If you are overwhelmed, it's okay to start small / Happenings In The Outhouse 08-Oct-2021

 Imagine being tasked with cleaning up a hoarder house.

Where would you begin?

Start small.  Start somewhere.  It doesn't matter where, but start.

Writing a novel is the same way.  It's a daunting task that most people won't even try.  But start writing.  It doesn't matter if those words are going to stay when it comes time for publication.  Just the act of writing it down, practicing your writing, is enough to get the creative juices flowing.

Starting a new book, or even a short story, can be difficult.  But slap some words onto the page.

Do you expect to look like the muscular men or women who grace the covers of magazines if you haven't stepped into a gym before?  Of course not.  But all great things have to start somewhere.

Don't be afraid.  Just do it.

25 years ago, two amazing events occurred / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-Nov-2019

Twenty-five years ago, the movie Interview With The Vampire came out in the theaters.  It is the only--and I mean ONLY--movie I have ever seen more than once in the theater.  Not including the re-releases of any Star Wars movie, of course.  But even those, I have only seen once in the theater.  At home, I have watched them a lot more.

There are a few Netflix series/movies I have watched more than once, however, but that doesn't count either.

The release of Interview With The Vampire isn't what came to mind with the two events--oh, by the way, I watched the movie four times in the theater!  Yes, four!  It was released on November 11, 1994.  The only reason this date comes to mind is because I went to this movie to celebrate the completion of my first novel.  It was a 1,000-page behemoth of horror fiction.  I have met so many people in my life who have wanted to write a novel and never do it.  Well, at that point, I did it.

The second (and better!) amazing event occurred just after Thanksgiving at Bemidji State University.

There was this cute brunette I had noticed for quite some time and she worked as a dispatcher for the campus security.  Campus security was also housed right across from the stairs leading up to the cafeteria.  On the day in question, Mike, a friend of mine, said he was going to ask her out.  Feeling defeated, I made my way into the cafeteria.  Minutes later, he sat down.

"How did it go?" I asked.

"She shot me down."

Okay.  Maybe she had a boyfriend.  Maybe . . . well, I thought of a million reasons why I shouldn't ask her out--the number one reason was that I was a first-rate chicken shit (sorry for the profanity, but I was deathly scared to talk to women, even though I had friends who were girls; I know, go figure, right?)

After eating, I made my way down and saw a guy I knew from Tae Kwon Do who happened to be working at the security office along with the cute brunette.  So, taking a deep breath, I walked in and talked with him.

Then, I said hello to the brunette.  I must've stood there and talked with her for over an hour.  Her name was Melissa, although most called her Missi.  We gradually became friends over the course of the next few months.  By August 1995, we decided to take it to the next level and start dating.  Almost two years after that . . . we were married.

And have been happily married for over 22 years since then.

Don't fear the blank canvas / Happenings In The Outhouse 23-Aug-2019

I love all stages of the writing process, from the idea stage to the moment I publish.  Including what many call the messy middle.

Right now, I'm in the first few pages of a new YA book.  I've never written YA before--more specifically, anything geared directly at the YA (young adult) market--and so far I am loving the challenge.

The first draft of any story is like a painter standing in front of a blank canvas.  And for a writer, the opening pages are an even more blank canvas than the further along in the book you go.  By the time you near the end, the canvas is pretty much done.

This story isn't part of any series and all of the characters are new.

For some, the opening pages are frightening and have a difficult time moving forward.  I strongly urge you to plow through it.  You can always go back and delete something if it doesn't fit.

Knowing that you're going down the wrong path (and you still keep going) / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-June-2019

A few weeks ago, I had to halt my current work-in-progress as I had no way of knowing where it was going.

Some stories I've written completely in the dark, with little to no roadmap as to where it was going.  I love those stories as they seemingly wrote themselves.

My current work-in-progress was like driving through a gigantic forest of dense brush . . . and there was no letting up.  I've ran across obstacles (no, I will not call it writer's block!) where I slogged my way through the story until I finally found the way clear.  Remember driving through the dense brush I mentioned moments ago?  The clear path was right on the other side.  All I had to do was keep going.

Not this time.  I had to reverse . . . then, when I found what was causing the mix-up, I turned in the right direction.

My current work-in-progress now has a much clearer path.  I know where it's going . . .

