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All posts for the month October, 2011

Are you a decent/good GM? You’ve got what it takes.

Posted by Frank Cote on October 27, 2011
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , , , , , , .

I have come upon a serious stash of old Dragon Magazines and I’ve been browsing them for nostalgia.   I had a small epiphany.

I have ended up copying and filing a LOT of those old Dragon articles.   They just fit into so much of my research for my next story (and a couple of my past ones!)

It made me think of the many friends I have who are or were role players and the many of those who were pretty good GMs.  They designed campaigns (in whatever game, whether it be AD&D, Star Frontiers or GURPS!) and lead us through amazing adventures.

If you have experience doing this, and you did better than ok, why aren’t you writing?

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So you’re thinking of doing NaNoWriMo this year?

Posted by Frank Cote on October 26, 2011
Posted in: Novel writing, Writing. Tagged: , , , , .

I’ve decided NOT to do NaNoWriMo in November.

I feel a little weird because I’ve attempted it (sometimes half assed I grant you) every year since 2006 and succeeded 3 times, and I’m not counting this summer’s success at Camp NaNoWriMo.

I will be writing in November, but I feel that I’ve gotten what I’ve needed out of NaNoWriMo and now it’s time to move on and focus on other things.  NaNo taught me that I could write every day and finish a draft in a reasonable amount of time.  I learned that I can write and write well when I have a good story idea, decent notes and detailed outline.  I learned that discovery writing is a sure path to failure for me, even though I enjoy doing it.

If you are beginning as a writer, I highly recommend trying the National Novel Writing Month challenge at least once.  You will not regret it.

If you are doing NaNoWriMo this year and you care to receive some advice from one who’s been there, read on!

 

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The Expensive Universal Instrument – Part five – Bahamas 5.0.

Posted by Frank Cote on October 20, 2011
Posted in: The Expensive Universal Instrument!.

At long last, part 5 of The Expensive Universal Instrument!

It took a while to get back to it.  So many projects came up and many are still dancing around in my head.  I still like this story though, so I’ll keep coming back.

Although going back to read the rest, I’m tempted on doing a little editing and cleaning up.  This serial has so far essentially been posted as a first draft.  I write it, and I hit “publish”.  I’ll have to give it some serious thought.

Either way, I hope you all enjoy it!  Feel free to comment or suggest or even criticize!

You can find the previous 4 parts here.

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Scalzi’s writing prompts

Posted by Frank Cote on October 19, 2011
Posted in: news and views. Tagged: , .

Once again, Scalzi justifies his position in my list of favorite authors.   This post made me laugh.   Check it out!

I intend to try and follow up on this particular writing prompt:

“One night, in a dark and depressing cantina on the shady side of Coruscant, you meet up with a man who claims to be the Marksman Instructor at the Stormtrooper Academy. Share with us his drunken lament.”

Life has exploded lately.  Haven’t been able to post or write much, this is just the kind of silly thing to get the juices flowing again.

Impromptu Writing Exercise! Noting the specifics.

Posted by Frank Cote on October 6, 2011
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , , , , , .

I took public transit to work today.  I hate it because coming to work, I walk through a “rough” neighborhood.   The thought “rough neighborhood” hung in my head for a long while and I chewed on it.

This led to a neat writing exercise I would love to share (although I’m sure I’m not the first one to think of this).

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Props to Writer Beware, spread the word.

Posted by Frank Cote on October 4, 2011
Posted in: business of writing, Life. Tagged: , , , , , .

I want to share a disturbing post from John Scalzi’s blog here.   Please read and spread the word.

Writer Beware is a great site and has saved me from a few possibly disasterous decisions in the past, the idea that these lowlifes want to try and “muddy the waters” so they can continue to scam hopeful writers bothers me to no end.  If you are a writer trying to sell and you’ve received offers that sound too good to be true, that’s the site to check out first.

We see this sort of thing everywhere now and in all walks of life.  We see it in politics, we see it in education (evolution debate anyone?) and in science (global warming?).

Fight back.

Stay informed, avoid “truthiness”, stick to the facts, learn and apply critical thinking and check the source.  Seems to me Victoria Strauss and Ann Crispin have the credentials, the background and the honest track record that’s earned this writer-wannabe’s trust.

“The Write Agenda”?  It seems very commited to innuendo, gossip and half truths and targets the people who provide decent information to help writers avoid the predators.  That all adds up to deep shade to me.

Holy crap it’s October!

Posted by Frank Cote on October 3, 2011
Posted in: Beginnings, Novel writing, Writing. Tagged: , , , , , .

How the hell did that happen?

September flew by.  I haven’t even finished my latest short story yet!  I’m still working on editting Revenant.  Now I have to start brainstorming for November.  I haven’t decided whether I will officially participate in NaNoWriMo, but no matter what I am starting a new novel in November.  The goal is to have 2 first drafts and one completed work before the end of the year.   I’ve got 2 down.

I have two promising ideas, we’ll see which one tickles me the most during the month.

One is a story idea that I’ve been trying on and off again since the late eighties and really, it’s about time it gets written properly.  It’s an epic fantasy however and not easily written.   There’s a lot of work that needs to be put in before I start and I wonder if a month is enough to flesh it out.

The other came to me while watching William Shatner’s Weird or What? with my lovely wife the other day.  It’s a lighter story, somewhat paranormal with a nice twist and some funny bits.  I have the makings of a few interesting characters, some nice settings and fun, but I do not have a plot at all yet.

What to do, what to do?