Writing Is Rewriting...or Re-blogging
I just rebooted my blog, renaming it "Work in Progress: random musings from a writer struggling to become an author." In terms of truth in advertising, I think this is a better fit.
For years, I only wrote short fiction, the writer's form of instant gratification, especially when compared to the daunting effort of tackling a full-length novel. I enjoyed it immensely. But if brevity is the soul of wit, then my wit's soul took a leave of absence (or my wit joined the ranks of the undead). I always struggled to cut my short stories down to the target markets' word length maximums. So I decided to take the plunge and try a novel.
I learned a lot from that effort. First, like so many other endeavors in my life, I was reminded that very few people get something right on the first try. I put my heart into the story, but, in hindsight, I see many things I wish I had done differently. Aquarius Rising: In the Tears of God was always intended to be Book 1 of a trilogy. I just finished the first draft of Book 2, "Blood Tide," and I think it benefited from the hard lessons learned while writing Book 1. We'll see what readers think.
Second, I learned that marketing and promotion of a novel is as hard as (or harder than!) writing it. There are more than a million new books released every year now, with the advent of eBooks and self-publishing. So getting that first novel on the virtual shelves of Amazon, Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo is really not that different from slipping it into another slush pile. How do you get readers to notice you amid all the online noise? Still haven't figured that one out. Although one piece of advice from an author I admire really resonates with me: "If you want to sell more books, write more books." That makes sense on many levels: more exposure, hopefully some repeat business, and continued progress at polishing one's craft.
So this re-titled blog renews my commitment. I'll keep writing books, keep putting them out there, keep trying to learn from the review comments (good, bad, and ugly). Most of all, I'll keep making progress toward becoming the writer I'd like to be. And if a few readers along the way can honestly say "hey, that was cool, I enjoyed that," then all the effort will be worth it!
For years, I only wrote short fiction, the writer's form of instant gratification, especially when compared to the daunting effort of tackling a full-length novel. I enjoyed it immensely. But if brevity is the soul of wit, then my wit's soul took a leave of absence (or my wit joined the ranks of the undead). I always struggled to cut my short stories down to the target markets' word length maximums. So I decided to take the plunge and try a novel.
I learned a lot from that effort. First, like so many other endeavors in my life, I was reminded that very few people get something right on the first try. I put my heart into the story, but, in hindsight, I see many things I wish I had done differently. Aquarius Rising: In the Tears of God was always intended to be Book 1 of a trilogy. I just finished the first draft of Book 2, "Blood Tide," and I think it benefited from the hard lessons learned while writing Book 1. We'll see what readers think.
Second, I learned that marketing and promotion of a novel is as hard as (or harder than!) writing it. There are more than a million new books released every year now, with the advent of eBooks and self-publishing. So getting that first novel on the virtual shelves of Amazon, Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo is really not that different from slipping it into another slush pile. How do you get readers to notice you amid all the online noise? Still haven't figured that one out. Although one piece of advice from an author I admire really resonates with me: "If you want to sell more books, write more books." That makes sense on many levels: more exposure, hopefully some repeat business, and continued progress at polishing one's craft.
So this re-titled blog renews my commitment. I'll keep writing books, keep putting them out there, keep trying to learn from the review comments (good, bad, and ugly). Most of all, I'll keep making progress toward becoming the writer I'd like to be. And if a few readers along the way can honestly say "hey, that was cool, I enjoyed that," then all the effort will be worth it!
#SFWApro
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Work in Progress
Random musings from a writer struggling to become an author.
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