Cate Morgan's Blog, page 15

Author’s Log: March Madness (& #ROW80)

 *skids wildly out of drafting mode*

*pants*

Aaaaaaaand we’re DONE with Keepers #4! W00T!!

*falls over*

How many fingers are you holding up? Twelve. No? How close am I? Oh. Well, shoot.

*passes out*

I’ve got a lot to contend with this month, with my Production Schedule ramping up. Whoever came up with the term “March Madness” was entirely accurate, to be sure.

With Keepers #4 now in the Pending Revision queue, I have to turn my attention to writing and publishing Origins #2 with (preferably) a month’s worth of lead time for the release of Brighid’s Mark, since Origins #2 is Callie’s story. I really got into the research I did on Jazz Age Chicago, so I’m looking forward to writing in that era.

On March 16 I’ve got an article coming out at Mythic Scribes on the basics of self-publishing.

Beginning this week I get start revising and work-shopping ACT I of The Minstrel’s Daughter (formerly Big Dang Projeckt). This means I need to do catch up on critiques over at the Online Writing Workshop for Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror.

I also need to finish prepping my new fantasy novel project, Searcher, for drafting ACT I next month. I’ve got a decent plot outline done, but I need flesh out some of the world-building aspects, and come up with a few character names yet. I also need an Official Plot Incline for my White Board of Novelling ™.

I’m also going to make a valiant attempt to drafting some flash fiction at some point, even if I have to shoe horn it in during one of my lunch time writing sessions once Origins #2 is complete. In other news, Origins #1 is back to being on perma-free everywhere except on Amazon, which has to be price-matched by vigorous and unrelenting request. I don’t consider my experiment in to 0.99-ness a failure–far from it. Now I’ve identified who’s a reader, and who were enticed enough by my blurb and cover enough to give a it a try for free. I now have valuable information that perma-free is working well as an entrance point to my Keepers of the Flame funnel. In answer to this, I’m going to start adding chapter to Wattpad in weekly installments. I’ve also uploaded all my existing flash fiction, and well as the excerpt to Brighid’s Mark.

Last (but certainly not least), I need to start planning my launch campaign for Brighid’s Mark in April. Whoo! (And whew! as well.)

Production Schedule (& ROW80):

ORIGINS #2 (Drafting): Cover art is complete but not finalized until I’ve put it away for awhile and come back to it for a polish. I hope to reveal it soon. I need to have the story finished and revised by March 22nd to remain on schedule.

THE MINSTREL’S DAUGHTER (In Revision): I begin ACT revisions this week–Chapters 1-9. My plan is to log pertinent feedback from my workshop critiques into my Scrivener file in the “Notes” section for each chapter to inform my revisions for the rest of my manuscript. I want to have all nine chapters revised by March 29.

SEARCHER (In Development): I’ve started a Scrivener file for this one, and have an outline of story beats ready to go. I’m really loving the characters for this one, and can’t wait to get started drafting next month once I feel I have all the knowledge I need about the world building to make it happen. This needs to be finished by March 31.

BRIGHID’S MARK (In Production): As soon as my ARC arrives I can start sending out review copies. I also need to decide on what I’m going to do on Facebook, Twitter, and here on my blog. All this needs to be scheduled by March 31.

How about you guys? How do (or would) you launch a book? Are you experiencing March Madness yet?

The Art And Craft Of Production (#IWSG)

 Or, more lessons learned from the stage.

One of the many valuable lessons my time in theatre taught me was the value of breaking down a massive undertaking into management bits, and then scheduling those bits into a Production Schedule that gets you where you need to be by deadline—i.e., Opening Night. Factors such as the nature of the production (complexity, cast size, genre, etc.) will determine the lead time. A small comedy, for instance, may only require six weeks of rehearsal while a big musical or Shakespearean work may need eight or twelve weeks. There are a lot—a LOT—of moving parts in any production, and the director and producer(s) have to keep all the plates spinning, hopefully without casualties.

There are almost always casualties, but that’s another post.

The nice thing about the theatre, of course, is that the material is already written. You also have a team of stage and production managers making sure their designating moving parts come off as planned. Costumes, props, sets, lighting and sound—a production is rather like a swan, graceful and serene on the surface, while there’s a great deal of mad paddling underwater. As writers we are in charge of All The Things, while at the same time creating the material. And of course the cast of characters all have their opinions on what their characters would and would not do, and what’s their motivation anyway?

Actors.

A Production Schedule keeps you on a time budget and on point for the end game. Drafting—or rehearsing, if you will—a novel is a great deal more complex than a novella, so the time factor will be extended three or more times beyond that of a shorter work. If there’s a lot of action scenes, then it’s wise to choreograph those scenes beforehand, so you don’t stumble. In theatre you often rehearse the stunts (like sword fights) and the musical numbers before anything else. (I was never so grateful as when my director cut the 15 minute ballet dream sequence from Oklahoma!).

