The Far Side of Nowhere

Setting Goals When Life Happens

2012-01-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

At the start of every year, many of us dream big. We have these lofty goals and high expectations whether in the form of resolutions to eat better, get to the gym, or stop worrying so much. For writers, maybe a goal is to write so many words, land an agent, finish a book.

I love having these goals. Every year I get fired up and ready to tackle the impossible. In those moments, nothing seems so impossible anymore.

The reality is that most of the time life happens. We fall behind. We don't meet those insanely high expectations. Then it's easy to give up. Why bother? Something else is going to happen anyway.

I'm urging you to keep pushing even if everything in you wants to quit.

The end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 have been hard for me. A relatively healthy person, I came down with a serious infection at the end of November, then caught pneumonia, and had a relapse of the infection after. By the time I finished healing up, one of my dogs became ill. We learned he had some tumors and scheduled surgery right away since the tumors could have burst at any time and killed him. They had an 80% chance of being the worst possible kind of cancer to boot. He was 12, but in good overall health, and high in spirit. He came out of the surgery and was recovering at a rate that impressed and pleased the vets. The tumors ended up being benign. Then, unexpectedly, he died of septic shock as a complication from surgery. As we mourned the loss of a dog we'd had for 12 years, I started to deal with residual issues from having pneumonia. Next our other dog fell ill. A pipe blew in our bathroom and our dryer quit working.

That is where I am at now.

Despite being tired and having days where I don't know why I get out of bed anymore, I had to stop and think, why quit? Why give in and take away one of the things in life that makes me happy, that helps balance out the good and the bad?

So maybe I can't write 1000 words one day. That's okay. I can write it the next day. Or the next. I can squeeze in 500 words on a bad day, and have a great day where I am on fire. Maybe I work slower. The important part is I'm not quitting.

If you feel like you want to quit, for whatever reason, please don't. Hold onto what you love and just readjust your goals. It will pay off in the future.

I may never meet my lofty goals this year, but I'm writing. That's what matters.

Release:Song of the Swallow

2011-12-25T00:29:00.000-05:00

Song of the Swallow, my historical female-centered novella about concubines in the Song Dynasty is now out on Kindle and Nook for the holiday price of $2.99. Print versions will also be available soon.

It was both exciting and challenging to work on this novella. My usual genre is fantasy. While there are some minor speculative elements to this story, it still remains a historical with extensive research done both independently and drawn from my graduate research in anthropology and history. In the coming weeks, I will finally be posting some of my research and a behind the scenes look at what went into recreating the cloistered world of women in the Imperial Court.

I enjoyed the journey and hopefully so will you.

Happy Holidays!

So about posting...

2011-12-17T18:16:00.001-05:00

Remember how I said I was going to start posting more regularly barring any crazy situation?

Crazy situation happened.

I ended up with a severe infection and as soon as I recovered, I ended up with pneumonia. I'm still struggling to get over pneumonia.

I'm not too stressed, but I am disappointed that my plans for this blog and building a web presence will have to wait until the new year. Resting is better than being a complete waste of space, though.

I should have some announcements for upcoming projects shortly, as well as sticking around more as 2012 starts. Sometimes life happens.

I hope all of you are well and have a safe and healthy holiday season!

NaNoWriMo, Health, and Progress

2011-11-11T08:40:00.001-05:00

*dusts off blog*

So it's been awhile. All of my best intentions are out the window.

What's been going on?

Well, over the summer my dogs both got sick and we're still caring for them. On top of that, I've been sick - not the common cold style but an infection where I had to be treated at the hospital - which has made keeping a regular schedule difficult.

Nonetheless, I am attempting NaNoWriMo. I'm so far behind that there is probably no coming back, but that isn't why I take part in NaNo every year anyway. What I love about NaNo is that extra motivation to keep a regular writing schedule. Who doesn't need a little more discipline in their lives? So I use it to focus on a project and train myself that writing is just as important as everything else. Why keep martyring my writing if it's what makes me happy?

