Writing

I have been writing.  And writing.  And writing.  I have been pondering for nearly a year on a topic.  In a way, I've been putting it off, but now that I'm writing I'm excited about it.

I'm writing a manuscript that I hope will be accepted for publication about the Mormon Battalion.  I have learned a considerable amount about the Battalion in the process.  I think that I am somewhere between a quarter and a third of the way through with my writing with about 44,000 on paper.  We'll see where it goes.

Writing

I have been trying my hand at fiction writing for the past several months.  I completed one piece in the neighborhood of 80,000 words and submitted it to two different publishers (not at the same time).  I got form reject letters from both.  Each review took at least three months to complete, so I waited around for six months to be told twice that they didn't want my manuscript.

At this point I am seriously considering putting it up on Kindle and/or Nook to see what kind of response I can get.  I'm also thinking of self-publishing it.  I've been told that self-publishing is something that you should avoid, but at this point I'm not sure that I see any other route.  Or, I could simply write for the sake of personal pleasure and leave it at that.

I have started another writing project.  I am writing another fiction piece on the Mormon Battalion.  Researching for it has been fascinating.

While in school, graduate school especially, teachers/professors seemed to put down the idea of a minimum page number in hopes that students would thoroughly cover a topic.  Yet, as I read what different publishers are looking for in manuscripts many of them talk about word-count.  While I haven't exactly been too concerned about it, I have been keeping an eye out for my word-count.  At this point I'm on track for something in the neighborhood of 100,000 to 140,000 words.

I have temporarily titled the manuscript The Long Route Home.

Civility

I made a comment on Facebook this morning concerning civility.  I said that sometimes I find it difficult to be civil.  That was all I said.  I was surprised at the number of responses and the "Likes" that showed up.

I made the comment as a result of a repeated interaction with a person.  This person does not use profanity and does not go around calling people inappropriate names.  The person, however, is a bully.

The person insists upon having the last word in any discussion, whether it be a debate or a discussion about things upon which we agree.  This individual also must engage in "one-upmanship".  Regardless of what others say, this individual must relate an experience that is even better.  It never ends.

So, I made the comment today that sometimes I find it difficult to be civil.  And to my amazement, the person I was discussing "Liked" the comment.

Not a clue.  Not a single clue.

And now the person has even made a comment.  Still not a clue.