Doug Farren's Blog, page 11
April 17, 2016
Self Publishing - Book Covers
Update
Dragonverse Origins is in the hands of my wife who will do the major work of grammar checking. Well, at least the first half of the book anyway. I'm still doing my own editing of the second half while she's working on the first. This speeds up the process allowing us to multitask. I continue to think about Peacekeeper 3 so that when it comes time to begin work on that novel I will be able to move along at a decent pace.
I also attended a book selling event at a local library on Monday. Although I had fun I did not sell any books. Neither did any of the authors around me. To prepare for the event, I purchased several more sets of books. Now I'm stuck with them especially because I don't sell many hard copies. I do like supporting the local library but I'm having my doubts that book selling events are worth the effort. It takes a lot to pack up 50 pounds of books, haul them out to the car, drive to the library, haul them inside, set up, and then sit for two hours as people walk by, glance at your table, and keep walking. There were around 15 authors there and I believe they sold only a handful out of the entire group. Oh, and did I mention it was raining that day? I think I will limit my library support activities to appearing individually or on a panel.
Covers
Yesterday, I spent about an hour sitting down with an artist. She's the daughter of a friend we met at the local B&N. My wife loves her artwork and others have made similar comments. We asked if she would be interested in doing the book covers for the entire Dragonverse series. Yesterday, we came to an agreement of sorts and next week I think we will iron out the details. The cost, however, is much more than what I've been paying.
I've been having another friend do my covers. She's done a wonderful job and she does not charge nearly what a professional does. I've been very pleased with her work. So why change? The artist I spoke with yesterday has an extensive website with a lot of artwork for sale. Her animals are very realistic and unique. Being hand-painted, they're also very realistic looking. Her style will make the new covers stand out.
So how important are covers? In one word -- VERY. Say I'm looking for a good military science fiction novel. I fire up Amazon and enter a search and then ... I start scanning the covers. I don't have time to click on every book and read the synopsis as well as the reviews. I look for a cover that grabs my attention and I click on that one. It is the cover that gets me to drill down one level and read about the book. Covers are vital and paying a good price to have one that stands out is a must.
Let me give you an example. Here is the history of the covers for Translight - the first book of the Galactic Alliance series:
Which one would grab your attention? The first one was something I created using PowerPoint and a colorized drawing I did back in the 70's merged with some graphics I found online. Not too bad but not good either. When you blow it up, you can really see how unprofessional it is. The second cover looks okay but the title does not stand out and my name is practically invisible. The final cover has a bold title and my name is clearly visible even in the thumbnail. The artwork identifies the book as being science fiction.
So how much should a cover cost? The price is all over the map on this one. You can go to Fiver and have someone overseas create a cover for you. It might work out and you could possibly get away with paying as little as $40.00. Even though many of the people on Fiver doing this work are working for pennies, they are talented. But you can also end up with something that you don't like.
You can do what I've done and get a talented friend to make your cover. The results might be great or perhaps not. The price could be nothing or very inexpensive depending on your friend. Working with someone you know also has the advantages of being able to reject a cover and have them alter it to you exact likings without having to pay for the artist's time to make multiple corrections. If your friend is talented enough and you work well together you can end up with a very nice cover for only a small fee.
Professional book cover artists have done this before and they will listen to your ideas, ask you about the book's story line, and gather other details to give them an idea as to what you're looking for. They'll present you with a few rough drafts and then produce a final cover from the one you select. Most allow you to make a few minor changes at no additional cost. More than a few will end up costing you more because you are paying for their time and effort. In the end, you will have a very good cover that has been crafted by a professional. But, it will cost you more.
Typical cover artists charge between $200 and $1,000 for a cover. The low end would be reserved for those just starting off in the business. A simple cover from someone who's been doing it for awhile might run between $300 and $400. Complex covers will cost you more. A typical contract (and yes you should have one) allows for a specified number of changes before additional charges are added.
A contract is also a must. This will be the legal document giving you (the author) the rights to the cover art. You are hiring an artist to produce a piece of artwork for you and when she turns the end product over to you, it's yours. You own the work. There are alternatives but they're not common. You might be granted a license to use the cover art in any way you desire but the artist retains the copyright and is free to sell the base cover art in any way they choose as long as it is never again used as a book cover. This allows the artist (who wants to make money as well) to sell the work as a stand-alone work of art. In my opinion, this arrangement is best for both parties because it might allow the artist to charge less for the work because in the end she can make more by selling it outright. This also gives her the incentive to put even more effort into the work. Additionally, if the artwork becomes popular, it could help promote your book as well.
Should the artist also do the lettering? There is a give and take here as well. If you decide to publish in another language and the lettering is part of the artwork, then you're going to have to pay the artist to redo the cover. If you have both the artwork and the cover with the lettering or just the artwork alone, then you can create a new cover yourself. Having the artist put the lettering into the cover can be aesthetically pleasing as well making the entire cover appear as a seamless whole. In the end, you're the publisher and it's totally up to you.
Having a great cover can help sell books. Unfortunately, it will also mean you have to spend the money up front to have one done. It's an investment in your book's future. Covers do sell books. If you're confident your book is good enough and has been formatted using industry guidelines, then by all means spend the money to have a great cover put on it. You won't regret it.
Dragonverse Origins is in the hands of my wife who will do the major work of grammar checking. Well, at least the first half of the book anyway. I'm still doing my own editing of the second half while she's working on the first. This speeds up the process allowing us to multitask. I continue to think about Peacekeeper 3 so that when it comes time to begin work on that novel I will be able to move along at a decent pace.
I also attended a book selling event at a local library on Monday. Although I had fun I did not sell any books. Neither did any of the authors around me. To prepare for the event, I purchased several more sets of books. Now I'm stuck with them especially because I don't sell many hard copies. I do like supporting the local library but I'm having my doubts that book selling events are worth the effort. It takes a lot to pack up 50 pounds of books, haul them out to the car, drive to the library, haul them inside, set up, and then sit for two hours as people walk by, glance at your table, and keep walking. There were around 15 authors there and I believe they sold only a handful out of the entire group. Oh, and did I mention it was raining that day? I think I will limit my library support activities to appearing individually or on a panel.
Covers
Yesterday, I spent about an hour sitting down with an artist. She's the daughter of a friend we met at the local B&N. My wife loves her artwork and others have made similar comments. We asked if she would be interested in doing the book covers for the entire Dragonverse series. Yesterday, we came to an agreement of sorts and next week I think we will iron out the details. The cost, however, is much more than what I've been paying.
I've been having another friend do my covers. She's done a wonderful job and she does not charge nearly what a professional does. I've been very pleased with her work. So why change? The artist I spoke with yesterday has an extensive website with a lot of artwork for sale. Her animals are very realistic and unique. Being hand-painted, they're also very realistic looking. Her style will make the new covers stand out.
So how important are covers? In one word -- VERY. Say I'm looking for a good military science fiction novel. I fire up Amazon and enter a search and then ... I start scanning the covers. I don't have time to click on every book and read the synopsis as well as the reviews. I look for a cover that grabs my attention and I click on that one. It is the cover that gets me to drill down one level and read about the book. Covers are vital and paying a good price to have one that stands out is a must.
Let me give you an example. Here is the history of the covers for Translight - the first book of the Galactic Alliance series:
Which one would grab your attention? The first one was something I created using PowerPoint and a colorized drawing I did back in the 70's merged with some graphics I found online. Not too bad but not good either. When you blow it up, you can really see how unprofessional it is. The second cover looks okay but the title does not stand out and my name is practically invisible. The final cover has a bold title and my name is clearly visible even in the thumbnail. The artwork identifies the book as being science fiction.So how much should a cover cost? The price is all over the map on this one. You can go to Fiver and have someone overseas create a cover for you. It might work out and you could possibly get away with paying as little as $40.00. Even though many of the people on Fiver doing this work are working for pennies, they are talented. But you can also end up with something that you don't like.
You can do what I've done and get a talented friend to make your cover. The results might be great or perhaps not. The price could be nothing or very inexpensive depending on your friend. Working with someone you know also has the advantages of being able to reject a cover and have them alter it to you exact likings without having to pay for the artist's time to make multiple corrections. If your friend is talented enough and you work well together you can end up with a very nice cover for only a small fee.
Professional book cover artists have done this before and they will listen to your ideas, ask you about the book's story line, and gather other details to give them an idea as to what you're looking for. They'll present you with a few rough drafts and then produce a final cover from the one you select. Most allow you to make a few minor changes at no additional cost. More than a few will end up costing you more because you are paying for their time and effort. In the end, you will have a very good cover that has been crafted by a professional. But, it will cost you more.
Typical cover artists charge between $200 and $1,000 for a cover. The low end would be reserved for those just starting off in the business. A simple cover from someone who's been doing it for awhile might run between $300 and $400. Complex covers will cost you more. A typical contract (and yes you should have one) allows for a specified number of changes before additional charges are added.
A contract is also a must. This will be the legal document giving you (the author) the rights to the cover art. You are hiring an artist to produce a piece of artwork for you and when she turns the end product over to you, it's yours. You own the work. There are alternatives but they're not common. You might be granted a license to use the cover art in any way you desire but the artist retains the copyright and is free to sell the base cover art in any way they choose as long as it is never again used as a book cover. This allows the artist (who wants to make money as well) to sell the work as a stand-alone work of art. In my opinion, this arrangement is best for both parties because it might allow the artist to charge less for the work because in the end she can make more by selling it outright. This also gives her the incentive to put even more effort into the work. Additionally, if the artwork becomes popular, it could help promote your book as well.
Should the artist also do the lettering? There is a give and take here as well. If you decide to publish in another language and the lettering is part of the artwork, then you're going to have to pay the artist to redo the cover. If you have both the artwork and the cover with the lettering or just the artwork alone, then you can create a new cover yourself. Having the artist put the lettering into the cover can be aesthetically pleasing as well making the entire cover appear as a seamless whole. In the end, you're the publisher and it's totally up to you.
