New Years + Late Resolutions + Avatar + .... + .....
Well, things have been hectic between the Xmas/New Year celebration and work (we don't have xmas holidays over here, but don't feel too sorry for me I have Chinese New Years in a few weeks), so I've pretty much been neglecting my LJ. The last couple days I've been considering tackling my F-List, but the sheer magnitude of it is quite daunting so I just skimmed the surface and gave up. Sorry if I missed your posts over the holidays, you can leave disgruntled comments and death threats here (but I'll delete them, ha!). Hope you all had a great holiday season and that you're not too buried under snow! For my part I went to see the fireworks at Taipei 101, pretty neat, but very very short. I was kind of shocked when it was over and everybody started dashing for the metro system. It was a little less lively than NYC (mind you I'm not sure that's such a bad thing), but overall more pleasant since the people in Taipei seem to be somewhat less aggressive. In particular the lack of gangbangers was quite nice. It was also quite easy to get within viewable range of the concert. On New Year's I also went to see Avatar in Taipei's massive IMAX theater. Amazing! I see where people are coming from with complaints about the story, it's certainly nothing revolutionary, but worth seeing just for the amazing 3-D feel of the world. Actually it took me a while to get used to it. I was in a cold sweat for the first 20 minutes or so, ha! Other than that I'm feeling quite bruised in the New Year. 6 rejections so far... Of course the latest (today) was a nice one from Lightspeed so that cheered me up. Looks like a nice market and has a great response time, so far. You definitely should give it a shot.
And without further ado here are my resolutions. I've decided on a change in startegy this year. Last year I went with the brute force power in numbers tactic, but this year I'm going to specifically work on improving my craft. And this is how I'm going to do it.
1) Focus on character development: This is easily the weakest point in my writing. If I can create characters that pop, I'm pretty sure I can manage with the rest.
2) Add complexity to my plot and experiment with different plot structures. I've already been trying this to some extent (veering away from the linear narrative), but I think I haven't quite mastered it yet. And want to expand on the ways I can form stories.
3) READ. A LOT. AND DON'T WIMP OUT OF THIS GOAL OR LET ME BE LASHED ONE TIME BY EACH OF MY F-LIST.
I'm hoping to read at least 15-20 books this year. Moreover I want to take notes while I'm reading, reading with more of a critical eye. Also taking note of different tecniques as I go. I've started reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road.
4) Same goes for movies. In particular I want to analyze why some characters work and others don't.
5) For traditions sake I'll make a sales goal: Another pro sale would be nice. 5 total sales would be fantastic.
6) Start on another novel. It's been far too long!
And without further ado here are my resolutions. I've decided on a change in startegy this year. Last year I went with the brute force power in numbers tactic, but this year I'm going to specifically work on improving my craft. And this is how I'm going to do it.
1) Focus on character development: This is easily the weakest point in my writing. If I can create characters that pop, I'm pretty sure I can manage with the rest.
2) Add complexity to my plot and experiment with different plot structures. I've already been trying this to some extent (veering away from the linear narrative), but I think I haven't quite mastered it yet. And want to expand on the ways I can form stories.
3) READ. A LOT. AND DON'T WIMP OUT OF THIS GOAL OR LET ME BE LASHED ONE TIME BY EACH OF MY F-LIST.
I'm hoping to read at least 15-20 books this year. Moreover I want to take notes while I'm reading, reading with more of a critical eye. Also taking note of different tecniques as I go. I've started reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road.
4) Same goes for movies. In particular I want to analyze why some characters work and others don't.
5) For traditions sake I'll make a sales goal: Another pro sale would be nice. 5 total sales would be fantastic.
6) Start on another novel. It's been far too long!