Doug Farren's Blog, page 29

Short story writing is difficult!

Early last week I was off to a quick start on my first ever short story 'Obsessed With Life'.  I hammered out over 1,700 words in about 3 hours.  I thought I would have no problem getting the rest done during my 30 minute lunch breaks at work - Wrong!  When I started this I had two possible endings in mind.  After my writer's group meeting I discarded one.  I am now about to start on my 4th attempt to finish this little story.  The first three endings just didn't cut it.  Wrong pace, wrong perspective, just didn't work.  But, I think I have a good ending ready to type and I hope to have it done by the end of the day.  Writing a short story is a little more difficult than I first thought.

I have finished 'The Bohr Maker' by Linda Nagata.  It's an excellent read.  She just published a short story in Lightspeed magazine.  Although I'm not into the slash and gash fantasy stories I read hers anyway - more for an insight into her writing style than for the story itself.  Stephen King said there are two things a writer must do to become a better writer: Read and Write.  Recently, I've started reading not just for the story but to see how other writers write.  Everyone's style is different but that doesn't mean you can't learn from reading.

Next up on my self-study reading is a book by Orson Scott Card titled 'Characters & Viewpoint'.  It's part of the Elements of Fiction Writing series put out by Writer's Digest Books.  I've just started it so I will withhold comments for now.  There are several books in this series and I went ahead and bought all of them.

One final note.  Linda Nagata's daughter took an awesome picture while visiting a volcano in Hawaii. In case you've forgotten, Linda was one of the authors at Launchpad with me.  You've got to check out this photo:  http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/traveler-magazine/photo-contest/2012/entries/144977/view/

Obsessed with Life

After a week of working nights (which leaves virtually no time to write) I've managed to find the time to get some writing done over the weekend.  I temporarily put Peacekeeper aside to work on a short story called Obsessed With Life.  I was up early both Saturday and Sunday and the story is nearly complete.  I hope to have it finished by next week.  My wife will then look it over and do her proofing magic and then I'll have my dad take a gander at it.  Once all the changes from those two readers are incorporated into the story I will have one of the Launchpad folks look it over.  I hope to get it published in a magazine both in the US and abroad.  I'll let you know what happens.

I've been reading 'The Bohr Maker' by Linda Nagata (another indie author I met at Launchpad).  So far I'm enjoying it very much.  I'm about 65% complete.  I plan on giving it a good 5-star review once I'm done.  Nice job Linda!

Stephen King : On Writing

I just finished reading Stephen King's "On Writing".  This book was recommended by several of the people from Launchpad.  It was a good read and provided a window into the mind of a very good writer.  He does point out that every writer has his/her own distinct method of writing.  Some use outlines, some develop detailed plots, and others (like him and, interestingly enough, myself) simply let the story evolve on its own.  Like me, Mr. King starts off with an idea for a story and then just starts writing.

I have requested permission from the publisher to use a quote from the book in all my future novels:

"Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes.  The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story … to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all."

In other news, as soon as I have time to write, I will be working on a short story.  Peacekeeper is coming along nicely but the short story will have priority.  Don't worry, it won't take me long at all to write it.  I have the entire story in my head complete with two possible endings.  One of my new friends from Launchpad will be reviewing it (and choosing the best ending) and then I'm going to submit it to several magazines starting with Lightspeed.  This will help promote my other books.

Finally, I had another stellar review on Amazon.co.uk (the UK version of Amazon.com) of "Honor Thy Enemy" which included a mention of the entire Galactic Alliance series.  Five stars: "I've just finished the trilogy from the Kindle store, took about a week as I have to work. As an ageing, lifelong fan of Space Opera (but I prefer 'hard') science fiction this is great stuff! It's reads as well as Asimov and Niven, has twists like Heinlein and engages like Bear and Bova.

Really looking forward to Peacekeeper and much, much more.!" 
It's reviews like the above that will keep me writing!  Thank you Garrath Earnshaw "Country Boy" (W. Yorks United Kingdom) and everyone else who have commented.

A writer's education never ends

In previous blogs I may have given the impression that I felt much like an apprentice in the presence of masters while at Launchpad in Laramie, WY.  This feeling persisted even though the organizer (Mike Brotherton) as well as other heavily published authors in the group explained to me that I was doing very well as an author.  Despite these reassurances, the feeling persisted - until today.

I have to thank a tweet by Nova Ren Suma for allowing me to clarify where this feeling came from.  Now that I know the source, I can honestly say I no longer feel like the underdog.  In fact, I am now confident in my ability to write a good story.  My reviews and sales are proof.  So what was this tweet?  She was in the Denver airport leaving at the end of Launchpad when she spotted a copy of her book 'Imaginary Girls' on the shelf.  She apparently yelled out 'Oh My God!' loud enough to scare away a nearby passerby.  That tweet got me to thinking.

As an indie publisher, my books will never appear in bookstores, I will never get to see them on bookshelves in an airport, and I will never see them show up in a flyer from any book club.  Also, because the mainstream publishing industry is unwilling to admit that there are some very good authors out there, none of my books will ever be eligible to win any awards.  As an indie, I am barred from joining the SFWA even though I've sold over 42,000 books since I first started my indie career in 2009 (almost 16,500 copies of which are Translight!).  Oh, I can join as an affiliate member but what what that get me?

The bottom line in all the above is based on my reviews and sales as well as the talks I had with other authors who went to Launchpad 12 I have no reason to consider myself as anything less of a writer than they are.  I may not have an MFA, but I write good stories.  I'm a writer - a good one.

