Jamie Sheffield's Blog, page 12
May 8, 2014
The Shape (and name) of (some of the) Things to Come
The SmartPig Illuminati had another retreat and dinner meeting last night, to celebrate the completion of the first draft of the next Tyler Cunningham novella, work out some kinks in the draft, and talk about the next few writing projects.
In between spectacular food and drink, served up by Liquids & Solids, a longtime SmartPig favorite (although I think Tyler wouldn't like it much), we got through an impressive amount of work.
We came up with a name for the next novella. It had a working title of "Dogfight", but is now tentatively titled, "Promises to Keep".
We identified eight areas of concern in the novella, and worked to address improving each one ... satisfactorily I think.
Finally we talked a bit about the next novella, which will be the fourth (and final) story to be included in the printed collection that we plan to release sometime in June. This one takes a look at the early days of the relationship between Frank and Tyler, as examined through the lens of a crisis involving a potential act of terrorism in the Adirondacks.
We're still in the exploratory stages of plot and setting, but I have a good feeling about this story, and like the way stuff is sticking to the wall so far.
I'm in the middle of applying for a newly established writing residency, up here in the Adirondacks; please keep all of your cross-able parts crossed, and/or send positive vibes my way.
I've continued to get some great reviews, which are better than any of the checks that Amazon sends me (although I'm pretty sure I don't have to choose ... do I?).
Thanks,
Jamie
In between spectacular food and drink, served up by Liquids & Solids, a longtime SmartPig favorite (although I think Tyler wouldn't like it much), we got through an impressive amount of work.
We came up with a name for the next novella. It had a working title of "Dogfight", but is now tentatively titled, "Promises to Keep".
We identified eight areas of concern in the novella, and worked to address improving each one ... satisfactorily I think.
Finally we talked a bit about the next novella, which will be the fourth (and final) story to be included in the printed collection that we plan to release sometime in June. This one takes a look at the early days of the relationship between Frank and Tyler, as examined through the lens of a crisis involving a potential act of terrorism in the Adirondacks.
We're still in the exploratory stages of plot and setting, but I have a good feeling about this story, and like the way stuff is sticking to the wall so far.
I'm in the middle of applying for a newly established writing residency, up here in the Adirondacks; please keep all of your cross-able parts crossed, and/or send positive vibes my way.
I've continued to get some great reviews, which are better than any of the checks that Amazon sends me (although I'm pretty sure I don't have to choose ... do I?).
Thanks,
Jamie
April 28, 2014
May Day Update ... Only Early!
I haven't blogged in a long while for lots of reasons, none of them worth going into here.
Suffice it to say that lots has been going on in my life, or lives ... as writer, teacher, father, husband, brother, friend, and so on ....
Work in Progress Update
I'm closing in on the end of my current WIP, a novella that should end up a bit north of 30,000 words. It looks, through the lens of crisis, at the relationship between Tyler and Dorothy. I like the story and message and hope that it's easy-ish for my reader-in-chief to mark up for fixing.
Future Projects, a Timeline in Broad Strokes
Once the current novella is finished, I am eager to begin the next two stories ... one should be a short thing, around 5k-8k words long, and the other feels like it will come in around 20k. The short involves Tyler working with Frank to help stop an act of terrorism in, of all places, Saranac Lake, NY. The novella is a shaved down novel idea that came to me recently, having an anthropological theme. I see these being finished by mid-June.
I'm applying for a few writing grants/fellowship/residencies, which I'm excited about, but making parallel plans around (just in case). I should be done with these in the next two weeks.
The next novel is coming along (in the beginning stages of planning) nicely. I can feel the shape of the story, and already know some of the characters and twists and places that will play roles in the novel. I will be writing the novel, ala NaNoWriMo, during the month of July this year! (wish me luck)
Sidebar about my Kickass Vacation to Iceland
I just got back from a week in Iceland with my sister, and we had a fantastic time. I can easily envision Tyler flying over for a similar trip, and getting involved in some mischief while looking for a place to hang his hammock and sampling the junkfood of this fascinating country.
We flew into, and spent most of our time in, Reykjavik, the capital.
We did spend a few days driving around the backcountry, exploring the beautiful natural features and wide-open spaces.
Spectacular!
