Thursday, April 3, 2014

On a Real Roll, Yet Still Distracted.

I've been writing non-stop.  I am on a really good roll now.

How do I know?

Little things like answering the phone, eating and using the restroom have become infuriating experiences.  How dare my bladder not be steely enough to withstand a six-hour writing marathon during which I've been slurping down glasses of organic tropical iced tea! 

Well, I just had to pop in and say "Hello!"  Back to work!  (After I feed SO and little doggie some dinner...)

Keep Writing!

Erica

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

I Never Liked Progress Reports in School...

Yesterday, I got quite a lot done in general, and still managed to write about 1,500 words to loosely start off my next short story.  This one is a Fantasy tale, one in a series of short stories leading up to and surrounding a novel in the same universe.

After I finished the second draft of my Science Fiction short story, I decided to give it a break before taking another stab at it.

I keep a deck of large index cards in an envelop on my desk.  Each card is blank on one side, and on the other is written a quick synopsis of a short story.  I go to my partner and ask him to pick one blindly.

That's the next story I am writing.

I know I won't be able to do things this way forever; there will come a time where I have deadlines on specific pieces and will no longer have such luxuries, but for now, I embrace the process.

My biggest problem when I'm ready to start the next story is choosing which one is worth the attention.  As a writer, all of my tales are precious to me.  And, since I used to lack the time to actually sit and write, I have quite a backlog of story ideas.

Each of the short stories from my cards is fully fleshed out in what I call Beta Draft.  I use this term as a title for the combination of written notes and mental imagery I have for each story, before I start Draft 1 (Alpha Draft). 

Picking a card and sticking to it has given me an immense amount of structure, which I desperately needed.  Focus is key.  That, and a whole lot of self belief.

Never Give up on Your Dreams,

Erica

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

And We're Off and Running!

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my Blog, The Redshift!  My name is Erica Redshift, and I am a Fantasy and Science Fiction author.

My plans for this Blog are ever-changing; I will write whatever the universe deems worth of publishing that day.  It might be random thoughts, I might share life events, I will definitely give progress reports on my writing.

As I would like to help others in their pursuit of success as writers, occasionally I will make that my focus here.  I will share links that have helped me through out my own journey, and any other relevant items I come across.  My hope is that you can use some of the materials presented as aids in your travels.

I hope you enjoy, and welcome to the Blog!

Erica