A.J. Maguire

Tag: Writers

  • Life Sans Two Fingers

    As pointed out in my previous post, I made a stupid mistake with an avocado and managed to cut the nerves in two of my fingers. Given my chosen profession, this has been problematic.

    While I can hand-write everything still fine (because I’m right-handed and all that), I cannot type with the speed and duration that I used to. The Doctor said it would be six weeks to three months before I started to feel anything in those fingers.

    (Yes, apparently I was really, really aggressive with that stupid avocado. What can I say? I was hungry.)

    The plans I had to start serializing Residual Haunting on June 1st obviously didn’t work out. I’ve decided instead to begin serialization in October. Which, let’s be honest, is likely a better choice given the theme of ghosts and what have you.

    Editing has been slow-going.

    And I do mean slooow going. However, I am beginning to make progress again. All those lovely words I have on paper are coming to the screen. I have, in short, managed to train myself into typing sans two fingers. It’s been difficult, but I’ve managed it.

    Here’s what else I’ve managed to train myself to do without two fingers;

    1) Wash my hair.

    Believe it or not, this is a very difficult process when you’re missing two fingers. I no longer have the full-on scalp massage during the soaping process and must compensate with the other hand in order to make sure everything gets clean.

    2) Drive.

    Now, let me explain that.

    The location of the puncture wound was in my palm, about three-quarters of an inch below the two offending fingers. For a very long time I found myself having to use the heel of my palm to drive. More often than not I drove with one hand, but turning the vehicle became slightly more difficult.

    3) Wrestle with my son.

    He’s a boy. He’s active. He likes to play. For the first little bit I had to learn to wrestle one-handed since … you know … bumping a puncture wound kinda hurts. Now it’s a lot easier. I just can’t feel those fingers and have to be certain nothing untoward happens to them mid-play.

    4) Carrying in Groceries.

    Mhmn. This was a pain. But I worked out a system where I looped several bags on the left forearm and went from there.

    5) … Type.

    I already said it but it can be said again. This was the real kicker, after all. Learning to type without two fingers was quite difficult. There were moments where this really horrible ache would set in and I would have to sit back for a minute or two. That ache is mostly gone now, which is why I’m able to start working again.

    So! This is me … halfway through 2014 and way behind on all my writing deadlines. But I think with a little determination and a couple dozen sleepless nights I might catch up again.

    Deviation and Dead Magic will both be released in August. Persona still has a tentative release date of December 2nd, though for marketing purposes and what have you I might delay that release in 2015. (Hey, it’s my first self-published. I get to pick the time-frame.)

    Usurper is in the middle of the editing process. Sorry, Trenna fans, you’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer.

    And Tapped … Oh, my. Tapped is nearly finished with this latest round of edits. Once that is done, I’m sending it out on submission.

    Yes, good old fashion submission. Because I love rejection. It’s like my favorite thing in the whole world and I can’t get enough of it.

  • Insult to Injury

    I graduated last month with honors.

    Family gathered. I walked the stage (even though I felt a trifle out of place since I’d conducted all of my schooling online).  And then I took the rest of May off from writing and responsibility. There was much Game of Thrones to catch up with (still working on that) and many nights of actual cooking (yes, cooking, and I didn’t burn the apartment down).

    I knew when June started that I was going to have to hit the grind hard to catch up on writing deadlines and what have you, but I felt I deserved the break. And then … last week … I decided to knife myself in the palm while wrestling with an avocado.

    Yes, you read that right. Me and an avocado had a bout and I lost.

    Yes, I know the proper way to get the core out of an avocado. (And if I didn’t before, I certainly do now thanks to family and friends sending me instructional video links.) But for one reason or another I didn’t do it the proper way this time. I was in a hurry or something.

    The knife slipped off the core and stabbed right into my palm. It hit the bones. I know because I felt it.

    Yes, you really do feel that when it happens. Writers take note: it’s a funny reverberating sensation, like hitting a long steel bar and feeling the shock rumble through it.

    I drove myself to the ER — because that’s just me — and they gave me fun medicine and serious instructions on how to care for it. (Along with several more suggestions on the appropriate means of coring an avocado.)

    However, I cannot feel two fingers in my left hand. This makes typing a bit of a bear. (Not to mention the wound is still healing so there’s that lovely pain on top of things.) With my publication schedule this year, and the writing schedule I had divvied out for myself way back in December, I find myself behind.

