Tag Archives: writer

Writing Wednesday – Get Published

21 Thursday Jan 2016

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Last Week’s WW: Resolutions

aLTCOVER

See that cover?  It’s got my fella‘s name on it.  This will be the first thing that he’s published, and I’m very proud of him.  But I didn’t just come here to brag.  I came to offer a little advice: Publish!

It’s not an easy thing to do.  Emotionally, any way.  Publishing a work means letting it go.  It’s putting it out into the world, hoping no one hates it, but accepting the possibility that they might, and being okay with it.  It’s understanding that something you created isn’t yours anymore.  It’s splitting open your chest and placing it’s contents out for all the world to see.  It’s you at your most vulnerable.

It’s also you at your strongest.  It’s showing the world and yourself what you can do.  It’s proving that you’ve created something from nothing.  It’s wearing your iron armor and walking otherwise naked into the streets.  You’re strutting your stuff, and you want everyone to look.

Okay, fine, we’re bleeding and naked and we feel okay about it, hopefully.  It still doesn’t answer the question: How do I publish? Continue reading →

Mention Monday – Author Meet-Up

25 Tuesday Aug 2015

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Last MM: Future Chronicles

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Hugh Howey is one of my favorite writers and has been a great influence on my career.  Early last month, I had the opportunity to meet him.  A lot of indie authors like to do something called “meet ups”.  You see this sometimes on the Kboards or on a particular author’s Facebook page.  Sometimes, if you have online author friends, and they happen to be in the area for a book signing, or in Hugh’s case, Comic Con, they might just put out a call for anyone who is around to come and meet them.  Hugh even brought donuts.

I made the 3 hour drive (should have only been 2, but Comic Con traffic) down to San Diego to meet him.  His hotel, where he was hosting the morning meet up, was literally next door to the convention center.  Since I was there primarily to see Hugh, I got to park at the hotel and it turned out that it didn’t cost me a thing.  I found Hugh and a few other authors and fans sitting at a table in the cafe area near the pool.  I was surprised to see that there was only maybe ten people in attendance.  Which is ironic when you consider how many people were literally lined up to see him next door.

He talked about writing and his process.  He talked about how he puts a lot of importance on theme and how, even though the specific ideas that influence his story may not be what’s in the story, it’s what the story is about.  I was actually a little surprised to learn what Sand and Wool were really about.  It’s been almost 2 months, so I don’t want to paraphrase and mix up his message.  But they go a lot deeper than just dystopian scifi.

He was very open and invited questions, be them about writing, publishing, or his books in general.  He invited those of us who were authors to let everyone there know about our works.

I actually managed to speak.  More than a couple words.  I even jumped into the conversation from time to time and started a couple.  I was proud of myself.  I messaged Hugh after and thanked him for the meetup.  He was nice enough to write back to me and tell me that it was nice to meet me.

Honestly, that Saturday in July was one of the best days of my life.  I got to meet Hugh Howey, which was a big deal for me, I went to Comic Con (more about that next week), I enjoyed San Diego, and, it was just a perfect day.  Well, almost.  I could have gotten a better pic, lol. 🙂

 

Updates

17 Monday Aug 2015

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As you may have noticed, I’ve been having trouble keeping up with my blog the past few months.  It’s like all my motivation just drained from me and left me a tired shell.  I think I can pinpoint most of this feeling to an exciting contract that I had that fell through.  It put me in a funk, and it’s been a tremendous fight to try to get over it.  It might be slow, but I am trying.

Last month I wrote two 10,000 word short stories.  See?  I’m doing stuff.  This month, well, I haven’t written much.  The first of those stories will be in The Future Chronicles, a special edition of the series.  The other story I’m shopping around.  I might even turn it into a novel some day.  Do you like Space Murder Mysteries?  I hope so.

I’ve been getting back into the swing of things with my Mention Monday.  I actually had an amazing month last month, and have a bunch of things to mention.  I just need to start setting an alarm or something so I remember that Monday is Monday.  Too often I find myself realizing on Tuesday that Monday is gone.  Not that I strictly have to stick to alliteration, but I think it’s a good structure to stick with.  I’m thinking that I might bring back Serial Sunday.  I don’t want to over-promise, and I don’t know exactly when I’ll start, but it’s something I want to do.  What will the new Serial Sunday be about?  I’m planning for it to be a companion to Otherworlders.  If you are subscribed to my mailing list, then you probably got a little bonus scene featuring the character Chase.  He was important to the story, and originally had a lot more air time, but a bunch of his story got cut out in the editing process as his character got redefined.  Some people had mentioned that they didn’t feel like they got to know him very well in the novel.  Therefore, I’m planning to create Otherworlders: The Chase Chronicles.  It’ll be an ongoing feature on my blog that explores all the things Chase was doing during the book.  How’d he react when the Otherworlders arrived?  How’d he wind up in the military?  What’d he do when he left Tomas and Samantha?  Who are these contacts he has?  What other missions did he go on?  He freed a lot of people and escaped the government a couple times, and we didn’t get to see all that much of it.  And what really happened between him and Kara during their time together?  And if you think this companion series is a hint that there may be more Otherworlders to come, you might be right. 🙂  Just to warn you, though, it probably won’t happen very fast.  At some point, once The Chase Chronicles is finished, I plan to collect it and put it on Amazon.

