Quantity and Quality

Hello want-to-be-writers of the World,

After I finished my post yesterday, I realized that there was something else to discuss. The issue of quantity versus quality. To be honest, most of the posts here are run-of-the-mill announcements - continuing work on this, posted a chapter of that - and posts like Inspiration and Chess and Chekhov are much rarer things.  As demonstrated by the multi-month gap between the two.

However, whenever I do research on how to promote my blog, I always find the same thing.....write regularly. But is that enough ? You can write a lot, but if the quality is sub-par, why should people read it ? This is another reason why writing is hard. Or perhaps is should say that writing is easy, good writing is hard.

But that is exactly is good writing? Well, as I often say, decide for yourself. It is after all a matter of opinion and taste. (I could do a piece on putting opinions in writing, but that can wait.) But I will give one simple piece of advice:  Don't be afraid to step outside your confront zone. Yes, you will fall flat on your face (probably more then once). But it is the only way to grow.

As for me....I am currently pondering writing a NCIS story on Fan fiction.net. (And you can consider this the announcement.) I have no idea on which character it will about and what the plotline will be. And there is a good chance I will fall on my face. But as Frankie 'Blue Eyes' Sinatra would put it, that's life....

Edmond Dantes

Inspiration

Dear Want-to-Be Writers of the World,

Ages ago  - at least that is how May of 2016 now feels to me - I wrote an entry about Chess and Chekhov. And how this inspired me when I hit a lull in my creativity. (For those of your who have not read it and wish to do so now, here is the link: http://xanthi-rising.blogspot.nl/2016/05/chess-and-chekhov.html And if you don't that's okay as well.) That post kind of digressed into the subject of how we (perhaps ?) should see the world and the future.

So today I would like to continue the discussion of inspiration. For example, the inspiration for today's blog has been bubbling below the surface for quite a while now. But - at least in my experience, perhaps this is different in yours - to properly surface and blossom, you have to take your time. No chores, no appointments....just you and the paper. (Or - for us Bloggers - PC.) And - as mentioned in Chess and Chekhov - the right music.

It is at this point that I must give credit where credit is due....This post was inspired by my Uncle Roel. A while ago, he wrote a book called Music That Makes Your Heart Sing. A book containing a selection of 99 works of music, with space 100 left empty for the reader to fill in himself. (For details see....http://www.roelsteenbergen.nl/muziek-/ Alas, the site comes only in Dutch. But there is always Google Translate.) When I got my copy, I believed that I would never fill in space 100. It simply did not feel like my cup of tea.

But - as also mentioned in that old blog - time (and perhaps life) is change. So I found my number 100 in the form of a song called Hallelujah. But with this conclusion rose a very difficult question....which version ? This song has many a version (having been covered by many an artist), but the two most popular ones - or so they seem to me - are Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley.

The key difference between these two versions is the lyrics. Both are about a man in trouble. But whereas the Cohen version ends with the man pushing through his pain and clinging to his faith, the Buckley version ends with doubt and loneliness. So which is the better ? I honestly do not know. Some days Cohen wins out, while the other the Buckley ends up on top.

The point I am trying to make here is that while you may find fixed sources of inspirations, others maybe be in flux. Some days they may inspire you to write, while on others they fall flat. And that is okay. For that is life. And in my opinion there is only one way to deal with this flux. To have as many sources of inspiration as possible. Agree ? Disagree ? Like I have said before, decide for yourself.

Edmond Dantes

Another Two Chapters

Hi all,

I am happy to report that Stargate Nova Roma has once again been expanded.
Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 can now be read by clicking the link to my 128 blog.

Regards,

Edmond Dantes

Stargate Nova Roma

Hello world,

I am happy to report that my fishing expedition has indeed yielded some inspiration. The result is a new Episode for Stargate: Nova Roma. Just click the 128 link and read away.

Regards,

Edmond Dantes

Choppy Waters and Fishing

Hello world,

The last couple of months had been a bit of a storm. A new day-job, the holidays and the results is my creativity sinking under the waves. It took everything I had to keep my Frontier Fleet writing at the surface, But now I am doing my best to fish my writing ambitions back up. And my blog seemed like a good place to start.

Regards,

Edmond Dantes

Back at work

Hello world,

After a period with zero inspiration, I am back at it. Episode Two of Stargate: Nova Roma is now up over at 128. That's all I wrote, at least for now.

Edmond Dantes

And That Makes Three

Hello world,

Yesterday I finished a major effort to complete my third - and last - Battlestar Xanthi story....Four Lost Chapters. The little sort of says it all. These chapters were not added to A Collection of Memories, because they would make that tale to clunky. And some it was not in line with that story's rating. But enough chatter, back to work....