Counting the Days

The final round of edits concludes today, with the exception of my last rewrite. It is still in process, and will undergo one last bout of edits before the book goes out for the query process. I’m excited as I reread the manuscript, because I think I’m truly on to something good.

I’m working with a local artist on getting a map set up and drawn out to accompany the manuscript, and for the first time in quite a while I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Each time I’ve thought that I was rolling into the station, I’ve found another tunnel that must be endured on the long march to publication.

Still, I know that there is a good chance the publisher at the far end will put my manuscript back on the train for a little bit longer of a ride. There is always the chance that they won’t like what I’ve written, or that they will feel another rewrite is in order. Patience is the name of the game at this point, and I’m desperately trying to keep that in perspective.

The book is almost ready!

Knowing When to Stop

I’m a perfectionist. I know that many writers will fall into that camp by nature, but I can only speak for myself. I constantly criticize my own work, looking at it over and over to see what more I can squeeze out of it to make it better.

I’ve really been experiencing this with my Dawnbringer series. I planned to have it ready for submission to agents by the beginning of this year, yet here I am working through one more edit. I’ve added a new set of characters, been through three edits, and listened to a series of “alpha readers” and made some adjustments based on their feedback. I’m now completely rewriting one of the story arcs, and trying desperately to finish one last round of proofreading.

In short, I’m calling an end to the madness! You must know when your work is good enough, and for now, I’ve reached that point. I’m completing this last batch of edits, and then the project is going out to a set of agents for consideration. I could dwell at this stage forever, given my perfectionist tendencies. I simply must set my foot down, take a chance, and send it out.

I may forever wonder if I misspelled a word somewhere in the text I submit, but it has no chance sitting on my desk. Wish me luck; before March is out, I will begin the submissions process!

Poem – Thaw

With all the crazy weather in my area recently, it seems appropriate that my mind is stuck on cold weather. I’ve also been in a moody place recently, reflecting on the nature of man and how we come to be so distrustful and cynical. I decided to roll the two together, as I was watching the last of the snows melt.

Thaw

The virgin white drifts all around

Cascade of perfect flakes

I know I must trod purest field

Though a step, the perfect breaks

Such beauty in this world I see

Moonlight off unstained glass

The path is lost in powdered sheet

Until cold travelers pass

Like nature’s beauty, soul shines clean

Despite inherent flaw

Yet rises sun, as trials come

And purest clothing thaws.

Randall Madden

February 27, 2015

Streams of Consciousness

One of my favorite things about writing is the open nature it presents. I can literally write about anything I want, whenever I want, and in any format I choose. I think that exploring multiple avenues of expression is a critically important approach for any writer who is attempting to flex their creative muscles.

This is one of the reasons I occasionally drop off my novel writing and punch out a poem or two. It is also the reason I like to throw in a short story or two when I’m stuck somewhere with nothing but a pen and a pad of paper to occupy my time. It is also the reason that I write daily streams of consciousness.

In their purest form, streams of consciousness seek to emulate the thought patterns as they occur. Rather than breaking for standard dialogue or descriptions, they seek to follow the thought process as it comes. For me, this forces a very spontaneous, unplanned way of putting words to paper. This can be useful, as it forces you to write on the fly, leaving less thought to the words themselves and instead putting down the words as quickly as they come to mind.

This can be a valuable tool for building understanding of how your characters think and feel. Sometimes we get so lost in the idea of telling a story, we forget that our characters are (usually) human, with all the hopes, dreams, and fears that come along with such a state. If you write, or want to write, I would highly recommend this form of writing as a regular exercise. It takes time to become comfortable with the style it forces, but you will not regret the time you spend.

Heck, you might even learn something about yourself.

Poem – Flower

It has been too long since I’ve had an update for the blog. I plan to start doing regular updates again, as I work to add more content to the site. I’d like to start reviewing books as I read them, and perhaps sharing news stories regarding writing when they move me to do so.

In the meantime, here is something I have been working on recently. Enjoy!

Flower

Through sooty, smoke-filled room

Past dingy, cold formed glass

A bright speck makes its mark

As its brief time here does pass

Can any say for sure

Why wisdom chose this place?

Was its presence in this gloom

Benefit for my beholding face?

This moment spent between us

Juxtapositional beauty, take in

And wonder if there be meaning

Through miasma of caked sin

Frail resilience, ruthless progression

Bright and vibrant, cold and gray

Can such beauty truly last here

Or is it destined to fade away?

Randall Madden

January 30, 2015

Year’s End Reminisce

I look back on 2014, and while many things didn’t go as I’d planned it was the best writing year of my life, by far. It is important to stop and look at the goals you’ve achieved from time to time, otherwise you end up wondering why you aren’t at the finish line already. It takes time! With that said, let’s take a look at the year in review from an authorial standpoint.

I finished my first full-length novel, and I got a really good jump on the second. My blogs aren’t where I want them to be, but they’re much more established than they were at the beginning of the year. I have a decent readership, and I’ve also had the honor of writing for Bell of Lost Souls throughout the latter half of the year.

I’ve made writing a daily habit, and I can’t stress this enough to those of you who aspire to write. You cannot achieve your goals if you don’t make time for writing each and every day. Even if it’s only fifty words jotted onto a notepad in the doctor’s waiting room, progress is progress!

I look forward to making 2015 even more productive than this year, and I hope that this will be the year I announce the publication of my first work. I thank those of you who have read my ramblings these past months, and I hope to continue with you in the new year.

In the meantime, have a Merry Christmas!

Editing: Once More Unto the Breach!

Dawnbringer is back from my initial readers, with lots of praise and a few pointers for correction. Overall I’m happy with the responses I’m getting, and I’m still eagerly anticipating the comments from a few last readers.

In the meantime, with NaNoWriMo having come to an end, I will be returning to the editing process. I’m still holding my feet to the fire and writing one thousand words per day, but my primary focus is shifting back to revision. By the end of the year I plan to have a draft that is ready to be submitted to a few lucky agents!

I’ve always been nervous about sharing my work with others, and I didn’t expect nearly so positive of a response. With that said, the book did seem to speak to my readers, and I wanted that more than anything else. If the story doesn’t evoke an emotional journey for my reader, then I feel as if I’ve failed somewhere in the creative process.

A few more weeks, and I’ll take the next intrepid step on this crazy journey!