Kenneth Stevens's Blog: Living a Creative Life

It took a little prodding... and it took a little convincing... I am working on Book Three of the Dark Particle Series. Yes... The story has a Book Three and yet it will have a Book Four too. It just takes time. What I needed was a plot that I liked and one that I could live with... after all I just destroyed everything on Earth... lol. So far I have been writing what I like to call... Sciencey Fiction. But this time we are are going to finally go there... Fantasy/Science Fiction... the real thing... I have had a difficult time trying to lift the fog and see the story ahead, but my path is clear and I am very excited to get to writing.

There was an unfortunate accident three weeks ago. I lost five chapters, and now I have to start over. Yes... my heart sunk to the bottom of my feet, but I back up everything all the time now. This wont happen again. I really think my readers (whoever they may be... I have a very limited audience) will be more than satisfied as to its tone and its direction. After all, we have a warp powered ship, some really great characters and the universe to explore. What could go wrong... I wrote two really good chapters today. The creative juices are really flowing now. I love writing things I'm interested in... It's like I've said in the past... I want to know what happens next in this series.

I think we will see more character development in this book. I like getting closer to my characters... I discover things about them that I never new before. In Book Two, The Sentient, we got closer to Karishma and learned more about Dr. Vanstrom's past and I introduced a few new characters to the storyline. This book will be no different. I will follow the pattern I have set with four sections to the storyline and keep to the natural direction that this story is travelling. The best part of these books are the characters and how they grow with the storyline. I like writing books and stories that have really interesting characters. I like variety and these people are the kind of people I could call my friends.

So how does one get back to writing this story? Well, I had to lick my wounds and try to convince myself that people cared about the story I was writing. The creative process is a long and winding path and really a story in itself as everything has a time and a place. That time and that place has come back to me to continue the 'The Dark Particle' series. I have been picking away at a plot and finally have a good path. It ties the story together and yet takes it further than I had originally planned. I want people to say... "Gee I can't believe I have read this yet..." Honestly, I just want people to enjoy the story and the characters because that is what I do when I write it. I have very people actually reading this story and It makes me wonder if anybody even knows how to read. I should probably work towards some e book versions and a 'book on tape' version. This kind of adaptation takes time away from my creative time, but I know in my heart of hearts, not everyone reads books in an actual paperback bound book anymore. This will be my fifth Book of fiction and The Third book in "The Dark Particle' series. I actually enjoy writing these. Good things take time and especially creating stories that are original and unique.

What's it like to almost be finished writing the sequel to a first novel? Well.... I'm four chapters away from completing my second novel, which is the continuation of my science fiction story titled... 'The Dark Particle'. This one is titled, 'The Sentient'. Then, I will be in my third draft. The 'Third Draft' is all about grammar, punctuation... smoothing the storyline and very minor changes. It's about making sure the story line makes sense and the continuity is good. Once I have the story completed... a third draft is my ticket to preparing it for publication.

I know a few people who can't wait to sink their teeth into this one. It takes the first part of the story and brings you forward. It also opens a few cans of worms. I do this to propel the story line into a 'next book', which in this case will be the third book in the series...

"I've been savoring the ending... Just like I want you to savor it when you read it..."

Four chapters.... How do I know this? Well.. I have every detail of the plot planned. So... It's kind of already figured out, especially at this point in the game where I'm simply letting my imagination run amuck. This is the fun part... I've been savoring the ending... Just like I want you to savor it when you read it. It forces me to create my best work. It pushes me as an artist to earn your appreciation. I'm not limiting myself to four chapters to finish... I have already written and finished the last two chapters of the book. Four chapters is no more and no less than what I need to connect the dots and get the reader thinking about the next book.

