Jason Brant's Blog, page 17

Day 20 – Finished the First Draft of Decayed

The first draft of Decayed (The Hunger #5) is finally finished. It took me way too long to wrap this sucker up, but it feels great to get the meat of the project done.

I figured I’d lay out my process for writing the second draft here, in case anyone is interested.

My first draft is always very close to the finished novel. I don’t make a lot of structural changes after I wrap up the first pass. Because of that, my second drafts take anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks. Usually they’re on the shorter side of that time frame.

While writing the first draft, which I do in Word (sorry Scrivener fans), I keep a second document open where I make note of any mistakes I need to fix during my second pass on the manuscript. Examples of fixes would be giving a character a weapon earlier in a scene or maybe I had six people in a house, but forgot to write about one of them for several chapters. I make a note to correct those later.

When I start the second draft, I read through the entire thing, fixing sentence structure, removing adverbs, punching up description, and adding in missing words. I don’t know what in the hell is wrong with my brain, but I leave words out of sentences all the time. During this process, I check the second document I have and correct the previous mistakes along the way.

I don’t do a third draft.

From there, I have The Tall One give it a read and point out the 10k missing words in it, which I fix.

Then it goes to the editor. More on that later.

So that’s my drafting process. It’s minimal at best. I like the story to be what I come up with during the initial creation process and I leave it at that. Changing things later on is something I don’t particularly care for. I know a lot of authors who do extensive rewrites and edits, and if that works for them, more power to them. But I hate it.

I’d rather spend that time on the next book.

My initial instincts regarding the story are usually the better ones. When I start tinkering, I end up making this worse.

Tomorrow, I start the laborious process of reading this sucker. But for now, I have to watch The Perfection on Netflix for this week’s Final Guy’s episode.

Today, I wrote 1433 words in Decayed (The Hunger #5), bringing the total to 84885 (somewhere north of 300 pages.

The post Day 20 – Finished the First Draft of Decayed appeared first on Jason Brant.

Day 19 – Accountability Check

My allergies are rough today, I’m dehydrated from drinking beer in the sun, I slept in, and I’m meeting friends for dinner. It’s Sunday. Today is one of those days that I wanted to curl up on the couch and watch some movies.

But this damn blog keeps me going. I managed to keep my active streak of writing at least 4 pages a day going for the 19th straight day. I haven’t written so frequently in a long time.

What did you do today? Authors, post your word count below.

What about readers? What did you accomplish today that you just didn’t want to do? Dishes? Laundry? Bury the body that was stinking up the basement? Finally leave that review for Ruined?

Today, I wrote 1273 words (5-6 pages) in Decayed (The Hunger #6), bringing the total to 83452 (over 300 pages).

See ya tomorrow.

The post Day 19 – Accountability Check appeared first on Jason Brant.

Day 18 – Sharing is Caring

This is another short post, since I’m meeting with someone (at a bar, of course), who has questions about writing and publishing. That’s what I’ve been told anyway. The Tall One set this up. Might be an excuse to sit and have drinks. It’s cool with me either way.

I’ve done this quite a bit over the years. When aspiring authors in my area reach out with questions, I try to get together with them and answer as best I can. It’s fun to meet people who are just starting out, who have that hunger in their eyes to have their work read.

Other than being good for the soul, and hopefully the questioner, I think it’s important to help others out when they’re new to the business. A lot authors view their peers as competitors, but I don’t. A rising tide lifts all boats. Pick your aphorism. I would have loved to have known an established writer to throw ideas at every now and then.

Or just to put a few back with.

Don’t know that I’m in any position to dole out tips, but I’ll sure take the beer.

Anyway, I’m already running behind.

Today, I wrote 1069 words (4 pages) in Decayed (The Hunger #5), bringing the total to 82179 (somewhere over 300 pages). I should finish the first draft in the next day or two.

See ya tomorrow.

The post Day 18 – Sharing is Caring appeared first on Jason Brant.

Day 17 – So Bad It’s Good

Short post today, because we’re filming a new episode of So Bad It’s Good in about 5 minutes. Judging from our views, you have no idea what the hell that is.

It’s a poorly produced YouTube show I do with a buddy of mine. We go out and find the worst movies possible, record ourselves watching and reviewing them (while drinking heavily), then toss the results on my YouTube channel.

Why? Because it’s fun.

I don’t watch a lot of new comedies, because I find them pretty terrible. Finding a schlocky, insane movie from the 80’s is a blast though. I’ve laughed way harder at some of the gems we’ve found than any big-budget comedy over the past decade. Check out our last episode on the movie Cyborg Cop 2 to see what I’m talking about.

