Blog - Page 9 of 30 - Gary David Gillen

Writing Progress Report August 2021

Writing Progress Report August 2021.

This is my Writing Progress Report August 2021.

On July 31, 2021, I took a hike from Public Square up Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, once known as Millionaire Row. This picture is of the Mather Mansion.

Writing Progress from July 2021.

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for July 2021, linked below.

Writing Progress Report July 2021

In July 2021, I submitted Chapter 12 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

In July 2021, I submitted my story Tau Ceti Journal to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City in July 2018, totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019 to complete the second draft edit. I started writing a new chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters, and I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 in July 2020.

Writing Progress from July 2021 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in July 2021.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I have submitted in 2020 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, and Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 are 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections.

Events from July 2021.

The Cleveland Inkubator Writing Conference 2021 was a virtual event using Zoom between July 11, 2021, to July 25, 2021. Over the two weeks, they presented forty-two workshops, panels, and special events. I attended two panels, one craft talk, and one workshop (which was held over two days).

I enjoyed the programs that I attended at the Cleveland Inkubator and plan to attend in person in 2022. My highlights were D.M. Pulley’s Writing Multiple Stories Workshop and Marie Vibbert’s talk about submitting short stories. I thought using Zoom worked well. At the in-person conference, you must pick one of four talks in three different time slots on the Saturday of the conference. Being spread over two weeks enabled me to pick the talks that I wanted to see. I appreciated the flexibility but will like to go back to the in-person conference next year.

Literary Cleveland sponsors the event. Literary Cleveland’s mission is to create and nurture a vibrant literary arts community in Northeast Ohio. The group sponsors writing workshops, author interviews, and a monthly group meeting mixer.

http://www.litcleveland.org/

Writing Goals for August 2021.

I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for August 2021.

The title of the novel I am working on is Cuba Liberto. The first draft of the piece was a screenplay. My plan for the rewrite is 26 Chapters. I plan to complete writing Chapter 13 in August 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

In August 2021, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in August 2021.

In August and September 2021, I plan to split Chapter 1 of Assassin in New Marl City into two chapters. I plan to work on these chapters and then submit both chapters to the SEL Wednesday Writing Workshop in October 2021.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. In October 2021, I plan to complete third draft edits for renumbered Chapters 3 and 4.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for August 2021 continued.

In August 2021, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for August 2021.

Marcon Columbus had dates posted for May 7 to May 9, 2021. I have attended this con many times and would like to attend it in 2021. They officially moved Marcon to occur from September 2, 2021, to September 6, 2021. I plan to attend on September 4, 2021.

http://marcon.org/

They scheduled Washington Capclave as an in-person event for October 1 to October 3, 2021. The Washington Science Fiction Association holds the conference at the Hilton in Rockville, Maryland. I would like to attend the conference.

https://www.capclave.org/capclave/capclave21/

Cleveland Inkubator Writing Conference 2021

Introduction

They normally hold the Cleveland Inkubator Writing Conference at the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library, 525 Superior Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44115. This year they presented a virtual event using Zoom between July 11, 2021, to July 25, 2021, for the Cleveland Inkubator Writing Conference 2021. Over the two weeks, they presented forty-two workshops, panels, and special events. I attended two panels, one craft talk, and one workshop (which was held over two days).

Literary Cleveland sponsored the event. Literary Cleveland’s mission is to create and nurture a vibrant literary arts community in Northeast Ohio. The group sponsors writing workshops, author interviews, and a monthly group meeting mixer.

http://www.litcleveland.org/

Summary Introduction

I attended two panels, one craft talk, and one workshop (which was held over two days). I will summarize the four events I attended in the next four sections.

Workshop with D.M. Pulley

They split this workshop into two days, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, from 4 PM to 5 PM, and Wednesday, July 21, 2021, from 4 PM to 5 PM. The topic was Writing Multiple Storylines. She taught the workshop using a PowerPoint presentation. The conference coordinator distributed a copy of the presentation to the participants after the workshop. I have noted the four most important ideas I learned in the workshop in the following paragraphs.

She talked about five structures used in multiple storyline novels and gave an example for each. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr uses a Dual Narrative Structure. It features two protagonists on the same timeline. The Girls by Emma Cline uses a Dual Timeline Structure. It features a single protagonist with an early and later timeline.

