You may remember at the beginning of the month I made a little To Do list. You may also remember that I’m not the greatest of actually getting shit done.

That being said, Here was my To Do list for september -

1. Write everyday.
2. Finish the current Short Story I’m working on
3. Rewrite the last short story I wrote.
4. Start on novel. Get through a few chapters at least. Let’s say 5.
5. A couple of Doug updates. (I’ve gotten a bit behind on the Doug updating lately).
6. Let’s throw another short story in there just for the hell of it
7. Do other stuff too.

No. 1 - Fail - I tried to do this and managed for the first week or so but it kind of slowed afterwards and I took a number of days here and there and in between.

No. 2 - Pass! - That story I was working on was Where Wolf. I finished it like a mofo! You can read it here

No. 3 - Pass-y fail-y kinda thing That was Out of Reach. I rewrote parts of it but in the end gave up on the total rewrite I planned on. I may get back to that sometime in the future but for now… Meh

No. 4 - Fail… With a capital F!. Five Chapters? What the hell was I thinking?

I did, finally, find a half decent way to begin the novel and it’s slowly moving along which is awesome. but five chapters? I must’ve been nuts!

No. 5 - I’m gonna say pass… Because well… I got one done. So that’s more than nothing. Go here to see.

No. 6 - Fail. There wasn’t any old ideas I felt like working on so I started thinking up some new ones. I considered about writing a story about gay spiders called Arachno-Fabulous, but didn’t get further than the title. There are better ideas in the stew pot, so keep an eye out and an eye in.

No. 7 - Pass. - ‘Cause I did do other stuff. Including fixing up this site and adding a static front page like I’d always intended to do.

There were also some other changes as well, as shown in these before, during and after transformation pictures….

That’s all for now folks. Check back tomorrow when I come up with a really difficult to complete ToDo list for November!

I AM A FRAKEN POWERHOUSE!

Three short stories finished, ready for editing - CHECK

Plans for a new novel (or should I say plans for A novel?) - CHECK

Blog post about how friggen awesome I’ve been lately - CHECK

A second post the same day, because I’ve been getting some actual work done - CHECK

NEW DOUG OF THE DARKNESS UPDATE? - DOUBLE CHECK

That’s right, HE’S BACK!! Everybody’s favourite Scientist/adventurer who travelled to an alternate reality and was accidentally trapped there by big monsters who ate half his friends and is now trying to find a way home while at the same time discovering more about the dimension he is in is back for another update.

WAHOO!

It’s been a while since I wrote a Doug, about five or six weeks I think. So it’s good to have another one up. I hope it won’t be so long till the next one.

I am on a roll. I think now, I’m going to have a lunch break and then on to more…

Are you as excited as me?

LUNCH BREAK!!

Otherwise known as Things to do in September…

Firstly though, you might remember my favourite pants from this mishap.

Unfortunately, That was only the beginning of my pants problem.

Slowly, more holes began to form around the original. Then more appeared on the other leg. And another just under the bum pocket. Due to years of wear, I think they’re are starting to show their old age. They aren’t much longer for this world. Don’t get me wrong though - I’ll keep them till they’re barely a scrap of fabric left.

I feel like Seinfeld when ‘Golden Boy’ died.

On the bright side, I have found my ‘Baby Blue’ in a new pair of black pants I bought today.

Now, onto the real reason we’re all here.

Well, at least why I’m here.

Over the last couple of months I’ve let things slip by me, as you do. Things are only slowly getting done at a snails pace, (Two snails are sitting on a turtles back, one says to the other ‘Hang on tight, here we go!’) if they’re even getting done at all.

So I’ve decided to start a monthly todo list. (although, like most of my decisions - who knows how long it’ll last) and then go over it again at the end of the month. Noting my progress.

To start things off heres my ToDo list for September -

1. Finish all 5 or 6 novels and 8 or so short stories I have plans for…

(Okay, so I might not get to mark off that one, but it’d be nice wouldn’t it?)

Okay - Real list.

1. Write everyday. - I’ve been pretty good on this one lately, but I’d like to add to the word count.
2. Finish the current Short Story I’m working on
3. Rewrite the last short story I wrote.
4. Start on novel. Get through a few chapters at least. Let’s say 5.
5. A couple of Doug updates. (I’ve gotten a bit behind on the Doug updating lately).
6. Let’s throw another short story in there just for the hell of it
7. Do other stuff too.

Well, that’s about it for now. There’s probably some other stuff I forgot to add, but then who the hell cares.

