David R. Michael's Blog, page 18

My 2011 Reading List

Fiction
The Delta Star by Joseph Wambaugh.
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher.
City of Bones by Michael Connelly.
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher.
The Wire in the Blood by Val McDermid.
The Torment of Others by Val McDermid.
Steampunk Prime edited by Mike Ashley.
My Work is Not Yet Done by Thomas Ligotti.
Among the Missing by Dan Chaon.
True Evil by Greg Isles.
Burden Kansas by Alan Ryker.
The Bellhound: Four Tales of Modern Magic by Camille LaGuire.
Podkayne of Mars by Robert Heinlein.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.
Under the Dome by Stephen King.
Asimov's Science Fiction, July 2011
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.
Hazard by Gardiner Harris.
Asimov's Science Fiction, August 2011.
Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits by Cate Gardner.
Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay.
Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay.
Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.
Asimov's Science Fiction, September 2011.
Questioner's Shadow by Mark Fassett.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson.
"The Colorado Kid" by Stephen King.
About a Boy by Nick Hornby.
Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris.
The Man Who Did Too Much by Camille LaGuire.
Asimov's Science Fiction, December 2011.
 
RPG/Wargaming
Warmachine Prime Mark II.
Gurps Fourth Edition Horror by Kenneth Hite.
 
Non-Fiction
The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and On-Line by Kari Chapin.
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow. (read 2X)
Cautionary Tales by Stephen Tobolowsky.
The Middle-Class Millionaire by Russ Alan Prince and Lews Schiff.
The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Pike and Shot Tactics 1590-1660 by Keith Roberts.
The British Army 1660-1704 by John Tincey, illustrated by Gerry Embleton.
British Redcoat 1740-93 by Stuart Reid, illustrated by Richard Hook.
Do the Work by Steven Pressfield.
The Forts of Colonial North America: British, Dutch & Swedish by Rene Chartrand.
The New Yorker (Kindle edition) 16 May 2011
The (Mis)behavior of Markets: A Fractal View of Risk, Ruin, and Reward by Benoit B. Mandelbrot and Richard L. Hudson.
The Post-American World Release 2.0 by Fareed Zakaria.
Spend 'Til the End by by Laurence Kotlikoff and Scott Burns.
Playing to Win: Becoming the Champion by David Sirlin.
In Cheap We Trust by Lauren Weber.
Financing the American Dream: A Cultural History of Consumer Credit by Lendol Calder.
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis.
The Education of Millionaires: It's Not What You Think and It's Not Too Late by Michael Ellsberg.
50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School: Real World Antidotes to Feel-Good Education by Charles J. Sykes.
Create Your Own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World by Tyler Cowen.
The Flinch by Julien Smith.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
 
Biography
Max Brand, Western Giant: The Life and Times of Frederick Schiller Faust by William F. Nolan.
Afterthoughts by Lawrence Block.
 
I bolded my favorites.
 
I struck books that really irritated me or made me wish I hadn't wasted my time. I still counted them, of course.
 
Only 60 this year. I blame sampling on my Kindle. I read quite a few samples for books that I ulimately did not read.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
A Bit More DavidRM BackstoryDo Indie Writers Need Editors?How I Choose a Book to Read

The Approaching End – My *REAL* Challenge of 2012

 
It's not the writing. It's not the publishing.
 
No, my real challenge of 2012 is … getting up ~8am every weekday.
 
As a self-employed, non-contractor software developer who likes to write, I don't have anyone imposing a schedule on me–except me. And I tend to let me slide.
 
The challenge is actually two-pronged. Because experience has taught me that if I want to get up early, I have to go to bed early. And I've always enjoyed staying up late.
 
So, if I want to get up about 8am, I have to go to bed before midnight. Which is hard.
 
For years, when people would ask when I got up in the morning, I would say, "8 hours later than I went to bed." Which I think is a great schedule. I even tried to find an alarm clock with an "8 hours later" alarm. To no avail. I'm just too far outside the mainstream on that one. (Though I guess modern smartphones probably make that an option, now. I'm sure there's an app for that.)
 