The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis uses a Dual Narrative and Dual Timeline Structure. It features two protagonists each with an early and later timeline. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan uses a linked Short Story or Novella Structure. It features many characters and many timelines with linked narratives. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut uses a Gestalt Timeline. It features one protagonist with many scattered timelines. There are other examples.

Writing Exercise #1 was to describe what your story is about. Writing Exercise #2 was to figure out whose story your work is about.

She gave examples of the guideposts, transitions, and plotting from the five novels listed above.

Writing Exercise #4 was to draw a three-point plot arc for your story. Writing Exercise #4 was to storyboard your story.

D.M. Pulley is a historical mystery writer with four published novels. No One’s Home is her most recently published novel. I linked the Goodreads page to No One’s Home below.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52921754-no-one-s-home

Craft talk with Marie Vibbert

This craft talk was on Wednesday, July 14, from 7 PM to 8:30 PM. The topic was So You Wrote a Short Story-Now What? She presented her talk using a PowerPoint presentation. The conference coordinator distributed a copy of the presentation to the participants after the talk. I have noted the three most important ideas I learned in the talk in the following paragraphs.

When submitting a short story, follow the submission guidelines posted on each website of the magazine where the submission is going. Each magazine has specific requirements, if not followed will diminish the possibility of a sale. Submissions should follow the Shunn format rules linked here. https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/

She presented a live demonstration of submitting a story. She tracks her submissions at the Submission Grinder website. https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/ Each author has a password-protected account. The website is a submission tracker and a market database. The website search engine helps the author find suitable markets to submit each unique story. She submitted one of her completed but unsold stories to the Clarkesworld Magazine in the demonstration. http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/

She says to expect a lot of rejections. On Submission Grinder she has tracked her submissions for the last six years. She has over 900 submissions with 73 accepted stories. The highest number of rejections for her for a story before it sold was 42. She is an accomplished author, and it was instructive to see her record of submissions.

Marie Vibbert is a science fiction short story writer. On the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (isfdb.org) she has 43 short stories listed. They published her first novel Galactic Hellcats this year. I linked the Goodreads page for Galactic Hellcats below.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53388150-galactic-hellcats

From Dream to Reality: A Panel with Four Debut Authors

They held this panel from 10 AM to 11:30 AM on Saturday, July 17, 2001. The four authors in the panel published their debut novels in early 2021. The novels were The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson, Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah, On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu, and Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter. Laura Maylene Walter was the moderator and posed questions for the panel to answer. Each author started by repeating the elevator pitch for her novel. I have included one question and answer I thought insightful from each author.

What was the most challenging part of writing your novel? E. Lily Yu answered learning Persian was necessary to complete the novel.

Explain your experience of the agent side of publishing. Nancy Johnson answered the key was an excellent query letter. She used the phase Hook-Book-Cook to describe what you need in your query. The Hook is your elevator pitch; the Book is a brief summary of your book (only add your most interesting points), and the Cook is adding any works published and workshops attended.

Explain how you write a novel with a day job, and how do you keep your motivation up? Laura Maylene Walter answered she gets up before work to write, she takes unpaid weeks off work to write. She doesn’t have kids, so that helps. Her goal is 1000 words per day, or she uses a time goal like a certain number of words per half hour.

What surprises you about the writing and publication business? Eman Quotah answered pay attention to the small successes you achieve. A handwritten card from a beta reader can be the best validation you can receive. Don’t get caught up in other writers’ successes.

Eyes of the Editor: A Panel with Four Editors

They held this panel from 7 PM to 8:30 PM on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. The four editors on the panel were Angela Kim (Berkley, romance), Kate Napolitano (Dey Street, non-fiction), Nadxieli Nieto (Flatiron Books, cross-genre), and Shannon Jamison-Vazquez (Little, Brown, mystery/thriller/suspense). The moderator was Brandi Larson. After the panelists introduced themselves, the moderator posed questions to the panel. I have included one question and answer I thought insightful from each editor.

What is your impression of someone trying to get a job in publishing today? Kate Napolitano answered that publishing is an apprenticeship industry. Earning an MFA is not the only way to get in.

