New Writing Tutorial Video - Comic Relief

Walking and Crawling

As my son Orion turns seven months old in a few days, and has just started crawling, I was thinking about the distance he has moved during his lifetime. He has probably crawled about thirty yards total on his own, a terrific accomplishment for a seven month old.

And yet, with us, he has visited four states and travelled thousands of miles, carried by us.

I hate to seem pretentious, but it reminds me of God.

We, as adults, do amazing and incredible things, impressive for mortal humans. With science, art, music, and plain determination, we have done things as impressive as stepping on the moon and sculpting the David.

But in the grand scheme of things, we are much greater than our numerous accomplishments, and that is because God has carried us on his hip.

Or in his hands, or on his shoulders.

And as impressed as I am with Orion for crawling, or man for creating complex symphonies, my admiration goes out to the God who has traversed time and space, and is as much our senior as I am my boy's.

Weightier Things Part 2

Well, if you've been following, I promised I would share about my diet.  I lost another three pounds last week going off of salt and sugar, and for week two, I simply juiced vegetables and fruit for my meals.

And I feel great!  That is the biggest benefit, although I should warn you that juice diets are not for everyone, and you should consult your doctor before going on one, as specific health risks can be accentuated by juice-only diets.

We only have so many years on the Earth, and I want to spend mine with Kels as comfortable in my skin as possible.  Have a great week!

New Video Tutorial on Adverbs

Check this link for a great video on adverbs and how to use them effectively in fiction!

The Power of Half an Hour

Because of a great video on productivity, I tried a new method of writing today, and I was very impressed with the results.

There were two premises to my success:

1. I gave myself a deadline.  Half an hour to write 1,000 words.
2. I made myself start, and I planned a break for when I finished.

Thirty minutes later, I had 1,000 words, some of my favorite so far in the second book in A Cause to Cringe, and I felt great.

Forty-five minutes later, I forced myself to stop.  My word count was 1,500, and I leaped for joy.

So, for anyone out there in a writing jam, try this.  Forcing yourself to start and giving yourself a small deadline really kick-start your brain function.

Weightier Things

As much as I love writing, my amazing wife is so wonderful that I would be mistaken not to say that she is infinitely more important.

And I don't want to leave her a widow for ten years because, for example I never wanted to eat right. I see that as a common issue in our country, and probably even more so in my family.

A month ago, Kels and I became vegetarians, and I am pleased to announce that contrary to popular belief, it is very possible to be manly without meat.

As a second initiative, I took up kick-boxing. Boy I'm dangerous now.

But I'm still ten pounds over where I'd like to be, and fifteen over where I'd love to be. Which I thought kick boxing would take care of. (Four years ago I lost twenty pounds in a month bike riding, so this seemed realistic.)

So, after some Himalayan-monk style meditation, I have decided upon two things which I will cut out of my life:
1. Sugar
2. Salt

I am excited about this. You'll hear all about my success, and I feel confident this will get me over, or under, the weight bump.

Master Study of Fun-ness

I'm still studying Harry Potter, because I want to know how she sold so many copies.  Today, I am focusing on an intangible that directly contributes, I believe: how she made wizards so much fun.

Here are several instances in which Rowling cleverly defined the wizarding world, starting where I left off last time:

• "All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle."
• "Well, dear . . . you'll find that [it was legal to enchant the car].  As long as he wasn't intending to fly [it]."
• Ron's posters of the witches and wizards on the Chudley Cannons.

I think these examples sum up very well the attitude she has toward making her books fun.  Food for thought.

The Ridiculousness of Ridley

After my last post, I thought, hey , let's just go all the way with the Ridley pictures.  So, meet my dog, Ridley:

 Classically Confused

The Ever-Awkward Sleeper

Her Paws + My Wife's Pajama-Leg

Just as surprising as the infamous chest moment from Alien

Ridley and Orion

Master Study of Adverbs

Yes, I know she is frightening, but I started messing around with digital art yesterday, and I thought I would share one of my doodles.

I also wanted to study J.K. Rowling’s use of adverbs, since they seem so descriptive for her.  Here are a few from The Chamber of Secrets:

• ·         Of course, he thought bitterly.
• ·         , said Aunt Petunia promptly.
• ·         , cried Aunt Petunia rapturously.
• ·         “Exactly,” said Uncle Vernon nastily.
• ·         “And you?” said Uncle Vernon viciously to Harry.
• ·         “In my room,” said Harry dully.
• ·         He gazed miserably into the hedge.
• ·         Wish they could see the famous Harry Potter now, he thought savagely.
• ·         “Er – hello,” said Harry nervously.
• ·         “Not that I’m not pleased to meet you,” said Harry quickly, “but, er, is there any particular reason you’re here?”
• ·         “Oh, yes, sir,” said Dobby earnestly.
• ·         “Sit down,” said Harry politely, pointing at the bed.
• ·         “Do they know you’re here?” asked Harry curiously.
• ·         “Please,” Harry whispered frantically, “please be quiet.”
• ·         Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said,
• ·         But he stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful.
• ·         “Harry Potter is humble and modest,” said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow.
• ·         “Sorry,” said Harry quickly.
• ·         “Dobby heard tell,” he said hoarsely, “that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time, just weeks ago . . . that Harry Potter escaped yet again.”
• ·         Harry nodded and Dobby’s eyes suddenly shone with tears.
• ·         Whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over.
• ·         Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.
• ·         “You could just shake or nod,” he added hastily as Dobby’s head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.
• ·         Slowly, Dobby shook his head.
• ·         Stepping nimbly out of Harry’s reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing.

The two most important things I noticed from this exercise:

1. She uses adverbs a lot more than I do, and more than "proper" writers say to.
2. A well-chosen adverb puts accurate images in the mind.  You don't have to use a full sentence anymore, because "said glumly" does a better job.

Also, I thought it might be prudent to share a picture of Ridley with you, on one of our walks.  It's funny, but at this angle she looks like a normal sized puppy.