Even then you begin with an empty stage, and everyone in their rehearsal clothes rather than in costume. And you don’t begin with the opening scene—rather you workshop the more difficult scenes first, in order from most complex to least. Usually these are important plot points, or involving coordinating the movements of a lot of characters at once. There may be tape outlines of where the big set pieces are going to be, or marks the principals have to hit at certain points. There may be a folding table or a few chairs to simulate smaller set pieces. But the point is you’re in rough draft mode—you don’t have all the details quite fleshed out as of yet.

That’s where a second, or revision draft, comes in. Props start appearing like magic from backstage. You stub your toe on a set piece that wasn’t there yesterday. Someone’s sporting an elaborate hat that defines their character. The paint’s drying on the backdrops, and the jokers in the booth are blinding the actors with pin spots right in your eyes when they hit their marks—which may or may not still be taped.

That final draft—the polishing draft, is the dress rehearsal. Everyone’s in their costumes now, refining their line delivery and interactions. You stop every twelve or thirteen seconds, frozen in tableau so the light and sound guys can make adjustments to the board—adjustments in mood, in atmosphere. You’re nearly there, at launch. In you’re smart, at some point during this process you’ll have perform for preview audiences, test the waters with critique groups or BETA readers. Gauge response. Refine and hone based on feedback.

Now you’re ready (you hope) for opening night.

One of two things happen at this point. Either you’re going traditional, which means you start searching for backers—namely editors or agents. This is your production team, who handles the marketing campaign and distribution.

If you’re an indie, you’re an author-producer. The show runner. You shoulder all of the risk as well as all the reward. You’re either putting together the cover art yourself or paying some unfortunate soul to do it for you. You have to weigh the costs versus benefits of what to pay to farm out or to handle yourself, how/when/where to distribute, to launch, to market. On the upside, once you’ve launched you don’t have to share the celebratory drinks with ANYONE if you don’t want to. J

For me, the full production of a novella is usually around ninety days, whether I’m going traditional or indie—but if I’m going indie I have to budget time in my schedule for things like cover art, since I do it myself for shorter works. For traditional, I have to leave blocks of time open in my weekly planning for handling editorial revisions and putting together the publicity packet I get from my publisher. A novel, in comparison, takes at least ninety days just to draft, and another ninety for revisions and workshop time. Development time generally takes me about a month, either way.

I’ve managed to work my Production Schedule so I’m working on various projects in various stages of development—pre-production (development), production (drafting), and post-production (revisions and marketing/publicity). This requires a great deal of planning, preparation, and—dare I say it—discipline.

It isn’t always smooth. There are definitely hiccups, not to mention lack of sleep. But that’s okay—those are lessons I learned in theatre, too. And at least in writing I don’t get shin splints or have to roast beneath hundred degree lights in thick makeup and a corset.

That’s what characters are for.

 

 

BRIGHID’S MARK: Excerpt Available Now

 HEY YOU GUYS!

An excerpt for Brighid’s Mark (Keepers of the Flame #2) is now available over at Publishing Amazing, aka Samhain Publishing, Ltd. That means it the book will soon be available for Pre-Order directly from the publisher in a multitude of electronic formats.

Find out how our interprid heroes Callie and Liam meet for the first time!

Copyright © 2014 Cate Morgan All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

Liam and Donal stood side by side in an empty intersection outside the city, watching the haze of humidity stretch its lazy reach over the skyline. Old, unmaintained asphalt glittered dully in the mellow moonlight, while the gleam of broken glass spoke to the frequent occupation of transients. A forlorn bit of plastic bumped and scraped its way across the lot. Expectancy filled the air, adding to the already overwhelming humidity.

Donal pushed his spine from a crumbling cement wall, which was covered in a chaotic patchwork of graffiti. “It must be close to time by now. We’ll need a focal point.”

Liam’s eyebrows lifted. “Focal point?”

Donal held out an expectant hand. “Something small will do. I don’t have anything that will work, not here.”

Curious, Liam pulled the ring off his finger and passed it over.

Donal hefted it experimentally. “That should do’er.” He struck out into the empty intersection, gauging by some secret set of criteria only he was privy to. Liam followed.

Donal flung Liam’s ring high into the air. It stuck at its highest apex with a ping, a small earthbound star. Its light expanded and brightened, followed by a deafening roar. Liam shielded his eyes.

Donal tackled him to the ground as a beat up blue van screamed out of nowhere. It screeched to a halt, back end swinging. It rocked on its axles and gently steamed as the metal cooled. After a moment, the passenger side door creaked open. From his prone position, Liam watched boots land on the pavement.

