Last chance to pick up your free copy of “From the Hollow” from the Amazon Kindle store. You’ve got roughly ten hours left to get it, so get moving!
Monthly Archives: January 2013
About Me: Extended Edition
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I can’t sleep, as usual. To pass the time, I think I’ll write this entry you’re evidently about to read.
Random facts:
1.) I’ve had insomnia pretty much since birth. I never sleep well, and when I do, it’s typically only for two hours or so at a time. This is both a blessing and a curse, in that sleeping is awesome, but the lack of sleeping provides me with ample free time.
2.) I am from Pittsburgh, but I moved to Georgia four months ago on a whim. I had nothing to do here, no plans to speak of, but I decided one day to leave my home and move in with a friend of mine down here, effectively leaving behind everything I’d ever known. Parts of me regret this decision, but I still firmly believe it was a good choice.
3.) I started writing at a very young age due to my apparent inability to speak. I’m not mute, mind you. I simply cannot spit the words out when I have something of particular importance to say. I’ll sit there, crying, mouth agape, trying as hard as I can, but the words never come.
4.) The earliest thing I remember writing was a poem when I was about 10 or 11. I don’t recall the title or the words, but I do know it centered on a young boy running away from home and killing himself in a random back alley. I proudly showed it to my parents who were, needless to say, less than thrilled. A short time later I was informed that I was suffering from depression and social anxiety, two things I still struggle with to this day. Which brings me to…
5.) Crowds of strangers really freak me out. In my youth, it was almost unbearable being among a random group of people. I couldn’t speak, always felt like I was in the way or interrupting, as if I was watching myself from an outside perspective and pointing out everything I did in a negative light. I’ve gotten much more adaptable these days, but I still feel the familiar pangs of discomfort and often neglect joining in a conversation for fear of interrupting.
6.) Despite all my self-imposed shortcomings, I have been incredibly lucky in life. During my teenage years it seemed like the world was out to get me, everyone hated me, blah blah blah. Looking at my life now, however, reveals something quite jarring: I had it so easy. My parents always loved me, I always had a few close friends that were completely trustworthy, and not to brag or anything, but I am a rather intelligent individual. I could’ve just as easily ended up a dumbass with absolutely nothing in life save for a heroin needle or crack pipe if it wasn’t for the people I was surrounded with.
7.) It is very possible that I suffer from a genetic heart defect, one with is allegedly triggered by smoking, and yet I refuse to quit. I do not remember the name of it, nor do I really care. I may not be as depressed as I was fifteen years ago, but that doesn’t make me happy-go-lucky by any means. I very rarely look forward to what the future may have in store for me, and when I do, that’s just me looking forward to the next Fallout or Metal Gear Solid. I am in no rush to leave this world, but I am rather apathetic about remaining a part of it.
8.) I have three tattoos. One on each arm and one on my chest. Perhaps some day I will post pictures, perhaps not. This can be something you look forward to in your future, though I wouldn’t recommend it.
9.) I love animals much more than 99.9999999% of the human race. All animals, even insects. I do my best not to harm anything while I’m walking around. I am fascinated by spiders and quite enjoy watching them spin their webs. If I find a living creature in my house or bathroom or wherever, I am very likely going to pick it up and put it outside, not down the toilet.
10.) I am very bad at relationships. As stated in the fifth entry, I am incredibly difficult to deal with around people I don’t know. I am shy, awkward, easily intimidated, and often do my best to act like an asshole just to avoid meeting new people. When a girl comes along that I do grow fond of, I am uncertain of how to present myself, most often doing absolutely nothing in the hopes that she will randomly talk to me first. At the time of this post, that has yet to ever occur. You’d think I would know better by now.
That’s enough for now. I hope you all learned something interesting.
Consideration and Work Ethic
I’m currently contemplating entering the as-yet-untitled zombie book for Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award despite the fact that it’s less than halfway done and the deadline for entry is January 27th. This would require me to write roughly 2,500 words per day for the next ten days AND have all of my required editing and formatting complete.
I’m going to try my hardest. Even if I don’t finish it in time, it’ll certainly move things along for this book rather quickly. The real question is, do I have the perseverance to work that much on something that may ultimately (and in all likelihood WILL) fail?
