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.