So basically, I've dropped off the radar for a while - but I've a good explanation for that, if my previous posts weren't. I've been adjusting to a new lifestyle of increased workload in addition to increased working hours, not just 42 hours a week at the office, but another 4.5 hours tutoring outside, all these not counting travel time. The rest of my time had been eaten up by writing, not to mention more mundane but necessary activities (such as exercising and socialising with friends).
However, that's not what I'm here to talk about, as I'm sure you guys are bored to tears by now of hearing about how I'm trying to cope :D (Sorry...). I'm here to talk about what progress I've made in my writing life.
Let's get the basics down on paper first:
- Draft 2 of my short stories collection is basically done. Now, I'm just going to throw in a few more last minute changes before I put it in the hands of an editor - whoever that may be.
- Draft 1 of my Keeper of Pulau Purba interquel short story for a horror anthology is nearing completion, now at 18,621 words. The goal is at least 25,000 words, though chances are high, as is usual with me, that I will overrun and turn out something longer, maybe up to 30,000 words.
And then, there's my progress personally as a writer. This experience of both editing one project and writing another has driven me to a greater height of productivity. At my best, for example, I could be looking at 1,000 words written and then 2,000 words edited in a single day, rather than one or the other. It'd worked remarkably well for me, as I suppose I'm using different parts of my noggins' in different activities.
And then, there's this amazing writer's group I've met up with just today. It's called the Self-Published and Aspiring Author's Group (Hmm did I get the name right?), based in Singapore. It's basically a group of writers hanging out to exchange tips and reviews.
I went there expecting myself to be the unwashed newbie of the group...
Only to be told that I'm actually one of the most experienced (new) member of the group...
And why? Well, for publishing my debut novel.
But despite this, I've gained a lot of useful insights from them - these people had done a lot of research and work in preparation for what I myself have done a mere 8 months ago.
Furthermore, there's something about teaching that could help the teacher just as much. By stating the facts - What I've learnt in my writer's journey, I'm reinforcing it, so that I won't forget, so that I'll practice what I preach. So that I will build off of what I've learnt so far.
Only good things can come out of it.
And only good things will come from now on.
I'm thinking that I should show an excerpt of what I've been working on here. Stay tuned!
About Me
- Brian J. W. Lee
- Brian J. W. Lee is a writer. When he's not writing, he's plotting to plunge the world in a deep chasm of terror, darkness and screams. Sorry, did I get carried away?
Monday, 24 April 2017
Thursday, 30 March 2017
A Return to Pulau Purba
It has been set in stone, etched carefully in it. A sow was sacrificed on said stone, and the blood of a hundred virgins splashed upon it. I am writing an interquel to The Keeper of Pulau Purba (to the right over there, as you can see, and don't trip on the borders, my website is a little dark).
The interquel will be exclusively available on an anthology put together by a fellow horror writer. It will be accompanied, shoulder-to-shoulder, by 19 other stories written with claw marks and gashes.
Tentatively, the story will be set on the titular island itself, and it will revolve around all-new characters - though who knows? Characters from the original novel might just wander in or something. We'll see. My characters have a habit of doing that.
I'll leave the big picture out as a surprise.
Will let you guys know. See ya! :)
The interquel will be exclusively available on an anthology put together by a fellow horror writer. It will be accompanied, shoulder-to-shoulder, by 19 other stories written with claw marks and gashes.
Tentatively, the story will be set on the titular island itself, and it will revolve around all-new characters - though who knows? Characters from the original novel might just wander in or something. We'll see. My characters have a habit of doing that.
I'll leave the big picture out as a surprise.
Will let you guys know. See ya! :)
Sunday, 26 March 2017
Making Do
In my last two posts, I talked about the winds of change, how things can seem to be on the climb at one moment, then take a tumble again. Well, the storm has blown over, and in its wake, there's rebuilding to be done.
As I settled into my new routine and seat in the telco company, I think to myself that I can survive it all. I have done it before, I will do it again. In fact, it had been worse before. I'd gone through 24 months of military service, which I despised, and I was still able to nurture my interest in writing in that time. Although I didn't even come close to being as productive as I am now, I'd still done something.
Which leads into my next point. Looking back at who I am 8 years ago, and who I am now, there's a stark difference. I'd gone from doing nothing but practicing writing with fan fictions to throwing out at least 1,000 words a day of writing or 2,000 to 4,000 words of editing a day. And I plan to do even more than that.
Right now, the editing of my second book has been coming together swimmingly, and it is my hope that I can do both editing and writing in a single day.
By day, I guess I'll do my job. I'll even try to do it well. But the telco company will get what they paid for. If they want a wage-slave or an indentured servant, then that's what they'll get, nothing more. It's perhaps my revenge that I can earn half of the spending money they're paying me (excluding CPF or in American terms, 'social security') with just 4.5 hours a week as a tutor. It's laughable, considering that I work 42 hours a week for them.
By night, like Batman with a pen, I'll do my real job.
I have evolved furthermore. I believe I have less need for entertainment, as it seems enough that I read on the train and derive it from my writings and teaching tuition. The weekends are there for the raw stuff, I suppose - like computer games and movies. Still, they are still important, considering that they can inspire.
Anyway, I have rambled enough for now. Off to start a new short story!
As I settled into my new routine and seat in the telco company, I think to myself that I can survive it all. I have done it before, I will do it again. In fact, it had been worse before. I'd gone through 24 months of military service, which I despised, and I was still able to nurture my interest in writing in that time. Although I didn't even come close to being as productive as I am now, I'd still done something.
Which leads into my next point. Looking back at who I am 8 years ago, and who I am now, there's a stark difference. I'd gone from doing nothing but practicing writing with fan fictions to throwing out at least 1,000 words a day of writing or 2,000 to 4,000 words of editing a day. And I plan to do even more than that.
Right now, the editing of my second book has been coming together swimmingly, and it is my hope that I can do both editing and writing in a single day.
By day, I guess I'll do my job. I'll even try to do it well. But the telco company will get what they paid for. If they want a wage-slave or an indentured servant, then that's what they'll get, nothing more. It's perhaps my revenge that I can earn half of the spending money they're paying me (excluding CPF or in American terms, 'social security') with just 4.5 hours a week as a tutor. It's laughable, considering that I work 42 hours a week for them.
By night, like Batman with a pen, I'll do my real job.
I have evolved furthermore. I believe I have less need for entertainment, as it seems enough that I read on the train and derive it from my writings and teaching tuition. The weekends are there for the raw stuff, I suppose - like computer games and movies. Still, they are still important, considering that they can inspire.
Anyway, I have rambled enough for now. Off to start a new short story!
Thursday, 23 March 2017
The Hurricane of Change
Yesterday, I talked about how my life has been changing, from bad to good to excellent, how I might soon be experiencing a true freelancer's life, with an emphasis on the 'free' bit - which would be a huge, huge boon to my writing career.
Turns out, the one time I've been so optimistic, I turned out to be dead wrong. I'm bound by contract to work for at least three months in a telco company, and I had to let go of my opportunities for a life as a tutor-of-fortune.
I had thought the terms binding me wouldn't be enforced. My experiences thus far had lead me to that conclusion - and this is the first time the recruitment agency outsourcing me happened to be serious about the $1,000 processing fee. I wanted to say 'fuck you' to everyone's face, but I seriously don't know if I would end up saying that all the way to a judge in court.
One thing led to another, and everything led to the worst day of my life... At least this year, right after my birthday. It's a case of the butterfly and the tornado, folks. Being an expressive person, I talked about yours truly entertaining to leave for a life of tutoring to a new friend there. He talked to my trainer and my trainer talked to my manager. I got shut down and shot down hard at work. I had to cancel my plans to take on a new tuition assignment, and I got shot down on the phone with the tuition coordinator.