Having a great cover can help sell books. Unfortunately, it will also mean you have to spend the money up front to have one done. It's an investment in your book's future. Covers do sell books. If you're confident your book is good enough and has been formatted using industry guidelines, then by all means spend the money to have a great cover put on it. You won't regret it.
April 10, 2016
How Important Are Word Counts
Update
I took a short break from writing all last week. Yesterday, I opened up the Word document with the comments from Lee on Dragonverse Origins. I was expecting a bunch of red. I found very little. I had given Lee an early copy of the first half of the book and he made some comments. That was when I was working on professionalizing the books of the Galactic Alliance series. When I finally went back to writing Origins, I started from the beginning to refamiliarize myself with the book. I also incorporated Lee's suggestions. That's why he had so few comments.
I also applied a lesson that took me some time to learn - don't rush the ending. It was one of my faults and it's been pointed out to me on several occasions by several people. I normally set a goal of 85,000 words when I begin a new novel. Once I hit that goal, there's a psychological push to end the book -- soon. By that time, I'm to the point where I want to hurry up, end the book, and begin the process of getting it ready for publication. In short -- I'm rushing.
I was very tempted to rush the ending of Origins as well. This time, I didn't and Lee's comments are a reflection of that change in behavior. The book clocks in at just over 98,000 words. That's a hefty novel! But not rushing has made it a far better book.
I am now in the process of doing my editing pass. The book's next stop will be my wife who is tasked with making sure I've found and corrected all the bad grammar. She also does a bit of content editing but I've made few changing in a story due to her comments (mostly because she is not a big fan of science fiction). When I get her comments back and the changes incorporated, I will be sending the book to a reader in Germany for his take. During all this, I'm searching for a cover.
I was supposed to meet with the person who might do the cover yesterday but a Spring snow storm resulted in our staying home. The writer's group meeting was also canceled (at the last minute) and I didn't feel bad about not making the trip to the bookstore. I spent the day with my wife and left Twitter and the internet alone.
Word Counts
Several authors I know maintain a historical record of their daily word counts. One has automated the process to the point where it is now completely automatic. He can pull up historical graphs and charts showing his daily word count going back for years. I've always questioned the value of doing something like that. But Scrivener makes it easy and I've found myself looking at the daily word count more often than not as well as reporting it here in my blog. The question I'm forced to ask is: does it matter?
Counting the number of words you've achieved on a daily basis can be a measure of your productivity. But what about when you're editing? I can easily spend 5 hours editing something I've written, making changes here and there and at the end of the day end up with a negative number on my word count. I've been very productive, but the word count shows I've actually failed miserably.
Word counts can serve as a 'push' to get a writer going. "Crap! I have to make my 1,000 words today and it's almost midnight!" But is that a good thing? Writing words just for the sake of writing them is never a good thing. You'll end up deleting them in the future if they're bad enough or spending so much time editing them that you've actually wasted time.
In my case, setting a word count goal for the total size of a book gives me an artificial target to shoot for. Once I hit that target, my mind starts telling me I need to hurry up and end the book. It can result in rushing the ending. When you're writing a novel, having a set number of words as your goal can have a negative influence on the quality of your writing. If the book is moving along well and you pass the mid-point in the story but you're only 30% of your target word count, you're going to be tempted to start adding scenes that don't add value.
Word counts are important if you're a short story writer. Magazines and anthologies have word count guidelines and you must remain cognisant of those guidelines as you write. That's one reason I'm not a short story writer. If you write novels, then setting a target word count is an artificial goal and it should be adjusted as the book progresses. Counting daily word production can be a useful tool and it does give you a way of reporting to others just how hard you've been working. But meeting your daily goal can cause you to write junk. If you're struggling with a scene and after 3 hours of head-banging thinking, you crank out 125 words, then you've had a good day. On the other hand, if the story is flowing along and you're 'in the zone', then blasting out 4,000 words is also a great day. A daily word count is a subjective and artificial goal.
Rushing
Earlier on, I said I have a tendency to rush my endings. Patience in this day and age seems to be a characteristic of people that is rapidly fading away. I see it every day and in all aspects of our lives. People expect things to happen NOW. Back when I was young, I communicated with my friends via snail mail (even the name denotes slowness). I would write a letter and send it off. A week or two later, I would get a response. If I needed something now, I would pick up the phone and call. This was back when all phones were based on land-line technology and people often were not at home. If I was lucky, that person had an answering machine.
Today, we communicate via instant messaging, texting, emails, and even direct phone calls. But the communications device is often within reach of the person you are trying to contact and that person will respond within seconds. I can order something off Amazon and it will be at my house in two days. In the past, we would search through catalogs, fill out a mail-order form or pick up the phone and call it in and we would have our goods in 3 to 5 weeks. Dial-up modems are a thing of the past and now the internet runs at megabit speeds.
All of this has happened within a single lifetime! People have forgotten how to slow down and enjoy life. If fact, if you're one of those people who haven't forgotten and you have patience, you'll find yourself being asked to hurry up. This sort of attitude is spreading into all aspects of our lives. If we sit down at a nice restaurant and the service is a bit slow (often due to a person calling off) the server gets blamed for being slow. Highway speeds are set for a reason but few people follow the law. The police don't even enforce the speed limit unless you're driving at least 10 miles an hour over the limit. Our tendency to rush is now putting us in danger.
People tailgate because they don't have the patience to wait. They think they can intimidate the person in front of them to speed up by riding their bumper. It causes accidents. People zoom through yellow lights because they don't have the patience to sit at a red light for 60 seconds. When the light does turn green, they hit the accelerator and slam into the person who just ran the light because neither of them have any patience. Even daily conversation is being affected. Listen carefully sometime and you'll see it. People talk over others and they don't listen to what the other person is saying because they're thinking about how to frame their reply so they can immediately blurt it out.
We live in a world of instant gratification and it's beginning to affect the quality of our lives. People don't interact with other people the way we used to. When I was a young child, I remember my mother spending all day in the kitchen baking. The neighbors would come over and my mom would sit and socialize over a cup of percolated coffee. Things were slower and more laid back then. Now, we have coffee makers that produce a cup of coffee in under 2 minutes. We don't bake our own foods. Socialization is done at such a speed it's a wonder we ever get to know the people we call friends.
I'm not going to rush my endings because it makes for a better book. If our lives are a story being written fresh every day, then why would we want to rush through any of it? Slow down. Savor your existence. Learn how to be patient. You will live a much better life.
Time to get back to editing.
I took a short break from writing all last week. Yesterday, I opened up the Word document with the comments from Lee on Dragonverse Origins. I was expecting a bunch of red. I found very little. I had given Lee an early copy of the first half of the book and he made some comments. That was when I was working on professionalizing the books of the Galactic Alliance series. When I finally went back to writing Origins, I started from the beginning to refamiliarize myself with the book. I also incorporated Lee's suggestions. That's why he had so few comments.
I also applied a lesson that took me some time to learn - don't rush the ending. It was one of my faults and it's been pointed out to me on several occasions by several people. I normally set a goal of 85,000 words when I begin a new novel. Once I hit that goal, there's a psychological push to end the book -- soon. By that time, I'm to the point where I want to hurry up, end the book, and begin the process of getting it ready for publication. In short -- I'm rushing.
I was very tempted to rush the ending of Origins as well. This time, I didn't and Lee's comments are a reflection of that change in behavior. The book clocks in at just over 98,000 words. That's a hefty novel! But not rushing has made it a far better book.
I am now in the process of doing my editing pass. The book's next stop will be my wife who is tasked with making sure I've found and corrected all the bad grammar. She also does a bit of content editing but I've made few changing in a story due to her comments (mostly because she is not a big fan of science fiction). When I get her comments back and the changes incorporated, I will be sending the book to a reader in Germany for his take. During all this, I'm searching for a cover.
I was supposed to meet with the person who might do the cover yesterday but a Spring snow storm resulted in our staying home. The writer's group meeting was also canceled (at the last minute) and I didn't feel bad about not making the trip to the bookstore. I spent the day with my wife and left Twitter and the internet alone.
Word Counts
Several authors I know maintain a historical record of their daily word counts. One has automated the process to the point where it is now completely automatic. He can pull up historical graphs and charts showing his daily word count going back for years. I've always questioned the value of doing something like that. But Scrivener makes it easy and I've found myself looking at the daily word count more often than not as well as reporting it here in my blog. The question I'm forced to ask is: does it matter?
Counting the number of words you've achieved on a daily basis can be a measure of your productivity. But what about when you're editing? I can easily spend 5 hours editing something I've written, making changes here and there and at the end of the day end up with a negative number on my word count. I've been very productive, but the word count shows I've actually failed miserably.
Word counts can serve as a 'push' to get a writer going. "Crap! I have to make my 1,000 words today and it's almost midnight!" But is that a good thing? Writing words just for the sake of writing them is never a good thing. You'll end up deleting them in the future if they're bad enough or spending so much time editing them that you've actually wasted time.
In my case, setting a word count goal for the total size of a book gives me an artificial target to shoot for. Once I hit that target, my mind starts telling me I need to hurry up and end the book. It can result in rushing the ending. When you're writing a novel, having a set number of words as your goal can have a negative influence on the quality of your writing. If the book is moving along well and you pass the mid-point in the story but you're only 30% of your target word count, you're going to be tempted to start adding scenes that don't add value.
Word counts are important if you're a short story writer. Magazines and anthologies have word count guidelines and you must remain cognisant of those guidelines as you write. That's one reason I'm not a short story writer. If you write novels, then setting a target word count is an artificial goal and it should be adjusted as the book progresses. Counting daily word production can be a useful tool and it does give you a way of reporting to others just how hard you've been working. But meeting your daily goal can cause you to write junk. If you're struggling with a scene and after 3 hours of head-banging thinking, you crank out 125 words, then you've had a good day. On the other hand, if the story is flowing along and you're 'in the zone', then blasting out 4,000 words is also a great day. A daily word count is a subjective and artificial goal.
