New Site

I've decided to move the blog to wordpress as I work to give the book some viral marketing boost through social media. Follow along at www.tsfranklin.com.

The Great Wall

I've been on a roll the last week or so, surpassing my goal of a minimum 400 words per day. But now I've hit a wall. Not writer's block or anything, I just don't know how I want the story to progress.

It's also been a dark storyline for a while, with the topic haunting my subconscious. I need to switch to the other side of the plot for a change, but I'm also feeling like I need to wrap up this section first.

These conflicts are encouraging my procrastination. I need to snap out of it!

~NitroDad

Painful and Challenging

I've just finished a very challenging portion of the book. The darkness and evil that are core elements of the topic I find hard to write. I honestly couldn't include the detail that I think was needed because of the emotional challenge. And this is only the first one. Multiple levels must be built.

But the anger and rage must be built before the readers will understand the result. Please stay out of my dreams....

~NitroDad

Progress, What Progress?

Since my last post, I have written exactly nothing in the book. I've opened it up a few times, browsed through, and then been pulled back into other projects. I need to focus more energy into this rather than goofing off in the evenings and on the weekends! Damn this nice weather...

~NitroDad

Slow and Steady

The book is coming along.....slowly. I'm struggling to build a rythm as I try and write while working my 9 to 5 and keeping up with the family happenings. I need the next winning lotto numbers so I can dedicate my entire day to the book!

Until then,
~NitroDad

Words Flowing

I've started writing! It is unbelievable how invigorating it is to express myself through written word. I feel like the burdens are lifted off of my shoulders and a peace takes over me. Maybe it's because I can pretend I'm the character I'm writing about or I can shift my darker thoughts onto the shoulders of the nemesis. Regardless, it's good to be doing something.

On the other hand, I find myself rewriting each paragraph everytime I read it. I need to focus and bang out a lot more copy before going through that process. Ah, the learning experience is in full swing!

Until next time,
~NitroDad

Transition

Some people call it fate, others refer to it as destiny; I prefer to view it as God's guiding hand. Whatever your beliefs, we have all experienced times when it seems there was a reason events occured. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend two hours having coffee with a guy who helped open my eyes during my search for the ultimate end-game. Marc Warnke has been extremely successful in his life and has written a book about what he calls "ONO", or Options Not Obligations in which he hopes to teach others not how to do, but rather how to think. Check out his blog (www.marcwarnke.com/blog) for details on the book and his expert advice.

Prior to our meeting, Marc and I both had different expectations for the meeting. It had been set up through a mutual acquaintance, so Marc and I had only met briefly at a workshop. I was looking forward to meeting an author and someone who had successfully matched his personal brand to his career. Marc thought I was an entreprenuer looking for a joint venture. But as we talked, we each came away with a different experience than what we expected. While I did get some great insight into the writing and publishing world, I found the conversation encouraged me to continue reflecting on what I am trying to accomplish with my life. It gave me ideas on how I want to live my life, and how I want to be able to have -- to quote Marc -- options, not obligations.

As I've shared in other posts, I feel like I am in a transition in my life. I am too young to be having a mid-life crisis (though I do have a tremendous urge to go purchase a new 'Vette), so I prefer to believe that I've reached a fork in the road. Both paths lead to different forms of success, I just need to--if you'll allow the motorcycle analogy--point my handlebars down the path best suited to my bike's performance abilities. It looks like both roads run parallel for now, so the decision is more simple; I can just cross the median if I choose. But soon, I know that one road will turn East, the other West, and there will be no turning back.

Until then, hold on tight, there are curves ahead.

~NitroDad