David Meyer on Television

Some big news for me lately. As reported on my Facebook Page …

Just got back from Montana where I was filming my first major television appearance. I can’t say much at the moment, but I had a great time. Expect it to premiere sometime in the next 6 to 9 months … stay tuned!

Miasma Update

In other news, I finally moved Miasma past the 1/3 point today. It’s been slow out of the gate, as I’ve spent way too much time revising early drafts. My first drafts are very messy and full of inconsistencies. Characters are flat. Some vanish for no reason. Others die only to be resurrected. Subplots get dropped. Story points don’t connect. Locations change, sometimes in the middle of chapters. Some scenes go on and on. Others move way too fast. And so on.

In the past, I’d write 50 pages, become frustrated with the problems, and revert to endless rewrites. And that would work … to a degree. The section would markedly improve. But when I’d try to move the story forward, I’d hit more walls as I attempted to connect the new, messy material with the older, polished stuff. I’d then go back and start over again, often writing the first section over and over again, in several different ways, as I tried to figure out how to make everything fit together.

I’ve come to realize my creativity comes in waves. The first draft is going to be messy no matter what I do. But at the same time, it contains a layer of creativity. Further drafts add more creativity. Characters get combined and fleshed out. Story points get connected. Scenes settle into place. Moving forward, I’m going to take advantage of this. My plan is to finish the first draft of Miasma, warts and all. Only then will I begin the creative rewrites.

Chaos Update

I published Chaos way back in October 2011. I read it the other day and found myself dissatisfied with the writing style. I still like the story. But it’s a bit bloated. So, I’m thinking about publishing a second edition. I’m not even halfway through my first take and I’ve already cut over 10,000 words. Anyway I hope to get this done within the next month or so. And don’t worry … if you’ve already bought Chaos you should be able to update it to the second edition with no problem.

Word Count

Miasma: 22,076 words / ~80,000 words

Chaos (Second Edition): 32,045 words / 83,135 words (Words Cut = 10,102)