Strange times and writing advice / Happenings In The Outhouse 27-March-2020

Unless you've been living under a rock or in a cave, these are definitely strange times we're in. My day job has allowed me to work from home, which I am thankful for.  Many companies have had to adapt to these restrictions our state and federal governments have placed on us, and even then some have had to shut their doors for the time being.

I have also seen how important having a schedule is.  I'm keeping my same break/lunch schedule, which helps.

There are two videos I'd like to share with you.  Especially for the indie authors.  The first is by Dean Wesley Smith.  This 40+ video is packed with info.  Take notes.

https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/if-you-want-to-watch-my-talk/

The second one is by his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  Again, take notes.

https://kriswrites.com/2019/11/30/my-talk-on-perfection-at-20books/

If I may paraphrase one portion of her talk, she said there was some advice that 800-page fantasy books are not quite the thing anymore.  She said, "But I like 800-page fantasy books."  And so do I.  Just because one person says it's not "in style" or "in market" doesn't mean that there isn't someone out there who will love it.

AS I've always said, take writing advice with a grain of salt.  Both Dean and Kris have been writing for over four decades.  Yes, four!  I take their advice more seriously than someone who's been writing for four months or four years with only a handful of books.  It was in Dean's talk, he said that between the two they have over 1000 stories published.

Now who's advice will I follow more?  Think about it.

Social distancing before it was cool / Happenings In The Outhouse 20-March-2020

We've all heard the term by now: social distancing.  If not, go on the internet and search for it.

Done?  Head spinning yet, with all the COVID-19 (coronavirus) news?

Honestly, I've been practicing social distancing for quite some time.  In fact, when I'm done with work, I want nothing more than to go home and stay home.  Sure, I'm not a complete hermit and will do stuff, like going to church or to a benefit or even visiting with family.  But I prefer to stay home the majority of the time.

I get it, if you've lived your life going to countless sporting events, whether professional or high school or college sports, this is going to be an adjustment.  But for me, this doesn't change my life one bit.  I'm a bit sad though that my daughters' speech competitions are on hold--and one is very good; so good that she could've been a contender to go to state.

And now it appears that I may be able to do my day job from home.  I have mixed feelings toward this because I like to separate home and work.

But this may be the perfect time to practice working from home, because as a writer this is something I have always dreamed of doing.

For a list of my ebooks on Amazon, here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-S.-R.-Peterson/e/B00CLJQL5G

Stay healthy everyone!  We can do this!

A dismal 2019 / Happenings In The Outhouse 13-March-2020

Happy Friday the 13th!

Okay, now down to business.

Last week, I came to the realization as to why I was struggling so much with writing over the past year.  I only published one short story and a novelette in 2019, but I started at least three novels--I had decent beginnings but they went nowhere.  Even now, writing a new thriller, I'm struggling with putting new words onto the page.

Grief.

Even though my wife didn't pass until January 16th of this year, the time I spent dealing with her and her medical issues was draining (and I cherished every moment of it!).  So I've taken a step back and given myself grace to grieve.

Lessons learned from KISS / Happenings In The Outhouse 06-March-2020

A few weekends ago, my brother-in-law asked if I'd like to go see KISS.  They're currently on their End Of The Road World Tour.

I had never seen KISS before, so to see them on their very last tour was something special.  David Lee Roth was the opening act, playing a lot of Van Halen hits and of course his own.

The concert was amazing, to say the least.  Here's a video from their YouTube page--if you look closely, you might be able to see my tiny little head in the nose bleed section, as we were seated on the left side of the stage.

My brother-in-law had already seen them twice before, so this was time number three.  One word came to mind as I watched the concert: entertaining.  Lots of fire, explosions, and all around fun.

In the days since, I thought about my own publishing business.  What do I want to accomplish?

I want to entertain.  Some authors want to convey a message, some social justice issue they want to bring to everyone's attention.  Me?  Entertain.  That's it.  If there's a message to convey, it'll be hidden within the story.

But I write to entertain.

Write for you, not the market / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-Feb-2020

Coronavirus.

When oh when will we see stories about diabolical viruses and teams of scientists who will battle them?

This is writing to the market, to our fears, to the latest current headline.

But how long will it last?  Sure, if you were to hurry and create such a story, it might sell a few copies.  But when the fears end, so will your sales.  Then what?

Write what interests you.  Let the market find you, not the other way around.  The best stories were written with no one in mind, not for any headlines.  If the story is written well enough, it will create headlines of its own.

Do what you do best / Happenings In The Outhouse 21-Feb-2020

It's okay to experiment.  But, if it doesn't work, stop it.  Go back to what does work.

Over the past few years, aside from the medical issues with my wife, I tried a few various writing techniques to see if they improve how I write.  Undoubtedly, none really worked to improve anything.  If anything, they hindered it.

The techniques I tried revolved around outlining stories.  None have seemed to work.  So, it's back to what I do best.  Writing on the seat of my pants.  Writing in the dark.  It goes by a number of names, but in the end I write the story as I sit on the computer.

Oh, sure, I may think about a story while I'm driving to work but sitting down to outline a story has never really seemed to work for me.

For the most part, what we do best is what works best.

Goals in and out of your control / Happenings In The Outhouse 14-Feb-2020

Can you control if a book makes the bestseller list?

Can you control if a book even sells?

Sorry to say, but no.  Oh, sure, you may game the system a bit, but that only leads to short term gains (if there are any at all).  In fact, the time wasted trying to game the system could be best put toward putting more words onto the page.

Words on the page.  This is the only thing you can control.  Or you may call it "butt in chair time."  Although I don't like that phrase because one can waste enough time sitting in a chair.

Put time toward getting words on the page.  THAT is the only thing you can control.

(Okay, not quite the only thing, but close enough.  If you're an indie author, you may change your cover or other search terms, but in the end it comes down to putting words on the page.)