Rushing
Earlier on, I said I have a tendency to rush my endings. Patience in this day and age seems to be a characteristic of people that is rapidly fading away. I see it every day and in all aspects of our lives. People expect things to happen NOW. Back when I was young, I communicated with my friends via snail mail (even the name denotes slowness). I would write a letter and send it off. A week or two later, I would get a response. If I needed something now, I would pick up the phone and call. This was back when all phones were based on land-line technology and people often were not at home. If I was lucky, that person had an answering machine.
Today, we communicate via instant messaging, texting, emails, and even direct phone calls. But the communications device is often within reach of the person you are trying to contact and that person will respond within seconds. I can order something off Amazon and it will be at my house in two days. In the past, we would search through catalogs, fill out a mail-order form or pick up the phone and call it in and we would have our goods in 3 to 5 weeks. Dial-up modems are a thing of the past and now the internet runs at megabit speeds.
All of this has happened within a single lifetime! People have forgotten how to slow down and enjoy life. If fact, if you're one of those people who haven't forgotten and you have patience, you'll find yourself being asked to hurry up. This sort of attitude is spreading into all aspects of our lives. If we sit down at a nice restaurant and the service is a bit slow (often due to a person calling off) the server gets blamed for being slow. Highway speeds are set for a reason but few people follow the law. The police don't even enforce the speed limit unless you're driving at least 10 miles an hour over the limit. Our tendency to rush is now putting us in danger.
People tailgate because they don't have the patience to wait. They think they can intimidate the person in front of them to speed up by riding their bumper. It causes accidents. People zoom through yellow lights because they don't have the patience to sit at a red light for 60 seconds. When the light does turn green, they hit the accelerator and slam into the person who just ran the light because neither of them have any patience. Even daily conversation is being affected. Listen carefully sometime and you'll see it. People talk over others and they don't listen to what the other person is saying because they're thinking about how to frame their reply so they can immediately blurt it out.
We live in a world of instant gratification and it's beginning to affect the quality of our lives. People don't interact with other people the way we used to. When I was a young child, I remember my mother spending all day in the kitchen baking. The neighbors would come over and my mom would sit and socialize over a cup of percolated coffee. Things were slower and more laid back then. Now, we have coffee makers that produce a cup of coffee in under 2 minutes. We don't bake our own foods. Socialization is done at such a speed it's a wonder we ever get to know the people we call friends.
I'm not going to rush my endings because it makes for a better book. If our lives are a story being written fresh every day, then why would we want to rush through any of it? Slow down. Savor your existence. Learn how to be patient. You will live a much better life.
Time to get back to editing.
April 3, 2016
Burn-out
UpdatesI received the comments for Dragonverse Origins from my content editor. I have not yet opened the commented manuscript but the initial response from Lee is very positive. Yesterday was a very productive writing day. I wrote for hours early in the morning while my wife slept; At the bookstore; and again at home because my wife’s sister came over for a visit with her.
I have finished re-editing and reformatting (for Kindle anyway) Ishnef’s Revenge (book 2 of the Dragonverse series). I’ve been so busy doing re-editing and reformatting that I have not had time to look to see if I have the bare artwork for the covers for the rest of the books I have left to finish in my professionalization project. As of right now, I have the following left to do:· Reformat Dragonverse books 1 and 2 for CreateSpace.· Reformat Off Course and When Ships Mutiny for Kindle and CreateSpace (no re-editing of these).· Look to see if I have the artwork for the above books so I can redo the covers in my new format.
Once all the above is complete, I can upload all these books to Amazon. That will herald the completion of my professionalization project. If you’ve been following my blog, you might recall that I started this process back in September – over 6 months ago.
Now that Ishnef’s Revenge has been re-edited, I will begin working on incorporating the changes to Dragonverse Origins suggested by my content editor. I hope to have those changes done and the manuscript in the hands of my wife for her proofing pass. While she does that, I’ll begin work on Peacekeeper 3. When my wife is done with her proofing, I’ll put the corrections in place and then send the near final product to a fan in Germany for his opinion.
I don’t know if he remembers, but I promised this fan the opportunity to read my next book. Even though he’s German, his English is impeccable. My wife is very good at proofing but nobody is perfect. Having a second proofreader look at the manuscript before it’s released will allow me to have confidence that I’ve found virtually all of the errors. I will start looking for a cover in the next few weeks.
Speaking of errors: If you’re a writer, you should have had it drilled into your head that you need to have your manuscript looked at by an editor. A good editor is worth their weight in platinum. But, many self-published authors don’t have the financial resources to have their books edited by a professional. Good editors are not cheap! The best alternative then is to have as many people as possible look at your book. Find people who have no qualms about telling you what needs to be fixed. If at all possible, get people who know the difference between loose and lose, who’s and whose, there and their, as well as having the ability to recognize poor grammar. Releasing a book with one or two mistakes is okay, even large publishing houses do this. But releasing a book with a spelling or grammatical error in every chapter is unacceptable.
All of this intense focus on writing these past few months has come at a price though. If I have 30 minutes of free time, I devote it to writing. My wife has complained that I spend too much time writing and she groaned when I told her I would be starting work on Peacekeeper as soon as possible. Tiffany Trent (an author whom I met at Launch Pad) has written a very good article on author burn-out. If you have a few minutes, you should read it. Authors not only have to worry about burning themselves out, they have to consider the people they live with as well. Another author I know posted a blog about this very subject. I wish I could recall who and when so I could post the link.
I’m the type of writer who listens to my readers. When they provide me with feedback, I listen and I learn. It makes me a better writer. I think it’s high time I applied that same philosophy to my life. I’ve been listening to my wife and I’ve been trying to set writing aside when she’s around. I have plenty of time to write: In the morning when she’s sleeping and I don’t have to work; After work if she’s not home; At the bookstore on weekends. My biggest problem now will be cutting back on reading Twitter. I follow every person that I’ve met at Launch Pad (those that are on Twitter anyway) and a very few others. I read every tweet. Back when I only followed a very few this wasn’t a problem. Now, I follow 70+ people and it takes quite a while to keep current. So far, I’ve managed, but after this year’s Launch Pad I’m going to have to figure out a better solution.
That’s it for this week. Time to get back to work.
I have finished re-editing and reformatting (for Kindle anyway) Ishnef’s Revenge (book 2 of the Dragonverse series). I’ve been so busy doing re-editing and reformatting that I have not had time to look to see if I have the bare artwork for the covers for the rest of the books I have left to finish in my professionalization project. As of right now, I have the following left to do:· Reformat Dragonverse books 1 and 2 for CreateSpace.· Reformat Off Course and When Ships Mutiny for Kindle and CreateSpace (no re-editing of these).· Look to see if I have the artwork for the above books so I can redo the covers in my new format.
Once all the above is complete, I can upload all these books to Amazon. That will herald the completion of my professionalization project. If you’ve been following my blog, you might recall that I started this process back in September – over 6 months ago.
Now that Ishnef’s Revenge has been re-edited, I will begin working on incorporating the changes to Dragonverse Origins suggested by my content editor. I hope to have those changes done and the manuscript in the hands of my wife for her proofing pass. While she does that, I’ll begin work on Peacekeeper 3. When my wife is done with her proofing, I’ll put the corrections in place and then send the near final product to a fan in Germany for his opinion.
I don’t know if he remembers, but I promised this fan the opportunity to read my next book. Even though he’s German, his English is impeccable. My wife is very good at proofing but nobody is perfect. Having a second proofreader look at the manuscript before it’s released will allow me to have confidence that I’ve found virtually all of the errors. I will start looking for a cover in the next few weeks.
Speaking of errors: If you’re a writer, you should have had it drilled into your head that you need to have your manuscript looked at by an editor. A good editor is worth their weight in platinum. But, many self-published authors don’t have the financial resources to have their books edited by a professional. Good editors are not cheap! The best alternative then is to have as many people as possible look at your book. Find people who have no qualms about telling you what needs to be fixed. If at all possible, get people who know the difference between loose and lose, who’s and whose, there and their, as well as having the ability to recognize poor grammar. Releasing a book with one or two mistakes is okay, even large publishing houses do this. But releasing a book with a spelling or grammatical error in every chapter is unacceptable.
All of this intense focus on writing these past few months has come at a price though. If I have 30 minutes of free time, I devote it to writing. My wife has complained that I spend too much time writing and she groaned when I told her I would be starting work on Peacekeeper as soon as possible. Tiffany Trent (an author whom I met at Launch Pad) has written a very good article on author burn-out. If you have a few minutes, you should read it. Authors not only have to worry about burning themselves out, they have to consider the people they live with as well. Another author I know posted a blog about this very subject. I wish I could recall who and when so I could post the link.
I’m the type of writer who listens to my readers. When they provide me with feedback, I listen and I learn. It makes me a better writer. I think it’s high time I applied that same philosophy to my life. I’ve been listening to my wife and I’ve been trying to set writing aside when she’s around. I have plenty of time to write: In the morning when she’s sleeping and I don’t have to work; After work if she’s not home; At the bookstore on weekends. My biggest problem now will be cutting back on reading Twitter. I follow every person that I’ve met at Launch Pad (those that are on Twitter anyway) and a very few others. I read every tweet. Back when I only followed a very few this wasn’t a problem. Now, I follow 70+ people and it takes quite a while to keep current. So far, I’ve managed, but after this year’s Launch Pad I’m going to have to figure out a better solution.
That’s it for this week. Time to get back to work.
March 27, 2016
Happy Easter
Update
Happy Easter everyone! If you are a Christian, please remember what it is that is being celebrated. If you prefer to follow a different faith, please be considerate of those who believe differently.
My content editor has been reading Dragonverser Origins for the past week and so far it seems as if he likes what I've done with it. I'm sure he will have many suggestions for me when I get the manuscript back. But that's the purpose of haveing a second person who is not afraid of voicing their opinion read your novel. The writer is always too close to the story and it sometimes takes the insight of another person to point out where the story needs to be improved.
While Origins is being reviewed, I've been engaged in my professionalization project. I started by re-editing and reformatting Dragonverse: The Adventure Begins. That book is finished and now I'm working on Ishnef's Revenge. Although it's a much smaller book (which I may or may not decide to try to expand), Ishnef's Revenge appears to need a fair amount of re-editing. When I finish will depend on how much time I have to myself. When that book is done, I will turn to Off Course and finally When Ships Mutiny. These last two are not going to have any re-editing done. I will reformat and call them complete.
