INtrinSicliValud: Blog

First up, I submitted Chapter 10 of “The Immortal” for posting. After arriving for dinner, Mandy continues to explore her expanding relationship with Jim. More secrets are uncovered while future challenges and exploits are hinted. Though I know I sound like a broken record, as much work as this story is to update, I’m thoroughly enjoying reconnecting with these characters. It’s been far too long.

Secondly, as hinted in the blog post title, yep, the muses, after six months, slapped a viable framework for a sequel to “On the Highway.” While conscious me had been trying to wrangle a way forward, those little gits came up with a whole different approach. New characters, new plot, Daisy-focused, challenges, heartache, hugs, sex (well,duh), new partners. Whew. I’m now stuck with making sense of it all and building a workable structure for the tale. Already, I can tell it will be quite a bit longer. As a matter of fact, at this point I’d consider “On the Highway” as the appetizer in this saga.

Meanwhile, more stories are in the sheds. Some for SOL, while others are for private customers, but this whole scribe thing is going gang-busters. Sometimes, it feels as if there are not enough hours in a day, but wow, is this fun. Turning shadowy ideas into something approaching an actual story. With hopefully relatable, believable characters. Good times.

Anyway, thanks to all of you who continue to provide me support and feedback. As long as you keep fueling my crayons, I’ll keep scrawling the mad ramblings of those annoying little muses.

And I’m back.

Last week was time well spent as Fantasy Writers Week was amazing. While I learned quite a lot specific to that genre, I was also happy to note I’ve already integrated a lot of writing tips. The nuts and bolts upon which I overlay the muses’ mad ramblings. So, yippee, I feel there has been progress. With a bit o’ luck, future stories and updated chapters of older ones will benefit from these upgrades to my bourbon-addled, hobby-scribe mind.

Anyway, this morning I submitted Chapter 14 of “Aiden and the Ring” for posting. Once more, a warning—MM is in this one. Aiden continues to…. Hmm, harness the ring to play with Tim. But also incite Kendra to address her hidden needs. And, dear, sweet Mrs. Davis is out there still, sensing it all. Such fun times and much, much more ahead.

So far, I don’t foresee challenges to maintaining my regular release schedule and you should see the next chapter of “My First Fan” on Saturday. The story is complete with eleven chapters. However, because it’s me and I love Dev and Rachel, Mark and Jenna—and even Greg and Al, I’ve scoped out a sequel. Ya’ll won’t see it for a while, but it exists—many twists loom ahead for them all, because mad muses be mad.

Another plea - keep sending feedback; it keeps the candles lit around my scriptorium.

Good morning/afternoon/evening all. I just submitted Chapter 9 of “The Immortal” for posting. This is one of the newer chapters I’ve added to provide context and background for Jim’s tale. As always, I do hope you enjoy it and his latest friend.

This week has seen a lot of work on a flurry of other stories, as well as a hard scrub of my physical and digital spaces. In the former case, I have decluttered around my writing desk and better organized my references. In the latter, I optimized my story/concept tracking system and redid my digital folders to provide better transparency. All of which allows me to be that much more efficient.

Now for the bad news, while I plan to have the next chapter of “My First Fan” up this Saturday, I won’t be posting next week.

It’s Fantasy Writers Week, and I will be attending on-line seminars all week, plus getting my eyeballs checked, which means doing nada for a whole day – dilation time. As much fun as this gooey stuff is, my heart is in sci-fi and fantasy writing. By definition, both “The Immortal” and “Aiden and the Ring” could be considered low fantasy, so there’s that. My earliest refences are a book on sci-fi world-building, dated 1996, and Orson Scott Card’s “How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy,” 1990. So, yeh, now that I are be one o’ dem half-assed, wannabe scribe types, I’d like to learn more ™.

So, next Thursday posting should be 10 March 2020.

As always, keep the feedback coming. Your emails and comments make my day and I love conversing about writing, characters, and their luscious accounts.

This morning, I submitted Chapter 13 of “Aiden and the Ring” for posting. As he continues with Kendra’s and her husband, he’s working his way ever closer to unlocking his future. And learning what the ring cares about… and what it doesn’t. Any MM haters, avert your eyes and hang on, it’s gonna get gooey, but keep your eyes on the prize(s).

In the yards, I am polishing the next installments of “My First Fan” and “The Immortal.” The latter continues to be a love-hate relationship for me. When it was originally written I was under a lot of personal stress, and the story’s tone reflected that. As such, I’ve gutted a lot of overwrought stuff from Chapter 10 and rewrote it almost completely. It reads much better now and is more in line with the direction Jim and Mandy should be moving.

And of course, another pitch for any reader to send emails, via SOL or my Yahoo account, or comment on stories. Without feedback, I have no actual idea what you’d like to see or what you are enjoying. Which leaves you all at the mercy of my bourbon-addled mind.

Speaking of my addled mind, the muses flung an entirely new story into me this week. The final scene wandered into my skull early this AM and is now scribbled at least as an outline. As such, I’m looking at another 50k plus words to crunch over the next few weeks. Thank you all for being patient with “Aiden and the Ring” and “The Immortal.” Loosening the schedule really allows me to work ideas as they arrive instead of ignoring them.

Stay safe.

Good morning/afternoon all.

Earlier today, I submitted the second chapter of “My First Fan.” As I noted last week, there will be a brace of shorter, calmer chapters, before we go wild. And I do mean wild…because, hey it’s me.

Fair warning, in the editing/updating process, I have determined that two chapters will now end “in media res.” They were simply far too long as originally written. If nothing else, it reminds me that I am getting a bit better every day; enough so to notice such things. Anyway, that means there will be ten chapters…perhaps eleven, as I am working the final one as you read this.

As always, feedback, comments, or just a good old chat with the insane mind of IV are always most welcome.