R.J. Blain's Blog, page 76

Random Rambles: Book Reviewing

I’ve been reading a lot more books lately–old favorites, as well as new titles. As a result, I’m going to be trying to review a lot more books. My target goal will be one new review each week.

Usually, I get my advanced review copies directly from small, mid-sized, and large publishers. As a general rule, I haven’t reviewed as many independent novelists, although I will consider them. I’m not an exception in regards to this–many reviewers shy away from independently written works. Quality is a reason, although my main reasons involves the sheer number of rehashed, unoriginal stories–or stories that try too hard to be original and fail to entertain me.

I find that even if the trad published works fall into comfortable, familiar territories, the stories are so well written that it’s hard to hate them for being old, familiar, and comfortable.

So, while I won’t immediately say no to reviewing an independent novel, I’m not going to be a reviewer who jumps at the first opportunity to read and review your title. You can approach me about it. (Blain  . rj @ gmail . com) But I do not guarantee I will review a novel. If I do decide to review a novel, I will review it honestly, even if it results in a constructive, negative review.

If your book is full of holes and errors, I will say so. If I find it boring, I will say so.

I do not treat independent novels any different than I do professionally published ones, so consider yourself warned.

NaNoWriMo 2014: The Habit of Writing

In just under two months, NaNoWriMo 2014 will begin. Some people don’t plan anything, expecting to roll into November and just get their novels done. This works for some people!

Others need help preparing for NaNoWriMo, so they won’t be setting themselves up for failure. Building a writing habit without causing burnout is a key strategy for succeeding at NaNoWriMo. There are many ways you can build a writing habit, but before I get into them, I want to go into the benefits of creating such a habit.

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a writing marathon. The goal is to finish a novel within 30 days. In order to do that, you need to sit down every day and work–and work hard. While professional writers often benchmark at least 2,000 words a day (some are slower, some are faster) those who are more casual writers struggle with producing words each day.

And when you aren’t used to writing, it’s difficult to make words appear on a blank page. Where does one begin a story? How does one create a character? How does one string together words to create legible sentences?

These questions are little murderers, especially when it comes to those who aren’t in the habit of writing.

If the idea of writing every day intimidates you, I want to challenge you until November. Each day, write a single sentence. That’s it, that’s all. Write one sentence. If you feel inspired to write more, do it–but every day, sit down and work until you’ve written one sentence.

If writing that one sentence becomes easy, change your goal. Every day, write two sentences.

Then three.

Then four.

If you’re serious, and are sitting down each day, you’ll form the habit of writing. Sure, it’ll only be one, two, or maybe three sentences a day, but for each day you’re successful at writing that single little sentence, the easier it’ll become the next day, until there comes a point when you can’t remember the last time you hadn’t wrote a sentence each and every day.

One sentence doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a cure for the blank page–and the gateway to a novel being written.

After all, a novel is nothing more than words put into a string until a story has been written.

One sentence a day will not fully prepare you for writing the daily word count for NaNoWriMo. But it is a start, especially if you’re worried about whether or not you can write every day.

This year, I’ll be transcribing the entirety of Storm Surge onto my computer. What I have now is a very thorough, handwritten outline. It’ll become a novel in November. My goal is to transcribe the entire novel, start to finish, in the 30 days.

Wish me luck. I’ll need it. (I’m targetting approximately 125,000 words for Storm Surge.)

What will you be writing this year? Will you be building a writing habit before November? Do you already have a writing habit? If so, how did you build it?

Good luck, writers!

The Art of Reading While Writing

Gratuitous  Winter Wolf Cover Art–hey, I’m allowed!!

There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not it is good for an author to read a lot of books while drafting a project. There’s also a great deal of debate about whether or not it is wise for an author to read a lot of books, period.

I’ve always supported people reading a lot of books if they want to write. But I also acknowledge that it is very easy to set a tone and style based on what is read and loved. Authors are touchy about their ‘style,’ and I’m not really sure why.

Who cares if your story has a similar style to someone else? It is your story, and even if you write in a similar style to another person, no one will tell your story like you will. Two authors can take the exact same premise and come up with two totally different novels as a result.

I understand the worry, but I also understand the benefit to reading while drafting.

When I was a lot less confident about myself, I was afraid to read books while actively drafting. Would people know what I was reading by what I was writing? I didn’t want that–I feared that. So I avoided reading.

