Update

Hey everyone and happy new year.

I can't believe it's the year 2010! Where are all the flying cars and houses on the moon? I guess that might be more realistic in the year 2020, or maybe even 2100. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Here is a quick update to get everyone out there reading a chance to catch up (listen up all three of you).

Back in August of 08 I started writing again (I had previously, but nothing too serious). I thought it would be a good idea to start this blog as a way of keeping track of what I was doing and maybe give some inspiration to other writers out there.

Between August and November I wrote three short stories and submitted them to various magaziens etc. to be published. FYI I used Duotrope's Digest to find sites to submit to. All three were horror/sci fi and around 5,000 words. As of now none of them have been published, but I am still hopeful. I'm a reasonable person and I know that I can't expect to get my stories published right away when I still have so much to learn.

In December I started a new story, but unfortunately have had a hard time finding time to work on it. I am just now finishing the first draft and hope to be finished with it soon. The current story (The House Next Door) has been very challenging. I have basically one character who spends a good 75% of the story sitting around in his house not doing much. I think part of the difficulty has been not having big chunks of time to work on it. I'm much more productive when I have at least two plus hours a writing session.

I think this is going to be a good year. I'm shooting for at least one new short story a month and I am really optimistic about getting one of them published.

Wish me luck!

Book Review: Ender's Game

This being a "writers" blog, I thought it would be appropriate to include book reviews. My first review is on Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. The 20th anniversary audiobook edition. If your looking to pick up a copy; here it is on Amazon.com http://xrl.in/2xwm. You can also read a review from the author there.

Quick Summary: Set in the future, Ender is a six year old boy sent away to battle school where he must learn to save mankind from an alien species known as "The Buggers."

Review (no spoilers): I had a friend in high school (maybe it was middle school) who tried to get me to read this book. “It's about aliens and video games,” he said. I'm not sure why I wasn't immediately sold; guess I was too busy reading about dragons and wizards. He ended up telling me about how the book ended, and I thought it sounded interesting, but never got around to reading it.

I finally got around to reading Ender's Game; listening to it to be more exact. Ender's Game is a great read. I like how it's a story about kids acting and speaking like adults even though they are very leery of them. It would be easy to forget how young most of the kids are until one of them calls the other a "fart eater."

Really, the only thing I didn't care for in the book the number of battles in battle school. They were entertaining at first, but got old fast. I didn't feel like they moved the story along. I felt like the author could have said everything he needed so say about these battles in two or three of them. It would be a bit like JK Rowling taking chapter after chapter to explain every aspect of every Quidditch match in the Harry Potter books. Sure, its fun to read a little here and there, but it's not the real meat and potatoes of the story.

What was most interesting to me was the interaction between Ender and his classmates; despite having the odds against him he still managed to make friends. Equally interesting was Ender's struggle to be a peaceful person despite every aspect of his surroundings trying to make him a killer.

I highly recommend this book.

Please feel free to leave comments about this review

*Photo from Amazon.com