Archives for : Epic Writing Adventure

The Definitive Answers – Part Deux

Sorry for the delay in reaching the next part of The Definitive Answers, but its been a crazy few weeks filled with family stuff, sporadic Internet connectivity, participating in The Epic Writing Adventure and other stuff I don’t even want to go into.

But, I have not forgotten!

I’ve continued to get emails with questions from people, so I decided to make a YouTube video that answers three interesting questions posed to me recently.

In this video, I answer three animal-related questions from Lucy in Edmonton, Jenny in Chicago and Matthew from Alberta.

Remember: Submit your questions to askdavidquestions@gmail.com, and I’ll answer them in the upcoming editions of The Definitive Answers.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: Please note that when I mention the nictating membrane, I was actually referring to the structure known as the tapetum lucidum. I had gotten my notes mixed up with research on sharks that I was making earlier in the day. Thank you Neil for the correction!

The Beginning of the End

With The Definitive Answers going strong, this seems like the perfect time to pile on even more onto my plate (but I couldn’t be more excited!)

As long-time readers know, I began writing a novel in the summer of 2009 entitled, “The Black.” It all started with a few sentences I wrote down at my job, that blossomed into a chapter that quickly became a whole synopsis of a novel. And so, I began to write.

On the right side of my blog, you will see the first five chapters of The Black, which people have shown genuine interest in me finishing. However, when school started once again that fall, it went on the back burner. It was never forgotten, just often swept-aside in favour of other projects.

But, that time has ended.

In collaboration with a friend on Twitter (@genegeek), this is the start of what we are calling, “The Epic Writing Adventure.”

The rules are simple:
1) Write a novel that totals at least 30,000 words (or write your thesis – just set a goal)
2) We have exactly one month to do it (February 16th – March 16th)
3) To monitor our progress, follow me (@davidmanly) and @genegeekon Twitter, or simply search #TheEWA hash-tag on Twitter
4) After the month, we will edit the novels and perhaps even look into ways to publish
5) ANYONE is welcome to join in on the writing adventure!
6) This adventure is open to both fiction and non-fiction, or even any type of long-form journalism or thesis.

If we get enough people involved with this, we will design a badge for your blog or wall so you can marvel at your great accomplishment once we’re done!

And simply because you have read the first few parts of my novel that I have put on my blog, doesn’t mean you know how the story begins. What I wrote before was simply a rough draft to keep me writing … you haven’t seen anything yet.

Things will be changed, edited, moved around, but the core story will stay the same:

The Black” tells a story of a young lab assistant, who after a lab accident begins to view his past in flashes, starting from the moment of the accident to when he was born. But, the thing is, memories do not stop surfacing. Memories from before he was even born …”

Stay tuned for more!