    I mean, really, really behind.

    It’s insult to injury.

    Not only am I in pain, my pride is taking a beating thanks to my new-content deadlines being missed.

    And all because I was in a hurry with an avocado.

    Take it from me … it’s worth the time to do it right. If you must, use a spoon. Those avocado’s will get you.

  • I did a Guest Post!

    The totally amazing C.J. Brightly hosted me on her blog this week!

    If you are thinking about writing a sequel or are currently writing one, have a peek at some of the things I’ve learned about how to do them without going completely insane.

    CLICK ME for the LINK.

     

  • Usurper Update

    A lot of people have been asking me about Usurper lately. Which, let’s be honest, makes me happy since it means everyone really, really likes Trenna’s stories and wants to see what happens next.

    So! For this week’s post I’m going to go ahead and give an update on where I am and … because everyone has been so very patient … I’ll include a snippet at the end.

    I am right at the end of Usurper. And I do mean right at the end.

    All the pieces are in place. All the characters have made it to their destinations and are gearing up for the final battle. All I need to do now is finish that final battle. But battle scenes take the longest for me to write.

    They’re also my favorite bits to write, but they still take the longest because it’s hard to bring clarity in the middle of swords clashing, people screaming, and wounds being inflicted. Every character has a different set of motivations that become all the clearer amidst bloodshed — remember the end of Sedition?

    I will have Usurper’s draft completed by the end of April. It will go in to my publisher/editor people on May 1st. After that, we’ll be waiting on the publisher and all that jazz, but this publisher tends to be very quick about getting things done so … Yes, you will (should, most probably) have Usurper in your hot little hands before 2015.

    But I should warn you … there’s a lot of action in this one. Trenna’s back at her prime and getting her hands dirty.

    Well … see for yourself … (Please remember, this has not been edited yet. Any and all grammatical errors are the hazards of the craft.)

    She spotted the assassin first. Sitting at the table nearest to the hearth, Faxon Mylonas was profile to her, looking almost exactly as he had twenty-odd years prior. Trenna felt real fear curl in her gut at the sight of her son and husband sitting near the man, but her anger overtook that emotion when she spotted Troy. Trapped between the assassin and a woman whose occupation could only be that of a Blood Mage, Troy’s eyes were puffed and swelling and he was holding a bloodied handkerchief to his face.

    Liana was moving before Trenna could stop the girl. She saw Faxon tense and knew he was preparing for Liana’s advance.

    “Big T, thank gods,” Barmy stood from his stool. “I tried to warn them …”

    “Thank you, Mister Friggs. May I borrow your stool?”

    “My stool?” Barmy’s face creased in puzzlement.

    Liana drew her cutlass, which sent a hiss of alarm through the already tensed room.

    “Well, yes, I suppose …” Barmy stopped when he spotted Liana’s advance, gasping with further horror.

    “Thank you.” Trenna grabbed the stool and started forward. She waited until Faxon stood, until he had his full focus on intercepting Liana, before she flung the chair over her shoulder with all her might.

    It struck the Blood Mage on the side of her head, startling everyone at the table. Trenna took her advantage and rushed forward. The red-headed Mage fell against the table, dazed enough that she wasn’t prepared for Trenna’s second assault. She got to the table before the mage could find her wits, grabbed a fistful of spiky red hair and slammed the woman’s head into the hard, pitted surface.

    With the flick of her wrist, Trenna snagged the dagger from her belt loop and held it to the unconscious woman’s throat in clear warning.

    Faxon didn’t move. Whatever attack he’d planned against Liana had ceased and his wild, golden eyes fastened on Trenna. Nelek, Kaden and Troy had moved during the attack. Nelek stood with the boys flanking him, not entirely out of harm’s way, but at least they’d have a sporting chance now. Liana’s advance had been stalled as well. Trenna saw her slide toward Troy.

    “Hello, Trenna.” Faxon still didn’t move. “Nice to see you haven’t lost your civilized touch.”

    (And to answer … yes, I mean the Faxon you met in Sedition.)

  • Villains – Round Robin

    Honestly, villains are hard for me to write.

    They were always hard for me to play when I was a kid, too. My brother and I would have our G.I. Joe’s out and stuff and he would be all for the bad guy coming in and causing mayhem and I would be more for the “natural disaster” sort of plot because I didn’t like seeing character’s die.

