Heyeah!
Been awhile, let's jump right in.
I've recently received some respectable royalty checks from Amazon.com for sales from my book and short stories. I'm no Joe Millionaire just yet, but it feels good to see some measurable monetary results. Far more rewarding than those are the positive reviews and high compliments from friends, family, and acquaintances! It is extremely motivating to have my book compared to this book or that book, and in some cases, to even have the reader like mine better! It feels good, ok? It is is nice to feel some validation for my many hours of literary labor. The result of these minor successes is a renewed desire to continue writing.
I must say that my lofty goal of 750 words most days of the week for 2012 is quite difficult to achieve. In fact, I'll admit that I haven't been completely consistent. But I must add that having such a goal hanging over me has created a sense of accountability, and the result is that I have been writing! I've written three short stories since January 1st, and have completed the first five chapters for Brenden Swift, Book 2! Even partially achieving a goal is better than never setting goals in the first place.
Last thing to mention, I met a fellow author over the weekend who has written multiple books, who recently had an agent who was pretty big-time in the Hollywood scene, and who is also interested in self-publishing like me. I'm expecting a call from him soon to discuss the ins and outs of self-publishing. It was a cool experience. If you write, I strongly suggest finding other authors out there who share the same dream as you do. Meeting and talking with him was a bit like the Black Plague, but in a good way. I think we infected each other with our aspirations to write, to get published, and then write some more. It really helps when two can share their experiences. After all, writers desire to be listened to. Even those who never show their work to another soul. They long to have their work recognized, though fear precludes them from any hope of achievement and self validation.
December 30, 2011
New Years Resolution to Write like a Crazy Person who Plans to Write A Lot
For those of you who have read my book, Brenden Swift and the Vulgren's Curse, and are dying to know what happens next, I've made a New Years resolution. For those of you who also write, I encourage you to do the same. What is the resolution?
To write 750 words a day, everyday (or at least 5 days a week) and to complete and publish 2 books by this time next year.
A lofty goal? Maybe. Doable? Absolutely. 750 words a day equals a completed manuscript in under 4 months! My first book was 71,000 words. AT 750 words a day, I could have written the book in 95 days. That's 3 months people! 2 books a year? NO PROBLEM.
Now, to the question that burns in my brain. What book do I write?
I'm trying to decide between Brenden Swift, Book 2, and the beginning of a new modern day series that follows the life of a very special girl. We'll call her Mallory for now, but that's all you get to know for now...
Maybe I'll write one book for each series, maybe I'll write 2 more books in the Brenden Swift Series. Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know!
Joe
To write 750 words a day, everyday (or at least 5 days a week) and to complete and publish 2 books by this time next year.
A lofty goal? Maybe. Doable? Absolutely. 750 words a day equals a completed manuscript in under 4 months! My first book was 71,000 words. AT 750 words a day, I could have written the book in 95 days. That's 3 months people! 2 books a year? NO PROBLEM.
Now, to the question that burns in my brain. What book do I write?
I'm trying to decide between Brenden Swift, Book 2, and the beginning of a new modern day series that follows the life of a very special girl. We'll call her Mallory for now, but that's all you get to know for now...
Maybe I'll write one book for each series, maybe I'll write 2 more books in the Brenden Swift Series. Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know!
Joe
December 14, 2011
So I Published my Book Today
If you're a friend or acquaintance, or somehow accidentally found your way into my Google Contacts list, then you've likely heard the good news. I published my book today. Brenden Swift and the Vulgren's Curse (Book 1). There it is, over on the right. Look for the cover art with the big scary claws. --------->
It's a weird feeling to publish a first book, that's about all I know right now. . .
There's elation at having completed an arduous project, a little fear that all that work may have resulted in something people will think is subpar, and a third feeling that doesn't really have a word to describe it. It's a like an invisible burden has been removed from my back, yet a burden that I wasn't quite ready to relinquish. There was a measure of comfort in saying, "I'm working on a book." Now that it's out there, I'm perhaps suffering from a kind of literary post partem depression. Depression is too serious of a word for the indescribable feeling that is slogging through my brain, but there is, strangely a sense of an indeterminate, though significant amount of loss.
I'm gearing up for a big writing year in 2012. My goal is two shorter books by this time next year, published to the Kindle and Nook. 750 words a night, 5 to 7 days a week. Should only take 3 or 4 months per book, but I'll need some padding, no doubt. I learned that with the first book.
I'm happy to answer any questions about self publishing. Drop me a line or a comment.
It's a weird feeling to publish a first book, that's about all I know right now. . .
There's elation at having completed an arduous project, a little fear that all that work may have resulted in something people will think is subpar, and a third feeling that doesn't really have a word to describe it. It's a like an invisible burden has been removed from my back, yet a burden that I wasn't quite ready to relinquish. There was a measure of comfort in saying, "I'm working on a book." Now that it's out there, I'm perhaps suffering from a kind of literary post partem depression. Depression is too serious of a word for the indescribable feeling that is slogging through my brain, but there is, strangely a sense of an indeterminate, though significant amount of loss.