My sister and I at Þingvellir National Park, where Iceland's first government met, and also where two tectonic plates meet.
Exploring the back of beyond, we came across the most amazing vistas!
A stunning volcano and field of volcanic rocks.
The view from behind, and underneath, a 200 foot waterfall.
There are lots of turf houses and huts throughout the country, and I would love to have Tyler learn to appreciate them, and then build one back in the ADKs.
Finally, Icelanders are crazy about hotdogs with all sorts of stuff on them, and their Coke is great!
Thanks,
Jamie
Suffice it to say that lots has been going on in my life, or lives ... as writer, teacher, father, husband, brother, friend, and so on ....
Work in Progress Update
I'm closing in on the end of my current WIP, a novella that should end up a bit north of 30,000 words. It looks, through the lens of crisis, at the relationship between Tyler and Dorothy. I like the story and message and hope that it's easy-ish for my reader-in-chief to mark up for fixing.
Future Projects, a Timeline in Broad Strokes
Once the current novella is finished, I am eager to begin the next two stories ... one should be a short thing, around 5k-8k words long, and the other feels like it will come in around 20k. The short involves Tyler working with Frank to help stop an act of terrorism in, of all places, Saranac Lake, NY. The novella is a shaved down novel idea that came to me recently, having an anthropological theme. I see these being finished by mid-June.
I'm applying for a few writing grants/fellowship/residencies, which I'm excited about, but making parallel plans around (just in case). I should be done with these in the next two weeks.
The next novel is coming along (in the beginning stages of planning) nicely. I can feel the shape of the story, and already know some of the characters and twists and places that will play roles in the novel. I will be writing the novel, ala NaNoWriMo, during the month of July this year! (wish me luck)
Sidebar about my Kickass Vacation to Iceland
I just got back from a week in Iceland with my sister, and we had a fantastic time. I can easily envision Tyler flying over for a similar trip, and getting involved in some mischief while looking for a place to hang his hammock and sampling the junkfood of this fascinating country.
We flew into, and spent most of our time in, Reykjavik, the capital.
We did spend a few days driving around the backcountry, exploring the beautiful natural features and wide-open spaces.
Spectacular!
My sister and I at Þingvellir National Park, where Iceland's first government met, and also where two tectonic plates meet.
Exploring the back of beyond, we came across the most amazing vistas!
A stunning volcano and field of volcanic rocks.
The view from behind, and underneath, a 200 foot waterfall.
There are lots of turf houses and huts throughout the country, and I would love to have Tyler learn to appreciate them, and then build one back in the ADKs.
Finally, Icelanders are crazy about hotdogs with all sorts of stuff on them, and their Coke is great!Thanks,
Jamie
April 1, 2014
12 Tips I Use To Jumpstart My Writing (Even When I Don't Feel Like It)!
I'm going to share a dozen tips for writing that have been useful for me in getting my four (nearly five) books written in the last twenty months ... take them for what they're worth. I would argue (although not very hard, but that's just my way) that they're all worth a try, but you should certainly feel free to discard whatever doesn't work for you.
Absolute Silence ... nope
Contrary to what I thought when I began writing, I don't need monastic quiet in order to get words from my brain to the page ... I actually got some great writing done (a couple of times) in the middle of a busy/noisy/crowded ski lodge this winter. If other conditions are favorable, I can work around all manner of ambient noise ... in fact, a totally lack of other noise can be a distraction in itself.
Set a Scene Goal
Sometimes the blank page (or computer screen) leers up at me, and defeats me before I start. I get psyched out by the pressure of writing 1,500 or 2,500 words, and the solution is simple ... don't. I make a deal with myself to write a scene, an encounter, or a conversation between my characters. With the pressure off, I often find that I can keep the writing going after I meet the mini-goal, and if not, then I take advantage of one of the other tricks further down this list.
Get Comfy
A comfortable table and chair to write from is very important to me, and it should be to you as well. If the setup makes you sore or wiggly, you will not be able to share your best efforts with your readers. With the right table and chair combination, I will sometimes write for hours without noting the passage of time.
Good Light
In a perfect world, I would always be able to write with natural morning light gently/indirectly filtered through trees from behind me, but I'll settle for no blinding glare or flashing distractors in my field of vision. It's often possible to change the lighting by moving your workspace by a few feet or simply rotating it slightly.
