Indi Martin's Blog: Red Ink
April 19, 2016
Thoughts on a Tuesday
TIL: The phrase "Jack of all trades, but master of none" is incomplete. The full phrase is: "Jack of all trades, master of none. But better than a master of one." Which completely changes the tone of the maxim.
It's something that's been hurtled my way occasionally, by teachers, by family, by critics. Pick one thing and stick to it. Stop going all over the place. You'd be a much better artist/writer (and even within that: penciller/inker/digital painter/watercolorist/superrealistic/comic/graphic design) if you would just pick one. I'm sure it's true, but it's just not how I work, or think, or live.
So, to anyone else who struggles with their creativity being pulled in different directions, you now have an easy retort the next time you hear that colloquialism thrown your way!
It's something that's been hurtled my way occasionally, by teachers, by family, by critics. Pick one thing and stick to it. Stop going all over the place. You'd be a much better artist/writer (and even within that: penciller/inker/digital painter/watercolorist/superrealistic/comic/graphic design) if you would just pick one. I'm sure it's true, but it's just not how I work, or think, or live.
So, to anyone else who struggles with their creativity being pulled in different directions, you now have an easy retort the next time you hear that colloquialism thrown your way!
December 22, 2015
Red Ink & THC - A 2015 Retrospective
2015: By the Numbers: http://tortoiseharecreations.blogspot...
June 10, 2015
Into Dreams - It's Finally Here
It's here. It's finally here.
This was the largest literary undertaking I've ever attempted, and I cannot be prouder of the outcome. I've been on pins and needles since I sent in the final for today, and I'm so excited for people to discover the story. Link is below in the press release! - Indi
===============================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: INTO DREAMS, third novel in the Gina Harwood Series, to be released TODAY, JUNE 11, 2015!
Tying up the first arc, this final book in the trilogy has answers that you have been waiting for. Available on Kindle or in paperback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1511472952
Synopsis: Picking up directly after Descending, the third novel in the series sees the Unit fragmented and fighting against an incomprehensible foe. Gina Harwood discovers that there are worlds beyond their own, and struggles to survive in the Dreamlands while tracking her fallen partner, Morgan. Charlie Parker leads the remaining agents on a chase to find a killer, only to find that perhaps something larger - and much, much darker - is pulling his strings. Into Dreams is the final novel in the first trilogy of the Gina Harwood Series, following Behind the Veil and Descending.
This was the largest literary undertaking I've ever attempted, and I cannot be prouder of the outcome. I've been on pins and needles since I sent in the final for today, and I'm so excited for people to discover the story. Link is below in the press release! - Indi
===============================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: INTO DREAMS, third novel in the Gina Harwood Series, to be released TODAY, JUNE 11, 2015!
Tying up the first arc, this final book in the trilogy has answers that you have been waiting for. Available on Kindle or in paperback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1511472952
Synopsis: Picking up directly after Descending, the third novel in the series sees the Unit fragmented and fighting against an incomprehensible foe. Gina Harwood discovers that there are worlds beyond their own, and struggles to survive in the Dreamlands while tracking her fallen partner, Morgan. Charlie Parker leads the remaining agents on a chase to find a killer, only to find that perhaps something larger - and much, much darker - is pulling his strings. Into Dreams is the final novel in the first trilogy of the Gina Harwood Series, following Behind the Veil and Descending.
March 26, 2015
The Pros & Cons of Self-Publishing - And Update on GH3
An old friend reached out to me the other day to ask me about my experiences with self-publishing. It's a divisive question among writers - very few authors would turn down a publishing house contract if offered one, but is it really the better deal?
Self-publishing has very definitive pros and cons.
In the Pro Column: You have full control over what you put out, on your own timeline, and it's inexpensive and print on demand. You aren't locked into a contract with a publishing company, and of course, you don't have to wait years to get your foot in the door, if ever you do (which can be hard without knowing people).
