One Good Cowboy has gotten a complete rewrite. In fact, I just might end up writing a blog post on my approach to it. I was really struggling--as I'm sure any of you regular readers can tell--so I scrapped everything I'd written so far (all twelve thousand words) and started over.
With dialogue.
I have all of the dialogue for the story written and I'm going in now to fill in the action parts. Once that's done, I'll start drafting, then editing. I'm still hoping to have it finished by the end of the month, but I'm not pushing it. I will, however, finish this story. I really like these characters and I really want to share the story. It feels like the start of something much bigger, too, so I want to see where it's going to take me.
Writing is hard. Sometimes it's frustrating. But it's worth it.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
On Writing: Be a Reader
"If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
You're a reader, right? If you're a writer, I certainly hope you are. Repeat after me: If I want to read it, I have to write it. That's how it works in fanfiction and that's how it works in the world of professional fiction. I imagine that's how it works in non-fiction, too, since Mark Coker had to write the Smashwords Style Guide. Whatever you're writing can be improved by simply making sure you write something you want to read.
After all, if you don't want to read it, why should anyone else?
After all, if you don't want to read it, why should anyone else?
Write the story you want to read.
I like quick romances, short horrors, and really involved science fiction. Sometimes I like character-driven urban fantasy. Oh, and I like zombies. I really, really like zombies. So those are the stories I try to write. Except for science fiction. I'm not very good at that. Yet.
Write the characters, situations, dialogue, and plots you want to read.
I have a soft spot for mouthy, selfish heroines like Scarlett O'Hara. I also like strong men who don't speak much. Oh, and funny guys like Wes Janson. Those are the characters I enjoy writing. I think we all can tell by now that I thoroughly enjoy writing sex scenes. I'm actually not a fan of dialogue, but I don't write anything I don't believe is as close to reality as I can get. I'll confess here to really liking dark, twisted plots and the simple ones that showcase characterization.
Write to elicit the emotions you want to feel or to make your readers feel.
My favorite way to feel when I read is to be mildly disgusted and fascinated at the same time. My second favorite is to be amused. For a long time, I didn't write anything that I didn't believe would create the first combination of emotions in my reader. I've since backed off, but I won't abandon it. Whatever it is I want to feel is what I try to make my reader feel.
Write to make the point you want to read.
For me, one of the easiest ways to stay focused on a story is to keep in mind the point I want to make. The point could be something simple, like "Get over yourself." Whatever it is, I want to tell a story and make a point. I guess by now you can tell that I use my writing as much to learn about myself as anything else. I like for the work I read to make me think and to teach me something new, even if it's supposed to be just mindless entertainment.
Write the summary that appeals to you.
I do not like summaries or synopses that feature questions. I try not to use them. I like for my summaries to provide as much information in as small a space as possible, so those are the ones I try to write.
Use yourself as your very first test audience.
If I don't like my story, I don't expect anyone else to, either. I'm my first critical reader.
I like quick romances, short horrors, and really involved science fiction. Sometimes I like character-driven urban fantasy. Oh, and I like zombies. I really, really like zombies. So those are the stories I try to write. Except for science fiction. I'm not very good at that. Yet.
Write the characters, situations, dialogue, and plots you want to read.
I have a soft spot for mouthy, selfish heroines like Scarlett O'Hara. I also like strong men who don't speak much. Oh, and funny guys like Wes Janson. Those are the characters I enjoy writing. I think we all can tell by now that I thoroughly enjoy writing sex scenes. I'm actually not a fan of dialogue, but I don't write anything I don't believe is as close to reality as I can get. I'll confess here to really liking dark, twisted plots and the simple ones that showcase characterization.
Write to elicit the emotions you want to feel or to make your readers feel.
My favorite way to feel when I read is to be mildly disgusted and fascinated at the same time. My second favorite is to be amused. For a long time, I didn't write anything that I didn't believe would create the first combination of emotions in my reader. I've since backed off, but I won't abandon it. Whatever it is I want to feel is what I try to make my reader feel.
Write to make the point you want to read.
For me, one of the easiest ways to stay focused on a story is to keep in mind the point I want to make. The point could be something simple, like "Get over yourself." Whatever it is, I want to tell a story and make a point. I guess by now you can tell that I use my writing as much to learn about myself as anything else. I like for the work I read to make me think and to teach me something new, even if it's supposed to be just mindless entertainment.
Write the summary that appeals to you.