Coffee
I like to get mildly hyped on coffee when I'm writing, and keep riding the caffeine-train as long as I can maintain the proper level (not enough to get jittery, not so little that I nap under the table). I also keep a glass of water at hand so that I don't dehydrate.
Round-Edged Music
I write best when there's music playing in the background that is soothing and interesting and without singing. My favorite is mellow Mozart, although when I'm working through tricky sequences/sections, I sometimes switch over to Bach's Goldberg Variations.
No Food
I write better, and longer, on an empty stomach ... or at least not a full one. I will generally eat some breakfast, let it settle, and then begin to work without eating until I'm done writing for the day. The smells and textures distract me. I also find that I subconsciously worry about gumming up my keyboard, and am over-careful. Those, in combination with the simple fact that eating uses at least one of my hands, work together to derail my creativity more than the food benefits me.
Dogs
Having dogs is useful to me as a writer in a number of ways: they listen to my ideas without judging, a walk every once in a while is a great way (for all of us) to stretch and breathe, and watching them act/react/interact with themselves and the world around them is always interesting.
Paper and Pen
I keep a pad and pen handy for when ideas or questions occur to me, knowing that having written it down, I can forget it and get back to what I was working on. I also use the paper to map/outline characters or segments of stories.
Rewards
It may sound silly, but I bribe myself with promised rewards for work completed ... an episode of "Archer" or bowl of ice-cream or something fun to read on my kindle is a great (semi-intrinsic) motivation to keep working. Having a treat to look forward to helps me get the words out of my brain and into my laptop.
Crapsolution
I pardon myself (in advance) for writing crappy material every time I sit down to write. I never count on the first draft of anything being great, but sometimes I have to get from point 'D' to point 'F', and can feel that writing segment 'E' is going to be messy; I have learned to live with it, knowing that I'll be able to clean things up in the re-write; give yourself the same permission.
Targeted reading breaks
If I'm in a jam, and the words aren't coming, I'll often take a ten minute reading break with one of my teacher-authors (Lawrence Block, Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, or whoever's writing I happen to be in love with at the moment). I use their writing as both break and tutorial, and more often than not can climb back out of the slump that I was in.
These tips aren't foolproof, but they generally help me get some writing done, even on those days when I think/feel that I'd prefer not to, or start out feeling as though I can't. I hope that one or more of them are of some use to you.
Thanks,
Jamie
Absolute Silence ... nope
Contrary to what I thought when I began writing, I don't need monastic quiet in order to get words from my brain to the page ... I actually got some great writing done (a couple of times) in the middle of a busy/noisy/crowded ski lodge this winter. If other conditions are favorable, I can work around all manner of ambient noise ... in fact, a totally lack of other noise can be a distraction in itself.
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Set a Scene Goal
Sometimes the blank page (or computer screen) leers up at me, and defeats me before I start. I get psyched out by the pressure of writing 1,500 or 2,500 words, and the solution is simple ... don't. I make a deal with myself to write a scene, an encounter, or a conversation between my characters. With the pressure off, I often find that I can keep the writing going after I meet the mini-goal, and if not, then I take advantage of one of the other tricks further down this list.
Get Comfy
A comfortable table and chair to write from is very important to me, and it should be to you as well. If the setup makes you sore or wiggly, you will not be able to share your best efforts with your readers. With the right table and chair combination, I will sometimes write for hours without noting the passage of time.
.jpg)
Good Light
In a perfect world, I would always be able to write with natural morning light gently/indirectly filtered through trees from behind me, but I'll settle for no blinding glare or flashing distractors in my field of vision. It's often possible to change the lighting by moving your workspace by a few feet or simply rotating it slightly.
Coffee
I like to get mildly hyped on coffee when I'm writing, and keep riding the caffeine-train as long as I can maintain the proper level (not enough to get jittery, not so little that I nap under the table). I also keep a glass of water at hand so that I don't dehydrate.
Round-Edged Music
I write best when there's music playing in the background that is soothing and interesting and without singing. My favorite is mellow Mozart, although when I'm working through tricky sequences/sections, I sometimes switch over to Bach's Goldberg Variations.
