Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Sometimes Life is Moving Fast

My life is moving fast, but it's more like the novel is moving fast. I completed 18 days of Nanowrimo and I have written 40,000 words as of yesterday. This is the longest thing that I wrote thus far. Is it easy? Sometimes, it is easy. I am a short story writer, I have been writing short stories forever and a novel lets me write and write and write some more. There is a lot more exploration in a novel. Sometimes it is easy and sometimes, most times writing a novel is hard. Okay writing in general is hard.

While I'm writing or not writing, I forget how to write. Really I do. I wonder if I am doing enough showing, do I have balance between showing and telling. Is there too much dialogue? Fuck if I know and I guess that what editing is for. I am terrified to edit and I want to fix major story things that I noticed on my first read through. But I told myself no and I just keep going. If writing is like a muscle or whatever the phrase all this bull shit is supposed to start going away, the self doubt, the story malfunctions, the more you do it, the better you become. Okay maybe not the self doubt but it has to subside some, right? I never wrote a novel before so I don't know.

I started one and maybe one of my writing goals for 2014 should be to finish it. Editing this novel, the one I am working on for Nanowrimo, is daunting but at the same time. I want to do it. I want to get my novel published eventhough I wonder about my language (the book is filled Fuck, more fuck and double fuck you get the idea). The novel is demented and twisted which can be good or bad. All I know is I want to do this old fashioned way, I want to publish the novel as a real live book, one that you can sniff the pages and take in the bath tub or read on a subway without the batteries dying.

So as my mind is starting to think about the ending of the novel which still has more to go after the 50,000 words, I am also thinking of a title. The only title I came up with so far was "Sex, Magic and Murder" yes it would sell books, kind of seems clique and clichee and more like a murder mystery than anything else.  It needs a title so I can stop calling it "it." And finally I am thinking about the future of the novel. I don't want it to be half done, thrown in the corner collecting dust, I want to edit it, make the best I can be and who knows I will be more than happy to have a movie deal (you really have to think big, in my case real big). 

On the upside, I changed my thoughts, I am not better or worse than this writer or that writer, I am a writer looking for a break, just like everyone else in this business, this life path, this artistic torture.

This is going to be great and I hope 2014 will offer open doors for you and me.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Thoughts on Writing and Selling Books

Good news, I am still working on my novel but today was a rather rough day. I just finished an important scene and I was lost on where to go next. I guess this is where outlining would be helpful but screw it. I did write 2000 words and the wheels are turning for the next exciting things to happen. With that I am going to give myself a pat on the back.

The two books I have self-published through Kindle, went through some interesting changes. I raised the price up to $2.99 each and the reason is to actually sell books. Yes, I want my name out there so giving them away for free was good but I want to make money off them. Kindle introduced a new promotion but I had to have the books at the $2.99 price. It is the countdown deals and honestly I think I will actually make money or should I say compensated for my writing. What the countdown deals are for a seven day period you can discount your book at varying levels.

People love free but they also love sales. When they feel they are getting good deal, they will pay. I know I am one of those people. I would spend a $1 or $1.50 on an eBook if the listing price was more than that. With this program, I will make royalties. When I sell my book for a buck, I have no sales unless I am giving away the book for free. Also when someone gets the book for free, they are less inclined to leave any kind of feedback. When something is paid for and the book suck they will feel cheated and write a review. My books could really use reviews, good or bad. I could really use a royalty check from Amazon. Selfish? No, you all can read stuff on here for free. This blog serves two purposes: to gain clients for my freelance writing business and to gain a fan base so I can sell books.

One of my plans for the coming year is to have Amazon physically print the books and when I go to sell my jewelry at craft shows and flea markets, I going to try and sell my books.

Yeah I am in the business of writing, I make money off the one side of writing but I figure its time to try and make money off my other books.  The business of writing is more than writing it's selling books (maybe movie deals but that's later in the future.)

Okay so I am done for the day. I am going to keep working on my novel. I am going to try out countdown deals and see how that goes for me. Until the next time, keep your toes warm and your wallet closed.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Week One of Nanowrimo

Technically, it's day ten of Nanowrimo but go with me. It started on November  1st and except for two days, I wrote every single day. So I will pat myself on the back because I am working toward the goal. The goal for Nanowrimo is 50000 words, I want to finish the novel completely but even when I make it to the goal, I will finish the novel because once you reach 50,000 what's another 25,000 or more. What's another of week of dedicated writing to finish the novel?

I want to share with you some of my own personality traits, I have overcome thus far. I have a cold and at the beginning of November it was worse than it is now but I buckled down and wrote. I made the time to write. When I was done with work, instead of napping or watching the boob tube, I made an effort to write. Now some days I wrote more words than others but I wrote and right there is the most important thing. This month I discovered I am more than a web content writer, more than a freelance writer. I am a real writer living the writing dream. On the two days I didn't write physically, I wrote in my head or at least planned the next scenes out and when I would sit down to write again, the words just poured from my fingers.  I can write a novel and I don't know why I quit before.

I also learned the beauty of a first draft and the beauty of chapters. I learned editing is better done at the end, at least for me. I don't have an outline and every time I write, the story surprises me. Just like writing used to when I was younger. I might be thinking of something else but the characters seem to come alive and make the story and I am only telling it. It is a wonderful thing, it is like watching a child grow up. The novel is a discovery onto itself. 

So where does my word count stand? As of right now, I have written 21,764 words. I'm almost the halfway mark. Today was the first day I read my novel from the beginning. I think I may even discovered my voice somewhere after chapter 2. However, this is not the longest piece of fiction I wrote, at least not yet anyway.   I started a novel an couple of years ago and I quit writing it at 27,000 words. Perhaps I should go back to it.

The novel still has no title but that is the least of my worries. I want to publish it when it is done. It is not the Great American novel and I don't think it will win me a Pulitzer. But the novel is demented and twisted, sexy and steamy, sweet and tender all wrapped in interweaving stories. This is a novel I would purchase and read and this the novel I am writing.

So this is the end for now... let wind take you.