Author: TJ Edwards

Dazed And Confused

I haven’t been productive in my writing once again. I know. I’m shaking my head at myself as we speak. I am trying to figure out a way to tie my writing directly into my life somehow and if being a published and successful author isn’t enough I need a new and diabolical way to motivate myself. I’m ashamed because now that my girlfriend has read my story, I’ve been making all the excuses not to run through and edit without her. Really, I can (and probably should) do that. But also I could be creatively writing on the side, lord knows I have enough damned stories building up en masse in the back of my mind.

So I’ve decided that one way or another, I will be paid to write.

This may fail. This may work miracles. I may suffer unlike I have ever before. I am working on a rate to which to pay myself (Per word? Per hundred or five hundred words? Per page? Per hour?) I have also been trying to curb my spending, so this can also help there as well. I won’t think of it as money so much as words written. I shudder to even consider that. Especially if I average roughly only twelve hundred words an hour. If I pay myself a single dollar per five hundred words that works out to two dollars twenty per hour.

Not too bad, am I write?

See what I did there? Oh man, this has been a long day. Also I just figured out I will be paying myself exactly one fifth of a cent for every word. Not a bad rate if I do say so myself! I’ve also decided I can earn a bonus per hour if I’m editing (Two dollars sound like too much?) That way if I’m editing and add words, I can make more money! Hurray! I wonder if I can claim my own business working for myself, and employing myself? I’m sure there’s some sort of tax write off there somewhere!

On the spending money side of things my obsession with things runs deep as I have snagged a few final books from Barnes & Noble for the ever growing collection of judgement. I bought a few books for my partner as well as Crime and Punishment, The Holy Bible (I’m not religious, but it has been awhile since I read it) and lastly Don Quixote. In an attempt to be a better writer and understand the craft, I have been looking around to see what supposedly the best books are. Crime and Punishment made many a list while Don Quixote topped many a list as the best fiction novel of all time. This has made me incredibly curious about the stories within as well as the characters that many of the judges have spoken about. Crime and Punishment is supposed to be a fantastic read, although I am concerned when some say that it can be boring at times. Makes me wonder about the lesser known books in the top ten!

Oh the wondrous things us procrastinators get up to hey? Perhaps that’s why you’re here reading and I’m here writing. Either way, time to get back to work!

(This post earned me, $1.10, This is going to suck.)

New, Shiny, Distracting…

Are you a writer?

New… Shiny… Distracting…

Do the above words describe the creative process?

These are your ideas: beautiful as a newborn, shiny as gold bars and eating up your brain space.

I understand. No, really I do. You see in the world of a writer, there are an INFINITE number of distractions from your writing. Many of them are in the world around you. In your pocket. In the browser window below. This article you’re reading. But the one distraction you cannot avoid is…

Your mind.

Dun dun DUNNNNNN.

So, I’m most certainly not here to tell or teach you how to control it. In fact, a writer’s mind can be focused but something always pops up. Maybe this isn’t everyone. But for me (and I know a fair few others) we write one idea and during that time we stumble across a mine shaft of shinier ideas.

My ideas hit me whenever and wherever. Just the other day I thought a great start to a novel would be the initial meeting between a master assassin and his unsuspecting contract. As the assassin holds the knife to his/her throat, the contract wakes up and stares into the assassin’s eyes, almost as cold as his heart. Suddenly, the assassin too has an epiphany. “You’re already dead. Your family wanted you out of the picture. How do you feel about a career in killing others?” With a silent nod, the contract agrees to the terms and the pair make off into the night. Thus starts the protagonist’s journey into becoming an assassin, while planning their own revenge on the side.

So my point? I don’t really have one. That’s the best part about this blog post… I’m just letting you know you’re not alone. I have yet to overcome this huge challenge. I have curbed it through excessive planning, but that is as close as I’ve come.

On a side note, Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse underwent its first reading by my lovely partner. Sadly for me, she wore a poker face for the whole thing (which lead me to believe she was forcing herself through it) but finally she gave me her verdict. She liked the story and characters (gave them an eight out of ten) and her only issue was she felt there wasn’t enough description (which I have always had an issue with balanced description). She gave my mechanics a five or six out of ten because she could tell when I had been writing while trying to stay awake and she wanted more description.