No Food
I write better, and longer, on an empty stomach ... or at least not a full one. I will generally eat some breakfast, let it settle, and then begin to work without eating until I'm done writing for the day. The smells and textures distract me. I also find that I subconsciously worry about gumming up my keyboard, and am over-careful. Those, in combination with the simple fact that eating uses at least one of my hands, work together to derail my creativity more than the food benefits me.
.jpg)
Dogs
Having dogs is useful to me as a writer in a number of ways: they listen to my ideas without judging, a walk every once in a while is a great way (for all of us) to stretch and breathe, and watching them act/react/interact with themselves and the world around them is always interesting.
Paper and Pen
I keep a pad and pen handy for when ideas or questions occur to me, knowing that having written it down, I can forget it and get back to what I was working on. I also use the paper to map/outline characters or segments of stories.
Rewards
It may sound silly, but I bribe myself with promised rewards for work completed ... an episode of "Archer" or bowl of ice-cream or something fun to read on my kindle is a great (semi-intrinsic) motivation to keep working. Having a treat to look forward to helps me get the words out of my brain and into my laptop.
Crapsolution
I pardon myself (in advance) for writing crappy material every time I sit down to write. I never count on the first draft of anything being great, but sometimes I have to get from point 'D' to point 'F', and can feel that writing segment 'E' is going to be messy; I have learned to live with it, knowing that I'll be able to clean things up in the re-write; give yourself the same permission.
Targeted reading breaks
If I'm in a jam, and the words aren't coming, I'll often take a ten minute reading break with one of my teacher-authors (Lawrence Block, Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, or whoever's writing I happen to be in love with at the moment). I use their writing as both break and tutorial, and more often than not can climb back out of the slump that I was in.
These tips aren't foolproof, but they generally help me get some writing done, even on those days when I think/feel that I'd prefer not to, or start out feeling as though I can't. I hope that one or more of them are of some use to you.
Thanks,
Jamie
March 24, 2014
Page Versus Group on Facebook
Like many independent authors, I set up a Facebook Page as a matter of course early on in my self-publishing days. It seemed the businesslike way to gather and communicate with readers and potential readers ... everyone seemed to be doing it.
I loved seeing my number of fans grow, and quite quickly my tribe grew to number in the hundreds. I began to notice something though ... on some posts, especially those I most wanted my followers to see, only a small portion of my followers ever got to see them.
As time went by, I could see patterns developing ... posts with pictures or just text went out to 20%-30% of my followers, and posts with links in them went out to 10% or less of my followers.
Facebook offered me the option to pay to 'boost' individual posts, an option I took a number of times ... still though, it bugged me.
Facebook was asking me to pay to communicate with people who had expressed an interest in communicating with me on their (already ad-supported) social media network. If I refused to pay for the privilege, they throttled my posts back so that it reached 5%-10% of my followers.
I decided the other day that I had had enough of FB's greed and manipulation, so I pad to boost one final post ... announcing that I was migrating my communications on FB from the page to a group.
A group would seem to have significant advantages over the page for the purpose of communicating with readers and hopefully reaching new readers ... I hope so, and will report back with updates as to how things are working out.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/JamieSheffieldWriter/
Thanks,
Jamie
I loved seeing my number of fans grow, and quite quickly my tribe grew to number in the hundreds. I began to notice something though ... on some posts, especially those I most wanted my followers to see, only a small portion of my followers ever got to see them.
As time went by, I could see patterns developing ... posts with pictures or just text went out to 20%-30% of my followers, and posts with links in them went out to 10% or less of my followers.
Facebook offered me the option to pay to 'boost' individual posts, an option I took a number of times ... still though, it bugged me.
Facebook was asking me to pay to communicate with people who had expressed an interest in communicating with me on their (already ad-supported) social media network. If I refused to pay for the privilege, they throttled my posts back so that it reached 5%-10% of my followers.
I decided the other day that I had had enough of FB's greed and manipulation, so I pad to boost one final post ... announcing that I was migrating my communications on FB from the page to a group.
A group would seem to have significant advantages over the page for the purpose of communicating with readers and hopefully reaching new readers ... I hope so, and will report back with updates as to how things are working out.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/JamieSheffieldWriter/Thanks,
Jamie
March 17, 2014
March is Officially My Best Sales Month Ever!