I would continue my "8 hours later" schedule, except that I've found I'm much more consistent with my writing (and other aspects of my life) if I get up earlier. Mostly, I think, because if I haven't checked my email by noon (even if I just got up at noon), I feel behind. And this, I think, stems from the simple fact that the rest of the world still operates on 8-to-5 time. When I get up in the late morning or afternoon, I feel rushed because either noon is right there (or already past), and 5pm is suddenly very close. And I hate feeling rushed.
 
I'm not only more consistent in my writing, I'm just overall more productive when I get up "early" (which is what 8am feels like to me).
 
I like being more productive. But I also like staying up to ridiculous hours doing whatever comes to mind.
 
Which is why this will be a challenge.
 
You might wonder why I don't just do my writing at night. The answer is simple: I know how I work. And that doesn't work. I can write at night on occasion, but I know better than to create a schedule as if I could do that on a regular basis.
 
Here are a few lessons I've learned from my nearly 13 years of self-employment, which might explain some of the various wrinkles in my 2012 goals:

I cannot keep a schedule that requires me to operate at peak performance all day, every day. That way lies despair. Believe me, I have tried, and I have despaired.
I need at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
Because I cannot go-go-go 24×7, and because my wife and kids need me, and because I like my wife and kids, I should make sure I schedule adequate time per day and/or per week for them. And for me. That means, "daily down time" and "weekly down time". And that time can not be taken out of "sleep time".
I like to do "something different" on my weekends. It helps prevent burnout and keeps my hedges from overgrowing my house.

 
The truth is, I have a tendency to obsess and drive myself harder than I should. I suffer the same illusion that powers modern corporate environments: More time spent working means more work getting done. And that is an illusion.
 
The advantage of my situation is that I can be flexible, like Mr. Fantastic. The disadvantage is that if I don't create the structure, none exists, and then Mr. Fantastic tends to be more a puddle of goo than flexible.
 
I've proven to myself time and time again that I get more done, better, when I adopt a slow-but-steady approach. When I get up early and focus on one task, then another, without trying to multitask, and then spend time with the wife and kids. The trick is to focus on that, and not feel like I'm missing out by going to bed early.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
The Approaching End – My Goals for Indie Writing/Publishing in 2012The Approaching End – My Goals and Deadlines for 2012Focus-ish

The Approaching End – My Goals and Deadlines for 2012

 
My Writing Goals for 2012 are simple, possibly the simplest writing goals I've ever set for myself:
 
Writing Goal #1 – I complete 4 novels this year.

1st novel first draft completion deadline: 31 March
2nd novel first draft completion deadline: 30 June
3rd novel first draft completion deadline: 30 September
4th novel first draft completion deadline: 31 December

 
Writing Goal #2 – Toward the goal of completing my novels on schedule, I write 1000-2000 words a day, 5 days a week.

I do my writing first thing in the day, after my workout and shower.

 
What could be simpler?
 
It helps that I already know the first 2 novels I will write this year. Gunwitch2, which I spent November outlining; and GoSH2, which has been about 1/3 to 1/2 outlined.
 
It probably helps as well that both books are sequels.
 
I have tentatively set novels three and four for the year to be sequels of both sequels, but I'm open to the possibility of writing other books.
 
What I like about these goals is that my daily writing quota can vary. My target word-count for Gunwitch2 is about 100K (the same length as Gunwitch: A Tale of the King's Coven). That means I need to write about 10000 words per week to be done in 10 weeks (because I want a couple weeks off between books). Writing 5 days per week (because I like weekends), that's 2000 words per day. If I need to, though, I can also write on weekends, or use my buffer weeks, and reduce my daily word quota some.
 
My target word-count for GoSH2, though, is only 60K (the same length as GoSH1). So after 3 months of 2000-word days, I can ease up a bit and target 6000 words per week (1200 words per day, 5 days per week).
 