Still not as bad as I expected for a first draft. I now need her to ask questions about the things she didn’t understand and any gaps that I missed (because I know everything about it… it’s all in my head with the voices). Although a few things I will need to do are break it up into chapters as well as add in some more description. I need to get back into reading as well (it’s been too long) and I fear my writing mind may be ready to write, but the tools of the trade are a bit rusty. The good news is I have a ton of books to read that have come through in recent weeks (my obsession with Barnes & Noble’s Collectible Editions runs too deep) and any of them would simply sharpen my skills a bit. 

Although there is something odd about knowing you have written something longer than some popular fiction. I did a few quick word count searches on the internet and found out where my book sits. This list includes some of my favourite novels as well!

  • Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone (J.K. Rowling) = 76,944
  • The Crystal Shard (R.A. Salvatore) = 86,000 (ish)
  • The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) = 95,022
  • Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse (ME!) = 98,657
  • Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin) = 284,000 (ish)

So all in all, not too bad for my first completed book. Once I add in some description and cut some of the sections I wrote while only half awake, I should probably be sitting comfortably over 100k at least. But as always, it’s not the quantity, it’s the quality.

Anyway plot points have begun to rear their heads for Book Two, Jefferson & The Eternal Mana. Should be an interesting write considering I have some things to look back over. There may be an event or two pushed from the end of book one and into book two. I had an idea of how I wanted book one to end so I may go back and revisit that ending as I felt it would have been more powerful. We will see once I further edit book one. Anyway, what are you ladies and gents working on out there? How’s it going? I feel like I’ve already lost touch with many of you out there! Let me know what’s happening and I promise I’ll get back to you ASAP! After all, I have tomorrow off!

*Cue Elevator Music*

I finished my book a week ago today!

Now I wait anxiously while the most important person in my life reads what could possibly be the most intimate thing I’ve ever shared with her. That may sound strange to many of you out there, as I have a blog about my writing, I have self published a short story and frequently talk about my writing; however this is different.

My writing on here is probably never going to reach commercial status.

My short story may be available to the public, but as far as I can tell, very few have read it.

I’m always talking about my story and my ideas, but even still that only talks of my passion.

Even before self publishing my short story, it took twenty unbiased reviews to give me the confidence to put it out there and hope people enjoyed it. It also stung every time someone was exceptionally harsh, but I still took in what they said and made some changes. The thing that also worries me is that I have met and known other people who are far better writers than I and have written far more than me; yet they have not managed to get published.

As for life around writing, my store is doing well at hitting sales targets but we get destroyed on stats week in and week out. I’ll be the first to say that we are not perfect, but also that we are heading in the right direction. I just need to work on consistency with the ladies and gents. This does tie back in to writing though as I am using writing to drive my sales at work. How you ask? Simple. At work, if the store performs well for the month, I get a bonus for making target. So outside of work, I have written this wonderful book. Now, in order to get it published, I am relying on those bonuses to pay for a quality editor and hopefully get some manuscripts printed off and send them out to a few publishers in the next few months. I’m prepared for rejection, but also prepared to push through and write the next book, “Jefferson & The Eternal Mana” followed by “Jefferson & The Celestial of Spells”.

As for today, it is rainy and miserable and I am one step away from falling back to sleep. I may set my twenty thousand word targets for the next two stories and play some Thief for my PS4. That way I don’t feel like i spent all that money for a paperweight. It’s hard to say I love my PS4 when there hasn’t really been anything out for it. Anyway, as always if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them and I’ll get back to you ASAP!

Actually before I run… how is everyone doing with writing this year? You saving your word counts for November and NaNoWriMo? Or are you smashing it out? I’d love to hear from you!

Third Post, One Day, Productivity 1, Procrastination… 2746289447621

Well, well, well. I failed at somethings while I did annihilate others!

Shall we do the final tally? I think so!

So for those of you just tuning in this is my final post for today, probably for the best (especially those of you who see me in your feed, or get emails when I post… I’m sorry!) but right now I have some exciting news!

I AM DONE BOOK ONE!

That’s right folks! After today’s intense writing session my book sits at a whopping 98,657 words. I could stretch it out, but I am so satisfied with the ending. I’ll talk to my partner about it eventually, but first she must read it all!

