Friday, November 24, 2017

Irons In The Fire / Happenings In The Outhouse 24-Nov-2017

To say I have many irons in the fire is an understatement.

And that's not including my life outside of writing--although, when I think about it, much of my writing hinges upon my outside life.

That being said, I am nearing the end of the first book in my current superhero trilogy.  On the side, I am also going through a previously written novel--written, no kidding, over twenty years ago--and I am outlining it, chapter by chapter.  I am enjoying this book very much.  Almost to the point where I want to put books two and three of the trilogy on hold to do the re-write.

Nope.  Not gonna do it.

I also have two other previously written novels, one in horror and the other an epic fantasy, that I want to do the same process.  That means I have only one novel left that I had written--twenty-three years ago at this point (trust me, I know the exact year, for it was near the same time I met my wife for the first time)--but that one needs . . . a LOT of work.  No kidding.

On top of all that, I have a cozy mystery series I want to start, a romance novel, a young adult baseball novel, a humorous book . . . and the list goes on.  I even have another thriller series, a spin-off of my Central Division series and based on the vigilante family in Guest of Honor, that is nipping at my heels.

And with me being an indie writer, I can do what I want.  Freedom, baby!

Friday, November 17, 2017

It's Okay To Change / Happenings In The Outhouse 17-Nov-2017

There's the old adage that says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  Well, something needed fixing.  And fast.

The last handful of novels I had written, I had maintained a daily spreadsheet to analyze my word count.  I was curious.  Nothing wrong with that.  Other writers would comment how many words they wrote on a daily basis and even a bestselling author has publically stated he writes 2000 words a day, even on his birthday and Christmas.

For my projects, I would notice that there were a number of days where I had a word count of zero.  My goal with my new current project was to have absolutely no zero writing days.  Even if I wrote one word, it still counted.

Seems good in theory.  And, under normal circumstances, it would work great.  Turns out, it was either horrible timing or not good at all when applied to real life.  At least, my life at this very moment.  My stress level had increased dramatically these past few weeks.  Now, some of this could be due to health reasons.  I get that.  And, on top of it, I chopped my current novel into three parts.  I'm at the very end, where there is an epic battle, and with a variety of superheroes with a wide range of powers, I was getting confused on what was going to happen.  I had to stop and go back, to see who I had written and brainstorm powers.

Enter: zero writing days.  Not just one.  But several.

This past weekend, again while sitting in my deer stand, I came to the conclusion that I had to scrap the spreadsheet.  Immediately, I felt relief wash over me.  I am taking time for myself.

In December 2016, I went on a podcast fast.  I needed that change.  It freed up my time.  Now, within the last month, I am listening to more podcasts than ever before.  But what podcasts I am listening to may surprise you.  While I do still listen to a handful of writing-related podcasts, the majority are of the true crime nature.

True crime?  Really?

Well, to put it simply: I am looking for stories.  I love stories.  Some true life stories are fascinating--I know, listening to the horrible things serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Dennis Rader, Edmund Kemper, Aileen Wournos, and Gary Ridgeway did to their innocent victims are in no way glamorizing or fascinating.  But knowing what makes them tick, and injecting those into the characters into my own stories, is fascinating.

Friday, November 10, 2017

One book turns into a trilogy / Happenings In The Outhouse 10-Nov-2017

Okay, it's official.  I decided to turn my latest superhero tale into . . . a trilogy.  Well, it will be a long series of books but this first tale will be three books instead of one.

While I was sitting in the deer stand this weekend (in Minnesota, the deer hunting season is basically an unofficial holiday), my mind wandered on my conundrum for this book.  Keep it as a single tale, albeit a long one?  Or split it up into three?  I even thought of dividing it up into just two, but it wouldn't work with the flow of the story.

So, I drew a line in the sand and decided a trilogy it would be.

This is exciting as I will be able to get the first book out much, much sooner.

Friday, November 3, 2017

Thanks to a great sales month / Happenings In The Outhouse 03-Nov-2017

First, I want to thank everyone for an excellent sales month.  I won't disclose any sales figures, but this month was by far the best month this year.

One reason was due to my releasing the entire Shadowkill Trilogy.


For a complete list of my books, including the various ebook retailers, click on this link.

I am currently near the 39,000 word mark on my new superhero novel.  And, where it sits, I am at a conundrum.  I have so much of the story left (I know, what a problem to have, right?) that I am contemplating breaking this story up into 2-3 individual novels.  The way I see it, this novel may end up being between 90K-100K before it's complete.

For now, I'll keep plugging away.  It's a fun book to write and I can't wait to share it with the world.