(Of course, health trumps all so...)

Even if I don't "win" this year, I'll keep plugging away so I can get another story's first, raw, rough draft done.

However, I do have some good news! Not only is my book, Song of the Swallow, nearing the final leg of its journey to publication, but I had a short story accepted into the Absolute Write anthology. I'm pretty happy about that. More details soon.

So that's it! I should be posting more regularly now, barring any other new crazy situation. Life is never dull!

Bumpy Ride

2011-10-01T21:59:00.002-04:00

I've been semi-active on Twitter, but overall been MIA due to illness, doggies getting sick, and a fall. Shall be back to regular programming soon.

Getting Started with Mythology

2011-07-13T20:14:00.006-04:00

Culture and belief systems are hugely important to world building, whether it's an urban fantasy or a jaunt across space. If you write historical or romance or mainstream, a person's culture and customs are important in shaping who they are.

I write primarily fantasy, so mythical creatures are important to the worlds I craft. I wanted to start things off with some resources I have used and continue to use. These are general sources. I will post more specific ones that I have used for urban fantasy and historical at a later date.

Books:

World Mythology: I like this book because it gives a nice overview of different cultures and their beliefs. There are plenty of pictures of artifacts and illustrations. Included are both general mythology and some specific myths.

The Enclycopedia of Mythology: This books gives a good overview of three major mythologies in Europe - Norse, Classical (Greek and Rome), and Celtic. Again, lots of pictures to supplement the text.

Mythology: Another good general source on different cultural beliefs and mythology from around the world. It's a big fat book :)

Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia: Don't let this title fool you. This book has a massive amount of information on TONS of creatures and spirits from every culture you can imagine. They have Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Native American...many others. The pages of my copy are worn and the book itself has seen better days. That is how often I use it. I love this book. It's helped me with everything I've ever worked on. This comes highly recommended. Try it out!

Now, I have quite a few other books to share, but I feel like these are a good starting place for anyone wanting to add some culture and myth into their writing. Eventually I'll create a master post.

But before I go, I wanted to leave with a few decent links to start with in case you don't have access to the above books.

Encyclopedia Mythica: Nice site to get the general flavor of some belief systems and stories from around the globe.

Folktexts: Excellent site that has a library of various folktales and stories from different countries, though its mainly Europe.

As always, remember to double check to make sure your sources are sound. But when it comes to folklore, it's ever changing, like a living creature itself, so dive in and enjoy!

Writing: Rough Drafts

2011-07-11T22:40:00.003-04:00

I'm beginning my writing posts with the concept of rough draft because I think it's the hardest for me to understand.

I'm a perfectionist and I'm inclined to want everything super perfect the moment I write it down. The reality is it's never going to be that simple.

Now, there are many writers out there who can write fast and bang out a first draft that needs very little editing. I am amazed at their ability since that is not how I function, and I respect that.

But for many of us, we need to work hard at getting our words ready for publication. This includes realizing that our first draft might be extremely rough and that it's going to take a few revisions to get it right.

So this is my advice to you (if you're like me and fall into this category). It's okay if your prose is not fantastic. It's okay if you don't know how to describe that foreign parallel world full of walking Twinkies. It's okay if you haven't mapped out each and every scene.

You rough draft is rough. It's meant to be.

The real magic will happen afterwards, during rewrites and revisions. The story will come together during editing.

Just get the words down on paper (or type them on screen) and worry about tweaking it into a novel once the story is done.

Writers write. Getting stuck on the first line for years on end will never get either of us anywhere.

So, lock up Mr. or Ms. Perfectionist and just lose yourself in the story. :)

Topics Ahoy!

2011-07-11T12:57:00.004-04:00

I've decided it's about time I make better use of my blog. To that end, you'll be finding the following appearing on my blog starting as early as today:

Mondays - Writing

On Mondays, I'll discuss a writing topic. It could be about the writing process, genre, style, voice, characters, plot, etc., etc.