After all the re-editing and reformatting is complete, I will look into building new covers to make all the cover print look the same. New versions will be uploaded and the professionalization project will be complete. It's been a lot of work, but I firmly believe it's been worth it. I'm not an amateur writer. I've been writing for years, I get good reviews, I've continued my writing education by reading books on writing, and I've become involved in writing conferences, and other activities. And, finally, I'm a member of SFWA. It's time my books look like they were done by a professional.
Thoughts
There are times when I want to rant in this blog about how screwed up humanity is. Today is one of those days. Perhaps it's because I see how we Americans have commercialized our holidays to the point where people often forget what it is we are actually supposed to be celebrating. This gets me thinking about other things and before I know it I'm walking down that dark hallway of human history and looking at the pictures hanging on the walls of today that are showing the horrors of what we've become. It's sad to think that if every person on the planet had compassion for their fellow humans and tolerance for each other's beliefs, looks, and other features, that we could be living in a world where nobody was lacking in anything. But this is not the world we live in.
As you can see, I've started my rant - I won't bother finishing it because people don't seem to want to change and I'm just a tiny little voice among the billions living on this planet. Our leaders no longer serve the people but those who give them the most money. Greed, intolerance, self-indulgence, and lack of compassion seem to be on the rise. Violence is quickly becoming an everyday occurrence and people are becoming used to hearing about it. I, for one, am sick of it all. I no longer watch the news because it continually points out how bad society has become. There are a few good people out there, but our numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate.
As a writer, I write about futuristic societies that are based on rational beings who collectively desire to live in a peaceful, productive world. But I also try to point out the bad in people. In my stories, such people always lose. But things don't work that way in the real world. I try to write books that show what society could be like. Perhaps some day, I will be forced to write a story about what society will mostly be like one-hundred years from now. When I do, I'm not sure how it will be marketed - science fiction or horror?
In closing, I did see Batman VS Superman yesterday. As a writer, I must point out that the story is full of plot holes and inconsistencies. The ending left far too many questions unanswered. If I was an editor reading the story, I would reject it. Far too much of the film takes place in darkened scenes making me wonder if the sun ever comes up in their universe. The entertainment value was okay but if you want to really enjoy this movie you will need to disengage your higher level brain functions, stop asking the obvious questions, and just watch the movie.
Time to get back to editing. Enjoy your Easter!
Happy Easter everyone! If you are a Christian, please remember what it is that is being celebrated. If you prefer to follow a different faith, please be considerate of those who believe differently.
My content editor has been reading Dragonverser Origins for the past week and so far it seems as if he likes what I've done with it. I'm sure he will have many suggestions for me when I get the manuscript back. But that's the purpose of haveing a second person who is not afraid of voicing their opinion read your novel. The writer is always too close to the story and it sometimes takes the insight of another person to point out where the story needs to be improved.
While Origins is being reviewed, I've been engaged in my professionalization project. I started by re-editing and reformatting Dragonverse: The Adventure Begins. That book is finished and now I'm working on Ishnef's Revenge. Although it's a much smaller book (which I may or may not decide to try to expand), Ishnef's Revenge appears to need a fair amount of re-editing. When I finish will depend on how much time I have to myself. When that book is done, I will turn to Off Course and finally When Ships Mutiny. These last two are not going to have any re-editing done. I will reformat and call them complete.
After all the re-editing and reformatting is complete, I will look into building new covers to make all the cover print look the same. New versions will be uploaded and the professionalization project will be complete. It's been a lot of work, but I firmly believe it's been worth it. I'm not an amateur writer. I've been writing for years, I get good reviews, I've continued my writing education by reading books on writing, and I've become involved in writing conferences, and other activities. And, finally, I'm a member of SFWA. It's time my books look like they were done by a professional.
Thoughts
There are times when I want to rant in this blog about how screwed up humanity is. Today is one of those days. Perhaps it's because I see how we Americans have commercialized our holidays to the point where people often forget what it is we are actually supposed to be celebrating. This gets me thinking about other things and before I know it I'm walking down that dark hallway of human history and looking at the pictures hanging on the walls of today that are showing the horrors of what we've become. It's sad to think that if every person on the planet had compassion for their fellow humans and tolerance for each other's beliefs, looks, and other features, that we could be living in a world where nobody was lacking in anything. But this is not the world we live in.
As you can see, I've started my rant - I won't bother finishing it because people don't seem to want to change and I'm just a tiny little voice among the billions living on this planet. Our leaders no longer serve the people but those who give them the most money. Greed, intolerance, self-indulgence, and lack of compassion seem to be on the rise. Violence is quickly becoming an everyday occurrence and people are becoming used to hearing about it. I, for one, am sick of it all. I no longer watch the news because it continually points out how bad society has become. There are a few good people out there, but our numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate.
As a writer, I write about futuristic societies that are based on rational beings who collectively desire to live in a peaceful, productive world. But I also try to point out the bad in people. In my stories, such people always lose. But things don't work that way in the real world. I try to write books that show what society could be like. Perhaps some day, I will be forced to write a story about what society will mostly be like one-hundred years from now. When I do, I'm not sure how it will be marketed - science fiction or horror?
In closing, I did see Batman VS Superman yesterday. As a writer, I must point out that the story is full of plot holes and inconsistencies. The ending left far too many questions unanswered. If I was an editor reading the story, I would reject it. Far too much of the film takes place in darkened scenes making me wonder if the sun ever comes up in their universe. The entertainment value was okay but if you want to really enjoy this movie you will need to disengage your higher level brain functions, stop asking the obvious questions, and just watch the movie.
Time to get back to editing. Enjoy your Easter!
March 20, 2016
Origins
Update
Dragonverse Origins is complete! It is now in the hands of my content editor (a reader who has a knack for telling me where my stories need improvement). Origins is not your typical fantasy, nor is it your typical scifi novel. It's a fusion of both. It serves as a link between the Dragonverse series and another purely scifi book I wrote some time ago - Off Course.
As soon as Origins was sent off to be reviewed, I began work on re-editing Dragonverse: The Adventure Begins. Although this book has been gone over multiple times, it's never really been looked at with editing in mind. I've found a few mistakes and made a few changes. As of right now, while I write this, I'm a little over 50% complete. I hope to have it done and reformatted by the end of next week. I'm not sure if I will be revising the covers or not. I would like to so that all of my books share a consistent look and feel.
After I finish re-editing and reformatting Dragonverse: The Adventure Begins, I will do the same for Ishnef's Revenge and then Off Course and finally When Ships Mutiny. Working as much as I can, this entire re-editing and reformatting process is going to take at least 3 or 4 weeks. I don't have to re-edit the last two, these have been recently looked at by my editor and I feel fairly confident that they are good enough to allow me to skip that phase. The re-formatting process takes about a day though.
As soon as all the re-eding and reformatting is done, I will begin work on PeaceKeeper 3. Well ... maybe. If Origins is back from its initial review, by then, I'll start the editing process of that book. Peacekeeper 3 will have to wait until Origins is in the hands of my wife (who serves as my editor for grammar).
As you can see, I have a lot planned to keep my busy.
Launch Pad
My annual trip to Laramie in support of Launch Pad will begin on June 1st. I will finally get to meet Jim Hines. I've been following him on Twitter for a couple of years now because he is one of the authors (like Kameron Hurley) who has published his writing earnings. I have met Kameron (briefly) during WorldCon last year. We sat on a panel together. I would have loved to have had the time to talk to her in depth, but our schedules didn't line up. She was supposed to go to Launch Pad last year but at the very last minute had to back out. I've never met Jim and this year he is going to Launch Pad. I'm looking forward to meeting him.
I am a huge supporter of Launch Pad for several reasons. The cause is a good one -- educating those people who are in the entertainment industry in science and trying to get them to commit themselves to writing better science fiction. As a young kid, I devoured scifi and it got me interested in science. A lot of people find their interest in science began with reading. That's why it is so important to try to make the science in scifi as close to reality as possible.
But there's another reason I support Launch Pad. It's what launched me on my path to being a professional writer. When I first attended Launch Pad in 2012, I was a successful self-published author with no ties to the writing community. I had never met another writer and I was operating in a complete vacuum. Launch Pad introduced me to a dozen people who I have grown to think of as friends. Although I was just a self-published author, I was treated as one of their own. I felt as if I had become part of an exclusive community. It was a wonderful feeling.
I went to DragonCon because of Launch Pad. While at DragonCon, I reconnected with several of my Launch Pad contacts. That's when I met Stu Segal, a friend of one of these contacts. Stu is the person who asked me to go to WorldCon last year and WorldCon is where I finally felt I was a professional writer. The series of events all started with Launch Pad.
This also helps to point out just how important it is for a writer to become involved in the community of writers. Our day jobs tend to isolate us from the writing community. We spend 8-hours (or more) a day doing non-writing related work. When we get home, there's all the other non-writing activities that must be attended to including spending time with your spouse. Writing often takes a back seat. Being involved and getting to know other writers is what will help you as a writing professional.
If you don't have a circle of writing friends (or, at least, acquaintances) then go out there and get involved. Find a writers group and join. Go to conventions and mingle. Look for programs and activities where writers hang out and make the effort to go there. Yes, it will cost you some money. But the experience of being involved and getting to know another group of writers is well worth the effort. Writers work in isolation but that does not mean you should be isolated from other writers.
I have learned more than I could possibly write down from my association with my writing friends. We are a unique community. If you're a writer, I urge you to join us.
Dragonverse Origins is complete! It is now in the hands of my content editor (a reader who has a knack for telling me where my stories need improvement). Origins is not your typical fantasy, nor is it your typical scifi novel. It's a fusion of both. It serves as a link between the Dragonverse series and another purely scifi book I wrote some time ago - Off Course.