  • 6:30 AM – Get out of bed, help my partner walk dogs.
  • 7:00 AM – Feed dogs.
  • 7:30 AM – Play with dogs to settle them.
  • 8:00 AM – Hang out laundry.
  • 8:30 AM – Stack and put on dishwasher.
  • 9:00 AM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse. 1200+ Words!
  • 10:00 AM – Tidy Lounge Room.
  • 10:30 AM – Tidy Kitchen.
  • 11:00 AM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse. 1200+ Words!
  • 12:00 PM – Lunch & Free Play! Yay!
  • 1:00 PM – Tidy Bedroom.
  • 1:30 PM – Tidy & Clean Bathroom.
  • 2:00 PM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse. 1400+ Words!
  • 3:00 PM – Write New Blog Post. Kept writing! Final tally, 5288 Words!
  • 3:30 PM – Vacuum House. Skipped to finish!
  • 4:00 PM – Take dogs out for play time. Shortly!
  • 5:00 PM – Cook & Eat dinner. (Pesto Gnocchi and Garlic Bread!)
  • 6:00 PM – Feed Pups.
  • 6:30 PM – Puppy playtime and free time.
  • 9:00 PM – Shower.
  • 9:30 PM – Puppies to bed.
  • 10:00 PM – Bed.

So after all that today, I don’t really care how my night goes. I don’t care if the gnocchi bursts into flames and the puppies attack me for letting them out late. Even if I have to clean up poop… well, that’ll suck, but-

I’VE FINISHED BOOK ONE!

HUZZAH!

Alright, on that note. Thanks for tuning in and watching me beat my Instant Gratification Monkey senseless. Yes I know how that sounds. I still won. Hurray!

Does time management really work? In a sense it did, because I broke up my writing it gave me time to think about what I would write next which allowed my to hash out the scenes! Will I do this all the time? Probably not! But I definitely should! See you on the other side!

It's Lunch Time Free Time!

  • 6:30 AM – Get out of bed, help my partner walk dogs.
  • 7:00 AM – Feed dogs.
  • 7:30 AM – Play with dogs to settle them.
  • 8:00 AM – Hang out laundry.
  • 8:30 AM – Stack and put on dishwasher.
  • 9:00 AM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse. 1200+ Words
  • 10:00 AM – Tidy Lounge Room.
  • 10:30 AM – Tidy Kitchen.
  • 11:00 AM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse. 1200+ Words
  • 12:00 PM – Lunch & Free Play! Yay!
  • 1:00 PM – Tidy Bedroom.
  • 1:30 PM – Tidy & Clean Bathroom.
  • 2:00 PM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse.
  • 3:00 PM – Write New Blog Post.
  • 3:30 PM – Vacuum House.
  • 4:00 PM – Take dogs out for play time.
  • 5:00 PM – Cook & Eat dinner.
  • 6:00 PM – Feed Pups.
  • 6:30 PM – Puppy playtime and free time.
  • 9:00 PM – Shower.
  • 9:30 PM – Puppies to bed.
  • 10:00 PM – Bed.

Okay, so today has been going swimmingly. I have smashed out over 2400 words for Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse and cleaned up a few areas (needed more time for the kitchen, can always go back later). Also, glad I gave myself an hour for lunch and free time because that got me back to my blog (Hello!) and also I had to clean up some fresh puppy poop. There are downsides to owning animals for sure, but we are still on target. Also I’d like to extend out a very personal thanks to past me for pre making me lunch for today. Nothing like a Chicken, Fetta and Bacon sandwich with pesto sauce all on a rosemary turkish bun. MMM.

So I will admit, my system isn’t perfect. For example I gave myself 30 minutes to clean the lounge room and then another 30 for the kitchen. The kitchen is borderline ravaged (we cooked some indian food the other night that the sauce apparently splattered in new and creative spots that physics alone could not reach) but it looks a lot better, seeing the counter helps. Also thanks for the heads up to njwriter that my twitter had been hacked. Super annoying and not only that but they posted more in thirty minutes than I have yet this year! Well, that is also embarrassing. But no matter what, let me know if any of you get any dodgy links from me. If you’ve been following me here, you’ll know I have been virtually dormant this year, so always come back here before clicking any sketchy links. I mostly communicate through email or the comments!

On a secondary note, I am feeling really good about the ending to my book. It is fast approaching and I already have the scene in mind. As all of my characters are about to hear about the same sort of catastrophe that will be the ticking time bomb for the next book not to mention reveal the protagonist’s new struggle. It is both exciting and exhausting, but after today I will either be one smashing writing session away from completion OR I will be complete. Can’t wait for my partner to read it so I can tell where exactly I need to add more detail… or take out! Anyway I must head but between my two blog posts and two writing sessions I have smashed out nearly 4000 words (1200 x 2 for Jeffers, 600 x 2 blog posts!) This has been a wonderfully productive day and I must say… it feels good to be winning!