And now I'm here, writing a lengthy rant post instead of editing my book. I'll get to it in a minute before my brain shuts down for maintenance till the next day.
I guess my next point is this: no matter what people say, no matter how the people of the office talk about how they have embraced an open environment with no judgement and all the good things, cue the milk and honey rivers roaring past the aisles, the corporate life is still absolute SHIT.
I mean fine, for most people (or half, conservatively), it's good enough. But put a damn writer in the office... and hoo boy! Time for the drama to unfold! Here, have a look at what a writers in office can't do:
- A writer can't be self-expressive. Any tiny bit of information leaked through that could be used to harm you will be used to harm you whether your colleagues intend it or not.
- He can't feed his imagination, more so when it's in a place where even frickin' music is banned.
- He can't write, obviously, or have to sneak it under the radar it might not be worth the effort.
- He is disadvantaged when it comes to making friends and connections, unless he's a manipulative asshole. Certain places will draw certain types of characters. I don't think the office is filled with the creative types, do you?
- He can't excel even at the job because he ticks differently, and requires a different environment to function. See above for details. Sure, he can try and may produce results, but don't expect anything excellent.
- And more.
---
But whatever. I've been through this before and I can do it again. Basically, my editing/writing will continue to be slower, although I might try to make up for it during the weekends. At least that hasn't been taking away from me this time.
The editing of my short story collection has been going at a steady pace despite.
But I plan to start work on my anthology short story soon. That's right, I'll be featured in another collected works book! More details in the future.
Well, it's time to go back to my favourite activity. Sweet sleep will take me for just below 7 hours, then it's back to the grindstone.
At least tomorrow would be Friday.
Turns out, the one time I've been so optimistic, I turned out to be dead wrong. I'm bound by contract to work for at least three months in a telco company, and I had to let go of my opportunities for a life as a tutor-of-fortune.
I had thought the terms binding me wouldn't be enforced. My experiences thus far had lead me to that conclusion - and this is the first time the recruitment agency outsourcing me happened to be serious about the $1,000 processing fee. I wanted to say 'fuck you' to everyone's face, but I seriously don't know if I would end up saying that all the way to a judge in court.
One thing led to another, and everything led to the worst day of my life... At least this year, right after my birthday. It's a case of the butterfly and the tornado, folks. Being an expressive person, I talked about yours truly entertaining to leave for a life of tutoring to a new friend there. He talked to my trainer and my trainer talked to my manager. I got shut down and shot down hard at work. I had to cancel my plans to take on a new tuition assignment, and I got shot down on the phone with the tuition coordinator.
And now I'm here, writing a lengthy rant post instead of editing my book. I'll get to it in a minute before my brain shuts down for maintenance till the next day.
I guess my next point is this: no matter what people say, no matter how the people of the office talk about how they have embraced an open environment with no judgement and all the good things, cue the milk and honey rivers roaring past the aisles, the corporate life is still absolute SHIT.
I mean fine, for most people (or half, conservatively), it's good enough. But put a damn writer in the office... and hoo boy! Time for the drama to unfold! Here, have a look at what a writers in office can't do:
- A writer can't be self-expressive. Any tiny bit of information leaked through that could be used to harm you will be used to harm you whether your colleagues intend it or not.
- He can't feed his imagination, more so when it's in a place where even frickin' music is banned.
- He can't write, obviously, or have to sneak it under the radar it might not be worth the effort.
- He is disadvantaged when it comes to making friends and connections, unless he's a manipulative asshole. Certain places will draw certain types of characters. I don't think the office is filled with the creative types, do you?
- He can't excel even at the job because he ticks differently, and requires a different environment to function. See above for details. Sure, he can try and may produce results, but don't expect anything excellent.
- And more.
---
But whatever. I've been through this before and I can do it again. Basically, my editing/writing will continue to be slower, although I might try to make up for it during the weekends. At least that hasn't been taking away from me this time.
The editing of my short story collection has been going at a steady pace despite.
But I plan to start work on my anthology short story soon. That's right, I'll be featured in another collected works book! More details in the future.
Well, it's time to go back to my favourite activity. Sweet sleep will take me for just below 7 hours, then it's back to the grindstone.
At least tomorrow would be Friday.
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
The Winds of Change
It has only been a couple of weeks since my last post up in my House of the Raven, but my life has been changing rapidly like never before. As a gauge, my life had remained a routine affair before my Batam trip for 11 months while I was on a previous job, and 4 years while I was in university. So now, in just two weeks, I have been contending with shifts in both my lifestyle and fortune multiple times over.
Last week, I was jobless, with some chum change coming in from my side income as a tutor. I spent half my time reading, playing games and upgrading myself in subtle ways, the other half finding a job and writing (WRITING - the most important thing ever! Don't lose focus, you dog!). I was afraid that my ambition as a writer will be compromised by the lack of disposable income. Coming in as a close second, I was afraid that my life has become an irreversible mess with no prospects and future.
While I would never consider it a curse or anything bad, my relatives (the good ones, so no problems there) came to visit last week, stayed at my place. I was displaced from my room to the study room, where I slept on a thin mattress on the floor. While my grandma and aunt were fun, and I can certainly take a little discomfort (not even that, and I've fared well enough on the forest floor whenever I served in the army), it served to emphasize how hard the winds of change are blowing.
Then all of a suddenly, I was shortlisted and interviewed for a second time. Eventually, I was hired and started work on Monday, which was the 20th of March. It is a telco company, and the money looks fine. After training and probation, and if they want me on board, I could be looking at $2,200 a month, counting in performance bonuses. More if I do OT, and perform exceedingly well.
But it was a customer service job, with a million protocols, systems and rules to follow, with telco products to maintain. As a result, training is tough and consists of cramming manuals into your head. There would be interpersonal drama and politics (of course). At the end of each day, there would be little room for writing... Or almost no room if I have to do OT (which would be regular, they said) or happen to teach tuition for some side income... All this for a below-expected salary of $2,200 for a university graduate.
But another option hovered over my head, never ceasing to spear my brain every five second or so. I had recently expanded my side income form tuition by nearly twice. And there are many opportunities to turn it into a full-time job. The benefits? Very high pay while working short hours. I could earn $1,800 by working 15 hours a week. Or $3,600 30 hours a week. Even more if I graduate to teaching higher levels. It means freedom, and the energy to create and write. But there are disadvantages of course - I risk instability of income, and there are no benefits.
This leads to another recent shift, precipitated just today, when my trainer at the telco company caught wind (heh) of my considerations. Basically, right now, I am leaning towards sprinting out of the corporate world and office like a man chased after by demons with horns and wings and forked tail, and making my bucks as a tutor-of-fortune. I'd already expanded my tuition income from $600 to $900 (to be transparent) even as I took notes in my telco training.
---
Basically, what this means for my next book is that my progress has been a little slower. My pace is average at best, far from the 50% extra speed I planned. Basically, I've been falling asleep on my desk while editing my book due to this fiasco.
Potentially, this is ending soon, and potentially, if everything goes well with my tuition venture, I could be heading towards a golden age of writing, when I could keep increasing the speed of my writing or editing unchecked.
Or I could be looking at the most fiscally starved year of my life if I couldn't get enough tuition assignments... So, no pressure!
Last week, I was jobless, with some chum change coming in from my side income as a tutor. I spent half my time reading, playing games and upgrading myself in subtle ways, the other half finding a job and writing (WRITING - the most important thing ever! Don't lose focus, you dog!). I was afraid that my ambition as a writer will be compromised by the lack of disposable income. Coming in as a close second, I was afraid that my life has become an irreversible mess with no prospects and future.