There are still two weeks left in the month of March, and it is already by far my best month of sales for me as a writer!
I ran a number of promotions involving some targeted giveaways and price cuts, in combination with ads placed with various online ebook promotion outfits.
I'll post with final numbers at the end of the month, but the totals as of today are:
almost 6,000 copies of my two novellas delivered (for free) into the hands of potential readers/reviewers (some of who have already read and reviewed these shorter works, and moved onto the novels)50 copies of my novellas, "Mickey Slips" and "Bound for Home" purchasedover 400 copies of my new novel "Caretakers" purchasedover 500 copies of my first novel "Here Be Monsters" purchaseda couple dozen new reviews on Amazon and GoodReads for my booksI'm also (reasonably) hard at work on the next Tyler Cunningham novella, which should be out in the next month or so, and enjoying reading an interesting variety of books.
Thanks!
Jamie
I ran a number of promotions involving some targeted giveaways and price cuts, in combination with ads placed with various online ebook promotion outfits.
I'll post with final numbers at the end of the month, but the totals as of today are:
almost 6,000 copies of my two novellas delivered (for free) into the hands of potential readers/reviewers (some of who have already read and reviewed these shorter works, and moved onto the novels)50 copies of my novellas, "Mickey Slips" and "Bound for Home" purchasedover 400 copies of my new novel "Caretakers" purchasedover 500 copies of my first novel "Here Be Monsters" purchaseda couple dozen new reviews on Amazon and GoodReads for my booksI'm also (reasonably) hard at work on the next Tyler Cunningham novella, which should be out in the next month or so, and enjoying reading an interesting variety of books.
Thanks!
Jamie
March 10, 2014
Missing
Two plates in the dishwasher after dinner, not three,
Bedtime with no forehead to kiss, no song to sing.
Grown-up talk at dinner,
Reading a book until I'm ready to put it down,
Television after dark with the volume loud as we want.
Something - someone - is missing ... and missed.
No hugs from my mini-me,
No quiet, "I love you Dad" when I pad quietly past his door before dawn.
Not grown, but growing,
and the 14th of many ties/restrictions/bonds between us has been severed.
(I somehow overlooked the first 13 ... bad luck for me)
My Ben ... I miss him.
Jamie, 3/14
Bedtime with no forehead to kiss, no song to sing.
Grown-up talk at dinner,
Reading a book until I'm ready to put it down,
Television after dark with the volume loud as we want.
Something - someone - is missing ... and missed.
No hugs from my mini-me,
No quiet, "I love you Dad" when I pad quietly past his door before dawn.
Not grown, but growing,
and the 14th of many ties/restrictions/bonds between us has been severed.
(I somehow overlooked the first 13 ... bad luck for me)
My Ben ... I miss him.
Jamie, 3/14
March 5, 2014
Spring Break!
Not mine ... my son's actually, but I took the day off anyway to do some skiing with him at Whiteface Mountain. We got here when the lifts opened, and skied for a while before a friend of his arrived.They're way better than me, so after a pity-run together, I sent them on their way, and after a few additional runs, I de-booted and found a nice spot in the lodge to write. We met for lunch, and they've been out on the slopes for the last few hours while I've been writing.
I'm still pretty new to writing in such a public and crowded and noisy place, but I'm getting better at it (as opposed to my usual writing sessions, which find me cloistered in the woods, shushing the occasional bid or squirrel).
I gained some ground in the next Tyler Cunningham novella, which should be out sometime in the beginning of April if things keep moving along as they have been.
I signed up for the July 2014 Camp NaNoWriMo, setting a goal of 75k, and soft-committing to a title and synopsis of the next book.
I was able to do some research for the next novel, and reach out to a couple of SME's I will need to consult with if I hope to avoid looking like a muttonhead (which I try to do when possible).
I organized some ideas and notes that I have for the serial fiction project I'm going to start soon, hopefully in April.
I'm in the second day of a giveaway of a pair of Tyler Cunningham novellas, "Mickey Slips" and "Bound for Home" ... so far, I've given a bit more than 4,000 free copies of these novellas (I'm hoping this will generate some reviews, as well as people coming back willing to pay for the novels).
It seems to also be driving people to my Amazon page, because I've sold a couple of dozen copies of "Here Be Monsters" and "Caretakers" ... hooray for unanticipated benefits of seemingly stupid things indie authors do.