I've spoken to a few writers who got roped into some rough contracts, since they were unknown and didn't have an agent. They had to buy their own copies - at virtually no discount - to sell at conventions and spread the word since their house didn't do it for them, and their payscale was a sorry mess. I think people believe that the big companies' marketing & PR department will point all of their firepower toward your book the moment you sign up, but it's simply not true unless you're established (from what I've seen). If I get feedback to the contrary, I'll be happy to share it.
The Cons of Self-Publishing: You are by default bundled in with all of the crap and vanity projects that are constantly put out by self-publishing companies (including CreateSpace). And there is a LOT of it. No one checks your product for quality, no editor weeds through it, it's just bam! Posted! for anyone to purchase and consume.
In order to set yourself apart, not only does the product have to be good, but you have to beat the streets as your own PR and marketing department, which a lot of writers (including myself) find difficult. It's hard to pitch, it's exhausting to put your work out on a table and watch people ignore it. It can be disheartening, but if you want it, you can find an audience... and then, you hope that word of mouth will travel.
I'm about to release my third, and though the first two have sold less than 500 copies, that's still a lot of people who have ended up reading my work and come back for more. After the second's release, I started to see a bigger snowball. Nearly 400 of those copies were only sold after Descending's release, which boosted BTV's sales as well.
I'm hoping it holds true with the third - I think self-publishing is all about: putting out consistently high-quality products (at a consistent clip), and knowing how to hype your work to others (and then getting out there and doing it). To any authors out there thinking of trying it - do it! Now is the golden age of self-publishing; but enlist some editing help. Others' eyes tend to catch more than yours, which are already familiar with the story.
That brings me to Gina Harwood Book 3: Into Dreams.
The final first draft was completed on March 13th, and numbered 516 pages (136,710 words). I've been working nonstop since then on editing, and am on my second runthrough. My alpha editor is 80% through his read, and once I get and evaluate/apply his feedback, it'll be sent to the beta readers for their reads.
I'm expecting to order the proof copy in only a few weeks, and as such, will be opening the Goodreads Into Dreams Giveaway late next week, once I have the cover design completed. As with Descending, there will be two early-release copies up for grabs, so watch for that and get ready to sign up!
Thanks for reading!
Indi
Self-publishing has very definitive pros and cons.
In the Pro Column: You have full control over what you put out, on your own timeline, and it's inexpensive and print on demand. You aren't locked into a contract with a publishing company, and of course, you don't have to wait years to get your foot in the door, if ever you do (which can be hard without knowing people).
I've spoken to a few writers who got roped into some rough contracts, since they were unknown and didn't have an agent. They had to buy their own copies - at virtually no discount - to sell at conventions and spread the word since their house didn't do it for them, and their payscale was a sorry mess. I think people believe that the big companies' marketing & PR department will point all of their firepower toward your book the moment you sign up, but it's simply not true unless you're established (from what I've seen). If I get feedback to the contrary, I'll be happy to share it.
The Cons of Self-Publishing: You are by default bundled in with all of the crap and vanity projects that are constantly put out by self-publishing companies (including CreateSpace). And there is a LOT of it. No one checks your product for quality, no editor weeds through it, it's just bam! Posted! for anyone to purchase and consume.
In order to set yourself apart, not only does the product have to be good, but you have to beat the streets as your own PR and marketing department, which a lot of writers (including myself) find difficult. It's hard to pitch, it's exhausting to put your work out on a table and watch people ignore it. It can be disheartening, but if you want it, you can find an audience... and then, you hope that word of mouth will travel.
I'm about to release my third, and though the first two have sold less than 500 copies, that's still a lot of people who have ended up reading my work and come back for more. After the second's release, I started to see a bigger snowball. Nearly 400 of those copies were only sold after Descending's release, which boosted BTV's sales as well.
I'm hoping it holds true with the third - I think self-publishing is all about: putting out consistently high-quality products (at a consistent clip), and knowing how to hype your work to others (and then getting out there and doing it). To any authors out there thinking of trying it - do it! Now is the golden age of self-publishing; but enlist some editing help. Others' eyes tend to catch more than yours, which are already familiar with the story.