These pretzels are making me thirsty.

First things first - Check out my site now bitches!! Yes, Yes it does rock. - www.JeremyBoland.com

It took a lot of fiddling and code writing and screwing around, and a couple of days, but I finally have this new kick ass looking site up and going. My site and my blog, which were once two separate entities are now one and the same, and all my old pages are here too. I’m not sure if I’m going to leave it opening onto my blog or make a front page but that can all come later.

My old site still exists, at least for the moment, at www.jeremyboland.com/old/.

Doug of the Darkness has reached the 10,000 word mark, and it’s still going strong-ish. If your not up to date with Doug of the Darkness or haven’t even read Doug of the Darkness, you should head over to the Doug of the Darkness website and start reading Doug of the Darkness now. You won’t be borry.

What else, What else, what else? Isn’t it always like that. You go into writing a blog entry thinking ‘how will I fill it all in?’ and then halfway through you forget all the topics you wanted to go over.

The other day I came up with a completely new idea for a book. What I mean is - Most of the things I’ve worked on in the last (I don’t know how long) have been rewrites of old stuff, working on old ideas or it was based on two old ideas put together… so on and so forth in that fashion, you get the idea.

I mentioned it in passing in the last entry but that was only when it was an inkling of an instigating circumstance. But slowly it grew in my head and at the worst possible moment, while I was at work, more and more ideas hit me. Between customers and fixing a cupboard door that fell off it’s hinges I wrote a whole synopsis of a back story for the novel in my moleskine.

(I’m very excited about this)

I’m not sure if it’s going to be one persons stories (probably in first person) or a series of interrelated stories that encompass the whole events… I’m leaning toward the latter. Just know, I have some great ideas for it either way and I can’t wait to get started on it.

But first, my workspace could do with a bit of a tidy up…

Also excited about - Act One of Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is released today. I’m a big Whedon fan, Fillion fan and Doogie Fan, So this is just Awesome.

In other news, I just finished reading Hal Spacejock 4: No Free Lunch, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fun and light scifi about interesting characters with quite a few laugh out loud moments. Not only is this a great series, by the way, but they work as stand alone novels as well, There are references to previous novels but nothing that would confuse a new reader.

At the moment I’m reading The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury and I’m loving it. My favourite section so far is ‘Night Meeting’… with ‘And the Moon be still as bright’ coming up second.

Anyway, I think that’s all for now. In the mean time check out this hilarious clip of Patrick Stewart in Extras

P.S. - Do people actually buy these things?

Today is the last day of the first six months of the year.

But whose counting?

It does seem like only a few short weeks ago that I was coming into the new year, full of confidence that I would work my butt to the tail bone, that this would be the year of accomplishment… And while I have done some things, others have been left by the wayside.

I’m talking, of course, about stickers.

Yes, you heard me - stickers. When was the last time you bought a cool sticker? huh? I know, we have all forgotten these amazing contributions to science and culture. I will make sure that by the end of the year I will buy more cool stickers.

On a less serious note, I’m also talking about my novel.

Again.

With two or three (or four) novels in various stages of planning, I thought that this year I could complete at least two. In early draft form, I mean, not totally completed - I’m not totally nuts. I figured I would spend the first half of the year working on the first novel and then edit it and polish it up, all shiny and new during the second half of the year while I began work on the second novel.

Alas, due to indecisiveness and procrastination (in almost equal parts), I am now half a year behind.

It’s not like I haven’t done anything this year, writing-related, I’ve written three short stories and done a bit of work on a semi-regularly updated thing called Doug of the Darkness. Which comes to about a month and a half worth of work, don’t you think?

A month and a half is pretty good considering it’s about a month worth more than last year and about six weeks more than any year before that.

Good or not, though. I can do a lot better.

I am planning now, to do that. I have decided on an end date - October 31st - To finish my first draft. Just in time to start a new project for NaNoWriMo. As I am planning to write about 80,000 words I will need to write 645 words per day. Sounds easy doesn’t it?

I want to put these up too, so all my readers here (ha!) can see how it’s going… Or not going. -

That’s it for now. I was going to put some other stuff here, but I really can’t be bothered at the moment. So I’ll throw down a few links of some cool stuff to check out that I’ve seen over the past few weeks.

This looks awesome, I’ve seen it around for a few weeks now and want. But alas, cannot afford. A Lovecraft Retrospective: Artists Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft

Here’s a piece on it including pretty pictures.