And I hated it. I love to read. I especially love when a book so absorbs me that I forget to go to sleep, and I’m bleary-eyed the next day because I stayed up till five in the morning, unable to put the book away.

I really shouldn’t do that, but sometimes I just can’t help myself.

I love to read.

I also love to write.

And there is room for both in my life, though I spend a great deal more of my time writing instead of reading.

It feels good to have found a balance, where I can really enjoy both reading and writing.

But reaching that balance was difficult. I used to abandon reading for months at a time, eventually reaching the point where I would snap and be forced to read every book I could get my hands on so I wouldn’t go insane. (Insaner? Insaner!)

It wasn’t healthy–not for my sanity, and not for my writing, either. It’s not about seeing what is viable on the market, although it is important for knowing what a lot of readers want to read. It’s all about stoking creativity–books open the gateways in the mind. When you’re reading, you’re exercising your imagination, and honing writing skills without realizing it. I do that. I do that a lot. And then I start daydreaming and thinking about the stories that I want to tell.

And from the books I read, I’ll learn something new. Oh, you can kill someone like that? Maybe I’ll use that inspiration to have an interesting death in one of my books. Oh, that’s a really interesting twist–can I apply that concept to parts of my books, or twist that concept to fit what I’m doing?

And there’s nothing wrong with that, either. Now, this isn’t saying I approve of stealing for authors. I do not, under no circumstances–but there’s nothing wrong with being inspired by another’s work, or nodding to a creative idea… so long as you make efforts to make it unique to you, and not just directly copying some other author’s idea. That’s not fair to you, or to them.

There are billions of people on this planet. Nothing is unique or original; they’re unique or original to you as an individual. My way of defenestrating someone in a novel will differ from how someone else does it. And that’s okay!! It really is.

Worry less about a unique story or idea, worry less about being original. Worry more about spinning good yarn and capturing the imagination and love of your readers. Find out what they love to read. Find out what you love to write.

Find out where the two meet. Write that.

You’ll be glad that you did.

Just remember, you can’t write the story where the two meet if you don’t read. Reading is how you learn what others love to read–and what you love to read.

Ultimately, it is how you learn what you love to write, too.

Book Review: The Boost by Stephen Baker

In a society where humans have been connected to an intricate network accessed by brain-implanted chips, ‘wilds’ are those who have chosen–or have been forced–to live outside of the network. The boost offers individuals non-stop access to information and virtual reality, augmenting their real lives with a super-enhanced version of the internet.

But underneath the veneer of a technological utopia is a risk few expect: The Chinese have included special code in the Americans’ boost code, which could leave the world without any privacy–and worse.

When Ralf tries to protect society from the new code being uploaded into boosts all around the world, he’s caught and his boost is ripped out of his head. Forced to live as a wild, he must join with those who share his same dilemma, not only for his sake, but for the freedom of everyone using the boost.

The Boost by Stephen Baker is a science fiction thriller, delving into how society could change if everyone was always connected to the internet–or something similar to the internet.

Short Review: This is a really good book, but its ending feels abrupt, and there are times where the pacing is extremely sluggish, which isn’t a good thing for a thriller. At other times, it is appropriately brisk and really engaging. But the characters are interesting, and I enjoyed reading the novel. I finished it in one sitting. If you have no patience for lag in a thriller-styled novel, be a little wary. Otherwise, dive in and enjoy. This is a good blend of political sciences and technology in a science fiction.

Long Review: There are days I both love and hate a novel at the same time, and walk away really enjoying a good book that could have been a favorite, if it hadn’t been for a few little things that really bothered me.

First, the book bounces around quite a bit–I had to do a lot of thinking to connect the dots, but after all the effort, I came away almost disappointed in the general, well, simplicity of the plot. At first, it was very intriguing on many levels, but experienced thriller readers will probably be able to figure out how everything works together with relative ease. I personally would have appreciated a few more gut-hitting twists. Now, so there aren’t any misunderstandings, I really did like this novel: Not all novels can be a major brain tease. It’s okay that this one isn’t like that. I was a little hopeful that it’d have more complexity than it did, however.

This point is what makes this a 4* book for me instead of a 5*.

What I really liked about this novel is the speculative nature of the situations. I think this may be the reason why the pacing absolutely lags in places; it becomes less of a book about the plot, and more about a discussion of what the world might be like fifty or sixty years in the future. These interludes and characterizations are interesting, but at the same time, it really forces a disconnect between studying this society and the plot and thrills of the novel.

