Struggling with the New Shiny

I've got three projects to finish over the course of the next couple of months, but I don't want to do any of them. No, I want to work on the new shiny project that's, well, a little more humorous.

COVID-19 fatigue has gotten to me big time despite the marvelous spring weather we've had for the last three days. No, I haven't had the disease. This is the same malaise that's affecting every one who's been trapped in their homes for the last year in an effort NOT to contract the damn coronavirus.

It doesn't help that my hair is now long enough to be annoying. The last time I got it cut was the day before my father's funeral in May of 2019. I meant to get it trimmed before I went to Vegas last year, but I ran out of time before I had to catch my flight. Messy bun and ponytails it was for the workshop.

I got home after spending two glorious weeks in Sin City only for the nationwide lockdown to happen. No haircut. Even when the salons and barbershops reopened, I feared contagion because I'm immuno-compromised.

I just need to hang on a little bit longer. My age group is allowed to get the vaccine starting tomorrow. Then the hair is coming off.

Maybe a little change in weight will help the hamsters in my brain get on the wheel to help me finish these three projects.

Sunshine on Snow

After Saturday's snow, the world looks pristine and white. Why does this appearance please us writers, but a blank white screen does not?

Maybe because we don't look beneath the surface of our computer screens. Maybe because we're scared to.

Like footsteps across the field, our typing mars the surface of our screen. Inside our head, the idea resides in crystalline perfections forever. Once we commit to writing it, we see the flaws. In fact, we focus on the flaws rather than work with them.

Understand that the flaws are like the silent, sleeping trees in the picture. Yes, their stark blackness ruins the pristine surface of the snow across the field. However, they are beauty in their own right. And they are waiting for conditions to change in order to grow and flourish.

So keep typing. Your black slashes on a blanket of white will become something beautiful as the seasons turn.

Editing My Heart Out

Last Saturday, I wrapped up the copyediting on Hero De Facto and e-mailed it to my alpha reader's Kindle. Unlike a lot of other writers, I don't use beta readers.

Why? Because at that point the entire series is pretty much done in my head. It's simple a matter of setting it to bits and bytes for other people to consume. But I trust my process, and it/I manage to entertain a number of people.

I think that's where the fine line between overconfidence and underconfidence in writers lie.

There are those who haven't studied craft enough to understand why their story isn't doing well in the market. However, they think the piece is brilliant, and therefore, everyone else must be idiots.

On the other hand are the writers who want their piece to be brilliant, and they seek out third parties' validation in an effort to be deemed brilliant by those the writers esteem. It really doesn't matter to them if the story is readable by the general populace.

Want to know my secret?  I'm not looking for brilliance, though I write the best I can with every piece I create. I want to entertain. If one of my humorous adventures brightens your day, then I know I have succeeded.

So far, my alpha seems to be amused in the right places, and that's what I really care about as a writer.

Silence in the Writing Process

I don't talk too much about my actual writing process, i.e. the stuff that goes on inside my head while I'm writing.

I've been accused of not wanting to share my secret sauce. Believe me, there isn't any sauce, secret or otherwise. Unless you count my Pepsi Max addiction.

I've been accused of thinking my process is SPECHUL!! No, it's not. At least, not any more than any other person's.

Nope, my problem is I'm very self-conscious. To me, showing someone the writing before the work is close to completion is like asking them to eat the raw eggs, flour, etc. before I made the cake. Pretty gross, right?

And then, comes the well-meaning suggestions. Instead of making chocolate cake, make a spice one. You know half-vanilla and half-almond extract is how the big bakeries make their cakes so tasty. No one is going to eat it if you put cherries in it!

So if I want my chocolate-cherry cake with white fudge icing (or my book) to stand on its own, I need to complete it before I let anyone have a taste.

"But Suzan!" I can hear you say. "You post early chapter on your website all the time before the book is finished."

