Nigh a month back, I entered a script writing contest through Creation Works, a group of friends and homeschoolers dedicated to, "use creation evangelism to build the faith of believers and challenge the non-believer to consider the truth of God's word."

This script contest, to write an audio drama script, was to be based on the creation message in the Bible.

I wrote my script in several weeks time, and honestly, didn't expect to win.

To be frank . . .  (and spoil ALL that great drama I could work up in you)

I did.  First place grand prize winner.

Which means . . .

I get my own audio drama made for me.  Hehe. :)

MY script is being made into an audio drama . . .

I'm mindblown.

http://creationworks.net/WritingContest.html

There it is.  The cold, hard, PROOF.

And now, because I really don't want to be boastful or nuttin' like that, I'll do a little advertising for CreationWorks.  :)

___________________________________________________________________

Sent off to his uncle’s farm, Zac clashes left and right with his cousin 
Penelope as they grow a mutual dislike for each other, even while Zac is 
slowly discovering the truth of creation embedded in nature for himself.  
But is his dislike for Penelope enough to drive him away from God 
completely?

___________________________________________________________________

Aaand, if you live in California (or don't mind spending several hundred on air tickets!) you could be a star (this is gonna be big ya know, you'll be seeing my name EVERYWHERE in a couple years ;)

But in all seriousness (you realize that some of that was a joke, right?  It's hard to tell when someone's joking over a blog post...), please, check out CreationWorks.net, when time comes, find the audio drama (A Search for Truth, is it's name) and listen to it.

(Oh, and yes, I finally am back from camp, but I have just procrastinated from blogging until I could fully send out all this information to you all, and yes, I will be blogging about my camp adventures.  The pleasant ones, and the not so pleasant ones . . . like nearly getting a concussion.)

Let thy fingers upon keyboards fly,
 ~ Robert WordWeaver

What is "Writer's Block"?

What is it that haunts writers, young and old alike?

For some, it's just plain laziness, which in truth would be procrastination (which, if you hear me through, you will find is actually harder to vanquish that Writer's Block.)

But laziness isn't what we label "Writer's Block".  In fact, it's much easier to overcome your Writer's Block than it is to overcome your unwillingness to write (which is what we call procrastination).

In fact, there is little difference between Writer's Block and Procrastination, when you come down to it.  They both have the same cure - and while it won't do the Block and its Sidekick in forever, it will work ever time you confront Writer's Block or Procrastination.

What is it?  Well, I guess it's time to reveal the secret (that isn't so secret).

Planning.  Outlining.  Plotting.  Whatever you want to call it - do it.  It's the only cure that will get you out of a hole quickly and without a lot of time wasted (heh, not to say this is an EASY way.  There's no easy shortcut to anything in writing, really).

The other methods of defeating "Writer's Block" and Procrastination is to "just write", to "sit down and just write".  I find this inadequate for me (not to say it's bad if you do it this way, but I see it as extra work).

The truth of it is, when you force yourself to write, the work will be forced, and will clearly show itself to be forced.  I cannot read that kind of writing, it just makes me go insane (which is why I write slowly on the first draft, though you'll see my moments when I write like a mad man - and virtually burn my keyboard ;)

Writer's Block isn't EASY to overcome, but if you feel intimidated by the saying "just write" (that I'm sure you've heard at least once before if you read other things related to this subject) then this way is, I believe, simpler.

Remember, Writer's Block is only what you crank it up to be.  If you know what to write, you can write it any time with or without "Writer's Block".

Okay, so maybe you don't think you're very good at outlining.  Well, you'll want to see my next post if you are in that mind set.

~Robert WordWeaver

As I said in my last post, 2,000 words is the approximate maximum for your entry.  But, if you don't want to write that much, or near that much, it's perfectly fine.  You could enter a poem, or a song, just so long as it's original. :)

And I forgot to add, if you're going to participate in the contest, please email me here:  [email protected]

And now we get onto other things.  Which includes guess what... writing!  That... that wasn't a surprise?  Oh well.

Yesterday, June 18th 2013 I did something... :O  Okay, forget the dramatization.  I finally got back to writing the Book of Red Binding.  Taras' tale was on the verge of getting out of the initial rut in writing a novel, when I stopped.  Probably about 2 months were spent staying away from the tale, because to be honest, I didn't like Taras.