That brings me to Gina Harwood Book 3: Into Dreams.
The final first draft was completed on March 13th, and numbered 516 pages (136,710 words). I've been working nonstop since then on editing, and am on my second runthrough. My alpha editor is 80% through his read, and once I get and evaluate/apply his feedback, it'll be sent to the beta readers for their reads.
I'm expecting to order the proof copy in only a few weeks, and as such, will be opening the Goodreads Into Dreams Giveaway late next week, once I have the cover design completed. As with Descending, there will be two early-release copies up for grabs, so watch for that and get ready to sign up!
Thanks for reading!
Indi
February 25, 2015
GH3 Update
Completed my final updated outline for part three of the book. Yes, part three. The book is now split into three delineated acts.
I know exactly where it's going and how everyone is going to get there, and how all of the seeds planted along the way (in this book and in the previous two) will sprout. Now I just have the grunt work of typing out the last ten or so remaining chapters before editing can begin.
I can't wait for you to read it. I really can't.
I know exactly where it's going and how everyone is going to get there, and how all of the seeds planted along the way (in this book and in the previous two) will sprout. Now I just have the grunt work of typing out the last ten or so remaining chapters before editing can begin.
I can't wait for you to read it. I really can't.
January 23, 2015
The pros and cons of "Flow Writing"
I've mentioned in the past that my favorite days are the days I sit down to the dreaded blank white screen, and open my head, and stories seem to write themselves on the screen before me. Sometimes it feels like I'm reading them instead of writing them, following the words as they appear on the screen, somehow unconnected from my fingers sliding across the keys.
Those are great days.
I call it "flow writing." I don't know if that's a widely-used or acceptable term or not, it's just what I call it. It feels like the words rush out of me in bursts. Then, it stops. I read a bit of what I wrote and have to engage my mind to at least start the next sentence - and then more often than not, I'm off again for the next page, or chapter, or at least a few paragraphs before the cycle starts anew. It's a weird process, writing.
Some days aren't so great. They consist of me being unable to visualize the next steps, the next action, the next chapters. Sometimes I'll get around that by skipping ahead, but rarely - that seems to always cause problems for me in integration with the larger story down the line. Regardless, this post isn't about the bad days, the blocked days. It's about the pros and cons of being in the flow.
The pros are pretty simple. I get a lot of writing done and the quality is higher than when I'm forcing the words to comply.
"How could there be drawbacks to the beautiful feeling that comes with flow writing?" you may be asking yourself, and it's a valid question. None of these cons are enough to tip the scales, certainly. I'll take a lifetime of flow writing days, even with the oddities that I'll be sharing, over the days where the blank screen taunts and laughs. No question.
The first day back into flow writing is lovely. I may notice that several albums have gone by on my playlist without me having heard them, but otherwise, nothing too extreme. I still act like a capable human being, for the most part, though my non-writing actions are in auto mode. My walk to the kitchen or the bathroom are robotic, my mind not registering my surroundings but still intent on whatever sentence or stub I'm on. I bump into things. My path is erratic. But I'm still mostly human.
Fast forward a day or two and the side effects start to really show. I have trouble following conversations if I've just finished writing for the day - I need at least an hour to do nothing and wind down. Anyone trying to talk to me is going to have a bad time, not an angry time, just a frustrating one where they probably have to repeat themselves a few times. I am trying to keep up at this point, but my focus is soft.
I may realize that I have forgotten to eat or drink or go to the bathroom for extended periods of time. This is ridiculously common, and I have to concentrate to prevent from becoming very dehydrated during extended writing sessions. If I remember to eat, I've learned that I need to make a sandwich, or something that requires little preparation. If I set something in the oven to cook - well, that's just a bad idea. I can't honestly tell you the amount of times I've glanced up at the clock after a good chapter and felt that electric current of terror - oh shit! There's a pot pie upstairs in the oven! How long has it been? HOW LONG?
