BRINGING A STORY TO LIFE: IN THE MOOD

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Timing isn’t always everything.  

I’ve spent the past week doing some serious multi-tasking and as things seemed to have settled down a bit I set my energies to finishing a scene I’d set aside because it isn’t the type of scene I wanted to work on while distracted.

An intimacy scene.

So much for best laid plans.  I’d no sooner gotten started when I got a text from the dentist with links to forms that needed filling out.  

I can honestly say the dentist doesn’t bring to mind the energies of romance or intimacy.

Finished with that I took a break to get a snack which reminded me I needed to come up with an idea for dinner.  Finished with that I set back to work on the scene when I got another text asking me to review a web change.

Not happy with the image I explained what needed to change then went back to the scene.  Andddd… another text regarding a separate dental form.

Back to the scene and – another text with the updated web image.  That one needed a slight tweak so I spent some time on that.  Happy with how it turned out I sat down to work on the scene only to find I’d lost the romance energy thread.  

Like seriously?

Amused I decided I would give readers a glimpse of how it might go for a writer in a typical day.

It is an entertaining consideration – all these interruptions – but the post does serve another purpose.  In putting it down on paper, the distraction – the idea of it – is no longer in my mind.

NOW I can go back to the scene!

The Day Before, a Dragon Core story is on track for an Autumn 2021 release.

Stay tuned!

ADRIFT LANDING PAGE

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Ah the joys of working from home when your neighbors are trying to find their way in the middle of a pandemic.

All that home renovation?  On the annoyance scale, the only sound more annoying than the sound of a compressor is that of a leaf blower.

It’s especially problematic when the one using the compressor doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing as evidenced by the fact it’s repeatedly cycling through like a portable generator on energy saver mode.  You know – because it’s not giving enough juice?!

My dad was a contractor.  I know my compressors.

Determined to get over the project hump I put headphones on, started up the Colony playlist, and went to work.  I’m proud to say the landing page for Adrift is ready for consumption!

Excerpt toward bottom of page.

I also finished the foundation for the Lessons from the Edge: An Author’s Guide to Metatron’s Army. 

Release Spring 2021.

As I write this, listening to Death on Two Legs  by Queen, Night at the Opera.

And contemplating next steps…

Stay tuned.

ADRIFT UPDATE

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“You know it’s bad in writing land if I’m doing housework.”

These were the words that went through my mind as I was vacuuming my bedroom this afternoon, after which I went on a bit of a cleaning spree.  

I despise housework.

It was only after I finally sat down 3 hours later that I realized it wasn’t that there was trouble so much as I needed to give myself a break.  I just got Adrift, first Sequence in the Colony Series back from the beta reader which means postproduction is in full swing.

I finished the book cover mockup yesterday and am taking notes for the “back of book” summary.

I have also been working on two other projects simultaneously.

They are related.

Though I’ve finished two books close together before I don’t remember resorting to housework to give myself a mental break.

I honestly didn’t feel that worn out but maybe I’m being preemptive.

I also may not be dealing with the writing thing.

It’s actually going well so why stress?  

I suspect a bit of what is going on is that in getting a nice head start on a few things issues I’ve been ignoring for – oh – awhile – are making themselves felt.

As in how about we deal with this?

I hadn’t considered how much writing can be a way to distract myself from other things.

At least not since the onset of Covid lockdown when I wrote three books in two months.

I’m going to try something a little different with this postproduction episode.  I’m going to allow myself to think about the item that seems to be the squeaky wheel of the moment while I’m doing the final edit of Adrift.

Final edit isn’t the most brain intensive activity since, with the story completed, I’m only doing a final check of grammar.

Who knows?  If it works out maybe this will be my new way of doing postproduction.

I anticipate having a landing page for Adrift up within a week.

Stay tuned.

hit the degauss button

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So – time to hit the degauss button.  

This is my new way of describing the need to do an energetic reset between projects. 

I just finished a major revision of Adrift, first Sequence in the Colony series.

The beta reader hadn’t even finished when I asked for it back so I could edit/revise it.

This isn’t how it typically goes.  Normally I use the time the novel is in the hands of a reader to work on other projects knowing that when I get it back complete with feedback, I will look at it with fresh eyes and do any edits/revisions.

If I feel passionately about adding or changing something, I’ll write notes in a separate file and wait til I have the novel back before implementing.

For whatever reason this time I was unable to get a few open items out of my head.

I’d created a file with the notes, but it just wouldn’t let go so I asked for it back so I could work on it.