“You always overshoot it,” a drawling male voice observed, as a matter of interest. The driver reached through the open window to unlatch the door from the outside.

“It’s not an exact science,” his passenger pointed out, slamming her door.

Liam leveraged himself upright. His left arm throbbed where he’d landed. After a moment spent recapturing his breath, Liam circled the front of the van.

What he saw was Donal being embraced by a woman taller than the mid-sized Irishman, with a mass of wild raspberry and russet hair more or less anchored to the back of her head and a figure appropriate for the ranks of the valkyrie. The skin on Liam’s arms and the back of his neck tingled, something at his core resonating with an eerie sense recognition.

Donal stepped back from the woman, hands on her arms. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but we lost a Keeper.”

She stilled. “Tell me it isn’t—

“Eva. I’m so sorry.”

She pulled away, voice shaking. “She was one of the oldest.”

“There’s someone who can help us figure out what happened.” Donal beckoned Liam forward. “This is Liam. Liam, Callie.”

“Donny says we should talk.” Callie had the eyes of a lioness, tawny hazel and brimming with predatory curiosity.

It was a little off-putting, those eyes, but in a way that turned his insides to warm honey. The feeling of recognition increased, déjà vu coming to fruition.

Liam cleared his throat and proffered his hand. “I’m sorry about Eva. She was a colleague, of sorts.”

When he slid his hand into hers, a strange thing happened. His throbbing arm turned to wildfire, exquisite hot pain raging from hand to shoulder. In that moment, he would have gladly cut it off.

He hit the ground. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. He could only hurt.

Solid weight landed next to him. He shied away from the warm hand reaching for his neck.

“Settle down, darlin’.” Callie pressed her palm against his jugular, and some of the pain dissipated. He sucked in a lung full of precious air…and immediately started coughing.

She ripped apart the buttons on his tailored shirt, damaging it beyond repair. Her spicy sweet scent of ginger tempered by clean wind and rain washed over him. “He’s Marked.” Her eyes flickered up to meet his, the corner of her mouth quirking upward in bemusement. “Well, well.”

“Marked?” Donal cocked his head at Liam, thoroughly unfazed by his new contact’s current predicament.

“It seems so, though these are unlike any Marks I’ve ever seen.” She laid her hand over the geometric maze pattern on his chest, partially covered by his undershirt. “Now. Look at me with those gorgeous dark eyes of yours and breathe with me.”

We’re now two months out from release, so be sure to let me know if you want an ARC emailed to you once I receive it from my editor–and don’t forget that I plan on self-publishing Callie’s origin story at the end of this month.

Also, while Brighid’s Mark is not yet available for Pre-Order at Samhain, it IS ready over at Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble.

Let the Book Excitement begin!

Author’s Log: The Quick And The Dirty (& #ROW80)

 So I’m within inches of finished a rough draft of Keepers #4 (YAY). I’m literally on top of one of a couple of last plot points, and in the home stretch reaching for the climax. I took a little time from the Day Jobbe to finish it, and then proceeded to jinx myself by pushing myself so dang hard I was too exhausted to follow through. So I should be done by the end of this week.

It’s definitely a rough draft. I’m going to let it sit and marinate in its own juices for while before going back and cleaning it up in the next pass. The world-building needs expanding on, the romance angle isn’t quite complicated enough, and the prose lacks my normal lyricism, so that will have to be deepened. Right now it reads more like an action movie and not much else. But it’s okay–I know I can fix it. I think, in the end, it’ll read a lot less verbose than the past Keepers books, which can only be a good thing.

I did, however, manage to plot out the next fantasy novel on my docket, which I’m calling Searcher. I’m due to begin drafting Act One in April, so now that’s ready to go. I couldn’t be completely unproductive during my time off. Me? Rest? Crazy talk! o.O

In regards to Origins #1, there’s been a definite drop off in downloads since I moved it from Perma-free on Smashwords. I’ll monitor it the rest of the month, but I may be moving it back to Perma-free, which is near impossible on Amazon. Basically, I have to get everyone I know to price match it against Nook, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Downloading direct to Apple, I’ve found, is a HUGE pain in the ass. First, I had to establish an iTunes account.  Then I had to establish ANOTHER, Apple Producers account. And get approval. And request contracts. This part of the process has taken a couple of unnecessary weeks where every other dashboard I’ve established were a matter of minutes. It looks to be Apple making it way too difficult just to prove how different they are. Even FINDING my books means having to Google the title and author name on iBooks to locate them. It hardly seems worth the effort, so I may scrap the entire thing. It’s not as if people don’t have they’re preferred eReader apps on the iPads, right? And it’s not as though I’d be using iTunes or Apple for anything else. After this experience, I’m not likely to. *snarls*

I also ended up uploading all my current flash fiction to Wattpad as an added avenue.