I thought I had trained myself to automatically set timers, but the other day proved that even if I leave the kitchen repeating "SET A TIMER!" in my mind, the walk from the oven to my computer is apparently enough to erase that. The characters and storylines filter back in and take over the parts of my brain that regular people use to do basic things.
My memory also gets bad - and for me, that's saying something, since I don't have the greatest memory for events or conversations to begin with. But the further I get, the less real life seems to stick. It takes a great deal of patience for people to be around me at this point, because I'm really only half here, and half may be a bit optimistic. After a week or two of being immersed in the novel, I have a hard time being social without feeling like an alien. Real people feel a little less real than my characters. That feeling persists until I've finished.
I'm trying to offset the most controllable of these drawbacks by taking a short break at the end of every chapter to down a bottle of water (I have to finish it, because if it sits there and I start typing again, it's forgotten for a few more hours) and move. I'll do some crunches or some yoga or just dance about randomly for a while - anything to get me out of the chair and off my rump for a little while. But if you happen to see me socially for the next few months, please try to be kind if it takes me longer than normal to answer or I look like a foreign anthropologist studying the way people interact at a party. It's a side effect.
But it's worth it.
- Indi
Those are great days.
I call it "flow writing." I don't know if that's a widely-used or acceptable term or not, it's just what I call it. It feels like the words rush out of me in bursts. Then, it stops. I read a bit of what I wrote and have to engage my mind to at least start the next sentence - and then more often than not, I'm off again for the next page, or chapter, or at least a few paragraphs before the cycle starts anew. It's a weird process, writing.
Some days aren't so great. They consist of me being unable to visualize the next steps, the next action, the next chapters. Sometimes I'll get around that by skipping ahead, but rarely - that seems to always cause problems for me in integration with the larger story down the line. Regardless, this post isn't about the bad days, the blocked days. It's about the pros and cons of being in the flow.
The pros are pretty simple. I get a lot of writing done and the quality is higher than when I'm forcing the words to comply.
"How could there be drawbacks to the beautiful feeling that comes with flow writing?" you may be asking yourself, and it's a valid question. None of these cons are enough to tip the scales, certainly. I'll take a lifetime of flow writing days, even with the oddities that I'll be sharing, over the days where the blank screen taunts and laughs. No question.
The first day back into flow writing is lovely. I may notice that several albums have gone by on my playlist without me having heard them, but otherwise, nothing too extreme. I still act like a capable human being, for the most part, though my non-writing actions are in auto mode. My walk to the kitchen or the bathroom are robotic, my mind not registering my surroundings but still intent on whatever sentence or stub I'm on. I bump into things. My path is erratic. But I'm still mostly human.
Fast forward a day or two and the side effects start to really show. I have trouble following conversations if I've just finished writing for the day - I need at least an hour to do nothing and wind down. Anyone trying to talk to me is going to have a bad time, not an angry time, just a frustrating one where they probably have to repeat themselves a few times. I am trying to keep up at this point, but my focus is soft.
I may realize that I have forgotten to eat or drink or go to the bathroom for extended periods of time. This is ridiculously common, and I have to concentrate to prevent from becoming very dehydrated during extended writing sessions. If I remember to eat, I've learned that I need to make a sandwich, or something that requires little preparation. If I set something in the oven to cook - well, that's just a bad idea. I can't honestly tell you the amount of times I've glanced up at the clock after a good chapter and felt that electric current of terror - oh shit! There's a pot pie upstairs in the oven! How long has it been? HOW LONG?
I thought I had trained myself to automatically set timers, but the other day proved that even if I leave the kitchen repeating "SET A TIMER!" in my mind, the walk from the oven to my computer is apparently enough to erase that. The characters and storylines filter back in and take over the parts of my brain that regular people use to do basic things.
My memory also gets bad - and for me, that's saying something, since I don't have the greatest memory for events or conversations to begin with. But the further I get, the less real life seems to stick. It takes a great deal of patience for people to be around me at this point, because I'm really only half here, and half may be a bit optimistic. After a week or two of being immersed in the novel, I have a hard time being social without feeling like an alien. Real people feel a little less real than my characters. That feeling persists until I've finished.
