Tag: writing fiction

Starting Over Again…

I thought this sunset photo from our recent family vacation is fitting for today’s post.

You see, I’m changing publishers, so it’s the end of one day with the anticipation to the start of a new one.

So if you’re a fan or even curious what this means, here’s a quick overview of what’s in store.

Editing.  My new publisher “encouraged” me to go through Tears of Min Brock and do some re-writing.  At first, I was a bit put off by this, not because I think it’s perfect, but because, well, it’s already out in the market.  So while on vacation, I took some time to look inside.  I now see this as an exciting opportunity (that many authors don’t get!) to make the book shine even more.

Now if you’re already a fan, you may be freaking out, thinking: “You’re changing the story?!?!”

Well, no, the story & characters will stay as is, but my writing style will not.  I’m making the book flow & read much easier while at the same time maintaining the epic details I need to convey.  I’m keeping key quotes and phrases, but tweaking dialogue and adding emotional depth.  In fact, I’m finding that the bulk of what I’m revising is in about the first 80 pages, which makes sense because there’s so much backstory I’m trying to interject (i.e., the Dark War, the Oracles, the Only, the whispers, relationships, oppressed society, etc.)

Yes, it’s a lot of work, but I’m very energized by this.  Very energized!

Once I’m done, I’ll send this to the publisher and they’ll rake through it until we’re convinced we have it where we like it.  The goal is to have this published ASAP while at the same time, getting Book II ready to be released (hopefully!) 3 months later.

And since I have the other books done, this delay actually puts the series back on track, so to speak, in allowing me to connect with readers while building momentum.

So there’s the scoop.  Feel free to comment or email me with any questions/suggestions you may have, and I hope you’re as excited as I am!

 

Do you live life as a classicist or a jazzer?

Although I like to consider myself more of a “jazzer” (“able to improv through life”) than a “classicist” (“plays life like a score: no surprises & well-rehearsed”), when life doesn’t “work,” I quickly become a classicist.

Take this morning and my Jeep.  Please!  Take it!  Somewhere within its electrical system is a tiny wire or a little fuse that has decided to render the thing dead.

So at 6 AM, I began to improvise: juggling this person here to fulfill that need there, emailing so-and-so to ward off affecting you-know-who.  Plotting, planning, thinking, scheming…

Etc., etc., etc.

So as a “jazzer,” you’d think I’d love this early morning composition, which has been more like a frantic bebop piece than a cool ballad.  But I’m not.  No, I’m really, really not!  In fact, I wish my life was a classical score so I could go practice, nail my part, and bow to wondrous applause.

So how about you?

“Jazzer” or “classicist?”

Are you one of these?

Courtesy Microsoft

Maybe you’re already aware.  Maybe your friends have said, “That’s you!”  Maybe you’re like so many who avoid self-analysis at all cost.

No matter which category you fall into, I’m here to help you find, discover, and embrace the truth of who you are!

So, in the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy: “You may be an author if you…”

Walk into a bookstore, see the amassed talent and mumble, “I suck!”

Walk into a bookstore, see the amassed talent and mumble, “They suck!”

Eavesdrop on a spicy conversation to get some “nuggets” for your story’s upcoming dialogue.

Consider your Christmas letter proof that you’re published.

Love replying to every email in order to sharpen your writing skills.

Get excited when your teacher states, “Write about what you did for the summer.”

Think C-Span’s Book TV is exciting to watch.

These are but a few indicators that you may be an author. 

Have any to share?

 

New Baby!

Photo courtesy of Microsoft

Right now, my friends and family are FREAKING OUT!  “They’re PREGNANT?”  “He’s in his fifties!  How’s that even possible?”

Rest assured, folks, that the “new baby” is merely allegorical.  As a writer, I’m always striving to grow, and one way I do this is by increasing my vocabulary.  So when I discover a new word, for me, it’s like having a new baby (only without the stinky diapers, 3 A.M. feedings, and subsequent college tuition.)

If you’re still reading this, then I have to assume you’re a writer since everyone else thought:  “Oh, this isn’t about a baby…”  “Oh, it’s not about sex…”

So let’s continue…

Recently, I uncovered a plethora of gems in a fantasy I was reading and added them to my Excel vocab worksheet.  Geeky?  Yep!  But I’ll be the first to admit where I’m weakest (vocab/grammar) and need to improve.  Plus, with the spreadsheet nearby while I write, I have a handy tool and resource at my fingertips.  If not, I tend to use the same tired word or phrasing, which is boring, and if I’m bored, my reader has to be too.

So when I discover a new word, especially one that sums up several words, I get excited.  Honest, I really do!  And you can bet your booty I’ll have these new tots dressed and ready to go, anxious to insert them in a page and watch them help my story grow up. The trick, of course, is to not be the obnoxious parent who shows off baby all the time!

So what tricks of the trade do you use?

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I’m blind!

Picture compliments of Fotolia

If you can’t see, then how do you know where you’re going?  How do you know when you arrive?

Without vision, you’re lost.

Although this sounds like banter from a motivational speaker, please bear with me.

Whether I like it or not, I’m the captain responsible for sailing my books out into the marketplace.  This is frustrating because my passion is writing fiction and storytelling, not being a sales guy.  Yet if I don’t take this on, no one will.   I’ve also come to the conclusion that since no one has the same drive/passion for my books as I do, that I’m the man for the job.  So I’ve rolled up my sleeves and grabbed the helm.

But to me, marketing is a blinding sea storm of chaos.  So many voices shouting, “Do this!” or “Gotta head this way!” and the perilous, “You’ll never make it unless you__”

Instead of feeling like I’m on target, I feel like I am the target!

So I’m going to stop “doing” and “go below deck” to determine what I want and why.  Based upon Michael Hyatt’s blog, this is paramount to setting my compass.  My subsequent answer to “why” will illuminate my “how to.”

This feels unnatural and even a bit frightening (“If I stop, won’t we sink?” or “Resting constitutes laziness!”)  But if I don’t, then I’ll be doing something even worse: sailing blindly into who knows what.

Do you need a vision stop? 

Do you have any stories to share?