I really want people to 'want' a third book, just as I 'want' a third book in the 'The Dark Particle' series. I want it because the story isn't finished, but most importantly, I need to know what happens... Stories do this to us as artists... People who ignore their artist side... need to listen to this... Listen to the story inside of you. This is who we are as human beings. This is our soul talking to our mind, pushing us to grow and share our hearts with anyone who will listen. Yes... Listening to (and reading) the story is equally as important as telling the story because it shares who we are now and who we are becoming as a person. I don't just view my art as an artifact of who I am as I grow and develop...

"I write to entertain the reader, because I read to be entertained."

I like to push myself, challenge what I know and drive a story into uncharted territories. I'm adventuresome about my writing and my story telling. My goal is to engage the reader, not bore them... I write to entertain the reader, because I read to be entertained.

Just know... I love being a creative person... It is who I want to be, everyday. Creativity is a choice... and a skill...just like math or chemistry... The arts is a skill we practice everyday. Being a 'talented' artist is merely an opinion people have when they find something they connect with in your work as an artist and ultimately appreciate your artistry and what you've shared with them. This is the primary goal of an artist... The opportunity to build connections with people who see and feel what you see and feel through your work.

Build connections with your readers, listen to what the story is telling you.

Enjoy... and keep Living a Creative Life!

I am writing the last part of 'The Sentient', my up and coming second novel of the Dark Particle series. This is going to be a doozie.... (I love that word) and my best yet. It basically opens the philosophical door that all science fiction writers eventually ask... 'Is there a God?" And I ask it in such a unique way by saying... If there is no humankind left on earth, would there still be a God? Would it matter?... I am simply putting the matter on the table... Just for fun... Yes... It probably will piss off everyone... (Nobody reads my stuff anyway... So probably not... Nobody will notice) But that is not the intention... I am simply having fun with the idea.... It's science fiction people...

"We don't deserve the earth..."

The key word being fiction here... Now the UFO enthusiasts, Idaho and Montana Christian fundamentalist militia groups who don't want their guns taken away from them by the U.S. government might not like the book... Lol you'll see...if you read it. I'll repeat myself here... It science fiction folks... Get a grip.. Lol. The message I am trying give the reader is... We don't deserve the earth... What we do to it says how much we really care about its future... But even more importantly, it says a lot about how much we care about OUR future on this planet. Look at how it responds to our mistreatment of its resources and our inability to restore what we damage... Mother Nature can repair the damage over time... But that doesn't teach us to change our ways... We act like we are the only important species on this planet... Ok... I'll stop... Just saying.... Earth will out live the human race... We are not the first species to live and die on this planet... It's something to think about...

There is a lot about this book that is a lot about me as a person too... This story grinds right down to the bottom of me. Characters and places in the books fit into my life in a way that only I know. I think we all do that as storytellers... This is my therapy... My way of solving the worlds problems... Without making them my own problems. Coping is a skill just like creativity, writing and storytelling. Being artistic is a skill we must learn and harnessing our gifts is how we grow as artists... And we are all gifted... The truth is... in different ways. This is what makes us all different and 'Art' uniquely celebrates those differences. It is important to recognize our own gifts and use them to understand who we are and where we fit into our world. It is as equally important to recognize the gifts of other artists who are on their own journey.

"I've never had so much fun 'ending the world'..."

All in all, I am about twenty four chapters from the end of the world as humankind knows it to exist and I've never had so much fun 'ending the world'. What I'm really excited about is where the story is headed. I can't tell you what happens... Just read the book when it comes out. This all leads into the third book.... The ending of this book is so much fun to write... I don't want the writing of it... to end...

"If I say too much, it will spoil book two..."