Over the weekend I did a major revision that included adding a little over 5000 words.  I did the right thing asking for it back.

Though I returned it to the beta reader yesterday.

In addition to fleshing out a couple of scenes I addressed an issue that was like a sliver.  It wasn’t keeping me up at night but as I went about my normal day, I kept thinking there was something missing.

There was.

Short a man.  When I write a series, I consider plans for future novels in the series while working on whatever one I happen to be on.  In general, this isn’t as big a deal with the first in a series as I can easily adjust subsequent stories in the series to reflect changes.  Still, I try to think ahead and lay the foundation for an easy transition from one book to the next.  

This is especially important to do for the characters in a story as opposed to the subplots that each book contains.

When writing characters I consider 

  • What is the role the character has in the story?
  • What is the role the character has in the series?
  • How do I ensure the character has what he or she needs to go the distance?

In the case of Adrift I found myself facing a unique challenge, the number of characters that would participate in an event.  I’ve never had to worry about this type of thing before so trying to address it was hard.

  • I wrote a general scene with the number of characters I thought worked then continued with the story only to circle back and change that number – twice.
  • I wrote in an additional character through a scene revision then cut the scene – also twice

The trouble stemmed from the fact I hadn’t settled on a definite number of characters.  

At one point I had thirty.  Then fourteen.  Then nine. 

Even after I settled on the final number I faced the challenge of adding a character in a way that didn’t disrupt the flow of the rest of the story which was “first draft” finished.  If I got it wrong, I’d have to rip a lot apart and put it back together.

Not a good time.

I finally figured out a way to add the character unobtrusively.

Happy with everything I’d done I passed it back to the reader and scribbled notes for next projects.  

I’m the kind of person who likes to be doing so even if I’m not writing – I’m thinking of writing.

Recognizing the benefit of getting some mental rest between projects I may

  • Listen to music
  • Play FreeCell
  • Do housework
  • Do an Event Horizon Session
  • Take a walk

None of those filled the gap this time and while I don’t feel a need to go back to Adrift I also don’t feel pulled to the next task.

But I can’t do nothing.  I’m not wired that way.

Realizing there was a lot of creative noise buzzing through my mind I decided to hit the degauss button. Basically, I’m stepping back and looking at next projects from a high level view rather than the tasks that need to be done.

It’s like looking into the distance and admiring the whole rather than individual elements such as the sky, the grass, a tree, river, or house.

For now, it seems to be working to take pressure off.  

I’m not worried about what specific task I need to do next because I’m taking the time to get clearer on my plans as a whole.

So far so good.

A BREAK FOR A SMILE

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There are times when the intensity of a scene – or a series of scenes – translates to tension in the body. At these times I look for a way to ease the tension.

  • Do Housework
  • Go for a walk
  • Go bug another hapless soul
  • Listen to some music

That doesn’t always help. Much of my favorite music has found its way into a novel playlist.

  • Watch a music video

It was this last that got me this evening. It’s a blast from the past but one that makes me smile so I thought I’d share it here.

Enjoy!

Now back to work…

COLONY: BUILDING THE BRIDGE

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Pacing is oh such fun.

Not.

I’m not talking about pacing a story – I’m talking about pacing my mind which at the moment is like a runaway train going through the mountain that is Adrift, the first Sequence in the Colony Series under construction.

I can count on one hand the number of times this has happened but it’s painful when it does.

It takes restless mind to a whole new level.

Under the Covers.  The issue has its roots in excitement. 

Specifically, of what’s to come.

The Idea.  A story has a beginning, an idea that may start as a small vibration of energy at the edge of consciousness, which grows if it is deemed by the deeper layers of consciousness that perceive the vibration to be more than a ripple in the creative field.

If I’m lucky I’ll get a glimpse of characters as this allows me to get a visual which provides details I hadn’t consciously thought of yet, details that can be used for backstory or various plot elements.  

Mental Movie.  Colony is a little different in that I spent a lot of energy mentally incubating it rather than starting a draft and allowing it to surface through the creative energy that uses my fingers on the keyboard to get through.

In this regard it’s similar to how Metatron’s Army came to be though I did write a draft of that one right off so this truly is different.

Construction.  Deciding I was ready to start I went through the routine steps of setting up the various documents, organizing them, setting up a backup routine, creating the artwork to go with it, etc.

Lots of work happens before Chapter One is ever laid out.

Floodgate.  Once I started typing, it was as if a floodgate was open.  

And therein lay the problem.

All these ideas came tumbling forward and while I appreciate that I have them they are somewhat disruptive to the writing effort.