I suppose we’ll find out together.
In other news, my other short is still available for free for another 26 hours. Grab your copy here:
The Futility of Requesting Payment
Things seem to be going well, all things considered, 25 people have thus far downloaded the currently free copy of my short entitled “From the Hollow.” It can be found here:
Clearly this is proving to be the best option. Maybe people want to read it without giving me a dollar. I’m cool with that. Honestly, I am. Still waiting for some reviews, though…
How to Shamelessly Self-Promote (Example Inside!)
One week ago today, I self-published a short 12-page story on Amazon Kindle. In celebration of that often regrettable decision, I’ve decided to put it up for free for two days.
Any reviews, criticism (constructive, please), or general thoughts about it are greatly encouraged.
From the Hollow is something that started out as an off-handed remark I made one night and ran with it. This was the result.
Enjoy. And again, anything you have to say about it, I want to hear. Don’t hold back.
Technical Difficulties
Currently I find myself at a standstill. I’m 34,000 words into this thing, this monster of a tale, and I know where I want to go but I can’t find a way to get there. This happens far too often; I need to write more detailed outlines instead of choosing a destination and working my way toward it aimlessly.
Doesn’t matter. I’ll figure it out one way or another. Tonight’s goal is to hit 36,000 words. I intend to reach that milestone within the next few hours. Wish me luck.
Formulaic Destiny
I have always been a bit of a night owl, for as long as I can remember. Nowadays I spend my nights and early mornings writing and researching what I’ll need for the future. Last night was no different as I was up writing my book until about 3am, then continued browsing various blogs and articles related to agents and book launches.
Sometimes I wonder why I do it, only able to focus on the negatives, asking why I bother when I will ultimately fail. Writing is indeed a labor of love, and it has become nearly the only thing I enjoy doing. For me, it is less about the money and more about spreading my work, hoping for constructive criticism from every possible source available.
Last night I reached 33,000 words. That is roughly 35%-40% complete, going by industry standards. It still requires weeks of attention, editing, proofreading, and rewriting, but that’s to be expected. At the moment I am just proud to be making progress each and every day.
Intro
My name is Nick. I am an aspiring writer and not much else more. It has come to my attention that it would be a good idea to start a blog, so I am going to do just that. Here goes:
I’m not entirely certain what I’m supposed to talk about here, but I suppose it could be just about anything. Hobbies or interests, movies, games, books…whatever. I choose to start with a tale.
On January 7th, I self-published a short story on Amazon Kindle entitled “From the Hollow.” I don’t know how good it is; I’ve yet to get a review on it. I’ve been whoring myself out on Facebook (much to my chagrin, I might add) in a vain attempt to get friends and family to cough up a dollar for my efforts. So far, these posts have generated a whopping 16 sales, of which I get 35 cents per unit sold. Ergo, I have made $5.60. Not bad, I suppose, unless you take into consideration the fact that Amazon doesn’t pay out unless you reach a minimum of $10 in royalties, which really means I have made a profit of exactly zero dollars. Discouraging, yes, but it has only been a week, so a glimmer of hope remains. I just have to find that hope and reinvigorate it.
My main project has been a book, for which I’ve yet to generate a title. It takes place in a semi-post-apocalyptic world in which zombies have taken over a vast majority of the human race, but most of the uprising has been quelled, resulting in very few survivors and even fewer zombies. To date there are only four of the creatures featured in my story, and I have no intention of adding more (though one idea of mine involves there being many more; perhaps some day you’ll see). Instead of revolving around zombies and physical struggle, it has much more to do with human beings and how they react in extraordinary situations. I often find myself asking “What would I do in this predicament?” or “How far would I go to protect the ones I love?” As a result, the main character often asks himself the latter question many times throughout the story, consequentially pushing him beyond his past self-imposed limitations. It is easier to make hasty decisions without worrying what society thinks, after all. In a world without a stable society, what are consequences? Do they even exist anymore? These are questions I am attempting to answer. Struggling, as the case may be at times.
I reiterate: perhaps, some day, you’ll see.
Nicholas Jae 