I also want to bring back Writing Wednesday, and hopefully at some point, if I can find the energy and muses, Flash Fiction Friday.

So bear with me, I’m still at it, just at a little slower pace.  Thank you for reading my work and following my blog!  I’m grateful for every single one of you.

 

ThunderClap

04 Saturday Jul 2015

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Hey all,

So I’ve decided to try out this ThunderClap thing.  I ran across it a few months ago, and since then, I’ve seen it used by a few different authors.  I’m not sure about its effectiveness, but I understand the basis of it.  What happens is that people sign up, by which I mean that they agree to either Facebook post or Tweet or Tumbler the person’s message on they day they want it shared.  By sharing it in mass, it is visible to more people and gets more exposure in a concentrated time frame.  Once you agree to share, the share happens automatically on the day of.  I figured the next sale of Otherworlders would be the perfect time to try a thunderclap.

thunderclap
The only downside I’ve seen so far is that if you don’t want to pay for the service, then you have to amass at least 100 supporters.  That said, if you could support the campaign, I’d really appreciate your help!

Thanks!!

Mention Monday – 31st Annual Writers of the Future Awards Ceremony

28 Tuesday Apr 2015

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Last Week’s MM – Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi

A couple weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to go to the 31st Annual Writers of the Future Awards Ceremony.  Just like the year before, it was very entertaining and inspiring.  Although, about 3/4 of the way through I was ready for it to be over.  It gets repetitive and that room was chilly.

This year they gave Tom Doherty of Tor a Lifetime Achievement Award.

And the Keynotes speaker was William Pomerantz from Virgin Galactic.

 

They also had singers, dancers, aerialists, video presentations… It was really nice to see writing celebrated.

Afterwards, Continue reading →

Writing Wednesday – Deadlines

16 Thursday Apr 2015

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Last WW: The All Important First Draft 

Love them or hate them, at some point, you will have a deadline.  Maybe it’ll come from a publisher, or maybe it’ll be self-imposed.  Either way, sooner or later, it’s something every writer must face.

Why we hate them:

  • Deadlines are scary.  Many writers feel like they have to be in the mood to write, that a muse takes hold of them and lets the words flow.  I know I write my best when I’m writing because there’s an idea inside of me that simply must come out.  Sometimes, however, we have to find other things to motivate us.  Deadlines are one such thing.
  • It feels awful to miss it.  In many cases, it’s not the end of the world if you miss a deadline.  If it’s a contest, yeah, you’re probably in trouble.  But in most situations, the person who gave you that deadline will be lenient.  Unless that person is yourself.  When I give myself a deadline and I blow it, I’m really angry with myself.  It sort of destroys me and I have to take a few days to recover, which often pushes me even further off course.

Why we should love them:

  • They speed things up.  It’s great to write when the inspiration takes you.  But if you only write when it does, then it could be years, if not decades, before your book is finished.
  • They’re necessary.  If you go traditional, expect a lot of deadlines.  But they’re equally important if you’re indie, and for the same reasons.  It allows you to plan for marketing and promotions.  It enables you to give your readers answers, and they are usually a hungry bunch eager for your next book to come out.  It lets you know when you need to buckle down, and when you need to crack the whip.
  • It’s professional.  Going from Writer to Author requires a lot of follow through.  If you want readers to stick with you, they have to know that they can trust you.  This means making plans, like deadlines, and delivering on them.

They’re are many more reasons why deadlines are both good and bad.  In the end, I believe that they are a good thing.  For example, I have a story due on Friday.  While I am a bit of a procrastinator, I’ve been working on it.  It’s actually already gone through two drafts, and I’m finishing the third, which is more of a rewrite than anything.  There’s a lot that I need to do on it between now and then.  But rather than spending all day tomorrow watching reruns or movies, I’ll be butt in chair and working.  Why?  Because I have a deadline to keep.

