I can't even get a friggin' title grammatically correct. Shouldn't it read pile of dog shit? Or perhaps somewhere out there one really could find a pile of dogs made out of shit.
I'm burning through my words trying to get as much of this story complete as fast as I can. There are errors on every sentance. I can't even spell sentance right. Sentence. There. Happy? My characters appear incredibly one dimensional. My hero is a zero at this point, though he's not quite a ridiculous cliche yet. My inner editor wants to go back and redo the entire thing.
I know if I do, the task will never be complete. I must drive forward. There's been a detour every time for me in the past and it never ended well. It has to be different this time. Something must change.
So for now, I will trudge through 100,000 words of pure monkey poo if I have to. I'm told I'm a good writer, and there's enough arrogance pumping through these veins for me to believe it. So I have to trust my gut when it tells me that I can sculpt a masterpiece out of this steamy pile of dog shit I call a novel.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Don't Forget to Dance
Yesterday I attended a wedding. Two of my friends found love with each and made the life long vow to become husband and wife. It was a beautiful wedding and the reception was well thought out and very enjoyable.
After dinner and cake, my twin two year old girls were ready to take on the dance floor. I let them loose and they had a blast jumping and running in circles while music played and lights sparkled. They were quite the spectacle as they were the only two on the dance floor.
The two of them were so careless and free and cared nothing for what people thought of them. One day that will change for them. One day they will not allow themselves to dance like that for they will understand that people form opinions. They will censor what they say or what they do in their efforts to conform to society.
I wish I could say that I will do my best to prevent that from happening and allow them to be the free spirits they are now. But what knowledge can I share with them? I censor myself. I prevent myself from saying or doing things to conform to society.
My daughter will tell me I have a booger in my nose. But how many times has someone not told me that, for fear they would embarrass me?
When it comes to this topic, I have nothing to teach. However, I can learn. My beautiful daughters are excellent teachers when it comes to how people should censor themselves.
I'm a poor dancer. Rare is the day when I am ever on a dance floor. But yesterday, I accepted a lesson from my girls. I stepped out onto the floor and danced with them. I accepted the world through their reality and I will never forget the joy they had in their eyes when they were with their daddy having the time of their lives.
After dinner and cake, my twin two year old girls were ready to take on the dance floor. I let them loose and they had a blast jumping and running in circles while music played and lights sparkled. They were quite the spectacle as they were the only two on the dance floor.
The two of them were so careless and free and cared nothing for what people thought of them. One day that will change for them. One day they will not allow themselves to dance like that for they will understand that people form opinions. They will censor what they say or what they do in their efforts to conform to society.
I wish I could say that I will do my best to prevent that from happening and allow them to be the free spirits they are now. But what knowledge can I share with them? I censor myself. I prevent myself from saying or doing things to conform to society.
My daughter will tell me I have a booger in my nose. But how many times has someone not told me that, for fear they would embarrass me?
When it comes to this topic, I have nothing to teach. However, I can learn. My beautiful daughters are excellent teachers when it comes to how people should censor themselves.
I'm a poor dancer. Rare is the day when I am ever on a dance floor. But yesterday, I accepted a lesson from my girls. I stepped out onto the floor and danced with them. I accepted the world through their reality and I will never forget the joy they had in their eyes when they were with their daddy having the time of their lives.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sleep is for Suckers
Time doesn't give me enough hours in a day. So I have taken up stealing. I could use a couple extra hours in the day. This morning, I read about polyphasic sleep. It's a concept where 20 minute naps equate a full hour of sleep. There are various levels ranging from 6 hours of sleep at night and one 20 minute nap, to eight 20 minute naps in a day and nothing more. There's quite a big following towards this method of sleeping. However the drawback is that society doesn't adhere to you taking a bunch of naps throughout the day. We are supposed to sleep a huge chunk of our life away.
Skip that mess. I'm taking back my time. I don't know if I will ever be able to adapt to eight 20 minute naps throughout the day. My goal is to get it down to maybe four hours of sleep in a day.
