Ira Heinichen's Blog, page 86
July 11, 2023
Day 3,535: Vanity Press
A quick public service address for my fellow authors out there: Vanity Presses are a scam. Avoid them at all costs.
What’s a “vanity press?” It’s a company that sells services to get your book published. Okay…so why is that evil? Good question. Here’s why:
A publisher pays YOU to publish your book. You’re giving them rights to royalties off of your work in exchange for them editing it, making a cover, marketing it, putting it up in a store etc. They pay for that stuff out of pocket. Them p...
July 10, 2023
Day 3,534: Back to Work!
Home and back to work!
Ahhhh. It feels good. A wonderful visit over the weekend, truly. TRULY. It was so nice to see Ryan and hang out. Miss him. And hang with Lisa and Penny, too. Love them so much.
It’s also really, really nice to be home. And I’m home for a nice long stretch. I’m going to finish this book, and ramp up to the next one after that. BOOKS. Books. That’s the goal. I’m looking forward to accomplishing it.
Night night.
July 9, 2023
Day 3,533: Panda In The Dark
Introduced a good friend tonight to the show Alone. He loved it. I’m so happy. I hope he watches it.
Another lovely day up here in Ashland. Penny, you guys—my friend’s almost-five-year-old daughter—is so freaking sweet. I have had such a good time hanging out with her.
We went to the park again today—Lithia Park—and we checked out the koi pond at the Japanese gardens, we went to the bookstore and we got a new puzzle and a new book about a pigeon getting really excited to go on a rollercoas...
July 8, 2023
Day 3,532: Sun Baked
Played mini-golf in the afternoon sun today…mistake. We were all WIPED from that, lol. It was fun, though. We’ve been having an amazing time visiting up here with Ryan, Lisa and Penny. SUCH a good time.
There’s such an age difference between 3 and (almost) 5, man. Kids develop SO MUCH in those years. Penny is able to hold her attention long enough to, like, play games, and do more complex thought processes, and get/make jokes. It’s been really, really nice spending time together with her. I l...
July 7, 2023
Day 3,531: Oregon!
We’re up visiting Ryan, Lisa and Penny. It’s so lovely. Beautiful weather. They have chickens, and they’re adorable. Penny is adorable. Ashland is adorable!
It late tho. I’m EXHAUSTED. Flying, man. It’s so tiring.
Night night.
July 6, 2023
Day 3,530: Squeaky Clean
Nothing better than a shower before bed.
It’s funny, I used to be a shower-in-the-morning person. Helped me wake up, etc. But Liz convinced me of the shower-before-bed methodology as being superior. Then you sleep CLEAN in your bed. And that’s magic.
Writing today was hard. But godammit I did it. I really did. Worked through some stuff that I hadn’t realized needed more fleshing out till I got there…and had fun doing it. Really looking forward to writing that part.
It’s going to be anot...
July 5, 2023
Day 3,529: Crunch
Less crushing today, but still crushing! I’ve…gotten…SO MUCH work done in the past two days.
It’s a glimpse into what I can do. I just need to make is sustainable. That’s the trick. That’s the rub. I can work so much faster; the block is mental.
I’m trying y’all. I really, truly am.
Night night.
July 4, 2023
Day 3,528: Puppy Down Here
Crushed. It. Today.
I wrote for six hours today and got a shit ton of this outline done. Almost to Act 3. I can be more economical with my words; I don’t need to write the entire freaking scene. Just outline it. It’s enough. I’m going to have to dive in and reinvent stuff when I actually WRITE the scene, anyway. Leave some room.
^^^ Pep talk for myself up there. I just had the realization today that I can pare things back. Move a little swifter. So long as the structure of the scene is the...
July 3, 2023
Day 3,531: I Got This
Bad writing day. I did almost nothing. But here’s the thing: I got this. I do. I really do. Tomorrow is going to be the best day I’ve had in a long while.
Let’s do this.
Night night.
July 2, 2023
Day 3,530: Mode Push
Need to finish my outline and start writing the book. Have to. It’s as simple as that.
It’s all out tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.
Good sunday. We got to hang out with Stephen and Thida in the morning. Had breakfast/brunch together. They made homemade egg mcmuffins that were LEGIT. We brought berries and whipped cream. Brought Joy. She loves their house. Tried to get Tommen to play with her but he wasn’t having it. She was good about it though. She listened. Backed off. She’s so good...