See you at my later block! TJ out!

A Madman's Day Planner

So if you read yesterday’s post, you understand I am writing this post in some sort of scheduled time frame. This is true. I gave myself exactly thirty minutes later in the day to write a quick and simple blog post. My day looks relatively fun in the fact I have the day off work. That being said there are a million things that I need to accomplish today if today is to be successful. So here is how I’ve planned my day.

  • 6:30 AM – Get out of bed, help my partner walk dogs.
  • 7:00 AM – Feed dogs.
  • 7:30 AM – Play with dogs to settle them.
  • 8:00 AM – Hang out laundry.
  • 8:30 AM – Stack and put on dishwasher.
  • 9:00 AM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse.
  • 10:00 AM – Tidy Lounge Room.
  • 10:30 AM – Tidy Kitchen.
  • 11:00 AM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse.
  • 12:00 PM – Lunch & Free Play! Yay!
  • 1:00 PM – Tidy Bedroom.
  • 1:30 PM – Tidy & Clean Bathroom.
  • 2:00 PM – Write: Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse.
  • 3:00 PM – Write New Blog Post.
  • 3:30 PM – Vacuum House.
  • 4:00 PM – Take dogs out for play time.
  • 5:00 PM – Cook & Eat dinner.
  • 6:00 PM – Feed Pups.
  • 6:30 PM – Puppy playtime and free time.
  • 9:00 PM – Shower.
  • 9:30 PM – Puppies to bed.
  • 10:00 PM – Bed.

The hardest part of all of that today is trying to get in bed by ten. Now that doesn’t mean asleep, just in bed winding down. But as you can see there are some relatively vague tasks I could put a lot more description into, but because everything has a deadline, it means I work faster to accomplish things quicker. Also I schedule myself minimal free time so that I work harder to gain MORE free time. That is why you are getting this planning post, I was going to write one later (and still might) but instead because hanging out the laundry took less time and the dishwasher was mostly stacked, I’m ahead of the game so I bumped it up!

My plan is to add an additional three thousand words to my story today and see if that brings me to a satisfied conclusion. Although after reading the last little bit, there is a very possible chance book one may get cut down to around ninety one or two thousand words and that right now I may be writing the first pages of book two. If that is the case, the pacing makes a lot more sense as an intro instead of a conclusion. 

The idea though is if today goes awesomely, then the time just before bed will be spent planning the next day (and also some free time). This worked exceptionally well in the beginning… not sure why I ever stopped in all honesty. I think it may have had something to do with holidays and travelling. Anyway, wish me luck and I’ll update you later at some point!

Good luck in your own efforts!!! It’s us versus the tasks!

Sacrificing the Procrastination Goat for Favour from the Productivity Gods

I’ve been strongly considering finding a writing nook where the internet does not exist. Something similar to a cave, or dungeon. Ever considered committing a crime and requesting to be placed into solitary confinement? No. Me either.

My eternal struggle is summed up in the cleverly written duo of blog posts entitled Why Procrastinators Procrastinate. That guy nails it, and the line I always laugh to myself about is the monkey’s thoughts, “Why would we ever use a computer for work when the internet is sitting right there waiting to be played with? He thinks humans are insane.” I chuckle… then sigh, and check my email for the four million, seven hundred and fifty four thousand, two hundred and eleventh time. Guess what? No new emails.

For people who say music helps them to work… I say, poppycock. The moment a song rips into my conscious thought, my train of thought derails from the productivity rails it was on and plummets into an incredible explosion of searching for the next song that will get me back on track. Maybe it does work for some, but not me. Some songs inspire me, which helps… but as much as I love Bad Religion, it just doesn’t fit in with writing about Magicians. Not sure why, maybe that’s a good short story concept. Punk wizards in a post-apocalyptic world using their musical magic to conquer the silence cult of doomsday. Writes itself really.

What were we talking about? Oh yeah! Procrastination. Whoops, isn’t that ironic. Don’t ya think?

Anyway before I bust out into Alanis Morissette (for those of you who are old enough to remember her) I’m going to challenge myself and return to a process I did a long time ago that was fully integrated into time management. I used to set a time block for writing and within that block I had to write more than a thousand words (easily achievable). However I also had given chores times as well and essentially had busted down my top goals and how I was going to work towards them. This requires a ton of planning (something every procrastinator loves to do) and then the commitment from myself and those around me. Also, it helped to make no excuses about being too tired to do a task. You just do it. I’m going to spend the rest of this week, planning my next week. I demand satisfaction and that will not be achieved until I am finished my story.