What is a must-have for a query (fiction) or a proposal (Non-fiction)? Nadxieli Nieto answered that for commercial fiction, understand your placement in the marketplace and the relation of your work to the current trends.

What are the hot trends? Shannon Jamison-Vazquez answered you can’t write to trends. The most important thing is to use your voice. That is what is unique about you and will sell your novel.

What do you look for in the opening paragraphs? Angela Kim answered momentum is important. Don’t put too much info in at once. Be active with witty dialog. Use an active voice and a distinctive voice.

Before the panel, attendees volunteered to send in the first paragraphs of their novels. They picked six author paragraphs at random, and the panel read and discussed each.

The panel ended with final thoughts and advice.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the programs that I attended at the Cleveland Inkubator Writing Conference 2021 and plan to attend in person in 2022. My highlights were D.M. Pulley’s Writing Multiple Stories Workshop and Marie Vibbert’s talk about submitting short stories. I thought using Zoom worked well. At the in-person conference, you must pick one of four talks in three different time slots on the Saturday of the conference. Being spread over two weeks enabled me to pick the talks that I wanted to see. I appreciated the flexibility but will like to go back to the in-person conference next year.

Links

I attended the Cleveland Inkubator on August 4, 2018, at the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library, 525 Superior Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Literary Cleveland sponsored the event. Literary Cleveland’s mission is to create and nurture a vibrant literary arts community in Northeast Ohio. I enjoyed the programs that I attended at the Cleveland Inkubator and plan to attend next year.

Cleveland Inkubator Writer’s Conference 2018

They held the Cleveland Inkubator on July 29, 2017, at the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library, 525 Superior Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Literary Cleveland sponsored the event. Literary Cleveland’s mission is to create and nurture a vibrant literary arts community in Northeast Ohio. I enjoyed the programs that I attended at the Cleveland Inkubator and plan to attend next year.

Cleveland Inkubator Writer’s Conference

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells, Murderbot Diaries Book 6.

Introduction

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells is a novella in the Murderbot Diaries Series. The first four stories are all novellas that complete a self-contained single story. The author set this story is between the novellas and the Murderbot novel, Network Effect. The protagonist of the diaries is a SecUnit (Security Unit), a part organic and part mechanical cyborg, or as it calls itself a Murderbot. In this story, Murderbot is a Security Consultant to Dr. Mensah on Preservation Station. It finds a murdered human and must solve the mystery. Who was the victim, how was he killed, and why was he murdered?

Summary

In Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells, Murderbot examines a dead human. Murderbot reports its impressions to Dr. Mensah and Senior Security Officer Indah of Preservation Station. The human is unidentified. Indah calls it a murder while Mensah wants to call it an accidental death for now. Mensah talks to Murderbot on a private channel because they are worried that the GrayCris corporation (the antagonists for the previous novellas of the series) is involved with the death. Mensah convinces Indah to let Murderbot help her learn about the dead human. Insah wishes Murderbot would call him the deceased or the victim.

Murderbot and Insah investigate the case with help from Tech Tural. Insah confirms Murderbot as a consultant for Station Security. Murderbot must become part of the system to investigate the system to get access to the Preservation Station networks. It’s a hard transition for Murderbot because of her Rogue SecUnit identity. All Murderbot wants is to find out who killed the dead human and then can go back to a normal life watching reruns of the show Sanctuary Moon. Murderbot follows the clues and uncovers an unusual suspect.

Recommendation

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells is a locked room murder mystery set on a space station. As a procedural mystery, the story doesn’t have the fireworks of the previous novellas. This story is a different and interesting experience. I recommend it. Network Effect won the 2021 Locus Award for best novel and I think they should nominate Fugitive Telemetry in the novella category next year. I believe she will write more stories in the Murderbot diaries and I plan to read them when they are published.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205854-fugitive-telemetry

Book Review of Network Effect by Martha Wells, Book 5 of The Murderbot Diaries, a novel. The diaries protagonist is a SecUnit (Security Unit), a cyborg, or as it calls itself Murderbot. Murderbot must solve a complex mystery or risk the deaths of its human clients.