    (Ironic, I know, since I kill so many characters in my fiction.)

    Marsali from Sedition was my first antagonist, the first time I’d ever delved into the mindset of someone who was clearly ruthless. The only way I managed to write her was to focus on why she was willing to be ruthless, and in her case it was the fact that she quite literally believed her home was in danger.

    Reonne from Witch-Born had a huge back-story that never fully made it into the books. For her, she’d been passed over one too many times and she was bitter because of it. She had a false sense of entitlement that took her to dark places.

    And now that I look at it, I see a clear pattern. Both women were powerful, refined, educated, capable and ambitious. I like those kinds of villains. I like the villain who knows precisely who they are, who can use good manners to cover their malice, and who are intelligent.

    That’s the kind of villain I like to write, read, and watch on the screen.

    Saboteur didn’t have one of these. Saboteur’s main villain was prejudice and ignorance and I personified those two inside Brodis Windringham. And I’ll admit … that was tough.

    For me as a person I see nothing more dangerous in this world than ignorance and prejudice. History has shown us that together they are deadly. It drives people to do terrible things.

    But I think the most fun I’ve had with an antagonist was with my up-and-coming Deviation. In that book the hero becomes the villain and the villain becomes the hero, and I totally did that on purpose. The idea was to show that even hero’s have a breaking point, and we watch as Hedric Prosser is run down until he literally has nothing left. Rather than finding that spark that makes a hero push on, Hedric goes dark.

    And the arrogant, refined, powerful Matthew Borden (See what I mean about the pattern?) is given a chance to become something other than the antagonist. I’m not going to tell you how, you have to read it when it comes out. (In August.)

    Anyway! That’s my very personal take on villains. The more refined the better, because intelligence is a scary opponent.

    Round Robin Continues! Check out what some of my fellow author’s have to say about their villains and what they look for.

    Anne Graham writing as Anne Stenhouse at http://wp.me/31Isq
    A.J. Maguire at https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ (You are Here)
    Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/
    Diane Bator at http://dbator.blogspot.ca
    Fiona McGier at http://www.fionamcgier.com
    Ginger Simpson at http://mizging.blogspot.com
    Geeta Kakade at http://geetakakade.blogspot.com/
    Connie Vines at http://connievines.blogspot.com/
    Beverley Bateman – http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
    Rhobin Courtright – http://rhobinleecourtright.com

  • Women and Science Fiction

    So … apparently there’s this thing about women writing science fiction. I think I’ve read five or six articles about a couple of male science fiction authors (I really don’t know how many there are or even who they are)  who are displeased by women writing science fiction.

    The general arguments I have encountered in these articles are that women are somehow incapable of writing “real” science fiction. That women tend to muddy the waters of what should be science fiction with romance instead. That somehow this romantic tendency was damaging “real” science fiction.

    (Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees the oxymoron in that sentence. I mean … “fiction” … “real” … C’mon, people.)

    Well, in August of this year my first science fiction — Deviation — will be released by Double Dragon Publishing.

    I am also a woman.

    So I imagine that gives me reason enough to make a response to these naysayers.

    Here it goes …

    When I was in the Army I was trained to roll my socks a particular way. They had to be little balls of white and black (only white and black socks; white for physical training and black for the uniform) and they had to sit side-by-side in perfect arrangement so that when the drill sergeant did a locker check he or she would be pleased.

    Granted, I did this because I wanted to avoid doing push-ups, but the habit eventually became so ingrained in my person that when I got out of training I still folded my socks that way.

    And then one day my (ex)husband folded the socks. It drove me nuts.

    He did it completely the wrong way. There was no tight little ball of black or white. There was no dress-right-dress in the top drawer. There was chaos; little flappy tongues of white and black that only proved what a civilian he was.

    It was offensive, I tell you.

    If I heard the dryer go off I would dash for it, praying I got there before he did so that I could fold those socks the right way. The Army way. Because God help me if my First Sergeant decided to come visit my home and check my sock drawer.

    And then I realized … they were socks.

    It didn’t matter how they were folded or who folded them. Unless, of course, I was about to go out on assignment, in which case the socks really did need to be folded into those little balls to save space in my duffle bag. But that’s besides the point.

    The point is … you’re looking at socks. If you don’t like the way a woman folds them, don’t pick them up. They probably won’t fit you anyway.

