J C GALE

I’m amazed at the seemindly endless free resources available to noobie writers like myself. Early on when I was writing Balance, I used a few writers forums to bounce some ideas around. The feedback was fantastic and hey presto I finished the book!

I know if I had the time I could easily sink many hours into surfing around writers, publishers and agents sites / blogs. With my limited writing opportunities I tend to make the most of the available time and primarily focus on getting at least a page down each day. Although in truth, especially of late for some reason, I find the draw of these sites almost irresistible.

For anyone who is reading this and starting out in writing (hello?… are you listening???), Google is your friend!

For those times when writing is not practical, such as washing the dishes, I find listening to a great podcast to be very productive. I like podcasts because you get to hear the emphasis people put on what they are saying, it’s a lot like being in class at school err way back when. If it’s trying to write or maybe trying to get published, nothing beats hearing from someone who has done what you are striving to do.

In short, podcasts rock!

I’ve added a few various links of late on my links page. Why not go check them out, some are really cool!

I was madly writing another new section last night when I began to grow concerned I might not have been doing a specific character justice. It wasn’t the situation or the event unfolding, rather I realised I didn’t have a solid handle on the feel of the character anymore. Their reaction to the situation felt wrong – oops!

So I ended up going back over their scenes (yes that’s right, I’m very visual and I think in scenes, not in chapters) in Balance and yeah I was right. Its funny how sometimes I get a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right with a scene. The section I’m working on right now happens to be an important scene, yes I know they are all important however this one is pivotal and I need it to be rock solid.

The additional benefit is on the re-read, I managed to rework a few of this characters scene in Balance. Being the first book I have ever written, it’s fair to say Balance requires a lot of work, potentially a complete rewrite – eek! For instance, at the time I was so obsessed with getting the story out of my head, I innocently wrote almost all of it in past tense!

I have no idea why this happened, it certainly wasn’t intentional, it just did.

I guess I should be embarrassed by this however right now I’m too damn busy to care!

Well hello there, I’ve just setup my own account here so I can post in my own name…

If I click the publish button right now, this would be a waste of a good post, so instead I will go on for a bit longer.

I wrote 5 pages last night in a two and a half hour stint. That’s not bad after a day at work and I am really enjoying getting my teeth into this new book.

As I said in an earlier post, I’m going to be careful to not post any spoilers however I felt an urge to put at least something of what i did, in its raw state up for you all. Please note I have replaced the characters name with Name and of course this is entirely out of context and all you really learn is that the character is male.

Anyway here goes, a little snippet for you all:

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A migraine, the likes of which Name has never experienced before, rages through his tired mind. Slowing, he touches down in the middle of the overgrown jungle and takes a few hurried steps, playing out the last of his forward momentum. Once stopped, he draws a couple of deep breaths. The clean air helps Name gathers his thoughts.

Name looks up and concentrates, grimacing from the effort. The limbs of the trees above him begin to shift and intertwine. After a moment, satisfied with the result, he gently floats up to the makeshift structure and lays down to rest. The greenery cocoons the young man in a bubble as his mind falls into a blissful state of deep sleep.

Two days later the leaves open as Name again slowly floats down to the ground. His mind clear, he sits down to think. Everything feels so different and he is filled with wonder at the surrounds. The life force of nature flows through everything like water through a river. On instinct he extends his consciousness, reaching out beyond the immediate area, slowly at first and then more forcefully. He senses the ocean, its constant give and take, the rhythm.

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That’s enough for now, cheers!

After a far too long 12 month hiatus, where I focused on getting my standalone novel Impatience to a finished first draft, I have finally begun work on Book 2 of the Evolution Series. The as yet unnamed sequel to Balance. While, to date, only a few people have read all of Balance, its fair to say I will be careful not to divulge any spoilers here and I respectfully ask my loyal readers to do the same when posting comments.

During the break I managed to compile a high level overview of the main plot as I couldn’t help myself, my mind often strayed to thinking of the characters and their plight. In truth, it sounds kinds weird and surprises even me but I miss them. One thing I’ve learnt most successful authors do is have arguments in their head with and between characters. I can totally relate to this!

To be getting words down, for a few specific key scenes I’ve had rattling around in my mind, is a wonderful feeling. A lot like catching up with old friends, which bizarrely I actually did over the weekend. My wife hosted a lovely dinner with some good friends from school I haven’t seen in many years.

As a sequel I’m in writers heaven. I’m writing this book from a situation I’ve never experienced before as I don’t need to start with all the character background and scenario introductions. I’m finding the writing very exciting as I can get straight into the action and character interplay from page one.

I guess I should live up to the words above and finally put down some mad ramblings relating to writing!

Over the last few days I have been thinking over what it is that originally attracted me to write and now a few books later what keeps me up at night tapping away at the keys.

About 2 years ago I simply got the urge, fired up the computer and began to type. There was no one telling me to do it, no boss! Just an exceptionally vivid dream of a strange situation (its the catalyst for my book called Balance) and an unusually strong urge, coupled with a sense of excitement, to get it down on paper. The most important thing of all at this time is there was no one between me and the computer saying I couldn’t do it!

Right now, its the freedom of writing. I can write anything I want to write, this alone is a mind blowing concept. I have ideas rattling around in my head all the time and some of them I have already put down for future use. One last thing, the feeling when the last page is written, even though you know its only draft and will require copious reworking, is like nothing else. Its like a drug and I am 100% hooked.

To finish a novel is an amazing feeling. Everyone should do it at least once in their life!

Some of you may have noticed I’m messing around with the blog design.

There are so many free wordpress templates to choose from and it only takes 5 minutes to change, way too tempting to resist.

I feel like a kid in a lolly shop.

I’ve recently joined the Victorian Writers Centre. Its early days so I won’t comment too much, except to say its run by some friendly people and I am looking forward to finding out more. I received a welcome pack in the mail with the current Victorian Writers magazine and a schedule of this years events.

http://vwc.org.au/

Oh, is it just me or are these winter nights and especially the mornings colder than usual? Makes me want to curl up in front of a roaring fire…

Hi, welcome to my writers blog!

Over the next few weeks I’ll post all sorts of things pertaining to my previous and current writing projects.

Thanks for visiting.

J.