Wednesdays - Myth/Research

I've been struggling over just what to talk about on my blog. There are many things I love, but I didn't want to be completely random. At the same time, it's important to me to keep my topics somewhat related to writing. I am disorganized as it is!

So why not a topic near and dear to my heart? I love mythology, folklore, and culture. This is the day I'll pick a creature, a culture, history, a myth and discuss it. Feel fee to use it as a springboard to help you with your research.

Fridays - Miscellaneous/Grab Bag

We all need time to talk about whatever. There may be times when I just want to talk about a favorite recipe, how the exercise routine is going, the pups, or my fave TV show. (Supernatural, why are you not back yet?!)

Of course, other topics might show up from time to time, and I will cross-post anything to do with my upcoming published words both here and on my LiveJournal. However, my LiveJournal will be primarily focused on the writing process as a whole. If you're interested in word counts, structure, edits, and the like feel free to friend me there.

I'll be cycling these topics weekly, with a different one each week, or biweekly, depending. Barring any crisis, you will find one blog post a week.

Once I get going, I'll be open to suggestions.

Happy writing!

The Plan: Upcoming Months

2011-05-26T19:33:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that we're nearly 1/2 way through 2011. That is crazy.

How is everyone's 2011 goals going? Both writing and non-writing?

I've written, but I'm not anywhere near where I'd like to be. I also haven't kept to my commitment to eat better. Oops.

Since we're about at that halfway point, I've given myself a new goal. Feel free to join me.

June is going to be the month to get things done. I have some novellas I started that I would like to finish. I'm close enough to be able to do it if I commit some time to it. So if you have any short stories, novellas, or any unfinished WIPs sitting there, starved for attention and affection, this is the time to give it some love. Hopefully, you haven't been as negligent as I have.

July: Revisions. I plan on rewriting and revising my novel during this month. There are a lot of significant changes that need to be done, and I'm already excited/frustrated with the list I've made. July will be for tackling this beast and pushing it one more step toward future publication. The changes will make it better - stronger - but I know it won't be easy. If you have anything to rewrite or revise, please feel free to join me.

I'll be posting my progress throughout the two months and checking in here as well as Facebook and Twitter.

Here's to a productive summer ahead!

(cross-posted to my LJ)

Waiting

2011-04-05T19:25:00.002-04:00

Song of the Swallow is out for reviews.

I think one of the things I wasn't expecting the most in the publishing world is the wait. I knew the process from writing to publication is a long one, but I never knew just how long. We get so used to having things available immediately that sometimes the process gets lost.

So I continue to wait. And that's okay.

First Look

2010-12-31T16:47:00.002-05:00

I had my first look at my book, Song of the Swallow, today via Hadley Rille Books.

Coming to a Close

2010-12-19T11:48:00.001-05:00

Final edits and copies of Song of the Swallow are just about finished. Yay! Nice way to end the year.

In terms of other projects, I've been up and down. I managed to write 2 short stories, but have been unable to find suitable homes for them. One is a lighter type of story which is even more difficult to place, while the other has received a lot of positive personal rejections. I'll continue to try to find homes for them.

I also managed to complete NaNoWriMo for the first time ever, which gave me a really horrible first draft of my novel. The horribleness is a gift in disguise. The changes I need to make are sending it in a different direction and making the overall story make more sense. I'm pleased with that.

I'm also working on two novellas while the novel stews for a bit.

All in all, a productive year even if I wasn't able to place anything.

Sick with sinus problems which is slowing me down, but full speed ahead for the end of 2010!

(cross-posted to Livejournal)

Realms of Fantasy Closing and a Status

2010-10-28T09:57:00.002-04:00

Does the time fly...life's been busy in good ways and bad ways, but it's given me a lot of time to think.

One of the markets I was preparing to sub to announced it was closing. Realms of Fantasy was always one of those short fiction markets I admired and it's sad to see it go. I hope everyone who had subscriptions and/or stories on sub there find a new home or can be compensated somehow.

As for me, I'm just waiting on the finals for Song of the Swallow. I've been writing some short fiction for the past few months, but have been struggling for them to find a home. That's led me to make some decisions.

