Welcome to Project: One Million Words
The purpose of this project is to write one million words of entertaining content within the span of of a year. Posts dedicated to this project will track my progress with totals my day and month, showing graphical highs and lows. I am taking on this challenge because I want to become a better writer. Expand my vocabulary, master sentence structure, and perfect my power of the written word. That comes from exercising the creative power of writing. Like any muscle, it will become stronger through a regular training schedule. It needs proper fuel, and proper exercise. This is why my focus of the specific posts will be to write final draft quality content. Does anyone actually produce final draft material which should be considered rough draft? No! But, my mental state is to aim for final draft. I will not engage in mental diarrhea and detail the exploits of my daily activities of work and doing laundry or whatever mundane task ravenously consumes my time.
One might ask, why one million words? The answer comes from a writer I met at Comic Con (SDCC - San Diego Comic Con) 2015 by the name of Maxwell Alexander Drake. I had the pleasure of speaking to him personally at his booth, and attending one of his panels where he talked about plotting. As part of that discussion, he encouraged all of use future writers to practice writing. Based on his personal approach to writing and experiences, becoming a writer of any caliber worth any coin of the realm, comes from writing. He believes that you shouldn’t attempt to write to get paid until you’ve logged one million words. At that point, then you can start to write that series of books aching to be told.
Maxwell, in that moment, spoke truth to me. A computer programmer by trade, logic speaks clearly to me, and his approach to writing is very logical and sound. Follow his steps, and you can become a paid writer as well. Maxwell also noted that even though he writes professionally, he’s always improving. His fans have told him his latest book is better than his last. Thats good. You want to always improve, or at least attempt to improve. The Rock (Dwanye Johnson) noted recently on his Instagram account how people constantly ask why he pushes himself so hard these days. You’re not broke. His answer is always the same; “Exactly. That’s why.”
Now that I’ve established a reason for one million words, how does one go about writing one million words in the span of one calendar year? Easy! You take 1,000,000 words and divide that 365 days. That gives you 2,740 (round up) words per day. Is that overwhelming? I don’t know. I feel that once my creative juices get rolling, I can easily get to 1,000 words. Although, my mind is wandering at this point, looking for structure of his to write and finish my first blog post and sitting on 500 words so far. Daunting or not, I will complete this. Not just attempt it, but complete this project. By completing this project of one million words, I expect my prose to be better defined, easier to produce, and enjoyable to read. But, most of all, I expect that writing will become a habit. I would think that doing something for 365 consecutive days to be a habit. This is one habit I want to adopt and joyously embrace.
Influencers:
As I get into a daily blogging routine, let me share my influences, both old and recent.
I have always been a fantasy fan. Lords of the Rings, the Thomas Covenant series, that vein of stories. Massive epic stories spanning generations, eons, and books. I like that. It speaks to me. It calls to me. But, I am not myopic in my tastes. Many years ago I read a wonderfully educational and entertaining biography on US president, Thomas Jefferson. I enjoyed immensely. I still have the book. I may never read that wonderful tome again, but I keep it as a testament to my enjoyment of non-fiction works.
As much as I enjoy the written word, I have also become a fan of audiobooks. The written word - spoken. Jim Butcher’s - The Dresden Files is an excellent series. I’m on book 8 right now. While I enjoy having the book read to me, I sometimes get lost as I think of Jim’s prose. Why he chose that word, or that sentence structure. Coming out of a daze, I have to smile at myself and rewind a bit and listen again to enjoy the story. If you’ve not ventured in audiobooks, and enjoy fantasy, I highly recommend the Dresden Files.
If you’re interested in Jim Butcher, here’s his wikipedia page:
Staying in the realm of audiobooks, I have to share my latest passion of dramatized audiobooks by Galaxy Press. They offer both paperback books and audiobooks of the pulps stories written by L. Ron Hubbard from the 1930’s and 1940’s. I enjoyed some of Hubbard’s works in the past, but had no knowledge that he write pulp stories. How good could they be? Well, while at SDCC 2015, I came across the Galaxy Press booth and talked with the people there and the discussion turned to audiobooks. Not regular audiobooks, but dramatized storytelling. Using voice actor and a massive sound effects database, each of the 150+ pulp stories written by L. Ron Hubbard were brought to life with with musical score, voice actors, and sound effects. Action. Adventure. Mystery.