I'm trying to offset the most controllable of these drawbacks by taking a short break at the end of every chapter to down a bottle of water (I have to finish it, because if it sits there and I start typing again, it's forgotten for a few more hours) and move. I'll do some crunches or some yoga or just dance about randomly for a while - anything to get me out of the chair and off my rump for a little while. But if you happen to see me socially for the next few months, please try to be kind if it takes me longer than normal to answer or I look like a foreign anthropologist studying the way people interact at a party. It's a side effect.
But it's worth it.
- Indi
January 19, 2015
Gina Harwood - Book Three
Alright! Now that my art commissions and freelance projects are out of the way, I can move back into my writing space, and I'm glad for it. It's gotten to where I'm dreaming about my characters. I miss writing them.
Worked back into it today, had to re-read all of what I had previously written on book three and assimilate how far I'd gotten (which, as usual, the answer is not as far as I'd thought). Still, I've got about 200 pages to start this leg, so that's a good jumping off point. The story isn't even halfway described yet, so this one's going to be a shelfbreaker, I'm afraid. Much editing will need to be done to get this to where I'd like it, but it will be the largest book I've written so far regardless of what I do. And I don't only mean largest as far as page count.
For what it's worth, I would generally not recommend taking an extended (several months or more) break from writing a novel. It's easier to get it all out in one go and then work on expanding/editing down later, but life gets in the way. It was VERY difficult to force myself not to edit on the readthrough, but that wasn't its purpose. Not yet.
If you are interested in a preview, I have posted Chapter One as it stands right now to our patreon page at www.patreon.com/tortoiseharecreations in the patron-only stream. As always, I'll stage a Goodreads giveaway for Book Three once we get (much) closer to print!
Thanks guys, for your patience. It's difficult managing the artist and the author hats, but I love them each too much to abort either entirely from my life. For now, and until Book Three is in the can, my author hat is firmly wedged upon my head.
Until next time,
Indi
Worked back into it today, had to re-read all of what I had previously written on book three and assimilate how far I'd gotten (which, as usual, the answer is not as far as I'd thought). Still, I've got about 200 pages to start this leg, so that's a good jumping off point. The story isn't even halfway described yet, so this one's going to be a shelfbreaker, I'm afraid. Much editing will need to be done to get this to where I'd like it, but it will be the largest book I've written so far regardless of what I do. And I don't only mean largest as far as page count.
For what it's worth, I would generally not recommend taking an extended (several months or more) break from writing a novel. It's easier to get it all out in one go and then work on expanding/editing down later, but life gets in the way. It was VERY difficult to force myself not to edit on the readthrough, but that wasn't its purpose. Not yet.
If you are interested in a preview, I have posted Chapter One as it stands right now to our patreon page at www.patreon.com/tortoiseharecreations in the patron-only stream. As always, I'll stage a Goodreads giveaway for Book Three once we get (much) closer to print!
Thanks guys, for your patience. It's difficult managing the artist and the author hats, but I love them each too much to abort either entirely from my life. For now, and until Book Three is in the can, my author hat is firmly wedged upon my head.
Until next time,
Indi
February 26, 2014
Descending into Dreams & Controversy
An animalistic keening sound erupted, loud and alien. Startled, Gina dropped the phone with a loud clatter, watching helplessly as the battery and backplate skidded across the floor and the comforting screen light blinked out of existence. “SHIT,” she cried, noticing with frustration that her voice had no issues being loud and clear now. The cry sounded out again, a long whine following by an inhuman click-hiss. Gina whipped her head around, scanning behind her for the source of the noise, while her feet propelled her backwards toward the hole.