Production Schedule (& #ROW80)

BRIGHID’S MARK (In Production): Keepers #2 is finally up with an excerpt on my publisher! Not for pre-order there yet, but if you’re a Samhain reader, you can add it to your wish list. You can check it out here. The ARC should be arriving soon.

KEEPERS #4 (Drafting): I’m in the final 10% of the story, so I should be able to clear that up at some point this week. This draft went fast, but it’s extremely raw. Definitely not one of my cleaner first drafts–but I can make it work.

ORIGINS #2: (In Development): I’m finishing up my first proofs of the cover art, and I’m got a fair sense of the story. It’s the historical research that’s slowing me down (I’m a sucker for research), but I’m still well within my Production Schedule for this.  I’m actually a little ahead of the game on this one, and I still have plenty of time to draft this short. If all goes well, it should take me a couple of weekends to get through.

How did your goals go this week Word Wranglers? What has your experience with Apple been as a consumer or indie author?

 

Author’s Log: More Notes From The Lab (& #ROW80)

 *Pokes head up*

*Sees shadow*

*Ducks*

*Scribbles*

Dammit. Six more weeks of drafting.

I’ve been busy, busy, busy this week, between working a crap ton extra hours at the Day Jobbe (most of which were non-productive, which is typical when testing system migrations but DRIVES ME CRAZY–I hate not being productive!!) and pushing my way toward Plot Point 2 with Keepers #4.

In other news, Keepers: Origins #1 got new, jazzed up Cover Art since I was able to find the same font Cover Artist Supereme Kanaxa uses for Keepers of the Flame. I seriously considered hiring her for the companion series, but for novelettes it hardly seemed worth the expense, and I really wanted to do it myself. I’ll keep Kanaxa on hand for larger projects. I’ve also updated Origins #1 from perma-free to $0.99 and added a coupon for my loyal readers (hello, readers!), as I still want to reward them. The coupon code and updated cover art is on my landing page (Books!)

I also direct downloaded Origins #1 to Amazon and Kobo, since Smashwords just wasn’t getting the job done in a timely fashion. But never fear–Smashwords should still have the necessary formats for you still to get it free. If not, send me your email address and I’ll send you a copy directly. If you’re not sure whether or not you’ll enjoy it, then you can always download a free sample.

There’s a couple of reasons I decided on the $0.99 price point, at least temporarily. The first is mainly for experimentation–I’m still working out the details of my indie setup, so there’s going to be some fluctuation as I continue to learn about this side of the business. I’m kind if curious to see if I maintain my download rate moving from free to paid. It’ll be interesting to see if I’m actually hooking people to buy or if I’m collecting free junkies. There’s nothing wrong with either of these groups, I’m just curious and this information will help inform any changes I make to my business model. Basically, I’m trying to identify my audience.

The second reason is that I’m hoping to get enough buys to fund a new website–an actual website, rather than a blog-made-website. If I’m going to grow the business side of my, er, BUSINESS (heh), then I need work clothes to go out into the world in. I found a third party theme I really like over at Elegant Themes, but this is going to necessitate third party hosting and moving everything over to WordPress.org (rather than the self-hosted WordPress.com). I’m also thinking of coming up with an imprint name for my self-pubbed works, just to keep things tidy and professional. So Origins Funnel=website hosting and maintenance bucket in the current equation.

I’m not looking to make a ton of money from this title (or even series of titles), but I need to build a foundation that’s going to support my proposed business model.

So there’s that.

On To The Goals!

Production Schedule (& ROW80):

KEEPERS #3 (On Submission): No updates yet–it’ll be awhile until I hear. The motto of this business should really be “hurry up and wait!”.

KEEPERS #4 (Drafting): I’m right on top with Plot Point 2, wherein our brave heroine turns herself over to the bad guys to save her town, and Captain Riley has to lead a posse to go and bring her back–not to mention confront is former mentor. I get to write a sexy scene in a hayloft (one I’ve been looking forward to), and then I can further look forward to some BDE (Big Dang Explosions). Hey, this IS an action story!

KEEPERS: ORIGINS #2 (In Development): This is going well enough that I now have the shadows and reflections of the impending story. This week I’ll start filling it in and come up with a plot structure so drafting can begin on time next month.

So far, so good–I’ve managed to stay on schedule. How about you guys? How goes the word smithing?

Author’s Log: Updates From The Lab (& #ROW80)

 So I’ve been so deeply engaged into Keepers 4 that I completely forgot to blog last week. Whoops-sorry guys! *shame* *hari-kari*

I started Keepers #4 on schedule on Feb 1. As of Feb 8 I clocked in over 7K words and hit Plot Point 1. As of Feb 15 (yesterday, as of this posting) I am fast closing in on 12K and my Midpoint. This means I’ve managed to stay on schedule thus far. I haven’t always kept to 1K per day due to my odd sleeping patterns, but I have still written every single day, if even only a few hundred words. I got stuck into two simultaneous research and analysis projects at Ye Olde Day Jobbe (no longer Ee-ville), which threw my energy off a bit, but I still managed it. YAY.