Let’s do this. Wish me luck!

Happy Anniversary… Three Years.

Strangely, the notification that I started this blog three years ago has made me consider why I even started this blog in the first place.

I suppose you can’t help but glance back a few times when moving forward.

This blog originally started as a place to showcase my writing. My plans were to post my every idea and piece of work on this very page. As some of you have seen, I have posted a few things, but since I gained all my followers I have felt the need to produce, but without actually producing. Sitting in this chair now, I even have a screen open with my book in it… it is begging me to finish it. I could go type some words, but I have exactly no focus. This is why I am still not actually published. Of late I’ve been more obsessed with the idea of collecting fantastic editions of classics and compilations than the effort of finishing my book.

My problem is I allow things to get into the way. Anything. Everything. I don’t just need someone to support me while I try and write my novel, I need someone to push me. I need that person who forces the time into my life. I need that time to be sacred. Consistent. Wether it’s in the wee hours of the morning, or the depths of the evening… I need it. Crave it. Must have it. But that hour must also be a time when I am alert, well rested and energised. In my current state I have the attention span of a gnat, which is said to be roughly .1 of a second. Sounds about right. Between paragraphs I have seen a raven poop over my neighbour’s house, a bug fly directly into the window, looked up the actual length of a gnat’s attention span (I was curious) and checked facebook because I have a conversation going where we occasionally get back to each other.

The thing I would love to see is just how the “successful” author organises their ideas and stories. I mean, writing one book was hard enough… but imagine JK Rowling writing seven! Middle Earth’s series of five! The countless trilogies and ongoing insanities. I feel like Tolkien had hundreds of notes, while for my book I had nothing. My story evolved as follows.

Boy joins magician in hunt for evil magicians before the rise of the forbidden arts destroys the world.

Then the next step was I broke it down into five plot points or critical events.

  1. Boy meets Magician, inducted into order.
  2. Forbidden Arts introduced, traumatic event.
  3. Magician descends into madness, breaks from order.
  4. Boy helps order to recruit for oncoming battle.
  5. Battle and Aftermath.

Sounds almost like Harry Potter there huh? Those five points can probable be applies to any number of books.

Then after that, my writing followed the direction of the plot, but the characters drove the story. My target was to hit one hundred thousand words so I said around every twenty thousand words the characters should have progressed enough that one of the points was happening. And it did for the most part. The recruiting took a bit longer and the battle and aftermath turned out to be the final ten thousand, but I never once had a note or anything. This most likely means my book is like a wet paper bag and you could poke holes through it with a limp noodle. I am proud of my foreshadowing and setup of some events along with their execution, but the overall product isn’t sold on me. No matter how many times I reread it and edit it, I find it’s not good enough…

Hopefully, that doesn’t happen to my kids someday. If it does, and they read this… know that I am sorry, I can’t help it. High standards!

Lastly… Happy Three Years to me and my blog… to many more words and many new friends along the way! Thanks for reading and please keep in touch!

What Was I Doing? Oh… Yeah…

January first, twenty fourteen. One man. Many missions.

Accomplished?

Not even close.

As of last week of twenty thirteen, I virtually dropped off the face of the Earth in regards to writing. With two puppies, social commitments, work descending into the depths of chaos (Christmas in retail anyone?) and a severe lack of sleep… my accomplishments broke down into: Ate three times (not just meals) today, managed to get to the washroom before it became a pants issue and slept more than five hours. For anyone who has never had a pet, get your stuff in order first. Don’t know what I mean? You will.

As for the pups they’ve grown quite a bit. Last weekend was their first exceptionally long car ride during which they were quite well behaved. Also we took them to the beach. If you ever want to see the cutest thing ever, watch a miniature dachshund swim. Their tiny legs in the water look even shorter, so they look like they’re hovering! Cuteness aside, pets have been a trying experience as our day has begun ending later and starting earlier. I am by no means a morning person, and getting up at six thirty is rough. It was rough when I was doing it to write (which I love) but now I am doing it for exercise (a necessary evil). I miss sleeping in on my days off and feeling well rested. But… I have always wanted a dachshund.

At work stats are improving, the store looks great, the atmosphere has changed and everything is much more positive. This is great, but also means I’ve been busier, I’m exhausted when I get home and spend more time than I should there. I love the job and the company though, so that’s a definite plus. I just hope to get my own store soon so I can have my own atmosphere and my own rules. This store is still doing some things I wouldn’t tolerate if it were my store, but as I am one of three managers, consistency is a hard fought battle.