For one, he was a stuck up bullheaded brat (and because he's my character, he can't do anything about me revealing the truth about him in public... though he wouldn't really care).

And for a second reason, during the beginning, I wanted to set in a concrete foundation what he looks like from everyone else's perspective - a stuck up bullheaded brat.

But now that I'm finally out of that initial stage, I can delve into who Taras really is.  He has his weaknesses, his strengths.  But more than that, he's not perfect and do you know what not perfect spells?  Human.

There is no human (besides Jesus Christ) who is perfect.  And that, of course, must be carried into a fictional world if it's to be realistic.

And I see I just led myself down a rabbit hole.  Back on topic.

Taras is not perfect, but in truth - inside his very heart, he's not a stuck up bullheaded brat.  That's just a covering, a mask.  The people around him believe that's what he is, and if the reader knows at least some of that, it's not only interesting, but it's realistic to find that he isn't all what he makes himself up to be.

Well, that's where I'm at in the Book of Red Binding.  I'm finally showing who Taras really is - not the mask he wears, but who he is in his heart.

~The WordWeaver

Writing the beginning of a chapter or page is fairly hard, I'm sure you can all agree.  But writing beyond that gets easier.

Or, at least, until about 15,000 words into a novel.  It almost always starts there for me.  And continues up until about the ending 10,000 or so words.  Be assured that when I tell you those couple thousand words stuck there and aren't moving, it isn't fun.

Specifically, I'm talking about a novel here.  But it happens in short stories.  About a third of the way through I get killed - impaled by the unneeded disasters that plague me.

Midst all the arduous, long-suffering times that you shall pass though, there's a hope.  A lot of hope.  It's a bit like a key.

The number one key is most certainly persistence.

Persistence might not make life easier that very moment, but it will assure you're going to have a finished novel.

Let me delve a little deeper into the simple word of Persistence.

Persistence isn't getting up and writing a few soggy words.

Persistence is enjoying writing - about your characters.

At least, that's the only kind of persistence that will work.  If you write to write, it's not going to get you anywhere.  If you write because you need to write, you'll get somewhere (though it might not be as fast as modern-day life forms want...).

"I want persistence - and I want it now."
I want patience - and I want it now."

Just like patience, persistence won't be delivered to your door within 24 hours after you order it off of Amazon.

Persistence is something you have to be persistent about.... *duh* (now I'm going in circles, right?)

Back to the 'needing to write' thing.  If you don't have a 'burning in your heart' to write, you might not get very far, but it doesn't mean you're sealed off from being a successful writer at all.  Persistence is the key.

Persistence.  Perseverance, determination, diligence, pushiness, resolution - the opposite of feebleness.

You can't be weak-hearted.  Sure, there's going to be a lot of troubles along the way, it won't be easy.

But if you want to write that much - there's nothing that can stop you.  Believe in yourself, because it all comes down to you.

Do you really want to write something that can be published?  Believing in yourself sounds easy.  It's not.  But it will give you persistence, and it will give your very own work of writing.

~The WordWeaver

If you didn't finish your short story... don't worry, I didn't either.

In fact, I think the only person who did was General Jaguar Scout.  Let's give him a round of applause.

*Silence*

*Claps*

Anyway.

I have 2,000 words written for my short story, so far, because I admit I wasn't very focused - heh, what was I thinking trying to write a Short Story AND 2 novels???  But, I'm glad I at least have that much done, and I will be continuing to work on it in my spare time.

However (and that's a big however).

I'm busy - quite busy.

I keep laying off things I need to do... post on my blog... take a shower... brush my teeth... write a novel... you get the picture.

And volleyball isn't working out quite as well as I would have hoped.

I hit the ball up two days ago (practice day).  Yup, I hit it up.  That shows I'm improving a TON.  No, really, I'm not being sarcastic.

Something's come up with volleyball that gives me a chance of survival though.

THEY MIGHT NOT PICK ME!!!

What I mean is that since 9 players (no more, no less) make up 1 team, and there has to be 2 girls on each team, and the youth group doesn't have more than 2 girls to play, there can only be 1 team, as we usually have 2.

If you understand the confused paragraph above, it's simply stating there aren't enough female players to make up 2 teams.  So we just have 1 team this year, which leaves out some of the youth so they can't play.

I might be one - because I'm not the best player.

I'm not exactly sure if I want to play volleyball in a tournament so...

Un-decidedly,
~The WordWeaver

The quote above is true.  Very true.

