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New Years Writing Resolution Progress Report

On By Robert EvenhouseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Whether stated aloud or left unsaid inside our heads, resolutions abound at the turning of the New Year. It is June and I would like to take this post and reflect on my New Year’s resolutions thus far. Why don’t you do the same? If they pertain to writing, it matters not. What matters is that if you’ve falter or life has derailed you, you have nearly six months to right the ship!

BOB’S 2012 WRITING AMBITIONS

Goal #1 – Finish my original story – The Tale of Calelleth. How? – I have been finishing a chapter a week. I have two more to write. I see this as a totally doable goal.

This I completed in February. The submission process should happen this month.

Goal #2 – Write 1 blog a week for 2012. How? – My daughter is now going to bed around 9:30 instead of 2:00am. Hopefully, this will allow one night a week for a quick update or thought about the part time writing process.

A blog a week means 52 posts. I started writing a blog a day in April, thus, I have passed this and will certainly destroy this goal this year unless an unforeseen derailment. That’s 2 for 2!

Goal #3 – Write the first draft of a kids’ book, by mid early spring/mid-summer. How? Again, I hope to have more time in the evening and get a couple of mornings per week schedule going. Also this book is much shorter than my original work. As a side note, I have to remember to stay healthy, for I have been told I sometimes burn the candle at both ends, and have two lighters in the middle. Also, I am a much better writer. Things come out much easier and more coherent (or so they seem!) than when I first started.

I have written about 10000 words this year. It took a while to get back on the novel horse, but I have a good outline and good direction. I was a bit ambitious with this “finish it in spring business, but I should have a decent chunk done in the fall.

Goal #4 – Submit both stories to an agent/agencies. How? I have a few examples for proposals, some ideas on where I can get the information, and where I should send them. It is strange really, thinking this is an actual possibility. I cannot believe it even as I write this.

I will certainly submit The Tale of Calelleth to an agent or hundred, but the kid’s story is a first draft. It will take a while until that is submission ready. I need to know what I have first, and I need to have the first draft completed in order to do that.

Lastly, I wrote this to my readers in January, perhaps you will find motivation through it today. Get going writers, time is of the essence!

The one parting comment I would like to send out to my readers is this: If you ever dream of writing, if you ever wanted to find an excuse to begin down this thrilling path of writing a novel, starting a blog, or working on short stories, now is that time. It is a new year. Stop dreaming about it and do it.

Cheers,

Bob

Project versus Platform

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized7 Comments
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“time is the most valuable thing that we have, because it is the most irrevocable.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison.

I’ve been seriously writing for about five years. I’ve finished two novellas, one novel, and have begun work on another novel. Soon, I will begin the task of putting together book proposals! I am excited for the next step in my writing life (submissions) but there is a lot of work to do in the meantime, namely building my platform here.

This is where the friction begins. While it is fun and it is still writing, blogging is not the same as working on a novel. It is tough when you are trying to build your platform on the fly as well as finish a book and have other obligations as well. There is constant give. Poor blogs mean better novel writing. But poor blogs also mean less of an audience. It is a constant give and take. A constant reevaluation of my time, how I can spend it and still be the most productive possible.

How do you do this writer? How do you balance the rigors of life with the challenges of building a platform and writing your novels?

Cheers,

Bob

On By Robert EvenhouseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Like books? Visit my friend Josh’s blog and comment. He is giving away 4 free books!

joshmosey's avatarJosh Mosey

Here’s how this is going to work. I’ve got four books that I am giving away. If you want any of them, leave a comment with your order of preference. If you don’t want one of the books below, leave it off your list. Easy enough.

Full disclosure here, I borrowed these descriptions from the publishers.

In the concluding volume of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, Lisbeth Salander lies in critical condition in a Swedish hospital, a bullet in her head.

But she’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll stand trial for three murders. With the help of Mikael Blomkvist, she’ll need to identify those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she’ll seek revenge–against the man who tried to killer her and against the corrupt government institutions that nearly destroyed…

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How to NOT Write a Novel

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized1 Comment
There are How To’s for just about anything!

Who doesn’t like a nice, “How To” post, book, or blog?

Me. That’s who.