Okay, they are very disruptive.

Mental Movie Take 2:  I thought if I gave time and energy to the scenes vying for my attention it might bring a bit of calm to a mind filled with excitement over the possible ways I could develop various plot lines. 

It didn’t.

Like a bratty kid who now has a way to get an adult’s attention, the creative energy behind this particular storyline is being relentless in introducing new possibilities.

And to think about a month ago I worried my creative source was drying up, no doubt the result of mental fatigue.

Adapt and Go.  I’m hoping I get to a point where the excitement of future scenes settles, perhaps due to an inner confidence that it will all come together.  

I’m confident it will all come together. Someone needs to tell the creative source!

Calming the mind to focus on the actual writing will be awfully difficult otherwise.

In the meantime?  I’m splitting my time between mental movies and putting fingers to the keyboard.

And Adrift is taking shape.

NEW SERIES UPDATE

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It’s been a busy few days here as I’ve mapped out a release schedule for upcoming projects.

Hint:  There are multiple in the works.

In addition to Refugee, a Metatron’s Army novel, I have been hard at work on Colony, a brand new series debuting this year.  

I’m pleased to report that I have a landing page up as well as an introductory paragraph on the home page.

Check it out!

I’ll continue to post updates on various projects and their release dates in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned.

A Day in the Life of a Writer with GMF Sensitivity

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People who’ve followed me over the years know I have a unique history with EMF and GMF Sensitivity.  Though I have unraveled the mystery of my sensitivity to technology EMFs – heavy metal poisoning that messed up cell signaling by disrupting electrolytes – I am still aware of various electromagnetic frequencies.

Including and especially the ultra-low and very low frequencies that come out of fault lines in the hours and days before an earthquake.

Though my focus is now on writing fiction, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t learn or validate something about my relationship with these invisible sound waves that have such an impact on our world.

And human health and well-being.

Just before all the virus fun started, our family acquired a bearded dragon.  The timing was, like so many things in my life, a happy coincidence.  Not.

Not that it wasn’t happy – the timing wasn’t a coincidence.  Obviously, the universe knew what was coming and knew what a gift this little guy who isn’t so little now would be.

Well, not that anyone sought my opinion but, he ended up in my space.

It’s technically common living space but as it’s where I do the bulk of my writing, it’s mine.

Over the months I’ve gotten to know this member of the family, his habits, expressions.

Unlike how Ryal Kinkaid refers to the Light Beings, I don’t consider our BD a lizard brain.

Yesterday I noticed he was acting a bit strangely.  Since there was a power outage that necessitated we hook the lights warming his space to the generator, I wondered if it had to do with that though I couldn’t figure out how or why that might be the case.

He periodically acted as if he’d been zapped but there was no obvious way there could have been surges that would have caused it.  Not to mention I’m so sensitive to electrical pulses I would have been impacted because I was sharing the power strip to which his lights were plugged in – frequently plugging and unplugging devices from it as they needed charging.  There was never any dimming of his lights when I did this – no sparks – nothing. ANDDD – he didn’t do it when I was plugging or unplugging the devices – just periodically.

This afternoon I was working on Refugee, a Metatron’s Army novel, when I suddenly felt icky.  Ignoring it since there was no obvious explanation, I continued working.

Didn’t work.

I decided to have lunch, see if that might help.  Just as I sat down to eat I got a nasty sharp pain in one of my teeth.

As if someone was jabbing a sewing needle up the center.

When chewing didn’t make it any worse, I shrugged it off and kept at the novel  hoping – and believing – it would resolve itself.

I’ve noticed while rebalancing my electrolytes I’ll periodically if seldomly get pain in my mouth that totally disappears once the balancing has been achieved.  Pain that stays away.  You know – like a cramp in the foot – growing pains?  NORMAL?!

A telltale sound caught my attention at the same moment my visual attention went to a row of windows.  EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!

The sound wave travels in a straight line which makes windows “pop” or “crack” – like Rice Crispies.  

For years my focus has turned – often along with my eyes – to the direction the earthquake wave travels.  

Even when I wake up out of a sound sleep moments before the quake hits. I turn my head in the direction of the oncoming wave.

I knew in that moment my tooth pain would resolve shortly.

As the GMFs that caused it went to zero.

All of a sudden a number of things made sense

  • The bearded dragon’s behavior

Just prior to the small quake he’d been running from one end of the tank to the other, went into his hidey hole then out, down into the greenery then out.  AFTER?  Totally calm.

