Author of the Storms of Magic, The Savage Earth, and The Deadlock Trilogy
Writing the Lights Out 27 – I bought a Mac this week, and quickly decided to try the writing software Scrivener.
So far, there are three things I really like:
1. The way scenes and chapters are treated as individual documents for easy sorting.
2. The area for storing all your research material.
3. The way it lets you set up project goals (Project Targets) and daily goals (Session Targets).
Subscribe to this YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaGCY…
No joke – I can’t believe this story hasn’t already been greenlit as a film starring Mark Ruffalo, Nic Cage, and at least four actors from HBO’s Game of Thrones.
California is using thousands of inmates to fight forest fires. Like, training them up, giving them axes, and sending them into the woods to do battle with the flames.
Click here for the full story.
Here are a few awesome quotes from the article: [Read more…] about Story Idea – Inmates Fighting Fires
A PLACE WITHOUT SHADOWS, the sequel to REGULATION 19, is off to my editor.
This causes me both massive relief and minor panic. The relief is because it is shaping up to be the book I hoped it would be. The panic is because it is now time to focus to THE SHORT TIMER, and I’ve given myself some intense daily word-count goals for that one.
I’ve spent the last two days engaged in my least favorite part of the revising process: scrubbing my over-used words out of the manuscript.
See, there are some words I use way too much. I know what these words are. I keep a list of them. You’d think it would be easy to avoid using them while I’m writing. Alas, it is not so. Like a junkie returns to his needle, I find myself indulging in wanton use of just, seems, and that even though I know they are not good for me.
I’m toying with the idea of setting up a rule in Google Docs so these words automatically appear in red font anytime I use them. I fear that may greatly reduce my writing speed, so I’m still undecided on that idea.
Looking at this list chills me to the bone. But, like a good optimist, I know something positive will come from this. If nothing else, at least I can present the list for your amusement.
Here are my Over-Used Words of Death:
There they are. Look upon my over-used words, ye mighty, and despair.
‘Tis the season (is a thing no one should ever say).
I’ve been reading a lot this month. Maybe it’s because I finished A PLACE WITHOUT SHADOWS and needed to refill my creative gas tank. I’m not sure. Whatever the reason, it was a great month for reading.
Let me tell you about the books I read in July in the order I read them.
Platform: Paperback (Local Library)Pure Stephen King. It had a bit of HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, a bit of THE SHINING, and a bit of THE GREEN MILE.
A broken-hearted young man works at a amusement park that may be haunted. But, as with all things King, it is a bit more complicated than that.
This one hit me right in the feelings. Highly recommended.
If you like wacky fun, thought-provoking characters, and pop-culture references galore, this book is for you. I’d been hearing about this one for a while, and I figured it was time to check it out. And, boy, am I glad I did.
Crazy zany fiction a la GOOD OMENS or the works of Christopher Moore. It takes a skilled hand to pull off this kind of thing. I’m happy to report that Moone did more than pull it off; she nailed a specific tone that’s unlike anything else I’ve read.
Honestly, she had me at the first Buffy the Vampire Slayer reference.
Platform: Digital (Amazon)Hard science fiction with big characters and big action.
Thomas Mays hits it out of the park with an epic story of how an incredibly smart group of humans deal with the impending threat and promise of first contact. This book rings with so much authenticity that it almost makes wonder if Mays is building a working starship in his garage.
You aren’t, are you, Tom? If you are, sign me up for the inaugural flight.
Crude drawings, ultra-silly stories, and humor that is so relatable you might wonder if Allie Brosh was secretly present at some of your family gatherings.
I could say more, but instead I’ll just point you to this example of her work.
It’s very, very weird in a very, very good way.
latform: Hardcover (Local Library)One of the founders of Pixar wrote this book about how to build an organization that fosters creativity. Management book suck (in general), but if you are a manager of people or a person who is managed or just someone trying to up your creative game, this book is well worth a read. It falls into management-speak every once in a while, but there are some truly wonderful nuggets of information in here.
Terry Bisson’s short story collection BEARS DISCOVER FIRE played a huge role in making me want to be a writer. There is something off-beat, quirking, and heartfelt in his work.
TVA BABY is his most recent short story collection, and he’s still got the magic. The title story and ‘Pirates of the Somali Coast’ were two standouts that highlight both his masterful prose and his bizarre and irreverent outlook on life.
Platform: Digital (Amazon) & Audio (Audible)Can’t say too much about these without spoiling PINES, the first book in the series.
What I can say is–wait, I can’t say that. But–no, can’t say that either.
Anyway, these are the second and third books in Crouch’s ‘small town with a secret’ series WAYWARD PINES. They are mighty good. Check them out.
Platform: Digital (Amazon)In the dystopian future of EDYL, the government wields a pretty big stick, but it also offers a mighty hefty carrot. If you work hard enough, you just might earn a chance at immortality.
This was exactly my type of story. Mysterious happenings. Protagonists facing long odds against powerful forces. Diverse and fun set of characters. And silky smooth writing that flowed and carried me right into the story.Â
Read this book.
Story ideas are all around us. We just have to keep our eyes open and start noticing them. In this new series, ‘Story Ideas’, I’ll offer up a news article each week and some thoughts on how we might be able to spin a story out if it. If you feel so inspired, feel free to use any of these ideas in any way you see fit.
Two years ago, a storm on the sun almost caused a major disaster on Earth. A wipe-out-the-power-grid level disaster. For real.
Check out this story from the Washington Post.Â
Here are a couple of highlights from the story:
On July 23, 2012, the sun unleashed two massive clouds of plasma that barely missed a catastrophic encounter with the Earth’s atmosphere.  These plasma clouds, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), comprised a solar storm thought to be the most powerful in at least 150 years.
“If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces,†physicist Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado tells NASA.
And:
“I have come away from our recent studies more convinced than ever that Earth and its inhabitants were incredibly fortunate that the 2012 eruption happened when it did,†Baker tells NASA. “If the eruption had occurred only one week earlier, Earth would have been in the line of fire.â€
A CME double whammy of this potency striking Earth would likely cripple satellite communications and could severely damage the power grid.
And:
NASA’s online article about the science of this solar storm is well-worth the read.  Perhaps the scariest finding reported in the article is this:  There is a 12 percent chance of a Carrington-type event on Earth in the next 10 years according to Pete Riley of Predictive Science Inc.
Scary stuff? Yes. Story goldmine? Absolutely!
Post-apocalyptic fiction is great. Some of my favorite books fall into that genre. But how about a quasi-apocalypse?
What if there was a sun storm that took out the grid? What if we knew we could rebuild everything in two years, but the population would have to spend the interim without electricity?
What would those two years look like? Imagine the story possibilities!
That’s my Monday story idea. Do with it what you will.
Go tell a story.