An index of Lovecraft’s Work

A cute Soviet Winnie the Pooh cartoon

The princess Bride with Light Sabers

And I have this coming my way too. Looks Gory and fun.

Well, that’s it for now. I have to go and write 645 words…

Welcome to Blog entry #45 for this year, which means I have already surpassed the amount of entries I wrote last year. I’m on fire, I’m on a roll. I am a rolling fire. Watch out I’ll burn you. Then I’ll administer sub-par first aid, leaving you twisted and scarred.

Oh yeah!

Last week I decided to set myself a deadline for Doug of the Darkness updates. After some serious consideration involving a coin, I decided on Thursdays.

I’m happy to say I missed my deadline… by only 14 hours. How is that? Sa-weeet!

So check out the new update here - Link

Also, I HAVE A NEW JOB!

okay… not really.

But, in an effort to be more productive, I’ve decided to do things a little differently… Or at least attempt to do things differently. You know how I am with sticking at stuff.

I’m going to try and treat writing as more of a job. With a schedule and a lunch break and shit.

The way I do it at the moment is this - My laptop sits on my coffee table, a file or two open. I write a bit when I feel like it, sometimes inspiration seems to hit and I’ll suddenly type out about five hundred, maybe a thousand words. I manage to get things done, for the most part, but I feel like I could be getting ten times as much done if I did things differently.

The other problem with doing things the way I have, is that it feels like I’m always writing and yet I hardly ever am. I don’t really have a time where I say “Nope, I’m on a break. I’ll just write a note and I’ll get onto that after lunch.”

And it’s not that I won’t write after my “work hours” because I will. But I won’t feel guilty about stopping every five minutes to watch whatever is on TV.

So I figure I’ll start about 9 or 10 o’clock. I’ll work for about three hours and have a lunch break. Maybe a half hour. Then I’ll come back and work another two hours and Bang! I’m done for the day. Five hours of work everyday, and still plenty of time to read and watch movies and shit.

So, what’d you think?

Will it work and I’ll suddenly be a super-productive writer and finally get a novel or two finished? I hope so.

I plan to start this on Monday. So I’ll let you know how I went that afternoon.

After work.

It’s the last day of my holidays…

Oh Ford, how the time passes quickly. It seems like only a fortnight ago I was finishing up work and getting ready for my time off. I wrote a vague list of things I wanted to do or finish during my holidays. It was about five or six items long.

Number one and two was about working on my novels, or at least getting started. What I like to call dirtying the page. - I’d like to say I did a lot of work on my novels. I’d like to say I put a big dent in my work load. But…

I would be lying.

I did a little planning on one of my projects, but for the most part I didn’t even think about them.

Number three, however, I did do. It was to finish Dah’min. I did a bit of a rewrite and a whole lot of editing and finally - I gave up.

Number four was to work on a short story that I started writing a couple of weeks ago now. This got pushed aside temporarily. While rummaging through my old writings and notes and scraps of every description, I found a discarded first chapter that I though would make a good short story. I spent a day writing it, which became two days. Then I edited it one morning, which became a couple more days. That story was Alterations.

After I finished Alterations I went back to work on the short story, but it’s still a long way from being finished yet.

and finally - Number five. I was planning on writing a couple more Doug of the Darkness scenes. I did finish one but I really wanted to do two. I’m also thinking of giving myself a deadline for Doug, so I update at least once a week. (the last two updates have taken almost a fortnight)… I’m thinking of Thursdays. Or maybe Wednesdays. Nah, Thursdays.

…or maybe Wednesdays…

Nah… Thursdays. Okay then, we’re agreed. Every Thursday Doug of the Darkness will be updated.

I did a few other things while on holidays. I got a hare cut, new glasses, my short story Icy Dead People won a competition to be published, and my dog gave birth to three kittens and a frog.

Okay, that isn’t true… It was only two kittens.

Four, if you include this blog entry…

Due to a long afternoon nap yesterday and a few too many coffees I wasn’t getting any sleep, or even attempting it. At around one o’clock I finished editing some photos of me in my spanky new glasses and uploaded them to my various sites as profile pics.

With my procrastinating finally done, I was free to go back to writing the next Doug update. I had been, well not blocked but… stalling, for the last day or so because I wasn’t sure where I was going but suddenly - Inspiration struck me like a cricket bat wrapped in tin foil - And I was off and writing.

I finished the entry two hours later and uploaded it - Check It!!.