No matter if it’s How to Make a Cake or How to Make a Fool Proof Thingamajig, I always tend to miss a step or two. I am not a detailed person by any means, though I do try with everything that is in me to follow directions before failing. I am being a bit dramatic, for some things work out wonderfully. However, when I hear about the next surefire way to write a novel, I hang my head at the many that will attempt said method and fail.

There are thousands of ways to write a novel. There are thousands of helpful writing tools. Many writers promote a certain type of writing or editing style and swear that it worked for them so it must work for you. So you, writer, like I, mimic these methods and reap none of the results. Sort of like trying to cram a square peg in a round hole, if you will.

The only sure way to write a novel is to write it, that is all. How do I know this? Because that is what the Greats say.

There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. – W. Somerset Maugham

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. – Ernest Hemingway

These are only two quotes, however I have shared them with a few writers recently who found them helpful.

So if you are in the middle of using some other writers’ notes or methods and are getting nowhere, just stop. Stop spinning your wheels, consider it your first draft, and begin anew, taking from it the most valuable experience of all: the writing part.

Cheers,

Bob

Story Themes: The 1% vs. the 99%

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized2 Comments

The late Joseph Campbell argued for a single thread of story that is retold again and again that stretches across all societies. This is depicted in what he calls “The Hero’s Journey” and articulated in several of his books, the most notable being A Hero With a Thousand Faces and is a tremendously popular theme in fiction, mythology, and even literary novels.

There are other story themes that stretch across multiple societies. If employed properly it allows the author to reach a vast audience. I will leave the discussion of The Hero’s Journey for another post but I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the idea of the 1% vs. the 99% whether socially, economically, or otherwise, in story.

We could start anywhere but I’d like to begin in the realm of cinema. One example that cannot be missed includes an Empire and an unlikely moisture farmer (is my nerd coming through clear enough for you?) from the remote planet of Tatooine. Does the Imperial March begin clashing in your mind? Well it should. Yup, Star Wars is a crux example, if you will, of the 1% vs. the 99%. Though the Empire is nearly invincible, their naked aggression and iron grip ignites a seemingly inconsequential response which leads to its downfall.

One recent manifestation of the 1% vs the 99% is represented in the Hunger Games. There are twelve districts set up to be subservient to one district and because of a failed coo, must give tribute. It is a sadistic twist on inequality centering on the lives of children to ratchet up the intensity. By no means did Suzanne Collins set out to represent the Occupy Movement, but the theme of inequality and the barbaric consequences that arise are evident.

This story theme does not reside in science fiction alone. An example in our daily lives is the Occupy Movement. The movement surrounds the idea of social and economic structures claiming that large businesses and financial institutions are set up to benefit the few (1%) rather than the masses(99%).

The 1% vs. the 99% is a ubiquitous but mailable and believable driver that can fit into any story. So if your story is flat and needs a bit of pep, consider adding to the backdrop. You very well may need something that strings it all together. Adding a story theme such as the 1% vs. the 99% might just give your story enough legs to stand up even under your own scrutiny.

Cheers,

Bob

Part Time Novel – Now on Twitter

On By Robert EvenhouseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Look out world! Part Time Novel has joined the Twitter nation. I plan to share my thoughts on writing, my writing successes, the posts from my blog, and anything else pertaining to writing. Follow me @PartTimeNovel.

Thank you for following reading this blog as I pursue the dream of publication.

Today’s challenge:

Write 500 words today.

Cheers,

Bob

Why Do You Keep Writing?

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized11 Comments

It’s late at night and I can barely keep my eyes open. I sit at the keyboard pondering what the next paragraph holds, trying to figure out where a comma should go, and realized I used “the” about a billion times.

Sound familiar? It should if you are a part time writer.

A writer might admit that the craft can be a bit tedious. If they are really honest they would say that it is war. Writing requires the author to be attentive to every single word that is placed on the page. It can be hard to keep your concentration as there are only a few opportunities in a day when you can momentarily swing your attention to your work.

Someone might ask you why you would even write at all? That someone might be you. And, after all, they might have a point. It’s not a viable source of income. Of course there are the Rowlings, Tolkiens, and Grishams’ who’ve make millions. But, there aren’t that many authors that can support themselves solely through writing. Just have a gander around your local bookstore to see the tens of thousands of books. Most of those authors are still working their day jobs.