Either that or I could just stop wasting hours watching porn.
NNAAHH!
Skip that mess. I'm taking back my time. I don't know if I will ever be able to adapt to eight 20 minute naps throughout the day. My goal is to get it down to maybe four hours of sleep in a day.
Either that or I could just stop wasting hours watching porn.
NNAAHH!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The Omniscient Author
Do you ever wonder if God really has it all planned in advance?
When I write I have the beginning, middle, and end in mind. It's the details and the journey to get there that I don't know. Not even my characters are fully developed yet. Many times at the end of my story, I often find that my character is much different than what I originally had planned for him to be.
For when I am planning my story, its just that. My story hasn't come to life yet until I have committed it to paper and begin to write. I imagine most authors feel the same when I say, the story really comes alive when you write it. In some cases, it feels like it takes a life of it's own. When I'm engrossed in a story, I can't wait for it to continue because even though I am writing it, I do not always feel like I have complete control. My characters become real in my story. They have their own minds, their own thoughts, and their own agenda.
So rather than feeling like a composer, I feel more like a bystander. I may guide the story, but the actions taken along the way happen on their own. I've given my characters free will within the world I created for them.
God knows how it ends for me. But I do appreciate that he's given me the free reign to make the daily decisions to create my own journey to get there.
When I write I have the beginning, middle, and end in mind. It's the details and the journey to get there that I don't know. Not even my characters are fully developed yet. Many times at the end of my story, I often find that my character is much different than what I originally had planned for him to be.
For when I am planning my story, its just that. My story hasn't come to life yet until I have committed it to paper and begin to write. I imagine most authors feel the same when I say, the story really comes alive when you write it. In some cases, it feels like it takes a life of it's own. When I'm engrossed in a story, I can't wait for it to continue because even though I am writing it, I do not always feel like I have complete control. My characters become real in my story. They have their own minds, their own thoughts, and their own agenda.
So rather than feeling like a composer, I feel more like a bystander. I may guide the story, but the actions taken along the way happen on their own. I've given my characters free will within the world I created for them.
God knows how it ends for me. But I do appreciate that he's given me the free reign to make the daily decisions to create my own journey to get there.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Letting the Cat out of the Bag
Letting the cat out of the bag.
What an odd expression. What was the cat doing in the bag in the first place? And if the cat was in the bag, perhaps there is a good reason. Maybe it would be best to keep the cat in the bag.
In my case, the cat is my novel and the bag is my big mouth.
When I started writing it, I took some advice to not tell anyone. I adhered to that advice and didn't even tell my wife for quite quite some time. She was the first person I told. For her it was bland news. You must understand, in my house I'm always doing something that's not normal.
"Hey honey. I'm going to make 200 videos on YouTube."
"Hey dear. I'm going to perform stand up comedy."
"Hey babe, I bought a scooter with a roof!"
She's grown immune to my oddities. It's almost expected. Now what I don't think she expects is that I will be finishing said novel and publishing it for the masses. That's not just odd, that's a feat.
As I've started announcing my upcoming novel, people are fairly receptive. Some even congratulated me for taking on the venture. Others confessed that they wished they were able to do something like that. All expressed interest in reading it.
So now the cat is out of the bag. Whatever that's supposed to mean...
What an odd expression. What was the cat doing in the bag in the first place? And if the cat was in the bag, perhaps there is a good reason. Maybe it would be best to keep the cat in the bag.
In my case, the cat is my novel and the bag is my big mouth.
When I started writing it, I took some advice to not tell anyone. I adhered to that advice and didn't even tell my wife for quite quite some time. She was the first person I told. For her it was bland news. You must understand, in my house I'm always doing something that's not normal.
"Hey honey. I'm going to make 200 videos on YouTube."
"Hey dear. I'm going to perform stand up comedy."
"Hey babe, I bought a scooter with a roof!"