I’ve been considering some shifts in my business plan, as I’m finding that Smashwords, while handy, is VERY VERY SLOW in getting books up at various outlets. So far I’ve only found Origins #1 at Barnes and Noble. It’s been close to three months–surely it should have should have shown up elsewhere by now? I may be better off direct uploading to individual e-Reader sites and keeping Smashwords for places like Flikart and Oyster. It’s okay–I’ve expected some adjustments would be needed as I learn more about the business end of being a hybrid author.

The other thing about Origins #1 is that it came out about 2K words longer than I anticipated, which is more of a novelette length than it is short story length. The other thing is that Amazon has made it seriously difficult to offer books for perma-free, but Amazon being the Great River and all I feel strongly about getting Origins #1 and #2 (Callie’s story) before Keepers #2 comes out at the end of April from my publisher. So I’m considering offering the Origins series perma free as an exclusive for my readers via a Smashwords coupon, and charging .99 to the rest of the world. I’m not set on this yet, as I’m still experimenting with what works and what doesn’t, so we’ll see. As always, I’ll keep you guys updated (except in those rare moments that I forget).

These days I’ve been doing a lot of research and reading as to the business aspects of this whole hybrid model I’m working to build. So there’s been that, as well. I’m looking to establish a separate subscription list strictly for my readers, who may not be particularly interested in all the backstage shenanigans geared toward other writers. Also, once I start establishing addition series, I’ll be looking to set up an official website.

Production Schedule & ROW80:

BRIGHID’S MARK (In Production): Pre-Orders are popping up all over the place now, which makes me come over all SQUEE! when I see a new one. I expect to see it at my publisher’s website at about a month out, and am still awaiting my ARC.

KEEPERS #3 (On Submission): This bad boy is currently with Editor Awesome, who’s got a 6-8 week period (she’s usually faster, though). We’ll see what she comes back with.

KEEPERS #4 (Drafting): This one, which I’ve secretly dubbed “Pre-Apocalypse Broken Arrow”. Tess and Riley have just walked into an ambush after spelunking in an underground cave system. Oh, noes! o.O

Okay Word Wranglers–how did you do this week? Sound off in the comments.

How To Write Fearlessly (#IWSG)

 I’ve been thinking a lot this last month, since discovering my mentor passed away, about being fearless. I wasn’t as fearless as I could have been as a performer, despite her coaching, and I’m not as fearless as I wish I were as an author. I tend to over-edit terribly, restricting my story to the point of constriction. Fearlessness comes confidence, and confidence is the One Ring of the Infernal Editor.  But with practice and certain techniques I’ve gotten better. Much, much better.

Mrs. J. used to swan around the theatre shrieking “Don’t think about–just do it!” like a Bette Midler voiced Nike commercial. Every time we were unsure of what to do, became awkward and ungainly as even the most teenagers are (“all asses and elbows” she used to say) she would give us freedom–the freedom to soar, or the freedom suck–meaning that sucking was okay, even inevitable, but was still a viable place to start building, to improve. That freedom–to soar, or to suck–was scary as hell. What if we sucked? What if we were even more horrible than even our over active imaginations could devise?

It’s terrifying, being all alone out there in the cold black with a pin spot blinding you to who’s out here, watching.

Don’t think about it–just do it!

The trick lays in not giving your Infernal Editor a chance to engage. That, and arming your Divine Muse with a crossbow. Here’s a few things to put in her (or his) quiver:

STORY SKETCHING

Before I set out to write a story, I usually have some scattered seeds of ideas rolling around in regards to character, maybe parts of scenes or a setting. Being a visual person, I tend of have one or two half-formed scenes dying to get out of my mind, lines of dialogue twining around them like smoke. I don’t want to forget any of it, so I sketch it out on paper first. I start with three headings: People, Places, and Things. I then list everything I might want to use–important objects, characters (often nameless at first) and their potential attributes, settings and landscapes, important objects–all of it. Any lines of dialogue that have been calling to me like music, jot down. I start drawing lines, making connections–and asking questions. Basically, it’s all one, big mind dump. The human brain can only recall seven things at any given time, and though I may not end up using everything, I certainly don’t want to lose any of it.

Next, I do a story sketch (or plot incline). This is the bare-bones road map I need to tell where I’m going and when. This keeps my storylines tight, the pacing even, and makes sure I book end my plot points to create resonance with my reader. The sketch consists of one long, diagonal line moving from the bottom left of the page to the top right (white boards are really good for this), with each plot point marked out vertical lines at regular intervals. I move from the outside in: Opening and closing scenes at either end, Inciting Incident and Climax (10% and 90% marks, respectively), Plot Points One and Two (25% and 75%), and the Midpoint (where everything changes) at the 50% mark.