I do not like summaries or synopses that feature questions. I try not to use them. I like for my summaries to provide as much information in as small a space as possible, so those are the ones I try to write.
Use yourself as your very first test audience.
If I don't like my story, I don't expect anyone else to, either. I'm my first critical reader.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Self-Publishing: What To Do With Reviews
Reviews are great no matter what kind of review they are. A review means that you connected with your reader on some level and they feel the need to tell other readers about their experience, whether good, bad, or ugly. I think any writer should be grateful for any review they receive.
But there have been too many examples of writers getting too personally involved with readers. I've pulled this example out before and I'll do it again: take a look at the comments section of Big Al's review of Jacqueline Howett's The Greek Seaman. This is a prime example of how not to behave. Anne Rice and Nora Roberts are both guilty of unprofessional behavior, and look at how long they've been involved in the publishing industry. It can happen to anyone.
Being conscious of your professional image is important, most especially to self-published authors. That consciousness extends to what we should do with reviews.
Positive Reviews
Bask in that warm glow of approval. In your marketing, point other readers in the direction of one or two of those reviews. Be grateful for your readers.
Critical Reviews (Positive or Negative)
Process the information. Determine the validity of the points. Make changes or ignore as necessary (remember, you're the writer; you have to feel good about your own work). Be grateful for your readers.
Negative Reviews
Remember that everyone has a different opinion and, unless the reviewer actually does attack you personally, a negative review isn't a personal attack. Determine if the review has any points you can use; if so, great, if not, ignore. Be grateful for your readers.
I don't think authors should engage with their readers without a direct invitation. Our work should stand for itself and we need to understand that once it's out there, it's open to criticism and that readers are entitled to their opinions and their privacy. Our readers deserve respect and they deserve their space in which to hold their discussions with other readers and leave their reviews for other readers free from author interference.
I also don't think that authors should discuss reviews publicly. Privately, have at it, say whatever you want--that's your private life. But I think a good policy is to just back off and let the work, the readers, and the reviews speak for themselves.
But there have been too many examples of writers getting too personally involved with readers. I've pulled this example out before and I'll do it again: take a look at the comments section of Big Al's review of Jacqueline Howett's The Greek Seaman. This is a prime example of how not to behave. Anne Rice and Nora Roberts are both guilty of unprofessional behavior, and look at how long they've been involved in the publishing industry. It can happen to anyone.
Being conscious of your professional image is important, most especially to self-published authors. That consciousness extends to what we should do with reviews.
Positive Reviews
Bask in that warm glow of approval. In your marketing, point other readers in the direction of one or two of those reviews. Be grateful for your readers.
Critical Reviews (Positive or Negative)
Process the information. Determine the validity of the points. Make changes or ignore as necessary (remember, you're the writer; you have to feel good about your own work). Be grateful for your readers.
Negative Reviews
Remember that everyone has a different opinion and, unless the reviewer actually does attack you personally, a negative review isn't a personal attack. Determine if the review has any points you can use; if so, great, if not, ignore. Be grateful for your readers.
I don't think authors should engage with their readers without a direct invitation. Our work should stand for itself and we need to understand that once it's out there, it's open to criticism and that readers are entitled to their opinions and their privacy. Our readers deserve respect and they deserve their space in which to hold their discussions with other readers and leave their reviews for other readers free from author interference.
I also don't think that authors should discuss reviews publicly. Privately, have at it, say whatever you want--that's your private life. But I think a good policy is to just back off and let the work, the readers, and the reviews speak for themselves.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday Miscellany: Rewriting, Shopping, Coming Up
I'm almost done rewriting One Good Cowboy. Well, I'm almost done with the action draft part of the rewriting. I think the story I'm going to end up with is much better than the story I had. I'm making progress, but it's so weird to be hacking it apart and piecing it back together. I feel like Dr. Frankenstein or something.
Over the weekend, I went window shopping. I plan to buy a new laptop in a couple of weeks and the online offerings have been quite dismal since so few models are available for APO shipping. I feel like I lucked out, though, because the exchange on post has a laptop that fits all of my needs for only $9 over the low end of my budget. That is so exciting. Now I can't wait to make the purchase!
This week I really am going to get up that blog post about writing like a reader. I have a few other subjects waiting in draft mode here in Blogger and in a notebook, but I'm not sure which ones I'm going to pick. I might steal an idea from Chuck Wendig and write about creating a best practices list. Who knows? Not me. I'm living dangerously this week.