 

Does this help sell books? Nope.

It might if we had more of an audience, but I can’t say for sure. I honestly do it for fun. If we uploaded on a regular basis, our views would grow, but I don’t have the time to stay on top of it. I don’t even edit the episodes anymore. The Tall One does a great job of making me look like an asshole on the interwebs.

We both edit using Magix Vegas Pro. Yeah, yeah. I can hear you yelling about Adobe Premiere. I love Vegas. It’s how I edit the Final Guys podcast too.

Because of the show, I had to scribble in my book, and throw this blog post together, before noon. Hope it isn’t total shit.

Today, I wrote 1025 words (about 4 pages) in Decayed (The Hunger #5), bringing the total to 81110 (north of 300 pages).

See ya tomorrow.

The post Day 17 – So Bad It’s Good appeared first on Jason Brant.

Day 16 – Why Indie Publishing?

This is a very polarizing subject that’ll go deeper into at some point in the future. But I get asked this more than you might think, so it’s worth a quick blog post.

Why am I not signed to a publisher?

Money.

Publishers take a cut of each sale. Rightly so, since they’re paying for editing, covers, audio production, advertising, and more.

But I can do all that myself and keep more of the money. Most small presses pay around 35% of every ebook sale to the author. I keep 70%. I know roughly how much each book I write will make me. Sometime it’s more, sometimes it’s less, but I have a ballpark idea.

A few publishers have offered to buy my Asher Benson and The Hunger series. Why didn’t I sell? Money. One of the publishers even offered me a guaranteed 10k unit print run for bookstores. Still turned it down.

When I ran the numbers, I knew I could make more on my own. That doesn’t mean I won’t ever sign with a publisher. The deal has to be right. If there is a significant amount of cash up front, then sign me up. But if there isn’t a sizable advance for the book, or series, then there is little incentive for me.

I do this for a living. I don’t have a 9-5 I go to, so money is the biggest driver in my decision making when it comes to this. Making a higher percentage of ebook sales is more important to me than seeing my book at Barnes & Noble. Don’t get me wrong – that would be great. But it won’t pay my mortgage.

It should also be said that I write in a very niche genre. My books are violent, vulgar, and quirky. Not exactly mainstream material. There isn’t a lot of incentive for a publisher to offer me the kind of money I want. My name isn’t big enough. Yet.

Does any of this mean you shouldn’t go with a publisher? Of course not. There are a ton of reasons to go the traditional route. If you have zero interest in learning formatting or publishing, then the indie path isn’t for you. Do you want to work with a certain company or editor? Go traditional. Dying to see your book on a shelf somewhere? There’s a better chance of that happening if you go with a biggish press. A lot of great options await.

I’m not giving advice, just explaining why I do it a certain way.

And hey, if someone starts throwing stacks of cash at me, I’m all in.

Like I said, this is a short, simple post about a subject that needs more depth. Perhaps later.

Today, I wrote 1808 words (about 8 pages) in Decayed (The Hunger #5), bringing the total to 80085 (over 300 pages).

See ya tomorrow.

The post Day 16 – Why Indie Publishing? appeared first on Jason Brant.

Day 15 – Accountability

I gotta say, this daily blogging shit is the only reason I slogged through 5 pages in Decayed today. A lot of other stuff has gone down this week, that has taken a huge chunk of time away from my writing business. But I started this thing, and I’m not going to quit because of a few excuses.

And that’s been the great thing about this 365 day journey. Accountability. Knowing that a bunch of people are going to check in and see what I did today keeps me on task. When I got home this evening, the last thing I wanted to do was sit down and write. But I knew I had to get that 1k words in.

I did.

Which got me thinking about accountability in general, particularly as it relates to working from home. When you have a boss, a manager, the attractive co-worker you want to impress, there is someone keeping you on task. Don’t get your work done? Fired. Unless you work for the government.

The point is, you have accountability at a day job.

When you work from home as a writer, you don’t. If you kick back for a week, no one checks your progress. There isn’t a deadline when you’re self-published either. You, more often than not, lack outside accountability.

Speaking for myself, that has proved a big barrier. I know I’m not the only one, because a lot of the full-time authors I know have told me that their word counts didn’t improve when they quit their day jobs. I was super motivated when I first started this journey, but things waned over time.

This blog is tending the fire, getting the flames burning hotter again.