One rep at the Galaxy press booth let me listen to a sample of the story “Under the Black Ensign”. All I needed was about 20 seconds to get hooked. I felt like I was transported into the story. It was alive. Right there I purchased three CDs. I have enjoyed each one, and do not regret the purchase. In fact, I am now attempting to collect all of the CDs and listen to all 150+ stories. They range from 20 minutes to 2 hours each. Here’s a link to their site:
I have always been a fan of the old radio serials, before television. When the sounds from the radio were all you had to create a vision in your mind, Sometimes, that can be more powerful than a weak director’s perception, and sad presentation of said story. These dramatized audiobooks by L. Ron Hubbard are fantastic. Not only for the entertainment value as a whole, but Hubbard’s command of the written word. My mind gleefully giggles at the thought of how he constructs his sentences, his choice of words, and now, having listened to many of his stories, how he can get stuck on a particular phrase or word. For example, Hubbard often described a character as “raking” their sight over a subject. I like the choice of the word, the first time, but not every time. It looses his value to me, as the listener. I am enthralled with Hubbard’s pulp stories right now. That may pass, but for now, its a treat to listen to. Not only for the entertainment value as a whole, but Hubbard’s excellent story telling. One may argue that his old pulps stories were purposely written that way, but when you consider the unimaginable volume of work he produced in the 30’s and 40’s, he was perfecting his craft in the niche. It worked, and fans loved it then, and now, fans are loving, again.
Say what you will about other aspects of L. Ron Hubbard and his beliefs, I find his writing ability to be a wonderful study. Certainly, I will be influenced by his storytelling ability.
Read books:
I don’t have other clear influencers in my life right now. I’ll probably be influenced by others as I read their books. Reading books, I believe, is just as important as writing on a regular basis. Exposure to other styles of writing combined with the practicing writing results in better content. A higher quality of entertainment, with the end result of more money made from sales.
Let’s me be honest here. Making money from writing is what I want to do. I have always fancied myself an author, selling the movie rights to my books. I’m no writing or author snob. I do not value being a poor writer solely focused on the craft of writing, casting sour looks and pity upon those prositituting authors who favor a dollar for their time and skills. Thats not me. I have an ego, and knowing that I sold one million books, and have three movie deals, with a fat bank account is no measure of shame against my beliefs.
As part of this project, I declare my desire to read more books from different authors and different genres. For example, I am working my way, albeit slowly, through the book “The Vegetarian Myth”, by Lierre Keith. She has strong opinions, a fascinating look at vegetarianism - and that’s all fine. Agree or disagree, it does not cloud her ability to write well. Words, sentences, paragraphs all flows wonderfully together. I am being educated and entertained at the same time. My copy of the book is a personalized autographed copy. But, don’t let that detract from my recommendation of this book. Its worth a read.
I have been a comic book fan for, dare I say, decades. Being the visual medium that it is, the written words is not as commanding. Many writers in the comic book realm make a living writing outside of comics. While I may not find value in the words they use, I do appreciate the ability to convey a story. I won’t actively use comics as a reference, but there’s no denying reading a lot of comic books in my life has affected my storytelling.
What can readers expect from my blog posts? The primary drive of the posts is to entertain. I might do that with an one of more on-going serialized stories, or maybe short adventure stories. Secondarily, I will sprinkle in tips and tricks I’ve learned from my experience through this projects as well as those I’ve learned from other professional writers. Summary - entertain and educate. And, act as a time capsule so I can return to the scene of the crime and laugh and cry at my prior attempts at writing.
I’m also a statistics fiend, so expect to see graphs and charting of my progression to one million words. Having got this far and logging 1,800 words, I’m determining that maybe 2,800 words per day is too aggressive. I’ve been working on this blog post for 90 minutes and I still have 900 more words to write. I have other duties and responsibilities in life, and I do not yet possess the time for allocation to authorship. Perhaps, on this road to one million words, I will be able to expel 2,800 words a each day, but I may have to reassess my goals, even before reaching the end of my first blog post. Ha! Its not just about speed or quantity. Sure, I want to write one million words sooner than later, but I also want it be of quality. I want any time you invest into my blog posts to have value, to you. If you can live your life through my experience, then please come along for the ride. There’s room for others. Let’s take this journey together.
