inspirations I experienced ten years ago have only multiplied since then. I've learned to create outlets for my ideas and those outlets aren't always going to be books. If I get the ideas out, more spawn. In themselves, ideas are cheap. I shouldn't treat them like gold nuggets. 

Don't get me wrong. My manuscript in progress is (against all odds) still my very favorite fantasy novel to read. Editing it is challenging every single time because I just want to read it and experience the story again and again. I don't mean any of that in a narcissistic way. Writing and reading V&V is therapy. It's also a collection of people, places, and things I find awesome. I believe the world's population is large and diverse enough that, by great coincidence, someone else will inevitably feel the same way. 

If you asked me to pitch the story in a sentence, here goes:
V&V is a gritty epic fantasy that explores how grief transforms us, for better and worse.

Let's meet back here in 10 years. Compare again.

see you then

dtl