Writing Wednesday – The All Important First Draft

09 Thursday Apr 2015

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Last WW: The Tortise and the Hare

I’ve talked before about how it’s important that you complete more than one draft.  I just finished up a short story that I have for the upcoming The Z Chronicles, and learned this lesson all over again.  I thought that I had a good story that would only need minor tweaking.  I was wrong.  Turns out, all I have is bones.  There were a lot of things that needed to be changed.

Problem:  Continue reading →

Mention Monday – Hollywood/LA

07 Tuesday Apr 2015

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As I’ve mentioned before, I live in Hollywood.  Most of the time, it’s just another place.  I’ve grown completely used to it and most of the time stay in my apartment.  But sometimes, someone will come and visit, and in trying to entertain them, I’ll be reminded of how neat a place Hollywood really is.  I’ve had some amazing opportunities here and done things that I know not many people get to do.  I’m grateful for that.

This week, it was my mom and one of my sisters who came in town to visit with me.  It’s been a fun time, but I’m not sure that I have ever been so tired before.  They keep a different schedule from me (a normal one), and live in a time zone that’s two hours earlier.  So, in addition to doing a ton of stuff, I’ve been getting up early.  Somehow I managed to finish my first draft for my Z story, but I haven’t gotten much else done that’s construction.  But here’s some things we did do:

Tonight I met author Nicholas Sparks.

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 We went to the Premier of The Longest Ride.

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I love Premiers.  They’re fun, they’re free, they give you snacks (popcorn, candy, soda (which I don’t drink) and water, all complementary).

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It’s not impossible to go to a premier.  I’ve been to close to a dozen.  And I haven’t even tried to go in a few years.  I’ve mostly gotten over it, because while it’s not impossible, it can take some effort.

Last night we went to The W Hotel for Jazz Night.

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It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting.  They moved it from the lounge onto the roof, so it was more club-ish then we were looking for.  But the live music was good.  And they had “Easter Bunny” dancers.

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It was a fun, albeit, short time.  There wasn’t any cover, and we rode the elevator up with Keanu Reeves.  But drinks were $14 each, so, yikes there!  Only stayed for one.

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(me and Adam)

We also went to the fashion district downtown and walked around.  Some places were closed, but my mom and sister found some good deals on beads.  We ate some BBQ for lunch and I cooked dinner at home that night.  Barbacoa.

The day before we went to get pedicures and went to the beach.

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We walked the beach and then the boardwalk on Venice Beach.  My goodness, there was so much walking.  Lots of traffic, too.  But it was a fun time.

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We kicked the whole thing off with sushi and an Improv show.  We went to the Upright Citzen’s Brigade.  It’s usually good, sometimes great, sometimes not so great.  But it’s $0-$10 a show, so it’s hard to beat.

sushi

Tomorrow is their last day.  We’re going to my favorite breakfast place, BLD, then maybe some Karaoke.  I’m sure that there are a ton of other cheap or free things to do here.  And many other experiences that are unique to Hollywood/LA.  I enjoy being here, and I’ve found it to be a fun place for people to visit.  Now, I have to summon my energy and make it through the next visitors.  I’m expecting them in 2 weeks.  Which is not a lot of time to rest, but maybe I’ll be able to keep the house clean that long.  🙂

It is hard to balance guests, starting a new job (I did that last week), still working the old job, writing, and keeping up with this blog.  You’ve probably noticed me struggling.  Hopefully life will settle down soon, and I’ll be able to get back into a rhythm.   Until then, I’m doing my best.

Writing Wednesday – The tortoise and the hare

26 Thursday Mar 2015

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Last Week’s WW: Working With Others

My fella was talking about themes the other day, and he brought up the fact that some people miss the points of some stories.  One such story he brought up was The Tortoise and the Hare.

He asked me: “what’s the point of the story?”

I immediately responded: “Slow and steady wins the race.”

He asked me to think about it.  I did, and I realized that it didn’t matter what the turtle did.  If the hare hadn’t been over confident and messed it all up, he would have won hands down.  The real meaning of that story seems to be “keep your eye on the prize.”

I think that the moral of this story can be applied to writing.  There’s a lot of people who will say write fast, throw it on Amazon, and it’ll all be fine.  That’s the magic formula.  Only, it’s not.  Troll the Kboards and you’ll find a lot of people that this isn’t working for.  Yes, writing fast is an asset.  But you can’t be over confident.  And conversely, you can’t give up.   When you write, when you publish, when you promote, you have to remember why you’re doing it.  Writing is hard.  Publishing is harder.  Keep your eye on the prize, or someone else might beat you to it.   Remember why you’re writing, or you may never even finish the race.