New draft

I've been working hard on a new draft of my novel. My editor sent me a list of things to work on, so I'm taking care of those things. She found some obvious things that need to be fixed that I was totally blind to. Of course, yesterday, I realized another major logic flaw so I had to backtrack to fix it (something about bad guys chasing good guys for no apparent reason other than that I wanted an action scene). Sometimes I feel like I take one step forward and then three steps back. Anyway, I hope to have this draft finished in a week, so that then we can tear it all apart again.

Of course, this week is also filled with music arranging (or deranging?), getting cars fixed, teaching music, and for the big one: pinewood derby is next week. I wish I had more time to help my son with his car, especially since this is our last year in the racing circuit. My sons are getting too old!

Busy week

This week, I've been involved in the American Leadership Academy Broadway Blast in Spanish Fork. It's a musical show put together by Rick Lunt where he has a professional band (which I'm a part of) backing up his students. It's a really good show and fun to do. This is the third time I've worked with him and I'm always impressed by the quality shows he puts together. It's a lot of work, though, crammed into a short period of time (one week).

Of course, this is the week when my editor contacted me about changes to my book. It's exciting to get to the next stage, but a little daunting, too. I'm starting to feel a little rookie nervousness. I know that I'm not a great writer (yet). I have a long ways to go and a lot to learn. I just hope that I am good enough to help my first book be successful. Of course, this is where the editor comes in, to help me past the many rookie mistakes that I'm making.

If anyone tells you that being a writer is easy, shoot them.

Official author

It's official. I am an author. I now have a Library of Congress CIP number. I don't know what it is, but I have it!

Constant improvement

I'm always reading new things to improve my knowledge of writing and music. It's amazing that after studying music for over 30 years and getting a masters degree, there is still so much for me to learn. With writing, it's even a bigger prospect. I know a little, but every time I read a book about writing, go to a lecture/panel on writing, or listen to a podcast, there's always something new for me to learn. It's exciting and scary.

For instance, I'm doing yet another draft of The Dragon War Relic. Every time I read it, I find more things that need to be fixed. Part of that is because each time I do a new draft, I have new knowledge that I can apply.

Why did I have to pick two arts that require a lifetime of study?

LTUE

I just finished attending LTUE (Life, the Universe, and Everything) symposium on science fiction and fantasy at BYU this weekend (http://ltue.byu.edu). It was a blast. I spoke on a panel on Friday about suspense in writing. Some of the other writers there were Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Mull, Dave Wolverton/Farland, L.E. Modesitt, James Dashner with special guests Tracy and Laura Hickman. This was the best one I've ever been to. Most of the panels and lectures I attended were excellent.

One thing the symposium did for me was to get me to rethink my second book. Even after the second draft, I'm still not happy with it. There are a lot of good ideas in it, but I think the problem is that I'm trying to do too much. I need to simplify. I might be able to split it and turn it into two books. Anyway, I'm excited to now have an idea on what to do, but frustrated that I need to almost start from scratch. Of course, I could take the outline I made for book 3 and make that book 2, but I think I still want a book between them. What I plan to do is try the discovery outlining method I started developing for the book 3 outline. I just need to try and not let what I've already written distract me, but use the good ideas that were already there.

performing and writing

I've actually had a few performances lately. I played a couple of times in January. And last Saturday, I played at some kind of party in a multi-million dollar home above Park City. On Tuesday, I played a Valentines dance at a church in Springville, and on Friday, I'll do one at the UVU institute building. Back in November and December, I had no pay gigs at all, which was discouraging.

I've actually had time to get some good practicing in, too. The last couple of days I've been able to put in an hour and a half each. Of course, it seems when I get a lot of practicing in, I don't get as much writing. It's hard to find a balance. A lot of writers want to get published so that they can quit their day job, but I love my "day" job. What other occupations can you "play" for a living?

I'm in limbo as far as writing goes. I hate to start a new project and then have to stop when I need to focus on editing book 1 again. This week, I'm mainly just trying to improve my chops. I'm studying a little on grammar, and I'm also working on disecting Harry Potter. By that, I mean I read each sentence carefully, analyze it's function and analyze its construction. It's very informative, though it takes a long time. I compare it to transcribing jazz solos and analyzing the notes the soloist played.

Also, I've resolved to write in this blog more. One thing I learned from a recent writing podcast is the importance of maintaining websites and blogs. For those who don't know about it, a great source of writing inspiration comes from www.writingexcuses.com. They have a lot of useful insights, check them out.

Answer to the ultimate question

A depressing thought hit me this morning. This is the last day that I am the answer to the ultimate question about the life, the universe and everything. Yes, tomorrow I turn forty-three. What a boring age. At least forty-two was an exciting number. I even celebrated my 42nd birthday by watching Disney's version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. What can I do for the 43rd?