Taking stock on July 2nd, the middle day of the year.
Posted: July 2, 2014 Filed under: #HauntedPhotoAWeek, My Paranormal Life, WriMoProg 4 Comments[EDIT] I’ve changed the title and the thrust of this post, which first went up in the middle of the night last night.
It just occurred to me that today – July 2nd – is the exact middle day of the year! It seems an excellent opportunity to think about how things are going in 2014 and to make adjustments.
Ok. To be entirely truthful, I actually spent July 1st putting my blogging and writing life in order. And I originally posted most of this entry on what I think of of as last night. (So goes the life of a night owl.) Still, I’m pleased serendipity moved to take stock and put things in order on such an appropriate date.
HERE’S WHAT I ORGANIZED “YESTERDAY”:
The Read in 2014 page.
– updated my list (and GoodReads) with recently read books. (I don’t review them, I just list and link.) I wish I could be more confident that I remembered them all, but I know I’ve missed some.
Why: I’ve been doing more reading lately, and updating this list gave me a little positive feedback on the effort. I think it’s important to read within the genre in which I write. (And just for fun.) I’ve joined Audible, so that I can listen to at least a book a month while I’m at work (folding laundry) and when I’m walking.
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The #hauntedphotoaweek page and galleries.
– checked in on the 3 “feeder galleries”, added recent submissions to the best of the #hauntedphotoaweek gallery, and changed the way haunted pictures are displayed here on the blog.
I feel bad for just wandering away from this idea so completely for the last several months. Now that the weather is nicer, though, I’ll be taking more photographs. If that seems likely for you too, please consider adding to any of the feeder galleries — I promise I’ll be better at checking for new shots.
Why: I want to encourage myself to get out and take pictures while the weather is wonderful. At a deeper level, I want to be even more aware of the beauty and wonder surrounding me, whether it be haunting or uplifting.
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The My WriMoProg page.
– dusted of my editorial calendar and defined my goals for the month. Let’s just say I’m feeling ambitious. I’m shooting for 200+ hours of work in July. To see the rationale for THAT, pop over to my WriMoProg page and read “setting the goal for July”.
Why: Well because I want to write more, and to feel like I’m making real progress toward my primary goal. Setting lofty goals in July is smart for me, because I feel more driven to create in the summer.
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The *Courting Creepy: 13 slots for an ever-shifting list of movies I have to see.* list.
– transferred viewing suggestions I’ve been getting to my to-see list, and figured out which ones I can lay my hands on. I made sure all the available movies are either in my streaming or DVD queue at Netflix. (They are marked, in case you want to take advantage of the research I did to adjust your own Netflix list.) That should come in handy as the days get hotter and I want to just take a break and relax in an air conditioned, dimly lit room.
Why: I want to stay on top of developments in my chosen genre AND I want to make it easy to sit down and watch a movie without fussing over my Netflix queue.
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The 13 most haunting films, for ghost story lovers (and another 13+ worth watching.) list.
– updated the list to reflect the ghost films I’ve seen in the last couple of months. ONE of the top-13 slots has changed, and a handful of films have been added to the bonus list.
Why: This is the most popular post at The Paranormalist, and I feel it’s important to keep it as current as possible. With the backlog caught up, I can do quick updates as I watch the films on my to-see list.
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MOST IMPORTANTLY:
I also re-familiarized myself with my fiction project and spent the allotted time working on that.
ADDED LINKS, IN HONOR OF MIDDLE-DAY:
I wrote a series of posts earlier this year – Resolutions Review – about tools that can support goals and resolutions. Today seems like a fine day to re-share them.
How Spark People helped me lose 10 pounds in 11 weeks without dieting.
How “You Need A Budget” (YNAB) helped us save $1000 in less than 3 months.
Links to these articles, and other paranormal lifestyle tips, can be found in the Body Preservation section of the blog. (And, yes, I updated that page too.)
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wrimoprog 07/01/2014: 4 + 12 = 16/208
Conversing with author Hunter Shea: on publishing horror.
Posted: May 31, 2014 Filed under: #HauntedPhotoAWeek, *Writing & Editing, Books & Authors, Horror Writing | Tags: author, horror, Horror Writing, Hunter Shea, interview, paranormal, Renae Rude, The Paranormalist, thriller, video, writing Leave a commentRecently, I had the opportunity to interview rising-star, horror/thriller author, Hunter Shea. The event took place as part of his virtual book tour for his based-on-true ghost story, The Waiting. The segment of our conversation which focused on that story can be found in the post:
Interview with Hunter Shea: on THE WAITING and the true-life ghost-story that inspired the novella.
In our nearly two-hour long chat, however, we talked about a lot more than The Waiting. In the following five-minute portion of our conversation, we discuss:
* finishing a new novel
* Samhain Horror
* Hunter’s first book
* getting THE call
* writing & publishing pace
As both a fan and a writer of horror, I learned a great deal from the time I spent with Hunter … perhaps most importantly, I came away knowing that it’s crucial to persevere.
I found this pic while searching for images of Hunter Shea with which I could illustrate the video. We never discussed this tattoo, and I don’t think he even knows I have access to the photo. See what an efficient stalker I am? (*See note below.)
Hunter Shea: On Publishing Horror
*(This is the “note below.”) Read: Am I a good social media user, or a creepy stalker?
Tired but happy Camp NaNoWriMo winner, right here.
Posted: April 30, 2014 Filed under: *Writing & Editing, Bugaboo Road, Horror Writing | Tags: camp nanowrimo 11 CommentsAccording to the Camp NaNoWriMo validation counter, I wrote nearly 31,000 in April. According to my count, it’s closer to 20,000 words plus 25 hours of outlining and structuring and such but, by either count, I met my goal of writing the equivalent of 30,000 words during the April 2014 camp season.
Of course, this is all a bit subjective, because I’ve been equating an hour spent working with the detailed outline of Bugaboo Road as 386 words of draft. (I’ll tell you, that’s actually a lot slower and harder than just writing all-out. Taking the time to do it, though, has cut down on sections that will just need to be scrapped in the end. At least, I think it has. We’ll see when this draft is done and the revision starts.)
I’ve been doing a little of both each writing day, with the outlining being most of the work at the beginning of the month, and straight writing being most of the work in the last couple of weeks. But now I’m nattering on about numbers and proportions when what matters is the project.
Here’s what matters:
I proved to myself that I can write a comprehensive outline, and about a quarter of a decent first draft of a 90,000 word project, in 30 days. And THAT is a big deal.
I’ve hit the 50,000 word goal in a normal NaNo month in the past, but the draft was darn near useless when I was done. This project, in contrast, has legs.
Now I just need to keep it walking.
I’m tired, and I have to work at the #paranormalhotel this evening. So I’ll draw this to a close so I can get a couple hours of sleep. Good luck to anyone who is still trying to hit goal. No matter what, though, remember tomorrow is another fresh, new writing day.
Renae Rude - The Paranormalist 