But I guess that's all.

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  Think on it, later I'll post something more about it.

A man once said that you must write million words to attain the quality of work that could be published.  That man was Isaac (somebody or other, I forget his surname), and to some extent he's wrong.  And to some extent, he's right.

He did not mean one millions words figuratively, else what would the point in saying it be?

Isaac (whoever), may have been right in his time, but not now.  The introduction of Ebooks would forever change his statement.

The reason?

It used to be so, so much harder than it is now to make a book - and when it takes that much work, it's got to be worth it.

Ebooks has virtually no work in it (except for formatting, which is irrelevant here).

And so, you see, he's wrong - partly.

The reason he's right - partly - is because if you publish something, it shouldn't be good, it shouldn't be okay, average, par, or standard, it should be exceptional.  And writing million words - not to just write them, but to write them from your heart - will make you  and extraordinary writer.

And it's possible to write 1 million words.

If you write 1,000 words per day (7 days a week), for 1,000 days, which is just barely 4 years, you'll have written 1 million words.

I'll try to do this, seriously, I'll try, starting today, February 9th, 2013.  And sometime in my life I will do this... but, I do not expect to write 1 million words.  If I write 500,000, I'll be just as happy. :D

(By the way, since the middle of the summer, when I started seriously writing, I have written over 130,000 words, :D)

So yes, that's why I'm going to be busy...

An over ambitious WordWeaver, writing out.

First, I have a few very important things to announce...

I have come to an idea that I know is worthy of being published.  But, before I start to work on it, I need to know if you (that is anyone who reads this) think it is worthy also.  And so, if you wish – and I would appreciate it immensely – if you (and that is to anyone) would look over my story, my plot, my character development, as I go through this journey.

I intend to publish this, traditionally, but I need ‘proofies’.  So basically, that’s what I’m asking.  Could you?  Would you?  If you do, you will certainly earn a slot in the ‘special thank you’ page, before the book.

So… yeah.

Email me telling me if you want to.  At the moment, I only have the plot settled on, but I need you to look over it because – frankly – it takes more than 1 person to write a book – if you understand me.

Email:  [email protected]

~The WordWeaver


~
Second, I got an amazing idea... another idea.  This one is very weird, very unusual, but very cool.  No one else in the world has done it before, and it's a daunting task, one which I will take on - and accomplish.

I can't tell you much about it, because it's hush hush right now, but it'll be cool... no, not just cool, it'll sweep your minds away.  I can't tell you more than that, because it's a mystery... hehe...

More News:

I'm going to be gone for a while.  Well, not exactly gone, but not here, on this blog, for about a week.  Why?  Because I have so many ideas, so many things I want to write, that sadly, I can't do both.

Here's a *short* list of what I'm planning/doing.

The novel that I am asking for 'proofies' above.
The novella I wrote a bit about further up (hint... Fishchips *wink*).
Editing TTT.
Finishing up Vengeance's Blade.
Beginning A Monster's Roar (a tentative title for VB's sequel)
Plotting out Frozen Hope (third book in the series)
Plotting for the fourth book
Plotting for the fifth book (all the same series).
(This is not the series now) Fourth Legend (an Epic Fantasy novel about some legends and defending a castle... yeah).
Finishing my Short Story.
Editing What Was, What Will Be.
Publishing the book above that I want proofies for (I have the title, but I am code-naming it Antarctica 22, but don't worry, it has nothing to do with that :P) Antarctica 22.
Publishing the mystery novella.
Market my books once published (though I hope to publish it traditionally, my mystery novella isn't something that has ever been done before, so I don't think publishers would except it).

Yeah... that's about it.  I'm not very busy...

Anyway, of course that list will probably take until I'm about 19 or something, no, I don't expect to do that in one month, or even a year.

So, as you can see, I don't want to be taking small steps, I want to be taking leaps forward.

~The WordWeaver

Practical Guide For All Writers.  Keeping Cliche-Free And Original.

Here in part two, we are looking at Fantasy Dragons, and there history.

First, we have dragons.  Now we all agree that dragons are AWESOME but, they are cliched.  I'm terribly sorry to say it, but if dragons in your book, you made it a step more cliched.

Look how many books have dragons in them.  The list is almost as lengthy as how many High Fantasy books there are.

And not only that, but in just about every single nation, there were legends of these mythical creatures - what we now call dragons.

