Lisa Cron lecture on "story" (runs over 1.5 hours and sooo worth it)

Counter for a short project (or a long project)

I have a poetry project on the go. A slow poetry project. I'm savouring it, enjoying every step as I observe, consider, write, consider, tweak, tuck it away and work on it again from time to time. There are a lot of worthy slow movements these days -- slow cooking, slow living, get-rich-slowly -- you name it, there's a "slow" for it. So many other things feel rushed. This pace feels good. It feels rich, like a soft, warm blanket on a cold day.

I'm looking forward to reaching the end, (if there is a true end, and I'm not sure there is -- can't a person tweak, add and delete in the digital age ... forever?) Perhaps it is better to say I'm looking to getting to the point where I can gather all the poems together, shuffle them around so that the theme, emerging out of the collection itself, is fulfilling. It feels like it is going that way. And it makes me antsy to rush ahead.

But I won't.

Hopefully the poems will fit together so a reader -- a slow one or a fast one -- can get maximum enjoyment from the poems -- even if the reader is only me on that day when this small project comes to a full stop.

Anyway, while I might be slow to produce a collection of poems, that doesn't mean I don't think it might not be fun to count the words: "one ring-a-dingy, two ring-a-dingies." And perhaps you might be looking for a word tracker gadget for your own project (you write faster than me, right?).

So here is one:

2171 / 8000 words.
27% done on my Poetry WIP!

I found the above tracker through a Google search here (I like it because it is simple yet customizable). There is a nice list of word trackers on this site if you're looking other options. The NaNoWriMoGraph is here.

PS - Google search took 0.36 seconds. That's fast.

Stephen King Question and Answer session

I have "The Stand" by Stephen King on hold at a used book store. I'm picking it up this upcoming week. In an effort to keep my excitement at bay (or maybe feed my excitement?) about getting my hands on this book, I've been watching Stephen King interviews on YouTube.com. There is always a great nugget of wisdom in a King interview. He give up the goods, straight. Very cool.

Books I have read by Stephen King: 

1. Carrie (read this in junior high school, a thrilling Y.A. novel.) 
2. The Green Mile (bought the chap books as they were published from a local corner store, great experience! Couldn't wait for the next one to come out). 
3. Dolores Claiborne (first time I felt a movie was as good as the book, loved both). 
4. On Writing (if you're even thinking of writing a letter to a friend, you should read this book first, can still close my eyes and see the bunny =^..^=). 
5. Lisey's Story (loved the paranormal-romantic cadence of this book). 
6. The Dome (first book I read on my iPhone, felt like a kid staying up late, reading under the covers).

Guess there is still a lot of reading to do. After "The Stand" which book would you recommend?

Stephen King talking with Bibliostar.TV about writing short stories

I was in a used bookstore today and the lady who runs it mentioned that she is a big fan of Stephen King and she has read a lot of his work but not everything, he is such a prolific writer, it almost feels like he writes faster than a many people can read. He knows the craft of writing from a through z, I love watching videos where he talks about the craft of writing and his life. Hope you enjoy this one.

The reason you shouldn't talk about your story until you've written your story

Derek Sivers' TED talk

Scrivener

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2013 - $50,000

Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest just broke through a ceiling of sorts. This year, instead of two $15k prizes, a grand winner will take home a $50,000 advance and a publishing contract. Want to know how to enter? Click here for details.