Over the weekend, I went window shopping. I plan to buy a new laptop in a couple of weeks and the online offerings have been quite dismal since so few models are available for APO shipping. I feel like I lucked out, though, because the exchange on post has a laptop that fits all of my needs for only $9 over the low end of my budget. That is so exciting. Now I can't wait to make the purchase!
This week I really am going to get up that blog post about writing like a reader. I have a few other subjects waiting in draft mode here in Blogger and in a notebook, but I'm not sure which ones I'm going to pick. I might steal an idea from Chuck Wendig and write about creating a best practices list. Who knows? Not me. I'm living dangerously this week.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Blog Roundup: January 9 - 15, 2012
Chuck Wendig had two good posts this week: 25 Things Writers Should Know About Finding Their Voice and How to Self-Publish So It Benefits Readers.
Roni Loren's blog is a veritable treasure trove of good posts. This guest post is 5 Narrative Mistakes You Can Fix Now, this post is about the etiquette of guest blogging, and this is her Fill-Me-In-Friday post.
Laura E. Bradford offered these resources and recommendations for new writers.
Imran Siddiq wrote about his process and included a pretty specific timeline.
James Killick posted about How to Make Good Writing Great.
Over at Keystrokes and Word Counts, it looks like a new post series is starting. The first seems to be Adventures in Promoland: Giveaways.
Paperback Writer shared this interesting post, Collecting Characters.
Agent Kristin over at Pub Rants wrote about the need to keep an eye on conversation in your story.
R. S. Guthrie posted about taking the plunge, joining the Dark Side, and signing up for KDP Select.
It looks like Aimee Salter is starting a new post series, too, this one on self-editing. The first post is here.
Sierra Godfrey posted her Google Reader Roundup.
Roni Loren's blog is a veritable treasure trove of good posts. This guest post is 5 Narrative Mistakes You Can Fix Now, this post is about the etiquette of guest blogging, and this is her Fill-Me-In-Friday post.
Laura E. Bradford offered these resources and recommendations for new writers.
Imran Siddiq wrote about his process and included a pretty specific timeline.
James Killick posted about How to Make Good Writing Great.
Over at Keystrokes and Word Counts, it looks like a new post series is starting. The first seems to be Adventures in Promoland: Giveaways.
Paperback Writer shared this interesting post, Collecting Characters.
Agent Kristin over at Pub Rants wrote about the need to keep an eye on conversation in your story.
R. S. Guthrie posted about taking the plunge, joining the Dark Side, and signing up for KDP Select.
It looks like Aimee Salter is starting a new post series, too, this one on self-editing. The first post is here.
Sierra Godfrey posted her Google Reader Roundup.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
SitRep Saturday: Rewriting, Deadlines, Blogging, Zombies
One Good Cowboy needs some rewrites and a lot more attention to detail. I was pretty upset with myself, but I'm not going to rush this story. My characters are turning out to be more interesting than I initially thought they would be so I'm going to give them a chance to do their thing. My (ambitious) deadline of January 17 has been pushed way back to January 31. I'm still secretly hopeful that I'll have it done in the next week or so, but I won't hold my breath and I won't stress.
I've sent off my questions to author A. M. Belrose and I've started making my notes on my review of her book. I will at least have that done soonish!
As for zombies, I think you should expect to see them from me in the near future. I love zombies and in rewriting a (joke) ending for Cowboy, I had an idea for an anti-Valentine's story that made me laugh like a crazy lady. Anything that makes me laugh like that is totally worth pursuing.
I've sent off my questions to author A. M. Belrose and I've started making my notes on my review of her book. I will at least have that done soonish!
As for zombies, I think you should expect to see them from me in the near future. I love zombies and in rewriting a (joke) ending for Cowboy, I had an idea for an anti-Valentine's story that made me laugh like a crazy lady. Anything that makes me laugh like that is totally worth pursuing.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Just For Fun Friday: 10 Things to Make You Feel Good
Today, I offer a break from the professional in order to share the personal. If you've read my tweets this week you already know that I've had a pretty crappy time of it over the last five days. It's just the little things, like having an incredibly unusual case of the Mondays followed by a whole slew of tiny little annoyances that snowballed into something awful and resulted in me refusing to do anything productive at all. Ever have one of those weeks? Of course you have. We all have.
In the last few years, I've had to cope with things like my husband's year-long deployment and postpartum depression. What I've learned is that the little things can suck, but they can not-suck, too. In fact, the little things can make your day and remind you that it's all going to be okay.