While I would never consider it a curse or anything bad, my relatives (the good ones, so no problems there) came to visit last week, stayed at my place. I was displaced from my room to the study room, where I slept on a thin mattress on the floor. While my grandma and aunt were fun, and I can certainly take a little discomfort (not even that, and I've fared well enough on the forest floor whenever I served in the army), it served to emphasize how hard the winds of change are blowing.
Then all of a suddenly, I was shortlisted and interviewed for a second time. Eventually, I was hired and started work on Monday, which was the 20th of March. It is a telco company, and the money looks fine. After training and probation, and if they want me on board, I could be looking at $2,200 a month, counting in performance bonuses. More if I do OT, and perform exceedingly well.
But it was a customer service job, with a million protocols, systems and rules to follow, with telco products to maintain. As a result, training is tough and consists of cramming manuals into your head. There would be interpersonal drama and politics (of course). At the end of each day, there would be little room for writing... Or almost no room if I have to do OT (which would be regular, they said) or happen to teach tuition for some side income... All this for a below-expected salary of $2,200 for a university graduate.
But another option hovered over my head, never ceasing to spear my brain every five second or so. I had recently expanded my side income form tuition by nearly twice. And there are many opportunities to turn it into a full-time job. The benefits? Very high pay while working short hours. I could earn $1,800 by working 15 hours a week. Or $3,600 30 hours a week. Even more if I graduate to teaching higher levels. It means freedom, and the energy to create and write. But there are disadvantages of course - I risk instability of income, and there are no benefits.
This leads to another recent shift, precipitated just today, when my trainer at the telco company caught wind (heh) of my considerations. Basically, right now, I am leaning towards sprinting out of the corporate world and office like a man chased after by demons with horns and wings and forked tail, and making my bucks as a tutor-of-fortune. I'd already expanded my tuition income from $600 to $900 (to be transparent) even as I took notes in my telco training.
---
Basically, what this means for my next book is that my progress has been a little slower. My pace is average at best, far from the 50% extra speed I planned. Basically, I've been falling asleep on my desk while editing my book due to this fiasco.
Potentially, this is ending soon, and potentially, if everything goes well with my tuition venture, I could be heading towards a golden age of writing, when I could keep increasing the speed of my writing or editing unchecked.
Or I could be looking at the most fiscally starved year of my life if I couldn't get enough tuition assignments... So, no pressure!
Saturday, 11 March 2017
The Peephole into My Next Book
For the past half-a-dozen or so posts put up over a period of three months, I had been alluding to what is to be my second book. While I have given you guys a few snippets of what it will contain here and there, I haven't given you guys the big picture, everything in one go. So that's what I am going to do now. I'm going to pull the veil off Frankenstein's Monster, so to speak.
Here's the offer: It's a short story collection which puts one Elephantiasis-afflicted foot in the horror genre and the other (thinner) foot in a whole sushi platter of other genres. I estimated it to be about 100,000 words long at the start of the project. I may have already breached that figure by a few thousand words as I am filling in any holes in the plot and description for draft 2.
So expect a whole host of genre pieces, some that are indisputably, undeniably, obviously horror with sprinklings of other genres or sub-genres while the horror in other pieces may not seem obvious at first.
I have yet to figure out a title for the collection, but all I know for sure is that I don't want it to be something as generic as 'Brian J. W. Lee's Horror Stories Volume 1'. Gee, I wonder who would name their books like that? Anyway, here's the rundown of the stories to be featured within...
Short Stories
Sesame Seeds (Working Title): A corporate executive discovers a renewed infestation of ants in his home, and decides to kill them on sight. Little does he know that these aren't just any kind of ants... A body horror due to infest the omnipresent Amazon stores.
Agoraphobe (Working Title): In the distant future, against the backdrop of an overpopulated Singapore which is the result of two centuries of social engineering, we follow a disenfranchised working-girl as she goes about her daily life, navigating the treacherous concrete jungle and rivers of people. Only, sometimes the most treacherous thing is the person you invite into your home... An experimental dystopic horror, projecting the future from the Amazon stores.
The Hatch: Every building has secrets, whether it is that apartment no one seems to ever want to live in, or the rooftop where no one cares to go. A mechanic discovers the secret of the office complex he works at, something he can never unsee... A psychological horror, haunting Amazon soon.
Sprint: Few of us do it. Marathons, half-marathons... Hell, some of us couldn't even manage a fun run. Now, imagine having to run for your life... In the middle of an ultra-marathon set in the jungles of Malaysia. A unique and experimental blend of sports horror, whose season starts in Amazon next quarter.
Faceless: Glade's End. An idyllic and slow village where Jacob, a new adult, whiles away his days after the conclusion of his academic pursuits and stint in the village militia. Peace is broken when his father returns from the nearby primordial woods of Restikeria Forest after going missing for four days, severely ill with an incurable disease. As he wastes away, Jacob is forced to investigate the seemingly endless forest for the cause, and perhaps even a cure. What he will find at the end of his journey may threaten his sanity, just as it has taken his father's...
The ultimate on the list in terms of genre crossing and bending, this is also the longest story to be featured. It's going to be a mouthful, but here goes... A dark science-fantasy horror adventure... Coming soon.
Cedric's Run-Off: A biomedical researcher wrongfully barred from his profession makes ends meet by volunteering to be a test subject. Things did not go right in the latest experiment, and he becomes the ocean from which a new sapient civilisation emerges... Invading Amazon next quarter.
Vinegar: A new neighbour moves in next door to Henry's, a polytechnic graduate whose life is already changing drastically. Unlike Charles, his childhood friend, this solitary neighbour is mysterious, and the day she moves in, the strong smell of vinegar invades his room from her apartment unit. There are secrets to be revealed... On Amazon.
The Facade: Written even before The Keeper of Pulau Purba, a lost manuscript found again. Penned down months before the debut novel was even conceived in its current form, The Facade was written as a Final Year Project for my graduation. Coming back to it, I found the story surprisingly worthy of publication despite flaws both in the narrative and grammar.
The Facade is a story told from the perspective of a young but successful executive on the fast track. Just when he thought his unbroken chain of successes and celebrations can never slow down, metaphorical ghosts from the past emerges to haunt him, dredging up old wounds and misgivings. A peek into an earlier Brian... To be re-graded on Amazon. (Hope I get an A instead of a B this time :D)
These short stories will be accompanied by an equal number of flash fictions for pacing and to allow readers to rest. They will have their own self-contained universes, to be glimpsed at for a brief moment.
Well, that's it for now. I've been busy editing, and the second draft will be done surprisingly soon. Other than that, my debut novel, The Keeper of Pulau Purba, is now on sale at $0.99! Here's the link: Click Me! (Or Click the Book Cover at the Side)
Here's the offer: It's a short story collection which puts one Elephantiasis-afflicted foot in the horror genre and the other (thinner) foot in a whole sushi platter of other genres. I estimated it to be about 100,000 words long at the start of the project. I may have already breached that figure by a few thousand words as I am filling in any holes in the plot and description for draft 2.
So expect a whole host of genre pieces, some that are indisputably, undeniably, obviously horror with sprinklings of other genres or sub-genres while the horror in other pieces may not seem obvious at first.
I have yet to figure out a title for the collection, but all I know for sure is that I don't want it to be something as generic as 'Brian J. W. Lee's Horror Stories Volume 1'. Gee, I wonder who would name their books like that? Anyway, here's the rundown of the stories to be featured within...
Short Stories
Sesame Seeds (Working Title): A corporate executive discovers a renewed infestation of ants in his home, and decides to kill them on sight. Little does he know that these aren't just any kind of ants... A body horror due to infest the omnipresent Amazon stores.