Network Effect by Martha Wells

This is a link to my review of All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Book 1 of The Murderbot Diaries.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Book Review of Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, a series of four novellas. SecUnit calls herself Murderbot. She has feelings of companionship for her human employers. What lengths will she go to protect them?

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Writing Progress Report July 2021

Writing Progress Report July 2021.

This is my Writing Progress Report July 2021.

On June 19, 2021, I took a hike at the Sand Run Metro Park in Akron, Ohio at the Seiberling Nature Realm. This picture is of Sand Run Stream.

Writing Progress from June 2021.

I wrote two blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for June 2021, linked below.

Writing Progress Report June 2021

In June 2021, I submitted Chapter 11 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

In June 2021, I submitted my story Erebus to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

Writing Progress from June 2021 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in June 2021.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 are 4 unique stories submitted 4 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections.

Events from June 2021.

No events attended in May 2021.

My next planned event is Cleveland Inkubator from July 12, 2021, to July 24, 2021. It will be a virtual event.

Writing Goals July 2021.

I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for July 2021.

The title of the novel I am working on is Cuba Liberto. The first draft of the piece was a screenplay. I plan to complete writing Chapter 12 in July 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

In July 2021, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in July 2021.

In July and August 2021, I plan to split Chapter 1 of Assassin in New Marl City into two chapters. I plan to work on these chapters and then submit both chapters to the SEL Wednesday Writing Workshop in September 2021.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. In September 2021, I plan to complete third draft edits for renumbered Chapters 3 and 4.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for July 2021 continued.

In July 2021, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for July 2021.

My next planned event is Cleveland Inkubator from July 12, 2021, to July 24, 2021. It will be a virtual event.

Literary Cleveland sponsors the event. Literary Cleveland’s mission is to create and nurture a vibrant literary arts community in North East Ohio. The group sponsors writing workshops, author interviews, and a monthly group meeting mixer.

http://www.litcleveland.org/

http://marcon.org/

I attended the virtual Confluence Pittsburgh Con in October 2020. They canceled their in-person con for 2021, but they plan to hold a virtual con in October 2021, and I plan to attend.

https://confluence-sff.org/

Moon Maze Game by Larry Niven

Moon Maze Game by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes, Dream Park Series Book 4.

Introduction

The Moon Maze Game by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes is set in 2085. Bodyguard for hire Scotty Griffin gets an offer of a job for Kikaya II, the dictator of the Republic of Kikaya. Ali Kikaya, the dictator’s son and heir, wants to take part in a LARP (Live Action Roleplaying) game set at Heinlein Station on the Moon. The dictator wants Scotty to take part in the game and be Ali’s bodyguard. Scotty left the Moon and his ex-wife, Kendra, under suspicious circumstances. Scotty takes the job. When terrorists kidnap the gamers, can Scotty face his demons, unravel the terrorists’ s plot, and save them all?

Summary

The first few chapters of The Moon Maze Game by Larry Niven introduce the main characters of the novel. Douglas Frost is a contracted construction worker on Heinlein Station on the Moon. He once lived in a country taken over by a dictator and renamed the Republic of Kikaya. He wants to go home. Scotty Griffin is on assignment in Geneva, Switzerland guarding a celebrity. The assignment is ending, and he wonders what he will do next. He once worked on the Moon but left under suspicious circumstances. He gets an offer he can’t refuse.

Wayne Gibson is working at a third-rate LARP Fantasy Park in Las Vegas. He was once a hotshot on the LARP circuit but lost his nerve and reduced to working behind the scenes. Angelique Chan tracks him down. She knew him when they played LARP and wants him to play the first LARP on the Moon with her.

Ali Kikaya is the heir to the dictatorship. He wants to play in the Moon Maze Game. Kendra (maiden name Tuinukuafe) Griffin is the manager of the Moon Maze Game. Xavier is the best player on the LARP circuit and most likely to win the game.