But, no matter how good you are, education in your chosen field is always an ongoing effort.  Professional athletes, scientists, chefs, and anyone who wants to remain competitive in their chosen field must always strive to improve their talent.  This can be accomplished through classes, books, or interfacing with others in their field.  Today, I've purchased a small stack of books about writing.  I am also planning on attending some of the local conventions (cons for short) such as Chicon, Comicon, Dragoncon, and others.  I have met some wonderful people at Launchpad and I intend on staying in touch with them.  One of these days I will retire and write full time.  Perhaps by then an indie publisher will be able to be recognized by the likes of the SFWA based upon their works and not based on who they are associated with.

Day 6 - all good things must come to an end

A woodpecker hammering away on the side of the brick building woke me up this morning a little after 0600.  On the walk over to the classroom I saw some turkey vultures hanging around on the roof of a building.  The classroom building was all locked up - it is Saturday.  Walked over to the Turtle Rock coffee shop for breakfast.  I was the first to arrive but soon Farah, Sarah, Matt, Jody, and Jake all were present.  Walked over to the classroom at 11:00 for a late start.
Jim Verley started off with a presentation about scientific literacy.  This sparked a huge discussion concerning how the education system is failing in the areas of science and art.  Lunch was Chinese.  Robin Christian gave an impromptu talk about the difference between film and books.  Mike then continued on with a discussion of galaxies.  We took a break to take a group photo then Mike resumed with a lecture on cosmology.  After the last class we all went to a nice place called Sweet Melissa.  Had a great vegan lasagna.  Had some more great conversations.  Got a ride back to the dorm where I went to bed a bit early – 11:30.
It is now nearly 0700 Laramie time.  I'm all packed and ready to go.  Robin Christian stopped by my room this morning and announced he was not feeling well.  Said he forgot to drink any water yesterday.  This altitude makes the humidity quite low and sufficient water intake is a must.  Hope he feels better.  I have not had any effects from the altitude.  It might be because of the herbs my wife asked me to take before arriving here.  The only way to know for sure is to come back next year and not take them - I don't think so.
I'm going to miss all these people.  I hope to stay in touch with them and, perhaps, run into them again at a 'con or two.  I might even consider coming back next year and paying my own way plus room and board if Mike will let me.  That way I can get to know another group of writers.  All in all this has been a fantastic experience - one I will cherish for a long time.

Laramie Day 5

Several of us rode into town while a bunch of the others went hiking.  Visited several shops and found a few trinkets to bring home.  Afterwards we met at Mellow Yellow (an Indian restaurant) for lunch.  We all arrived quite late back in the classroom where Mike continued with a discussion of black holes.  Interesting info:  If the sun were to become a black hole, the Schwarzschild radius would be 3 Km.  Because we started late, Mike went right into his lecture on galaxies.  After a short break, Geoffrey gave us a lecture on interstellar flight.  Just prior to the lecture we presented Farah with a birthday card and sang happy birthday.


This morning (Saturday) I was awakened by the hammering of a woodpecker on the brick wall of the dorm.  I walked to the Turtle Rock Coffee House for breakfast.  It's located about a half block from the classroom building.  Had a great breakfast and coffee.  Farah and Sara showed up followed by Jody and finally Christian.  Jake arrived as I was typing this.  (I don't have my references so my apologies if I misspelled anyone's names).  On the way over to the coffee house I spotted about a dozen turkey vultures on top of one of the buildings.


It's been a very nice morning sitting among fellow writers.  Listening to them talk about the people they know, the books they've read, and the places they've gone has caused me to once again think that I don't quite fit in.  But, my book sales are on par with theirs.  I think this feeling comes from the fact that they are writers who have been closely involved with other writers for quite some time.  They go to conventions and I have never been to one.  They are all associated with major publishers or magazines and I am not.  I would really like to feel like I fit in but that's going to take some time.  I need to start going to the cons as well as connecting with other writers.  I don't think I'm out of their league - I'm more like a foreigner visiting a country with an unfamiliar culture.  I plan to try to stay in touch with as many of them as possible.


Class will be starting in less than 30 minutes.  The last class while we are here.  I am very glad to have had this experience.

Laramie Day 4 and other stuff

Even though I went to bed after midnight I still woke up at 0600.  I walked over to the classroom building early and grabbed breakfast at a place called 'Elements' inside the classroom building.  Very good!  Mike Brotherton started out with a lecture on the deaths and end states of stars.  I learned that it's the neutrino that actually causes a star to explode.  
After Mike's wonderful but short lecture, Geoffrey Landis took over to tell us about terraforming.  There's a lot more to altering a planet than one might think. Lunch was Mexican again and again very good.  Geoffrey then presented a lecture titled "25 things you need to know about real spaceships".  Very informative.  As a sidenote – Mr. Landis complimented me on my Excel spreadsheet I had sent to everyone in the class as being 'excellent'.  I've been developing this spreadsheet for a long time and have used to to check the science in most of my books.  If you want a copy - email me (author@dougfarren.com).
The next lecture was about the phases of the moon and the seasons.  I was shocked to find out most people don't know why these occur.  Two very informative animations (available on the web) were shown that explained these concepts extremely well.  This was followed by a very entertaining lecture about amateur astronomy.  After class, we all went to Mike's house for a party/get together.  Had a really good time.
While at the party, I received a tip concerning a writer named Dean Wesley Smith.  Smash his name together and add .com to find his website.  Very informative for indie writers!  I will most likely be following him as well as purchasing one of his books about indie publishing.  There was a long discussion about pricing.  For now, it seems like my plan to price all my books at $3.99 is okay although he recommends a range of $4.99 to $7.99.
I've also leaned that my book sales are on par with many of the other writers here at Launch pad.  The only thing differentiating me from them is the fact that I have never been to a con (short for convention) and I have not really interfaced with a lot of writers.  This workshop is the beginning of a change in those differences.  I no longer feel like the underdog.  I'm beginning to feel like an honest to goodness writer.