You know when you start doing something so creative and interesting it almost becomes a drug of choice. I am having so much fun writing this story that I as the author can't even put it down... I wrote four chapters yesterday... Boom ... Just like that... It's as if the story is screaming inside of me trying to get out and I won't feel better until I've put the whole thing on paper and it's out of mind and body. This is what artists have to deal with on a daily basis. The third book in the series is in the planning stages... If I say too much, it will spoil book two... But it definitely won't disappoint the reader... The third book's working title is 'The Tree of Life'... It's been secretly planned since the first book, 'The Dark Particle'. Just what I mean by 'The Tree of Life' remains to be discovered by the reader. Basically, there is more than just our own biological tree of life that exists in the universe. If life exists in the way we understand it, then life must exist in other places of the universe, even in places we wouldn't expect it to exist or survive. What really defines life? Biology is a layer that sit on top of geology and we really don't understand what role temperature plays in the process of sustaining life. Sorry... Now, I sound like the Discovery channel... Ok... Well it's still very much a work in progress. I'm still fleshing out the concepts... Let's not get carried away here...

"I will make a preview copy that I can go through and destroy..."

As for 'The Sentient'... Once I finish the last twenty four chapters currently in progress... This will be the completion of what I affectionately call my 'third draft'. My first and second drafts are usually developed as I develop the story line. Then, I will smooth the story line (usually just minor adjustments to the content.. If any), fix punctuation, grammatical problems and format it. Finally, I will make a preview copy that I can go through and destroy (my fourth draft). Once all my corrections are completed... (I don't rush through any of these stages)... I release it for publishing... That is how 'The Sentient' will end for me... Lol

"I'm an artist and a storyteller..."

Writing the story is just part of writing a book. I want people enjoy the book without the problems that can develop during the writing process... Now... Knowing all of this... I am not perfect. I strive for it, but perfection only exists in a perfect world. If someday... Someone picks up 'The Dark Particle' series and says "Hey... I'm a book editor and this would sell like crazy... Maybe I can republish this and really sell the hell out of it... Or maybe not..", I wouldn't stop them from going for it and giving me royalties from it. I wouldn't mind if they wanted to make a movie out it too. I'm just happy for the fact... I have written it the way I felt it should be written... Using my best writing skills and the best creative work I can produce. I'm just being realistic... I'm an artist and a storyteller... That is the goal... That is my life. These are the tools I use to develop as an artist, expressing my inner most thoughts...

Enjoy and keep Living a Creative Life!

The world is a very different place today than what it was when I grew up. The world ‘is’ what the majority wants it to become. Technology has consumed almost every aspect of our lives. People have abandoned their lives for the life that exists in a machine. It’s kind of like a virtual reality lie we create and then threaten ourselves with if we don’t measure up to the face in the mirror.

"Artificial intelligence is alive in the social media state of mind..."

We have brought technology into our personal lives and let it define ourselves. In a mind that was raised on classic science fiction and fantasy novels, technology has redefined what artificial intelligence has become. It turns out…The idea of artificial intelligence has moved from those classic science fiction novels and has turned up on the Internet. It is alive in the social media state of mind. Ouch!... that kind of hurt. It’s not who we really are as people. It’s who we want people to think we are and have become. It’s our own personal ‘Hollywood’ dream world turned reality… And keeping up with ourselves has become something of an online conundrum.

We are stressed… people are on edge because of the idea that they should be instantaneously gratified to feel successful and it is simply not fulfilling their life goals. The goal shouldn’t be about winning everything and being the best of the best. Someone will lose that game…and it is usually those who force everything too far forward. The dream should be about mastering yourself, not others. I am glad I won’t be around to see how everything works out for the Millennials who in my opinion have a lot of growing to do.

The key is to turn negative stresses into positive stresses. One way, is to think of someone that is in greater need than you…then go help them. You will feel better and you will have accomplished something for the greater good.

"Creativity is the art of focusing on what makes you great..."

Another way, is to ‘recreate you’. Take yourself out of the environment or the thought process that is stressing you. Know that there is pain, but it doesn’t last forever. Focusing on the good can lead to even more good things and thoughts. Creativity is the art of focusing on what makes you great. Ok.. so here is a list of my stresses… I have nothing to hide.