As soon as Origins was sent off to be reviewed, I began work on re-editing Dragonverse: The Adventure Begins. Although this book has been gone over multiple times, it's never really been looked at with editing in mind. I've found a few mistakes and made a few changes. As of right now, while I write this, I'm a little over 50% complete. I hope to have it done and reformatted by the end of next week. I'm not sure if I will be revising the covers or not. I would like to so that all of my books share a consistent look and feel.
After I finish re-editing and reformatting Dragonverse: The Adventure Begins, I will do the same for Ishnef's Revenge and then Off Course and finally When Ships Mutiny. Working as much as I can, this entire re-editing and reformatting process is going to take at least 3 or 4 weeks. I don't have to re-edit the last two, these have been recently looked at by my editor and I feel fairly confident that they are good enough to allow me to skip that phase. The re-formatting process takes about a day though.
As soon as all the re-eding and reformatting is done, I will begin work on PeaceKeeper 3. Well ... maybe. If Origins is back from its initial review, by then, I'll start the editing process of that book. Peacekeeper 3 will have to wait until Origins is in the hands of my wife (who serves as my editor for grammar).
As you can see, I have a lot planned to keep my busy.
Launch Pad
My annual trip to Laramie in support of Launch Pad will begin on June 1st. I will finally get to meet Jim Hines. I've been following him on Twitter for a couple of years now because he is one of the authors (like Kameron Hurley) who has published his writing earnings. I have met Kameron (briefly) during WorldCon last year. We sat on a panel together. I would have loved to have had the time to talk to her in depth, but our schedules didn't line up. She was supposed to go to Launch Pad last year but at the very last minute had to back out. I've never met Jim and this year he is going to Launch Pad. I'm looking forward to meeting him.
I am a huge supporter of Launch Pad for several reasons. The cause is a good one -- educating those people who are in the entertainment industry in science and trying to get them to commit themselves to writing better science fiction. As a young kid, I devoured scifi and it got me interested in science. A lot of people find their interest in science began with reading. That's why it is so important to try to make the science in scifi as close to reality as possible.
But there's another reason I support Launch Pad. It's what launched me on my path to being a professional writer. When I first attended Launch Pad in 2012, I was a successful self-published author with no ties to the writing community. I had never met another writer and I was operating in a complete vacuum. Launch Pad introduced me to a dozen people who I have grown to think of as friends. Although I was just a self-published author, I was treated as one of their own. I felt as if I had become part of an exclusive community. It was a wonderful feeling.
I went to DragonCon because of Launch Pad. While at DragonCon, I reconnected with several of my Launch Pad contacts. That's when I met Stu Segal, a friend of one of these contacts. Stu is the person who asked me to go to WorldCon last year and WorldCon is where I finally felt I was a professional writer. The series of events all started with Launch Pad.
This also helps to point out just how important it is for a writer to become involved in the community of writers. Our day jobs tend to isolate us from the writing community. We spend 8-hours (or more) a day doing non-writing related work. When we get home, there's all the other non-writing activities that must be attended to including spending time with your spouse. Writing often takes a back seat. Being involved and getting to know other writers is what will help you as a writing professional.
If you don't have a circle of writing friends (or, at least, acquaintances) then go out there and get involved. Find a writers group and join. Go to conventions and mingle. Look for programs and activities where writers hang out and make the effort to go there. Yes, it will cost you some money. But the experience of being involved and getting to know another group of writers is well worth the effort. Writers work in isolation but that does not mean you should be isolated from other writers.
I have learned more than I could possibly write down from my association with my writing friends. We are a unique community. If you're a writer, I urge you to join us.
March 13, 2016
Time
Update
Dragonverse Origins now stands at 94,708 words. If all goes well, the first draft will be complete in a few days. I've already sent what's been written to my content editor (at his request) so he can begin reading. I had to explain to him that it's still a work in progress and I will be making known changes to several scenes near the beginning of the book. As soon as the first draft is complete, I plan on starting work on Peacekeeper 3. The plot for that book is not yet 100% solidified but I do have enough to begin work. That's one of the advantages of being a seat of the pants (or SOP) writer - I can just start writing with only an idea as to where I'm heading. Once the words begin flowing, the book usually writes itself as I watch it unfold in my mind.
News
The founder of the writer's group I regularly attend in Mentor was not at the meeting yesterday. I was informed that she had had a heart attack. We were told she was doing fine and was actually on her way home while we were meeting. She said she will see us all next month. The only other person at the table who holds an MFA took over as interim leader. We had a productive meeting.
One of the readings produced a good discussion concerning point of view (POV). This is perhaps one of the more difficult tasks for a writer to accurately perform. For instance; if the reader is inside the head of a person and that person walks away from an argument, gets in his car, and drives away, there's no way he can see his girlfriend grab his picture and fling it into the fireplace. Even though this is a common scene and in movies it's easy to show, in writing, you must remain in the head of the boyfriend. The only exception to this is if you are writing in omniscient POV and the reader is aware of this. In this style, you can jump from one viewpoint to another as long as you don't confuse the reader.
Entire books have been written on POV. There are many ways to write the same story and POV sets the tone for everything the reader experiences. It's a rather complicated subject and all writers except the most experience should periodically review the various styles of POV. Fact is, I read something at the same meeting and I was guilty of suddenly switching POV. The group pointed it out and I will be fixing it as soon as this post is done.
Thoughts
Last night (or early this morning depending on your POV) we began daylight savings time. This is an event designed to help you identify how many clocks you have in your possession. While wandering through the house to reset the 12 clocks we own, I was struck by how time-centric our lives have become. There are clocks on stoves, coffee pots and microwaves. We have wall clocks and desk clocks. The 4 active computers we have each have a clock that resets itself (I did not count these in the 12 manually-set clocks). We have clocks dangling from out belts and strapped to our wrists. Our pocket computers (some call them cell phones) all have clocks. Later on, when the sun actually comes up, I will be resetting the two clocks in our cars. We are, indeed, a time-driven society.
This point is often lost when writing. Science fiction writers especially must be aware of time. It is not a constant of nature! If you travel fast enough, time slows. No two planets rotate at the same speed or round their sun at the same rate. Colonists will measure time differently on Mars and companies will have to develop a Martian clock for them to use. Even the way we split and combine time will differ on other planets. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months are all artificial creations of a representation of a set period of time.
In my Galactic Alliance series, people who routinely travel from one planet to another use a programmable timekeeping device. Upon arrival at their new destination, the timepiece can be reprogrammed to account for the local method of timekeeping. If you're a businessman and you tell a client you will meet him at 11, you had better understand exactly what that stands for in the locality you are visiting. Failing to do that can have dire consequences such as a lost deal.
Even here on Earth, with our standardized timekeeping units, there are problems. Last year, I attended WorldCon. Prior to leaving Ohio, I programmed my pocket computer's calendar with all the times when I needed to be at a certain place to sit on a panel. Spokane is 3 hours behind Ohio time. When I arrived in Spokane, my cell phone automatically adjusted. It also decided to automatically adjust all the times in my calendar! I was about to tweet this when another writer friend of mine tweeted the same problem. A moment later, she posted a solution. I made the same setting change in my phone and the problem corrected itself.
Later this year, I will be going to Laramie to attend Launch Pad. I am currently taking some medication that should be taken at the same time each day. That's easy while I remain in Ohio but when I travel, I must remember to adjust my time accordingly and that means taking the medication at a different time than normal. This example is different than the WorldCon one in that I want to continue to mark time as if I was in Ohio whereas when I was at WorldCon I needed to mark time based on the local time.
So, even on our own little world, timekeeping becomes complicated. I haven't tested it yet, but looking at my phone's calendar, it appears as if I can set a timezone for each and every event. There is an overall setting that can automatically adjust everything in the calendar as you move from time zone to time zone. Turning this feature off, locks each event to the timezone in which it was programmed and that can be altered. If this works the way it should, I can set my appointments in every time zone to be based on that zone and they will remain accurate as I move about the country. The point is though, that making those appointments in advance will require a few more steps to make sure I tell the phone which time zone to use for those events.
This entire discussion was triggered by a simple change in time. These are the strange things that writers think about when doing things that others just simply perform without thinking much about them. Being a writer means looking beyond the simple mechanics of living. As a writer of science fiction, I often look at a typical human activity and wonder -- would an alien species do something like this? What would it look like? Simple things, like kids swinging or sliding down a playground slide. An alien based on a reptilian body might not be able to get into a swing, climb into the seat of a car, or do many of the things we take for granted. It's hard enough being disabled or even left-handed in a world of humans who seem to ignore the fact that there are people out there that are different than themselves. If we can't tolerate differences between ourselves, how can we think an alien species would believe we can tolerate the differences between them and us?
Dragonverse Origins now stands at 94,708 words. If all goes well, the first draft will be complete in a few days. I've already sent what's been written to my content editor (at his request) so he can begin reading. I had to explain to him that it's still a work in progress and I will be making known changes to several scenes near the beginning of the book. As soon as the first draft is complete, I plan on starting work on Peacekeeper 3. The plot for that book is not yet 100% solidified but I do have enough to begin work. That's one of the advantages of being a seat of the pants (or SOP) writer - I can just start writing with only an idea as to where I'm heading. Once the words begin flowing, the book usually writes itself as I watch it unfold in my mind.
News
The founder of the writer's group I regularly attend in Mentor was not at the meeting yesterday. I was informed that she had had a heart attack. We were told she was doing fine and was actually on her way home while we were meeting. She said she will see us all next month. The only other person at the table who holds an MFA took over as interim leader. We had a productive meeting.
One of the readings produced a good discussion concerning point of view (POV). This is perhaps one of the more difficult tasks for a writer to accurately perform. For instance; if the reader is inside the head of a person and that person walks away from an argument, gets in his car, and drives away, there's no way he can see his girlfriend grab his picture and fling it into the fireplace. Even though this is a common scene and in movies it's easy to show, in writing, you must remain in the head of the boyfriend. The only exception to this is if you are writing in omniscient POV and the reader is aware of this. In this style, you can jump from one viewpoint to another as long as you don't confuse the reader.