    But you know what? They’ll fit somebody. And that’s who they’re for.

    My science fiction is not a romance. It does, however, feature women. A lot of women. This does not make it less science fiction. It just makes it mine.

    Respect the craft regardless of its form. And respect the authors around you.

    Because really, this argument is about as pointless as fighting over socks.

     

     

     

  • Books that Help

    There are many things that have affected my writing over the years. The Army taught me how to capture snippets of scenes on 3×5 cards so as not to lose them. It also gave me my primary character pool — soldiers. (I do so love soldiers. The sense of duty, honor, and respect that goes with them is hard to understand outside of a uniform.)

    I’ve read countless books on how to be a better writer too. My two favorites are Fiction First Aid by Raymond Obstfeld and Fiction Writer’s Brainstormer by James V. Smith Jr. Neither are very well known but both have impacted my writing career in big ways.

    I’ll go ahead and give you a rundown on the three main things I garnered from these books. If you’re an author and you haven’t read them, I encourage you to give them a try. But if you don’t have either the money or the time for another writing craft book then let me give you these three things.

    1) They taught me to view my writing as a craft. 

    “Craft” is a verb. It’s an action, and like any martial arts move you see flaunted on the movie screen it has to be honed in order to be any good. That means practice, and lots of it.

    2) Character boxes

    I adapted this one from Fiction First Aid. On my first pass through the editing process I highlight little boxes around each major and minor character when they show up in the text. Anything that has to do with physical description in particular needs to be drawn out so that I can compare and make certain I haven’t altered anything later in the text.

    I don’t normally have this problem with the main characters, but the people who intersect the story at various points sometimes get lost. These boxes help me find them again and keep them straight.

    3) The Brain Stretch

    This one I adapted from Fiction Writer’s Brainstormer. Near the end of the book Smith gives this worksheet to use to help bring fresh content into your writing. I call it “the brain stretch” and I try to use it once or twice a year.

    It’s a challenge. You find a certain number of expressions, puns, emotional moments, and what have you. I took some of his suggestions out and put my own in so I’ll give you a sample from the one I am working on this month;

    – List 10 characters in 100 words or less.

    – Write the “nugget” for your current work in progress. (The “nugget” is the main thrust of your story in 100 words or less.)

    – List 10 expressions you’ve either heard or read and how you might use them in fiction. (Normally I just write the character most likely to use said expression off to the side.)

    That’s just a sampling of what I’ve adapted this “brain stretch” into. Sometimes I use what I’ve found but often it’s just a way to reset my mind. By the time I’m done with it I feel more capable of doing the work in front of me.

    So! If you haven’t read either of those two books I highly recommend them. But I also have to give the disclaimer that what worked for me won’t necessarily work for you. There’s a reason why the examples I gave above are adaptations of what I read; I’m different from those two authors and had to tweak those exercises to fit me.

    Which, I think, brings me to a fourth lesson they taught me …

    4) Don’t be afraid to adapt teachings into something you can work with.

    In the end, it’s your craft. Other people might write, but only I can write like A.J. Maguire.

  • Round Robin Discussion – Growth as a Writer

    This month’s Round Robin discussion is on how we have each grown as writers!

    Every book I write is an adventure. I learn something new about the craft of writing and how I can hone my own style with each chapter. I’ve learned that I can’t have an outline at the beginning of a book, but that I can’t finish a book without an outline either.

    It sounds strange, I know. But I think Brandon Sanderson has mentioned that he does the same thing so I think I’m in good company here.

    I need the freedom of not knowing where the book is going in order to pay attention to the characters on the page. And then, once I feel I know those characters and their motivations, that’s when I need to find out where the story is going and build toward it.

    Subsequently, I’ve learned that I have to write my outline in a notebook with a base color – often blue. And then I add to it in different colors; red for plot issues, green for character arc questions, purple for graphics like setting, and sometimes pink for mechanical and/or magic questions that need to be addressed in the storyline.

    It’s a mess when you look at it, but it’s a mess that makes my brain happy. Somehow, in the middle of all those colors and questions, that outline is able to carry me through to the end of the book.

    Perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned comes from the fact that I’ve been in school for the past three years. So many people say they don’t have time to write and, let’s be honest here, it doesn’t look like I should have the time to write either. Between a full-time job, a full schedule at school, and being a single parent, writing should be impossible.