Agoraphobe (Working Title): In the distant future, against the backdrop of an overpopulated Singapore which is the result of two centuries of social engineering, we follow a disenfranchised working-girl as she goes about her daily life, navigating the treacherous concrete jungle and rivers of people. Only, sometimes the most treacherous thing is the person you invite into your home... An experimental dystopic horror, projecting the future from the Amazon stores.
The Hatch: Every building has secrets, whether it is that apartment no one seems to ever want to live in, or the rooftop where no one cares to go. A mechanic discovers the secret of the office complex he works at, something he can never unsee... A psychological horror, haunting Amazon soon.
Sprint: Few of us do it. Marathons, half-marathons... Hell, some of us couldn't even manage a fun run. Now, imagine having to run for your life... In the middle of an ultra-marathon set in the jungles of Malaysia. A unique and experimental blend of sports horror, whose season starts in Amazon next quarter.
Faceless: Glade's End. An idyllic and slow village where Jacob, a new adult, whiles away his days after the conclusion of his academic pursuits and stint in the village militia. Peace is broken when his father returns from the nearby primordial woods of Restikeria Forest after going missing for four days, severely ill with an incurable disease. As he wastes away, Jacob is forced to investigate the seemingly endless forest for the cause, and perhaps even a cure. What he will find at the end of his journey may threaten his sanity, just as it has taken his father's...
The ultimate on the list in terms of genre crossing and bending, this is also the longest story to be featured. It's going to be a mouthful, but here goes... A dark science-fantasy horror adventure... Coming soon.
Cedric's Run-Off: A biomedical researcher wrongfully barred from his profession makes ends meet by volunteering to be a test subject. Things did not go right in the latest experiment, and he becomes the ocean from which a new sapient civilisation emerges... Invading Amazon next quarter.
Vinegar: A new neighbour moves in next door to Henry's, a polytechnic graduate whose life is already changing drastically. Unlike Charles, his childhood friend, this solitary neighbour is mysterious, and the day she moves in, the strong smell of vinegar invades his room from her apartment unit. There are secrets to be revealed... On Amazon.
The Facade: Written even before The Keeper of Pulau Purba, a lost manuscript found again. Penned down months before the debut novel was even conceived in its current form, The Facade was written as a Final Year Project for my graduation. Coming back to it, I found the story surprisingly worthy of publication despite flaws both in the narrative and grammar.
The Facade is a story told from the perspective of a young but successful executive on the fast track. Just when he thought his unbroken chain of successes and celebrations can never slow down, metaphorical ghosts from the past emerges to haunt him, dredging up old wounds and misgivings. A peek into an earlier Brian... To be re-graded on Amazon. (Hope I get an A instead of a B this time :D)
These short stories will be accompanied by an equal number of flash fictions for pacing and to allow readers to rest. They will have their own self-contained universes, to be glimpsed at for a brief moment.
Well, that's it for now. I've been busy editing, and the second draft will be done surprisingly soon. Other than that, my debut novel, The Keeper of Pulau Purba, is now on sale at $0.99! Here's the link: Click Me! (Or Click the Book Cover at the Side)
Thursday, 2 March 2017
Events on the Horizon
As the weeks rolled by, I have been busy, bit by bit piecing together my next book. Without going into another writer's report, I'll just say that my next book is just a few drafts away from publication. Throw it to an editor (without fracturing his/her skull), format it for an e-book, slap a cover on and then BAM! My second book, quick as fast food, scary as gross obesity and cancer. It's amazing how time flies that I've hardly been able to post... Though it's partly due to neglect that I haven't been updating this blog.
Anyway, I am aiming for a June release and promotion, and possibly an October Halloween promotion, in both cases I am hoping to be able to make back about 50% of my capital. My goals, however, can be stretched either way:
'Sustainable' Worse Case Scenario: I continue on the course, making only 25% of my capital back. More books required before I go beyond this line. I'll be transparent here, out of the $300 I'd spent on The Keeper of Pulau Purba, I'd made about $60 back. Blown up to say, $800 grand-total in expenditure after this year's Halloween promotion, I would need to earn $140 to hit this milestone.
Goal to Hit Right Between the Eyes: 50% of my capital. This will have to be calculated at multiple stages. On my short story collection's launch, I would have spent about $500 grand-total, which meant that I will have to earn another $190 more. What I am hoping is that my two books would work to promote each other. "Hey, if you like me, I got a baby brother here who needs love too! Watch the teeth though..." The Keeper of Pulau Purba would be saying.
However, if I stagger my promotions to be inclusive of Pulau Purba, I would be spending $600 total, and would have to earn $240 back from promoting both books.
In the lead-up to Halloween and on Halloween, I would be spending another $200, to push the grand total expenditure to $800, which meant I had to earn $340 from the now to when sales dry up.
Best Case Scenario: My short stories collection somehow does better than my debut novel, and help to earn about 75% of my capital (with some help from my debut). That would be earning $600 from $800.
My dream scenario? I actually start turning a profit... Heh.
So that's all folks! A book in a few months time, up to 4 promotional campaigns to the end of March, and I haven't mentioned that I'll be starting on a follow-up to The Keeper of Pulau Purba after June!
Anyway, I am aiming for a June release and promotion, and possibly an October Halloween promotion, in both cases I am hoping to be able to make back about 50% of my capital. My goals, however, can be stretched either way:
'Sustainable' Worse Case Scenario: I continue on the course, making only 25% of my capital back. More books required before I go beyond this line. I'll be transparent here, out of the $300 I'd spent on The Keeper of Pulau Purba, I'd made about $60 back. Blown up to say, $800 grand-total in expenditure after this year's Halloween promotion, I would need to earn $140 to hit this milestone.
Goal to Hit Right Between the Eyes: 50% of my capital. This will have to be calculated at multiple stages. On my short story collection's launch, I would have spent about $500 grand-total, which meant that I will have to earn another $190 more. What I am hoping is that my two books would work to promote each other. "Hey, if you like me, I got a baby brother here who needs love too! Watch the teeth though..." The Keeper of Pulau Purba would be saying.
However, if I stagger my promotions to be inclusive of Pulau Purba, I would be spending $600 total, and would have to earn $240 back from promoting both books.
In the lead-up to Halloween and on Halloween, I would be spending another $200, to push the grand total expenditure to $800, which meant I had to earn $340 from the now to when sales dry up.
Best Case Scenario: My short stories collection somehow does better than my debut novel, and help to earn about 75% of my capital (with some help from my debut). That would be earning $600 from $800.
My dream scenario? I actually start turning a profit... Heh.
So that's all folks! A book in a few months time, up to 4 promotional campaigns to the end of March, and I haven't mentioned that I'll be starting on a follow-up to The Keeper of Pulau Purba after June!
Tuesday, 14 February 2017
Writing Report S2 #33: No Business
This Writing Report is for the dates from 31 January to 13 February 2017 (Tuesday - Monday).
Business is back to normal for the past two weeks. I've shifted back to the 1,000 words plan, and it shows. It took me 2 weeks to accomplish what I would only take 1 week to in Batam.
On the whole, I had been able to adhere to this plan except on two days, when I decided to take it easy. Regardless, I was able to finish up my ASEAN vampire story, and now I have moved on to another flash fiction.
Right now my focus is to get my life back on track - get a job, lose some weight, get a girlfriend, hopefully prepare for my next big Writing Retreat, which I hope will be at least a few years away after a fulfilling and career advancing stint in a long-lasting job.
In terms of writing, I will soon be entering the editing phase of my short stories collection, which is one step closer towards publication.