I'm also not above letting people lick the bowl and beaters after the cake pans are popped in the oven. A taste of raw cake batter isn't going to hurt anyone, but no one eats more than a couple of spoonfuls because it wouldn't sit well in your stomach.

Same with my stories. I don't mind giving a taste. It makes people want to devour the book even more when it comes out of the oven.

If You Want to Reach the Bestseller List...

...I don't recommend reading this blog.

Seriously.

My goal is to create a large catalog that will provide consistent income well into my old age. Unlike a lot of other writers, I'm not looking to hit the NYT, the USAT, or any Amazon bestseller list.

Why not?

1) In a best case scenario, the lists are nothing more than a popularity contest. And they consist of what's popular at that specific moment in time. Despite marketing claims, the lists cannot and do not predict the longevity or endurance of a particular literary work.

2) Manipulation of lists make the popularity of the listed books questionable at best. The NYT is constantly changing what criteria it uses to calculate their top books, everything from banning children's books after a certain boy wizard became popular among the adult set to disregarding e-book sales because the Big 5 gave them more money in advertising and wanted to kill the fledgling market.

3) Making a list doesn't guarantee longevity of career or sales. Just in the last ten years, I've seen writers hit the lists with their first book, then quietly disappear when successive books don't make the splash that the first book did. Some writers will change their pen names and try again, but I pruned my social media contact lists/follow lists by roughly a third of writers who quietly sank beneath the waters of anonymity with nary another word.

4) I know many writers, especially indies, who are quietly making a living without hitting the lists. Hell, without any fanfare whatsoever. They get by with a small, dedicated fandom in a subgenre they love that is underserved. These are the writers with a solid sense of who they are and what they are trying to accomplish.

5) Which brings me to my own goals. There's quite a few writers who kept me going through a lot of dark times in my life. These writers crafted delightful tales that let me forget about my problems for a moment or two. They gave me a break when I desperately needed one. My goal from the beginning was to be that type of entertainer, to give someone somewhere the respite to catch their breath before they tackle the next hurdle in their lives.

So if you've been reading this blog in hopes of learning the secrets of a successful writing career, please take a step back. Figure out for yourself what you want as success. If attaining a bestseller spot (AKA getting your letters) is your ultimate goal, then more power to you. But it's not what I want, and I definitely won't be covering the how-to's for that particular goal here.

Now, let's all get back to writing...

Are You Writing for Fame and Fortune Only?

My friend Jo sent this interesting tidbit to me during our conversation about how-to books on writing. As he said, if nothing else, watch the first five minutes. Robert McKee talks about what he sees as the two types of writers.

And say what you will about Mr. McKee, he definitely understands the mindsets of the two types.

Hey, I'll be the first to admit I make money from my stories and I'm not ashamed of that fact. But on the other hand, I don't write whatever the latest trend is either. Something to ponder over the weekend.

What IS "Writing to Market"?

I got pretty sick after my mother-in-law's funeral last week. So sick, I ended up in the ER. I'll spare you the disgusting details. Unfortunately, I lay my recliner for three days with my meds and a fuzzy brain.

Which meant all I accomplished was talking about writing, not getting much writing, or editing, actually done.

Being limited to e-mail, my friend Jo and I had an interesting discussion last week about what most indies call "writing to market". The term is used as an umbrella device to cover a couple of different concepts.

1) Following Trends

This is one where a writer produces a work to capitalize on the latest hot selling genre/type of book. Fifty Shades of Grey is a perfect example. When it hit the bestseller lists in 2012, writers and publishers flooded the market with billionaire/virgin/BDSM books.

Since FSoG itself started life as Twilight fanfic, there's the requisite romantic triangle. In fact, you can't sell a YA book to a big publisher unless it has a romantic triangle.

A few weeks ago, I re-read one of my favorites, Katherine Kurtz's Deryni Rising. The primary protagonist is Kelson, a fourteen-year-old who's about to be crowned king, assuming he survives various assassination attempts and challenges for the throne.