  • An ache in my neck I hadn’t felt in eons.
  • The icky feeling

As I’ve written GMFs which are ultra-low and very low EMFS, are tied to feelings of despair, deep fatigue, hopelessness

  • Ringing ears

Throughout the day yesterday I experienced a high-pitched ringing that lasted seconds before disappearing entirely.  

  • The sharp pain in my tooth

Which reduced within seconds of the quake, disappearing entirely within forty minutes.

I am back at the novel after a break to share this with readers.

All a day in the life of a writer sensitive to electromagnetic frequencies.

PULLING THE THREAD

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I’m what some might call a synchronicity junkie.  

I think it stems from having a gift for pattern recognition.

Though I don’t see an omen every time I open my eyes I do acknowledge that wonderful and often amazing coincidences may be messages from the universe.  As such I hold those who act as the messenger in high regard.

Many times people don’t even know they’ve been one making it all the better.

Grasping a Thread.  Several months back a friend asked a question, followed by what would seem an innocuous comment about goals.  Though I responded that updating my goals was on my to-do list, I didn’t do much other than jot a few down.

I set the list aside and haven’t looked at it since.

Pulling a Thread.  What neither of us realized at the time was that her harmless bit of polite conversation let loose energy that had been blocked behind other more pressing needs.

It was the total disruption of the pandemic that allowed for the space in which to address those needs clearing the way to circle back to the goals.

The Spool Unwinds.  As the holidays approached, I was putting the finishing touches on Redemption.  Without a looming deadline I decided to turn my attention back to the goals, focusing on professional ones first.  Before Redemption even hit the press, I’d totally revamped my goals.

I even managed to work in a few personal ones.

The Empty Spool.  By the time the New Year rolled around I’d completely revamped my web presence in a manner that reflected the updated goals.  It was time to turn my energy back to writing.  

It IS Empty!  The mental and emotional energy spent throughout the intense process that spanned months left me struggling to get started.

I was spent.

Pick Up The Thread.  Though I recognized the need for a break I also knew what would happen if I went much longer without writing.

Panic!

My mind would look for another place to focus and the next thing I know I’d be doing housework!

Cleaning a house that I’d already cleaned.

To prevent such a downward spiral, I went through the motions of writing the next story.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of up-front work to do before I even start typing the first chapter; work that can still make me feel productive.

Pick Up The Spool.  As I allowed my energy to recharge, I tested the waters for which of the three stories under consideration I would work on first – by thinking about it.

It’s Still Empty.  At this point I realized that while I was comfortable with my choice and the follow-on steps to make it happen, there were problems.  

Problems I didn’t understand the nature of though I knew it wasn’t mental exhaustion.  I had recharged enough to get back to writing.

I decided to hand the problem over to my subconscious.

I have a trick to help this process using what I learned about the alpha frequency in the Silva Method.

When that didn’t do it, I pulled out the big guns.

Event Horizon.

For several days I worked through Event Horizon exercises, focusing on a variety of topics only some of which were related to my career.

I gained insight into a number of other non-career concerns and even got the plot for a new series.

Freed of mental clutter I was able to start on the novel.  

However…

The Unraveling Continues.  This morning while I was going through the routine that primes the creative pump I came to see that the reason I was having trouble was because my goal revamping wasn’t finished.

I debated between running an Event Horizon session or the Free Cell session.

As I’d just done several EVs I decided to try the FC.

I listened to music from novel inspired playlists while playing rounds of Free Cell.  

It’s so mindless my mind relaxes – aka Silva Method Daydream State AND Stare – so I can focus on problem solving.

The Free Cell method showed that since the goals for my career changed the goals of the series needed to change too.  As I followed this thought through David Bowie and other artists I identified flaws not in the series but with some of the characters.

They were too shallow or otherwise had flaws that were going to cause problems in the very near future.

I’m happy to say that I worked everything out and now have a roadmap forward.

And all because of an innocent question…

Stay tuned.

update

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For the past several weeks I’ve been implementing changes to my website as I sharpen my focus and evaluate my goals.

Where I am and where I want to go.

  • Lessons from the Edge has been cancelled***

As a nonfiction, it didn’t fit in with my goals for the Metatron’s Army Series.

  • Metatron’s Army works

Details and release dates to come.

Release date late winter/early spring 2021.

Details and release dates to come.

  • Additional videos

Updates provided as appropriate.

Stay tuned.

*** For those interested in the Lecture on Time, it is available in its entirety in Bishop Pair: Book Two in the Metatron’s Army series.