Curmudgeon Says What?
@onlysaneman.bsky.social
Open-minded, rational, reasonable. I believe in Democracy, Education, Civility, Science, and Wildlife Conservation. I hope someday to actually complete a book, after thirty years of false starts. Cheers!
Good morning, #5amWritersClub. I #amwriting, but not much. Finally made it to 58k words, but I won't celebrate yet, as I still have a few more 'weeds' to excise from the garden. Good news is, my outline is still pretty solid, so removing the abandoned sub-plot won't cause too much trouble.
a german shepherd dog with a stick in its mouth
ALT: a german shepherd dog with a stick in its mouth
media.tenor.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Good morning, #5amWritersClub. I #amwriting, but not much. Finally made it to 58k words, but I won't celebrate yet, as I still have a few more 'weeds' to excise from the garden. Good news is, my outline is still pretty solid, so removing the abandoned sub-plot won't cause too much trouble.
#5amWritersClub #amwriting #writingcommunity Been hovering around 57k words for the last few days. Excising a discarded sub-plot is like weeding an unkempt garden--every time you turn around, there's another shoot to be pulled. Still, it feels like real progress, as I add in new material.
a cartoon of peter griffin dancing on a set of stairs with the words on my way above him
ALT: a cartoon of peter griffin dancing on a set of stairs with the words on my way above him
media.tenor.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:17 PM
#5amWritersClub #amwriting #writingcommunity Been hovering around 57k words for the last few days. Excising a discarded sub-plot is like weeding an unkempt garden--every time you turn around, there's another shoot to be pulled. Still, it feels like real progress, as I add in new material.
#amwriting #5amWritersClub #WritingCommunity Got up to 55k words on the WIP yesterday. Spent this morning dropping whole pages & related references for a discarded sub-plot. 😒 Tightening up the story line, though, gave me the nudge I needed to add 2 new chapters, so now I'm back up to 56k words! 🙂
November 9, 2025 at 6:58 PM
#amwriting #5amWritersClub #WritingCommunity Got up to 55k words on the WIP yesterday. Spent this morning dropping whole pages & related references for a discarded sub-plot. 😒 Tightening up the story line, though, gave me the nudge I needed to add 2 new chapters, so now I'm back up to 56k words! 🙂
#amwriting #writingcommunity #5amWritersClub Spent the morning watching the first 2 episodes of The Witcher season 4, instead of writing. (Fantasy was always my favorite genre.) But now it's time to knuckle down & do some damage on the WIP.
November 8, 2025 at 1:51 PM
#amwriting #writingcommunity #5amWritersClub Spent the morning watching the first 2 episodes of The Witcher season 4, instead of writing. (Fantasy was always my favorite genre.) But now it's time to knuckle down & do some damage on the WIP.
#5amWritersClub, #amwriting Started up after a week-long hiatus. Now at 53.5k words, but I seem to be losing as much old material as I add new, because of changes in the story line (had a soggy middle) & a few supporting characters. Also, can I still participate in #NaNoWriMo if it's not a new work?
November 6, 2025 at 12:08 PM
#5amWritersClub, #amwriting Started up after a week-long hiatus. Now at 53.5k words, but I seem to be losing as much old material as I add new, because of changes in the story line (had a soggy middle) & a few supporting characters. Also, can I still participate in #NaNoWriMo if it's not a new work?
#5amWritersClub #amwriting Up to 51.7k words on the WIP. Adding new material to avoid doing the latest major revisions on earlier stuff. Switching characters' roles & MC's motivation. Enhanced two minor characters, too. For me, the usual. Too much good stuff to just delete & start over.
October 25, 2025 at 5:21 PM
#5amWritersClub #amwriting Up to 51.7k words on the WIP. Adding new material to avoid doing the latest major revisions on earlier stuff. Switching characters' roles & MC's motivation. Enhanced two minor characters, too. For me, the usual. Too much good stuff to just delete & start over.
#amwriting Didn't plan to join the #5amWritersClub, but my cats thought I should. One's supervising this post now. Not a bad bit of work this morning, though, so maybe these cats are on to something. I'd lost quite a bit--another major revision--but I'm back up to 48k words. Cheers, early birds!
October 23, 2025 at 11:03 AM
#amwriting Didn't plan to join the #5amWritersClub, but my cats thought I should. One's supervising this post now. Not a bad bit of work this morning, though, so maybe these cats are on to something. I'd lost quite a bit--another major revision--but I'm back up to 48k words. Cheers, early birds!