Recommendation

It was fun going back to the Dream Park series. It is unnecessary to read the other novels of the series first, though it helps with the background material. This novel reads fast, the action does not stop, and the resolution is earned. I don’t think that this novel followed the formula from the others. The first three novels focused on a group of game players. They began their game, and a complication occurs which must be solved by completing the game. In Moon Maze Game, it was difficult for me to figure out who the novel was about. If Scotty is the protagonist, then the novel is a science fiction thriller with a game thrown in. Sometimes it’s good to change a formula, but I wanted a game-focused novel like the previous ones in the series.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Moon Maze Game by Larry Niven.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10439988-the-moon-maze-game

This is a link to my review of Head On by John Scalzi. The book is a science fiction mystery like the Moon Maze Game. In Head On, FBI agent Chris Shane cannot physically examine a murder scene because Chris has Haden’s Syndrome. Chris interacts with the world with an android. Chris must solve a case involving the death of someone with the Syndrome.

Head On by John Scalzi

Writing Progress Report June 2021

Writing Progress Report June 2021.

This is my Writing Progress Report June 2021.

I call this machine a Grass Roomba.

Writing Progress from May 2021.

I wrote two blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for May 2021, linked below.

Writing Progress Report May 2021

In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City, totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019 to complete the second draft edit. I started writing a new chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters, and I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 on July 2020.

In May 2021, I submitted Chapter 10 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

In May 2021, I did not submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

Writing Progress from May 2021 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account on May 2021.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 are 4 unique stories submitted 4 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections.

Events from May 2021.

No events attended in May 2021.

My next planned event is Cleveland Inkubator from July 12, 2021, to July 24, 2021. It will be a virtual event.

Writing Goals June 2021.

I plan to write three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for June 2021.

The title of the novel I am working on is Cuba Liberto. The first draft of the piece was a screenplay. I plan to complete writing Chapter 11 on June 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

On June 2021, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop on June 2021.

In June and July 2021, I plan to split Chapter 1 of Assassin in New Marl City into two chapters. I plan to work on these chapters and then submit both chapters to the SEL Wednesday Writing Workshop in September 2021.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. In September 2021, plan to complete third draft edits for renumbered Chapters 3 and 4.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for June 2021 continued.

On June 2021, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for June 2021.

My next planned event is Cleveland Inkubator from July 12, 2021, to July 24, 2021. It will be a virtual event.

http://www.litcleveland.org/

Marcon Columbus had dates posted for May 7 to May 9, 2021. I have attended this con many times and would like to attend it in 2021. They officially moved Marcon to from September 2, 2021, to September 6, 2021. I plan to attend.

http://marcon.org/

I attended the virtual Confluence Pittsburgh Con in October 2020. They canceled their in-person con for 2021, but they plan to hold a virtual con in October 2021, and I plan to attend.

https://confluence-sff.org/

Write Away by Elizabeth George

Introduction

Write Away by Elizabeth George details the author’s teaching method as a creative writing teacher and her writing methods as a bestselling psychological suspense writer. Her thesis is that writing is an art and a craft. The art lives inside the author, but the craft can be taught. Learning the craft of writing puts the author in the proper frame of mind to explore the inspiration of the art of writing. The first part of the book covers those craft ideas using concrete examples. The second half of the book shows examples from the author’s writing illustrating how she constructs her novels, the writing life.

Summary – Part One

She divided Write Away by Elizabeth George into five parts. I will cover each of the five parts and explain the fact I find most interesting in each part.

Part One summarizes the craft. The story has four components: Character, Setting, Landscape (aka World-building), and Plot. The two key concepts are Character is Story and Dialogue is Character.

Part Two is The Basics. The building blocks of the story are Idea, Viewpoint, Voice, Dialogue, and Scene. After she gets an idea, she turns it into a step outline, then a running plot outline. She gives an example of a step outline from her novel A Place of Hiding. The Goodreads link for the novel is: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31367.A_Place_of_Hiding

She gives an example of a running plot outline from her novel In the Presence of the Enemy.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77097.In_the_Presence_of_the_Enemy

Summary – Part Two

Part Three is Technique. She says good writing comes from craft and using craft comes from knowing how to use the tools of language. In this part, she examines specific considerations for writing suspense.

Part Four is Process. She reviews how she developed the ideas for her novel, In the Presence of the Enemy.

Part Five is Examples and Guides. The author summarizes examples of other author’s guides to writing. She examines The Seven-Step Storyline, The Hero’s Journey, Gustav Freitag’s Pyramid, and Three- Act Structure.

