The Defatmentation Begins

340 / 1000 words. 34% done!

I don't know if that's my final word count for tonight, but it's what I've gotten to now, and I want to get this blog post up before midnight. On the bright side, I broke 1,000 words yesterday, so I was over my quota for the weekend.

I wrote those 340 words while I was walking on a treadmill at my office today. I did 30 minutes at a brisk walk, trying to keep my notepad steady while I scribbled some damn near illegible words down. And I think it worked for me! Once I got the trick of writing and walking down, I got onto a productive run for at least 25 minutes.

I got on the treadmill today because I need to exercise. I'm overweight: not morbidly obese, but fat enough that I'm uncomfortable with it. I run out of breath faster than I should, even taking my seasonal sinus troubles into account. My shirts are starting not to fit. It sucks.

Also, I'm supposed to see my doctor in April. I don't much care for my doctor. She's the kind of doctor who smiles a lot, but says things in a tone that makes me think she's thinking "Aww, does tubby feel bad? Do you not feel healthy there fattie?" So, not a pleasant experience. I suspect she's trying to shame me into losing weight, but all I really want to do is put off my appointment for as long as possible.

But even if I skip the appointment I'm going to keep feeling like crap until I drop weight. So I'm back on exercise, I'm not eating out as much, and I'm done with regular soda. Further action as required until I feel healthy again.

I'm also going to be keeping an eye out for new exercises I can try. @gymratbeth online is a good resource, written by a licensed personal trainer. Beth also happens to be a friend of mine, so I trust her not to recommend anything that's going to wind up with me in traction. Take a peek if you feel like adding to your exercise repertoire.

Okay then, back to writing. Or sleep. Sleep might be good...

Just a Good Day

1500 / 1000 words. 150% done!

A quick word count update to make me feel good about myself. I generally aim for a daily word count of 1,000 words, and I generally wind up disappointed at the end of the day. Today was an exception, so I'm going to brag a bit. Even though most of the professional writers I've seen share their word counts surpass mine over breakfast, I will feel good about myself. Today, I won.

Now that the affirmation's out of the way...

I know that there's absolutely no reason that I can't hit the 1,000 word mark every day of the week. None. Even on a packed work day, I can guarantee I've got half an hour at lunch and two hours in the evening when I can write without screwing up my sleep schedule, failing at my job or offending my wife. Even the dog will generally not be a factor at these times.

I know this, but I let other things get in the way. The television isn't usually a problem, but the computer is. I have tweets to check, or some funny web video to watch. My antivirus definitions are out of date, and Microsoft just released a new patch cluster, and isn't that version of Java a bit old?

My best friend just asked if I could jump on the XBox for awhile - he lives in Cincinnati and I haven't seen him in months, how can I refuse? It really is time I did the dishes/threw in some laundry/picked up the dog poop in the backyard. I have a book I've been itching to finish. Or I just finished a book, and a brand new one's waiting in the wings.

And if none of that applies... If I sit down at my computer or flip open my notepad (I have a nice one I carry everywhere. I am at least trying)... Even if all lights are green and I'm cleared for takeoff...

Maybe I don't know what to write next. Maybe I don't know how to write the next thing well. Maybe the last scene, on reflection, is a lot like a broken leg on a horse. Maybe the next scene needs a horse with a broken leg and I haven't set it up properly.

So I sit, and I think. And maybe I get distracted and start the whole thing over again.

It's a shame, and it's all my fault. I confess! I'm a sinner!

But on a day like today, when the stars line up and I get that determined set in my jaw and I finally start typing...

That's just a good day.

Writing Exercise: Describe Your Character

I didn't come up with this writing exercise, so before I get started I've got to do a plug. Red Letter Media is an independent film site with all sorts of weird, wild stuff on it that I haven't fully explored yet. What I have looked at are the film reviews of Harry Plinkett, who pretends (I hope) to be a crotchety old man who reviews movies, mails out pizza rolls to his commenters, and kills prostitutes in his creepy basement.