Deep down, I truly believe that my strength is with novels over short stories, so I am going to concentrate more on my current novel. I've been finding excuses to avoid it for far too long. I do believe it has a lot of potential and I am really excited for the characters.

In other reflections...

I kind of like what Stephen King had to say about his younger writing self. His early writing was larger shaped by writing seminars he had gone to which promoted "that one is writing for other people rather than one's self; that language is more important than story; that ambiguity is to be preferred over clarity and simplicity, which are usually signs of a thick and literal mind."

In other words, he found his original version of The Dark Tower to be filled with "pretension."

Now, maybe it's easy for King to talk about this as a best-seller who can do whatever he wants, but I feel there is a lot of truth to what he writes. I don't think we should ever forget our audience or work to improve our prose, but we can't forget the heart and soul of writing, of creating a story we love, for something for ourselves.

I'm trying to keep that in mind as I transition more away from short story telling, which I don't find to be my strength, and into more novel writing.

Doing Some Rearranging

2010-07-31T10:17:00.001-04:00

I'm doing some construction on this blog so please ignore the repetition and other issues as I finish up. Thanks!

Behind Song of the Swallow

2010-07-29T08:58:00.003-04:00

Starting next week, I'll be posting a series of informational posts on the Song Dynasty, Nushu writing, and the creative process used to bridge the two ideas here (and my livejournal account) in anticipation of the release of Song of the Swallow later this year. I find the history fascinating, and for any one who wants to explore the topic on their own, I'll provide good starting places to check out.

I hope you'll join me!

Domain Update

2010-06-27T17:20:00.002-04:00

Currently, I have my domain name leading right to this blog until I complete my own website. So if you're on the internet www.kltownsend.com should take you right here.

Now to make sure I update this more regularly :)

The Archaeology Series

2010-06-09T11:08:00.003-04:00

The following link is an overview of The Archaeology Series from editor Eric T. Reynolds of Hadley Rille Books. My book, Song of the Swallow, is part of this series and will be released later this summer/early fall around September.

The Archaeology Series at Hadley Rille Books

I do have some posts planned discussing the research coming up over the summer, so if you're interested in learning about nushu writing, stay tuned.

Song of the Swallow Announcement

2010-03-30T09:04:00.001-04:00

Might as well make it official :)

Hadley Rille Books will publish my short novel Song of the Swallow, a story set in ancient China during the Song Dynasty.

The book will be a new addition to the Hadley Rille Archaeology Series, joining Jenny Blackford's The Priestess and the Slave and Shauna Roberts's Like Mayflies in a Stream.

The actual publish date and the cover will be posted soon.

Short Story: Breaking Barriers

2010-03-20T13:28:00.002-04:00

Back in January, I had a short story published online over on Calista Taylor's blog as part of a romantic steampunk contest. While I didn't win, I had fun writing something out of my comfort zone. And since it's already out there online, I figure I'd post it on my blog. As far as romance goes, it's tame, more of a splash of UST, and there is no real warnings for content. The story has a supernatural flavor and clocks in just shy of 1000 words. If you take the time to read it, I hope you enjoy.

Breaking Barriers

She had waited over a year for this moment, and now it had finally come.

Eleanor Hodgson stood in the doorway, her arms stiff as boards, as she peered into the hidden room in her father's basement. Lit only by the glow of the oil lamps that lined the stonewalls, and not the broken electric lanterns that had been fitted between them, the room teetered on the line between life and death, light and darkness. Each flicker within the lamps cast moving shadows over the hunks of machinery that littered the floor, dancing like ghostly waifs before they retreated into the recesses of the lab.

And away from Charles Butler.

An average man, he was neither handsome nor homely, but carried the stench of hard labor in his oily clothes. Lost to his tinkering, Charlie--as he liked to be called--hunched over a metal contraption, one of her father's unfinished experiments, which rested on a small mahogany table. She still felt the loss, yet knew that her father's work was in capable hands. He hadn't recruited the former garret-master without good reason.