BAM! She heard the sound and saw the bedroom door reverberate from the force of whatever hit it. BAM! Turning her head, she saw her front door also straining against something trying to force its way in. Her body hit the wall with a soft thud and her fingers ran their way along the portal’s nearest ragged edges. The air beyond the wall was neither warm nor cold, nor thick as she’d expected from the impenetrable blackness. It felt like nothing at all. - Excerpt from Descending, Book Two of the Gina Harwood Series
Gina Harwood is no stranger to unusual situations, having survived the bizarre and life-changing cases in Behind the Veil, the first Gina Harwood novel. This series is a true labour of love for me, having grown close to the characters within. They feel like they have a life of their own, and I’m often left wondering what they get up to when I’m not typing out their stories. Even when I am “in control,” they seem to take on a life of their own, turning corners I didn’t expect them to turn and making decisions that flaunt my carefully crafted outlines.
I particularly love exploring this Lovecraftian urban fantasy world because of my father. An avid reader and author himself, he introduced me to the world of science fiction, fantasy, and horror at an age that most other parents were pushing Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High, though I enjoyed those as well. Few fathers would hand their ten year old a Robert Heinlein novel, but he understood, even then, that I was yearning for deeper themes and more action in my novels. He helped me through the Lord of the Rings trilogy after I devoured the Hobbit, and together we never looked back. Book after book, series after series, he would wait patiently as I clambered through the pages before excitedly discussing the worlds he remembered. There are so many stories we wish we could read again for the first time, appreciating fully the celebration of discovery and the agony of suspense. I think he relived those first times through my eyes, and much of my adult work I lay at his feet in gratitude.
I’ll be honest, though. As an author, Descending presented me with a problem. I had this massive arc created, but as they seem wont to do, the characters chose their own paths. It significantly changed the storyline I had originally intended (for the better, I believe), and in doing so, meant that the arc needed to extend far beyond the initial outline. Thus, Descending is akin to the Two Towers, or the Empire Strikes Back, and I can’t apologize for that. It’s dark, it’s gritty, I believe it will keep you turning the pages until the end - but Gina chose a path that needed to continue. And what a path it is! I’m deep into the third novel and thankful for the unseen hand that pushed her beyond her limits, beyond even those limits I felt she had as the author of the piece.
I hope you have as much fun exploring the world as I have had in putting the words to paper - I would say, “creating it,” but it created itself. I was merely the medium.
Descending: A Gina Harwood Novel is available now in both Kindle and Paperback editions.
BAM! She heard the sound and saw the bedroom door reverberate from the force of whatever hit it. BAM! Turning her head, she saw her front door also straining against something trying to force its way in. Her body hit the wall with a soft thud and her fingers ran their way along the portal’s nearest ragged edges. The air beyond the wall was neither warm nor cold, nor thick as she’d expected from the impenetrable blackness. It felt like nothing at all. - Excerpt from Descending, Book Two of the Gina Harwood Series
Gina Harwood is no stranger to unusual situations, having survived the bizarre and life-changing cases in Behind the Veil, the first Gina Harwood novel. This series is a true labour of love for me, having grown close to the characters within. They feel like they have a life of their own, and I’m often left wondering what they get up to when I’m not typing out their stories. Even when I am “in control,” they seem to take on a life of their own, turning corners I didn’t expect them to turn and making decisions that flaunt my carefully crafted outlines.
I particularly love exploring this Lovecraftian urban fantasy world because of my father. An avid reader and author himself, he introduced me to the world of science fiction, fantasy, and horror at an age that most other parents were pushing Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High, though I enjoyed those as well. Few fathers would hand their ten year old a Robert Heinlein novel, but he understood, even then, that I was yearning for deeper themes and more action in my novels. He helped me through the Lord of the Rings trilogy after I devoured the Hobbit, and together we never looked back. Book after book, series after series, he would wait patiently as I clambered through the pages before excitedly discussing the worlds he remembered. There are so many stories we wish we could read again for the first time, appreciating fully the celebration of discovery and the agony of suspense. I think he relived those first times through my eyes, and much of my adult work I lay at his feet in gratitude.