Negative Stresses

1.External noise, Annoying (Audible)
2.Internal Noise, negative (Self Talk)
3.Bad day at work
4.Shitty Boss
5.Shitty Job
6.Being Alone
7.Fear of the dark
8.Having Anxiety (Yes.. having anxiety or even the fear of having anxiety can give a person stress)
9.Hopelessness
10.Busy Job
11.Being Stalked

When I look at this list… I see a world riddled with stress. My world is a stressful world. How do I cope with this? Sometimes I let too many external things try to plant themselves in my garden… so to speak. Then, they grow into real monsters that I have to cut down and burn. Usually, they end up burned into poetry, a chapter in a novel, or a drawing and then I feel better. Even our fears can take over our destiny.

We are all affected by the rocks life can throw at us. I’m not immune to the bad day at work or boss with a shitty attitude problem. These things happen to all of us. Being a sensitive person doesn’t help. For years, I struggled with how to ‘get over’ the crap that people flick at me and get into my artistic groove. Ok… granted the last couple of weeks have seemed like it has almost killed me, but it has taken everything I have to survive the rocks people have thrown at me lately. Although, despite my incredible will to survive the bullshit… like some of the problems that just don’t go away overnight without work… the question still remains… As a creative artist, how do I deal with these matters?

Use the creative process as a ‘tool’

Part of being successful and surviving the emotional pain these things can cause is realizing you don’t have to live in another person’s hell. Don’t let stress take control or have power over what makes ‘you’ powerful… your creativity. I took a long look at my list of negative stresses and realized once I was through the emotional impact of these things, they were actually good sources of inspiration. However, using them as inspiration for your art, doesn’t translate them into a good source of creativity. You must take it a step further, to get the energy flowing. This is where I like to use the creative process as a ‘tool’ to eliminate the negative stress, or redirect the stress into more positive energies and creativity provoking activities.

Creativity is a garden…

Creative ‘Tools’ to Foster Creativity (These are things I that find help me get past negative stress)

1.Listening to music while you write or paint
2.Working in a clean and loving environment
3.See yourself in your work
4.Visualizing yourself living in the future, not the past
5.Let yourself grow with the creation process
6.Daydream as you work, let your soul wander
7.Laugh at the past, Let the future amaze you
8.Breathe deeply (in through your nose and out through you mouth - then reverse the process – both have different benefits. This is a yoga technique – NOTE: Don’t do this while your oil painting… it is not healthy for your respiratory system to breath the solvents and paints involved in painting with oils)

Invoke positive experiences…

Just know… there are as many ways to cope as there are negative stresses. So, telling yourself ‘you can’t’ or… ‘you don’t know how’ is pretty much ‘you’… making an excuse, not creating art. These are all positive techniques that invoke positive experiences to grow and nurture your creativity. Creativity is a garden… The health of your garden depends upon the sources of nourishment and the kind of care you give it. Essentially, these techniques are successful conduits to better things and a better state of mind.

As a side note, it is important to realize, trying to harness your negative stress to aid you in the creative process usually ends in disaster. When I’m hopelessly stressed, everything I do usually comes out looking or sounding like crap. I find, once I shed the stress using the above creative techniques, I start heading in a direction that usually yields quality work.

Creativity lives in you… in everyone… Find it and it will find you… Enjoy! and Live a Creative Life!

I am, by nature, a very creative person. I need to have places I can thrive as an artist and a purpose that allows me to live my creativity. Purpose drives creativity, but what do I do when you have no inspiration or muse? I find it within myself. It is in all of us. It becomes the 'why' we work with our desire to be an artist and express ourselves. If there is a soul, it is truly set free by the creative nature that I am. I feel everything and I want to explore everything. I have always loved learning new things and finding new ways to explore the unknown within me.

Creative people handle change better than people who were taught to just ‘trust the equation.' For me, I like to know just how that equation was created... Almost every time.... I find that the equation has limits. We like to think we can model the real world with equations and facts, but in truth creative people, artists, writers and musicians are doing the same thing without limitations. As artists, we’re not trying to model the real world, we’re sharing our interpretation of how it makes us feel.

