Where To Now?

WHERE TO NOW?

Well, it's almost Christmas and its time to put a pause on my posts, until January.

What I will do in the new year is post daily, every time I'm working on the book. You will be able to track my progress all the way to publishing and beyond!

At this time I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Remember to dream big and do something everyday that moves you towards your creation!

Mark

Process and The Plan Of The Book

PROCESS AND THE PLAN

So I wanted to talk about how I came up with the chapter format, my writing day and what I plan for next year.

The Chapter Format:

I have thirteen chapters in this book. Each one has twenty pages, which gives a total of 260 pages. The word count before final edit is 76,000+.

I think pretty decent. Hopefully you do too!

So where do I come up with thirteen chapters? Well, I wanted to pay tribute to the Mayan calendar. They understood cycles and a way in which the seasons worked which still to this day can be used.

However, there is more to that calendar that first meets the eyes. Astrology comes into play too. They could speak with accuracy how the cycle of the earth moved through the solar system, etc, etc.

So I thought they know something I clearly don't. Besides, what better way to honor an ancient civilization, than to "code" the book in this way.

This also makes it easy for me to write, when I understand how many chapters are going to be there, along with how many pages are in each one.

My Writing Day:

The great thing about the format is that I can now plan a "manufacturing" process. This means I can ask myself "how many days do I want to work and how many pages can I produce on any given day". Considering I have only a limited amount time each day. (I gave myself two hours each day before work.)

So, I figured I don't want to work Saturday or Sunday. (I need some time off. Haha.)

Plus I was going to write four chapters before taking a break of two to three weeks.

So what does this all mean?

I figured I could write three to five pages a day, Monday through Friday. This meant I would produce a chapter in about seven "manufacturing" days (not counting the weekend of course).

I would also read the previous day's work so I would stay consistent.

The great thing about this, is I'm teaching myself a discipline of writing. I can, effectively stop after those pages for the day, no matter what I'm feeling and pick it up the next day, right where I left off.

Pretty cool, I thought!

This works for me. It helps me to become a better writer and it finally meant I could see the finish line! Wow!

The Plan For Next Year:

So I'm going into editing at the beginning of next year. I want to have that "locked" down by the end of February. It should be enough for a literary agent to hopefully say yes to the project.

Once that is done, I'm turning that into a screenplay for film. I want that written by the end of April. My hope is the editing for that will be done by the end of May and off to an agent at that time.

I'm currently in "pre-production" for my next book "A Grain of Sand" which I will begin writing at that time.

My hope is that I'm talking to both agents some time later in the year, moving the project forward onto the shelf and hopefully beginning the process of a Producer to give the green light.

A lot for next year but I can't wait to see how it all unfolds!

Okay, that's enough for today! I hope you have an awesome day!

Mark

Where Is The Manuscript Now?

WHERE IS THE MANUSCRIPT NOW?

I've completed the first draft earlier this month. I'm so excited! It's taken me years to reach this point. Even though I know I have some editing to do, having the first version for me to work on is monumental. Whew....

I love editing! Some writers hate this process, I've come to really enjoy it because it can only make the book better.

So who is my editor?

I'm so blessed to have an incredible editor in my wife! The creative process is pure joy!

While I've been taking some much needed time off, we've been working on some amazing ideas that will only help to bring the book to life!

I'm going to talk more about the formating and actual work in writing the book in another post. Why it is the way it is, something I will illuminate later.

For now enjoy your day, I hope it goes well for you!

Mark

My First Project

MY FIRST PROJECT

So what's my first novel? Where was my inspiration?

The name of my first manuscript is "Dream, Recurring". The original title of the book was simply, "The Dream".

I changed it after I did some research on the name. I found it to be over used and I wanted to better reflect the meaning behind the story.

So the new headline was born.

What's it about?

Well, its a story that takes place in a small town on an island, which the main character has a recurring dream that leads her and her best friend on a terrifying journey. They quickly realize that there is something very dark and sinister to the mystery, which every small town has but this one is covered in the veil of time.

Where was my inspiration?

I have always been fascinated with the paranormal and its many different subjects. In this case I am exploring the dream world, possible out of body experience and throwing in a mystery that I think you will enjoy!

This process began eighteen years ago when I created a short screenplay for film (back when I was in the industry). I allowed my friends to read it. Everyone of them came back with something different and exciting.

One of them was a producer. He told me that if I could make this into a full-length feature, then I would have my money to make the movie!

Can you imagine, an unknown writer having the funds to shoot a movie like this?!

Well, of course I couldn't put the pieces together. It took years before I realized I wanted a novel and longer still to finally begin writing it.

Anyway, that's where I will finish it for today. I hope you enjoy this as much as I'm loving the process!

Mark

Welcome To My New Blog!

WELCOME

Hi, for those of you that are reading this for the first time, welcome!

This is actually my fourth blog but the one that I want to share with you about my writing.

While I survive by working at a regular company, my life that I am creating is here as a writer. I'm currently working on my first novel.

Its this book and others to come that I will be allowing you to ride along on this experience as I go through it.

In here you will learn about the main characters, the title of the book (as each one is being written), my writing process and answering questions that you have and learning about the plot.

Of course, you will find out where each book is, on its way to becoming published.

I hope to also get to know you! I really intend to connect with my readers here.

Anyway, I'm optimistic that you will enjoy this journey as much as I already have. I look forward to meeting you!

Mark