I have decided to make my own journal to track my journey to becoming a better writer and honing my skills. Hopefully with some hard work and help from everyone here my short story Treats will get published eventually.

Yes it will or we will hold it over your head...forever

Whelp my WIP has begun, no holding back, no doubting, just going for it. I am lucky to be under the wise advise of three of the people here I hold in high esteem as writers. So here is to the start of my journey, may it be a fun one!

Wooo Hoooo

***Pops the Champagne!

Good luck,

Just remember to keep at it. Sometimes there is obsticales in your path, find ways around, through or heck under it to reach your goal. Nothing is like the feeling of writing the last words of the last chapter!

So I have decided to commit myself to a 80,000 rough draft and a solid commitment to 350 Words a day. Do I fear this? No. Am I nervous? Your damn right I am. Many things go through my mind, the chief one is that while I can write the Shrine Key, and I know with the help of this forum it can be made into a good book, is it worth writing.

I know I like my story well enough. However, I also know there are plenty of stories out there that mine will resemble and while that can be said about anyone’s work, mine feels almost cliché. I guess im going to have to trust the feedback ive received. The majority of it tells me to write it and it will be a good starter novel for me to wet my teeth on and should be enjoyable for others to read.

I know I have to stray away from "Fetch me this" Quests, I do agree that my story relies heavily on this. For now I am finishing my notes, preparing my Reference Book, and doing some editing for the 1st of June so ill have all of my material ready to begin the actual writing process. Choosing to write the Shrine Key required me to start over and put my other Novel on hold, which is something I really do feel is wise.

I believe my first Novel choice is the better of the two, and nearly everyone who has read both plot lines has told that to me, but I agree with Fifthy that it should be saved for when I am a more mature writer.

The research I have received from Shadowflame as proved invaluable, has given my work a new life, and has given my mind some new things to think about. Its going to a be a wild ride, and no matter the out come I know that Ill have a finished novel and one that I will be proud of in the end.

It only feels too cliche now because it's merely in outline form. For now, It's only a concept summed up in several dozen lines. Right now, in its current form, it's shallow... has cardboard characters, and a "seen it before" plot. That's always the case with EVERY book in its early stages. All that will change once you start adding layers to it.

Take ANY novel, and strip it down to a basic concept, and they ALL sound cliche.

Once you start writing it, and it starts to grow beyond the "key points", the cliche-ness will wane. The beauty of the story will be in the details.

Trust me, by the time you're done, it won't seem cliche at at...that is, if you've done a good job writing it.

It'll be fine.

So the dust begins to settle and I begin to have life in me once more. I have been wirting as promised for the writers challenge, though I may not have posted it here. If anyone has been wondering whaty happened to me I will sum it up briefly as it pains me to talk about it. My wife has Cervical cancer, is highly animeic and has a clot near her heart. Her multiple surgies for her Back and the recent c-section has left her body very weak. So I will try to be here and post but I am not sure how active I can be. Just wanted to let everyone know, you all mean a great deal to both of us and the times we have shared here will never be forggeton.

There's no need to ask for or doubt our support for you and yours.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Stay strong and send our best to Believer.

Bread, I wish I could give both of you the biggest hug possible right now. You know how much I love both of you, although I haven't been around much.

Give Believer a big, gentle hug for me, and remind her that she has my number, and is more than welcome to call whenever she wants. The same goes for you.

If you need any of us.. just call. email, im whatever.


hugs and prayers to you.

Thank you all for your kind words and support, they meant a lot to Believer and me. Things are getting better though, and this friday we wil be moving to a much nicer apartment complex. Of course it costs quite a bit more but it was worth it to see a smile on my wifes face.

Wonderful!!!

good luck! and keep us posted!

Thanks Shadow ^_^

Whelp we survived Hurricane Ike without much damage, it barely grazed us, but it rained a lot so we did experience some flooding. My home town of Silsbee however was not so lucky.

It looks like it has been wiped off the map, almost quite literally. I have some close family down there who are still missing, and I know they did not evacuate, as they should have so I fear the worse.

B.

I hope they find them safe.

Hugs hon