Why then? If there is little or no money in it, why even write at all?

For some it might be the fact that to write, and to write well it requires honesty. Therefore it is a place to be yourself. For others the allure of a big contract is there, and let’s be truthful that is in the back of all of our minds. The reason I write is because through a collection of experiences I began to understand there was a story for me to tell and I liked it and wanted to write it. For me its that simple. It is true that writers are supposed to write for their audiences but its equally true that they write for themselves (with the audience at the forefront of their mind of course!).

So, readers, why do you put words on the page?

My Journey As A Writer

On By Robert EvenhouseIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I recently read a couple of blog posts that inspired this one. One was written by my friend Josh Mosey chronicling our writer’s group formation, the other was a post about a 25 year journey in the writing life by Roger Colby.

Every writer has those moments in life. Moments that define us, motivate us, or destroy us as artists. Here are some of mine.

I am sure it started before this memory, but one of the moments I come back to again and again for encouragement is a conversation I had with an English professor named Dr. Fabisch. Many of you reading this might have attended Cornerstone University and had a class or two of hers. The reason I remember this conversation is because I had no interest in writing at this point.

The conversation happened in her office, and it went something like this.

“Mr Evenhouse,” she began peering down her nose and through her glasses in a half-smirk half-scowl, “I wanted to tell you that I think you could write for a living. You write wonderfully,” I stood there, not really knowing what to say, I thought writing was a joke.

“Uh, okay, thank-you” I replied. That was when her tone changed.

“But your grammar is terrible, you need to work on that.”

I don’t remember the details of our conversation after that. These comments stuck with me, not because it was the words I needed to hear as a budding novelist, but because it was such a foreign idea at the time, almost laughable.

Looking back I see I always the idea of writing in the back of my head. This conversation merely opened Pandora’s Box, if you will. 

I loved reading as a child. I remember pouring through book after book, then I guess I got bored, or distracted by my other boyhood love, hockey.

I didn’t come back to reading until the summer before my freshman year at college, I discovered Lowry’s books in town. As I walked through its doors and my lungs were filled with that beautiful ‘old book’ smell, I was enraptured by it. I bought many copies of second hand classics: The Tales of Land and Sea by Joseph Conrad, Tom Sawyer, Ivanhoe, and others. I carried them with me to college just so that I could have them on the shelf of my desk. I liked the look and smell of them more than anything. They were like a perfectly aged red wine. 

Fast forward to the end of that year in college when I watched The Fellowship of the Ring. It may shock you that I had never heard of Tolkien before this. I know! Through high school and one year of college, I did not once hear of him. After the movie however, I immediately went out and purchased the full set and dove in.

A few years after reading them, I married my beautiful wife Cindy. About six months into our marriage I got an idea for my first novel while poking around interconnected subjects about an idea of the Seven Sages of Greece that were hailed for their wisdom.

From here I went from writing alone to joining a writer’s group as Josh has written in the link at the beginning of this post.

It is always great looking back. Looking back for direction or encouragement. Looking back to see where this all began. Where did your journey begin? What inspired you to write?

Cheers,

Bob

Why Do We Tell Stories?

On By Robert EvenhouseIn Uncategorized5 Comments

This weekend my wife allowed me to have “Bob Time,” which usually means I go somewhere and write. I normally meet with my friend Josh and sometimes Andy once a week, but sometimes you cannot fit all of the writing you have inside you in that short amount of time.

I went to my favorite place Schuler Books and Music on Alpine Ave and got a cup of coffee, an almond bar, a table and chair then delved into my writing world. Before long I had written out the scene I had in my mind then started wandering about the bookstore.

As I wandered, I was overwhelmed at the amount of books and was soon thinking to myself, why on earth am I writing at all. Hasn’t everything that should and could be said already been said? Why am I adding to the countless other books that lay on these shelves or in the dollar bin?

Sorry for starting out so philosophical on a Monday morning, but I’ve had this on my mind for quite some time and this is something I wrestle with. There are times when I am writing my story that I begin to feel like I am being unreal or fake, times when I feel purposeless in my writing.

I just wonder sometimes, why do I, and we, tell stories? Why are they continually written?

If you have time today, I would like you to answer the question: Why do you write? And to the non writing reader: Why do you read and share stories?

Cheers,

Bob