Revisions for Purged are under way. Finally.
Yikes. I’ve got a lot to catch up on here. I’ve always strived to write on my blog every week, and for the last few weeks I’ve failed miserably. I hope all my readers (all three of you) will forgive me for my absence.
First off, I’m almost a month into my new job as a marketing strategist at a local company. I’ve been learning a ton. Through this role, I’m getting in-depth looks at effective online marketing and I plan on transferring those skills over to my book marketing very soon. Needless to say, having a full time job gives me less time for writing, so I’ve been a little distracted.
BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT. In the words of the immortal Nacho Libre, “Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.”
Revision time!
I finally finished the read-through of Foreordained. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, getting through some parts of that book were a little cringy. Not that it’s uncomfortable or bad, but I’ve just seen myself grow as a writer and there were things I would change if I had the chance. And I do have the chance! So why not change it?
I’ve done some thinking and I want to let Foreordained be what it is. Let it stand as a testament of my growth. It’s still good the way it is–just look at the positive reviews on Amazon. But as I finished the end of the book, I realized I didn’t want to fall into the trap of constantly feeling like I need to fix my past work. Just let it be, man.
After all, I started writing that book when I was fifteen and published it when I was twenty-two. I was super young! I’ve grown a lot since then! It would be tempting to go back and make little changes here and there to spruce it up, but I could be working on that book for the rest of my life if I allowed myself to. So no. Foreordained stays as it is.
But finally… I’ve started revising Purged. I’m stoked. And that leads me into my next development:
First beta reading feedback
My good friend Russ is a big fan of Foreordained. He read the version I wrote before my mission and he loved it. Then I made those rewrites after my mission, and he loved the final version EVEN MORE. He’s always had great questions about Nezmyth and Jason and the gang, so it seemed fitting that he would be the first one to beta read Purged.
The first thing he did was congratulate me on writing another terrific volume of literature (his words, not mine). There was a lot he loved about it. He also gave me some very valuable feedback. Some of it had crossed my mind before, but it was good to have another person reaffirm the things I already thought needed to be fixed. He also gave me some stuff that hadn’t crossed my mind before, but made total sense when he brought them up.
But overall, he really enjoyed it. And it’s only going to get better as I make the necessary changes.
Podcast guesting
Draw and Talk
I’ve guested on two podcasts in the last few weeks!! It’s been a blast! The first was the Draw and Talk podcast with my good friend Tyler Carpenter. If you’re into art or illustration, you need to follow this guy. He meets with loads of professionals and hobbyists about how they handle their craft. He’s actually the one who designed the cover for My Name is Hammerfist, so we had a connection right away! Check out our livestream below.
Follow Tyler on Twitter, YouTube, or better yet, both!
Prosaic Podcast
The second podcast that I guested on was the Prosaic Podcast. This one is available on all major podcast streaming platforms, including my personal favorite, Spotify. These guys were a load of fun to talk and hang out with. We talked about The Legend of Zelda, kangaroos, quitting Juul, and of course, some of my latest fiction. I even revealed some insider details on Purged, you’ll want to listen on this one.
You can find their whole library at https://prosaicpodcast.com/.
Other nuggets
Review: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King
Fantastic. This will be the new book that I refer other writers to when they ask “How can I improve my writing?” Everything in this book was actionable, specific, and explained in detail. It was a sort of “You should do things this way and here’s why.” Then they’d provide examples and it made total sense.
Through reading this book, I’ve already noticed things in my own writing that I could do to improve word choice, vocabulary, flow, dialogue… just about everything, really. If you’re a serious writer and want to improve your craft, this is totally worth the $10. Don’t hesitate.
5/5
Review: Bioshock for Nintendo Switch
This is the game I talked about in my last post about stories that make us uncomfortable. Bioshock is dark. It’s creepy. It can be downright horrible. And the ending brought me to tears. It was perfect.
What I learned form the storytelling aspect of this game is that 1% of catharsis can make up for 99% of pain. I spent over fifteen hours playing this game, trying to rescue all the Little Sisters and make my way through Rapture as I unraveled a thread of corruption, greed, and abandoned morality. And at the end, I was rewarded with a 60-second cutscene that made me weep. Exceptional.
10/10
What do you think?