STORY BEATS

This is a screenwriting technique I’ve found to be highly effective. Using my story notes and sketch for reference, I start at what I think the beginning of the story is, and in one-line notes without punctuation, note everything that must happen in the story, action-wise. I leave lots of white space when I do this, because all that room to stretch out gives me (and the story) room to breathe. It’s a security blanket. These beats go on my notecards on Scrivener, so I can move them around as necessary. Now I can go back and fill in the blanks–images, dialogue, characters. I try to come up with as much detail as possible between beats so that I’m almost pre-drafting the story, getting all the raw information out onto the page, nice and safe, where it can’t be buried. Before I know it, I have a highly detailed outline, and I know where I’m going. I go over and over it again, three or four times, to make sure I shake everything out. I’m telling the story here, but not drafting it yet.

SPINNING DOWN THE PAGE

In a continuation of story beats, I begin each fresh scene with a list of action, image, and dialogue, again to make sure I don’t leave anything out. The great thing out Story Beats and Spinning Down The Page is that my Infernal Editor doesn’t see this as creative work, or drafting. In fact, this sort of thing tricks that internal menace into thinking you’re doing all left-brained work, all logic and puzzle-solving and reason. It’s like scattering seeds in front of a vampire with a serious case of OCD–they’re distracted by putting everything into its proper order. The Infernal Editor is so distracted, in fact, it doesn’t notice the right brain flying free, hang gliding through the story like the free spirit it is. Before I know it, everything I need to draft a deep, nuanced scene is right there, in black and white. The story is already being written–I just have to craft it.

WHITE NOISE

When it comes time for drafting, I ask the Tech Monkey if he needs anything while I’m up. We live in a small condo with two Ninja Katz. Sound echoes like a sumbitch. If he doesn’t need more ice, or to tell me anything, or to show me his new spaceship in his online game (or even if he does), I make sure he’s settled and then tell him–in no uncertain terms–that I’m going to be working. I then clap the biggest, most obnoxious sound studio, noise-cancelling headphones I have to hand over my ears and either listen to music via Pandora, or (and this is incredibly effective), white noise from somewhere like MoodTurn. While writing the last part of Act III on The Minstrel’s Daughter, I listened to beach sounds–because that particular part of the story takes entirely at sea, and it put me right in the scene, scary-close to the action.

HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER

This is a trick I learned from Ernest Hemingway, and I’ve found that it works. I’ll type like mad until I get to a really, really exciting bit. And then I stop, right at the edge of what comes next. That’s right. I stop, I get up, I walk away–even if I have to leave it midsentence. By now even the Infernal Editor is dying to know what happens next. He hates it when you leave something unfinished. Then when I come back for my next drafting session, I can read the last paragraph or two–and dive right in. Not only does this stop me from getting burned out, but keeps my flow moving between sessions.

Mind you, there are still times I have to muscle on through–but by the time I do, I’m prepped and warmed up and trained to do the muscling. I have all the ammo I need to make it happen. So does the comfort of knowing no one’s ever going to see my first draft–or even my second–except me. This gives me permission to suck on my own turns–because once I put it away for awhile and come back to it with some perspective, I can take the raw material of story, and craft it into a book.

I hope this helps you write fearlessly in future. Because no one has the right to make you afraid to take a chance, including yourself.

Author’s Log: In Which We Hit The Ground Running (& #ROW80)

 Or, at least, hit the ground. FWAP!

Actually, I’ve had a lovely couple of weeks off from drafting, after (FINALLY) finishing my rough (one might say almost raw) draft of The Minstrel’s Daughter, aka “Big Dang Projeckt”. This doesn’t mean to say I haven’t been engaged in writing-related activities. Far from it! I’ve been polishing, and revising, and developing other things. I’ve been honing my production schedule into a business plan after the fire that Write. Publish. Repeat. lit under me. I’ve been designing cover art for one project, and tinkering, unsuccessfully, with another. I wrote a 2K word article on Self-Publishing for my fellow Mythic Scribes, reading, and generally snuggling with the Ninja Katz, who seem confused that I don’t have a laptop permanently attached to my lap these days. Not that they’re complaining.

