Decemberists
12/1/2020
Hello there!
Welcome to the new folks who have recently joined. Hope everyone is looking as forward as I am to wrapping up 2020 - only thirty more days to go! A few quick reminders:
If you read and enjoyed THE BLACK SKY, I would be grateful if you left a review or a rating at Amazon or GoodReads.
There’s a “music inspired by” soundtrack you can listen to at your favorite streaming sites like Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, etc. If you prefer physical media, you can also grab the album on compact disc at Bandcamp.
Speaking of the soundtrack, all of the original demos I wrote are available to stream at Soundcloud. Some of the songs completely changed, a few were slightly tweaked, many got tossed out. My original goal was to write the music along with the chapter using only two-to-three instruments per track. That way I didn’t get bogged down writing music and lose my focus on the book.
THE RED SKY Updates
There have been some major shake-ups in the follow-up to THE BLACK SKY. I thought that I had the whole thing plotted out, but when I sat down to actually start writing everything, I made it through the prologue and just stopped dead in my tracks. Something was off.
I went over the outline, again and again, thinking I had done a good job of setting myself up to dive right into THE RED SKY. But when I stalled, I reached out to some fellow writers for feedback, which they gave, and which made me stop and reconsider what I had outlined.
That led to some tough questions about characters, what sort of story they deserved, and what sort of story I wanted to tell. The end result: I’m in a better place now. I have a better handle on what needs to be told to properly follow-up THE BLACK SKY. None of this means anything at the moment. Some day, long in the future, maybe I’ll post the original outline for THE RED SKY after the book has been published. But for now, I’m back on track and like the direction I’m heading.
More updates to THE RED SKY playlist on Spotify. New additions include William Tyler, Before And After Science, Driftless, and Collapse Under The Empire.
I’ll have a special entry for the final newsletter of the year coming on the 15th related to THE BLACK SKY.
BAKING!
With the Fall/Winter firmly established in Ohio (we just got our first snowfall), having warm bread on hand is a necessity. I’m stretching out this year beyond my basics and trying some new recipes.
I tried a Peter Reinhart Focaccia Bread recipe that turned out delicious.
I also tried out a French Baguette recipe.
Not shocking - the reason they were successful was patience. Both required starting the bread in the evening, paying attention to follow some precise steps, letting the dough refrigerate overnight, and then doing a little more work before finally baking.
Each of these recipes had very simple ingredients but required very specific steps and timing. There is probably a lesson in there about writing.
Stuff I’m Into
Books - I finished LEVIATHAN WAKES! WOO! Really enjoyed the read. Next up is STORIES OF YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS by Ted Chiang. If you’re not familiar - it’s a collection of short stories, one of which became the film The Arrival.
TV/Movies - Watched Eater’s Guide To The World and Killing Eve (Season 3) on Hulu. I’ve started rewatching The Expanse (Amazon) from the beginning, and it’s been interesting comparing the book and show. The sixth and final season was just announced, which supposed will wrap up the first three books (there are nine total).
Also, I’m trying Arrested Development (Netflix) again. I made it through half of the first season previously before losing interest.
Music - POWER UP by AC/DC, It’s Christmas All Over by the Goo Goo Dolls, Shadow Of Fear by Cabaret Voltaire, Juvenile Universe by Blinker The Star
What are you watching, reading, listening to at the moment?
Stay Safe!
Tim