Writing isn't the only thing I do all day. I still have to work on The Journal, both maintaining the current version and working on the new version. So I'm pleased to have a way to have both writing and The Journal peacefully co-existing in my workday while still achieving some significant progress.
 
I also have a Publishing Goal for 2012. Here it is:
 
Publishing Goal #1 – I publish my novels within 6 months of completing the manuscript.
 
Six months should be more than enough time for the completed draft to be:

Ignored for a month;
Edited;
Handed off to first readers for a couple months
Edited again;
Formatted for publishing (including creating a cover); and, finally,
Published.

 
Plus, I plan to publish more of my existing short stories as singles, like I did back in November.
 
My planned publishing schedule for the year is:

GoSH1 published by 31 March.
Gunwitch2 published by 30 September.
GoSH2 published by 31 December.

 
If everything goes well this year, I'll continue these goals and deadlines into 2013, and even 2014.
 
I created a "road map" for The Journal this year that extends into 2013 (possibly 2014). Now I have road map for my writing and publishing that looks somewhat similar. In a way, it feels weird to "predict" what I'll be working on so far in advance. I tend to distrust long term scheduling, as I mentioned in The Approaching End – Part 1 earlier this week. But, barring the slings and arrows or outrageous fortune, this should be do-able.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
The Approaching End – My Goals for Indie Writing/Publishing in 2012My 2010 Writing GoalsRe-Tooling

The Approaching End – My Goals for Indie Writing/Publishing in 2012

 
Yes, the end of 2011 is approaching. That's not what I'm talking about (though, yes, that is why I'm talking about this).
 
[image error] Yes, the end of the Mayan calendar is approaching–and with it, possibly, a scenario not unlike what I wrote about in my short story, "Baptism". But that's not what I'm talking about either.
 
What I'm talking about is me trying something new in 2012: Deadlines.
 
Specically, writing deadlines. As in, "This book must have a completed first draft by ." And, while I'm at it, publishing deadlines.
 
I have written to deadlines all of twice. Three times, if you include A Short Story a Day. But the ASSAD deadline was simply "finish the story *today*". Which doesn't really count.
 
My non-fiction books about game development, The Indie Game Development Guide and Serious Games: Games that Educate, Train & Inform, were books I wrote with publisher contracts. And both contracts specified deadlines. I hit the deadline on the first one easy. The second book was a struggle–possibly because I had a co-author on that one.
 
Anyway, I've never given myself deadlines for my fiction writing.
 
Because I HATE DEADLINES.
 
The reason, I think, that I so hate deadlines stems from my software development background. Software development cannot be held to a deadline. Managers pretend software can be developed on a schedule, and programmers are usually too naïve to know better–or too optimistic. Deadlines imply a schedule, and schedules are a fool's game.
 
Life is easier if you can leverage your attitudes about Thing A (like software development) for Thing B (like writing). And I think that's what I did. I simply picked up my dislike of deadlines in software, and applied it to writing.
 
On the other hand, I think I could be excused for this in the case of my first novel attempts. When I was writing that (still unpublished) novel, I had an outline, but I didn't yet have enough useful experience with my writing speed, my ratio of outline to completed manuscript, or even whether I would stick to the project at all.
 
Now, though, I have experience with all of those. I know about how much time it takes me to write 500 words, or 1000 words, or even 2000-3000 words. I start outlining/designing my novels with a target length in mind, and have found that I usually end up somewhere near that number. And I can and do finish writing projects.
 
To put it another way: If I have my outline ready, I can tell you, based on the target length, about how long it will take me to write the novel to completion.
 
I can predict a completion date (barring the unforeseen). To which I can then add a bit of time, using my experience in software development (just assume the unforeseen will make itself seen). And, finally, I can then say that's my deadline.
 
Sounds simple, I agree. But my aversion to deadlines runs deep. The whole thing smells fishy to me. But I have to stop equating writing novels with developing software. That will be my challenge for 2012. That, and actually maintaining my writing schedule to hit the deadlines I'm setting for myself.
 
