Last week was hectic at work, but I did manage to get some writing done. I dropped about 1000 words on a manuscript that has been sitting around since at least the late 1990s. I set it aside years ago to concentrate on "The Chronicles of Fu Xi," but now I've picked it back up in an effort to complete it.

It's funny looking back at your old draft manuscript. The process makes most writers cringe, myself included. However, that's not the case with this manuscript. It's been at least five, maybe even ten, years since I've read chapters from this unfinished work. I don't cringe when I read them (well, most of them). I think it's some of my best work, but it's unfinished. My wife doesn't comment on my writing much, but she has stated in the past that she prefers this manuscript to my work on "Chronicles of Fu Xi." I really need to figure out a way to complete it.
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But why? If it's so good (at least in my head), why can't I bring myself to finish it? In this blog, I'm going to talk myself through the problems I'm having with this manuscript. Maybe writing about them might help me break this decades-long logjam and get the project moving. You're welcome to listen in.

I spent most of Sunday morning inventorying completed chapters and story outlines. I have perhaps 50-60 thousand words, lots of good scenes, a rough story idea, but no solid plot structure. That's what stopped me last time. How do I progress this story with solid characters and great personal interplay? Where do I take it?

First, I don't know where it's going. That's a hard pill to swallow as a professional writer, realizing I just started writing scenes but have no idea where to take it. As my writing style evolved, I eventually found that it's best to start with the ending. If I know what the climax will look like, I can build a story to get me there. Yet, I don't have a solid climax for this manuscript. I have a vague idea of where I want it to go, but not a solid scene in my head. This is the first problem to solve.

Second, my MacGuffin is vague. A MacGuffin is the object that sets the plot into motion and gives the plot purpose. For example, in the Harry Potter books, it's the thing Harry and his friends are trying to find, like the Sorcerer's Stone. In "Raiders of the Lost Ark," it was the Ark. I have several MacGuffins to choose from in this manuscript, but I can't settle on just one. I think it's because just one doesn't satisfy everything I need it to do. That probably means I need to simplify the plot and maybe even axe some characters.

The third problem I have is when the story is set. I started writing it in the late 1990s, and that's where I left it. It went from being a contemporary "urban" fantasy to a period piece. I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm going to keep it set in the '90s because I think it adds flavor, and one of the characters must come from the "Greatest Generation," and if I make it happen today, they would be too old or dead. A period piece demands more research to make sure I have my facts right so it feels like it's set in the 1990s. Computer tech plays a major role in the plot, so getting the state of the art for the mid-1990s is key. All of this adds time.

The fourth problem is that I have too many characters and subplots. Actually, let me correct myself—I definitely have too many characters and subplots. For instance, I'm currently in the middle of writing a new prologue to solidify the MacGuffin, but it quickly spiraled out of control as the minor character in the prologue (who was supposed to be there only to set things up) started to take on too much of a life of his own. What was intended to be a 1000-word section has now ballooned to over 3000 words. There I go again, falling into the trap of forgetting that less is more. If I want this novel to be under 100K words, I need to streamline everything. It's time to make some painful choices.
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The next issue isn't really a problem per se, but it's a necessary and difficult aspect to tackle. This story is dark—brutal, even, at times. Profanity and violence must occur to stay true to the characters. People who have become familiar with my previous work probably won't like or understand it. Some may even recoil. I can't sugar-coat this plot. The characters are who they are. However, amidst the darkness, there is a strong streak of goodness and hope in this book. But for that light to shine brightest, it needs to be surrounded by darkness.

All of these flaws act as poison pills for the manuscript. But it's not all bad news. Every story needs an overarching theme, each character needs a theme, and each chapter needs its own theme. I sort of have an overall theme for this book—the redemptive power of love and the timelessness of love. Yet, as I'm writing this, I've come to the realization that I actually stumbled upon my true theme by accident. I didn't even realize I had written it down inadvertently.

I feel better after talking through all of this. Thanks for listening. Okay, it's time to get back to writing.

If you enjoyed this blog post, check out my epic fantasy series! 

The last few weeks I have been unable to focus on any one project. Important obligations elsewhere have kept me away from the lens, the keyboard and the motorcycle. This is somewhat of a bummer, but necessary. 

Hopefully, I'll have a photo session coming up this week, and I look forward to it. Maybe another behind that. Work continues on two fiction novels: Chronicles of Fu Xi Book IV, and a stand-alone urban fantasy, tentatively titled Quest for the Purple Queen. It's a project I've had in the works since 2008, will be submitted to traditional publishers once completed. I've put it on the front burner because, well, its time. 

In the coming weeks I plan to showcase a sample of the new novel here on my blog. More to follow.

On the photography front, I was recently invited to take photos of a private car & motorcycle show for a friend of mine. I had a great time, and ​I wanted to share a few of the images with you today. 

​Summer is coming to end. Where I live in the deepest of the deep south, it won't start cooling down for at least two months, but autumn makes her presence known in other ways. The kids are back at school. A few leaves are dropping in the backyard. The days are getting shorter. 

