Dan Decker's Blog, page 10

WRITING UPDATE: Done with Draft Seven of ONLY THE GUILTY!

As of last week, draft seven of ONLY THE GUILTY is done!

And now onto draft eight.

Also, the picture details the setting for Only The Guilty.

Don’t forget that The Good Client is still in Prime Reading!

The word count for last week was approximately 700 words. (I was out of the office for some of the week.)

(Note: I write on a lot of different projects all at once. My weekly word count sometimes includes projects that don’t always show up in the weekly update breakdown below.)

Here is the status of current projects as of last Friday:

LOST CAUSE, Jake Ramsey #4 – COPYEDITING!

Only The Guilty –  Draft 7 – 100%

NEW UNTITLED LEGAL THRILLER NOVEL – Draft 1 – 90% – 95%.

WRITING UPDATE: Almost done with Draft Seven of ONLY THE GUILTY!

As of last Friday, draft seven of ONLY THE GUILTY is cooking! Each subsequent draft goes faster. The picture above is a scene from the novel where the antagonist kicks it up a notch.

It won’t be long before I finish with ONLY THE GUILTY and pick up Mitch Turner #5. Mitch is knocking on the door saying it’s been too long and that I need to start working on his projects again.

Speaking of Mitch. Just another reminder that The Good Client is still in Prime Reading. Pass the word along!

The word count for last week was approximately 4,400 words.

(Note: I write on a lot of different projects all at once. My weekly word count sometimes includes projects that don’t always show up in the weekly update breakdown below.)

Here is the status of current projects as of last Friday:

LOST CAUSE, Jake Ramsey #4 – COPYEDITING!

Only The Guilty –  Draft 6 – 100%

Only The Guilty –  Draft 7 – 90%

NEW UNTITLED LEGAL THRILLER NOVEL – Draft 1 – 85% – 90%.

WRITING UPDATE: Almost done with Draft Six of ONLY THE GUILTY!

Draft six of ONLY THE GUILTY is moving and coming together! Getting much closer now! The picture comes from an important scene in the book.

Also, don’t forget that The Good Client is in Prime Reading right now. I believe it lasts until the end of the month.

The word count for last week was approximately 3,900 words.

(Note: I write on a lot of different projects all at once. My weekly word count is for most projects, even though I don’t always include all of them in the weekly update breakdown below.)

Here is the status of current projects as of last Friday:

LOST CAUSE, Jake Ramsey #4 – COPYEDITING!

Only The Guilty –  Draft 5 – 100%

Only The Guilty –  Draft 6 – 70%

NEW UNTITLED LEGAL THRILLER NOVEL – Draft 1 – 80% – 85%.

WRITING UPDATE: Almost done with Draft Five of Only The Guilty!

Draft five of ONLY THE GUILTY is humming along! The picture today is a clue about where this story takes place and a key scene in the novel.

The word count for last week was approximately 5,000 words.

(Note: I write on a lot of different projects all at once. My weekly word count is for most projects, even though I don’t always include all of them in the weekly update breakdown below.)

Here is the status of current projects as of last Friday:

LOST CAUSE, Jake Ramsey #4 – DONE! MORE COMING VERY SOON!

Only The Guilty –  Draft 4 – 100%

Only The Guilty –  Draft 5 – 70%

NEW UNTITLED NOVEL – Draft 1 – 70 % – 75%.

WRITING UPDATE: Almost done with Draft Four of Only The Guilty!

Draft four of ONLY THE GUILTY is making some good progress! This case starts off with a double homicide and things spiral out of control from there. Our protagonist is a County Prosecutor with a troubled past.

The word count for last week was approximately 4,900 words.

(Note: I write on a lot of different projects all at once. My weekly word count is for most projects, even though I don’t always include all of them in the weekly update breakdown below.)

Here is the status of current projects as of last Friday:

LOST CAUSE, Jake Ramsey #4 – DONE! MORE COMING VERY SOON!

Only The Guilty –  Draft 4 – 88%

NEW UNTITLED NOVEL – Draft 1 – 65 % – 70%.

The picture above makes me think of a scene from the upcoming book ONLY THE GUILTY!

No Writing Update this week!

I took the week off last week, but I’m back this week, pluggin away on Only The Guilty!

WRITING UPDATE: Done with Draft Three and on to Draft Four!

I finished Draft Three of Only The Guilty last week, and started Draft Four.

It’s going great!

And just a reminder that the THE KILLER’S CLUB is featured as a daily deal on July 5, 2023 in the U.S. and Canada!

That’s today, so if haven’t yet read it, now it your chance!

The word count for last week was approximately 6,000 words.

(Note: I write on a lot of different projects all at once. My weekly word count is for most projects, even though I don’t always include all of them in the weekly update breakdown below.)