"Creative people handle change better than people who were taught to just ‘trust the equation'... "

I work as an electrical engineer. The work is engaging and interesting to say the least. However, it is mentally draining. It requires a close relationship with logic, structure, an ability to plan for contingencies, mathematical skills and the ability to use these skills to develop a purposeful design. The relationship is more like living with a best friend that thinks they know you better than you know yourself and that is where some people get lost as artists. I have a Bachelors Degree in Music. I studied Music composition and piano performance when I was in my twenties. I'm a good composer, but life didn't turn out that way for me (unfortunately). Like so many budding artists, had to accept reality. Eventually, I got a second Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering so I could make a decent living.

Essentially, I have an excellent balance between the logical side of my brain and the emotional part of my brain. However, I have had to learn to know when one should speak and the other should listen. Sometimes, I feel like a late bloomer in life, but I realize it’s this struggle between fact and fiction that makes art so amazing. Great art lives in both halves of the mind. Leonardo Da Vinci lived it everyday and so did many others. It's a balancing act between what is real and what is not real. When people talk about finding balance and becoming a well balanced person, this is exactly what they’re talking about.

"Storytelling is the engine of creation..."

When I was taught to compose music, I didn't just learn about the notes, key signatures, chord changes and so on. I learned how to tell a story. While I was learning to compose, I was learning to write. I took university writing classes to enhance my storytelling skills. And yes... there is structure to every story and in music. The human mind is a pattern seeking machine that craves structure. The need for structure is deeply wired into our brains. It is part of our basic animal instincts. Storytelling is the engine of creation. Everything around us is a story and we are a part of it. Every life we touch, everything we do and every person who touches our life creates a complex woven web of change that can be defined as a journey of the souls. We are not alone, but the experience personalizes our journey. We are the journey, the experience. This is what makes art so personal and not just how we create it, but how we feel when we hear a song, see a painting and read a book. The story is the connection to the soul. It is the foundation that we build ourselves upon as we learn to change and adapt to the world around us.

"It's my responsibility to be the creative person that I was taught to be and then teach others how to explore their own creativity..."

None of this is new... I grew up on this knowledge. I'm blessed to have many great teachers throughout my life. I learned that the greatest teacher to influence my life... is myself. It was up to me to take all of these experiences and use them as I travel on my journey. it is up to me to use what I know to be the best person/artist/engineer/designer/everything that I need to be. When I feel like I'm going through a dry spell or can't seem to find the drive to be the creative person I naturally strive to be, I look at myself. I don't blame others. I don't whine about it. It's my responsibility to be the creative person that I was taught to be and then teach others how to explore their own creativity. My mentors and teachers expect me to use what I learned to grow and to evolve. Knowledge and understanding is a gift. Being creative and using that knowledge is our divine purpose, not just as artists, but as human beings.

Find your creative soul… Find your heart of hearts…

Enjoy! and Live a Creative Life!

I have been thinking about my friendships... Everything from day one forward and I have learned some interesting things. First, I think its interesting my strongest most well bonded relationships have always been with women. I'm not talking about love or sexual relationships... I'm referring to quality, trust, respect and kindness. My relationships with the few male friends that I have are not well bonded and have an element of unpredictability I am just not all that comfortable with, but we endure...

Second, I find men to more restless, more anxious. They are just not satisfied with today... so... they have to go out and find tomorrow. I suppose this is why I haven't had the life long friendships others have and I am so wishful for.

So... I was trying to put together in my mind the three strongest women I have known and influenced me the most. I am not naming them... I respect these people and have valued their minds and the hearts, more than any person I have known my entire life.

Recently, I have been working on my dedication to my second book "The Sentient". I was struggling at best to find the one thing that sings in my heart. Until, I started thinking about my friendships, especially those I have had and have with women.

So... This is what I came up with... I didn't want to name any names, because there are so many...