This diverse and eclectically known (Princess Writer... ahem :P) creature was used in Japanese legends, Norse legends, Greek mythology - even the Native Americans, a continent away, had ancient drawings of seven headed dragons.

Originally, a dragon was the Devil.  No one liked dragons - they were hated and feared - but they certainly were famous.

In medieval days, an idea in Germany circled around that if you bathed in dragon's blood, you would become immortal.

I have only read about 2 of the German legends, but they are very interesting.  I also HIGHLY recommend a book called 'Story of the Nations.  Germany.' It is a part of a long series about several different nations, published in 1896, so it's hard to get, but worth the effort.

But why are dragons so popular now?

To some extent, it was because dragons have always captured the minds of the people.  Tolkien surely revived the fantastical idea of dragons, creatures like Smaug are unforgettable.

And in recent years, authors have popularized dragons.  Christopher Poalini comes to my mind first.

As you can see though, dragons are cliche.  At least how people imagine them now.

So what can you to make a dragon NOT cliche?  Well, make them different.  Dragons these days are noble and proud, almost all of them are that way.  So why not change it?

Doing extreme and exotic things is always an option with fantasy...

~The WordWeaver

P.S.  There is so many comments and I can't respond to them all today... sorry!  I was going to something that is really important today, but I was only able to write this up... even though all I have to do was move it to this computer and paste it... :P

A Practical Guide For All Writers.  Keeping Cliche-Free And Original.


I shall be posting a series of at least 3-6 posts on originality and cliches that - especially young writers - often get caught up in.  Now I'm not saying I've mastered this area, but I do know these things, and I shall share them for your benefit!  So, here it is!
~~~~
Introduction.

Every good fictional or non-fiction piece of work has a plot - believe me, even soap-operas do, but that's about as low as you can get.

Often times though, the plots that we come up with are unoriginal.  Obviously, inspiration is what sparked it, and inspiration it good!  But there's a clear line between inspiration, and so much inspiration that it no longer is inspiration and turns out to be either plain copying, or just flat out cliche.

Now, I will not spare you the hard truth, your writing - undoubtedly - has or was inspired by something, whether or not it was too much inspired, well, you'll have to figure that out for yourself.  What I'm saying though, is that we all take off thing from others.

Since J.R.R. Tolkien published the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the genre of High Fantasy has never been the same.

After J.K. Rowling published her series, the genre was impacted.

When George Lucas released the Star Wars Saga, the Science-Fiction genre was entirely overhauled.

Yet, J.R.R. Tolkien wasn't entirely original.  No, in fact, he reaped a MASSIVE amount of inspiration (and really just took) from the legends of Finland, the Norse, the Anglo-Saxons.  You see, he was NOT original.

J.K. Rowling too, used an exponential amount of legends - primarily that of Witch-craft and the sort.

George Lucas himself said he was greatly inspired from Flash Gordon.

And the first humans undoubtedly got inspiration from God's creation and the nature around them.

So you see, no one, absolutely no one, is completely original.

But that's okay.

Being original won't get you published in and of itself - don't get me wrong though, it will help greatly.

Moving On.


So now that I've covered that, I'll let you in on one cliche that nearly every Sci-Fi writer falls into.

A mixture of world terror and romance.

Number 1, why does there have to be romance?  Sure, people may be looking for companions because they're scared, but does that really have to get into romance???  The answer, no.  Because do you really think, if the world is seemingly about to explode, people would go get married in the dozens?  No, they wouldn't.  At least I sure wouldn't. There's far more greater things to worry about, like, well, just from the top of my mind we'll say, SAVING THE WORLD, duh.

Certainly, some people would be doing that, but that writing tactic is cliche and boring.

I'm not saying you can't have the two, but having the two combined is overused.

Now it comes to world terror.  Why does it always have to be aliens?  Okay fine, if it's not aliens it's mind-control, if it's not mind-control it's a dictator who just invented an army of robots who will destroy the world.

Woopidy doo, I've seen it a millions times already, I KNOW what I'm going to get out of this book (or movie) - boredom.

What really annoys me, though, is when Science-Fiction is over fictionalized.  For instance, aliens coming in saucer spaceships.

A round ship couldn't even fly, nor would it be arrow-dynamic.  Yes,  fiction is cool, but Science-Fiction should be what it tells us it is - Science, mixed with fiction, not fiction mixed with fantasy.

~The WordWeaver