M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 03/01/15

Posted on March 2, 2015 by M. B. Weston

Ah yes. The first edit after the rough draft… It kind of feels like having your chest dragged against a cheese grater. When you write it, you think that it’s just the best thing ever. Then you read it and seriously consider changing professions. 

 I used my plane flight to ConNooga to start editing the rough draft of my Michael Lodestone pulp novella. (On that note, I apologize for the lack of posts. Since I was posting my ConNooga panel schedule, each day, I didn’t want to double up writing diary posts with for the sake of those who follow this blog through email. I did write every day, but Saturday and last night didn’t get much of time.) 

 Now that I have read through my rough (egads it’s rough) draft, I see the weaknesses and things that I need work on. 

 Basically, I need to throw a hand grenade at the entire middle half of the story and rebuild… 

 Yep. I’ve got to rewrite all my rising action. And I have a month and a half to finish the final draft–which includes getting beta readers. 

 This might sound daunting. It might sound depressing.

But this is writing.

This is what we do. 

If you are in a similar situation and have found yourself staring at your body of work, knowing half of what you’ve done will need some serious surgery, please take heart. It happens to everyone. It’s not the quality of your first draft that makes you a good writer. It’s the quality of your final draft. 

 (This is why I make sure my rough drafts stay rough. I’m not going to waste time editing a scene until I know it’s going to make the cut.) 

I spent my flight up to ConNooga reworking the middle half of the story, trying to figure out the best way to have the story unfold. On today’s flight back to Naples, I’m going to finish that, and maybe start actually beginning the edit… (It’s probably best not to ask why I’m on a flight this morning instead of last night, wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday. And yes, I’m going straight to work from the airport.) I’ve gone through this before, and I will go through it again. Now I just have to dig in and start the rewrites.

How about you? Have you ever needed to rework major parts of your story?

Toodles!

Posted in M. B. Weston's Writing Diary | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Today’s ConNooga Panel Schedule: 03/01/15

Posted on March 1, 2015 by M. B. Weston

Here is today’s ConNooga panel schedule. If I’m not on panels, I will be at the Dark Oak Press and Media table, so please drop by and say hi!

Sunday

  • 10:00am – Writing Openings: Character, Setting, and Conflict
  • 01:00pm – The Gory Details of Writing Horror
Posted in Appearances & Signings | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Today’s ConNooga Schedule: 02/28/15

Posted on February 28, 2015 by M. B. Weston

Here is today’s ConNooga panel schedule. If I’m not on panels, I will be at the Dark Oak Press and Media table, so please drop by and say hi!

Saturday

  • 12:00pm – Writing for a Series
  • 4:00pm – Reading
  • 7:30pm – Ghost Stories
  • 8:00pm – The Great Plot Off
  • 9:00pm – Scream Queen Contest Judge
Posted in Appearances & Signings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Today’s ConNooga Panel Schedule: 02/27/15

Posted on February 27, 2015 by M. B. Weston

Here is today’s ConNooga Panel Schedule. If I’m not on panels, I will be at the Dark Oak Press and Media table, so please drop by and say hi!

Friday

  • 1:00pm – Examining the Spiritual in Gaming
  • 4:00pm – Explore the Horror in the Writings of MB Weston
  • 5:00pm – Character Development for Writers
  • 7:00pm – Horror clips
Posted in Appearances & Signings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 02/26/15

Posted on February 27, 2015 by M. B. Weston

Tomorrow, I am flying to Chattanooga for ConNooga, where I will be featured on the literary track and on the horror track, which is exciting because my first horror story just got published. I am posting my panel schedule here every day, but here is a the complete list of my panels this weekend

I will be performing a live version of my short story, “The Witch Hunter” at 4:00. And you will want to stop by the Big Bad II release party to meet some of the other talented authors in the anthology.

Needless to say, today was about packing and prep. I sat down and tweaked the end of the novel a bit, honestly only in order to fulfil my “write every day” New Years resolution. I also printed out the first draft of this pulp novel so I can start working on editing on the plane. I wish I had a few more days to work more out on the end and actually finish the rough draft, but editing is the best kind of work for plane rides. 