This dedication will appear on the dedication page of my next book... "The Sentient"


To know a woman
Is to learn her wisdom...
When to be strong...
And how to change the world


The Sentient

The leads to my current progress on "The Sentient", Book Two of the Dark Particle Series. I am about halfway through the first draft. It is taking shape and developing very nicely, maybe even better than I had hoped. It is a difficult story to tell, mainly because it spans many years between books and the characters change and grow over time as well. The story is challenging (At least to me it is lol). I'm working very hard to make sure the science works well with the story and makes sense. I like the details and the experience of writing a story into a novel. I have found that I grow and change alongside the characters in the book while I write and create the story.

Writing this book is indeed exciting. I am on chapter 18. However, what it was lacking was an antagonist. Yesterday... It finally came to me, and this character is just the contrast I was looking for. Elizabeth Fenton truly believes that aliens are going to take over Earth. The idea is to provide an opposite to the already great characters I have established. Like Eko Hamada in the first book, this character contrasts the story and creates a very important subplot in the story. I like variety, and having a character that falls outside the 'norm' gives me a chance to stretch my legs as a writer and my readers a break from the main part of the story. She may even try to stow away aboard the spacecraft they are escaping in... it will make for an interesting twist.

What I'm trying to say here... is that subplot can intermingle with the main story, but have its own twists and turns, which makes the story even more interesting. Now... I'm not telling you how to write your own stories, but I am suggesting that you can play with the way the story is told, by adding some twists and turns in the plot.

Just know... too much can lose your readers to the bottomless void of subplot and then your main story line becomes lost. Now... your story line is wandering in the dark, trying to find its way back into the foreground. Just be wary of how much depth you give the subplot. Your readers will fill in the gaps. keep everything in balance and your story line will be enhanced by the subplot. Contrast is important and finding the right balance between your main plot and your subplots can be a deal breaker for the reader. This is why reading your writing is very important to get a feel for how the story line and the subplots interact.

Anyway... Elizabeth Fenton will evolve like the other characters in the story. She has had a rough child hood… having parents with strange interests and experiencing the Goth lifestyle in her teens. Her fanaticism borders on mental illness. I don’t usually write about mental illness, just because of the implications it can have. Mental illness is not something we joke about, but it can make a good construct for a story. Read my short story titled, “Doppelganger” in my first book. You will see what I mean. So… it is sort of a touchy subject.

I really don’t want to give away too much of the story relating to “The Sentient”. Just enjoy my books, keep writing and ‘Living a Creative Life…’

Presentation is everything. Many years ago, I was a printer. I ran small presses and shot plates... Basic stuff... Amazingly, the things I learned as a printer, has made my publishing much easier and a flawless process.

1. My original cover for The a Dark Particle was actually darker purple than it is now. I forgot that when you put a clear lamination over a dark printed color, it makes the actual ink look darker than it really is... I quickly corrected this for the public release of this book. My first two book releases had lighter colored covers. So, this wasn't an issue until I published The Dark Particle.

2. I use the 6" x 9" book format because when I hold a book in my hands... I want to relax with the book and enjoy it. I can't do that very well if it's a small paperback. The 6" x 9" size still fits in a purse or brief and it looks nice. Yes.. I want a book to look appealing and still have it fit in the hands. I honestly feel that if a person buys a new book, they should get quality for their hard earned money. The finished product should have great artwork, quality printing and of course an engaging and interesting story to read.

3. I use the cream colored paper because for me... It's easy on the eyes. White paper can get so blinding and bright, which distracts the reader from the whole point of reading a book... to enjoy it. Also, in my honest opinion, cream colored paper has a much classier look. It looks more like the work of a novelist and much less like a textbook.

4. When I publish a book, I think of all the ways readers will enjoy my writing and then I try to give them the best possible price. I don't make any money from my books. I set the selling price the lowest I can and then hope that somebody will be interested enough to read my work. The price my readers pay is the purely the cost of printing the book and getting it in their hands to read. Maybe this is selling myself short, but considering how many books are being published each year and compare that with how many readers there are today, I have to do the best I can, just to get anyone to look at the cover of my books.

