October 14 and 15, 2019
I have been a smoker since I was a pre-teen. I was a pre-teen before that was even a recognized age category. I have “successfully” quit many times. Each time, it is the same story; by Day 4, if I haven’t smoked, I don’t crave it. The problem is… I like it. The way most people like cheese or bacon or chocolate or carbs in general… I really like cigarette smoke. I want to be able to quit and still get the same enjoyment out of whatever it is that I do.
My son has been trying to get me to use an e-cig. I have tried so many kinds. They have all made me cough harder than any cigarette ever has. Until this one. The brand is the eon smoke and I don’t know if it is the flavor or the device, but it seems to be working! So, I invested in a couple of them and I feel that I have the courage and motivation (right this thirty seconds) to keep trying them and see if I can find one that makes me as happy as a real cigarette.
If only they had one that tasted like chocolate or coffee… or a cigarette.
WIP Words Written
begin 124,671—end 131,779—words written 7,108
Between last night and this morning, I have managed to move along the story of my antagonist group. I killed someone. I made a few people cry. And a couple of people were inappropriately and publicly inebriated. I know, I know… 130k is a big number. BUT let’s all remember, I still have to go in and trim the fat, gut the excess, edit. I am just taking joy in the fact that I am managing to plow through these scenes that I thought were going to be some of the hardest I have ever written. I guess I have been thinking about them so long that I just have them really fleshed out in my head.
The next scene I write is going to be a kind of a mourning, lashing out, pull it together, and galvanize the team thing. They have a martyr now. And a shared loss for our adulterous love interest to mix into the steamy pot. I am not actually good at those. Steamy love interest pots… They turn me off. It is what happens in the story though. I can’t just reach in and slap the main bad guy. It wouldn’t be a very good story if I could, though.
Patreon Content
OH! but I did think of an AWESOME bit of content for Patreon. It is expandable and has so many unrelated stories all set in this world that I was handed by the universe. If you want to be privy to the exploration of that new world, join me on my Patreon. Become a patron at any level and you will have access to that whole story. Here is a little preview:
Sol’Handran and Lu’Nandran are rebels in their society. Sol is an educated woman, expected to take her place in a City and be a productive member of her community. Lu is a skilled physical diplomat (soldier), expected to rise in the ranks of his band; one day lead a band of his own. On the night they met, instead of getting to the business of producing a child, they talked. He shared with her the things he had seen in his travels and she spoke of history and politics and other worlds. The next morning, they were gone. They snuck away in the night to follow a path of their own.
They aren’t outlaws or thieves, just two people who don’t believe that men and women need to spend their lives separate from each other. Pooling their resources and joined by a small group of trusted friends, they set out to lead tourist expeditions between Cities and trade caravans to the Ports. These are the stories of their adventures.
AW Mingling
I know my input on the boards is not entirely necessary, but I would like to say I can be social on a regular basis. The truth is, I am utterly awful at social stuff. But tonight I was able to respond to a thread. Actually made a contribution and hopefully someone got a giggle out of it. My most visited thread is a progress check-in. The people on there are incredibly encouraging to each other. I want to be a member of that group of friends.
I haven’t had time to turn in the next installment of my Beta-read markups yet, but I am thinking that I might ask the author to send me a fresh manuscript after he makes his next round of revisions. Some of the things that are cropping up are things that we have already discussed and I would hate to be marking through something that got changed so much that my markups aren’t helpful at all.
The Day Job
I really love my job. It is the BEST place I have ever worked and I don’t think (short of being a full-time author) that there is a better place anywhere. The work is thick but engaging and I feel valued and respected. It really is the best company in the world.
But it is not free writing time. Being so close to the end of this book makes work for someone else chafe a little. I will get over it and I am disciplined enough to not let it affect my concentration when I am on the clock. I am in this “work for a living/write for a dream” thing for the duration. This is not going to be the only book that I am going to finish while working a day job. I promise myself to do work I am proud of even if not all of it is writing.
Currently, I am nearing the end of my edits for my October job. Between the edits and my proofreading assignment, I intend to finish at least two side tasks. Busy me!
On that note, I am going to get some sleep tonight! No, really. I am going to get in the bed and snuggle in and play dead for at least six hours. Then I will get up and make use of that pre-dawn plethora of ambient muse essence to churn out at least another two scenes before I have to put my imagination on lock-down and go to work.
Ɛ|3 Amy
Ubriel Bryne Books 