As I pointed out to Jo, Ms. Kurtz would never be able to sell that book as-is today. Kelson would have to be older with two girls after him at court. And that's assuming the editor didn't insist on his father's closest advisors, Duke Alaric and Father Duncan, having an illicit affair.

If you need another example, how many of you put out an adult coloring book last year after sales took off during the Christmas 2015 shopping season? Come on, don't be shy. This is exactly what I mean about following a trend.

The point is writing/publishing to whatever flash in the pan is hot at the moment is not always a sustainable career move. I've met too many writers who are burning out because they're bored producing stuff they have no passion for.

2) Hitting the Tropes

Jo advocates the "writing to reader expectations" point-of-view when it comes to writing to market. In other words, hit the tropes or at least, your version of the trope.

As in, a romance should the Happily Ever After regardless if you're writing a heterosexual, homosexual, or even an alien relationship. A mystery needs to introduce all the suspects during the course of the story and reveal who the culprit is very close to the last page. Your science fiction doesn't have to have spaceships and/or little green men, but it needs the effect of some type technological/biological/etc. advancements on the human race.

In other words, if you're writing in a genre you consume and love, you're more likely to understand the rhythms and tropes expected of that type of story. And you're more likely to continue as a career fiction writer.


I can hear y'all out there asking, "What about trends that become tropes?"

Hey, I admit it does happen, but I strongly suggest that you should aim to be the trendsetter, not the trend follower. Or even better, aim to have fun with your writing!

(P.S. If you want to check out Jo's books, here's his website.)

The Enthusiasm of New Puppies, er, Writers

You'd think with the indie publishing revolution that writers would give up on finding the ULTIMATE TRUTH. You know, that secret recipe or spell that would GUARANTEE a writer's success.

Now I'm seeing the reverse of the ULTIMATE TRUTH. Instead of hanging on every word that drips from the mouth of the experienced writer (or agent or editor, too, for that matter), there's condemnation from the new writer. As in, "How dare she?!"

1) Writer like to talk.

We do. We get excited by a story idea or a publishing process. Even the most introverted writers want to share this cool, new "whatever" they discovered because it's cool and new to THEM.


2) The cool, new thing has nothing to do with you.

This one comes in three flavors. The first is the slightly jaded writer who makes a disgusted sound and says, "Everyone knows that." Um, no, everyone does not know. That's why new writer is so freakin' excited. She learned something cool and new TO HER.

The second flavor is the author who says, "That doesn't work!", which really means it did not work for HER. Just because something doesn't work for author X doesn't mean it won't work for author Y.

The third version is author X saying, "How dare you tell me what to do!" Except ninety-nine percent of the time, the author Y isn't telling anyone what to do. She's just so freakin' excited that she can't stop talking about the cool, new discovery.

In all three versions, what writer Y is saying doesn't have a damn thing to do with writer Y. Yet, I see the Y writers get angry with the X writers because they believe the X writers are telling them what to do. Generally speaking, no, the X writers aren't. They're just so excited that they want to share.


3) Learning when to say something.

So many Y writers think that they have warn/protect/care for X writers.

No, they don't. Let them talk. Let the X writers get it out of their system. As long as they aren't endangering themselves or others (as in, dismemberment or death), nod sagely and say, "Uh, huh," every once in a while, just like you do with your significant other.

There are two exceptions.

One is dealing with scam publishers like Author Solutions and its subsidiaries. But also understand that even in this situation, the X writer may not listen to the Y writer.

The second is if the X writer asks the Y writer. Again, the Y writer must understand the X writer probably won't listen this time either. And that's okay!

In both cases, again, it's not about the Y writer. Arguing with the X writer won't get Y anywhere.


So what's the Y writer to do? Listen. You never know. Maybe the X writer really does have a cool, new idea that will work for you.