Business is back to normal for the past two weeks. I've shifted back to the 1,000 words plan, and it shows. It took me 2 weeks to accomplish what I would only take 1 week to in Batam.
On the whole, I had been able to adhere to this plan except on two days, when I decided to take it easy. Regardless, I was able to finish up my ASEAN vampire story, and now I have moved on to another flash fiction.
Right now my focus is to get my life back on track - get a job, lose some weight, get a girlfriend, hopefully prepare for my next big Writing Retreat, which I hope will be at least a few years away after a fulfilling and career advancing stint in a long-lasting job.
In terms of writing, I will soon be entering the editing phase of my short stories collection, which is one step closer towards publication.
Thursday, 2 February 2017
Writing Report S2 #32 (Special Batam Report): An After-Action Report
This Writing Report is for the dates from 16 January to 30 January 2017 (2 weeks and a day, Monday to Monday)
Hey guys, I know that I haven't been updating the blog for a while. There's just been so many changes to adapt to that I couldn't keep up, from the last few days in Batam to all the packing and returning to Batam, to readjusting to Singaporean life again - All that Jazz.
Anyhow, back to the regular programming.
My latter two weeks in Batam can best be described as a period of exhaustion and cooling down. From 16 January to 22 January, which was my third week, I had two days in which I reverted back to a 1,000 word schedule, which meant about 12,000 words written. I believe it was Wednesday and Thursday when it happened.
The fourth week was basically cool-down week. Hands bleeding, need to stop. If I remember correctly, I'd had it again on Friday, going back to writing only 1,000 words, and since then, I couldn't maintain my 2,000 words goal anymore, and compromised at 1,500 words on Saturday and Sunday. In the end, I was still able to put out 12,000 words.
The 30th, on the other hand, was the day I check out of my boarding house and move back to Singapore. I couldn't do much really, as I spent the whole morning eating my final breakfast (in Batam) and packing. I left what had been my home for the past month at 12, and made my way on foot to the ferry terminal by the sea. Ferry was at 8:30 (though delayed by 2 hours as I found out later!), so I spent my time window-shopping, walking and actually shopping, before settling down to a 750 words session. My final words in Batam.
The story I had been working on up until I left Batam was something based on folklore. A Southeast-Asian version of the vampire story, but much more (oh, so much more) frightening compared to the European version. It had even made a particularly long cameo in my debut novel, where a few of its kind had menaced the main characters there. Well, you guys will know when the book's out.
And before my SEA Vamp came up, I was working on a rather crazy sci-fi horror, another body horror story that might have a connection to the very first I wrote for the collection. In short, it's all about a guy giving birth to creatures after a science experiment in a biomedical MNC had gone wrong. I'd say that I'm pretty proud of it, but it's going to need some editing.
Despite the rough latter two weeks of my writing retreat, I would say that the entire programme had been quite successful. I was putting out 2,000 words nearly every day, which was the goal. All in all, I had put out about 54,000 words on the cyber-page, which to some authors constitutes a full novel.
I am VERY close to finishing the first draft of my second book. I am about a short story and a flash fiction away from achieving that. And then, it's editing time. Oh, dreary, dreary editing. That's the time to hammer myself in the head...
Hey guys, I know that I haven't been updating the blog for a while. There's just been so many changes to adapt to that I couldn't keep up, from the last few days in Batam to all the packing and returning to Batam, to readjusting to Singaporean life again - All that Jazz.
Anyhow, back to the regular programming.
My latter two weeks in Batam can best be described as a period of exhaustion and cooling down. From 16 January to 22 January, which was my third week, I had two days in which I reverted back to a 1,000 word schedule, which meant about 12,000 words written. I believe it was Wednesday and Thursday when it happened.
The fourth week was basically cool-down week. Hands bleeding, need to stop. If I remember correctly, I'd had it again on Friday, going back to writing only 1,000 words, and since then, I couldn't maintain my 2,000 words goal anymore, and compromised at 1,500 words on Saturday and Sunday. In the end, I was still able to put out 12,000 words.
The 30th, on the other hand, was the day I check out of my boarding house and move back to Singapore. I couldn't do much really, as I spent the whole morning eating my final breakfast (in Batam) and packing. I left what had been my home for the past month at 12, and made my way on foot to the ferry terminal by the sea. Ferry was at 8:30 (though delayed by 2 hours as I found out later!), so I spent my time window-shopping, walking and actually shopping, before settling down to a 750 words session. My final words in Batam.
The story I had been working on up until I left Batam was something based on folklore. A Southeast-Asian version of the vampire story, but much more (oh, so much more) frightening compared to the European version. It had even made a particularly long cameo in my debut novel, where a few of its kind had menaced the main characters there. Well, you guys will know when the book's out.
And before my SEA Vamp came up, I was working on a rather crazy sci-fi horror, another body horror story that might have a connection to the very first I wrote for the collection. In short, it's all about a guy giving birth to creatures after a science experiment in a biomedical MNC had gone wrong. I'd say that I'm pretty proud of it, but it's going to need some editing.
Despite the rough latter two weeks of my writing retreat, I would say that the entire programme had been quite successful. I was putting out 2,000 words nearly every day, which was the goal. All in all, I had put out about 54,000 words on the cyber-page, which to some authors constitutes a full novel.
I am VERY close to finishing the first draft of my second book. I am about a short story and a flash fiction away from achieving that. And then, it's editing time. Oh, dreary, dreary editing. That's the time to hammer myself in the head...
Thursday, 19 January 2017
Writing Report S2 #31 (Special Batam Report): Soldiering On
This Writing Report is for the dates from 7th January 2017 to the 15th January 2017, a total of nine days.
A little belated reporting here, but there is nothing much beyond routine here, as routine as living in another country can get.
I have been able to maintain a 2,000-words-a-day writing rate for this entire period. So 9 days X 2,000 words = 18,000 words. It is only in my next writing report that there's some under-performance, but for this period, the worse drop in performance I can give was a few hundred words short of 2,000, which would then be covered the next day - This, if I remember correctly, was actually quite common, happening on half the days probably, but I was able to maintain my favoured pacing.
I had completed my first Batam horror story within this period, and had moved on to a flash fiction about the fall of an ancient civilisation. A post-apocalyptic log obscured by a millennia-old language barrier, translation problems and huge cultural differences. I won't give away the 'catch' there.
Next, I moved on to an idea I've had for a very long time (since secondary school I believe) - a story set during the a run, in this case, an ultramarathon. Imagine running for your life, for 100 kilometres! Bet it'd have you hyperventilating! A more complete overview of my writing of this ultramarathon story will be covered in the next writing report.
One thing I'd like to add though is that I've developed a habit for writing in cafes and restaurants to the point where up to 50% of my writing are coming from public places. It helps that life is slow here in Batam, therefore there's few people in those places, especially when I'm doing it during office hours. It also helps that construction has been going on next door during work hours, so I feel like I'm being pushed (present tense here because it's still going on, and will go on for years, likely) to do this. It's not an entirely bad thing. I might even import this habit back to Singapore, if I can find a good place to do it.
Well, until next time!
A little belated reporting here, but there is nothing much beyond routine here, as routine as living in another country can get.
I have been able to maintain a 2,000-words-a-day writing rate for this entire period. So 9 days X 2,000 words = 18,000 words. It is only in my next writing report that there's some under-performance, but for this period, the worse drop in performance I can give was a few hundred words short of 2,000, which would then be covered the next day - This, if I remember correctly, was actually quite common, happening on half the days probably, but I was able to maintain my favoured pacing.
I had completed my first Batam horror story within this period, and had moved on to a flash fiction about the fall of an ancient civilisation. A post-apocalyptic log obscured by a millennia-old language barrier, translation problems and huge cultural differences. I won't give away the 'catch' there.
