(Kind of.)

Sorry for my absence, it was a bit longer a lot longer than I expected. A lot’s changed since I last posted. I still don’t have a job (I’m not that disappointed though), but all is going well with university. I finally have my driver’s licence (fourth time lucky) and I’m stress free (except for the looming exams).

When I last posted, I was hard at work editing my WIP, Poseidon’s Trident. In my break though, I discovered that there were just too many things wrong with it. I would have scrapped it, but I think it has potential. Therefore, I’m going to give it a re-write. A major re-write. But first, I need to give myself some space from it, so I’ve started working on a new project – my third novel! Woo!

In my absence, I’ve also decided to make the switch to Blogger… and reveal my identity.

So.

New blog. New name. Same old funny self. (you guys do think I’m funny, right?)

Come on over and visit me at my new blog:

www.matthewdodwell.blogspot.com

 Don’t forget, if you have me down on your blogroll, don’t forget to update it! I can’t wait to see you in my new home.

Thanks for reading!

I’m stressing about trying to find a job. I’m stressing about university. I’m stressing about how to make the long commute to university each day. I’m stressing about trying to pass my driving test.

All this stress is adding up, and it’s taking a toll on my writing/blogging life. I’m not writing much, and I certainly am not blogging anymore.

So, I’ve decided to take a break from blogging for a little while. It wasn’t an easy decision, and I’ve been thinking about it for a week or so. I get really guilty every time a week goes by without a new post, but I no longer have the time or energy to write posts.

I will resume blogging once my life gets back in order. I don’t know when this will be; it could be as soon as March, or it could be a lot longer (although I am thinking the stress should subside by March).

I’ll still be around on Twitter, and I’ll still be writing.

Thanks for reading.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is most likely the best thing to come out of Sweden. I loved it.

The book had an excellent hook which sucked me in right away, and the rest of the plot had more twists than a mountain range road. The characters were unique, in particular, the heroine, Lisbeth Salander.

I expected Salander to be the main protagonist, but she was more of a side kick. She was a really different character to any other I’ve read about: an outcast in society, anorexic, doesn’t give a damn about rules. She’s a total badass.

After the hook/prologue, I thought the beginning was a bit slow, and I initially had doubts as to the quality of the books. But I read through the beginning and it quickly began to pick up the pace. It was such a good read, I probably read the last half of the book in two or three days, reading for hours on end. I simply couldn’t put it down.

It was a really gritty book, with murder, rape, and torture, and at times, it probably wasn’t the best thing to read at night. It had a strong theme of sexual violence, and interestingly, the original title in Swedish was Men Who Hate Women.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good murder book. It’s a disappointment that author Stieg Larsson isn’t alive today to enjoy his international success and continue to write. Great work, Stieg!

But recently, I’ve come to realise just how important short stories are. In my opinion, short stories are a great way to experiment and try out new things. They’re short with simple plots, and the time you invest in them is minimum. That means that you can practice your skills before applying it to something major.

What are your thoughts on short stories?

But this revision is not fun. It’s starting to become work. Sometimes, I have to sit down and force myself to work on the revision.

Lately though, I’ve been working on a short story. It’s a little different from my usual work; my WIP, and what I usually read, are thrillers, while this short story is a murder mystery – a genre I haven’t written in (or read) for a while.

I’m having lots of fun writing this. I’ve had the idea for a while, but never really did anything about it until now. The details came as I wrote it. Originally I was going to have a team of detectives, but when I started writing, I decided on just one detective, plus her sidekick.

Tell me, in the comments: what do you do when writing becomes work?

‘Ma’am, could you tell me, what are some of your skills?’

‘Well,’ the woman replies, ‘I write short stories, several of which have been published by big writing magazines. I’ve written three novels in the past three years, and the latest book has landed me an agent. The book is scheduled to be released in November. I’m currently writing a sequel to the book and I should have the rough draft finished in May.’

The employer nods. ‘That’s very interesting, but I was referring to what skills you have which could be used during office hours.’

The woman replies ‘They are my office hour skills.’

But, this year, I spontaneously decided to change the font of my WIP to Georgia… and I love it! Ever since changing, I’ve had a renewed passion for writing, and the words are just flowing out onto the page. I’m easily going over my daily 250 words which I try to write each day, in record time! (It can usually take half an hour to get my 250 words. I haven’t timed myself in Georgia font, but it doesn’t feel like 30 minutes).

What font do you use to write?

Year 12: I finished school this year and graduated.

Finished the rough draft of my novel: I finished writing the rough draft of my WIP in July and I’ve been editing it ever since. I’m making slow progress, but it’s still progress.

Published: I submitted a short story for a national competition and had it published. (Now that I think about it, I’m not sure I blogged about that achievement. That will be a story for next year).

Travel: I went to Vietnam in September on a school trip (again, I think I forgot to blog about it) which was amazing, and I also flew north for an end of school holiday (Airlie Beach, near Mackay, for those who have an atlas handy). The travel bug has been re-ignited, and I’m eager for 2011 to be filled with exciting new destinations!

How has 2010 been for you? What exciting things did you do? What were your achievements? What are you hoping 2011 will bring?

Little Scribbler.

I’m not writing this post to start a debate on terrorism, or Guantanamo, or whether Hicks really is guilty or not, but I want to share with you just how awesome his book is.

I copped a lot of criticism for wanting to read his book, most of it along the lines of “you’ll be supporting terrorism!” so I borrowed it out from the library.

I loved it.

The first part of the autobiography reads like a travel diary. Hicks details his journeys around the world, from central Australia and Eastern Europe, to Japan and Afghanistan. I thought part one would be boring, but I got really sucked into it, to the extent like I felt like I was really there.

Part one ends with Hicks being captured by Afghan militants and sold to the US military. The second part describes Hicks’ time in Guantanamo, from his trial to his alleged torture.

The writing style of the book was great, and I think Hicks missed his calling as an author. The descriptions made me feel as if I was actually there and the voice was friendly and inviting.

I loved this book and found it really interesting. I’m not sure if/where it’s available in the US, but it should be available in Australia in all department stores in libraries. It was a fascinating read and definitely recommend it, even if you only read part one.