Why I Don't Talk About My Writing Process

In case you don't follow Dean Wesley Smith or Joe Konrath (and frankly, if you're indie publishing or want to indie publish, you should be), both of them are talking about their writing process.

In Dean's case, he's been doing a writing in public series for August. He's a true panster, and for a hybrid like me, it's interesting watching him go through his day.

Yesterday, Joe came clean on four humor books he published under a pseudonym. In his case, he was trying to find the fun in writing again by doing doing something crazy and off-the-wall. He claims he blew his own rules of indie publishing out of the water, but is still making money on these books. (Personally, I don't think he did break his rules, but that's a post for another day.)

So, two different experiments, two experienced writers. But it's the comments that are most educational.

Basically, writers are afraid to let their freak flag fly. "Oh, my god, what would people think of me?" "I'll ruin my career!" "You can't write that fast! The book won't be any good!"

*sigh*

I give both Dean and Joe a lot of credit for growing a damn thick skin over the years. They don't let the stupid comments from people get to them. And I really do admire them for that.

I, on the other hand, am so fucking sick of confrontation. After the kerfluffle when I announced I was going indie, I've been actively avoiding most writers.

In the year since I quit the day job and started writing full-time, I've been working pretty damn hard to improve my craft. Writing faster. Trying new forms such as short stories. Experimenting with styles and techniques. And I'm getting the same comments from writers as Dean and Joe. "Oh, my god, what would people think of you?" "You'll ruin your career!" "You can't write that fast! The book won't be any good!"

Which means I'm down to a handful of people I can talk writing with. And it isn't anything I've actually done "wrong." It all comes down to the other people's fear.

So if you ask me for advice, you might only get a platitude from me until I get to know you better. Nothing personal, but I don't want your fear.

Now, if you can let go of the fear-monster and want to try something new, Joe's running a challenge at his blog. Write a short story, edit it, format it, create a cover, and upload it to Amazon within eight hours. Once it goes live, e-mail Joe the link and he'll mention you on his blog. I did it in seven hours and thirty-four minutes, but I got side-tracked looking at cute bulldog pictures. A lot of people did it much faster.

Try it. I dare you. In fact, I double-bulldog dare you.

Fear of Failure

Last night, I was working on Blood Sacrifice when I realized I need a scene that tied the primary climax of Blood Magick into the events of this story. For the first time in writing this book, I simply wrote a two-page prologue without overthinking it.

Why all the problems with this particular book? What it all comes down to is fear of failure. I've never let this fear stop me before, but now, it became a HUGE problem with Blood Sacrifice. It's been so bad that I'm finally admitting to you all, this is the third fucking draft of this book.

What has happened to me with this novel? It hasn't been just one thing. Phillippa was literally the first character to pop in my head for the saga that eventually became the Bloodlines series. As a result, I'm super-protective of her, which if she were a real person, she would kick my ass for doing so.

This story is not a new romance, or a continuation thereof, like the other couples in the series. Phil and Alex were parted by circumstance beyond their control, only to have successive events drive them further and further apart. Part of me is very nervous about the getting the nuances of a reunion story just right.

Then there is the plot itself. Blood Sacrifice is the major turning point in the over-arching saga where the reader learns just what those damn nanites are turning Sam into (even though she's not in the book) and the ramifications of her transformation.

So what it comes down to is I'm putting so much pressure on myself to be perfect that nothing has been working quite right.

Until last night. The proverbial lightbulb went off, I wrote the prologue, and I know what to do with the story now to fix my previous dissatisfaction.

Then this morning, Dean Wesley Smith posted about a personal anecdote that really hit home. I wasn't the me who loves to make up stories in the driver's seat. It was the fearful, tentative kid who tried to be perfect in the hope that her mom would love her.

A few choice expletives went through my head at that realization.

But I have passed the halfway point and I'm on the downhill slide. The right person is in the driver's seat again. I'm feeling pretty good about the story.

Now, I just have to get Phil and Alex out of Hell...