She's grown immune to my oddities. It's almost expected. Now what I don't think she expects is that I will be finishing said novel and publishing it for the masses. That's not just odd, that's a feat.
As I've started announcing my upcoming novel, people are fairly receptive. Some even congratulated me for taking on the venture. Others confessed that they wished they were able to do something like that. All expressed interest in reading it.
So now the cat is out of the bag. Whatever that's supposed to mean...
Monday, May 30, 2011
iShawn
Apple has me hooked. When they initially announced the iPad I scoffed. Who would want an overgrown iPhone. It just did not make any sense. Now, I was in the market for an e-reader, but I got sold on the idea that the backlight of an iPad will fry my brain. Mind you, I read all of these reviews on a computer monitor. I was concerned about eye strain on a reader when I spent nearly my entre day starign at a computer monitor.
I ended up buying a Kindle. I made good use of it. Up until the point they launched the Kindle app on Android devices. That was good news. Now I could consolidate three devices I carried around (laptop, kindle, cellphone) down to just my laptop and cellphone. I made even better use of my Kindle app. I read close to a dozen books right on my cellphone.
Then it happened. I was at work and saw someone using the iPad for work purposes. It solved a problem in had on organization with a few apps it had. It was at that point I had to get one. A week later, a refurbished 16GB WiFi only IPad was in my hands. And I haven't spent a day without it since. It now has replaced my laptop.
Now it will be used for my next big project. I plan to write my entire novel on my iPad. :)
I ended up buying a Kindle. I made good use of it. Up until the point they launched the Kindle app on Android devices. That was good news. Now I could consolidate three devices I carried around (laptop, kindle, cellphone) down to just my laptop and cellphone. I made even better use of my Kindle app. I read close to a dozen books right on my cellphone.
Then it happened. I was at work and saw someone using the iPad for work purposes. It solved a problem in had on organization with a few apps it had. It was at that point I had to get one. A week later, a refurbished 16GB WiFi only IPad was in my hands. And I haven't spent a day without it since. It now has replaced my laptop.
Now it will be used for my next big project. I plan to write my entire novel on my iPad. :)
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Oh the Arrogance!
Who names a blog after themselves? What nerve!
Let's just chalk it up as shameless branding and move on. As a novelist, most of all I want my readers to remember my brand. In the case of authorship, your name your brand. It did not necessarily need to be my name. I very well could have created a different name... you know... a pen name to brand my work.
The following are names I have considered when I was deciding my brand.
S. Michael Cannon
Sean Michael
Sean Mikal Canon
Shawn Michael Cannon
Sean Mikal
The only reason I was looking to make the change from my given name was because there is a Shawn Cannon in just about every industry. A Shawn Cannon already took a twitter account, a blogger account, a wordpress account, and a .com.
What was a guy to do?
In the end I just decided that while I am one of many Shawn Cannons, I'm going to be the best Shawn Cannon at what I do. So while there is Doctor Shawn Cannon, Ghost Hunter Shawn Cannon, Lawyer Shawn Cannon, IT specialist Shawn Cannon. I'm the Novelist Shawn Cannon.
Let's just chalk it up as shameless branding and move on. As a novelist, most of all I want my readers to remember my brand. In the case of authorship, your name your brand. It did not necessarily need to be my name. I very well could have created a different name... you know... a pen name to brand my work.
The following are names I have considered when I was deciding my brand.
S. Michael Cannon
Sean Michael
Sean Mikal Canon
Shawn Michael Cannon
Sean Mikal
The only reason I was looking to make the change from my given name was because there is a Shawn Cannon in just about every industry. A Shawn Cannon already took a twitter account, a blogger account, a wordpress account, and a .com.
What was a guy to do?
In the end I just decided that while I am one of many Shawn Cannons, I'm going to be the best Shawn Cannon at what I do. So while there is Doctor Shawn Cannon, Ghost Hunter Shawn Cannon, Lawyer Shawn Cannon, IT specialist Shawn Cannon. I'm the Novelist Shawn Cannon.
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