Angels Enter The Picture

"Death Speaks Loudest to Those Who Flee" is the first of 13 stories in my Demon Series.
The second story is about ready for release. Towards the end of the next story the forces which will counter evil in the Demon Series will make their entrance:

Angels.

Death personified will return as well - but not until the third story. I started working on the cover design for "Death Speaks Loudest to Those Who Flee." Some may recognize the design, since I borrowed it from old propaganda posters.

If you haven't voted for "Death Speaks Loudest...", please go to Wattpad and click away. You can also say you like it on Twitter or Facebook.

OK... Time to catch the last half of the USA v France replay on ESPN3. Go USA!

Second Story in Demon Series

Here's the read-in so far for the second story in my Demon series:

A trip to the mall turns deadly when a teen-aged girl stops at nothing to get what her sister has. A host of demons take advantage of the moment and feast.

I'll probably change it a dozen times, but there it is. I'm a little worried that the final scene is too disgusting. Sitting on it for 24 hours to see how I feel about it tomorrow.

If you missed the first story in the Demon series, "Death Speaks Loudest to Those Who Flee", check it out on Wattpad. I'll throw a bunch of good karma, vibrations, and all that your way if you cast a vote saying you like it.

Fantasy Short Story Series on Wattpad

The last week or so I have been going crazy working on a fantasy short story series.

So far I've put out one of the stories to gauge reaction. The plan on the board is for a series of 12 related stories to go with the first one called, "Death Speaks Loudest to Those Who Flee." I posted it on Wattpad, self-dubbed as the most popular e-book community out there.

Here's the teaser to the story:

Demons are lurking, hunting for souls. Death walks and talks and is training demons. In this old folk story retold, a man encounters Death and tries to escape his fate. It is the first of several stories following the demonic hordes as they hunt modern day humans.

Let me know what you think!

Getting Back In The Game

It's been a long three months since my last entry. The time has been challenging with family tragedies. My hope is that now I will be able to maintain a regular rate of entries.

As writers, we can see times of sorrow as opportunities to explore the realm of human experience and ultimately improve our craft. It is a great tool for coping with life's challenges.

Setting Goals is the Key to Completing Writing Projects

If you are anything like me, finding the time to write can be a challenge. Life is busy. As important as writing is, so is going to work(I teach at the college level), helping my kids with their homework, paying bills, cooking meals, doing laundry, and spending quality time with my wife.

So, how do we do it? I have found one strategy that helps is setting goals. I know what you’re thinking. 

“Duh! Goals, I knew that.”

Well, that’s what I thought, too. And yet, my writing projects remained neglected. I found that my goals simply were not specific enough. So the first core concept that I am sharing here for writers is to avoid vague goals and learn how to make concrete ones. 

That’s the first step in this four-step goal setting strategy. This particular strategy is one of many. If you like it, use it. If not, feel free to shoot me a message with strategies that work best for you and your writing.

Over the month of August, I will outline the four parts to the strategy. The four parts are as follows:

• Make specific writing goals
• Plan goals in three time categories
• Include goals in areas of your life (outside of writing)
• Reflect often on your goals 

As I explain the strategy, you may recognize parts of it. Truth is I adapted it from general goal setting strategies I have used in the classroom. More on all the specifics later.

For now, I have a 5-minute writing workout to tackle....

AUGUST 1ST, 2011: PART 1 IN THE SERIES - MAKING SPECIFIC WRITING GOALS

Script Frenzy

Seriously... Why subject yourself to such torture? 100 pages in 30 days. Yes. 1 script in 1 month.

My motto as I embark on this script writing challenge for the first time: Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. - Henry Ford.

Script Frenzy is the place to go if you're daring or foolish enough to join this challenge. Know this... the 30 days began on April 1, so if you join as of this posting, you're already eight days behind. So, get cracking! I'm behind, but I've set a goal of writing 25 pages before bed. It could mean an all-nighter, but I'm off Monday and can sleep then.

Here goes nothing...

Scripts! Scripts!

Eight days behind in the month-long scriptwriting competition. Lots of work to do. That's OK. I have a solid group of characters to work with.

Just gotta let 'em loose this weekend.

More to come. Class time is creeping up on me.