She replicates her Character Prompt Sheet, which she uses as a prewriting activity. Then she reprints her initial character sketch for Eve Bowen from the novel, In the Presence of the Enemy.

Next is a list of places where people work. Finally, she has a list of actions which she calls THADs. THAD is Talking Head Avoidance Devices. They are things for the character to do to avoid he said/ she said static dialogue.

The last chapter is named The Process in a Nutshell. It is a step-by-step list with references to the applicable chapter in the book.

Recommendation

Write Away by Elizabeth George is a brilliant book on writing. I first learned of this book from reading the recommended list of writing books on K. M. Weiland’s website. I’m glad I picked this book up. Elizabeth George is a plotter. Plotters make detailed plot outlines before they write, while Pantsers write as their fancy takes them and fixes the story in revision. In my opinion, all writers are somewhere on that continuum. I consider myself a Plotter and was interested to follow Elizabeth George’s method. I’m glad I read this book and plan to use some of the advice in my next project.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Write Away by Elizabeth George.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1848441.Write_Away

I read Write Away by Elizabeth George because K. M. Weiland recommended it on her website. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/ K. M. Weiland also wrote a book on writing called Structuring Your Novel. I read that book and wrote a review linked below.

Structuring Your Novel by K. M. Weiland

Another similar book on writing is On Writing Well by William Zinsser. This book the classic guide to writing non-fiction. It is littered with quotable quotes and excellent advice. Any writer would find help with this book.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Writing Progress Report May 2021

Writing Progress Report May 2021.

This is my Writing Progress Report May 2021.

Mother’s Day was May 9, 2021.

Writing Progress from April 2021.

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for April 2021 linked below.

Writing Progress Report April 2021

In July 2018, I completed the first draft of my novel Assassin in New Marl City, totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-second draft (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished the second draft edits in December 2019 to complete the second draft edit. I started writing a new Chapter 1 in February 2020 and finished it in April 2020. The third draft will have 32 Chapters, and I finished the third draft edits on Chapter 3 on July 2020.

In April 2021, I submitted Chapter 9 of my novel titled Cuba Liberto to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

In April 2021, I submitted the story “Bear and his Boy” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

Writing Progress from April 2021 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account on April 2021.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 are 4 unique stories submitted 4 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections.

Events from April 2021.

Ice & Fire Con is a convention themed around George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire series and HBO’s Game of Thrones. They canceled the cons for 2020 and 2021. They held Ice & Fire Virtual Con from April 22 to April 25, 2021. I viewed the youtube videos on the Ice and Fire youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTy_8FAINB4OTrXnQ77nw0w

http://www.iceandfirecon.com/

Writing Goals May 2021.

I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for May 2021.

The title of the novel I am working on is Cuba Liberto. I plan to complete writing Chapter 10 on May 2021 and submit it to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

In May 2021, I plan to submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

In May and June 2021, I plan to split Chapter 1 of Assassin in New Marl City into two chapters. I plan to work on these chapters and then submit them to the SEL Wednesday Writing Workshop in July 2021.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. In May 2021, plan to complete third draft edits for Chapters 4 and 5.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for May 2021 continued.

On May 2021, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for May 2021.

http://marcon.org/

I attended the virtual Confluence Pittsburgh Con on October 2020. They canceled their in-person con for 2021, but they plan to hold a virtual con in October 2021, and I plan to attend.

https://confluence-sff.org/

To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan

To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn Drennan.

To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn Drennan, Book #9 of the Babylon 5 Universe.

Introduction

To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn Drennan is a tie-in novel for the Babylon 5 TV show. The author connects three stories not covered in the show. What happened to Minbari Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair on Minbar, what happened to Sinclair’s fiancé Catherine Sakai, and how did Marcus Cole become a Ranger. This novel shows what brought Jeffrey Sinclair, Catherine Sakai, and Marcus Cole together to fight the Shadows.

Summary

To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan tells the stories of Jeffrey Sinclair, Catherine Sakai, and Marcus Cole that were not covered in the Babylon 5 TV show. There were three questions answered in this novel that was not detailed in the show. Why was Jeffrey Sinclair removed from Babylon 5 and assigned as the Ambassador to Minbar? What happened to Sinclair’s fiancé, Catherine Sakai? How did Marcus Cole become a Ranger?