In fact my production schedule got so out of hand I have graduated from the Dance Of A Thousand Spreadsheets and am now into database territory. That’s what I’ve been working on the last week or so–building a business model to execute my plan, a database talong with it, where I can keep track of All The Things. There are currently 50 projects in my queue. Yowza! o.O

I’m so excited to officially start my 2014 production schedule, y’all. I’ve been putting a a great deal of thought into managing my workload, and yesterday I started drafting Keepers #4, so I’m back to 1,000 words a day for the forseeable future.  *game face*

Production Schedule (& ROW80):

BRIGHID’S MARK (In Production): Two months to go until launch–whoo-hoo!! Don’t forget to let me know if you’d like a free review copy–I’m expected ARCs at almost any moment. Interesting, Amazon finally reduced their pre-order price point to an actual pre-order price point rather than a whole, whopping cent from the full price.

KEEPERS #3 (On Submission): Fired off this little lovely to Editor Awesome this past week, and I’m super excited to have her feedback on it. As submission drafts go it’s as clean as I can make it, though we’ll see what her feedback is. Brighid’s Mark was a revise and resubmit, so we’ll see if I do better this time. She has very exacting standards, for which I am pathetically grateful. Because you don’t level up by hearing what you do well–you have to find and fix what you aren’t so hot at to get better.

KEEPERS #4 (Drafting): I’m super excited to be writing this one, as it’s going to be something of a departure from the other three books in the series. I love my heroine Tess, a cigar-smokin’, whiskey-drinkin’ cowgirl friving a beat down jeep. Captain Riley is the best  the best of my heroes yet, I feel. He loves old movies (old for the time period Keepers takes place in, anyway), and I’ve planned more than one callout on that score.

ORIGINS 2 (In Development): I’m getting a better feel for this one (after all, Callie’s story carries out in Brighid’s Mark), and I’m having fun digging deeper into the culture of the Chicago jazz era. I’m using a book called The Time Tables of History, also known as The Mighty Tome my cats sleep on while on my desk, to get a feel for the time. The cover art, I admit, is giving me some issues, but nothing I won’t be able to figure out before release.

What have you guys been up to this week? Is the new year still fresh for you, or has the polish already worn off?

Review: Write. Publish. Repeat. (Platt/Truant/Wright)

 Imagine yourself walking into a casino. There’s blackjack tables on the left, craps tables on the right.

Blackjack is feeling lucky to you. Yes, it’s more of a risk, but it’s familiar and easy enough in theory. You feel you understand it best, and so it feels safe. You take your seat, settle yourself in for the ride. Each new hand holds the promise of a brand new day.  You win some hands, lose some–more than you’re winning, actually, but hey–you’re still in the game, right?

Over at the craps tables it sounds like everyone’s having a grand time. The drinks are flowing, and the everyone at the table is cheering, even the dealer. The rules, as far as you can tell, are as up in the air as the dice, but it doesn’t seem to matter.

This is what the traditional publishing versus self-publishing landscape sounds like these days, where traditional publishing is the serious sleight-of-hand business of the blackjack table and self-publishing is the craps table where all the fun people are gathering. Neither is a non-viable option by any means–it just seems like the odds are better at the craps table, where the players can distribute their assets among a number of side bets, and only those apparently in the know have any idea what the rules are, and what’s going on at any given moment.

This book is Craps For Dummies. It entirely demystifies the ever-shifting self-publishing landscape. The platforms and distribution methods may change at any given moment–but the core tenets more or less remain the same.

And here’s the real interesting bit, though: these very same tenets apply to traditional publishing as well. The only real difference is the author is taking the entire process upon themselves, rather than going through traditional methods. Otherwise, the process is exactly the same. And this book takes you through that process.

This is my new bible–for self-publishing, and otherwise. Some of it, granted, I was already doing, either through my own process or instinctively as a fumbled about the marketing aspects of my business. But it was nice to have those things I felt I knew solidified for me in black in white. And the rest of it, well…pure gold.

It’s wonderful to know I don’t have to worry about genre-hopping anyomore. (Thank the gods–I need to get these warring voices OUT OF MY HEAD. And establishing a new author “brand” for a one-off historical? Oh, hell no.) Funnels? So logical and yet how many authors think of their work in those terms–even though publishers do? I LOVE the idea of funnels.

Interesting note, quality-wise (I have the paperback, so I can mark the ever-loving oblivion out of it): the book is, of course, self-published. (For it not to be would be as ironic and unfunny as the “Mind Of A Ninja, Body Of A Manatee” t-shirt Johnny B. occasionally wears on their weekly podcast. Really, Johnny B? Someone who weights sixty pounds sopping wet and talks about going to the gym makes one suspect you ganked such a shirt from Dave “I Stole Burt Reynolds’ Laugh Wright’s closet.)

Anyway, the book is of excellent quality and utterly indiscernible from any book you walk into a Barnes and Noble to purchase off the shelf. Matte cover, cream paper, professional typeset (some of the latter now as pink as the gun smoke in Unicorn Western. That’s right–the guys write and sell plenty of fiction, too, so they know what they’re talking about).