Entire books have been written on POV. There are many ways to write the same story and POV sets the tone for everything the reader experiences. It's a rather complicated subject and all writers except the most experience should periodically review the various styles of POV. Fact is, I read something at the same meeting and I was guilty of suddenly switching POV. The group pointed it out and I will be fixing it as soon as this post is done.
Thoughts
Last night (or early this morning depending on your POV) we began daylight savings time. This is an event designed to help you identify how many clocks you have in your possession. While wandering through the house to reset the 12 clocks we own, I was struck by how time-centric our lives have become. There are clocks on stoves, coffee pots and microwaves. We have wall clocks and desk clocks. The 4 active computers we have each have a clock that resets itself (I did not count these in the 12 manually-set clocks). We have clocks dangling from out belts and strapped to our wrists. Our pocket computers (some call them cell phones) all have clocks. Later on, when the sun actually comes up, I will be resetting the two clocks in our cars. We are, indeed, a time-driven society.
This point is often lost when writing. Science fiction writers especially must be aware of time. It is not a constant of nature! If you travel fast enough, time slows. No two planets rotate at the same speed or round their sun at the same rate. Colonists will measure time differently on Mars and companies will have to develop a Martian clock for them to use. Even the way we split and combine time will differ on other planets. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months are all artificial creations of a representation of a set period of time.
In my Galactic Alliance series, people who routinely travel from one planet to another use a programmable timekeeping device. Upon arrival at their new destination, the timepiece can be reprogrammed to account for the local method of timekeeping. If you're a businessman and you tell a client you will meet him at 11, you had better understand exactly what that stands for in the locality you are visiting. Failing to do that can have dire consequences such as a lost deal.
Even here on Earth, with our standardized timekeeping units, there are problems. Last year, I attended WorldCon. Prior to leaving Ohio, I programmed my pocket computer's calendar with all the times when I needed to be at a certain place to sit on a panel. Spokane is 3 hours behind Ohio time. When I arrived in Spokane, my cell phone automatically adjusted. It also decided to automatically adjust all the times in my calendar! I was about to tweet this when another writer friend of mine tweeted the same problem. A moment later, she posted a solution. I made the same setting change in my phone and the problem corrected itself.
Later this year, I will be going to Laramie to attend Launch Pad. I am currently taking some medication that should be taken at the same time each day. That's easy while I remain in Ohio but when I travel, I must remember to adjust my time accordingly and that means taking the medication at a different time than normal. This example is different than the WorldCon one in that I want to continue to mark time as if I was in Ohio whereas when I was at WorldCon I needed to mark time based on the local time.
So, even on our own little world, timekeeping becomes complicated. I haven't tested it yet, but looking at my phone's calendar, it appears as if I can set a timezone for each and every event. There is an overall setting that can automatically adjust everything in the calendar as you move from time zone to time zone. Turning this feature off, locks each event to the timezone in which it was programmed and that can be altered. If this works the way it should, I can set my appointments in every time zone to be based on that zone and they will remain accurate as I move about the country. The point is though, that making those appointments in advance will require a few more steps to make sure I tell the phone which time zone to use for those events.
This entire discussion was triggered by a simple change in time. These are the strange things that writers think about when doing things that others just simply perform without thinking much about them. Being a writer means looking beyond the simple mechanics of living. As a writer of science fiction, I often look at a typical human activity and wonder -- would an alien species do something like this? What would it look like? Simple things, like kids swinging or sliding down a playground slide. An alien based on a reptilian body might not be able to get into a swing, climb into the seat of a car, or do many of the things we take for granted. It's hard enough being disabled or even left-handed in a world of humans who seem to ignore the fact that there are people out there that are different than themselves. If we can't tolerate differences between ourselves, how can we think an alien species would believe we can tolerate the differences between them and us?
March 6, 2016
Self-Publishing - Librarys
UpdatesDragonverse Origins now stands at 91,048 words. I estimate I have around 4 chapters left to write. Even though I set my word count goal at 85,000 words, that’s the low count I like to hit. Peacekeeper 2 came in at around 93,000 words and I believe Dragonverse Origins is going to come in at around 100,000. But, this is the first draft.
I’m not sure if you could tell, but I was a bit down on myself in my last post. Everyone has their up and down days and I just happened to have my down day on the day I wrote my blog. There are times when I look at sales and the blog view stats and I get a little discouraged. Writers have the itch to write because they want their stories to be read. I know my writing income will never be able to replace my day job but, that does not matter to me at all. Sales, however, are what drives writers to write. If sales had always been very poor, I would never have continued to write. I would have found another activity to keep myself busy. But I've had good sales and when you look at the long-term, sales have actually been good.
There are days when the writing flows and others when I sit staring at the screen wondering what to type. Every writer out there goes through the same ups and downs. It’s such a wonderful feeling when you’re “in the zone”. It’s a form of natural high. I get there at times when I’m writing computer programs. Time slows when you’re “in the zone” and before you know it, you’ve written hundreds of lines of code or thousands of words and hours have gone by without you even knowing it has passed.
SharingOn March 3rd, I had the honor of sitting on a self-publishing panel at the Madison Public Library. There are several libraries all within less than an hour’s drive from my house. Two of them are known for heavily supporting local authors. The Madison Public Library has a section devoted to local authors and they routinely support events to help local authors meet the public. The self-publishing panel last week was one such event.
Even though it was a snowy evening, at least 20 people showed up for the event. I was the only science fiction author on the panel. The others have written fiction as well as books dealing with local attractions. The evening went very well and I had a great time. There were plenty of questions and great discussions on several topics. I handed out my simple guide to self-publishing (also available on my website) and (more importantly) I learned a few things.
I love interacting with people looking to get into writing. Before the event started, I had an elderly gentleman come up to speak with me. He was working with CreateSpace to produce his book using one of their paid programs. He’s 92 years old! Another individual sat in the far back of the room. He listened intently and (as did many others) made notes of what was said. I’m not great at guessing ages but I believe he was in his 20’s. It doesn’t matter how old you are; if you want to write – you write!
A few weeks from now, I will be back at the same library. The event is called “Cooks and Books”. Authors are provided a table to set up shop and sell their books while others set up around them and sell baked goods. I went to this event years ago when I had only a single book published. I’m looking forward to doing it again as an author with a lot more experience under my belt. I'm also planning on making it an annual event.
The other library I know of that is a heavy supporter of local authors is the Willoughby Public Library. It's about a 45-minute drive from my house and I haven't been there in years. I haven't had time to check it out, but they host a large author signing event that has gotten the attention of the local news in the past. As soon as I post this I plan on doing the research to learn more about this event. It's a few months off but it fills up quickly and now is the time to apply.
There are some authors out there who don’t believe events like this are worth their time. I don't believe in this philosophy. I did not expect to sell any books at last week's event. I went there expecting to answer people's questions. I did come prepared and I sold two books, but that was not the purpose of the event. If I get to talk to people interested in meeting authors, then it was worth my time.
I can understand that authors such as Steven King might not want to sit at a local library because they would be inundated with people. It would also detract from the other authors trying to make a name for themselves. But, if you’re a run-of-the-mill author with a face or a name that doesn't cause a crowd to form no matter where you go, then take the time to support your local library. The administrators work hard to provide a place where the public can come and enjoy themselves. If you’re not an author and you’ve never set foot in the library just down the street – then perhaps now is the time for you to do so. Pick up a flyer, get on their mailing list, and look to see what programs they offer. You might find something that interests you.
I’m not sure if you could tell, but I was a bit down on myself in my last post. Everyone has their up and down days and I just happened to have my down day on the day I wrote my blog. There are times when I look at sales and the blog view stats and I get a little discouraged. Writers have the itch to write because they want their stories to be read. I know my writing income will never be able to replace my day job but, that does not matter to me at all. Sales, however, are what drives writers to write. If sales had always been very poor, I would never have continued to write. I would have found another activity to keep myself busy. But I've had good sales and when you look at the long-term, sales have actually been good.
There are days when the writing flows and others when I sit staring at the screen wondering what to type. Every writer out there goes through the same ups and downs. It’s such a wonderful feeling when you’re “in the zone”. It’s a form of natural high. I get there at times when I’m writing computer programs. Time slows when you’re “in the zone” and before you know it, you’ve written hundreds of lines of code or thousands of words and hours have gone by without you even knowing it has passed.
SharingOn March 3rd, I had the honor of sitting on a self-publishing panel at the Madison Public Library. There are several libraries all within less than an hour’s drive from my house. Two of them are known for heavily supporting local authors. The Madison Public Library has a section devoted to local authors and they routinely support events to help local authors meet the public. The self-publishing panel last week was one such event.
Even though it was a snowy evening, at least 20 people showed up for the event. I was the only science fiction author on the panel. The others have written fiction as well as books dealing with local attractions. The evening went very well and I had a great time. There were plenty of questions and great discussions on several topics. I handed out my simple guide to self-publishing (also available on my website) and (more importantly) I learned a few things.
I love interacting with people looking to get into writing. Before the event started, I had an elderly gentleman come up to speak with me. He was working with CreateSpace to produce his book using one of their paid programs. He’s 92 years old! Another individual sat in the far back of the room. He listened intently and (as did many others) made notes of what was said. I’m not great at guessing ages but I believe he was in his 20’s. It doesn’t matter how old you are; if you want to write – you write!
A few weeks from now, I will be back at the same library. The event is called “Cooks and Books”. Authors are provided a table to set up shop and sell their books while others set up around them and sell baked goods. I went to this event years ago when I had only a single book published. I’m looking forward to doing it again as an author with a lot more experience under my belt. I'm also planning on making it an annual event.
The other library I know of that is a heavy supporter of local authors is the Willoughby Public Library. It's about a 45-minute drive from my house and I haven't been there in years. I haven't had time to check it out, but they host a large author signing event that has gotten the attention of the local news in the past. As soon as I post this I plan on doing the research to learn more about this event. It's a few months off but it fills up quickly and now is the time to apply.
There are some authors out there who don’t believe events like this are worth their time. I don't believe in this philosophy. I did not expect to sell any books at last week's event. I went there expecting to answer people's questions. I did come prepared and I sold two books, but that was not the purpose of the event. If I get to talk to people interested in meeting authors, then it was worth my time.