Marcus Cole owns a mining company on the colony world of Arisia III. A deadly encounter with the Shadows changes his life plan.

Catherine Sakai is a planetary surveyor for the Universal Terraform Corporation. She spends weeks and months on missions discovering resource-rich planets on the Rim. An encounter with Shadows leads her to a new mission.

Jeffrey Sinclair is the Ambassador to Minbar assigned by the Earth Alliance. No one on Minbar will tell him his expected role. He can’t contact Babylon 5 or Earth. The key to his position comes from the Minbari’s belief that Sinclair has a Minbari soul. He ends up becoming involved with the order of the Rangers. The Rangers’ mission is to look for the return of the Shadows.

Recommendation

To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan combines small ideas from the TV show to create a plot. In the show, Marcus mentions that his brother’s death led him to become a Ranger. It bridges the gap between three stories involving Jeffrey Sinclair. First is season 1 episode 22, Chrysalis, when Sinclair left the series at the end of season 1. Second is Season 3 episodes 16 and 17, War Without End Parts 1 and 2, when they reveal Babylon 4’s fate. Last is a three-part comic series named In Valen’s Name, which ties up remaining loose ends. They use Catherine Sakai’s occupation and her potential encounter with the Shadows.

I liked this novel. It explained some unanswered questions left from the series. I would have liked a clearer explanation of Catherine Sakai’s fate. They implied her fate, but not definitively.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/797210.To_Dream_in_the_City_of_Sorrows

My review of The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos, Book #7 of the Babylon 5 Universe. Can Anna Sheridan escape Z’Ha’dum and can John Sheridan unravel a plot to destroy Babylon 5?

Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos

Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab, Book #1 of the Shades of Magic Trilogy.

Introduction

A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab is a fantasy novel. Kell is a rare magician that can travel between different cities on different worlds, all named London. Grey London is our London with the least magic, Red London is Kell’s London with more magic power, White London has even more magical power, and Black London had the most magic power but has been isolated for years. Kel smuggles tokens between each London. He gets a powerful token that leads to a mission with a Grey London thief named Delilah Bard (please call her Lila). Will Kell control the powerful token, or will the token lead to the destruction of all the cities named London?

Summary

A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab begins with Kell transitioning from his native Red London to Grey London in the year Eighteen Nineteen. Kell is a special Antari mage who uses a token from the London he is trying to travel to, to pass through a blood portal to that London. He brings messages between Grey, Red, and White London. He is in Grey London to deliver a message to King George III, who is feared is growing mentally unstable. Just delivering messages is not enough danger for Kell, so he also smuggles tokens between the three Londons for favors from collectors. Kell is the adopted son of the rulers of Red London and the childhood friend of Crown Prince Rhy.

Kell gets a token that should not be possible, one from Black London. Lila Bard is a thief from Grey London who dreams of being a pirate. She steals the token from Kell but has no clue what she has stolen. Kell is worried that the token means that someone has opened the passage to Black London. He is forced to gain Lila’s help to return the token to Black London and seal the passage forever, or powerful magic will destroy his beloved Red London. Characters from White London thwart them. The rulers of White London are the twins, Athos Dane and Astrid Dane. Holland advises the White London rulers. Holland is also an Antari mage and can pass through the different Londons.

Recommendation

A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab is a great beginning to the Shades of Magic Trilogy. There are fourteen Chapters in the novel. The Chapters are all named. I like that the names all focus on the most important event in each chapter. Each chapter has between three and six scenes, all divided by using the Roman numeral. Each scene is from the viewpoint of one character. The chapters feature alternating viewpoints. Most of the scenes feature Kell or Lila. There are eleven other viewpoint scenes. I liked the structure of the novel. The novel comes to a satisfying end which leads to the world opening up to Kell and Lila’s next adventure.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23211076-a-darker-shade-of-magic

This is my review of Hope and Red, Book #1 of the Empire of Storms Trilogy by Jon Skovron. It is a fantasy novel that has an interesting magic system and has a similar vibe to A Darker Shade of Magic. They published it the year after A Darker Shade of Magic. Red is a pirate and Hope is a warrior. They plan their revenge on those who wronged them.

Hope and Red by Jon Skovron