So here are some of the little things that help me remember that it's all going to be okay.
1. "The World Is Just Awesome" Discovery Channel commercial. (Version 1)
2. "The World Is Just Awesome" Discovery Channel commercial. (Version 2)
3. Dance Off with the Star Wars Stars (2008)
4. Dance Off with the Star Wars Stars (2009)
5. Boba Fett Dancing
6. Pictures of Tim Armstrong from Rancid
7. Mike Rowe and Geoducks
Monday, January 9, 2012
Monday Miscellany: Sales Question and Plans for Writing and Blogging
Every few days, I get a surge in sales. This happened when Cowboy was first starting to take off and it slowed during the holiday season, but I've noticed that since the first of the year, sales will be steady for a few days and then I'll see a daily surge of roughly an extra 30% or so. Does anyone else see this? My assumption, based on the time that passes and the original numbers as I watched them, is that readers are telling their friends. I don't know. I don't dwell because thinking too much about it would make me crazy (for example, if I think about how much I want to know why readers return books, I start feeling like I'm going to die of curiosity), but it does make me curious.
This week, I plan (read: desperately hope) to finish One Good Cowboy. I have a couple of blog posts on editing and one on writing like a reader waiting in draft mode.
A. M. Belrose, the lovely author of Witch in Wolf's Clothing, has graciously agreed to an author interview, so I need to work up questions for her and send them off. Expect to see an interview and a book review sometime in the next few weeks. (But by all means, go buy her book if you're interested, it's worth it.) I have another guest post lined up for the coming weeks, another one by graphic designer and artist Kelsey McCarthy. She's going to help me with a week all about book covers and design.
Basically what I'm saying is that though this week looks kind of bleak, the month of January as a whole is pretty exciting.
This week, I plan (read: desperately hope) to finish One Good Cowboy. I have a couple of blog posts on editing and one on writing like a reader waiting in draft mode.
A. M. Belrose, the lovely author of Witch in Wolf's Clothing, has graciously agreed to an author interview, so I need to work up questions for her and send them off. Expect to see an interview and a book review sometime in the next few weeks. (But by all means, go buy her book if you're interested, it's worth it.) I have another guest post lined up for the coming weeks, another one by graphic designer and artist Kelsey McCarthy. She's going to help me with a week all about book covers and design.
Basically what I'm saying is that though this week looks kind of bleak, the month of January as a whole is pretty exciting.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Blog Roundup: January 2 - 8, 2012
Chuck Wendig shared 25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing.
Greta van der Rol wrote about how writers can use every experience they have and how research supplements what you know.
Roni Loren has a nice link roundup post called Fill-Me-In Friday.
This week, I discovered A Writer's Notes. It's a pretty good blog, definitely worth adding to your blogroll.
Fonts and Fiction had an interesting post on where new writers begin.
Keystrokes and Word Counts had two good posts last week, one on serialized writing and one on choices writers would make if we could.
Sirra offered "3 Types of Dialogues and 2 Types of Tags."
On the same day, Stella Deleuze wrote about the "minefield" of e-book pricing.
Greta van der Rol wrote about how writers can use every experience they have and how research supplements what you know.
Roni Loren has a nice link roundup post called Fill-Me-In Friday.
This week, I discovered A Writer's Notes. It's a pretty good blog, definitely worth adding to your blogroll.
Fonts and Fiction had an interesting post on where new writers begin.
Keystrokes and Word Counts had two good posts last week, one on serialized writing and one on choices writers would make if we could.
Sirra offered "3 Types of Dialogues and 2 Types of Tags."
On the same day, Stella Deleuze wrote about the "minefield" of e-book pricing.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
SitRep Saturday: Cowboys and Sex Writers
I've made little progress on One Good Cowboy this week, mostly because I was having a very difficult time focusing. I'm up to about 60% through the final edit, but still, that is hardly the 100% I hoped to have completed.
At least I was somewhat productive while I was slacking. I have February's story titled, summarized, and action-drafted. When I'm not working on editing Cowboy, I'm working on the new one. I've even gone to look at cover images.
So not the best progress, but progress nonetheless.
At least I was somewhat productive while I was slacking. I have February's story titled, summarized, and action-drafted. When I'm not working on editing Cowboy, I'm working on the new one. I've even gone to look at cover images.
So not the best progress, but progress nonetheless.
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