Self promotion:
Full disclosure, I am a published author. In today’s world that may not carry the same importance in times past with the ease in which people can self-publish in ebook and Print On Demand mediums, but I am published. For all the ease of self-publishing, many talk it, but few do it. Fewer still, do it well. For my inaugural book, you find it on Amazon. Its titled “How to Get Rid of Mice”, by Kris Andrews. Its in Kindle format only at this point, but will be working on a Print On Demand version. I want to understand that market as well. Also, I want a tangible book I can hold in my hands.
In the vein of reassessment, I may have to limit myself to a set amount of time. I can’t offer any concrete time limits right here and now. This is a work in progress, and I’ll react and flow as needed to complete this project in a way which best satisfies me. And who knows, maybe I’ll pick up a few fans along the way, and I’ll have to reassess again to meet the demands of my readership. If others can find value as I go through this, than all the better for everyone.
The Way of the Toe, Part 1:
As a closing effort, I’ll write about the sudden and unexpected death of my pet cat, Toe. In these stories, I hope to collect them together as tribute to a truly remarkable, and sadly, short life.
The blackness of his fur against a moonless night could no more define his presence than processed sugar on a mound of snow. His bulky strength, augmented by his stomping feet ever so accented by the slight clicking sound of cat claws on hickory hardwood floors was his signature. If ignored, his battering ram forehead was sure to demand attention. Persistent nudging and rubbing for attention could only be outdone by his occasional, and excited biting. Not hard biting. Those cautious and loving bites which develop in a relationship between pet and owner.
For all his presence, a perceived missing link was notable fro his character. He wasn’t slow or stupid, but something was off. Perhaps a side-effect of his kittens years where a cold of grave congestion threatened to end his life there. Had I not pick up his small body and fragile will at the time, and forced him to fight, to breath, a struggle through the sickness upon him, he would most likely not have lived the few precious years we shared together. Perhaps, there was a moment or two where the precious oxygen had not been slowing to all parts of his body with proper flow and pace. Perhaps the seeds of an abrupt end were sown at that time.
It saddens me to contemplate such matters of any measure. A ruinous road, one which should be paved with cat treats and a celebration of life. Rather than torture myself of the infinite reason of his passing, I prefer to smile and gorge myself on the wondrous memories we had together. While Toe and I enjoyed our time together, enhanced by my opportunity to work from home, he had an adventurous life in his own right.
In his time of transforming from kitten to young adult, Toe and his adventurous brother Creamy we led away from the house by their mother, Momma Kitty. Momma, while feral born, we assume as adopted owners, her kittens were house-born. Toe, one of four, travelled with his brother Creamy out to the unknown dangers of the rural landscapes which surround us. Upon Momma Kitty’s return, Toe and his brother Creamy were missing. Long and desperate did we call and search for the lost children. Giving way to the evening, we fretted over the certain end and loss of our kittens. Days past with no sightings. Concern and sadness turned to a belief of finality. They were lost to us.
Then, upon the sixth day, taking a bag of garbage out side, a slight movement in the grass near the front porch captured my attention. There, pouncing through the tall grasses after various bugs and butterflies was Toe. Toe! Inside of me, a scream of excitement was ready to volcano out of me. I feared that any excited movements or noises from me might scare him away. Slowly, casually, I navigated the grasses and got closer to Toe while talking to him and playful manner. With little effort, he got with grabbing proximity and I easily pick him up and took him inside where he enjoyed a brushing, treats, a meal, and a drink. It would be some time before Toe would be allowed outside. As to his brother Creamy, he showed upon the next day. A little worse for wear in his adventures, but no actual harm had become him. Starving was that little fellow.
Toe has many more stories, but this is a good place to stop.
As a final note, I won’t spend much time, if any, editing my posts. I will have a general idea for a post, then just write. If reading these posts, and they seem to jump around or appear haphazard at times, you’ll know why. I don’t want to say a stream of consciousness, but I don’t want to spend an excessive amount of time perfecting each posts, when the next post is expected to be better than the last.
Word Counts:
Daily 07/29/2015 = 2,878
July 2015 = 2,878
Project total = 2,878