#writingcommunity #amwriting Took a few weeks off after my latest revision to my WIP fizzled out. Went back to my original story idea. Despite cutting a bunch of new stuff, I added more content, so now I'm at almost 44k words, a new record for me. Not 100% sure where it's going, but it's going. 🤔
October 5, 2025 at 8:49 PM
#writingcommunity #amwriting Took a few weeks off after my latest revision to my WIP fizzled out. Went back to my original story idea. Despite cutting a bunch of new stuff, I added more content, so now I'm at almost 44k words, a new record for me. Not 100% sure where it's going, but it's going. 🤔
#amwriting #writingcommunity Not a great weekend. Only added 1k words to WIP. Lost my mojo. 😐 Realized my cozy mystery was too gritty & spicy to be cozy, & there really wasn't a big mystery to solve. Is my WIP an existential quest? The middle-aged hero's search for his life's meaning? 🤔 Mojo found!
August 25, 2025 at 5:22 PM
#amwriting #writingcommunity Not a great weekend. Only added 1k words to WIP. Lost my mojo. 😐 Realized my cozy mystery was too gritty & spicy to be cozy, & there really wasn't a big mystery to solve. Is my WIP an existential quest? The middle-aged hero's search for his life's meaning? 🤔 Mojo found!
#amwriting #writingcommunity I'm now up to 34.8k words in my WIP. 9 chapters so far at the beginning; just added 3 more towards the end. I have 12 or 15 outlined for the middle. Then 2 or 3 needed to wrap it up. Does anyone else skip around like that? Are most writers more linear? Advice welcome.
August 22, 2025 at 4:41 PM
#amwriting #writingcommunity I'm now up to 34.8k words in my WIP. 9 chapters so far at the beginning; just added 3 more towards the end. I have 12 or 15 outlined for the middle. Then 2 or 3 needed to wrap it up. Does anyone else skip around like that? Are most writers more linear? Advice welcome.
#amwriting #writingcommunity Took another short hiatus to restructure & clarify my plot outline. Just wrote a 1000 word scene this A.M. First try at fast-paced, gritty, violent action in this WIP. And it's brilliant, IMHO. My cozy mystery just got a bit dark, though. Perhaps it's only *mostly* cozy.
August 15, 2025 at 4:03 PM
#amwriting #writingcommunity Took another short hiatus to restructure & clarify my plot outline. Just wrote a 1000 word scene this A.M. First try at fast-paced, gritty, violent action in this WIP. And it's brilliant, IMHO. My cozy mystery just got a bit dark, though. Perhaps it's only *mostly* cozy.
#WritingCommunity Apologies to The Curmudgeon's Corner podcast folks. I didn't see you were using that name. I've changed mine. Cheers!
July 25, 2025 at 1:43 PM
#WritingCommunity Apologies to The Curmudgeon's Corner podcast folks. I didn't see you were using that name. I've changed mine. Cheers!
#amWriting #writing #WritingCommunity Burst of energy: turned 3 more chapters of notes into first draft pages. Had to split a long early chapter. Now at 8 chapters & 24k words. Is 3k words per chapter too much? Lots of dialogue, only some description. Middle-aged characters, so maybe less is more?
July 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
#amWriting #writing #WritingCommunity Burst of energy: turned 3 more chapters of notes into first draft pages. Had to split a long early chapter. Now at 8 chapters & 24k words. Is 3k words per chapter too much? Lots of dialogue, only some description. Middle-aged characters, so maybe less is more?
#amWriting #writing Absent this past month--death in the family & some unrelated family medical crises. Back on track now. Something to be said for taking a break! I re-read my first 3 chapters: added some details & foreshadowing, clarified the story line, & added a 4th chapter. Now at 18k+ words! 👍
July 20, 2025 at 12:27 PM
#amWriting #writing Absent this past month--death in the family & some unrelated family medical crises. Back on track now. Something to be said for taking a break! I re-read my first 3 chapters: added some details & foreshadowing, clarified the story line, & added a 4th chapter. Now at 18k+ words! 👍
#amWriting #writing Added another 1000 words to the WIP this morning. A big "thank you" to #WritingCommunity for the tips and encouragement. This story may have legs...
June 4, 2025 at 12:10 PM
#amWriting #writing Added another 1000 words to the WIP this morning. A big "thank you" to #WritingCommunity for the tips and encouragement. This story may have legs...
#amWriting Finally have enough outline, plot points, & character notes, so I plunged into the actual writing part of the process. After a week of putting narration, dialogue, & some description onto paper, so to speak, I'm now at 12,300 words, & I can actually see where the story is going. #writing
June 3, 2025 at 12:47 PM
#amWriting Finally have enough outline, plot points, & character notes, so I plunged into the actual writing part of the process. After a week of putting narration, dialogue, & some description onto paper, so to speak, I'm now at 12,300 words, & I can actually see where the story is going. #writing
#writingcommunity Worked daily on my WIP for a month. 21 chapters outlined or at least plot-pointed, characters detailed, a story arc that makes sense. Sadly, didn't introduce the antagonist 'til 3/4 of the way through. Now reads like a Bond villain randomly air-dropped in. A few revisions needed.