Okay, there's a certain sick sense of humor in these reviews, but Plinkett really does do an excellent job reviewing movies like Star Wars and Star Trek. He's got a cinematographer's eye for detail. Did you ever wonder if the camera angles in Revenge of the Sith were part of the problem with that movie? Well, Harry Plinkett is here to tell you, yes, they were part of the problem, and explain exactly why.

And he also came up with a nice exercise that you, too, can do when you're writing. In Harry's own words:

Describe the following Star Wars character WITHOUT saying what they looked like, what kind of costume they wore, or what their profession or role in the movie was. Describe this character to your friends like they ain't never seen Star Wars.

Just substitute the name of your novel/short story/whatever for Star Wars. The idea is that the more descriptive you can be, the stronger the character is.

For example, Samwise Gamgee is an honest, simple guy. Not stupid simple; he just doesn't complicate things by worrying or overthinking a problem. He's got this amazing sense of wonder about the world, and he's always excited to see new things. He's very loyal and very protective of his friends. He's always ready to do a bit more work, even if he's already got the most on his plate. He's the steadfast friend, the loyal companion, the guy who's surprised at his own courage.

Or how about GlaDOS? She acts calm and professional, but secretly she enjoys watching you try to do things and fail. In fact, she wants you to fail. She'll be encouraging, but always with a subtle little dig or bit of sarcasm. You get the sense that she's not all there, that something's messed up in her head. If you mess with her, she can be scary, even dangerous. She wants to be the puppet master, the subtle manipulator, but she's not entirely in control of herself.

You can read those two paragraphs and get a pretty good sense of the characters without knowing anything else about them. You don't need to have read The Lord of the Rings to understand Sam; you can get a feel for GlasDOS without even knowing she's an AI from a videogame.

Now, try to describe Lara Croft. You know, Tomb Raider.

In case you didn't play any of the games.

Go ahead. I'll wait.

I don't know about you, but I had some trouble here. My mind leapt to Indiana Jones, but Lara's not a passionate adventurer who believes in doing the right thing, no matter how much she gets beat up for it. She's not prone to romantic entanglements with strangers in dangerous situations, she's not plagued by bad luck (no matter how many times you fall off a tall object playing the game), and as far as I know she doesn't mouth off when she'd be better off keeping quiet.

So, not Indy. She's aristocratic, self-confident and she's got a dry sense of humor. She seems to have no connection with anyone who isn't dead or soon to be dead.

Lara Croft's been in ten plus games, two movies and a few comic book series, and I still think GlaDOS, a tin can who has been in one very short game, is a stronger character. GlaDOS is insane and interesting beyond her role as an antagonist, but Lara Croft is just an action hero without much else going for her. Sure, she's wildly popular and arguably the first electronic sex symbol; but what's her favorite color? Her favorite book? Could you even take a guess? Can you imagine her standing at the entrance to some lost realm with an honest sense of awe, or do you think she's going to jump through a crumbling window with guns blazing?

I hope I'm making my point: If all you know about your character is what he looks like, what his job is and what he does in the story, he may not be a very strong character. Give this exercise a shot, and see if it helps you round your cast members out a little bit more. And if it works, drop Harry Plinkett a line sometime and thank him.

You might even get a pizza roll.

Quick Writing Link Post

This SHINE online blog challenge requires two posts a week, and I really have no excuse not to manage that, despite the ministrations of Grandfather Nurgle. So, some links:

The latest gaggle of writing links from Sterling Editing. Really, you should be tracking these regardless of what I say. This week's links include some writing on distribution, the meaning of distribution, and what makes a great first paragraph.

How NOT to pitch a book. ProTip: The hospital is pretty much never appropriate.

Your very own Grant Morrison Guide to Writing. (If anyone finds a less tongue-in-cheek form of this in the wild, please let me know.)

Writing and the Mixed Blessing of a Day Job. I admit, not having to scramble to put something to paper to get my next meal is a solid reason to hang onto my day job.

The Deaths of the Fantastic Four

I'll be doing some random musings on comics today, and I'm using the Fantastic Four as my example. If you haven't read the latest issue yet, consider yourself fairly warned that spoilers abound below the break.