Thanks for checking in!
Jamie
February 21, 2014
Update: How I'm keeping busy these days?
I've been doing a fair amount of both reading and writing since the publication of "Caretakers" at the beginning of January.
I set a reading goal of 24 books for 2014, and I'm already about halfway there. I've been reading a mix of fiction and non-fiction, and am enjoying the exploration of writer's I've ever read before.
I've been giving myself permission to write more poetry since January 1st ... I'm not a poet, but enjoy the outlet and freedom it offers me.
I've also been working on the next Tyler Cunningham novella, tentatively titled, "Dogfight", which has been an interesting mix of research and mapwork and planning and writing. It is set in the months after the action of "Caretakers" takes place, and looks at the current state, as well as the origins, of, Tyler's relationship with Dorothy. At the rate I'm going, I anticipate it being 25,000 to 30,000 words long, and hopefully ready for market by early April.
An interesting side-effect of the amount of reading and writing that I've been doing is that it seems to prime my creative pump, resulting in numerous other projects clamoring for attention and time. Another novella, this one exploring the tenuous and often uncomfortable relationship between Frank and Tyler when a prominent politician's visit to sleepy Saranac Lake is the setting for a terror attack.The next novel, which involves a murder that everyone views as open and shut, except for Meg (an acquaintance of Tyler's who works for the school system as a counselor). The investigation puts Tyler and Co. at risk ... and challenges his worldview, as well as his image of how he fits into the world.I've finally figured out how to write the serial fiction I was tempted by last spring and summer; it turns out that a storyline and protagonist I've been playing around with for a while will fit into the framework perfectly.A short story that would likely dovetail into the collection of the novellas that I plan on releasing this summer in print (for people who like holding an actual book in their hands) ... Tyler takes a quick trip down to New York City to deal with some ghosts from his old life while helping an acquaintance work through a problem in an unexpected way.
Thanks for reading and enjoying and writing reviews!
Jamie
February 9, 2014
The Mug
It came in the mail nine (ish) years ago,like a bill or a jacket from Lands End;basically unwanted, but necessary ... something people do.
"My Daddy is the Greatest Daddy in the World!"pressure and a constant reminder of something I couldn't be ...couldn't do.
I quickly forgot the words (had to squint this morning to make them out),but kept grabbing the mug for my morning cup of possible.
I kept, keep, coming back for the faces, our faces, the love, the hope, the trust ...his, mine, ours.
The days and years, some good, some great, some less so,have dimmed the image on the mug; I can still see it perfectly each time I pick it up though.
My thumb, my lip, the dishwasher, maybe even ambient light ...all of these things are stealing the picture from my mug(but won't ... can't steal it from my mind).
My current plan is to live forever (it's working so far),and I envision a perfectly blank, white, mug1000 years from today, from this morning.
I will still see a happy and trusting boy,a loving, scared, hopeful father ...and remember.
Every second with Ben,good time, bad times, laughing, crying, shouting, whispering in the dark, camping, sick days, homework, watching movies, bloody knees, paddling.
It's all there, on the mug ... even if you can't see it.
Mug
It came in the mail nine (ish) years ago,like a bill or jacket from Lands End;basically unwanted, but necessary ... something you do. "My Daddy is the Greatest Daddy in the World!"pressure and a constant reminder of something I couldn't be ...couldn't do. I quickly forgot the words (had to squint this morning to make them out),but kept grabbing the mug for my morning cup of possible. I kept, keep, coming back for the faces, our faces, the love, the hope, the trust ...his, mine, ours. The days and years, some good, some great, some less so,have dimmed the image on the mug; I can still see it perfectly each time I pick it up though. My thumb, my lip, the dishwasher, maybe even ambient light ...all of these things are stealing the picture from my mug(but won't ... can't steal it from my mind). My current plan is to live forever (it's working so far),and I envision a perfectly blank, white, mug1000 years from today, from this morning. I will still see a happy and trusting boy,a loving, scared, hopeful father ...and remember. Every second with Ben,good time, bad times, laughing, crying, shouting, whispering in the dark, camping, sick days, homework, watching movies, bloody knees, paddling. It's all there, on the mug ... even if you can't see it. 