Here is the status of current projects as of last Friday:

LOST CAUSE, Jake Ramsey #4 – DONE! MORE COMING VERY SOON!

Only The Guilty –  Draft 3 – DONE!

Only The Guilty –  Draft 4 – 31%

NEW UNTITLED NOVEL – Draft 1 – 55 – 60%.

And a belated Happy Fourth of July!

The Killer’s Club Daily Deal

Just a reminder that The Killer’s Club will be the Amazon Daily Deal on July 5!

WRITING UPDATE: CHUGGING ALONG!

I almost finished Draft Three of Only The Guilty last week. The story is starting to become more cohesive and take shape. Every draft I add and take away, shifting things around until it makes sense to me.

I’m really excited about this one. This legal thriller is similar in tone to THE KILLER’S CLUB.

And speaking of THE KILLER’S CLUB, Amazon is going to be featuring it as a daily deal on July 6, 2023 in the U.S. and Canada!

If you haven’t yet picked this one up, now’s your chance to do so at a discount!

AND I’M FINALLY READY TO ANNOUNCE SOMETHING MORE ABOUT JAKE RAMSEY #4!

It will be titled:

LOST CAUSE

This one is taking a bit longer to get out than other books because I’m planning to launch a series refresh in conjunction with the new book, so stay tuned!

The word count for last week was approximately 6,400 words.

(Note: I write on a lot of different projects all at once. My weekly word count is for most projects, even though I don’t always include all of them in the weekly update breakdown below.)

Here is the status of current projects as of last Friday:

LOST CAUSE, Jake Ramsey #4 – DONE! MORE COMING VERY SOON!

Only The Guilty –  Draft 3 – 94%

NEW UNTITLED NOVEL – Draft 1 – 50%.

The picture above makes me think of Jake Ramsey #4, LOST CAUSE. More on that soon!

For Writers: Frustration, Pauses, & Momentum

Frustrated while writing?

From Neurosciencenews.com:

People can unlock their creative potential and reach new heights of achievement by embracing irritation and using it as a tool to inspire fresh ideas and methods. This assumption can lead to interesting implications for the application of potential strategy-based findings in practice, such as education, industry, and politics, particularly when creativity and innovation are necessary. Nevertheless, creativity tasks are rarely systematically compared, therefore, further research is required in this respect.

While experiencing dissatisfaction can be frustrating, it can also be a strong catalyst for invention and creativity. “To sum up, we must encounter unpleasant consequences, but if we handle them differently and turn them into a motivator for our persistence, we may unleash our creative potential,” said Khalil.

The art of the Pause is why AI won’t take your job?

From Publishers Weekly:

“You won’t be needing your studios any more in a year or two,” said the agent to me. “All my clients are going to be reading in their home studios.” That was three years ago, and lockdown had just started. But I needn’t have worried. Three years down the line, the Strathmore Studios are as busy as ever.

But now, apparently, I should be worrying about computers that can read using text-to-speech or TTS. It won’t be long, I’m told, before most audiobooks are generated by computer.

The lockdown did have an effect, but it wasn’t to remove the need for studios. It was to change the mix of work that we do. Over the last ten years or so it has become standard in the audiobook industry to recruit for lead titles readers who have made a name in film or television. Mid- or back-list books, which require a competent and effective reader but don’t demand the marketing clout of a “name” are indeed increasingly recorded in home studios, but our studios are occupied by authors and high-profile readers, both of whom need the convenience and support of a professional environment.

In the same way, I’m confident that studios like Strathmore will also survive the “threat” from TTS.

And:

I once asked the consummate audiobook reader, the late Andrew Sachs, how he approached reading. “I want the writer to be noticed, not me. It’s like the background music in a film. You shouldn’t notice it, but it should have an effect on you…. I use the pauses to indicate reaction. Audio is a sound medium, not a speech medium.”

Likewise, classical pianist Artur Schnabel was once asked what he thought was his particular skill. “I handle the notes no better than many pianists,” he replied. “But the pauses between the notes–ah, that is where the art resides.” And we all know the phrase “comic timing.”

TTS is almost universal now on devices that readers use for e-books, so given that enlightened publishers routinely unlock the TTS facility, there is far less problem of accessibility than a few years ago. There nevertheless remains a demand for academic audiobooks, and TTS may become the norm for these. But for storytelling and entertainment, I believe, our audiences will always want the added subtleties of human inflection.

Find ways to keep your writing momemtum going Photo by Andrea Leopardi on Unsplash

The importance of momentum to a writer can’t be understated.

I need to feel like I’m moving along. A good steady speed that doesn’t compromise quality is possible.

One way I keep the momentum going is to always write new words on a new project every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes.