The rewrite and edit phase…

A quick note here to my friends about what is going on with me.

I finished the first draft of my first thriller novel the other day. Not big news in the grand scheme of things I guess, but for me, it was certainly a milestone. An event tempered by the realization of just how much work was still ahead of me. Yesterday and today and for many days to come I will be going through the entire manuscript tweaking and redoing everything I can to try to improve this thing while trying to hook-up with beta readers and maybe an editor to try to polish this thing up as much as possible.

I made the mistake of reviewing (re-reading) a short story I published last summer earlier this morning and between spastic body cringes I caused a great deal of doubt within myself that I’m sitting here right now trying to overcome.  The upside is that I can clearly tell I’ve come a long way as a writer, even since then, but the downside is that I wonder just how far. If, last summer, I thought the short was good enough to publish, when it clearly wasn’t, then, am I still slogging through this book too, still, as an ignorant wanna-be?

I will keep going, of course, this time however I will be getting help with this book, a book I intend to finish and publish. Eventually.  And, I will continue to read and process everything I can get my grubby little mits on that might help or teach me something about this wonderfully mysterious craft.

The best way any writer can improve is to keep writing but I would also say that exposure to classes, books and other writers is a good way to keep perspective. We all want our work to count, to be great, but for me the hardest thing has been to overcome my own stupidity when it comes to the learning process. When I was younger and had the time and the means to secure an education, many times, and more often than not – I didn’t. Older and hopefully wiser now, it seems a much harder thing to do. Sometimes I wonder if I really am a writer after all or has this been a living fantasy, a spin off of my love of books and literature. If I wasn’t making any progress at all then I could probably and easily answer that question but since I am, the question then becomes: Can I do this? Will I ever be able to write well enough to sell books? Or, will I be one of millions chasing a dream I will never see come to pass in my own life? I don’t know…..

Personal conviction, I have learned the hard way, can very easily be confused with ego and attitude. Many people fall prey to their own madness when it comes to dream chasing, including me.  Others, however, take a position at the starting line, explode into a sprint and run a good race. Man, how I wish I would have grown up as one of those people.  As bad as we may want things, for some of us they just may not now be, or ever be, in the cards. Let me stop here and mention that I know the difference between hard work and wasted work and I am not afraid of hard work, never have been. It’s just that when it comes to exploring deep into our heart of hearts and gazing at the glimmering hopes and dreams that live within us, it is there that I fear the most, when it comes to failure. How many times I have wished that I had come equipped with an instruction manual and a road map when I hit the ground running here on earth.

Sometimes I feel like a beggar on the street of dreams begging every passer-by for a nugget of wisdom or a morsel of truth, that I might sustain for a few more steps and find my way to the hope of another day, a day where I will live in the land somewhere beyond the horizon. Will I make it? I don’t know….I am not sure, nor have I ever been sure, of whether or not I truly have what it takes.

Anyway, I will find a way to deal, to cope with this low point and in the meantime I will be rewriting my little thriller.

I hope you are making your way down the writers road and that it will take you safely where you want to go.

LUVU

My latest book review: ( a new blog post real soon)

The Affair by Lee Child

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started, with much anticipation, this book the other day and I’m 150 or so pages in.

One thing I will mention at this point is that this book was well worth the wait. If, like me, you’re a writer then fasten your seat belts kids. Narrative and dialogue and particularly description will have a whole new meaning for you as a writer. Readers are in for a thrill ride in terms of translated action and vivid imagery.
Jack Reacher is on the hunt for a killer who has an appetite for beautiful young women.
Child’s, at one point early on describes his character Reacher,or rather Reacher is doing the talking, in 1st POV, standing by a railroad track (in the course of the investigation), close, just feet away from the tracks, as a train approaches and then blasts past him and it’s a multi-sensory masterpiece of a scene. In another spot (they’re all through this book) where the mother of a murdered girl, in the doorway of her little shack, acts and reacts to news of any progress in her daughter’s murder case and this too is a passage that you will never forget.
Maybe I just woke up on another level just before I began this book or maybe this book transported me to the lofty world of a bestselling author’s perspectives and understanding but I am seriously impressed with Lee’s work here and yes, it deepens the story to such a level that even as a well read writer I feel it’s affecting my own writing just having been exposed to this exhibition of skill.
I hope this book gets the attention it deserves and everyone reads it, I really do.
More soon, I’m devoting all day today to reading.

View all my reviews

Almost done with the first draft….

Hi All,
Hopefully this post will find you happy, healthy and writing your rear end off or maybe even basking in the after-glow of a well structured scene, with impactive dialogue and proper indents. Or, in the case of publisher’s and editors (did I mention how much I LOVE editors?) pub’n and edit’n like crazy with a stable of top tier authors.
Speaking of crazy, a subject I am considered an expert in the field of, that’s what would characterize my mental state as I try to bring my thriller, written in 1st person present tense, to a climax and bring all the action home, followed by a short, ‘needle scratching across vinyl’ epilogue which sets up the next installment.
Distractions? Ummm, well, yeah….try the constant threat of major hurricanes and four precious but seriously juvenile delinquent kittens who love to take turns doing swan dives from the top shelf of my desk onto the keyboard(that they pretend is water) far below. They’ve figured out how to rope climb up the many ethernet cables behind the desk(s). I did not realize how impressionable they were and I’ve decided to not let them watch any more Tarzan or Ninja Turtle movies with us. Maybe it was the Batman movies….or The Transporter series…
Anyway, I’m not really looking forward to the numerous rewrites however part of me does because I want it, the story, as tight as I can get it before it goes off to an editor, yet to be named. (did I mention how much I LOVE editors?).
First person present tense was probably a lot to bite off, for me, a first time novelist but so far, as I read over what I’ve written, it actually makes sense. (Yes, the possibility that I may very well have NO clue has occurred to me…) Credible transitions and my guy’s observations, even the subtle ones, appear to do the job. He’s a thoughtful, introspective guy who happens to bleed profusely, a lot. The feedback from a good editor will no doubt be what makes all the difference in the world, I’m sure, provided I can afford one of the top publisher level editors I’ve heard about in myths and legends and on Twitter.
One thing I’ve definitely noticed in my demolition derby down The Writers Road ( I capitalized here for the bots, who are my friends…) is that the more talented my writer friends are, the less I speak with them. No doubt due to the writing time and celebrity staus.
I hope soon to have that problem…..
New writers need to understand that even though we live in our little (or big) worlds with our characters and the blood and emotions may still be warm and fresh on our faces, once we step out of the realm then it’s time to be objective, studious and willing to partake of the world of networking. Not to mention a little updating on the events and changes in publishing.
I have good instincts. But I’m not dumb enough to believe that they are on a level with an author who has sold a million books, so I look to learn, ALWAYS. (yes, that was me staggering around glassy eyed at the last book convention…).
Oh, and a little tip kids: DO NOT refer to people who write really good writer blogs, author friends who have books selling, people in publishing out there on Twitter, Facebook or where-ever, reviewers, and others that populate your friend orbit, DO NOT refer to them as a PLATFORM. When you reach for your dreams chances are you’ll be standing on the shoulders of someone who someone else did the same for and they are NOT a platform. FB, Twitter, all social media and blogger worlds are, technically, platforms, however even they are populated and maintained in popularity by PEOPLE. It’s kind of like calling a carpenter a ‘hammer’ because he uses one. The core elements, for me, are human and I follow that bond through out all I do. YOU are not a means to an end for me, or, a platform or a stepping stone. If you’re reading this I’m grateful, no matter what thoughts you walk away thinking. And no, I’m not in therapy. Mainly because I can’t afford it…(HAH!)
I’ve been around the block a couple of times in life and I’ve blogged to the world for a long time and as far as reaching the ‘masses’ I didn’t fall off the turnip wagon last night. I miss radio, the ONLY thing about it I miss is connecting with people and hearing their stories and dreams. Writing, in a sense, directly, is a way for me to do that in and through characters and when I someday master the mechanics of writing maybe it will all come together and I can pay someone to clean the litter box.

In the meantime, I’m almost done with my first draft….

….you know where to find me…

LUVU

Hi All

Check out my main blog at http://danielaudet.blogspot.com The links here no longer work so I’ll be dropping this blog soon. WordPress is so behind the curve when it comes to their shared domain and app and widgets. Thanks, Daniel

Update: My WIP

Just an update.

Since it’s been a few weeks and I see a lot of traffic coming here I wanted to let you know that yes, I’m alive and still working on the first 40K of my action thriller while trying to get a short story formatted and cover art for it and a song and the novel done. Plus raising 4 kittens who are editing for me this as I write.

For those of you who may be new writers or new to ebooks, I can tell you this: Choose carefully as you build your support network, in terms of who, if anyone. formats your work and does your cover art. If you haven’t started looking, start now. I’m seeing companies that offer packages which include marketing and blog tours too but be careful you don’t sign away any rights and always list what you need done and check it against what they are offering. Better to participate in a writer network and keep it safe. Read the fine print and check them against any warnings on Writer Beware too.

I’m coming up on the halfway point in “To Hunt The Hunter” my first serious effort and hopefully – breakout novel. I’m taking it as far as I can in doing most of the work but have decided to hand off the formatting and cover art stuff to others. I maintain a large network and write a lot of non-fiction stuff each day and I don’t want to detract from the brain energy I need to do it. You might look at the choices you’ll need to make in this perspective too. Sooner or later you will be forced to. Here’s Jessica’s Twitter name, the young lady who is doing my formatting. @jesilea

I’ll let you know when the short story comes out. Hopefully it will be soon. It’s offbeat to what my main thing is but I wanted to do it anyway. I hope you buy it and enjoy it.

I think I will be switching this.com to another carrier since WP is getting to picky about links and still refuses to offer sidebar options. Blogspot is a lot  more flexible so look for that soon, or I might just merge the two, to my other blog http://danielaudet.blogpsot.com

Again, you may have to cut and paste this link, I can’t get the link option to work.

 

See you on Twitter.

LUVU

 

My Other Blog

I was trying to post the link here to my other blog, since I made a post today. here’s the link, it’s connected to my other Twitter page: http://danielaudet.blogspot.com WP is funny about links so you may need to c & p it in. New post here soon as I wrangle my short story to Smashwords.

Bridging the Yawing Chasm… (via Greene Ink)

I just wanted to add something here: This article says it better than I could, though I will be writing more on this issue in the near future. I believe things will level out soon as the reading/buying public gets past the honeymoon with ebooks, and you can look for that soon if we’re basing any forecasts on the sales numbers or ereaders.
I myself have budget issues but that will not stop me from releasing my 1st short story soon, cheesy cover art and all. Hopefully there will be enough merit in the work as I stumble through the gauntlet of reviewers. Truism: Many authors work just isn’t ready to sell, that’s the fact of it and I say that with all due respect knowing it to be true in any industry wherein performance is being charged for. On the other hand .99 cents for an aspiring authors work I think supports the trade and the writers themselves to an extent, and, like the starving artist communities in painting, sculpture and music it’s a development thing I think the public is familiar with. As far as the traditional publishers and those with leanings toward them, (I wonder just how dumb they think we are) talking them up, well, I guess we’ll all see what happens. I can tell you this; they are definitely taking a hit when it comes to the numbers. An obvious point but I think it’s stupid to say that traditional publishing will go away – it won’t and neither will ebooks and self publishing. It is now and will always be a MONEY GAME and everyone is in it, in one way or another. It does make me cringe when I see someone sales pitching and all kissing up to a major trad. publisher or speaking directly on their behalf in some transparent ya ya post, and I see it a lot. But the ebook world has it’s low points too and needs to develop more from a substantive point of view when it comes to market viability and the support industries springing up need to think about standards. Why dear God why would you rent a limo to take out the trash, and many diamonds will be found in the rough: Make sense? At the end of the day are we talking about art or sales, or the sales of art.
Anyway here’s the article from a great blog by Meredith Greene, one I follow and actually read.

For awhile, it seemed, the key words for selling over a million dollars' worth of eBooks appeared to be “an author with” (insert name of publishing house here), such as “James Patterson, an author with the Hachette Book Group apparently sold over $2 million worth of eBooks in the last 11 months.” Until, that is, a few authors like Amanda Hocking and J. A. Konrath demonstrated to the traditional-publishing realm that exceptions to the rule are not … Read More

via Greene Ink

Shelf Unbound – Now Free!

 

 

 

 

Shelf Unbound – Now Free!.

I’m still alive….relatively speaking…

Hi All,

I’m here, somewhere, on the web or in my writing program finishing my first commercial short story. Hopefully I will be releasing it in a few days. It’s a simple story on the surface however the paranormal aspect and POV make it far more difficult from a writer perspective, for me anyway. A twist in the plot gave me cause to really think about a few things, such as going back in time and the ramifications of it, in a plausible way.

Like you maybe, I keep turning corners on the writers road. New ones wherein I see through eyes more trained and capable. I know it’s just me saying this but – you either realize you’re getting better or you don’t. Many things I saw in top writers work didn’t catch my eye or make sense to me before, they do now…..

I want to mention my immediate future plans, such as cover art, ebook formatting and promotion. I know, we’ve all seen the spastic commotion all over social media and the blogosphere about this stuff but I will be laying it out for you in sequence the way I plan to execute the steps. The first two I can tell you to start thinking about now, even if you’re only in the outline stages of your book or short. The better cover art designers and editors are booked months in advance, so do your homework and plan for it, and start a little fund or savings for this stuff. I don’t like it either but if I were capable of the level of editing I need we wouldn’t be having this conversation I’d already be a bestselling author and writing this blog about my book tour and upcoming movie deals…. and giving advice about plot layers and dialogue and character arc,( the kind that we are able to follow the journey of our hero from the inside out). For the newer writers, keep in mind that editors come in many flavors. You want one with major author or publishing house experience both for line editing and story editing. Yes there is a clear difference and you will need both. Hopefully, ok definitely, all in-house with the same person but they won’t be cheap. The best I’ve found for a major player is $1,000 a pop, which IS cheap believe it or not.

Self editing? Umm, yeah so, good luck with that.

However you personally choose to go at this thing just make sure that your work is good. Would you buy your own book? No really, I mean can you look objectively at your own work from a readers perspective? How much of a contrast is there between your work and the bestseller you’re reading and can you even see it? Like our kids we all think they and our work is beautiful and sometimes they and IT aren’t. We love them anyway, and the blood sweat and tears we pour into our writing, well, we want to think the same but the harsh cold cruel reality is that sometimes it isn’t. Just because you are emotionally invested in the effort and story, doesn’t mean the world is going to give a damn. BUT, they will if it’s good enough. The world loves a good story. The best ones, whatever genre, are the ones that readers fall in love with because they can relate to or will admire. The hardest obstacle you will come up against is YOURSELF and you’ll never develop your craft if you can’t see your work for what and where it is. Look, even the best writers use other people eyes and expertise for editing and critiques. Don’t be discouraged. You’re on a learning curve, that’s all. It takes a lot of effort to pull it off, so go step by step with whatever time and energy you have to work with. Every single writer’s journey is and was different. Me? Sometimes I feel so desperate to be a success at this because I left everything to take a shot at being a great writer, and I’m not getting any younger either. Not to mention the fact that family and friends think I’m nuts for attempting it. We’ve struggled financially for the last year or two and I feel the pressure to get good really fast. I often reflect on the things I used to think when I walked up to the bookrack in a department or book store. I KNEW  I could do this – write. I just knew. It’s hard work and sometimes it will kick your ass. Cry it out and get up and keep going. Little victories make up the battle plan that wins wars. Simple? NO. Easy? NO. Do-able? YES!

….you know where to find me….

                                                 LUVU

Rockin’ the Casbah….

Hey all! I’ve been around, mostly on Twitter and a bit on FB and blabbering on my other blog too.

I’m working 2 things lately; a short story called The Magic Whistle and a full length novel I am 25K or so into. I wanted to talk a little today about editing and formatting. For those of us new to the publishing end of our writing endeavors, I have to tell you that although ebooks and self publishing have come a very long way just in the last year or two, the avenues of opportunity are not without their learning curve trauma drama.  I will keep you posted on how I’m doing it and how well the stories are selling. Sure, I have a large platform (the term platform is something I will soon address, it’s not really a platform at all it’s more like a multi-level global spiderweb), not just social media either, spread across the web, and, an embedded background as a blogger but when it comes to promoting and selling my work, this is new territory for me, maybe for you too.

Editing and formatting – for the ereaders I mean – are 2 things like it or not you will need to learn and spend time doing. And, believe me, it’s a two-edged sword. But like learning to ride a bike or whatever, you only need to learn it once then it’s a matter of execution and maintenance. Get used to the idea too, of spending a lot more time online networking and promoting but don’t don’t don’t EVER  think like an internet marketer other than to source info relative to your audience or fans, and peers. Think personal, your readers and fans are. You’re the creator of characters they love to love and love to hate and they will love you and want to get to know you too. If you forget that you will find yourself way down the totem pole in this biz, underneath the folks who understand what the paradigm shift in information technology has done to peoples access and expectations. The old school model of the reclusive, elusive, bestselling author and the even more elitist agents and publishing types is going the way of the buffalo for the most part, or at least on some levels. What I mean by this is that clearly the chance for your voice to be heard, as a writer, has never been more possible but it will take some effort outside of the writing. Your self pub success will depend on your overall understanding of promotion and your dedication to it, and your online network.

There’s a wealth of info out there, look for authors who are writing and pushing stuff out there in the ebook formats and self publishing areas. Read and follow several different authors blogs to find out the possibilties and see what might work best for you, or better still try out a few promotional tools. I am, and I’ll let you know what I think. I really wish I could have a high end pro proof, critique and edit my stuff and an ebook marketing company push it out there for me, formatting and all. Like Amanda Hocking says, she just wants to write more, doing it all – on the level she’s at – got to be too much. I see that coming for me too, but I’m jumping in the race and working my writing as best I can and learning what I need to learn to get to the next level, first. How about you rockstar?

The river that runs through it is this: The writing has to entertain.

This means you have to Rock the Casbah…..

For me that’s everything, the rest of it is just a giant instruction manual I have to grit my way through.

And I WILL…..

You know where to find me………..

LUVU