May 2, 2025 at 7:40 PM
#writingcommunity Worked daily on my WIP for a month. 21 chapters outlined or at least plot-pointed, characters detailed, a story arc that makes sense. Sadly, didn't introduce the antagonist 'til 3/4 of the way through. Now reads like a Bond villain randomly air-dropped in. A few revisions needed.
Thanks to advice from the #writingcommunity, especially @kimbeallsghost, @mysteriouslytiff, & @mcburnellauthor, I've got to around 25k words on my WIP. Stitched a few stalled attempts together. Lots of editing. It's just 8 or 9 rough chapters & dialog, character sketches & notes. But it's progress.
April 12, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Thanks to advice from the #writingcommunity, especially @kimbeallsghost, @mysteriouslytiff, & @mcburnellauthor, I've got to around 25k words on my WIP. Stitched a few stalled attempts together. Lots of editing. It's just 8 or 9 rough chapters & dialog, character sketches & notes. But it's progress.
I'd like to try writing a Southern Gothic novel (human depravity or supernatural horror?). Is it a genre that's been played out? Is what used to be considered 'grotesque' or 'depraved' too commonplace now to be disturbing? I'd welcome the advice of any fans of the genre. #WritingCommunity #writing
March 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
I'd like to try writing a Southern Gothic novel (human depravity or supernatural horror?). Is it a genre that's been played out? Is what used to be considered 'grotesque' or 'depraved' too commonplace now to be disturbing? I'd welcome the advice of any fans of the genre. #WritingCommunity #writing
Latest attempt at a novel crashed at the 2500-word wall. Now resting in a digital graveyard, decades in the making. I don't know why. I love fiction. I truly like my characters & I think I have decent plots. I just lose steam. Any advice? Am I just not cut out to write? #writing #writingcommunity
December 13, 2024 at 9:20 PM
Latest attempt at a novel crashed at the 2500-word wall. Now resting in a digital graveyard, decades in the making. I don't know why. I love fiction. I truly like my characters & I think I have decent plots. I just lose steam. Any advice? Am I just not cut out to write? #writing #writingcommunity
Knocked out 1700 words today on yet another book attempt. Prior attempts (in various genres) flamed out at 10-20k words, usually for lack of plot. For kicks, I started a cozy mystery/urban fantasy hybrid. It's a piece of genuinely bad writing, but I'm enjoying the process. #writingcommunity #writing
December 6, 2024 at 11:22 PM
Knocked out 1700 words today on yet another book attempt. Prior attempts (in various genres) flamed out at 10-20k words, usually for lack of plot. For kicks, I started a cozy mystery/urban fantasy hybrid. It's a piece of genuinely bad writing, but I'm enjoying the process. #writingcommunity #writing
One last curmudgeonly post for the day... I'm pretty sure I understand the "Hawk Tuah" thing (or 'thang'), but would someone please explain, like I'm five, what a "meme coin" is, and why someone would pay money for it?
December 5, 2024 at 6:13 PM
One last curmudgeonly post for the day... I'm pretty sure I understand the "Hawk Tuah" thing (or 'thang'), but would someone please explain, like I'm five, what a "meme coin" is, and why someone would pay money for it?
Just one curmudgeon's opinion... but it seems to me that the Christian Right is seldom either.
December 5, 2024 at 5:32 PM
Just one curmudgeon's opinion... but it seems to me that the Christian Right is seldom either.
My introductory post... #promosky.
New to this, so if I post in a way that is off-putting, please feel free to give me some *constructive* criticism.
My interests are: writing, gaming (PC & PS4), travel, meeting new people, and learning new things. I have no great talent in any of these areas.
New to this, so if I post in a way that is off-putting, please feel free to give me some *constructive* criticism.
My interests are: writing, gaming (PC & PS4), travel, meeting new people, and learning new things. I have no great talent in any of these areas.
December 4, 2024 at 11:14 PM
My introductory post... #promosky.
New to this, so if I post in a way that is off-putting, please feel free to give me some *constructive* criticism.
My interests are: writing, gaming (PC & PS4), travel, meeting new people, and learning new things. I have no great talent in any of these areas.
New to this, so if I post in a way that is off-putting, please feel free to give me some *constructive* criticism.
My interests are: writing, gaming (PC & PS4), travel, meeting new people, and learning new things. I have no great talent in any of these areas.