Her attention returned to the broken lamps.

"Blew them out," Charlie said, answering her unspoken question. He turned and offered a lopsided grin, the smudge of forgotten soot highlighting the lines on his face. "Come right in, Ellie."

"Miss Hodgson," she said. She tightened the pin that held her hair and stepped into the workroom, closing the door behind her. "Remember your place."

Charlie gave a lazy shrug and smiled before returning to the mangled mess of valves, pipes, and tubes that comprised the heart of the monstrosity. A typewriter rested in front, connected to the steam turbine by copper wires. Brass plating lined the sides of the typewriter, giving it a haunted gleam in the dim light.

Her father's spectregraph.

A machine to reach the other side. A gadget to change the world. That had been her father's last invention before his untimely death, one he had never been able to finish on his own.

She glanced at Charlie.

He handed her a spare pair of goggles. "It'll help see through the steam."

She accepted the goggles and waited for his mark. A spark of mischief danced in his blue eyes as he pulled the lever and hopped back. An abrupt hiss signaled the start. Steam pushed through the valves, while the typewriter trembled from the pressure.

A crack of electricity charged the air; Eleanor took Charlie's hand and squeezed.

All the same in death: her father's final words. He had once told her that his inventions would help revolutionize not just London, but the world. He had told her they would break down every last barrier.

He had told her that one day she would need to let go.

She had waited a year to ask him what he'd meant.

Eleanor held her breath while the keys clinked one by one. As the bars pounded the paper beneath the brass plating, she couldn't stop her excitement from getting the better of her. Her father, and now Charlie, had managed to create something extraordinary.

She approached the typewriter. The paper was damp from the steam, but the ink was legible. As she leaned closer, she felt Charlie's unwelcome hand on her back.

Today, she didn't stop him.

She read the print: As should be in life.

The words meant nothing to her. She frowned and shot an accusing glare at Charlie. He kept smiling, his good-natured flare shining through the darkness that shrouded the spectregraph.

"What do you find so amusing?"

"That'd be him, Ellie."

She ignored his indiscretion. Her father had always been a man of few words, but words that held an immeasurable weight. But was this really him? Not some parlor trick or demonic ploy? Was that all the spectregraph could accomplish? Mere bits of esoteric phrases would do nothing to revolutionize the world.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What barriers? What must I let go?"

The typewriter punched out a few more words.

You know, they said. You know.

Eleanor trembled.

"Maybe he's talking 'bout different barriers than you're thinking," Charlie offered.

It wasn't a remark filled with scorn or conceit. Charlie's voice was warm and compassionate with a hint of sorrow. She found the comfort of his hand on her back more reassuring than ever.

She took off her goggles and stared at the dying spectregraph as the last of the steam sputtered through the pipes. While the results could have been created by a wayward spirit, a psychic ruse, or by other supernatural entities, in her heart, she knew that Charlie was right. She should be happy that her father's machine worked.

Instead, she was miserable knowing there would be no more midnight rendezvous in the dark room. No more long lazy summer evenings where the two of them would debate the morality of her father's wishes, test and experiment his gadgets, or pore over his feverish notes.

There would be no more Charlie.

She had never understood what her father had meant. Yet, as she stood with Charlie and stared at her father's final work, she finally understood his simple words. She had been a fool.

Charlie knew it as well. "I guess that's it then," he said, his voice low.

"I suppose it is." Eleanor paused, considering her future, her past, and what the present could hold for her and Charlie. "Though, I wonder… My father would never have settled for merely chatting with the dead. He would have wanted to communicate with a full manifestation."

Charlie arched his eyebrows, barely noticeable under his raised goggles, though she could see the knowing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I wouldn't want to let Mister Hodgson down."

Eleanor pulled the pin from her loose bun, and after giving her hair a hearty shake, she turned to Charlie. "Then we have much work to do." She snapped on her goggles and grinned. "Shall we?"

I Write Romance

2010-01-25T19:54:00.002-05:00

I write romance.