I'm gearing up for a big writing year in 2012. My goal is two shorter books by this time next year, published to the Kindle and Nook. 750 words a night, 5 to 7 days a week. Should only take 3 or 4 months per book, but I'll need some padding, no doubt. I learned that with the first book.
I'm happy to answer any questions about self publishing. Drop me a line or a comment.
November 14, 2011
November 13, 2011
Self Publishing Journal Entry #1
So I'm a week or two away from self-publishing my first full length novel in the YA fiction genre, and it's a lot of work. The writing's been done for along time, but there's so much more to it. The self editing, read through, professional editing, approving changes, designing the book cover, layout, finding an artist, finding the right self publishing company, formatting everything perfectly for a print version, the Kindle, the Nook etc...
But now I'm here, ready to go to print, and am gearing up for a bit of a marketing campaign. I'm fairly certain that there are a million fifth graders out there that would really dig my book, but how do I get a book into their little hands? Facebook? Twitter? Mass email to friends and family? After the initial burst of sales to my acquaintances, what do I do? Well, I don't exactly know yet, but I"m starting with book signings at the local stores and local elementary schools. This article isn't about preaching to you about how to do it, but more of a Star Trek Captain's log of what and how I'm doing the whole self publishing thing.
Oh, here's a prototype of the cover:
The one thing I do know, it's been fun, exciting, and a bit frightening. There is exhilaration from a fear of the unknown, and a fear of not succeeding... I'm trying hard to remember that at the very least, I've learned a lot about myself, and, if anyone ever asks at a cocktail party, I can now say, "Why yes, I've have written a book!" :)
But now I'm here, ready to go to print, and am gearing up for a bit of a marketing campaign. I'm fairly certain that there are a million fifth graders out there that would really dig my book, but how do I get a book into their little hands? Facebook? Twitter? Mass email to friends and family? After the initial burst of sales to my acquaintances, what do I do? Well, I don't exactly know yet, but I"m starting with book signings at the local stores and local elementary schools. This article isn't about preaching to you about how to do it, but more of a Star Trek Captain's log of what and how I'm doing the whole self publishing thing.
Oh, here's a prototype of the cover:
The one thing I do know, it's been fun, exciting, and a bit frightening. There is exhilaration from a fear of the unknown, and a fear of not succeeding... I'm trying hard to remember that at the very least, I've learned a lot about myself, and, if anyone ever asks at a cocktail party, I can now say, "Why yes, I've have written a book!" :)
April 21, 2011
Write What you Know? Part 2: Setting
What do I Know About Setting?
So you never fought in the war between orcs and humans. That doesn't mean that you can't incorporate your personal experience into that wonderful made up world you've created. Memories of the small town in which you grew up or the apartment in which you currently dwell can provide all you need to create a palpable setting that your reader can touch, smell, see and touch. Have you ever lived in an apartment that was sweltering during the summer months? Remember how you felt? Frustrated? Helpless against the merciless dry heat that was forcing your skin to regurgitate its moisture in futility? Use those feelings and thoughts to describe the heat your character feels as he crosses the Mojave desert in search of buried treasure. The lonely midnight walk to your car in that shady parking lot can lend invaluable pieces as you construct a dank cave in which your characters become lost. Dark is dark, whether you are creeping through the echoing concrete halls of a parking structure, or barely surviving in the belly of a man eating whale. The feelings are the same; lonely, helpless, vulnerable. Search your memories for the feelings you want to communicate and use them to your advantage.
Trust that What you Know isn't Stupid
Look at the lives of some of the bigtime authors before they made it big. Stephen King was relatively poor and teaching creative writing in college when Carrie made him a wealthy man. J.K. Rowling was hanging out in coffee shops, struggling to make ends meat when Harry Potter was born. However, they were able to create wonderful characters with real, believable relationships in otherworldly settings. You have the experiences necessary to write compelling settings. Trust yourself and what you know. You have experienced enough to write fiction, even if an autobiography is out of the question. We can't all be Lady Gaga...
April 12, 2011
Write What you Know? Thanks for Helpful Cliche... Part 1
What do I Know?
If you write, and if you talk to those who write, you've likely asked them for advice, and have probably been told to "write what you know." There is a problem with this overused, yet valuable suggestion. The biggest problem is how you, a new, talented, but not too confident writer will interpret this advice. Write what I know? What the heck do I know? Hmmm, let me think...
I know that I have a degree in computer science and most recently a law degree. Does that mean I should only write stories about a thirty-something who works on computers and reads law books? Does that mean I can't write something in the fantasy genre since I didn't grow up as an orc in Mordor? Should I only write from a male perspective? I grew up in Montana, does that mean it would be against the writer's code to set my story in Italy? The answers to these questions is: "Do whatever the heck you want." The trick is to insert your personal life experiences into the story, even though you might be writing from the perspective of a rabid dog in Castle Rock, Maine.