Anyway, writing happened. I have to get up at 4:00am so I can get to the airport on time for my 6:30 flight. If you see me staring out into space this weekend, assume I need coffee…

Toodles!

Posted in M. B. Weston's Writing Diary | Tagged , | 2 Comments

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: My Muse’s Name is Loki 02/25/15

Posted on February 26, 2015 by M. B. Weston

As mentioned in my last post, the muse has finally started talking to me. While I was showering last night, the entire end of the story just flowed through my head like scenes from a movie on fast forward.

I’m just standing there going, I’ve gotta write this down. And I couldn’t. Because I was in the shower.

Yes, I know. I have a waterproof notepad already in the shower for times like this. But the notepad wouldn’t have been big enough. My hot water tank isn’t big enough.

So after scrambling out of the shower, I spent the rest of the evening half-wet, madly typing rest of my story in somewhat outline form into the computer…

So the muse stayed silent for two months, then waited until the least convenient time to sing me the story of five chapters.

I swear my muse’s name is Loki.

Toodles!

Posted in M. B. Weston's Writing Diary | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 02/24/15

Posted on February 25, 2015 by M. B. Weston

Looks like Michael Lodestone is getting a name change. The name has been bugging me a wee bit, and I remembered a few weeks ago that the super-villain group in the steampunk series I’ve slowly been adding to is called Ironstone….

So Lodestone has to go. I’m thinking of calling him Michael Hunter or Michael Huntsman, since he technically was the huntsman in the Snow White story… (I’m also practicing telling my “Witch Hunter” story from memory for my panel at ConNooga this Friday, and the witch refers to him as the huntsman once she realizes who he is…)

Suggestions on names?

Toodles!

Posted in M. B. Weston's Writing Diary | Tagged | 4 Comments

New Release: My First Horror Short Story in The Big Bad II!

Posted on February 24, 2015 by M. B. Weston

Big Bad 2

As of today, I am a published horror author! My short story, “The Witch Hunter,” has just been released in The Big Bad II, edited by John Hartness and Emily Leverett. It’s an anthology written from the the point of view of the villain, and my story was part of the inspiration for the cover!

Here’s the “official” description: Everybody loves the bad guys, and this second edition of The Big Bad brings you more to love! A collection of best-selling fantasy and horror writers brings you twenty-four all-new tales of vampires, demons, ghosts, zombies, and the most terrifying monsters of all – humans. Crack open the pages, if you dare, and explore two dozen tales of humor and horror by some of the brightest names in the business!

As of earlier today, it was number 6 on amazon for horror anthologies!

If you have been keeping up with my writing diary posts, you know that I am knee-deep in writing an urban fantasy, pulp novella about a witch hunter named Michael Lodestone. Here’s a little secret: Mr. Lodestone is the witch hunter in this story, which takes place right after the novella I’m writing. It will give you a little sneak peek at where I’m going… kind of…

Here are the links:

If you are coming to ConNooga, be sure to stop by:

  • my 4:00pm panel called Explore the Horror in the Writings of MB Weston
  • the Big Bad II release party on Friday Night!

Toodles!

Posted in Books & Works by M. B. Weston, Short Stories & Other Writings | 1 Comment

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: on Muses, Weapons & Continuity – 02/23/15

Posted on February 24, 2015 by M. B. Weston

Amazing things have happened in last night’s writing session.

First, the muse has finally decided to actually feed me ideas while I’m seated at my computer instead of throwing me random bits here in there when I can’t jot any notes down.

Second, Michael is finally showing his personality! This guy has been wrapped so tight I couldn’t get him to crack a smile. He’s snarky, and I can finally hear his thoughts instead of just seeing his facial expressions.

