Day 269 - Prepping

I am taking a short blogging break, just for a week, beyond occasional updates like this. I am prepping for a massive writing haul by delving into by outline and previous writing in The Militia. I am trying to get "in the Zone". And sometime this week, I will be locking myself away and writing like a madman.

Day 265 - I forgot a day!

Well, it's true. Not only did I not blog yesterday, but I forgot to write. It wasn't a conscious decision, I just plum forgot! Go figure. It was another busy day, and in between work and family, I didn't have any "me" time. And I am ok with that. I am dedicated to writing, but dedication to family, building memories, is more important. There's room for both, but there will always be more room for family.

For today's writing, I actually spent time researching a critical element of my story, being the temperature of a nuclear blast, the fall off in temperature ranges, etc. As it turns out, the epicenter reaches millions of degrees Celsius. There is rapid fall-off in temperature, but even at fifty meters out you are around 6,000 degrees Celsius. For comparison, magma peaks around 1,300 degrees Celsius (and cools from there depending on exposure and composition), while the surface of the sun is about 5,500 degrees Celsius.

Why does it matter? Because I need heat. Lots of it. And in one sudden burst. The explosion of a nuclear blast is generally not too big when comparing to the earth moving capabilities of a volcano, but the heat is important for creating a cascading effect in my story. It seems a very moderate nuclear blast goes above and beyond my needs!

Day 263 - So Tired

No regularly scheduled post tonight. I've been up very early for the past two days and working until late into the night. I am beat. I did my writing, but only managed a few ideas and thoughts. I need sleep! Tomorrow should be a lighter work day.

Day 263 - Building Buttresses Again - Self Improvement

In a previous Self Improvement, before my move to Houston, I had written an article about flying buttresses. I mentioned that Author's Incognito, blogs, family, etc were all buttresses I needed to keep me going. Now that I am back into the swing of writing, I realized I need to start building my supports back up. I spent some time late last night and today (but not too much time due to work and family) reading and commenting on other author blogs. I have been reading and posting some in the AI yahoo group. It feels good. And I feel more motivated.

In terms of writing updates, I am of course still framing. I am now at 1,672 words in my outline. That translates to a very long story written out. I will have to do some editing after I finish outlining this week!

Day 262 - I Framed the Ending - The Writing Report

My framing continues. IN my 15 minute writing time-box today, I mapped out the final chapter. I always knew roughly how it would go. Mapping it out, while being able to see the rest of the story at once, really helped me add more nuance to it. I've been able to better bring out not only closure for the book but portend problems in the future, thus setting up the next book without leaving loose ends that will frustrate readers (including me!). Now if only I had the rest all done... :-)