5. I don't like clutter. When I format my writing for the printed page, I like to keep my pages simple and free from any text crowding. This also starts to touch on why I write in such a unique format. I want my readers to be able to have something they can read coming home on the train or waiting at the doctors office. I want engaging stories, interesting plots, but easy to carry and books that don't eat up your free time just to finish reading.

6. Writing and publishing books is much more than just putting sentences together and fixing spelling. It's more than creating subplots and rewriting endings. It's about connecting with your readers. It's about creating a book that readers will treasure and visit again someday. It's about being original and giving the reader quality.

7. Keep your covers simple. It's that easy... Anything else will make potential readers run away and never even consider reading your book. Use good composition, use complimentary colors and most importantly... It must be high quality and look professional. The cover is the first things people see when they look at your book. Wow them... Make them want to look inside and then your words can take them on a journey only you can show them.

I really hope these ideas will help you in your writing and publishing endeavors. I have put a great deal of thought into how I publish a book as well as how I write a book.

Keep writing and Live a Creative Life... Enjoy!

The Sentient... The second book to the Dark Particle series. I'm on Chapter 7. When I was writing the The Dark Particle, I already worked the story out for about three books. However, when I started actually committing words to paper (so to speak) or in this case... iPad... Lol... First, I had to do something important... Something that takes a story or idea and gets a person writing. That 'something' was a 'Plan'.

A plan gives you a roadmap to follow as you are writing the story. It's not a story and it's not the actual words. It's really like a sketch of how the characters move through the plot you have devised. It's sort of like the blueprint that helps the contractor construct a building, without the plan... Well... We could end up with a mess on our hands. So, I usually work very hard at creating a plan before I create the completed story. It keeps me organized and on track to writing a story that makes sense to me and the reader.

In fact, I probably write a little more often and much more carefully when I have plan to follow. Right now, I'm back to a chapter a day. On some days, I may even write two chapters, but mostly I take my time and concentrate on how the characters change and interact. Yes.. It sounds simple, but it can be challenging. It's the challenge that makes writing books interesting and fun. When I'm writing, it's almost like I'm chasing a dream or an idea. After a few months of following my plan and writing a little bit each day (don't misunderstand... sometimes I rewrite chapters or parts of chapters to make the story flow better), I end up with a novel that I can complete and publish. It's like the little engine that could... A little bit at a time.. Each day... And the reward of something original and unique becomes your accomplishment... Your moment in time.

A plan is how most people who do anything creative usually work. Just throwing paint around on a canvas is great at first, but this doesn't solidify your ideas into something others can see and connect with. So... Here's an idea... Take something you like and be inspired to do what it inspires within you to do or become. Make a plan...

And live a creative life... Enjoy!

Yes... it's happening. I finally released my latest novel titled "The Dark Particle". It's actually very exciting to get my first novel out there where people can read it and enjoy it for what it is. There is also a great deal of anxiety that goes along with all of this. The word 'first' digs in deep. Up until now it has been short stories and poetry. I ask myself if I really am serious about writing and sharing my imagination with the world and my answer to this would be... yes... I suppose I really am serious about this because I am writing a sequel to this novel. The story carries onward... like life. Please order my book (it is currently available on Lulu.com only) and take some time to read it. I want people to read my work and to find enjoyment in it.

As I work on the sequel, I realize even though I have the story and the plot, there is a great deal of structuring and actual writing to do. This is an exciting part of the process, because I learn so much about my characters and who they are becoming. The story goes on... But the characters evolve and develop too. The sequel focuses on Karishma and her life with Camille. It also anticipates the return of Dr. Benjamin Russell and Rachel Hollander. However, it also follows their lives and the end of the human race. However, this is not the end... This story will go on too. After all... This is science fiction and about the survival of the human race.

Yes... after all that rambling, I do have a point to make. Having a plot/story is not enough... to write a really good story, you must have a plan.

Read, write your story... and Enjoy!