Hey, world. I’m not dead. Just real busy. However, that should give me a lot of post about. I just recently attended Apollo Con in Houston. That was a lot of fun. However, I seemed to halt all progress on the novel at that time.

I think that’s partially because I’m reading Dara Marks’ book Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc. All I can say is Wow! Things have gotten a little clearer for me story wise. This is like trying to take a sip of water from a fire hydrant. I’m sure I’ll have to read it again when I finish. It’s a screenwriting book, but I can see how this could be incredibly helpful to anyone writing any type of story. So far, I’m only about a third into it, but I can already see a few glaring holes in my novel that will need repaired.

I’ve also had my daughter for the past month and will have her until mid-July. This has been a welcomed distraction from writing. I can accept not being quite as productive during the summer months for her.

When I complete reading Dara’s book, I’ll do my best to give a more thorough reporting. However, if you’re the type of writer who cares about the mechanics (which I understand isn’t a necessity to be a great writer) than you’ll likely want to add this book to your collection–and obviously, read it as well.

Oh, and when the novel writing does pick back up, I plan to use Twitter to talk through the process. I’m not sure if this would be of interest or help to anyone, but you can follow my struggles at War Dogs of Mars.