The unthinkable has happened. I've finally acknowledged reality and accepted the fact that Far to the North reads better when written in the past tense. It only took rewriting two chapters and wringing my hands for a couple of weeks (along with some good friends kindly telling me) to come to this conclusion, so all … Continue reading Time for a Rewrite
Author: Shawn Van Tol
Present to Past to Doubt
Far to the North continues to be "done" (still needs a cover), but I've managed to conjure a new delay for myself. It's a skill, honestly. The most consistent piece of feedback I've gotten from those who have read this story is that it being written in the present tense is off-putting. I don't agree … Continue reading Present to Past to Doubt
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The, the, the
I've completed yet another read through on Far to the North. This is my first reading after having it filtered through the eyes of a line editor, and while some errors still persisted, the manuscript is becoming nice and clean. This is a difficult process, trying to make 128k words become error free, and it's … Continue reading The, the, the
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Nuclear Winter
I won't rant on this too long. Everyone knows about the fires burning in California by now, and my situation is worlds better than those who are losing homes, loved ones, so on. But I did want to share my own experience via a few photos. Long story short, all of this smoke really sucks. … Continue reading Nuclear Winter
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Patreon, Social Media, So on
I made a Patreon page the other day because... well, because I'm supposed to? Honestly, I don't know why I made it. I don't write often enough to justify anyone handing me money, and while I'd love to say that's a practice that will soon change, it won't. I do have a plan regarding Flash … Continue reading Patreon, Social Media, So on
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40
Though it isn't something I have strong feelings about (I've never been one for celebrating birthdays), I suppose I should take the time to mention that I recently struck the age of 40. To celebrate, I packed the family into the car and headed to the San Diego area for a few days of living … Continue reading 40
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Wrapping Up the Year
Just a quick check-in for today. I've rewritten my opening sentence about four times now, so I'm taking that as a sign that my mind is not in a writing mood. Not surprising, given the state of the country these days, but I already digress. With August on the doorstep, I have a few more … Continue reading Wrapping Up the Year
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I Don’t Even
It's June 7th of 2020, and I don't even know where to begin when it comes to a thought process. Right now, here, on this page, all of my focus is on not breaking out into a profanity-filled rant. So I'll keep it simple. The bottom line is that I don't want to add to … Continue reading I Don’t Even
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Far to the North – A Post Mortem
Though more work remains on putting Far to the North into a finalized state (cover, book blurb, formatting, uploading, etc), the novel itself, from a writing perspective, is done. The manuscript is with a line editor who is destroying typos with ruthless vigor. A few close friends have read the latest revision and provided their … Continue reading Far to the North – A Post Mortem
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Clouds and Silver Linings
Given everything that's going on, I feel it's safe to assume we all know what the 'cloud' will be during this little ramble, so I'm opting to skip that portion and jump straight to the silver lining. That being, of course, a newly discovered amount of free time. Free time that has thrown me right … Continue reading Clouds and Silver Linings
Shawn Saying Something... 