Saturday, March 16, 2024

Retconning Evals

So in War to End All Wars/Seismic Semester/Whatever-the-Fuck I decided to create a much more active and strenuous Eval week compared to the little meeting you get in the Conquering Hero short.  It's a lot more fun and interesting and true to the Asylum we've come to know, love, and fear, instead of my throwaway idea for a short story all the way back before the series had really established itself and when I was still trying to figure out this whole author thing.

As such I've re-edited Conquering Hero to match this new idea and placed it just after 09's Camping Test as a kind of preliminary class ranking.  Tone remains the same.  But...ya know, sacrificing something that could be cool in a 1000 page novel (or two 500 page novels) seems really silly over a 10 page short story almost no one mentions.  EVER.  This won't be uploaded until the new novel comes out, whenever that is.

Slightly related, I have finally unpublished the individual King Henry shorts from Amazon so they are no longer available for sale.  Now you can only purchase them and read them in the King Henry Short Pack. (if you own the old ones, they should still work fine) Which was half the price of buying all six shorts separately anyway.  And easier for me to update.  And I make 70% royalties on it not 35%.  So...it's just better all around!

Outside of that, I'm doing a massive readthrough/edit on the new book.  It's 600 manuscript pages, 165k words.  Really coming along nicely now.  Tightening up.  Story and characters:  flowing.  Themes:  building.  Pee-holes:  make sure you protect them.

Done with doctors for the month and only one appointment next month, so...hoping for a big push.

Mad Scientist, engage!

Saturday, March 2, 2024

?Hopeful? March Update

February was the best month I've had since my spine exploded.  Pain is down.  Progress is up.  Still can't type much or sit in a chair--no Dune 2 on the big screen for this geek!--but I can totally put in three 1-2 hour sessions every other night on my phone's note app.

Meaning I've written 20k words in the last three weeks.  Yay!

Still on the same session.  Boo!

Splitting the novel looking more likely than ever.  Eek!

Have set the decision date on that to early June, since I'd like to have new content out in whatever form by October and I'll need a few months editing and the cover people also have a wait list of about the same time.

Thinking title wise we'll go with The Foul Mouth and the Seismic Semester.  I will say, that it is rightly the most school focused story I've written.  Not just AT the Asylum, but you really feel PART of the Asylum.  There's tests, there's clubs, there's jokes and pranks and magic and random encounters with Constructs and Fairies and Giant Fucking Wolves.  And so many characters who usually got pushed to the side before.  There's several Asa scenes!  It finally happened!!!  Jessica and Quinn have dialogue.  OMG!!!

Also, when I was working on the last session, which is the true plot midpoint, the idea of splitting it felt really bad.  Like...worse than the first Dune movie bad.  That's it?!?  Give me more sandworms, bitches!!!  But working on this session and knowing how its wrapping up, it feels like a much fairer endpoint and a satisfying emotional payoff that will launch us into a very confrontational Winter War.

So I'm more content with the split now.  Totally expect reviews shitting on me for it.  But maybe not rioting.

Still...won't decide until June.  If I pump out 100k in the next few months and it looks like I can wrap the whole thing up as a MEGAZILLA monstrosity, we'll do that instead.

Or my spine could implode again...

I take everything day to day at this point.

Doctor wise, I have two appointments this month.  One is the MRI on my cervical spine they're finally getting done.  That's still where the worst pain is, right in my C7 spine area.  Just like a fucking knife right in there gouging bone as it twists around and around.  If they find something serious we might be talking fusion or whatever other surgeries they might try.  That happens and its quick, won't be a lot of writing done while I recover.

Will be once I am recovered though...

And chairs.

I miss chairs!!!

Friday, February 23, 2024

WtEAW Tease: Guess the Speaker Edition

 "I have no desire whatsoever to actually know what you did to the stupid eagle!"

--------

Here's what we'll do.

Since you're all flailing about and I am a kind, caring author, this one time we will extend the scene to make it easier.  But from now on I will only extend the scene when one of you guesses correctly!

--------

"I don’t dare let you run wild around the school…creating Mancy knows how much mayhem.  Dingle’s already come to my door for three weeks in a row, screeching over whatever you and your Singles did to her eagle."

I opened my mouth again.

"I have no desire whatsoever to actually know what you did to the stupid eagle!"

Mouth closed.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Like Riding A Bike...Into a Bush

Back at this writing new material thing as of Monday.  Popped out 2500 words on the phone.  Figure I'm halfway done with this session.  Spine seems to not be going crazy yet.  The biggest problem yesterday was my brain turning into total mush.  I still don't know how some authors (claim) write every day back-to-back.  I've almost always been a one on and one off kind of guy.  Some of yesterday's malaise is probably because I'm so out of shape, but...editing, rewrites, all that, 16 hour days for a month straight, I'm fine; but actually spewing creation out on a blank page?  Mush brain the next day for sure.  Sometimes longer.

So I'll be trying some more tonight, since I am currently in Vampire Mode.  One of those awkward moments where I spent a great deal of mental energy imagining the scene before and after this one with multiple scenarios and outlines, but only have a brief descriptive line here and...what the bleep ya gonna do, RR?

December Evals.  Montage?

That's what I get to work with.

Damn you, Past Richard!


Saturday, February 3, 2024

Small Victories

I only have one doctor appointment this month.  It's also this week, so I'll have three weeks straight of nothing but writing and editing time.

YAY!!!

Granted one doctor appointment can make about a dozen more, but I will be actively spawn blocking...since I am very doctored out after nine procedures last year.  Given that the burninations use one of those constant x-ray machines so they can see into your spine real time, I'm a little surprised I haven't gotten any super powers from all the radiation.  Not even like...super spit.  Or a glowing asshole...

.

.

.

I checked.

[CLICK]

Also the 49ers are in the Super Bowl.

Not that they've won the Super Bowl since I was eleven, but, ya know...third time is the charm and all that.

Unless you're the Bills...

Or the Bengals...

Anyway, pain is as good as its been in two years.  Long as I take breaks I can type on and off into the laptop.  100 pages inputted with 30 to go.  Although not all pages are equal and some of these last 30 are redder than a Game of Thrones wedding.

So, yeah, nothing much to report.

Being industrious like.