Next, I moved on to an idea I've had for a very long time (since secondary school I believe) - a story set during the a run, in this case, an ultramarathon. Imagine running for your life, for 100 kilometres! Bet it'd have you hyperventilating! A more complete overview of my writing of this ultramarathon story will be covered in the next writing report.
One thing I'd like to add though is that I've developed a habit for writing in cafes and restaurants to the point where up to 50% of my writing are coming from public places. It helps that life is slow here in Batam, therefore there's few people in those places, especially when I'm doing it during office hours. It also helps that construction has been going on next door during work hours, so I feel like I'm being pushed (present tense here because it's still going on, and will go on for years, likely) to do this. It's not an entirely bad thing. I might even import this habit back to Singapore, if I can find a good place to do it.
Well, until next time!
Thursday, 12 January 2017
Why Writers should Travel
Just yesterday, I had finally closed off the first draft of my very first story set in Batam, Indonesia. At a surprising 11,111 words long (I'm not kidding if Microsoft Word isn't), it is the second longest story I've developed for my second book, a horror short stories collection.
Just a little teaser for anyone here who wants to reads anything in my (admitted tiny) bibliography, it's a story that's clinched many 'first' titles. It's my first ghost story - surprising again, I know, because I write horror. But honestly, my stance is that ghost stories are done too many times and it's a saturated genre. It feels as if everything about it has been done, every angle explored. That said, I wrote this one for a very good reason which I will cover later.
It's also, as mentioned on top, my very first story that's set in Batam, Indonesia, and one of the few that isn't set within Singaporean borders.
It's a very personal short story, one that's built on my experiences. It's about a happy-go-lucky type writer (I know XD but come on, I write all kinds of characters) who goes to Batam to work on a crime thriller novel, only to encounter something sinister in the boarding house he is renting a room in - or more accurately, from its dead 'Siamese twin' next door.
Don't worry though, while I haven't encountered anything supernatural yet except for some strange bells ringing around midnight and a few odd tapping at God-knows-where while I'm showering, I'm still alive and well, and I'm not posting this from the netherworld (or am I?).
That leads off to the point I'm trying to make. This story is made possible only because I got off my butt and plopped it down somewhere else on the globe. By doing that and actually living in the locale I travelled to, I've gained so much more to work with. Just the place I live at alone has so much character, even if some of them made me kinda worried for my own safety and sanity.
As writers tend to write what they know - I know I do, to maintain authenticity - This is pretty much one of the best ways to write what you previously don't know; expanding what you know so you can write more interesting things.
What I'm doing is just for starters. I'm just going to be stuck in one new place for a month - most of the fresh new things I experienced would already be experienced in the first few days of my life here in Batam, with my depth of knowledge of the place increasing only marginally with not much new material to be had in the subsequent days.
To gain a whole spectrum of new material, some backpacking would be in order, going from one place to the next after just a few days, absorbing all the new locations, people, sights, sounds, everything. And to make sure you experience everything, you shouldn't be so shy about it either - chin up, chest up, and walk on through. That's what I've been doing so far anyway, without knowing the lingua franca of the area nor their customs, and I've been doing fine so far.
Anyway, a Writing Report is coming up tomorrow.
Just a little teaser for anyone here who wants to reads anything in my (admitted tiny) bibliography, it's a story that's clinched many 'first' titles. It's my first ghost story - surprising again, I know, because I write horror. But honestly, my stance is that ghost stories are done too many times and it's a saturated genre. It feels as if everything about it has been done, every angle explored. That said, I wrote this one for a very good reason which I will cover later.
It's also, as mentioned on top, my very first story that's set in Batam, Indonesia, and one of the few that isn't set within Singaporean borders.
It's a very personal short story, one that's built on my experiences. It's about a happy-go-lucky type writer (I know XD but come on, I write all kinds of characters) who goes to Batam to work on a crime thriller novel, only to encounter something sinister in the boarding house he is renting a room in - or more accurately, from its dead 'Siamese twin' next door.
You should be glad that that's not it, but the Siamese Twin building is only slightly better.
That leads off to the point I'm trying to make. This story is made possible only because I got off my butt and plopped it down somewhere else on the globe. By doing that and actually living in the locale I travelled to, I've gained so much more to work with. Just the place I live at alone has so much character, even if some of them made me kinda worried for my own safety and sanity.
As writers tend to write what they know - I know I do, to maintain authenticity - This is pretty much one of the best ways to write what you previously don't know; expanding what you know so you can write more interesting things.
What I'm doing is just for starters. I'm just going to be stuck in one new place for a month - most of the fresh new things I experienced would already be experienced in the first few days of my life here in Batam, with my depth of knowledge of the place increasing only marginally with not much new material to be had in the subsequent days.
To gain a whole spectrum of new material, some backpacking would be in order, going from one place to the next after just a few days, absorbing all the new locations, people, sights, sounds, everything. And to make sure you experience everything, you shouldn't be so shy about it either - chin up, chest up, and walk on through. That's what I've been doing so far anyway, without knowing the lingua franca of the area nor their customs, and I've been doing fine so far.
Anyway, a Writing Report is coming up tomorrow.
Friday, 6 January 2017
Writing Report S2 #30 (Special Batam Report): A Weekday in Batam
This Writing Report is for the dates from 1st January 2017 to 6th January 2017 (Sunday to Friday).
Ever since landing on the island of Batam, my writing speed has been kicked into high gear. I have been able to put out 2,000 words a day, somethings with an additional 100 or more, no problem. I've only ever strayed on a single day, probably Wednesday, by being short 500 words, but that's made up for on Thursday.
In other words, in 6 days, I've put out slightly more than 12,000 words - This is the standard as prescribed by Stephen King. Now, the only thing is to maintain this, and bring this standard back home. Not sure if it'd be possible if I resume working, but I can try. Video games have become less and less my standard form of entertainment anyway, not so much disappearing but giving even more room to reading and writing.
Back then, it used to be that I'd spend a few hours on computer games, about an hour or two on reading and another two hours on writing. For now in Batam, assuming I'm still writing at the speed of 500 words an hour, that's four hours of writing, perhaps two hours of reading, maybe a mere hour or two of computer games (mostly mobile games and retro oldies) and perhaps an hour or two of television.
What concerns me is a sense of purposelessness that I feel. By right, I should be full of purpose right now. I guess it's just me breaking away from working life.
Anyway, just yesterday, I've concluded the draft 1 of Faceless Angel, which I've renamed to Faceless for the moment, and I've even produced a working draft of my first horror poetry piece - though I'm not sure if I can call it that. I don't quite adhere to metre, or have a definite rhythmic scheme, but I believe a few revisions might bestow those properties at least sparingly.
For my next project, I might either work on a story about someone getting stuck in his own house due to supernatural reasons, or a story set in my current country of residence, Batam. We'll see.
Ever since landing on the island of Batam, my writing speed has been kicked into high gear. I have been able to put out 2,000 words a day, somethings with an additional 100 or more, no problem. I've only ever strayed on a single day, probably Wednesday, by being short 500 words, but that's made up for on Thursday.
In other words, in 6 days, I've put out slightly more than 12,000 words - This is the standard as prescribed by Stephen King. Now, the only thing is to maintain this, and bring this standard back home. Not sure if it'd be possible if I resume working, but I can try. Video games have become less and less my standard form of entertainment anyway, not so much disappearing but giving even more room to reading and writing.
Back then, it used to be that I'd spend a few hours on computer games, about an hour or two on reading and another two hours on writing. For now in Batam, assuming I'm still writing at the speed of 500 words an hour, that's four hours of writing, perhaps two hours of reading, maybe a mere hour or two of computer games (mostly mobile games and retro oldies) and perhaps an hour or two of television.
