Luck is great, but most of life is hard work.
~ Iain Duncan Smith
I got home after another busy day at work. Most times I rest up a bit, take a shower, and have my dinner. If I'm too exhausted I watch some educational Youtube videos and then go to bed. This is pretty much my routine, but I would like to change that and actually start journaling or writing again about my day or try to focus on editing a chapter from my project.
Usually, being of sound mind helps ā yet there are days when I don't want to think or discuss anything.Ā I just don't have the energy for itĀ anymore. I don't enjoy talking about politics as much, because it feels as thoughĀ nothing really changes. Okay, I lied. I do talk about politics. A lot!
On a daily basis using notes on SubstackĀ and on Minds. I could read all these news articles/videos online and no matter what I say or do it won't effect a damn thing. Nothing is going to change, because let's be honest here... people don't want to listenĀ and they certainly donāt like hearing the truth.
I was so tired this one morningĀ thatĀ I almost fell asleep at the wheel as I'm driving to work. As IāmĀ writing this in bed, earlier today, when IĀ tried going toĀ sleep I still couldnātĀ drift offĀ to Slumberland. So, I decided I should do some writing since Iām very awake. I did do some editing last week for Nightmarish Reaction, but I amĀ stillĀ only half way there.
Don't know when I'll publish it. I'm going backwards, starting with chapters 50-53. Then, 49-40 and now I'm finallyĀ working my way up 20-25, 15-19, and last 39, 31. I'm going in a random order, because I've read this book so many times in a linear fashionĀ that the only thing that works for me is to change my editing patterns.
This turned out to be helpfulĀ and I find more of my grammatical errors. In my opinion, it seems to be a better method to pick aĀ chapterĀ one by one and read it in no particular sequence. The first chapters in Part 6 go off without a hitch. I think my main areas of focus isĀ going to beĀ the middle and the final chapters leading to the dramatic end.
Although the story doesn't fully come to a conclusion until book 4, the Finale, I still have so much to rewrite. Some part of me wants to discontinue the series and start anew withĀ a whole set ofĀ characters along withĀ a fewĀ familiar ones, but I don't think I have enough of a hook to keep it going. For now, staying focused on the primary story, instead of diverting all over the place, is probably safer toĀ cause less confusion in the long run.
This project has been ongoing for at least 15 years and I'm getting kind of sick of it. Some scenes I love describingĀ in great detail while other scenes I feel as though I need to either cut them out completely and get straight to the point.
As a writer I've always heard that showing is better than telling. Hopefully, I did these scenes justice, but sometimes I doubt myself. Iām alwaysĀ second guessing and staring blanklyĀ atĀ the screen, analyzingĀ certain sentence structures...Ā I overthinkĀ too muchĀ and over-edit,Ā if that's even a thing.
Whenever I'm processing a scene or a dramatic situation aĀ character(s)Ā is going through, whether itās emotionally or physically,Ā I usually have a visualization of it.Ā Almost as if I'm watching a movie. Since I have a history learningĀ aboutĀ writingĀ scriptsĀ and screenplays, my novels are basically an extended version of these.
I try not to make my novels too long -- I think a good length for me in general isĀ aroundĀ 300-400 pages. But my third book in the NR Series happens to be in the 500 -600 page mark, which is why I'm having difficulties with the pacingĀ ācause itās a pain sometimes. I tend to prefer shorter series that don't drag on and on for twenty-something novels. But that's just me, I guess. Everyone has their own preferences on what kind of books they read, how long they are, and most importantly the type of genre they like.
I enjoy a lot of different categories; however, some fantasy and sci-fi books can be a little tedious for me. I do love world-building, and yet it just depends on my current mood. I do love classics, but maybe I'm simple like that. I love Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, How to kill a Mockingbird, Where the Red Fern Grows, Alice in Wonderland, The Giver, Election Day, and much more.
Too many to list them off the top of my head. IāmĀ reading a lotĀ more manga and graphic novels. I think it's good to explore aĀ wideĀ range of different stories and see what other authorsĀ are doing, which helps toĀ improve myĀ writing as well.Ā But what do I know, IāmĀ just a nobody.
Here's a list of projects that I'm still working on. Some of them are brand new while other stories are over a decade now...
Nightmarish Reality SeriesĀ (Psychological Horror/Suspense/Drama).
A Deadly Sacrifice (BL Novel/Romance).
The War Between The Divide (BL Novel/Romance)
A Light In The Darkness (Fantasy/Adventure).
Legendary (Fantasy/Adventure).
Chronicles of The Gunslinger (Satire/Space opera/Sci-fi).
Donāt forget to visit my main website The Nightmare Never Ends and Donāt Sleep Journal.
