Poem - There is a Place

There is a place where a man may dream dreams

I know of the place
For I have been there often
Fleetingly, struggling to remain
Yet always in vain.

It is a beautiful land,
Hidden.
Somewhere between unconsciousness
And the first heavy eyelid.

I spend much time in this land
Though I’m no more than a pilgrim
How I long to make this world my own
And live these dreams forever.

It is a place where a man may dream dreams.

Can I claim to be a scholar?
Most times I only recognize a visit
Once it has reached conclusion.
Study as I may, I remain humbled.

How can a fleeting place
So hold the desire?
Never even sure I’m there,
Yet life’s futility fires the craving.

In that wistful place,
A million others stand.
A throng makes music in the fog
My muse’s call alluring

There is a place where a man may dream dreams,
Away from the tedium of proscribed existence.

I hope one day to find it.

Randall Madden

December 9, 2013

Rough Draft

In the past three days I’ve managed to add three thousand words to my rough draft. Now I can feel the lines of the plot coming together. Where before I felt the construction efforts of building a new world and all of its cultures, now I am struggling to write the words fast enough, as the actions and plots of all the characters are starting to come to fruition.

I’m trying not to even look back at this point. I’m aware of at least two plot continuity issues, so I’m sure there are many more waiting when I revisit the draft. For now I am simply jotting notes as I realize something needs housekeeping attention, and then pressing to finish the first copy of the manuscript.

It feels strange to see the end in sight, even if it is still very far away. Last June the world of Cestre was barely more than a shadow in my mind, but now I almost feel like a visitor there each time I visit. I can fully see the cities and the beautiful places in its nature, and I feel sorrowful with each death I inflict on this wonderful place.

I hope one day others will feel the same sense of enjoyment at the peoples and cultures of my world. Ultimately, sharing this wonderful place with others is the reason I write.

It's still a long way to the top, but I'm eager to know 

what the view is like from way up there.

The Best Intentions

The best-laid plans rarely survive contact with the enemy. Unfortunately, I am my own worst enemy in this case.

The last quarter of 2013 flew by in a whir, and I didn’t complete very many of my planned projects. Among these projects was the planned completion of my rough draft, which is now sitting at roughly 65,000 words. I struggled through NaNoWriMo with hardly a word written, and December went how it normally goes. With all this said, I’m sitting in a new year with an incomplete book.

In addition to this, I failed to place in any of the writing competitions I entered last year. I don’t feel the failures as keenly as I once did, but it would be a lie to say that it isn’t discouraging.

With all that said, I’m ready to make 2014 a different year. I’m not going to seek to finish my novel by a set date; rather, I will commit to 1,500 words per day. I also plan to work in each of my three blogs at least twice a week.

I’m actually feeling positive about the plan going forward. I’m committed to change my life, and the lives of others, through my writing. 2014, here I come!