What concerns me is a sense of purposelessness that I feel. By right, I should be full of purpose right now. I guess it's just me breaking away from working life.
Anyway, just yesterday, I've concluded the draft 1 of Faceless Angel, which I've renamed to Faceless for the moment, and I've even produced a working draft of my first horror poetry piece - though I'm not sure if I can call it that. I don't quite adhere to metre, or have a definite rhythmic scheme, but I believe a few revisions might bestow those properties at least sparingly.
For my next project, I might either work on a story about someone getting stuck in his own house due to supernatural reasons, or a story set in my current country of residence, Batam. We'll see.
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
Writing in an Isolated Locale
So, I've been in Batam for the past three days. There's been some surprises, as well as some disappointments, but let's stick to the writing, shall we?
First of all, the environment is conducive for writing, and the reasons may not be what you expect. But first, let's start with the more predictable factors, shall we?:
- The city is far less dense and urbanised, which means slower pacing, less stress. This allows me to think even when I'm in some of the more 'crowded' places, such as the mall, which is nearly empty compared to the malls of Singapore, which are practically flowing with people. Creativity flows much more freely here.
- Cheaper cost of living removes further stress. I don't have to worry about money as I've come from a richer country. This allows me to focus on my writing, rather than survival. There's a reason why literacy wasn't very popular millennia ago, you know.
- Isolation. Basically, I have no human contact beyond the supermart clerks and cashiers or the receptionist at my boarding house. No one to bother me while I'm writing. Even as I write in a cafe, I find myself sweetly uninterrupted.
- The different environment is also beneficial as a form of inspiration. Instead of always setting my stories in Singapore, I now have an alternative location to write about, and first hand experience on how it is like here!
Now, onto the weirder reasons why Batam, as a less dense, rich and urbanised place is beneficial for writing:
- Lacking facilities and entertainment. By this, I mean access to computer games, the movies, public access books. But this is exactly what I'm looking for - Back in Singapore, I am always distracted, living a rather hedonistic lifestyle (compared to simpler living). I've purposely left all that behind. But won't you wilt away form the lack of cultural consumption, you ask?
Well, I've brought enough with me - my Kindle Paperwhite, my laptop has access to very simple games that I'll only be willing to play in bursts of 10 - 30 minutes (it's a writing laptop, so the specs are modest), and my boarding house room has a television (with a poor selection of channels with low quality visuals). It isn't that restaurants and the cinema are non-existent, just of lesser quality and accessibility (closest mall is over 1km away and has to be reached on foot through inhospitable terrain). All this has the effect of discouraging 'over-consumption' and I feel empowered to write as much for my own entertainment as well as for my professional development.
- Reduction of choice. I've 'trapped' myself in Batam for a month through my commitment of money into this venture and a fixed schedule for my transport. Similar to the above, it means that I have only my writing to worry about, and I'll have to make good on the money invested as well as the effort. All the more serious, by living here for a month, I'm losing a month in which I can spend on finding a job, so I'm investing time and opportunity cost as well. Quite a hefty price to flesh out some stories.
So there you have it! In short, I would recommend travelling overseas for a little writer's retreat, but you have to be ready to sacrifice. You'll need to know what you're getting into, and you'll need to plan a lot to pull it off. I've planned like a month in advance, but started looking into it MONTHS in advance.
It's been productive so far. But you guys will hear more about that in my first writing report on the morrow.
In the meantime, don't worry about me. Contrary to popular perception, 'rural' places aren't populated by nasty inbred cannibals. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to investigate that scream I just heard outside my door...
First of all, the environment is conducive for writing, and the reasons may not be what you expect. But first, let's start with the more predictable factors, shall we?:
- The city is far less dense and urbanised, which means slower pacing, less stress. This allows me to think even when I'm in some of the more 'crowded' places, such as the mall, which is nearly empty compared to the malls of Singapore, which are practically flowing with people. Creativity flows much more freely here.
- Cheaper cost of living removes further stress. I don't have to worry about money as I've come from a richer country. This allows me to focus on my writing, rather than survival. There's a reason why literacy wasn't very popular millennia ago, you know.
- Isolation. Basically, I have no human contact beyond the supermart clerks and cashiers or the receptionist at my boarding house. No one to bother me while I'm writing. Even as I write in a cafe, I find myself sweetly uninterrupted.
- The different environment is also beneficial as a form of inspiration. Instead of always setting my stories in Singapore, I now have an alternative location to write about, and first hand experience on how it is like here!
Now, onto the weirder reasons why Batam, as a less dense, rich and urbanised place is beneficial for writing:
- Lacking facilities and entertainment. By this, I mean access to computer games, the movies, public access books. But this is exactly what I'm looking for - Back in Singapore, I am always distracted, living a rather hedonistic lifestyle (compared to simpler living). I've purposely left all that behind. But won't you wilt away form the lack of cultural consumption, you ask?
Well, I've brought enough with me - my Kindle Paperwhite, my laptop has access to very simple games that I'll only be willing to play in bursts of 10 - 30 minutes (it's a writing laptop, so the specs are modest), and my boarding house room has a television (with a poor selection of channels with low quality visuals). It isn't that restaurants and the cinema are non-existent, just of lesser quality and accessibility (closest mall is over 1km away and has to be reached on foot through inhospitable terrain). All this has the effect of discouraging 'over-consumption' and I feel empowered to write as much for my own entertainment as well as for my professional development.
- Reduction of choice. I've 'trapped' myself in Batam for a month through my commitment of money into this venture and a fixed schedule for my transport. Similar to the above, it means that I have only my writing to worry about, and I'll have to make good on the money invested as well as the effort. All the more serious, by living here for a month, I'm losing a month in which I can spend on finding a job, so I'm investing time and opportunity cost as well. Quite a hefty price to flesh out some stories.
So there you have it! In short, I would recommend travelling overseas for a little writer's retreat, but you have to be ready to sacrifice. You'll need to know what you're getting into, and you'll need to plan a lot to pull it off. I've planned like a month in advance, but started looking into it MONTHS in advance.
It's been productive so far. But you guys will hear more about that in my first writing report on the morrow.
In the meantime, don't worry about me. Contrary to popular perception, 'rural' places aren't populated by nasty inbred cannibals. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to investigate that scream I just heard outside my door...
Thursday, 29 December 2016
Let's Talk Writing: Masochism
Well, fie. Me being a horror writer (exclusively for now), I'm bound to stumble on topics like that. Regardless, nothing is sacred in writing.
I have always extolled a certain kind of attitude when it comes to writing. And that attitude is to enjoy it, to write only an amount you're comfortable with, and to write whatever you're comfortable with. That's how I settled on a daily 1,000-words-a-day writing routine, and how sometimes I'll fall a little short when something happens, like Christmas celebrations. That's how I ended up with a horror novel for a debut book, and why I've been writing horror short stories as my second project.
But that doesn't always work, if my falling short of my 1,000-words-a-day goal occasionally is any indication. And it doesn't quite explain away the 100% of how I do things either.
There's this other side of me, a dark side if you will. And I believe it's a dark side that every writer possesses, that hell, most people have. It's more common than you think.
It's the will to step out of your comfort zone, and improve yourself, try new things.
It's how I managed to get through 1,000 words a day to begin with. Just look at my first few posts on this blog:
A New Beginning - An Introduction
Writing Report #1: Exhaustion
Writing Report #2: The Return
So, I went from being barely able to scrape out 300-500 words a day and a wee bit of edits to churning out 1,000 words a day, or 2 chapters (4,000-8,000 words) of edits a day.