If I had to pick the fatal flaw of this novel, the book wasn’t given the space it really needed; the societal issues were crammed in around a plot that could have been far more complex. I think if the societal issues had been allowed to thrive, spread out more across the novel, and given space to breathe–and the thriller elements allowed to fully bloom–this book wouldn’t have been just a good one. It would have been a great one.

Still, I found it worth reading, as it’s interesting to address all of these what if questions that Stephen Baker pursues in The Boost.

Winter Wolf Preorder Available!

The Hunted Wizard

When Nicole dabbled in the occult, she lost it all: Her voice, her family, and her name. Now on the run from the Inquisition, she must prove to herself—and the world—that not all wizards are too dangerous to let live.

The savage murder of a bookstore employee throws Nicole into the middle of Inquisition business, like it or not. Driven by her inability to save the young man’s life, she decides to hunt the killer on her own. Using forbidden magic to investigate the past, she learns that the murderer is in fact a disease that could kill the entire werewolf race.

Forced to choose between saving lives and preserving her own, Nicole embraces the magic that sent her into exile. Without werewolves, the power of the Inquisition would dwindle, and she could live without being hunted.

Nicole’s only hope for success lies in the hands of the werewolves she hates and the Inquisition she fears, but finding someone to trust is only the beginning of her problems. There are those who want to ensure that the werewolves go extinct and that the Inquisition falls.

But, if she fails to find a cure, her family—including her twin sister—will perish…

Available to preorder on Amazon and at the iTunes Store.

Preorders coming soon for Kobo, Scribd, and Nook.

Random Rambles: Depression, the Silent Killer

With the death of Robin Williams today, depression has once again come into the spotlight. I won’t go into the many reasons Mr. Williams’ death has impacted me. It has, and that’s all that needs to be said.

It was common knowledge that Mr. Williams was a troubled man who struggled with addiction and depression. His suicide didn’t surprise me, and that’s a terrible thing to say.

I understand, which is also a terrible thing to say.

Depression is a silent killer, smothering the voice of its victims. It is something too many are mocked for struggling with. It’s an illness, but a misunderstood one. Those who medicate for it are shunned. Those who don’t are scorned as they fight the battle against their silent killers.

And then those left behind are confused when those victims lose that war. Some mourn, some stay quiet, and other scorn.

Most victims are written off and forgotten.

But then comes along someone like Robin Williams, who reminds us in the harshest, saddest way possible that the Silent Killer, named Depression, is among those who have the magic to touch other lives, bringing laughter and joy.

I hope you rest well, Mr. Williams, and whatever awaits you is full of the laughter and joy that you brought to so many others.

And I wish we could have given that laughter and joy back to you when you needed it the most.

You will not be forgotten.

Nor shall the silent killer who did you in.

For more information on how you can get help, you can use the following resources:

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Suicide Action Montreal (Local to me)

Mostly Importantly, YOU. If you see a friend or loved on struggling with depression, YOU can help. Here’s how: Talk to them. If they tell you they’re suffering from depression, don’t judge them. Offer them support.

If necessary, INTERVENE. Those resources above are available for ANYONE dealing with suicide–you need not be the one suffering.

Ask for help.

Don’t suffer alone.

Don’t let others suffer alone.

Rest well, Robin.

The Eye of God – Free on Amazon Until August 12, 2014

On Friday, I released The Eye of God on Amazon for free for a five day period. I hadn’t announced it on my website, mainly due to the fact I’ve been really busy for the past few days.

I’m sorry about that. I’ve been neglectful!

I have usually had a fairly notable stance about giving away books for free. I worked really hard on my first novel. But, after a lot of consideration, and having had it released an entire year, I decided that there was no harm in doing so.

After all, I’m not going to lose sales when the book isn’t selling, you know? Both The Eye of God and Storm Without End do not sell many copies at all. One or two, sometimes a few extra, each month. Which is a disappointment for me, but I’ll keep writing those series because I love the stories. I want to tell them.

So I will.

Even if it means I lose money on them for a while. Who knows? Maybe these novels will find their audience. Maybe they won’t.

But I’ll be happy I wrote them.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the novel as much I as loved writing it.

Random Rambles: Fighting with Weight Loss

I hate feeling fat.