I can understand that authors such as Steven King might not want to sit at a local library because they would be inundated with people. It would also detract from the other authors trying to make a name for themselves. But, if you’re a run-of-the-mill author with a face or a name that doesn't cause a crowd to form no matter where you go, then take the time to support your local library. The administrators work hard to provide a place where the public can come and enjoy themselves. If you’re not an author and you’ve never set foot in the library just down the street – then perhaps now is the time for you to do so. Pick up a flyer, get on their mailing list, and look to see what programs they offer. You might find something that interests you.
February 28, 2016
Self-Publishing: Patience
Update
Dragonverse Origins now stands at 87,817 words. I'm working as hard as I can to finish this book but I'm also not going to blow the ending. One of these days (10+ years from now) I will be retired and I will have the ability to write every morning. Then, I can pump out 2 books a year without any problems. I write in the morning on weekends and day's off only because that is when my wife is asleep. I also squeeze in a few hours here and there when she is out and about and I'm home with nothing else planned. My wife did not marry me only to sit and watch me immerse myself in my writing when I'm not at work. I did not marry her so I could abandon her to a life of living with someone who spends all his time writing or reading Twitter. So, until I retire, my writing time is limited and that's okay with me.
Patience
I pride myself as being a patient person. I was in the military and one of the popular sayings is "Hurry up and wait". If you don't have patience, waiting can become a form of torture. In my previous job at the nuclear plant where I now work, I would spend a large part of my day waiting. Patience is a must in these circumstances. But there is one thing that has always challenged my patience: Getting to the end of a book.
When I'm reading and I get close to the end, I tend to speed up and rush so I can finish it and move on to the next book. I don't care how good the book is, when I get to the last 3 or 4 chapters or the last 20 pages, all I want to do is finish it so I can pick up and start the next book on my reading list. The same goes for writing. When I get to the ending, I tend to rush because I want to get the book out there and I want to start on the next project.
This past week has been particularly challenging for me because I've actually been questioning myself as a writer. Sales have been down -- way down -- and I think it's because I haven't released a book in over a year. My brain tells me to hurry up and finish Dragonverse Origins so I can release it and start on another one to help boost sales. I've also caught myself wondering if anyone reads these posts at all. Sometimes I get some replies to questions but more often than not I get nothing when I ask a question. Other writers I know have huge sets of comments each time they post.
The statistics page tells me that my posts are being read -- Thank you! But the statistics also say that my readership is rather small. I've been blogging for several years and I had hoped more would be reading. Perhaps my posts are too long. Maybe they've been too unfocused. But if that's the case, why hasn't anyone commented so I can make changes? Feedback these days seems to be quite limited. I thrive on feedback.
All writers, but especially self-published writers, have ups and downs. Patience is an important part of dealing with the down part of writing. Patience can be learned but it's not easy for most people. For myself, my mind has to be constantly engaged in something. When I was in high school, I carried a paperback pocketbook around with me. I read it in class before the bell, after I finished a test while waiting for the rest of the class to finish, while standing in the lunch line, on the bus to and from school, and anytime I had a moment to myself. I did a ton of reading in high school. These days I use the cell phone in place of the paperback book. I keep up on Twitter and my mail during idle moments. These time-slot filling activities are a help, but I can also just sit and wait -- for as long as it takes.
But patience can only go so far. To help deal with situations where patience seems to be running out you must come up with other solutions. For myself, I must continually remind myself that I'm not a big-time writer with a huge following. I make very good money at my day job (which I love by the way) and I just got a 6% raise making that income all that much better. The money I make from writing as well as the joy I get from it is an added bonus to my life. I have to continually tell myself that writing is not and should not be my entire life. A person must set priorities in their life. Mine are:
Family (my wife is on the top of that sub-list)My day jobWritingBased on the above, since my wife is asleep and I'm not at work, I need to be writing.
By the way - if you have any suggestions for improving this blog, I want to hear from you.
Dragonverse Origins now stands at 87,817 words. I'm working as hard as I can to finish this book but I'm also not going to blow the ending. One of these days (10+ years from now) I will be retired and I will have the ability to write every morning. Then, I can pump out 2 books a year without any problems. I write in the morning on weekends and day's off only because that is when my wife is asleep. I also squeeze in a few hours here and there when she is out and about and I'm home with nothing else planned. My wife did not marry me only to sit and watch me immerse myself in my writing when I'm not at work. I did not marry her so I could abandon her to a life of living with someone who spends all his time writing or reading Twitter. So, until I retire, my writing time is limited and that's okay with me.
Patience
I pride myself as being a patient person. I was in the military and one of the popular sayings is "Hurry up and wait". If you don't have patience, waiting can become a form of torture. In my previous job at the nuclear plant where I now work, I would spend a large part of my day waiting. Patience is a must in these circumstances. But there is one thing that has always challenged my patience: Getting to the end of a book.
When I'm reading and I get close to the end, I tend to speed up and rush so I can finish it and move on to the next book. I don't care how good the book is, when I get to the last 3 or 4 chapters or the last 20 pages, all I want to do is finish it so I can pick up and start the next book on my reading list. The same goes for writing. When I get to the ending, I tend to rush because I want to get the book out there and I want to start on the next project.
This past week has been particularly challenging for me because I've actually been questioning myself as a writer. Sales have been down -- way down -- and I think it's because I haven't released a book in over a year. My brain tells me to hurry up and finish Dragonverse Origins so I can release it and start on another one to help boost sales. I've also caught myself wondering if anyone reads these posts at all. Sometimes I get some replies to questions but more often than not I get nothing when I ask a question. Other writers I know have huge sets of comments each time they post.
The statistics page tells me that my posts are being read -- Thank you! But the statistics also say that my readership is rather small. I've been blogging for several years and I had hoped more would be reading. Perhaps my posts are too long. Maybe they've been too unfocused. But if that's the case, why hasn't anyone commented so I can make changes? Feedback these days seems to be quite limited. I thrive on feedback.
All writers, but especially self-published writers, have ups and downs. Patience is an important part of dealing with the down part of writing. Patience can be learned but it's not easy for most people. For myself, my mind has to be constantly engaged in something. When I was in high school, I carried a paperback pocketbook around with me. I read it in class before the bell, after I finished a test while waiting for the rest of the class to finish, while standing in the lunch line, on the bus to and from school, and anytime I had a moment to myself. I did a ton of reading in high school. These days I use the cell phone in place of the paperback book. I keep up on Twitter and my mail during idle moments. These time-slot filling activities are a help, but I can also just sit and wait -- for as long as it takes.
But patience can only go so far. To help deal with situations where patience seems to be running out you must come up with other solutions. For myself, I must continually remind myself that I'm not a big-time writer with a huge following. I make very good money at my day job (which I love by the way) and I just got a 6% raise making that income all that much better. The money I make from writing as well as the joy I get from it is an added bonus to my life. I have to continually tell myself that writing is not and should not be my entire life. A person must set priorities in their life. Mine are:
Family (my wife is on the top of that sub-list)My day jobWritingBased on the above, since my wife is asleep and I'm not at work, I need to be writing.
By the way - if you have any suggestions for improving this blog, I want to hear from you.
February 21, 2016
Writing
Update
Dragonverse Origins currently stands at 84,312 words. My original goal when I start a novel is 80,000. I still have a few more chapters to write and since I am fully aware of the fact that my endings tend to be too quick, I'm having a difficult time trying to actually end this book. I desperately need to time-compress about 2 years of story. But I also don't want to give the impression that I'm rushing things. It's a delicate balance that I'm not very good at. I'm hoping to have this done very soon and off to the content editor so he can help smooth out the rough edges. I'm also itching to begin the next Peacekeeper.
If you have some ideas about the next Peacekeeper, now is the time. The story is not written in stone and I can easily (I hope) add some more elements. So far, without giving much away, I plan on hitting the following:
More insight into the relationship between Tom and Lashpa.Details about the Omel and what they are like as a people.Some interesting information concerning the AIs aboard the Seeker-class scout ships used by the Peacekeepers.A small but important link to a pivotal event that took place in Honor Thy Enemy.
Launch Pad Fundraiser UpdateThe Launch Pad fundraiser I started ran into a small glitch last weekend. I didn't realize this but GoFundMe requires that the funds be pulled out at least once every 30 days. I rushed to try to get Nicole at the University of Wyoming to accept the funds and in doing so I learned a few interesting pieces of information. To accept the funds directly, Nicole needed approval from the University and would have to set up a complex system of getting the funds directed to Launch Pad. I also learned that the University takes about 40% of all grant money. One-hundred percent of all direct donations, however, go to support Launch Pad.
The end result was that I started accepted the donations and having the funds moved into my writing business bank account. Later this year, I will hand the money over to Mike Brotherton (minus what GoFundMe collects). So, if I can raise $2,000, that would be the same as Launch Pad receiving a grant of $2,800. That's almost half of what it takes to run Launch Pad for a year. Since a GoFundMe campaign never ends, I hope to keep this one going and maybe if we get enough interest, we can turn Launch Pad into a workshop that is totally funded by past attendees and other writers.
You can still donate to Launch Pad by clicking here: https://www.gofundme.com/3hhxuzze
I normally write quite a bit more in these posts, but I want to focus my time today on trying to finish Dragonverse Origins. Remember, if you want to see something in the next Peacekeeper -- write me! I will consider it.
Dragonverse Origins currently stands at 84,312 words. My original goal when I start a novel is 80,000. I still have a few more chapters to write and since I am fully aware of the fact that my endings tend to be too quick, I'm having a difficult time trying to actually end this book. I desperately need to time-compress about 2 years of story. But I also don't want to give the impression that I'm rushing things. It's a delicate balance that I'm not very good at. I'm hoping to have this done very soon and off to the content editor so he can help smooth out the rough edges. I'm also itching to begin the next Peacekeeper.