I think it’s one of my favourite scene’s for a while now.

Also, as I mentioned a blog entry or two ago, I finished a new short story. I’ve finally given up editing it and Have uploaded that too. It’s called Alterations. It’s gotten a little bit of good feedback so far over at writing.com, but some have also complained of it’s ambiguity. Maybe I’ll turn it into a novel sometime, but not just yet.

There was also the short story I finished a couple of months back. I finally got around to rewriting it and I’ve finished editing that as well. It’s called Dah’min. So that’s posted on my site too now. Read, enjoy, have a coffee, pat a kitty.

In other news - I’ve entered Icy Dead People into a contest at Writers Cafe, where the winning prize is being published in an anthology! Do I think I’ll win? Not a chance, unless no one else enters. Cross your fingers for me?

And here’s the bonus… for me… I’ve finished one of my New Years Resolutions!

Booya!!

#3 - Complete 3 short stories.

Now - Onto the Novels!!!

So, All in all it’s been a pretty eventful few hours of the freezing cold morning. It’s now 5am. I’m going to bed…

Good thing I’m still on holidays.

Good night/morning and remember to check out Dangers in the night Sky, The latest update to Doug of the Darkness… and my new short stories Alterations and Dah’min.

My plans for the holidays have mostly gone astray, as they do.

For starters - My plans to write a blog entry for every day. - I haven’t updated since… Thursday?? yeah, that sounds about right.

The short story that I began on Monday, The one that was a little piece I was only going to spend a day on, ended up taking a bit more of my time. Three days, in fact, and finally on Friday I spent the whole day editing and rewriting and I think it’s finally finished. Maybe.

And now that I only have half of my holidays left - On to my main projects.

1 - Another update for doug… or two…

2 - I was working on a short story about a family in space who come across some trouble while in the middle of nowhere, light years from any help. I pushed it aside when I decided to work on ‘Alterations’ - Well, now I can get back to that as well.

3 - Last but not least - My novels. I still haven’t done any work. I just need to get over the hump and I’m sure I’ll be on my way… possibly… cross my fingers…

Also, as I’m often reminded - I’m looking at you JO!! - I still need to rewrite Dah’Min.

Well that’s the main chunk of all the things I have to do. As soon as my brain and body recovers from the Big Event yesterday, I’ll get on to it. Sometimes I’m especially glad I don’t have deadlines.

Well, back to the old -

Last night I was at work, It was unbelievably busy as it is every Tuesday and so I pretty much switched into autopilot mode. My brain switched off and time passed unnoticed. The words “That will be *insert number off of screen*”…”Swipe your card”…”Have a nice evening”… and so on fell from my mouth without thought. I found myself day dreaming about my upcoming holidays and how I’ll have two weeks without the terrible drudgery of my sisyphean day job.

When I realised something. My holidays begin in 13 days!

Hooray!

For some reason it hadn’t kicked in on how close they had got until last night. I’m crossing my toes with excitement. Well, it goes to show, Two gorillas are worth a thousand Paris Hiltons.

Just one question though. Bart shot a satellite with a tank. Was it a special tank with a surface to orbit cannon?

So, I hear no one asking, what am I going to do with my time off work?

Work!

‘Are you nuts?’ I hear no one asking.

No. Well, maybe a little, but not for this.

I’m going to spend my time working on my writing. I have plenty to do as well.

One - Get started on my Post-Apocalypse based novel. I have written about ten words of this, so I’m only about five years behind.

Two - Continue working on my surreal world based project. I’m having a bit of trouble on this one, I love the first chapter and can’t decide if I’m taking it in the right direction or not.

Three - Do a second draft and editing on a short story I’ve been avoiding for about a month now.

Four - Finish a short story I’ve been working on for the passed couple of days. Then do some editing and polish to a high sheen.

Five - Write some more Doug of the Darkness updates.

A lot to accomplish in two weeks? Quite Possibly.

Am I going to sleep in the first day and thus start off a domino effect leading to accomplishing absolutely nothing for the entire two weeks? Quite Possibly.

Am I going to find a penguin walking in circles on my driveway and feed him fish instead of working? Definitely.

But hey, They are holidays.

So here’s where I’m up to. I’m going to start putting these little doogies in every entry. I’ve found that updating Doug into a blog has stopped me from putting it off for too long and I’m hoping these will do the same. I’m calling my two projects - Project Apocalypse and Project Surreal because I’m not sure how permanent their present titles are.

And there you have it, My complete lack of progress.