No, I'm not just talking about romance in the traditional genre sense of the word, though my current story seems to be straddling the line between urban fantasy and paranormal romance. I mean romance defined as:

(A) a prose narrative treating imaginary characters involved in events remote in time or place and usually heroic, adventurous, or mysterious (Merrian-Webster).

But I can narrow it down more precisely than that. I write stories about love.

This romance can be between two people who have fallen in love. It might be the love between a mother and her child, a father and his children, siblings, between a mentor and his/her apprentice, between friends, between strangers who have created a bond that transcends their differences, between a person and their god, or people learning to love themselves.

Every story I write is a story about love.

I write romance.

And I love it.

What stories about love do you write?

Song of the Swallow - Summer Release

2010-01-15T14:22:00.001-05:00

Song of the Swallow, my short novel, will be released this summer as part of the archaeology series at Hadley Rille Books. My book focuses on the lives of imperial concubines in the years before the Mongols conquered China. The book is founded in graduate research on nushu writing (a form of women's writing in China), Chinese folk legends, and society, in additional to independent post-graduate research on the Song Dynasty.

In the coming months, I will be posting information on Chinese history, nushu writing, and other topics that relate to the book, as well as excerpts, cover art, etc.

As soon as I know the release date, I'll let you know :)

Steampunk Romance Short Story Contest

2009-12-30T17:07:00.001-05:00

Calista Taylor is hosting a steampunk short story contest on her blog. There are ten entries up; all are anonymous. Voting will be up until January 18th.

This was a fantastic experience for me, and there is tough competition. If you're interested, please go read the entries and support the authors, many who have never written steampunk or romance before. :)

Steampunk Contest

Steampunk

2009-12-22T07:08:00.003-05:00

I've recently become fascinated with the concept of steampunk. For those of you who don't know what it is, a good place to start is to hit wikipedia for just a general idea and branch out from there. It's hard for me to summarize the concept, but I'll do my best here:

Steampunk is an amalgamation of imaginative fantasy, Victorian sensibilities, class struggles, and steam-powered gadgetry. Usually, there is this underlining question of, what if?

But it's much more than that. There is a certain kind of bizarreness--otherness--harbored within the familiar. You might find brass computers. Airships. Gears and guns and goggles. It's a place where the past meets the future and then diverts into its own time and space.

It's also sensual. The Victorian era was filled with formalities and rigid social constructs, but it was also a time of intense change. When the two meet, it causes an explosion of conflict. All of these elements combine in steampunk.

I'm new to steampunk so I know that I haven't learned half of what is out there in terms of the vastness of the genre. I know that while many stories/art take place in the Victorian era, the use of steampunk can be applied outside of that era and into other kinds of stories. I think maybe that is what intrigues me the most about steampunk: it's versatility.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Final Fantasy video game series use elements of steampunk in many of their games? And you also have Howl's Moving Castle.

I know I'll be attempting to create a couple of stories of my own to see how it goes. (I seem to have a predisposition to "clockpunk" myself.) I'm curious as to other people's exposure and experiences with steampunk. Can you recommend any stories? Artwork? Have you experimented with it yourself?

And how can we adapt steampunk into various other genres? I think it's a concept with enough imagiation that we shouldn't be afraid of weaving it into stories. But if we do so, does that mean it's no longer steampunk?

Please share your thoughts :)

In the meantime, some useful links:

Calista Taylor - my main go-to-gal for steampunk related things. Includes her blog and twitter.

Richard Harland - great for an overview of steampunk and various books that are steampunk themed or have steampunk elements.

Steampunk Essentials - List of books, movies, comics, and tv shows that tend to fit steampunk sensibilities.

Steampunk Forum - many different topics and discussions here about steampunk.

Getting My Feet Wet

2009-12-14T16:26:00.001-05:00

I decided to go ahead and got another blog to parallel what I do over at livejournal. So I'll be discussing writing, my projects, any tips I can find that might be helpful, and whatever else tickles my fancy. :)