I’ll be honest, though. As an author, Descending presented me with a problem. I had this massive arc created, but as they seem wont to do, the characters chose their own paths. It significantly changed the storyline I had originally intended (for the better, I believe), and in doing so, meant that the arc needed to extend far beyond the initial outline. Thus, Descending is akin to the Two Towers, or the Empire Strikes Back, and I can’t apologize for that. It’s dark, it’s gritty, I believe it will keep you turning the pages until the end - but Gina chose a path that needed to continue. And what a path it is! I’m deep into the third novel and thankful for the unseen hand that pushed her beyond her limits, beyond even those limits I felt she had as the author of the piece.
I hope you have as much fun exploring the world as I have had in putting the words to paper - I would say, “creating it,” but it created itself. I was merely the medium.
Descending: A Gina Harwood Novel is available now in both Kindle and Paperback editions.
February 20, 2014
Outlining and Process - or - the Really Boring Part of Writing
One of the most common things I hear when I'm at conventions or doing signings from fellow authors or would-be authors is this: "I have so many ideas, but I just can't finish anything."
Every author has a slightly different process. And to my knowledge, there's always one or two pieces of that process that are just agonizingly distasteful to that author.
Outlining and transition sequences fits that bill for me.
For me, writing is a very organic process. I sit, and I open my head, and characters, scenes, dialogues pour out. It's fun, and often surprising, and many times characters take turns and make decisions that I could not possibly have foreseen. It's this, I think, that creates real magic sometimes, little nuggets of gold within the book's framework mountain.
To that end, I pooh-poohed outlines for years. "What's the point?" I would ask myself, "if events won't follow even the barest outline in my head?" This attitude is why it took me more than ten years of writing to finish my first novel. (Well, that, and lacking the circumstances or willpower to force myself to write even when the magic isn't happening).
See, an organic story is a beautiful thing. It's my favorite thing in the world, and the feeling of a really good chapter is easily equal to the feeling of accomplishment when I finish a large, long art project. However, with an art piece, I start with a storyboard page to determine composition. Then, I pencil in the scene and fix any compositional mistakes I might have made. Then, if it's a comic board for instance, I'll start with microinks, and work my way up to outlining the negative spaces I like and adding the detail. Then, it gets scanned, lettered, and colored. A watercolor piece follows a similar preparation process - composition, pencil, light paints, then details and darks.
If I try to cut corners on that process, things don't feel right in the end. There's plenty of room for artistic expression and letting the paint speak, but if the foundations aren't solid, the end result will not please me.
It took me years to understand that writing follows the same process.
The reason I couldn't finish anything is that I would set down a ton of detail, a beautiful paragraph here, a chapter I really liked, and then try to work backwards to force those pieces into a coherent storyline with the necessary devices (three acts, bounceback, exposition) to make it readable. It's an almost impossible task, reverse engineering a good book from scraps of cloth and texture.
So, unfortunately, I've had to adjust my process to fit reality. I can't just start painting an eye without understanding the musculature around it, without knowing which direction the skull is facing, without seeing where the light is shining. It doesn't work. Similarly, I can't finish a novel to my liking without first crafting a skeleton, an outline. And as much as I may hate it (I do), it helps, it really does. I don't force the story to conform to the outline, but at least I know where I need to eventually end up, and a rough path the characters are going to take to get there.
This was a very long way of saying the outline for Gina Harwood Book Three (currently untitled) is complete. I don't title until I'm finished. And I'm so happy that it is, because now I get to get to the fun stuff - opening my skull and letting the characters flow where they will.
There's only one week until the release of Descending, book two of the Gina Harwood series. I'm having a book tour - the first I've ever done - through http://www.iobooktours.com/ . If you have a blog and would like to be part of the tour, please contact them and get yourself added to the Descending list! It will be available on 2/28 in both Paperback and Kindle editions via Amazon. Have no fear, I will be posting the links everywhere!
It's an exciting month for me, made more exciting by the fact that I have the really boring part of writing out of the way (for now. The next really boring part is editing, but that's a distance away yet). Happy reading, everyone!
Every author has a slightly different process. And to my knowledge, there's always one or two pieces of that process that are just agonizingly distasteful to that author.
Outlining and transition sequences fits that bill for me.
