MathiasCavanaugh.com

Ok, I admit it … I’m horrible at keeping this site up to date! If only I spent as much time creating content here as I do for other people!

So, to start off 2020 I want to talk about “rules” for writers. Seems like a lot of self-important people have them. Filled will all sorts of obscene absolutes that really don’t make much sense except to come off as pompus. So, without further ado, I thought I’d give you my less stodgy list of writing “rules”.

Enjoy!

• If you think what you’ve written is great, it’s probably rubbish.  But if you think what you’ve written is rubbish, then it is possibly passable.

• If you haven’t edited your story half a dozen times (or more), it probably isn’t done yet.

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Just something I blurted out today …

My Fingers:

Sometimes nimble, but often hesitant, all my ideas flow from me through them. Onto the page the thoughts and dreams within my mind course forth through gripped pen or the caress of keys. Fighting with my desires and against my heart, they are at times an unwelcome gatekeeper to my progress. To hate them would be foolish, for they are so much a part of me and the stories I seek to tell. Today I must learn to control the curse of these tendrils and break it. I will deal with their protestations of tomorrow when that time comes.

Shambling along, roots churning in the dirt, unable to be lifted more than a few inches, the old Tree Giant slogged towards the crest of the hill. Turning its branches toward the rising sun, it felt the trickle of energy from the new day through its trunk and limbs. That strength it provided would be just enough for the final few feet of its march.

Reaching its destination upon the rise, it sank into the rich soil there, crowding out the blades of grass calling the spot home and ignoring their protests. As the magical life slowly faded from it, creeping out through its roots, the creature became but common wood and a silent watcher that would move nevermore.

And Earoni took pity on the Archeons, foul and cruel beasts of ancient origin.  Taking ten of their kind, she molded their bodies into a majestic male and glorious female of each of the five races of Dragonkind and sent them forth to leave behind their brutal cousins for all eternity. 

     – Legends 23:4 

Chapter 15 (16^th of Taru-Des in the year 6198) 

Sheala thumbed through one of the many, newly sorted books Reane kept on the shelves in her cabin.  She peeked around the corner into the adjacent berth where Reane was still asleep. Choosing not to disturb her, Sheala continued her mindless browsing.  

Reane scared her sometimes, Sheala admitted that to her herself.  She could never fully understand what Reane was capable of.  Sheala thought that perhaps Reane tested the boundaries of her powers far too often and without enough caution.  This time was no different.   Read more…

It’s taken some time to get my head wrapped around the things that I need to do. You might have noticed that since my last post was April of last year!

Sometimes life just throws too many changes at you at once and things you love to do get pushed aside. For me, what was pushed aside was my writing.

I have been working on it, just not at a pace that was conducive to success. It was more at a pace that allowed me to keep it on the back burner while life sorted out all the other little and big things going on around me.

But in the end, the plan remains unchanged. I am going to keep writing with the intention of getting a publishing deal OR self publishing.

Because of the hectic pace of life this past year, I have focused on my short story projects. Specifically The Yoke and The Flames. Also, my two short stories that are prequels to my Daughters of Fate project have received a bit of attention.

The Daughters of Fate project is still moving forward and I do still plan to publish bits and pieces of it online as they come out in a workable draft. Right now, chapters 1 through 4 are the focus. Draft of draft is about 50% done.

The Yoke is about as good as I can make it. It is preparing for submission to a major writing competition this first quarter of 2016. The Flames will be a second quarter submission. By that time I hope to have the first four chapters of Daughters of Fate up for everyone who has been patiently waiting.

Outsider has made quite a bit of progress as well, and is coming along.

Under the Darkened Moon is still out there and I am preparing some new queries for it. It may get another “Final” edit, and if there are no takers it will be up on Amazon in the next year or two.

So that’s where everything stands. Hope the new year is treating you all with luck and joy. I’ll be talking to you soon!

When last I posted, I mentioned the idea of writing a novel on this site, and publishing it, as I go.  I’ve actually been working on this, believe it or not.  I’ve been toying around with the opening chapters for Daughter of Fate, and things are going pretty well.

The rough part, so far, is knowing that as I publish chapters they will be set in stone – good, bad, or indifferent.  I’ve had to think long and hard, not just about the overall plot, but also all the little sub plots that will eventually make up the story.  If I were to decide, say, in Chapter 30 that a character named Jimbob was required and that he needed to be introduced earlier on in the story, but wasn’t, well … that just sucks! Read more…

This idea is something that I’ve been pondering the last few days.  I’m thinking about writing a story, a full novel, and posting the entire thing here on my website as I go, a chapter at a time.

Doing this will require a serious commitment of time though.  It means that, in between writing all my other stories, I will have to find time to regularly commit to finishing and posting chapters here.

I’ve been thinking about using my recently dusted off, and unfinished, novel Daughters of Fate for this experiment.  The story is there.  It just needs rewritten from the previous attempts.

However, the idea intrigues me.  And it would be very interesting to see if I can do it.  From a standpoint of being disciplined enough to regularly post updates, I mean.  And, of course, to see what kind of feedback I get.

Spent some time last night and today laying out the plot of a new short story idea that came to me out of nowhere.

Title: Ayra’s Fall

It’s a story about what happens when an Angel entrusted with keeping the world safe fails in her task.  So watch this space for updates on this title, and of course other ongoing projects.

So, 2014 is underway.  Time to layout the plan for this year.

As of right now, I am still shopping my manuscript for Under the Darkened Moon around.  Been a little lazy about it, and will keep chugging away.  Nothing’s changing on this front.

I now have 3 short stories that, I think, and so does my focus group, are ready to go out into the world.  These will be submitted to various contests and publications throughout 2014 to see if they can garner any attention.

Hopefully one or more of them will be noticed and published.  If not, I plan on releasing them in various formats for download.  Plans are right now that they will be free, in preparation for what might be the need to self-publish my manuscript at some point in the furture.

I’ll keep everyone appraised of my progress on these plans as the year unfolds.  Wish me luck!

It’s hard to know whether or not I have too many ideas that distract me from my other, more pressing projects.  For example, I’d really like to get the first drafts of Her Lovely Blood and Cry of the Golden Wyvern done.  Plus I’d like to make progess on Awakening, which is the first book of the Unmaker’s Saga.
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