Lately I’ve also become obsessed with collectors editions of books. From the beautifully silk covered and bound books I got a few months back to the Barnes & Noble Signature Collection, I’ve been hunting for great prices and fantastic editions of my faves. A few of my latest purchases have arrived (The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft’s Complete Fiction) and I was not disappointed. Also, it has been fantastic to revisit the deep one infested town of Innsmouth and once again be an accomplice to the murder of poor Fortunato (Or Unfortunato… heh). I am also awaiting so many others, one in particular being the Count of Monte Cristo, one of my all time favourites. These books are beautifully decorated and high quality, which is a relief considering I ordered them blindly from the US.

Hmm… there was something else as well… drawing? No. Music? Hmm, no, not that either. Ah yes… writing.

With the above details into my life as it has been since the turn of the year, do you think I have accomplished that which I wanted to? Not a chance. I think if I wanted to complete it any time soon I would have to either put a beanbag chair in the back of my van and leave early for work or somehow convince my dogs to calm down while I write like a madman. The other issue is when I do finally get time to work on it (such as today) I have a million and one chores (clothes, dishes, cleaning, dogs, food, should probably shave…) that kill the day. Yes, I hear what you’re thinking. Why are you writing this blog post then? Go write your story! Don’t worry, that voice is in my head too. But this is easier to write with the smidgen of attention span I have left, and in between the chores. I will work on it in a bit, when I am more awake.

Anyone else find their life just gets in the way? Social commitments? Work? Sleep? Share in my pain and let me know how you ladies and gents are going out there!

Ramblings On A Thursday

Hello, my name is Timothy John Edwards. I have a writing problem.

As in, I haven’t done much today.

Or… in the past few days.

Okay… so maybe I have a procrastination problem!

I have exactly nine minutes before I feed the dogs and then I’ll have some time to work on my story after that. Such is my life as of late! Having pets has been a dramatic change of pace for me, I suppose I figured a smart guy like me would find this easy and these pups would be completely trained in a few days. The reality is, I’m trained and they (while being quite well behaved for two puppies just over two months old) are toying with me. We’ve been putting their collars on to get them used to it (for future walks) but it has been much harder on my body actually than anything else. I feel older than I am, but also I have a strong allergy to dogs that my body is currently trying to build an immunity to. My chest constantly feels heavy and my eyes are beyond itchy. My energy levels have dropped and I can sleep at any point in time. Would I change it? Hell no, I love these pups.

But because of these allergies my focus has been destroyed as of late. I am the kind of person who can put their mind to just about anything and achieve it. However between work and home I have been achieving next to nothing. But my mind is working overtime on the few stories in my head. Let’s give you a creative update!

My idea for one story has now evolved into four books originating from the main story idea. The main story was to be about a trio of characters all linked by destiny to come together and fight a common enemy. Now, I have the concept of a novel for each of the three to solidify their importance and build the backstory to enrich the main story idea of the three of them anyway. A Quadrilogy? There goes my writing life for the next year easily. In the individual stories there will be some similarities and cross overs as I explore the whole threads of fate concept between them.

Jefferson has been patient and I am roughly seven thousand or so words away from hitting the one hundred thousand. It will probably run just over that as they deal with the epic aftermath and sort through the fragments of what their lives used to be. Mwa. Ha. Ha. Probably within the final five thousand if I can get the pups settled fast enough.

My mind keeps revisiting a story concept set in a post apocalyptic world where the angels guarding hell are forced to retreat back to the realm of men. Together the two races are left to fend off the demonic hordes as Heaven wants no part in the matter. The concept stems from my idea that perhaps heaven and hell aren’t as we expect them to be and perhaps Lucifer is actually still the Lord’s General and lead fighter against the demons of hell in an eternal struggle. As Lucifer takes any who are not worthy of heaven into battle, he needs the vicious and the murderous alike to keep the demons at bay. When Lucifer and his forces are beaten back to the realm of men, Gabriel strips him of his rank for failing his duty, leaving him immortal but no longer an angel. This leads Lucifer to help lead the remainder of his army and the lands of men in their battle for survival as Heaven on high watches idly by.

And not bad for ten minutes, but have to run and feed the pups and get into Jefferson before I head to work! Take care ladies and gents and hopefully you’re done your christmas shopping or are enjoying the holidays either way!