For me, writing is a very organic process. I sit, and I open my head, and characters, scenes, dialogues pour out. It's fun, and often surprising, and many times characters take turns and make decisions that I could not possibly have foreseen. It's this, I think, that creates real magic sometimes, little nuggets of gold within the book's framework mountain.
To that end, I pooh-poohed outlines for years. "What's the point?" I would ask myself, "if events won't follow even the barest outline in my head?" This attitude is why it took me more than ten years of writing to finish my first novel. (Well, that, and lacking the circumstances or willpower to force myself to write even when the magic isn't happening).
See, an organic story is a beautiful thing. It's my favorite thing in the world, and the feeling of a really good chapter is easily equal to the feeling of accomplishment when I finish a large, long art project. However, with an art piece, I start with a storyboard page to determine composition. Then, I pencil in the scene and fix any compositional mistakes I might have made. Then, if it's a comic board for instance, I'll start with microinks, and work my way up to outlining the negative spaces I like and adding the detail. Then, it gets scanned, lettered, and colored. A watercolor piece follows a similar preparation process - composition, pencil, light paints, then details and darks.
If I try to cut corners on that process, things don't feel right in the end. There's plenty of room for artistic expression and letting the paint speak, but if the foundations aren't solid, the end result will not please me.
It took me years to understand that writing follows the same process.
The reason I couldn't finish anything is that I would set down a ton of detail, a beautiful paragraph here, a chapter I really liked, and then try to work backwards to force those pieces into a coherent storyline with the necessary devices (three acts, bounceback, exposition) to make it readable. It's an almost impossible task, reverse engineering a good book from scraps of cloth and texture.
So, unfortunately, I've had to adjust my process to fit reality. I can't just start painting an eye without understanding the musculature around it, without knowing which direction the skull is facing, without seeing where the light is shining. It doesn't work. Similarly, I can't finish a novel to my liking without first crafting a skeleton, an outline. And as much as I may hate it (I do), it helps, it really does. I don't force the story to conform to the outline, but at least I know where I need to eventually end up, and a rough path the characters are going to take to get there.
This was a very long way of saying the outline for Gina Harwood Book Three (currently untitled) is complete. I don't title until I'm finished. And I'm so happy that it is, because now I get to get to the fun stuff - opening my skull and letting the characters flow where they will.
There's only one week until the release of Descending, book two of the Gina Harwood series. I'm having a book tour - the first I've ever done - through http://www.iobooktours.com/ . If you have a blog and would like to be part of the tour, please contact them and get yourself added to the Descending list! It will be available on 2/28 in both Paperback and Kindle editions via Amazon. Have no fear, I will be posting the links everywhere!
It's an exciting month for me, made more exciting by the fact that I have the really boring part of writing out of the way (for now. The next really boring part is editing, but that's a distance away yet). Happy reading, everyone!
February 16, 2014
Congratulations to the Winners!
Congratulations to the two winners of the Descending Goodreads Giveaway! Your copies will be in the mail shortly!
Remember, the book will be released on 2/28 - mark your calendars and click here to add it to your Want-To-Read Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
To those of you who didn't win - there will definitely be another chance to win on my next novel, it's a great idea! Hopefully I'll be able to give away more copies then, too. I'm ecstatic to have you here, and I hope you enjoy the novel immensely. If you're not caught up on the team's exploits from the first novel, check it out today: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
BTV Amazon Link (Pb & K): http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Veil-Har...
Only 13 days to go... that seems an appropriately eerie number for it to be.
Until next time,
Indi
Remember, the book will be released on 2/28 - mark your calendars and click here to add it to your Want-To-Read Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
To those of you who didn't win - there will definitely be another chance to win on my next novel, it's a great idea! Hopefully I'll be able to give away more copies then, too. I'm ecstatic to have you here, and I hope you enjoy the novel immensely. If you're not caught up on the team's exploits from the first novel, check it out today: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
BTV Amazon Link (Pb & K): http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Veil-Har...
Only 13 days to go... that seems an appropriately eerie number for it to be.
Until next time,
Indi