If you have some ideas about the next Peacekeeper, now is the time. The story is not written in stone and I can easily (I hope) add some more elements. So far, without giving much away, I plan on hitting the following:
More insight into the relationship between Tom and Lashpa.Details about the Omel and what they are like as a people.Some interesting information concerning the AIs aboard the Seeker-class scout ships used by the Peacekeepers.A small but important link to a pivotal event that took place in Honor Thy Enemy.
Launch Pad Fundraiser UpdateThe Launch Pad fundraiser I started ran into a small glitch last weekend. I didn't realize this but GoFundMe requires that the funds be pulled out at least once every 30 days. I rushed to try to get Nicole at the University of Wyoming to accept the funds and in doing so I learned a few interesting pieces of information. To accept the funds directly, Nicole needed approval from the University and would have to set up a complex system of getting the funds directed to Launch Pad. I also learned that the University takes about 40% of all grant money. One-hundred percent of all direct donations, however, go to support Launch Pad.
The end result was that I started accepted the donations and having the funds moved into my writing business bank account. Later this year, I will hand the money over to Mike Brotherton (minus what GoFundMe collects). So, if I can raise $2,000, that would be the same as Launch Pad receiving a grant of $2,800. That's almost half of what it takes to run Launch Pad for a year. Since a GoFundMe campaign never ends, I hope to keep this one going and maybe if we get enough interest, we can turn Launch Pad into a workshop that is totally funded by past attendees and other writers.
You can still donate to Launch Pad by clicking here: https://www.gofundme.com/3hhxuzze
I normally write quite a bit more in these posts, but I want to focus my time today on trying to finish Dragonverse Origins. Remember, if you want to see something in the next Peacekeeper -- write me! I will consider it.
February 14, 2016
Paperless statements
Update
I took a day off work to get the taxes done. I use TaxAct to do my own taxes. Since I have a business as well as an HSA I must use the premium version. I have a checklist that I run through every year to make sure I have all the right paperwork and numbers before sitting down. Even so, this year it took most of the day (with breaks) to do the Federal, State, and City taxes. One of the biggest surprises this year was the number of Amazon 1099's I received. Early last year, I switched from using my SSN to my EIN at Amazon and Smashwords. That resulted in double the number of 1099's (one for each tax number from every sub-division). Next year will be better. Lesson learned - if you switch from using your SSN to your EIN, be prepared for a large number of 1099's.
Work on Dragonverse Origins has been moving along but at a slower pace than I would like. Usually, my wife goes out with one of her friends at least once during the week giving me a few hours of time to write. Because of the weather and how she's been feeling recently, she's been staying home. This means my writing time is reduced. I've also been catching up on Colony which is becoming a very interesting show. I just hope they don't stretch out the mystery of the visitors for too long because I'll lose interest in waiting for the answer to the show's ultimate question. Origins stands at 78,627 words. I'm working on moving the story along to the ending.
Endings are not my strong point and I tend to finish things up too fast. I'm trying very hard not to do this in Origins. I do need to time-compress at the end but I've got to figure out how to do it without making it seem like I'm rushing. If I don't compress, then this is going to be a VERY long book. I try to hit a target of around 85,000 words and I'm almost there.
Paperless - The Problem of an All-digital Life
A friend of mine and fellow writer publishes a blog series on going paperless. I've always been a big fan of using less paper but recently, I've been rethinking the logic behind doing so. If you rewind back in time several months you would find that I was totally paperless for all my credit card statements, bank statements, utility bills, etc. I really didn't need them because I would use Quicken to automatically synchronize and balance all these accounts. But there was a sinister dark side waiting for us.
My wife is not a very computer-savvy person. I am (I'm a programmer). Running the automatic Quicken balancing program is easy for me. Not so much for her. Setting up a new account would be a nightmare for her. As long as I'm around, paperless statements make a ton of sense. But what happens if I suffer a sudden heart attack or end up unable to do my part with our finances? I have set up so many computerized ways of doing things that she would be lost. I needed to change that. I decided to return to paper.
The biggest problem I encountered was when it came time to gather the forms for filing the taxes. Because I'd gone paperless, I had to navigate to a handful of websites, hunt around until I found where the tax forms were located, and print them. Even with a checklist, I started wondering if I missed any. Immediately after finishing my taxes I did two things: 1) I went to every website I needed to and opted out of paperless (except for one that would have charged me) and I put together a document telling my wife (or executor) where I store things and how to retrieve them.
My wife and I use LastPass to store all of our passwords. This is a wonderful program and I highly recommend it. But even with this wonderful program, having to navigate to a bunch of websites just to see your statements is a pain in the neck. Now that I'm receiving most of my statements in paper form, I can rest easy that my wife will be able to handle things if I depart before she does. It also means that if we both leave this life together, our executor will be able to figure things out far easier than if I had remained totally paperless.
We also have virtually all of our bills set up to be automatically paid through a single credit card. This is a wonderful idea and we don't have to worry about paying hardly anything. My car loan and my home mortgage is set up the same way -- everything is handled automatically. But what are our bills? Would an executor know about them? To safeguard this information, I wrote it all down: What account is automatically paid via which credit card; What money is automatically going into which account; Where are all these accounts.
These are things everyone should think about - not just writers. If you were to suddenly pass away, would your spouse be able to handle things? If you and your spouse were to pass, can the executor of your will find everything? We live in a digital age that has made things so much easier on all of us. But nobody stops to think about what happens when the person who set up their digital life is no longer around? Unless all this information is written down and maintained up-to-date, things are bound to be lost. If you live a paperless life or you have things computerized and digitized to make things easier -- now is the time to write it down and put a PRINTED copy of all that information in a safe place.
One more tidbit: If a massive solar flare were to wipe out the internet and erase all the data on your computer, could you financially survive? Such a flare is possible - one narrowly missed us only a few short years ago. Write down the phone numbers and addresses of all your financial institutes and other important entities and put them in a safe place. Am I paranoid? No. But I like to be prepared for anything. So, stop reading, gather your information, and put it into writing in a safe place.
I took a day off work to get the taxes done. I use TaxAct to do my own taxes. Since I have a business as well as an HSA I must use the premium version. I have a checklist that I run through every year to make sure I have all the right paperwork and numbers before sitting down. Even so, this year it took most of the day (with breaks) to do the Federal, State, and City taxes. One of the biggest surprises this year was the number of Amazon 1099's I received. Early last year, I switched from using my SSN to my EIN at Amazon and Smashwords. That resulted in double the number of 1099's (one for each tax number from every sub-division). Next year will be better. Lesson learned - if you switch from using your SSN to your EIN, be prepared for a large number of 1099's.
Work on Dragonverse Origins has been moving along but at a slower pace than I would like. Usually, my wife goes out with one of her friends at least once during the week giving me a few hours of time to write. Because of the weather and how she's been feeling recently, she's been staying home. This means my writing time is reduced. I've also been catching up on Colony which is becoming a very interesting show. I just hope they don't stretch out the mystery of the visitors for too long because I'll lose interest in waiting for the answer to the show's ultimate question. Origins stands at 78,627 words. I'm working on moving the story along to the ending.
Endings are not my strong point and I tend to finish things up too fast. I'm trying very hard not to do this in Origins. I do need to time-compress at the end but I've got to figure out how to do it without making it seem like I'm rushing. If I don't compress, then this is going to be a VERY long book. I try to hit a target of around 85,000 words and I'm almost there.
Paperless - The Problem of an All-digital Life
A friend of mine and fellow writer publishes a blog series on going paperless. I've always been a big fan of using less paper but recently, I've been rethinking the logic behind doing so. If you rewind back in time several months you would find that I was totally paperless for all my credit card statements, bank statements, utility bills, etc. I really didn't need them because I would use Quicken to automatically synchronize and balance all these accounts. But there was a sinister dark side waiting for us.
My wife is not a very computer-savvy person. I am (I'm a programmer). Running the automatic Quicken balancing program is easy for me. Not so much for her. Setting up a new account would be a nightmare for her. As long as I'm around, paperless statements make a ton of sense. But what happens if I suffer a sudden heart attack or end up unable to do my part with our finances? I have set up so many computerized ways of doing things that she would be lost. I needed to change that. I decided to return to paper.
The biggest problem I encountered was when it came time to gather the forms for filing the taxes. Because I'd gone paperless, I had to navigate to a handful of websites, hunt around until I found where the tax forms were located, and print them. Even with a checklist, I started wondering if I missed any. Immediately after finishing my taxes I did two things: 1) I went to every website I needed to and opted out of paperless (except for one that would have charged me) and I put together a document telling my wife (or executor) where I store things and how to retrieve them.
My wife and I use LastPass to store all of our passwords. This is a wonderful program and I highly recommend it. But even with this wonderful program, having to navigate to a bunch of websites just to see your statements is a pain in the neck. Now that I'm receiving most of my statements in paper form, I can rest easy that my wife will be able to handle things if I depart before she does. It also means that if we both leave this life together, our executor will be able to figure things out far easier than if I had remained totally paperless.
We also have virtually all of our bills set up to be automatically paid through a single credit card. This is a wonderful idea and we don't have to worry about paying hardly anything. My car loan and my home mortgage is set up the same way -- everything is handled automatically. But what are our bills? Would an executor know about them? To safeguard this information, I wrote it all down: What account is automatically paid via which credit card; What money is automatically going into which account; Where are all these accounts.
These are things everyone should think about - not just writers. If you were to suddenly pass away, would your spouse be able to handle things? If you and your spouse were to pass, can the executor of your will find everything? We live in a digital age that has made things so much easier on all of us. But nobody stops to think about what happens when the person who set up their digital life is no longer around? Unless all this information is written down and maintained up-to-date, things are bound to be lost. If you live a paperless life or you have things computerized and digitized to make things easier -- now is the time to write it down and put a PRINTED copy of all that information in a safe place.
One more tidbit: If a massive solar flare were to wipe out the internet and erase all the data on your computer, could you financially survive? Such a flare is possible - one narrowly missed us only a few short years ago. Write down the phone numbers and addresses of all your financial institutes and other important entities and put them in a safe place. Am I paranoid? No. But I like to be prepared for anything. So, stop reading, gather your information, and put it into writing in a safe place.
