I can’t say this is surprising. I’ve had so much going on lately that writing just hasn’t been happening. I don’t ever take NaNo too seriously, so no big. That makes me 3 for 5 on NaNo attempts. Still, not too shabby.

I am definitely working to get a TNS for you guys this week. Though it may come on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. See slacker real life excuse above for details… I love to write, but sometimes things just get in the way.

I am working on a number of posts about writing this week. So that is something to look forward to. Each of these will reflect my experiences in the last year going from a brilliant novel idea (yes, I am biased!) to a final edited manuscript seeking representation. First up will be a post on plotting your story. That first step that will decide what you’ll work on for the next year of your life! Rather important, if you ask me.

Brandon Sanderson is quickly making his way to the table of fantasy greats. In many ways, he is also the epitome of everything we writers want to be. Not only has he already written over a dozen books–he had written almost all of them before he even sold his first. I meant to write this weeks ago, but it kept getting put off.

The entire Mistborn trilogy was fun and fast paced, this book was in particular. Sanderson wasn’t afraid of making some chapters very short, if it was enough to tell to the story. This made for a book that keeps you flipping chapter after chapter.

It’s well known that Sanderson is a religious man, really comes through in this final part of the series. Not that he is throwing his beliefs onto the reader, it is subtle and it is meaningful, and it is in no way imposing. The ending is perfect for this series. I won’t give away any spoilers, so don’t worry. I was very happy to see that many minor characters got their moment in the sun in this book though.

If you like high fantasy, you might as well start reading Brandon Sanderson. I think he will be around for a long time. His voice is unique and his grasp of the genre just gets better with each book. I look forward to his first epic series, which he just sold to Tor.

We had a pretty relaxed Thanksgiving today. We went to my wife’s grandparents and had a delicious–and quite large–lunch with them. Lots of leftovers made it home with us. And some very good brownies!

While we were there, the Dallas Cowboys game was on. Mimi really likes to watch when they play, as long as they are winning anyway! She gets really into it and that makes it fun to watch with her. I wouldn’t normally even mention a football viewing, but I thought this one play was just hilarious. The Cowboys receiver totally missed the ball, knocking it back into the air as he went down. You could see two of the Raiders get really excited and bolt for the interception. Both collided head on and fell. Neither caught the ball. Much laughter was had by all.

I’ll skip the boring list of things I’m grateful for. Hope everyone had a good one! Anything have any food so delicious they feel the need to mention?

Sorry about the delay guys, but we’ll be canceling tonight’s podcast. I shall do my best to make a longer one next time to make up for it. We’ve had a bunch of family and friends in for the holidays, and work hasn’t gotten any lighter to make up for it. I just haven’t had the time to write. Sorry about that.

Today somebody told me that this is the first year they are phasing out Gary Larson daily calendars at book stores. This is truly saddening! It was one of my favorite calendars of all time.

I’ve talked about A Journey Round My Skull before. It’s a wonderful blog that posts old art work. Lately he’s been really into old, rare books. He did a recent post about some children’s books (the post is about 1 book, but he’s doing a series of them) from Poland that I thought were just beautiful. I decided to point everyone to it.

I’ve been a very neglecting blog owner this week. It’s been hectic around here to say the least. My sister was in town for a few days and we got to spend a lot of time with her. She left this morning and now Samantha’s family is in town. They’ve actually been here for a couple days, but I’ve been too busy to get to Dallas and spend any time with them.

I’m going to keep this week’s post short because of this. I expect any minute for my wife to come in and tell me we’re leaving for lunch in Dallas! First up is another fantastic publishing post, this one by Editorial Ass. She wrote about the difference between earning back an advance versus making a profit.

Inkygirl pointed out this next one to me. It wasn’t actually written during the week, but it’s not too old. And I think it’s worth reading. It’s about creating suspense, complete with great ideas for it.

Finally, BookEnds wrote about critique groups this week. I am a full supporter of writers finding a good critique group. You will learn as much from critiquing others as you will from having them go over your own work. It’s a good post.

In the second part of Deposed, Ralon has been ordered to the dungeon by the usurper King Sildon. What will become of him and his family? He doesn’t have much time to figure it out.

I like what David has done with this story. When he read Sildon’s viewpoint it even felt like a different person than when he reads Ralon. I think Ralon comes across as proud where Sildon came across as sneaky. Take a listen and let me know if you agree.

As always, I hope you enjoy the story.

I nearly forgot that it was Saturday! How silly of me. I found some fun posts this week to share. After a day of playing tennis (I was tempted wear khaki shorts and a polo shirt, but I refrained) with my little sister and her friend, I had to come home and relax! I’m not the youth I once was, unfortunately.

First up today is from literary agent Rachelle Gardner who wrote a neat post explaining how book royalties work. I found it fascinating. Most of us, I would hope, are not in this for the money, but it’s nice to know what you might be able to expect anyway.

Next up is a funny grammar post I found about the use of “that.” Or rather, the misuse of it. Everyone likes a good grammar lesson, yea?

Author C. Patrick Schulz wrote a fantastic piece about storytelling this week. It outlines the basic 12 steps (not to quit drinking) for writing a story. With some examples of each step.

I don’t work on books for children, but I thought this next post was fun too. Or perhaps fun is not a good word for it. I can’t imagine the people that put all their faith and hope into one query. Don’t let your dreams get crushed people, this game is about persistence!