    But I’ve learned that if you love something enough, you’ll make room for it somewhere.

    So if you truly love writing, you’ll find the time to do it. Even if you’re scribbling notes on the back of a receipt from Barnes & Noble, you’re writing. Even if all you’ve got is twenty minutes on your lunch break with a notepad, that’s twenty minutes more time with pen to page and you’re writing.

    I’ll graduate in May 2014, which will free up a lot of time to write. I’m hoping that with all this new time I’ll be able to get at least four drafts done before 2015 hits us. (That’s four separate stories, not four drafts of the same story.) I have a pretty full publication schedule in 2014 as well, which will require my attention in the marketing department.

    Five or ten years from now I hope to still be telling stories. For me it’s not about the sales so much as it’s about telling a compelling story that challenges who I am as a person. If I’m not challenged by what I’m writing then I’m not going deep enough into the characters on the page. Maybe in the middle of challenging myself I’ll be able to challenge someone else. We can all be better people, we just have to find the inspiration to spark us into movement.

    The Round Robin Continues with author Connie Vines at her blog. So hop on over there and check out how Connie has grown as an author!

  • New Computer Fun

    Well, it’s actually been a couple weeks since I got this computer but I wanted to wait a while to discuss it since it has Windows 8 and a ton of bells and whistles that I’ve been playing with. And I should probably note that I don’t buy computers for fun, my old Acer was having fan issues so I needed a new laptop.

    I shall miss the Acer. I shall miss all the Star Trek I played on its 13″ screen.

    I shall now enjoy Star Trek on a 17″ screen. (A screen that makes it look like I’m really right there with the Borg trying to assimilate me. My geek-self might have squeed.)

    I like Windows 8. I like all the pretty tabs — I think they’re called jewels — on the start screen. (I didn’t like that I had to get an Audible technician on the phone to figure out how to get my downloads delivered straight to my iTunes again, but I think that has more to do with me being clueless than the system itself.)

    And I love the calendar.

    In fact, I love that calendar so much I went through and mapped out almost all of 2014 for my writing goals. (Hey, I’ve just about finished all of my 2013 goals so I’m allowed to look ahead.)

    I’ll be graduating in May so the last 7 months of 2014 are going to free up a crap ton of time for me. Which means more time for writing, editing and even the dreaded marketing that everyone whimpers about. (I’ll probably whimper about it too when I finally sink my teeth into it.)

    By the end of this month I’ll have finished the first draft of Usurper. And yes, I was nerdy enough to map out December on the calendar too.

    I can’t help it! It’s pretty and easy to use and I really don’t know what all the fuss was about when Windows 8 first showed up. I heard several people complain about it when they first got it but now that I’ve used this computer for a while I’m going to have to assume that those who complained are mostly people who “know what they like” instead of “liking what they know.”

    In short, I have a shiny new toy. It’s pretty and I love using it. Hopefully it spur me into writing faster and with more quality. (But more than likely it will just tempt me into hours and hours of Star Trek.)

  • I am Doctor Who

    I’m finally on a bit of a break from school so I had the pleasure of writing a quick short story in the science fiction realm several days ago. Then when I was done with that story I pulled up my document for a Civil War based novel, prepared to delve into all things blue and grey when it hit me …

    I am Doctor Who.

    All of time and space is my playground.

    As an author I’ve already visited Mars (in Deviation) and walked through a medieval world (Sedition/Saboteur/Witch-Born). I visited ancient Greece in The Man Who Loved Medusa and have been dodging bullets in Nazi Germany with Persona. In Tapped — a novel that I will be editing very, very soon — I even got to stand on Pluto.

    I may not have a blue box that’s larger on the inside than it is on the outside, but I’m 5’9″ and trust me … I’m way bigger on the inside.

    Considering how close we are to NaNoWriMo — Nation Novel Writing Month, for those not aware — I felt it was necessary to shout this wonderful fact out to every author getting ready for the 50,000 word sprint.

    You’re all Doctor Who too.

    Embrace your playground — remember, that’s all of time and space. The only limits here are the ones you bring to the table.

    For those of you who don’t know who Doctor Who is … look him up. He’s frigging fantastic. For those of you who know the good Doctor, prepare your own personal T.A.R.D.I.S. (pen, paper, computer, napkins, or whatever else you might write on) and get ready for an adventure.

    You’re all awesome. You win the moment you start the journey.