A few years ago, I'd spend at least a few hours each night watching the news. This was a ritual my wife and I had been performing for several years up to that point.
I never grew up in a household that watched the news, except for the local news at 10. I remember in the summer of 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait, we had to ask a few neighbors of ours what in the world was going on--keep in mind, in those days, CNN was about the only 24/7 news organization, and people by and large didn't sit with their noses glued to the speeches of Wolf Blitzer until this point.
Over the years, I became more and more immersed in current events. I didn't want to be left in the dark. Whenever presidentail debates occurred, I was right there watching the whole thing. Then, probably about the time my wife was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (in April 2011), I quit watching the news--or even TV in general--altogether.
Why?
I had more important things to worry about. Like my wife and our life together. Our family. I realized that current events are going to happen, no matter how tragic, and there is very little I can do about it. All it did was bring down my mood.
I was determined to change that.
And I did.
No more Wolf Blitzer for me. I'm in control of my life--and you are too--by the power of your finger over the POWER button on the remote control.
(by the way, I don't watch reality TV shows either - I believe the same rules apply there, despite my mother-in-law's crusade for me to watch Duck Dynasty. Frankly, I devote a certain amount of time for writing, and TV watching is too time-consuming for me).
Monday, April 29, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Happenings In The Outhouse 26-Apr-2013 / Best advice against using pseudonyms for writers
Recently, I heard what is, hands down, the best advice against writers using pseudonyms. This is from The Roundtable Podcast segment featuring Hugo-award winning author Mary Robinette Kowal. She made the analogy towards actors working in different genre movies. Would Will Smith or Jim Carrey go by a different name when they starred in movies that were different than what they were originally known for?
Not a chance.
Several of the best known actors will purposefully turn down roles because they've "done that movie before." Steven Spielberg, after such successful movies such as E.T. and the Indiana Jones franchise, delved into other movies that were so far off from what he used to.
Why don't writers get the same treatment? Why can't writers cross genres without having to adopt a pseudonym? Readers are not stupid, and I truly believe we should not treat them as such.
If your reasons for doing so are valid--for you, and they very much could be, depending on the genre--then by all means do it.
One of my favorite actors is Robin Williams. Talk about a genre crosser! The man can literally play any kind of character, from funny to serious to scary--and he does it well!
I've been working diligently on my alternative history military thriller. I have almost 39,000 words written in 33 chapters. I'm very pleased with my progress.
What's next on the stove? I'm planning out--yes, some of you could say outlining, but I just call it brainstorming at this point--an inspirational-based novella. That one shouldn't take too long to write, as it'll be slightly longer than "Guest of Honor" and after that . . . I'll start formatting Beholder's Eye as well as working on editing a previously written novel.
Not a chance.
Several of the best known actors will purposefully turn down roles because they've "done that movie before." Steven Spielberg, after such successful movies such as E.T. and the Indiana Jones franchise, delved into other movies that were so far off from what he used to.
Why don't writers get the same treatment? Why can't writers cross genres without having to adopt a pseudonym? Readers are not stupid, and I truly believe we should not treat them as such.
If your reasons for doing so are valid--for you, and they very much could be, depending on the genre--then by all means do it.
One of my favorite actors is Robin Williams. Talk about a genre crosser! The man can literally play any kind of character, from funny to serious to scary--and he does it well!
I've been working diligently on my alternative history military thriller. I have almost 39,000 words written in 33 chapters. I'm very pleased with my progress.
What's next on the stove? I'm planning out--yes, some of you could say outlining, but I just call it brainstorming at this point--an inspirational-based novella. That one shouldn't take too long to write, as it'll be slightly longer than "Guest of Honor" and after that . . . I'll start formatting Beholder's Eye as well as working on editing a previously written novel.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
When life throws you a curveball, do this!
It's easy not to do something when life gets you down. But in the long haul, you're going to suffer.
In other words, when life throws you a curveball . . . DO SOMETHING!
Two years ago, my wife Melissa was diagnosed with acute myleoid leukemia. The next day, we found ourselves 372 miles away from our hometown down to Rochester, Minnesota, home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic. The long and the short of it: they saved her life.
In those two years, I could've sat back and just done nothing. But I didn't. I started this blog just prior to her diagnosis, and within those two years started looking for ways to take writing to a serious level--I had always wanted to be a successful writer before, but for some reason things didn't start clicking into place. I had already written five novels and over a dozen short stories, but could just never seem to get traction on them.
But I kept working at them.
I kept writing.
In the end, I did something. I moved forward. I will admit, life is hard. Just punch it in the face and move on. In the words of the great philospher El Nike: "JUST DO IT!"
In other words, when life throws you a curveball . . . DO SOMETHING!