The fact of the matter is, an author’s portfolio of works is just that–a portfolio much like any other financial portfolio–but how many of us think of our works as assets to be leveraged and diversified? Aren’t they worth all the hard work and time we’ve invested in them?

Most of y’all are well aware I’m juggling a seriously extended queue and production schedule (DAMN YOU, VOICES–DAMN YOU TO HELL! *pant pant*), but now I have more than a production schedule–I have a business plan, and the process to see it through. At last count, I have 8-9 distinctive funnels planned, and not including what I’ve already published, something like (at last count) 40 books of various lengths planned–not including standalones–in my current queue. Write. Publish. Repeat. was exactly the book I needed to make this happen.

It’s a big book–in the neighborhood of 460 pages–but it reads fast. I bolted through it in a matter of days, when I should have been writing. Then I got sucked into the backlist of their weekly podcasts, also when I should have been writing. (Jerks.) But I’m so glad I did, and I can’t wait to implement all that I’ve learned. I think you will, too.

(Write. Publish. Repeat. at Amazon)

Author’s Log: And Now For Something Completely Different (& #ROW80)

 Er, kinda.

I don’t think it’s any secret that I love to help my fellow word monkeys out when I can by sharing my own experiences. In fact, it’s safe to say that’s what this whole blog is about, other than keeping my readers up to date on the shifting sands of my Production Schedule. It’s one reason I hang out on certain forums a couple of times a week with other writers, and engage in the occasional chat to offer encouragement and assistance and the odd witticism or movie reference. (You can generally tell the age of my fellow chattees, if they get my reference or not, as some of them can completely from the Left Field of Obscurity.)

And I noticed certain questions being asked, over and over, in different threads, with plenty of myths and “known facts” and “Everyone says” type of statements being made. Because these are forums for writers, everyone tries to help everyone else, because writers are generally awesome that way (at least in my experience). But misinformation is being perpetrated, there’s a lot of conjecture, in addition to a great deal of concern. So I’d like to address some of those here, as I come across them, especially when I start leaving essentially the same two-page responses in multiple threads. Because it seems to me these are the Things You Want To Know. I’m also going to include all the resources I can, and keep a list on a separate page, for easy reference. And if I don’t have an answer, I’ll do what writers do, and research it until I do.

So look for these not-quite-changes to begin soon.

Until then, I have another Epic Flail for you. BEHOLD!

 I found a couple more pre-order setups for Brighid’s Mark, on Barnes & Noble (at a price that doesn’t look much pre-ordery, to tell you the truth) and Kobo, which is slightly better, but not the best price–which is also the same price as Amazon. What the heck–I saw much better prices the other day! If that $0.41 discount isn’t tickling your fancy, let me know and I’ll add you to my ARC list. I’ll also start adding these links to my home page. (Someone really needs to get a thing together for authors that will keep track of this stuff instead of making us search each site individually every couple of days.)

Also under the heading of YAY: Keepers of the Flame: Origins #1 is now also available at Barnes and Noble, here. Not shipped to Amazon yet, but I expect it to be shortly. It’s also due to be shipped to the following online vendors, including being available at Smashwords:

Sony
Kobo
Apple
Diesel
Page Foundry
Baker & Taylor Blio
Baker & Taylor Axis 360
Flipkart
Oyster

So, thank you Smashwords, for making that part easy, at least.

Production Schedule (&ROW80):

BRIGHID’S MARK (In Production): Pre-Orders are beginning to pop up here and there (YAY), and I’m expecting my ARC at almost any moment. We’re nearing the home stretch on this one. (Double YAY!)

KEEPERS #3 (In Revision): I’m on the final polish, giving the manuscript the ol’ spit shine. This is due to go to Editor Awesome on or by Jan 31.

KEEPERS #4 (In Development): Cleaning up some plottiness on this one, now that I’ve mind dumped everything I think I know about the story onto paper. Now I need to arrange things neatly into a semblence of plot architecture and make all in readiness to begin drafting on Feb 1. I changed the names of my main characters to Tess McKenzie and Nathan Riley (and these could change again at almost any time at this juncture). I changed them because I could not have characters named Jack and Daniels, and then have Tess partial to–you guessed it–Jack Daniels. And she’s not a scotch girl. So…

ORIGINS #2 (In Development): Still in the research phase. Luckily I developed Callie’s backstory for Brighid’s Mark so that’s not the issue–the historical details are. Callie ascended back in ’20s Chicago, so I’m essentially building my set and costumes right now, and seeking casting for the Bad Boy she fell for. Then I need to arrange Callie’s back story on a plot framework so it actually reads like a story.

How about you guys? How’s your January going? And do you have any burning questions you’d like to see covered? Cuz I’ve got my fireman’s hat and I’m ready to douse ‘em.