Writing what you Know into the Characters and Relationships you Create
How can you write what you know into a fantasy novel where your protagonist is the captain of a magical flying sailboat that can teleport to any planet in the universe you've created? I believe the trick to writing what you know lies largely in the relationships you create. It's true you are creating fictitious contraptions, or even new words or made up places in your story, but your characters have real human traits (fear, anger, love, curiosity etc) that you communicate through your writing. Any writer can look at their own lives and remember good times with friends, arguments with enemies, and how you felt as you experienced them first hand. You can insert those real experiences into your made up world to add genuine realism to the way your characters relate to each other. Maybe its a nickname you hated as a grade schooler. It's these seemingly mundane things that can help to make your story feel real. Why? because at one time or another, everybody has been called a name they didn't like. Trust me, everybody can relate to YOUR experiences.
Perhaps you want to write from the point of view of a villain. You can take your own experiences with a bully from your past, right down to the heated words that were exchanged. Sure, YOU will know exactly where the dialogue came from, but your reader who has already trusted your writing enough to spend time reading it will personally identify with it, because we've all had similar experiences in our past. Even though you may not be a villain in real life, you've seen bad things, and have probably experienced a few of them too. Find a way to channel these bad experiences into your next villain. The reader will, in most cases see the truth in your writing and will trust you as you take them wherever you want to go.
Trust in the Value of Your Personal Experiences
Have you ever heard someone say, "That movie was ok, but the book was so much better." Was the book really that much better? Yes! Why? Because writing allows the reader to create the images for themselves, which gives them a stake in your story. As writers, we have the greatest liberty to take our readers to places more exciting than those which can be created in front of a camera and a green-screen. I'm convinced this is why some good writer's books don't translate well to movies. You simply can't beat the written word, and your reader is already on your side because you set their imaginations free. Knowing this, don't be afraid to use your life experience to add unadulterated realism to your story, no matter what the story is about.
- Joe
Follow me on Twitter! and Check out my Stories!
If you write, and if you talk to those who write, you've likely asked them for advice, and have probably been told to "write what you know." There is a problem with this overused, yet valuable suggestion. The biggest problem is how you, a new, talented, but not too confident writer will interpret this advice. Write what I know? What the heck do I know? Hmmm, let me think...
I know that I have a degree in computer science and most recently a law degree. Does that mean I should only write stories about a thirty-something who works on computers and reads law books? Does that mean I can't write something in the fantasy genre since I didn't grow up as an orc in Mordor? Should I only write from a male perspective? I grew up in Montana, does that mean it would be against the writer's code to set my story in Italy? The answers to these questions is: "Do whatever the heck you want." The trick is to insert your personal life experiences into the story, even though you might be writing from the perspective of a rabid dog in Castle Rock, Maine.
Writing what you Know into the Characters and Relationships you Create
How can you write what you know into a fantasy novel where your protagonist is the captain of a magical flying sailboat that can teleport to any planet in the universe you've created? I believe the trick to writing what you know lies largely in the relationships you create. It's true you are creating fictitious contraptions, or even new words or made up places in your story, but your characters have real human traits (fear, anger, love, curiosity etc) that you communicate through your writing. Any writer can look at their own lives and remember good times with friends, arguments with enemies, and how you felt as you experienced them first hand. You can insert those real experiences into your made up world to add genuine realism to the way your characters relate to each other. Maybe its a nickname you hated as a grade schooler. It's these seemingly mundane things that can help to make your story feel real. Why? because at one time or another, everybody has been called a name they didn't like. Trust me, everybody can relate to YOUR experiences.
Perhaps you want to write from the point of view of a villain. You can take your own experiences with a bully from your past, right down to the heated words that were exchanged. Sure, YOU will know exactly where the dialogue came from, but your reader who has already trusted your writing enough to spend time reading it will personally identify with it, because we've all had similar experiences in our past. Even though you may not be a villain in real life, you've seen bad things, and have probably experienced a few of them too. Find a way to channel these bad experiences into your next villain. The reader will, in most cases see the truth in your writing and will trust you as you take them wherever you want to go.
Trust in the Value of Your Personal Experiences
Have you ever heard someone say, "That movie was ok, but the book was so much better." Was the book really that much better? Yes! Why? Because writing allows the reader to create the images for themselves, which gives them a stake in your story. As writers, we have the greatest liberty to take our readers to places more exciting than those which can be created in front of a camera and a green-screen. I'm convinced this is why some good writer's books don't translate well to movies. You simply can't beat the written word, and your reader is already on your side because you set their imaginations free. Knowing this, don't be afraid to use your life experience to add unadulterated realism to your story, no matter what the story is about.
- Joe
Follow me on Twitter! and Check out my Stories!
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