Imagine my surprise yesterday when I switched on the television to begin watching the football game between Penn State and Michigan State. It was a recording but the game I expected wasn’t the one being shown. Why? The weather was so bad, there was a three-hour delay during the second quarter. Later on, the start of the University of Michigan’s game was delayed by over an hour.
At our house, the wind was blowing across Lake Huron. The bird feeders in our apple tree were perpendicular to the ground, their contents blown who know where. Things are back to normal now, so I repaired one of the feeders (the metal wire holding it in the tree had snapped), and topped all of them up. The first to greet me–a pair of black-capped chickadees.
My Work in Progress
This week’s inclement weather meant more time working on my Dangerous Alliance manuscript. I completed two chapters this week, but as I mentioned last time, I wouldn’t be posting them to the subscription writing sites I use for reviews until December because of the annual NaNoWriMo competition.
In addition to the two completed chapters, I’m doing something I haven’t tried before. I began working on the remainder of the chapters simultaneously. Seems to be working well, as it’s easier to ensure all threads are coming together as the end approaches. I might begin using this process as part of my normal draft preparation.
Here’s a bit more from Dangerous Alliance:
In a quiet voice, Busuri spoke. “Change of plans. I found something better than entertainment to take from the camp.”
“What’s better?” Looshan asked.
“You’re the youngest member of the group, so there is more to learn. Foreigners—we’ll be able to ransom them as Dacar does with the ships.”
“Aah. I understand.”
***
Busuri gazed at the heavens, thousands of stars twinkling. He found his omen—the narrowest sliver of moonlight, shaped like a billaawe, the Somali double-edged dagger. Perfect tool for this evening.
Perhaps more next time.
Books I’m Reading
I recently became a member of Blair Howard’s Advanced Reading Group. We had the pleasure of reading his new release, Hoodwinked. Here are my thoughts about the latest adventure in the Harry Starke series:
Blair Howard’s Hoodwinked is the latest and greatest in his Harry Starke series. Semi-retired, Harry takes on a different role when a longtime friend is accused of murder. Despite his partners, the defense lawyer, and Kate Gazzara all believing his friend murdered his wife, Harry doesn’t believe it. The cast of suspects grows daily, even after Harry’s friend, Jim, is arrested.
Despite his best efforts Harry and his team are unable to find sufficient evidence to aid in Jim’s defense. Just when I thought I new who was responsible, another likely candidate surfaced. A surprising twists finally reveals who the murderer is. Hoodwinked is a non-stop roller coaster ride and impossible to put down until you reach the end. Blair created an exciting plot and plenty of exciting characters–you’ll be willing for Harry to solve the case. I hope there’s more to follow in the series!
Blogs/Author Pages/Writing Sites I’d Like to Share
I’ve expanded this section from being only about blogs that I follow but also introduce you to some new authors and a few writing sites.
Reader’s Abode – Check out the bi-weekly blogs from the site’s group of international writers (including yours truly). Plenty of new things to read no matter what genre you prefer. Click on the events tab to learn about our exciting book give-away! My reviews of the first two novels in the new Ryan Kaine series and an interview with author Kerry J. Donovan will be posted tomorrow.
I’m afraid that’s all the time I have today. Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing. If you have any suggestions for a topic you’d like to read about, please let me know. Until the next time, thank you for reading!
© Copyright 2017 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
Funny you should mention working chapters in parallel. One technique described in The Writer’s Little Helper is to write the first and last chapter fully. Then select three crucial scenes in the middle and write them. All that’s left is the fill between those pivotal chapters.with bridges. Sounds like an interesting way to keep yourself motivated.
Bill
Yes, it does sound like a good thing to try. Will have to keep that in mind for later novels.:)