When I started actively trying to take back control of my life and my eating habits, my scale informed me I was barely beneath 190 pounds.

I am 5’3″-5’4″ tall. I have a fairly bony build; by this, I mean I have a more robust bone structure than some others. I’m not nail thin, I’m not gargantuan. I’m not your rail thin model type.

Not anymore.

When I was 12, I weighed 116 pounds. I weighed between 100 and 120 up until age 18. I consumed many, many thousands of calories per day due to a hypermetabolism issue.

That went away at 18.

I gained weight extremely fast at this point, skyrocketing to where I was when I looked at the scale a few weeks ago:

Almost 190 pounds.

A healthy weight for me would be around 120-130, depending on how much muscle I manage to add. I’m not expecting a lot in the muscular department, truth be told.

But 190 confirmed what I was feeling. Unhealthy. Fat.

No, I do not want to hear a single word about how I shouldn’t be worried about my body image, and how I shouldn’t worry about being fat or overweight. I feel unhealthy because I’m fat. My immune system doesn’t function properly. I struggle to walk and exercise. It puts undue stress on my joints. It makes me hurt.

Being fat is not healthy, and I am going to come up front and tell the truth: I’m fat.

I don’t want to be this way. I’m tired of my pants not fitting right. I’m tired of having a gut that feels uncomfortable. I am uncomfortable in my own skin.

I don’t feel well. All of the time.

And it is all because I’m overweight.

Society tries to tell me that I shouldn’t worry about my body image; all women, all bodies are beautiful.

Great for the self-esteem.

Terrible for my health.

What I do with my body is my choice. If others do not mind the health consequences of being overweight, that is their choice. I wish them well, and that they enjoy good health. The same applies in reverse; if they want to lose weight, as I do, because they feel unhealthy, they are unhealthy, and want to change… I wish them well. And good luck.

We’ll both need it.

I think one of the hardest things I’ve had to face is the acceptance that I am fat and that this is unacceptable to me.

I am fat, and I don’t have to be.

So I decided to change, and I have.

Today, I got on my scale, fully clothed, apprehensive.

Today, I weighed 172.6 pounds.

Today, I weighed myself after I ate lunch. 

I don’t weigh myself at the same time every day. I prefer to hop on the scale as I see it, staring that little number right in the eyes.

It’s a number, yes, but it’s also a goal. It’s a motivation.

It’s a reminder.

My scale is located right in front of my refrigerator. By that, I mean, I can’t open it without stepping on it or around it. It’s purposefully under foot–so I remember to put it under my feet and look at what I’m trying to do for myself.

Depression actually helped me lose some of this weight. It suppressed my appetite. It made it easier for me to say no to food. It wasn’t a good way to start, but it was a start.

At my lowest point, I weighed 168. That was after depression had me moping around, and my willpower and motivation was so lacking I didn’t eat anything for a few days. Being honest about that hurts, but it’s a consequence and impact of depression.

Food and depression go hand in hand. Some people eat. Some people don’t. Some people remain the same–sometimes. Some people don’t eat because they feel they don’t deserve basic necessities, that they aren’t good enough. Some people eat, because the pleasure of their taste buds is something worth living for.

Some of us, like me, just can’t bring ourselves to make the effort. It’s too hard to want to be bothered. That was the worst downward spiral in my fight with depression–when I wasn’t capable of fighting at all.

But I got back up, and my scale became my sword.

Today, I had a tomato for lunch, with some basil I picked from my window. I added olive oil, because I enjoy olive oil. I added a sprig of green onion, which I also grew in my window.

The tomato came from my garden.

And as a glorious reward to myself, I added some deliciously salty lemon and herb space.

I ate a single tomato, and I felt full.

Weight loss isn’t just a battle with a scale. It’s a changing of a lifestyle. It’s breaking free from the dependency of food in volume, and enjoying food in quality.

Without guilt. Without overeating.

Yesterday, I had an entire small pizza, loaded with my favorite toppings, because I had been eating so reasonably well. It was an indulgence. A reward.

A pleasure.

I had a grilled cheese and a small pizza the entire day.

Today, I didn’t feel the need to gorge. I enjoyed my tomato, which I grew myself.

And I won. Today, the victory is mine.

My scale doesn’t say 189 or 190.

It says 172 and change. The war goes on, but for once, I’m not losing. I’m holding my ground. I’m accomplishing things.

