A Busy Writing Week

 This has been a busy week of writing - Here is what kept me busy, edits on two finished books and two new essays in my soon-to-be-finished fourth book for seniors. Interesting that I’m working on a fourth, and one of the two books I am still editing is the third. Oh Boy!

 

Let’s See – I believe those three books will put me at 16. At my age (rather advanced), I still see 20 or so.

 

Hey Mr. Older Adult - Speaking of advanced years, Grammarly did not like me using the term old man as I edited my latest Blade Holmes western mystery. It suggested I use older adult or older man instead. I don’t know, but to me, it is not disrespectful or culturally inappropriate to use old man. I have always disliked the saying, “It is what it is,” but I’m 75 – an old man. It doesn’t hurt my feelings one bit. I am happy to be alive and in good health well (mostly) and an old man at three-quarters of a century.  

 

It feels so good to be back writing - I don’t want to belabor the point, but when I was unable to write due to health issues (see previous posts), it felt like a new beginning as I, once again, tapped away on my laptop.

 

Word Count – Page Count – An excellent week of writing and rewrites pushed me to almost 2,500 words, which is not bad for me. I also edited 60+ pages.

 

More on Word Count – I never wrote the number of words many writers do, but most years, I wrote and published over 200,000. Some writers go a million words a year – now that’s a lot of seat time. Because of my photography and gardening habits, ok, along with walking/hiking, jeeping, and watching the backyard birds, I'm one busy guy. 😊

 

Writing Quote of the Day – “Every year, there’s a few more things I’m not sure of. I’ve decided that a wide-ranging uncertainty is the mark of the true maturity of man.”     Lawrence Block

 

That’s It for today - I will be back soon. Have a great day and a super week.

 

Today's Photos – Were all shot this week, one in our backyard and two in the Laramie Range west of town.

 

Long Night - Short Day

Short Day – Long Night, and Our 48^th Anniversary - December 21, the shortest day and longest night of the year. That means days will start getting longer tomorrow and we can start counting down to spring. As gardening is one of my passions, I need only countdown to February 15 when I start planting inside. Today is our anniversary also, and how could it be better, with half of our six grandkids here to celebrate with us.

Winter Sky

Selling Books - On the seventeenth I started a five-day promotion, selling my book of 14 Christmas tales for .99 cents. Results have been mixed, sold very well the first day, not bad on the second, and then back to normal, still fun.  Still, time to get a copy if you are interested just hit this link.

100-year-old house and three or four-year-old buck (my estimate of years) 

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch -  I am still trying to get a bit of writing done, but with shopping, and lots of time with kids and grandkids it will not be much – but I’m not complaining. Love this time of year. I often read sites where writers talk about locking themselves away to make sure they get their work done, even over the holidays. Not me, love to write but, for me, it's family first.

Winter at Laramie Peak

2017 Resolutions - Now as I have mentioned before it is time to get my writing goals for the next year down on paper. For me, it is never too soon to start giving up or cutting back on my yearly resolutions. Especially the loose weight and exercise more ones!

One year ago Guernsey Lake

Merry Christmas everyone!

Santa's Reindeer Getting ready for trip

Writing Goals

No Goals Reached

Another month and another dismal writing report. Not really, I did write some, but it was the fourth straight month I failed to reach my goal of 20,000 words. For many writers that would be a week or less of writing but for me it is running about seven weeks to get up to twenty thousand.

While not writing I found a website to make a Monet-like me.

I did take some time off

In my own defense, I did take a couple of nice trips out of state. Since making my goals seem to be pretty much unattainable anyway, I never take my laptop with me on vacation. Someday, when I reach the rich and famous stage, I will go away to a beautiful writing hideaway, laptop in tow. But, not yet.

Spent some time in Rocky Mt. National Park - always fun!

What I Finished

This month I did manage 24 blog posts, which by the way, had over 4,000 hits – thanks, readers. My word count for July was 11,601, and the blogs were more than half of all of my writing. I did get some editing work done and wrote a few pages in two of my, in progress novels.

Embarrassed to say - I am still at work on the final edit of this one

So Far

For the year I am a bit past 133,000 putting me on pace to fall about twenty thousand short of my quarter of a million goal. Who knows, once the weather turns cold, I may get my word count up. If I could just have a few 2,000 word days .  . . . . 

Part of our backyard, old-fashioned flower garden

One of My Favorite Writers - and a Writing Update

Elmer Kelton is one of my all-time favorite authors. Not sure if I have read all of his books but believe that I have.

I often think of this quote on writing by Kelton when I decide to start writing something at an odd time such as, eleven o’clock at night.

“I just write whenever I can.”

That sums it up for me, whenever is when I write, that’s my schedule. I believed for many years that when I retired from my full time job I would write most of the day, every day, NOPE!

That just isn't me, I, like Mr. Kelton, write whenever I can, not really, for me it’s more I write when I feel like it. I still managed to write about a quarter of a million words most years, but who’s counting?

(I wrote 28,629 words in February – Finishing my second children’s book –Then Mike Said, “There’s a Zombie in My Basement” – I am also in the final stages of finishing up with my non-fiction work, The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Building of Guernsey State Park. Both will be published in print and e-reader formats by the first of April)

Back to Elmer Kelton as I close today. A favorite line from one of his best novels. The Time It Never Rained

 “A bad habit or two is good for a man or a beast. Did you ever know a man who didn't have any bad habits? I have, and I always hated the son of a bitch."

 Charlie Flagg  

Wow - Looks like the sun just came out, think I will go outside for awhile!