The seasons seem to pass like pages in a book written to be skimmed, not deeply read. In my mid-50s, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to slow it down. This is the way it is, I guess.  Summer 2022's page has almost flipped. 

While a great deal of this summer was spent with family and friends, I tried to get some writing and photography in, too.  What did I get done this summer? 

On the fiction front, the final installation in the Chronicles of Fu Xi has a title - "Time of the Spear". For those who follow the books, you might know that is a term from the first novel.  I've been busy diagramming the novel and working on character development models and subtext. Since this is the last novel in the series, I have to get everything tied up neatly. That requires a lot of work.  It would be bad leaving a character hanging or a plot hole. 

 I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with early morning and late evening writing sessions. 

If you love epic novels, world-building fantasy, history or mythology, I invite you to explore my novels. A great place to start is The Golden Princess. It comes in paperback, e-book and audiobook (which is awesome!) Its a short novel, and a great introduction to my writing, and the greater world I've created through my novels. You can discover all my novels on my author page. 

On the photography front, my next book project is well underway. I'm reluctant to go into any detail on what its about other than to say its simultaneously contemporary and based on Alabama history. I've amassed about 50 good images and the basic outline of the narrative. 

​What I also did a lot of this summer was ride my motorcycle. Equipped with a tail bag optimized for camera gear, it has become my magic carpet and primary means of transportation when I'm taking photographs.  It seems I've put a lot of miles on my bike.  According to people who know about motorcycles, I've put on more miles than usual on my Harley. The bike gives my photography an added level of adventure and I love riding it. No regrets. As soon as it gets out of the shop for a busted back tire, I'll put more miles on it. 

Friends crack jokes and wonder if my new bike is a manifestation of some sort of mid-life crisis. If a woman of a certain age gets a boob job, a makeover and a new wardrobe, it's "You go, girl!" If a man of a certain age gets a new sports car, its "Bob must be having a mid-life crisis."  Bobs just want to have fun. 

When you're young, you have no money but lots of energy and time. Once you have time and money, you're old and have no energy. I'm at a place in my life I have have a little more of everything except hair. It's not a crisis, it's just opportunity and time coming together. Why wouldn't one take advantage of life's opportunities and live a little? 

Speaking of opportunities, I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with photography, writing and maybe just a little riding on the side. I also hope to be attending several art and book festivals as the weather cools down. Please visit my events calendar to get up to speed on book signings, galleries and speaking engagements. 

It's my hope I have two new books in 2024 - a novel and a photography book. Keep checking back for updates. Thanks for stopping by. 

I want to thank everyone who came out to the Piney Woods Art Festival in Enterprise, Alabama this weekend, especially those who dropped by my booth. The positive response to "Abandoned Wiregrass," as well as my prints and framed art, was overwhelming. I would especially like to thank the Coffee County Arts Alliance for hosting the event and allowing me to attend. Piney Woods has been a vital part of the community fabric in Enterprise for as long as I can remember. This was my first year participating, and I will be sure to return. 

My photo "Winter Chairs" was honored with Best In Show. This kinda blows me away, because there were some SERIOUSLY talented artists at the event. I am honored and grateful. 

It was great to see many friends drop by the booth, including old friends from college I have not seen in many years. I received an unexpected surprise when, in the festival's closing hour,  I heard a voice say "That's my shack!"  Sure enough, it was the gentleman who owns the cabin featured on the cover of Abandoned Wiregrass.  I had not seen Mr. Waters since the day I took that image. We had a great time catching up and talking about the shack's history, and other places around the local area that might be good candidates for future photos. 

I'm not sure when or where my next event will be, as the local art festival scene slows down in the summer. I'll be taking the  opportunity to keep writing my fiction novels, as well as riding the roads (on my motorcycle, of course!) looking for my next photograph.

Keep checking back for updates!

#pineywoodsartfestival #artfestival #photography #awardwinning

I keep on a blogging schedule about as well as I keep on a diet, and some weeks are better than others. This was a good week because I got the post written and out on a Monday. Yeah. My diet? Not so much. 

Its been a good week, no, a GREAT WEEK! Why? because it just was, that's why. I felt good this week, and feeling good is good enough (can anyone name the movie that line comes from?) I spent this week working hard on my day job, working on an article for a local newsletter, and working on this website. 

Some of you might have noticed some recent changes to my website. I've tried to make it more informative and user friendly. These are a few of the changes:

1. A list of upcoming and recent events, such as book signings and speaking engagements.

2. Portfolios of my photography. 

3. Newspaper & web articles, reviews and places you can purchase "Abandoned Wiregrass." 

When I start making the big bucks, I'll hire someone to make me a snazzy e-commerce website, but until then I'll be running the Weebly free version. 
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That's all I have for now. Have fun exploring the new features on the website. See ya next week. 

Tip of the week: Don't listen to sleeping music using Spotify. Your preference algorithms will never be the same.