Two years ago, my wife Melissa was diagnosed with acute myleoid leukemia. The next day, we found ourselves 372 miles away from our hometown down to Rochester, Minnesota, home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic. The long and the short of it: they saved her life.
In those two years, I could've sat back and just done nothing. But I didn't. I started this blog just prior to her diagnosis, and within those two years started looking for ways to take writing to a serious level--I had always wanted to be a successful writer before, but for some reason things didn't start clicking into place. I had already written five novels and over a dozen short stories, but could just never seem to get traction on them.
But I kept working at them.
I kept writing.
In the end, I did something. I moved forward. I will admit, life is hard. Just punch it in the face and move on. In the words of the great philospher El Nike: "JUST DO IT!"
Monday, April 22, 2013
Take the time to do it right
You've devoted months--if not years--of your life writing a book. You've sent it off to beta readers, filtered through the feedback, and now you believe you have a polished manuscript. You may have even shopped it around to agents and/or publishers with no bites. Now you wish to self-publish--a movement that has been growing these last few years.
Without thinking, you upload it onto the Amazon KDP and/or Smashwords site, not even bothering to read up on formatting, etc.
Bad, bad move.
Much like the actual writing of the book, take a little time to format it right. I learned this the hard way--almost--when I started formatting Guest of Honor. Let me be up-front on this though. The formatting and preparing can be a pain in the butt.
But it's worth it. Take the time to research and do it right.
Check out a sample even of Guest of Honor, and please give me an honest review of it. Heck, it's only $.99. Less than a bottle of pop, and it'll last a lot longer. I even have a short story added and a sample chapter of Beholder's Eye. Cheap entertainment.
Without thinking, you upload it onto the Amazon KDP and/or Smashwords site, not even bothering to read up on formatting, etc.
Bad, bad move.
Much like the actual writing of the book, take a little time to format it right. I learned this the hard way--almost--when I started formatting Guest of Honor. Let me be up-front on this though. The formatting and preparing can be a pain in the butt.
But it's worth it. Take the time to research and do it right.
Check out a sample even of Guest of Honor, and please give me an honest review of it. Heck, it's only $.99. Less than a bottle of pop, and it'll last a lot longer. I even have a short story added and a sample chapter of Beholder's Eye. Cheap entertainment.
Friday, April 19, 2013
My apologies
Emergency!
Stop the presses!
I messed up. Again. This will only affect a handful of people out there, ones who have purchased my Guest of Honor ebook, Kindle edition at this point. Today, I was putting the finishing touches on the Smashwords edition and realized . . . I misspelled a word. I misspelled copyright.
I spelled it copywrite.
Duh!
I feel like such a complete moron.
To remedy the situation, I am uploading a newer version tonight, but I want to offer something for those who have already purchased it. Please send me your e-mail address at:
marksrpeterson@gmail.com
And when my thriller Beholder's Eye is ready to be uploaded onto the Kindle site I will send you a copy of it for FREE. It will be in a MOBI file, unless you'd like a PDF version as well.
Once again, my deepest apologies.
Stop the presses!
I messed up. Again. This will only affect a handful of people out there, ones who have purchased my Guest of Honor ebook, Kindle edition at this point. Today, I was putting the finishing touches on the Smashwords edition and realized . . . I misspelled a word. I misspelled copyright.
I spelled it copywrite.
Duh!
I feel like such a complete moron.
To remedy the situation, I am uploading a newer version tonight, but I want to offer something for those who have already purchased it. Please send me your e-mail address at:
marksrpeterson@gmail.com
And when my thriller Beholder's Eye is ready to be uploaded onto the Kindle site I will send you a copy of it for FREE. It will be in a MOBI file, unless you'd like a PDF version as well.
Once again, my deepest apologies.
Happenings In The Outhouse 19-Apr-2013 / What do the movies "Pacific Rim", "Real Steel", and "Zero Dark Thirty" have in common?
I have over 33,000 words written so far in my alternative history military thriller--something I am now pitching as Pacific Rim and Real Steel meets Zero Dark Thirty. Intrigued? I sure hope so. Soon I'll even share the title of this tale.
I'm also in the process of formatting Guest of Honor up on Smashwords. There's just a few more front material items that needs to be added to their edition in order for them to accept it, and I'll announce when it's uploaded.
Speaking of Guest of Honor I also have the first of a number of blog posts up from my Twin Cities Crime Blogger site, this one titled Tragic End at the Walnut Hotel. This is my fictional blog centered around some of the characters from Beholder's Eye, which are now included in my novelette. More will be added to this down the road. Part of this blog post actually appears in the novelette as well.
Beholder's Eye is marching ever-so slowly towards self-publication. I've received a number of rejections back from literary agents, a few so kind as to say they really enjoyed the piece I sent them but were booked solid and couldn't justify taking me on at this point. I'm still brainstorming a cover design, and then it's the task of formatting and uploading.