My goals for the new year aren't especially grandiose or impressive, but they do contain an element of challenge.
 
I'm looking forward to seeing how well I do.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
The Day Job Strikes Back!2011 – A Short Review by an Indie Author/PublisherArtisan Author

Writing Progress Report

 
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, December 19, 2011.
 








Writing Project


Words




Monday


Gunwitch2


505




Tuesday








Wednesday








Thursday








Friday








Saturday








Sunday


















Total








 








Publishing/Marketing




Monday





Tuesday





Wednesday





Thursday





Friday





Saturday





Sunday





 
Related Posts:
9 Months of Indie PublishingNow Available – "Insanity"Now Available – "The Perfect Hiding Place"

2011 – A Short Review by an Indie Author/Publisher

 
On January 1, 2011, my available titles were:
 
Novels
[image error] [image error]
 
Short Stories
[image error] [image error]
 
Collections
[image error] [image error]
 
Since then I've released 2 novels, 13 short stories, and 3 collections (all visible here and on the sidebar to the right).
 
I wrote just over 140,000 new words of fiction in 2011. That's more than I wrote in 2010 (and might get a bit higher over the next couple weeks).
 
Which all sounds kind of impressive until I mention that in 2011 I've only *written* one new novel (GoSH1), finished another novel that I started in 2007 (Gunwitch), and written a couple new short stories ("Selene" and "Secondhand Coffin"). I guess I should add that I also started three new novels, one of which has been essentially canceled (Sigils), one will be finished next year (Gunwitch2), and the last may or not ever be finished (HoE2). So, yeah, I published more than I wrote in 2011.
 
I had big plans for 2011. I fell short. Which kinda sucks, but I'm not beating myself up about it (much). I also had big plans for 2010, which came up just about the same shortness. You wouldn't be too far off saying that I have a history of falling short on my writing goals. Except in 2006. I rocked hard in 2006. What's funny about 2006, of course, is that I didn't start the year with much in the way of writing goals–and none of those paltry goals had anything to do with fiction.
 
Back to 2011, though, I try not to be too down. I did achieve some cool things this year, including one healthy baby. Sometimes, life happens. Sometimes, you (and by "you" I mean "I") misjudge what's possible and have to adjust on the fly. Sometimes, you think you want something, only to discover you don't want that, not really.
 
Everything you survive, though, is a learning experience, and this year, like every year, I've learned just a little bit more about myself, and what I can do, and what I want.
 
I'll be posting my goals/targets for 2012 in the next week or so. I'm thinking/hoping my new goals will be more elegant than grandiose.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
How Blue Got Her Name (in THE DOOR TO THE SKY)Why I Keep Bringing That Up…9 Months of Indie Publishing – Ebook Pricing Addendum

Writing Progress Report

 
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, December 12, 2011.
 








Writing Project


Words




Monday


Gunwitch2


534




Tuesday


Gunwitch2


556




Wednesday


Gunwitch2


314




Thursday








Friday


Gunwitch2


237




Saturday








Sunday


















Total



1641




 








Publishing/Marketing




Monday





Tuesday





Wednesday





Thursday





Friday





Saturday





Sunday





 
Reading List

Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow. (re-read)
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

 
Related Posts:
9 Months of Indie PublishingNow Available – "Insanity"Now Available – "The Perfect Hiding Place"

Artisan Author

 
Recently, Camille LaGuire coined the term "artisan author" on her blog, The Daring Novelist. She expanded on the concept with her post "What Does Artisan Mean To You?"
 
I tend to be All Things Indie™, and "artisan author" fits into that. I work on my own projects, from beginning to end, from concept to completion to end-user sales.
 
I also tend to like projects I can do all by my lonesome (more or less). I can play and work well with others, but I have a loner streak that was never properly socialized out of me. Writing fits well with this tendency, even better indie software development. Indie software development requires a lot more outsourcing of essential, non-trivial tasks (usually in the form of third-party libraries, services, etc). For indie publishing, on the other hand, I really only need to outsource the cover art (and not always that). Everything else is all me, all the time–with a bit of input from first readers.
 
