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iceofwolf

aka Laughing Wolf
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Inside Echo

2 min read
A very long time ago, I was asked to present an explanation of my story, Echo: Death, which began with Sylph.  I procrastinated so long because I held the notion that if the story needed explanation from the author, then it wasn't successful as a thought-provoking story with depths deemed worth exploring by its readers.  It took some time to accept that... that's okay!  I still wrote the story that I wanted to write, and I'm okay with writing just for myself.  It's an added bonus when my readers enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing.  :aww:

Oh, and also, I procrastinated because I kept wanting to finish a long overdue chapter, so I never let myself focus on typing out the spoilerific explanation requested.

I know the poll preferred a bullet list, but some of the spoilers in the chapters just needed more words.  If you only want the bullet point hints nudging you toward important details and then truly want to reread the arc (I would love you), then stop reading where you stop seeing bullets and start seeing text walls.

This was an experiment from the start, so any comments you have on the project are greatly appreciated.

Inside Echo, a Non-Fatal Spoiler




Listening to:  Aniron by Enya.
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Quick Update

2 min read
I'm not dead.  Nor is my writing.

I'll spare you the details, but I've been suffering writer's block lately.  Some of the blame for my lack of updates definitely lies in the distractions I allow myself, but please take me at my word and accept that I am honest with myself when I say the greatest fault truly has been writer's block in the form of fixation.  I was so dead set on writing the chapter the way I'd outlined it that I kept trying to write and rewrite sections that just didn't work.

Just over a week ago, I discarded everything I'd written for chapter 17 so far and rewrote the outline from a completely different angle.  That, plus some new techniques I am employing, has freed the ink to flow from my pen once again.  It's slow-going, but nowhere near as slow as the last few months.  I'm halfway done.

I'm not going to hold myself to posting new writing every week.  Some writers can force themselves to write and produce brilliant art.  That's wonderful for them, and I'll admit I'm a bit envious, but I'm not them.  All that forced writing creates for me is frustration.  Which... in turn... leads to writer's block.  So, I hope you're still hanging with me and looking forward to the continuation of both my novels.



Listening to: I have adopted Solar Fields as a creative focus.  Water Silence is a good example of their active and ambient sound.
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I've been absent.

That counts as a few, right?  I've been busy, and it hasn't all been fun and games and ignoring my (self-imposed) responsibilities.  Two things have collided to all but stunt my writing.

1) Not So Much A Promotion
I got a lateral transfer at work before I left for England.  It wasn't a promotion, per se, but it came with more responsibility and more deadlines.  In my previous team, I could function at 60% capacity and still complete my assigned work.  I even had time within that 70% to organize and improve workflow, which... meant I could operate at less than 70% and still come out ahead. 

My new team is much more mentally challenging, which I very much needed, and is putting me right up there at (and over) 100% to manage the workload... initially.  I'm finding the shortcuts and tricks that improve my productivity as I go along, but it still involves much more interaction with the public, so I'm not sure I'll get back to 70%.

A lot of my writing was done at work in the past.  I still snap my pen to paper every break I get that isn't otherwise entangled, but that's no comparison to the nearly two and a half hours I once estimated I spent staring off into space or writing in my old team.  It's a much better place that I've moved to in my workplace — I feel challenged and energized once again — but it has lost me a large chunk of my writing time that I need to make room for elsewhere in my daily routine/life.

2) Building Body
I began a fairly intense program just seven weeks ago: six weeks of going to the gym for a hard workout three days a week.  That may not seem like much; it's only nine hours out of a hundred and sixty eight.  To put the effort into perspective, when I started, my max bench press was 135.  When I finished last week, I was pushing 195.  It's been exhausting.  I'm still going to the gym three days a week, but the routines aren't as demanding and I can go on my own schedule now. 

Why am I doing it?

Someone might ask or care.  I'm getting older and that youthful metabolism that protected my teenage self from all night donut and pizza binging takes more and more frequent vacations.  I want to reclaim the health I sacrificed when I spent a year drinking moderately just over ten years ago (seriously sacrificed, like with virgin olive oil and rubber chickens and tofu; I gained sixty pounds in just that one year) and I need to make up for my slacking metabolism, maybe even kick it back into gear.

Neither of these excuse the severe drought of writing on this page, but they are contributing.  I haven't given up or stopped writing, it's just taking me some time to switch gears and find time for it where I won't resent losing another activity.
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There's an icebreaker.  I've been back from England for a week, now.  My sunburn was gone within a couple days, but the jet lag just wouldn't give up.  My sleep cycle is still off.

To answer the question consuming the tip of your tongue:  It was great.  I actually paid attention when we ... oh.  The other question?  Right.

The real question:  Soon.  Chapter 16 of Tao is halfway done, and I'm hoping to finish it this week for proofing, then posting over the weekend.  I also have some 800 deviations in my inbox to page through.

In short, I'll be back on task and back on schedule in no time.
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Up and Away

1 min read
I board a plane in six hours to spend sixteen days away from the world I know.  I'll be in England with my mom and am uncertain how much internet access I'll have.

Regular story updates will resume beginning in the first weekend of June.
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Featured

Inside Echo by iceofwolf, journal

Quick Update by iceofwolf, journal

A Few Words of Absence by iceofwolf, journal

I Got Sunburned in England by iceofwolf, journal

Up and Away by iceofwolf, journal