Lastly, I'm . . . casually reading the fourth novel I ever wrote. This one I felt before may be another close one that I could self-publish. Now, after reading two-thirds of it, I'm finding I have a lot of work to do on that one. It could still be done, but I'm finding POV (point of view) problems as one of my biggest hurdles. Not to mention that when it was originally written, technology as it is today was not as prevelent. Now it seems to consume everyone's life. That also needs to be added. Sorry to sound so cryptic, but that one is not ready to be shared with the world yet--it's a horror/coming of age story set on Lake Of The Woods.
P.S. Today my grandfather Ray is celebrating his 90th birthday. I can't help but think of what a milestone this is. Also, having raised five children to be productive members of society and remaining married to his "ever-precious angel" for several decades before her life was robbed due to Alzheimer's, he probably could write volumes of books on the subject--I think I may need to tap into his mind to see if he could share his secret. Happy 90th Birthday Grandpa!!!!
I'm also in the process of formatting Guest of Honor up on Smashwords. There's just a few more front material items that needs to be added to their edition in order for them to accept it, and I'll announce when it's uploaded.
Speaking of Guest of Honor I also have the first of a number of blog posts up from my Twin Cities Crime Blogger site, this one titled Tragic End at the Walnut Hotel. This is my fictional blog centered around some of the characters from Beholder's Eye, which are now included in my novelette. More will be added to this down the road. Part of this blog post actually appears in the novelette as well.
Beholder's Eye is marching ever-so slowly towards self-publication. I've received a number of rejections back from literary agents, a few so kind as to say they really enjoyed the piece I sent them but were booked solid and couldn't justify taking me on at this point. I'm still brainstorming a cover design, and then it's the task of formatting and uploading.
Lastly, I'm . . . casually reading the fourth novel I ever wrote. This one I felt before may be another close one that I could self-publish. Now, after reading two-thirds of it, I'm finding I have a lot of work to do on that one. It could still be done, but I'm finding POV (point of view) problems as one of my biggest hurdles. Not to mention that when it was originally written, technology as it is today was not as prevelent. Now it seems to consume everyone's life. That also needs to be added. Sorry to sound so cryptic, but that one is not ready to be shared with the world yet--it's a horror/coming of age story set on Lake Of The Woods.
P.S. Today my grandfather Ray is celebrating his 90th birthday. I can't help but think of what a milestone this is. Also, having raised five children to be productive members of society and remaining married to his "ever-precious angel" for several decades before her life was robbed due to Alzheimer's, he probably could write volumes of books on the subject--I think I may need to tap into his mind to see if he could share his secret. Happy 90th Birthday Grandpa!!!!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Sorry, it's not for me
Over this past weekend, I watched two movies that I borrowed from the local library: The Avengers and Lincoln. One I liked and the other one made me yawn. Can you guess which one?
Steven Spielberg's Lincoln won all sorts of awards, but it bored the ever-loving crap out of me. Truthfully, it took me three nights just to watch the whole thing. Then again, it wasn't made for me. The Avengers on the other hand was awesome--a little confusing in places, but overall a great flick.
When you're writing or creating whatever work of art or even in business, you need to knowwho your customers are. Not everyone is going to buy from you. Not everyone is an Apple lover or wants to eat lunch at McDonald's. If you're writing a thriller, your potential audience will probably not consist of those who are into erotica--unless your thriller is bent in that way.
Remember that when you're creating your project. Not everyone is going to love it. But you need to find out who will.
Speaking of creating something, I want to remind you that last week my novelette Guest of Honor is up for sale for $.99 on the Amazon Kindle store--in the near future I'll be uploading it to Smashwords, and I'll announce when that's available as well.
Here's the cover below:
And here's a link to purchase it:
http://www.amazon.com/Guest-Of-Honor-ebook/dp/B00CB2NDFY
Steven Spielberg's Lincoln won all sorts of awards, but it bored the ever-loving crap out of me. Truthfully, it took me three nights just to watch the whole thing. Then again, it wasn't made for me. The Avengers on the other hand was awesome--a little confusing in places, but overall a great flick.
When you're writing or creating whatever work of art or even in business, you need to knowwho your customers are. Not everyone is going to buy from you. Not everyone is an Apple lover or wants to eat lunch at McDonald's. If you're writing a thriller, your potential audience will probably not consist of those who are into erotica--unless your thriller is bent in that way.
Remember that when you're creating your project. Not everyone is going to love it. But you need to find out who will.
Speaking of creating something, I want to remind you that last week my novelette Guest of Honor is up for sale for $.99 on the Amazon Kindle store--in the near future I'll be uploading it to Smashwords, and I'll announce when that's available as well.
Here's the cover below:
And here's a link to purchase it:
http://www.amazon.com/Guest-Of-Honor-ebook/dp/B00CB2NDFY
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