Another aspect of this type of writing and publishing is that I'm closer to the reader. That is one of my favorite aspects of indie software development: interaction with the people who use my software. I love feedback (good and bad). I love hearing from the people who use The Journal, from the people who played my games, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from the people who like my books. I like seeing the impact I've made on the world.
 
I like the phrase "artisan author", but I think I prefer "indie author" and/or "indie publisher". Probably because of that All Things Indie™ angle.
 
I thought I had more to say on this…but, really, I like how Camille said it. And I'll continue to call myself "indie".
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
Do Indie Writers Need Editors?"Indie" is not a BrandMy First Full Year as an Indie Author

Do I Already Know the Answer to this Question?

NOTE: I originally wrote this article in 2003 for The Journal's monthly newsletter. Last week, reading The Flinch by Julien Smith made me remember this article. This has been one of my primary ways of dealing with "the flinch".
 
I've discovered a simple way to use journaling to help me solve personal, professional, and spiritual problems. It boils down to this simple question:
 
"Do I already know the answer to this question?"
 
For example, I may be trying to figure out why my wife is upset at me. There I was, innocently reading a book on the sofa, and *Boom!* We have a problem. Seemingly out of nowhere. Later, after the weapons of spouse warfare have been laid aside and peace restored, I fire up The Journal and ask myself, "Is there really a mystery here? Or do I already know the answer to this question?" Often I find myself listing out what I knew all along and simply hadn't heeded or acted on. Of course, this exercise only works if I'm honest with myself, and jot down everything I know that I know about the current situation.
 
I've used this simple question, "Do I already know the answer to this question?" in numerous situations. Here are a few other examples:
 
* Why aren't I happier?
* How can I be a better husband?
* How can I be a better parent?
* How can I do a better job?
* How can I improve sales?
* How do I end this scene/chapter/novel?
 
When I find myself stumped (or when I notice that I'm stumped), I stop and reflect. Am I really stumped? Do I really not know the answer? Or am I just avoiding admitting what I already know? Sometimes I really don't know, but then I at least have acknowledged my ignorance and can work to solve that.
 
How does this exercise work? I'm no psychologist, but I've been a human being all my life, and as a group we all tend to *know* better than we *do*. Whether out of habit, laziness, or whatever, we prefer to do what we've always done, even when we know there's a better way to go about it.
 
By sitting down with your journal, though, and writing down (or typing out) what you know that you know about a given situation or problem, and what you know you don't know, you may be surprised. You may find that you already know the answer you've been desperately seeking (or actively avoiding).
 
So, next time you find you're facing a question or problem, and you're not sure how to solve it, sit down and ask yourself, "Do I already know the answer to this question?"
 
Make your possible answers as detailed as you can. And don't just list the answers that favor you being right, or a helpless victim. Branch out into new territory. Explore all possibilities.
 
Give yourself at least 10 uninterrupted minutes to answer. You may want to take longer, of course. Even if you don't find an explicit answer, you will better understand yourself and your situation.
 
Odds are, you already know the answer to the question or problem that has been plaguing you. Take the time to ask yourself. You might be surprised what you can tell you.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
I Think Too Much…More Planning Than WritingWhat I Need are … Readers

Writing Progress Report

 
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, December 5, 2011.
 








Writing Project


Words




Monday


Gunwitch2 outline timeline.







Tuesday








Wednesday








Thursday








Friday








Saturday








Sunday


















Total








 








Publishing/Marketing




Monday





Tuesday


Created separate writing category in The Journal for Gunwitch2.
Updated Gunwitch ebook pricing.




Wednesday





Thursday





Friday





Saturday





Sunday





 
Reading List

The Flinch by Julien Smith.

 
Related Posts:
9 Months of Indie PublishingNow Available – "Insanity"Now Available – "The Perfect Hiding Place"