If you’re struggling to make progress, maybe you should think of a way to add accountability into your life. Whether that’s writing, losing weight, whatever. Getting external eyes on your project of choice might be a good way to get your ass moving.

For the writers out there… feel free to post your word counts in the comments each day. I’ll hold you accountable. Together, we’ll crank some books out.

Beyond this blog, I’ve kicked around other ideas for increasing productivity. I’ve thought about getting an office away from the house. Just might do it. Dunno yet. But that’s a post for another day.

Anyone have any surefire accountability hacks? Send them my way. I need them.

Today, I stumbled through 1096 words (5 pages) in Decayed (The Hunger #5), bringing the total to 78205 (over 300 pages).

See ya tomorrow.

The post Day 15 – Accountability appeared first on Jason Brant.

Final Guys #107 – Godzilla: King of the Monsters

 

Godzilla has returned and is now the King of the Monsters. The Godzilla from five years ago came in a little light on the giant monster action. Does the sequel up the mayhem more or are we looking at yet another crappy American Godzilla movie?

Our weekly horror reviews are Lifechanger, Reign of the Supermen, Death Line, Ravenous, The OA Season 2, Ferocious by Jeff Strand, and All Hallows by W. Sheridan Bradford.

Get free books and stories by signing up for Jason’s Newsletter or Hunter’s Shea’s Dark Hunter Newsletter.

The Final Guys: The Final Word in Horror–A horror podcast hosted by Jason Brant, Jack Campisi and Hunter Shea.

Also available on iTunes – Stitcher – Google Play – TuneIn

Or watch us on YouTube!

 

Web ► https://www.finalguys.com
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/finalguys
Jason ► http://www.authorjasonbrant.com
Hunter ► http://www.huntershea.com
Monster ► http://www.themonstermen.net


Twitter ► @finalguys
Jack ► @backinjack
Jason ► @jason_brant
Hunter ► @huntershea1

*Anything rented or purchased through the links above gives a small percentage to Final Guys which helps pay for our beer and poor movie choices.

The post Final Guys #107 – Godzilla: King of the Monsters appeared first on Jason Brant.

Day 14 – Another Slow Day

Another busy day that had little to do with actual writing. Tomorrow, I’m hoping to get a longer post done about why I self-publish instead of going through a publishing company. That one should be fun. Or piss people off. Or both.

I put together a gazebo on my deck today, which took ALL. FREAKING. DAY. It makes the deck tolerable in the summer, and helps keep the living room cooler, but damn. It sucks to put together.

Tonight, I’m podcasting for Final Guys, same as every Tuesday. You really should check out our livestream. The Tall One says it’s fun. She wouldn’t fib to me…

Have another busy day tomorrow, but things will be back to normal after that. More time for writing and blogging.

Today, I wrote 1088 words (4 pages) in Decayed (The Hunger #5), bringing the total to 77109 (over 300 pages now).

See ya tomorrow.

The post Day 14 – Another Slow Day appeared first on Jason Brant.

Day 13 – Just Word Count

I had a really busy day that just barely allowed me to squeeze out a thousand words. Tomorrow will be another busy one, but hopefully I can get some more meaningful blogging in. I’ve got lots to talk about with second drafts, publishing, formatting, blah blah blah.

Some friends had a death in the family, which has forced them out of state for the past week. I’ve spent a ton of time at their house lately, taking care of things. That’s the main reason my word count is down right now, but things will be back to normal in a few days. The new normal, that is. I’m still writing more than I have in years. Haven’t slipped under 1k words in a day since I started this blog.

Today, I wrote 1064 words (roughly 5 pages) in Decayed (The Hunger #5), bringing the total to 76021 (over 300 pages).

The post Day 13 – Just Word Count appeared first on Jason Brant.

Day 12 – Movie Recommendations

I’m looking to relax tonight, so I’m going to keep this post short and sweet.

Send me some movie recommendations I can watch this evening. I just finished The OA Season 2 on Netflix, which was a weird, trippy, solid show. You should check it out. Tomorrow, I’m gonna check out the new Godzilla flick. If I get a ton of giant monsters smashing things, I’ll leave happy.

This afternoon, I posted a new book review to the Final Guys website. We have a lot of movie and book reviews there, so if you’re looking for something to watch or read, head over there and take a gander. This review was for Creature by Hunter Shea. He’s a mo-ron, but a damn good writer.

Today, I wrote 1202 words in Decayed (The Hunger #5), bringing the total to 74957. The book will be finished very soon.

See ya tomorrow.

The post Day 12 – Movie Recommendations appeared first on Jason Brant.