Weight loss can be done… but there are no easy ways out. It takes self control. Dedication. Desire. A will to change an entire lifestyle, not just reach a goal and relapse.

But it comes with rewards.

My knee doesn’t hurt quite as much as it did a month or two ago, and while it still pains me a bit, I can move around. I ran to the door twice today.

I ran.

It wasn’t far, but two months ago, I couldn’t run anywhere, let alone across the house in a mad dash to answer the door.

What I did before was kind of like this horrific little zombie shuffle.

Moving doesn’t hurt as much now.

It may only be 18 pounds to you, but to me, it’s freedom.

I ran.

Random Rambles: A Brave New World – Full-Time Writing

As I posted earlier today, as soon as my contracts are finished, I will be ceasing my work as an editor, with a few rare exceptions. I suppose, considering 2/3rds of my time was occupied with editorial work, I was a full-time editor rather than a hopeful novelist.

This won’t happen until January 2015, but I’m already feeling the relief from no longer having to edit. It’s liberating. I’m going to spend the same energy and enthusiasm as always on my clients, but in 2015, I’ll be working for myself first of all, and editorial as a beloved side project… not as the support and lifeblood of my novels.

I’ll still edit for a few clients, those who are understanding of my true career choice, and are flexible enough to work around my schedule. But it won’t be the soul-sucking job it has been lately. Don’t misunderstand me; I have enjoyed editing. It’s a great job.

But it’s a creative job, and I’ve given so much of myself to others that I haven’t had a lot left for me. That’s a huge problem. When I can’t write because I’ve exhausted myself working for my clients, it isn’t going to work. When the basement disaster happened, I dealt with that, and worked for my clients.

I didn’t write anything for me.

I wanted to release four novels this year, but I ended up spending more time working on client edits than my own stories. I’ll end up releasing two. Next year will be better. Most of my attention, most of my hard work, will be on my stories. The sky is the limit, and I’ll be able to do what I love most: Write my stories.

There will be a lot of challenges ahead of me, and a lot of reasons to be worried and stressed out. My royalties will be expected to pay for all of my novel work after funds from my indiegogo and current editing work run out. I’ll be entirely dependent on my novels succeeding to keep writing.

But, facing facts… I was more of an editor than an author.

It’s time to do what I need to, and spend the vast majority of my time writing.

I’m looking forward to it.

But such a venture isn’t without fear, and a lot of it. My husband is supporting this shift… so long as it doesn’t harm our household finances. With the current household disasters, our ‘finances’ is a bit of a joke, but we’ll recover, in time. With a little luck, and hard work on my part, maybe my novel writing will really take off and be able to pay for a lot of the problems with our home.

Including the brand-new issue of smoldering electric wires in the upstairs. The entire upstairs floor has to be rewired. Bye-bye, $7,400.

When it rains, it pours.

But at least I’ll be standing out in the storm doing what I love most.

It’ll be hard, but I can live with that.

I can’t live without being able to write.

The future is uncertain, but at least this way, I’m grabbing the life I want by the horns, rather than allowing myself to work my way out of what I really want in life.

It’ll be interesting. I’ll just be buckling in for rough days ahead, but at least I can write.

And to me, that’s one of the most important things of all.

Important Announcement Regarding Editorial Work

I will no longer be taking any new clients. I am going to be shifting all of my efforts into my writing career, which has always been the most important thing for me.

Current clients, I will still be taking some projects, especially if you are working on a series, but I will be limiting the amount of time I spend on editorial work versus my own career. Contact me about new projects or continuations ASAP, please.

In a way, I hate doing this, because I really like helping people improve their novels, but my first love is writing books. To be truthful, I’m spending more than half of my time on other people’s books, not mine. This bothers me. I want to make my career happen.

My husband and I have discussed, and we are going to take the risk of letting my royalties completely float my writing career, rather than depending on my editorial work to float my writing career.

I’m going all in. This is the equivalent of quitting the day job to write.Inquisitor proved I can do this. My writing will improve, and I hope I can continue to write better and better stories.

I can’t keep dedicating 2/3rds of my writing creativity on editorial. Editorial work saps a great deal of my creative energy. I use the same level of creativity – sometimes more — in helping others with their fiction.

That leeches away from my ability to work on my books. I will complete my current work load and edits promised to individuals, but from now on, I’ll do what I have wanted to do all along: Write.

Thank you.