But what if I take it one step further?
What if I were to join the dark side and be masochistic? I'm already halfway there, making sacrifices for the delayed pleasure of achieving something. Even in my real life, I used to run half-marathons, and I can tell you that it's gruelling - all for the sake of staying fit and... achieving something. And when I stopped running myself into the ground on a tri-weekly basis, I started recently eating less with a fruitarian bend (but enough) to stop gaining weight - even if it means going to bed hungry sometimes.
Sometimes, I talk about achieving a state of Writing Nirvana, wherein I bring out inhuman results at little cost to myself. For this entire year, I haven't been able to get there at all. And now I think I know why.
The path to Nirvana is supposed to be fraught with pain and suffering. I wrote 4,000 to 5,000 words a day once because of the pressure of meeting a deadline. At first, I was filled with anxiety and dread, but at the end of the day, I was pleased with myself.
Perhaps I should re-enact that on a daily basis? But to be masochistic is to be more than that.
It's to enjoy the whole thing, all the way. Writing as a masochistic demon can't turn out to be a job. It must be something I embody, something that I must gain pleasure from even if my fingers and head aches. It must be to the point of near-sexual or drug-fuelled ecstasy. That's going to require conditioning. Major conditioning.
Huh. Funny how I tend to describe Writing as my Wife and my Book as my Daughter. Tee hee.
Anyway, I'll have a month to figure it out. On the extreme, if this 'Masochism' project works out, I could be looking at anywhere between 90,000 words written at least to, say, 120,000 to 150,000 words. More than enough to finish my short stories collection with room to edit or work on a third book.
Good thing I've been playing around with the concept of a demon character amongst other possible things to write about. She'd serve as something of a shrine to this idea.
Well, time to take out the knives, flogs and clamps! I'll have to draw a pentagram and lie down on it too! Fun times!
Hehe, just kidding! Or am I? 😈
I have always extolled a certain kind of attitude when it comes to writing. And that attitude is to enjoy it, to write only an amount you're comfortable with, and to write whatever you're comfortable with. That's how I settled on a daily 1,000-words-a-day writing routine, and how sometimes I'll fall a little short when something happens, like Christmas celebrations. That's how I ended up with a horror novel for a debut book, and why I've been writing horror short stories as my second project.
But that doesn't always work, if my falling short of my 1,000-words-a-day goal occasionally is any indication. And it doesn't quite explain away the 100% of how I do things either.
There's this other side of me, a dark side if you will. And I believe it's a dark side that every writer possesses, that hell, most people have. It's more common than you think.
It's the will to step out of your comfort zone, and improve yourself, try new things.
It's how I managed to get through 1,000 words a day to begin with. Just look at my first few posts on this blog:
A New Beginning - An Introduction
Writing Report #1: Exhaustion
Writing Report #2: The Return
So, I went from being barely able to scrape out 300-500 words a day and a wee bit of edits to churning out 1,000 words a day, or 2 chapters (4,000-8,000 words) of edits a day.
But what if I take it one step further?
What if I were to join the dark side and be masochistic? I'm already halfway there, making sacrifices for the delayed pleasure of achieving something. Even in my real life, I used to run half-marathons, and I can tell you that it's gruelling - all for the sake of staying fit and... achieving something. And when I stopped running myself into the ground on a tri-weekly basis, I started recently eating less with a fruitarian bend (but enough) to stop gaining weight - even if it means going to bed hungry sometimes.
Sometimes, I talk about achieving a state of Writing Nirvana, wherein I bring out inhuman results at little cost to myself. For this entire year, I haven't been able to get there at all. And now I think I know why.
The path to Nirvana is supposed to be fraught with pain and suffering. I wrote 4,000 to 5,000 words a day once because of the pressure of meeting a deadline. At first, I was filled with anxiety and dread, but at the end of the day, I was pleased with myself.
Perhaps I should re-enact that on a daily basis? But to be masochistic is to be more than that.
It's to enjoy the whole thing, all the way. Writing as a masochistic demon can't turn out to be a job. It must be something I embody, something that I must gain pleasure from even if my fingers and head aches. It must be to the point of near-sexual or drug-fuelled ecstasy. That's going to require conditioning. Major conditioning.
Huh. Funny how I tend to describe Writing as my Wife and my Book as my Daughter. Tee hee.
Anyway, I'll have a month to figure it out. On the extreme, if this 'Masochism' project works out, I could be looking at anywhere between 90,000 words written at least to, say, 120,000 to 150,000 words. More than enough to finish my short stories collection with room to edit or work on a third book.
Good thing I've been playing around with the concept of a demon character amongst other possible things to write about. She'd serve as something of a shrine to this idea.
Well, time to take out the knives, flogs and clamps! I'll have to draw a pentagram and lie down on it too! Fun times!
Hehe, just kidding! Or am I? 😈
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
Writing Report S2 #29: Christmas Slow-Down & Fervour
This writing report is for the days from Last Wednesday to this Tuesday (21 December 2016 - 27 December 2016)
On Wednesday, I remember that I was only able to write about 600 words for Faceless Angel, my first Dark Science Fantasy Horror pet project (whew! What a mouthful!). I remember making up for it the next day with 1,000 words, though I didn't quite make up for the loss the previous day.
Then I stopped. My debut novel, The Keeper of Pulau Purba, was put on promotion starting Wednesday, and I began to feel the need to revise my novel further, because the last 20% chapters hadn't had their editor's suggestions implemented yet.
Thus, I returned to the 2-chapters-a-day editing plan. I remember working on my debut novel everyday except for Sunday. Thus, on Thursday, I cleared 2 chapters, and I did the same on Friday and Saturday. I remember clearing 3 chapters on Monday simply because I felt guilty for Sunday - going out with my friends to an all-day church Christmas celebration cum party doesn't excuse it.
Yesterday, which is a Tuesday, I cleared almost 2 chapters. The last chapter I edited was twice the length of the average chapter, and I had to edit while I'm outside.
But I'm very close to concluding the edit for my debut novel. I've reached the final climax of TKoPP. I have about 4 chapters left to edit, just in time before I set sail for Batam on a Writer's Retreat. Once I've fully edited The Keeper of Pulau Purba this time, any further edits would be for an official 2nd Edition, which I believe will be far away.
I guess that's all for now. My writing reports will probably be spicier once I'm in Batam. See you guys!
On Wednesday, I remember that I was only able to write about 600 words for Faceless Angel, my first Dark Science Fantasy Horror pet project (whew! What a mouthful!). I remember making up for it the next day with 1,000 words, though I didn't quite make up for the loss the previous day.
Then I stopped. My debut novel, The Keeper of Pulau Purba, was put on promotion starting Wednesday, and I began to feel the need to revise my novel further, because the last 20% chapters hadn't had their editor's suggestions implemented yet.
Thus, I returned to the 2-chapters-a-day editing plan. I remember working on my debut novel everyday except for Sunday. Thus, on Thursday, I cleared 2 chapters, and I did the same on Friday and Saturday. I remember clearing 3 chapters on Monday simply because I felt guilty for Sunday - going out with my friends to an all-day church Christmas celebration cum party doesn't excuse it.
Yesterday, which is a Tuesday, I cleared almost 2 chapters. The last chapter I edited was twice the length of the average chapter, and I had to edit while I'm outside.
But I'm very close to concluding the edit for my debut novel. I've reached the final climax of TKoPP. I have about 4 chapters left to edit, just in time before I set sail for Batam on a Writer's Retreat. Once I've fully edited The Keeper of Pulau Purba this time, any further edits would be for an official 2nd Edition, which I believe will be far away.
I guess that's all for now. My writing reports will probably be spicier once I'm in Batam. See you guys!
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