Also, I learned a few things about writing weapons in action and adventure. (Well, it’s stuff I already knew, but I needed a reminder.):

Don’t forget about your villain’s weapons. Yeah. It turns out my villain has excellent signal jamming capabilities, which I had already demonstrated in the novella’s opening sequence. In a much later scene that I was working on last night, I had Michael don a nifty GPS tracker, which was supposed to help his friend, JT, find him later. And of course, my next thought was: Crap. They’re going to jam his signal. This means he’s going to have to rescue his partner, Claire, and get out of jamming range before JT can even come get them.

If I hadn’t remembered the naming power I had given my villain, someone else would have pointed it out and the book would lose credibility. The good thing: it means a whole chapter of adventures on the bayou, so it should be fun.

Make sure your hero can afford his weapons. If Billy Bob lives in a trailer and has a tank hidden in his underground garage, someone’s going to ask you where he got the money to buy a tank. (And if he lives in Florida or Louisiana, they are going to ask you how he fit the tank inside the well you keep calling a garage.) Michael Lodestone has been around for over 500 years. He’s covered, but I had to remind myself to point it out to the audience earlier in the book than at the point where he starts using state-of-the-art equipment.

Make sure your hero has the ability to use the weapons you give him. I’m not saying you need to do an entire chapter on Officer Flossie’s training. Readers assume cops know how to use weapons. But if your average joe picks up a sword for the first time and bests Inigo Montoya in a duel, you’re going to get some negative feedback. Michael spent at least 100 years in Asia learning ninjutsu. I realized I needed to make sure to mention this in conversation earlier in the story, and I will have him pull up a memory from that time before he starts using some of his awesome weapons.

How about you? Is your muse talking or are you struggling with a story the way I was for the first half? And have you found any continuity issues you’ve needed to correct?

Toodles!

Posted in Editing Your Work, M. B. Weston's Writing Diary, The World of Fantasy & Science Fiction, The World of Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: The Science of Fantasy 02/22/15

Posted on February 23, 2015 by M. B. Weston

This thought literally crossed my mind tonight: “If iron and lodestone can repel magic [in my Michael Lodestone pulp/urban fantasy world], then magic has a magnetic field. That means JT can develop sensors to track it!” [JT is one of my characters I haven’t talked about much.]

It’s the science of fantasy.

Yes, as authors, we can technically do whatever we want. If I want pink trees, I can add in pink trees. However, the buck always stops with the reader. If the reader buys into my pink trees idea, then it works. If the reader stops and say to himself, “Hold on,” then my pink trees don’t work. (This little concept of getting the readers to buy into your fantasy or sci-fi world is called the suspension of disbelief.) I’ve done a few blogs before on this in the past, so I won’t dwell too much in it here.)

The main thing: you can do anything you want as long as you prove it to your audience. Your audience determines the amount of proving you will need. (As in: it doesn’t Takeuchi work to convince a three year old to believe in Santa Claus.)

When it comes to writing fantasy, say, for instance this Michael Lodestone story, I am trying to follow my own rules. I’m approaching the idea of magic from a scientific standpoint. I started with “Iron and lodestone can stop magic.” (Michael needed a bit of help since he is not allowed to use magic.) now I’m thinking through what that might look like if it were true in real life.

I’m currently developing the rules of magic in this new world, and it’s not as easy as it sounds. (I have to think way back to remember that I really struggled with developing all of the rules for the Elysian Chronicles as well. I’m kind of working through it the way Michael would work through it. Start with what you know and work backwards. Whatever I do, I need to make sure of two things:
—It needs to sound plausible. Iron repels magic. Michael caries around a sack of iron dust that he can throw in the air for protection. It sounds plausible–if magic from Lodestone’s world actually existed.

—I need to work through all the logic loopholes and issues. Last night, I realized the the zombie critters I’m dealing with are under a spell, but the spell has already been cast. It’s inside of them, so iron can’t break it unless it gets inside of them. (Hence, stabbing.) I have to keep working through the ideas to make sure they sound compatible…

Since my evil queen will be using all her nasty magic in the last half of the book, I have my work cut out for me.

How about you? How do you make your fantasy world seem real?

Toodles!

Posted in M. B. Weston's Writing Diary | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments