Perpetual Writer's Blog

Love is sure better when it's gone

2009-11-21T21:30:00.002-07:00

You Wanted More - TonicIt's been a long three and a half years since I started this particular incarnation of my blog. In that time I've gained readers, lost them, gained friends, and lost them. Now it's time to consolidate some of my web presence and say goodbye. This will be the final post on this particular blog. I will keep the address in case anybody wanders by here. Do not fear, though

Filling my spirit with the wildest wish to fly

2009-11-19T17:37:00.002-07:00

Workin Them Angels - RushA. It's relevant because of my NaNoWriMo novel, which centers around a hockey team.B. She looks like she knows what she's doing.C. Because I just gotta be me.

Oh, baby, the river's red

2009-11-15T13:27:00.002-07:00

Four Sticks - Rollins Band I had a request for another excerpt, and far be it from me to deny my best friend. Here is a lengthy scene where Hammie has just returned from a team road trip, spending all night on the bus to get home. Hammie grabbed his bag and trudged up the walk toward his house and bed, which called to him

The heart and mind are focus for this conversation

2009-11-10T20:37:00.002-07:00

Welcome To This World - PrimusOver at Edittorrent, Alicia wrote an absolutely brilliant post detailing the Three Act process of storytelling, applying it to Casablanca. I don't want to steal away their traffic, but it's absolutely worth clicking through to read the post yourself. In my own writing, I think in terms of the three acts, roughly analogous to Star Wars. The first act introduces the

The thunder of guns tore me apart

2009-11-08T21:33:00.003-07:00

Thunderstruck - AC/DC Day 8 of NaNo, and I'm over 20,000 words. I'm happy with that number, and want to share a little excerpt here. To set the scene: the Fort McWilliams Fighting Aardvarks are battling the Willoughby Whippets. The 'Varks are Our Heroes, and this is 18-year-old rookie Eli Dixon's moment to shine and leap to the defense of the young woman behind the goalie mask, one Cat

Bringer of Jollity

2009-11-04T19:36:00.002-07:00

Jupiter, the Bringer of Jolliity - HolstDay 3 of NaNo, and I'm at 11,000 words. You get the idea I might want to write this book?I wanted to apologize to anyone who tried to register on www.ianthealy.com in the past few days and got frustrated with the CAPTCHA system. After numerous spambots started registering, I implemented CAPTCHA but didn't realize the graphic version would be so damn hard

You can almost feel the current flowing

2009-11-02T05:55:00.003-07:00

Far Cry (Album Version) - RushNaNo - Day One word count: 6173. Not my best showing on the first day, but certainly respectable. I'm off on the daily grind until next weekend when I have more time to set aside and write another large chunk. Until then, you can follow along on the progress of what I'm writing at www.ianthealy.com, as long as you're registered as a member (which is free, easy,

Engines pumping and thumping in time

2009-10-26T05:38:00.002-06:00

The Distance - CakeSaturday at midnight, the madness starts anew. I'm reposting my NaNo Survival Guide for you here.Ten Tips to Surviving NaNoWriMoMost writers have heard of the National Novel Writing Month contest, but most of us shy away from the notion that you can write a book in thirty days. “It can’t be done!” we cry. “We don’t have time! We can’t write that much! And what about the

Let's play wild like wildcats do

2009-10-24T12:11:00.002-06:00

Tall Cool One (2006 Remastered LP Version) - Robert Plant NaNoWriMo starts in exactly one week and just under twelve hours as I write this post. Since I'm between projects at the moment, I've used the past couple of days to keep my writing muscles sharp by penning the first part of a Steampunk tale, which has been a recent reading interest of mine. If you're unfamiliar with the genre of

You're an angel with wings afire

2009-10-20T04:58:00.002-06:00

Supernova (Explicit) - Liz PhairI finished the fourth draft of Pariah's Moon this past weekend. I've sent it off to a few select members of my inner circle for a final round of critiques before shipping it off to my agent. I'm hoping she'll find it both a pleasant surprise and an unusual change of pace from my superhero/cyberpunk action adventurey stuff.With eleven days remaining until NaNo

This ain't no fooling around!

2009-10-16T13:54:00.002-06:00

Life During Wartime (Live LP Version) - Talking HeadsBreaking news!!My short story, The Scent of Rose Petals, is scheduled to appear in the Fall 2009 issue of The Journal of A Thousand Faces. I'll make another announcement when it comes out. When it does, why not click over to their store and order yourself a copy? They're inexpensive and chock full of darn good stories (and not just mine,

Come around to my way of thinkin'

2009-10-08T20:17:00.002-06:00

Sister Havana - Urge OverkillI've been thinking about plotting versus seat-of-the-pantsing today. I am, and have always been, a pantser. That means I keep plot details in my head instead of writing down and sticking to an outline. I tend to write with the major plot in my mind, but mainly focus on writing toward the next scene. I think ahead, certainly, in terms of climaxes and pitfalls and

Shine on, you crazy diamond

2009-10-04T20:47:00.002-06:00

Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink FloydHere's why you need to be following me both here and www.ianthealy.com: Weekly features over there!Want to know more about resources for writers? I'll be writing about them on Mondays.Wonder what makes me laugh? Then be sure to check out Wacky Wednesdays.Every Saturday will feature a post from a Super Guest Star, either another writer, an editor, agent, or

Où sont tes héros aux corps d'athlètes

2009-10-01T14:16:00.002-06:00

Sexy Boy - AirIn case you missed it, www.ianthealy.com is now live. Go visit it and sign up to be a member, or else you won't get to read this as it's being written next month:

Packaged like a rebel or a hero

2009-09-28T20:48:00.003-06:00

Superconductor (Remastered LP Version) - RushThe time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many thingsOf shoes and ships and sealing wax,Of cabbages and kingsAnd why the sea is boiling hotAnd whether pigs have wings!-The Walrus and the Carpenter, Lewis CarrollPigs don't have wings, at least, I don't think they do, but I have a brand new website, and on Thursday, October 1st, you can visit the

Watching the world pass us by

2009-09-21T18:58:00.000-06:00

Never Let Me Down Again - The Smashing PumpkinsMost writers will, at some point, take a look at the industry and have a big WTF moment. Just in the past few days, several of my friends have blogged or pointed me toward other blogs about the writing industry, and, well, I'm a joiner.I read quite a few industry blogs; from agents, editors, and publishers, and I've arrived at a fairly cynical

And an awful lot of mornings

2009-09-10T20:14:00.002-06:00

Rainy Day Parade - Jill SobuleNatalia has started a new blog and she asked me on Facebook the other day if I was still blogging. I said "of course I am," and gave her the link.Then I realized it had been awhile since I updated, and figured I'd better at least fill you all in on the salient points of my writing career:I have no book deal. I keep saying "yet" in the hopes that one is lurking on

I been hustlin' here

2009-08-27T22:28:00.003-06:00

Need Some Love - RushTo follow up on my previous post, I've decided after consulting with my inner circle (and my agent) to make the sequel to Pariah's Moon the next major project. Therefore, I've begun plotting Pariah's War and researching aspects of the events leading up to the American Revolutionary War as there are parallels to it in the Pariahverse.If you've been hanging around here for

You can still barrelhouse, baby

2009-08-23T22:19:00.004-06:00

Crossroads - RushI'm at a crossroads of sort right now, actually. I finished the line edits of The Archmage earlier today, which took me less than a week to accomplish. My next night job will be a much more in-depth revision of Pariah's Moon, which I need to lengthen by probably a third to move it from solidly within the realm of novellas to become a bona fide novel. Realistically, I suspect

I felt you like electric light

2009-08-19T06:00:00.003-06:00

Machinehead - BushThe first draft of Blackout is officially done. I completed it Monday night, actually, but needed some downtime to recover from the explosive and emotionally-difficult (for me) ending. Final tally: 88,499 words. That's just 1500 shy of my projection, and 2 weeks before my self-imposed deadline. Therefore I can legitimately claim I came in on time and under budget. I should

Introducing: The Brick Comic Network

2009-08-17T19:19:00.000-06:00

Are you interested in LEGO Webcomics? Run one yourself? Thinking of starting? Have we got the place for you...Say hello to the Brick Comic Network!Celebrating Brick-Based webcomics the world over, the BCN is a forum where authors can swap ideas, interact with fans, and share our resources. Our goal is to help build a LEGO Webcomic community - one that will help bring our particular style of

Watching life come all undone

2009-08-15T12:32:00.003-06:00

Zero Signal - Fear FactoryI'm up to Chapter 21, which is the penultimate chapter in the day-long saga of Blackout. Some stories can't be resolved in a single day, but most of them I introduce in this book reach a conclusion at the end of this chapter. There will be a short denouement after, but I can say with reasonable confidence that the first draft of Blackout will be completed by next

Hot love on a platter

2009-08-06T22:14:00.002-06:00

Around The Bend - The Asteroids Galaxy TourI coined a new term during a chat with another writer friend the other night (Hi Megan!): Eating your earlobes.Obviously, this requires a little explanation. In Stephen King's collection Skeleton Crew is a story called "Survivor Type," which even King himself says he took too far. In it, a surgeon smuggling heroin on a cruise ship survives a shipwreck

I want a girl with a mind like a diamond

2009-08-03T19:21:00.003-06:00

Short Skirt, Long Jacket - CakeI'm reading a book by Nora Roberts right now. Before you confiscate my man card, let me explain. It's one she wrote as J.D. Robb, and takes place in a future similar to the one I set Troubleshooters in. My wife recommended it to me as something I might like, and as I had just finished a wonderful Western (Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey, since I know

Just like everybody else does

2009-07-27T23:31:00.003-06:00

How Soon Is Now - The SmithsGuess it's time to share some more excerpts, this time from Chapter 4.Faith led the flying Irlene across the square to the nearby police station. Officers whooped and elbowed one another as the two costumed women entered the building.“Pony Girl, always a pleasure,” said the desk sergeant. “Who’s your friend?”“Boys, this is Imp. She’s our newest team member. Please