If you ever find yourself struggling with your story, stop and examine where you are.  Could you be going down the wrong path?  If it is, go back through your story and find the new direction.

The power of a first (single) draft / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-Apr-2019

I realized something the other day.  I write the majority of my blog posts in a single sitting.  Meaning, after one draft.

Even several of the stories I've published lately have only seen one draft.

Let me explain the process, which is stupidly simple.  I do what is called cycling (here's a blog post I did a while back that explains it).  I actually do a modified version of this.  Depending on the size of the project, I will go back and do a casual read, as if I was a reader and not a writer, correcting any errors that I may come across.  For short stories, novelettes, and novellas, I will typically read it through from beginning to end, mostly in a single sitting, making a few corrections here and there.

For my current project, which I know is in four parts, I will read each part in its entirety once I get to the end of it.  After that, I won't read it again until the book is done.  Then, I will do one more casual read, just in case something happens at the end that may affect something in the beginning.  But I do not do the heavy editing like I did before I started publishing.  I shake my head at how many years I wasted doing this--and I still come across several writers who feel the need to edit heavy-handedly over and over and over and over again.

This is essential Heinlein's five rules of writing.  Don't trust yourself?  Do it once and then test the waters.

Dipping my toe in the water / Happenings In The Outhouse 24-Aug-2018

I was going to name this blog post "Writer's block is a myth" but went with the current one instead.

A little over a month ago, I published my first novel under a secret pseudonym.  I am currently writing the second novel under the same name, but somewhere around chapter four I hit a small roadblock.  A bump, so to speak.

Yes, it was the middle of the summer and I have some repairs that need to be done on the house that I just don't want to do--honestly, I want to just hire it done and let them do it, even though it would probably take a good weekend to do it--but it needs to.  We're also in the middle of "looking" for a newer vehicle.  The vehicle I currently drive has over 200K miles on it and last winter was horrible on it.

So, with all that in mind, my mind really wasn't into the new book, even though I've been wanting to write it for a while now.  I call it the "Can't Buy Me Love" movie for adults instead of geared toward teens.

But my mind just wasn't into it.  I binged all eight seasons of Blue Bloods on Netflix as well as a handful of movies.  Then something happened earlier this week.  You see, all along, I've been dipping my toe in the writing waters a bit at a time.  This week, I plunged right in.  I said enough is enough and wrote.  Between one night and morning, I cranked out over a thousand words.  I currently have over 5,000 words written so far, with a plan to have it done by the end of September.

Back to the original title: "Writer's block is a myth."  Being creative can be difficult at times.  I won't fault someone for taking a break when life seems to happen, especially when things are out of your control.

But don't let the block rule your life.  You, and only you, control your life.  Take charge.  Today.

New Ventures - New Challenges / Happenings In The Outhouse 06-Apr-2018

I wasn't happy with the productivity behind my last project, so I'm amping it up on my next and future projects.

Training Grounds was started around the first of the year, and completed only last month.  And it's a novella, to boot.  I've written other novellas in a matter of weeks.  Not months.

I apologize right now for my secretiveness, but I'm experimenting with a few new things.  If they work, from a productivity standpoint, I'll share my findings and what they are.  It could be something you can try too.  Keep in mind, everyone's working style is different.  For the past few years, I logged all of my writing days on a spreadsheet, and almost obsessed with having as few non-writing days as possible.  But around November 2017, due to health and other personal issues, I had more non-writing days than I liked and it stressed me out.  So I quit the spreadsheet.  Oddly enough, my productivity increased and I finished the novel.

But something happened after the first of the year.  One thing I discovered is that I need a publishing goal.  A date.  Something to shoot for.  If I have to change it, I will.  But with no deadline to shoot for, I find myself lingering on and on . . .

Okay, now for the new stuff.  I am currently writing . . . drum roll please . . . a romance novel.  I'm roughly 2,500 words into it, and it's going well.  I have another one I'll write right afterwards.  But I will not share the title here.  Why?  I'm experimenting with a pseudonym.  I know, pen names can have its pros and cons.  I'll need a separate website and such.  But I have my reasons, after juggling the pros and cons.

Why a pseudonym?  Because in the romance world, men don't sell as well as women.  It sounds sexist, I know, but that's the reality.  So, my pen name will be initials.  It won't resemble my name at all.

It should be fun.  I'm looking forward to the results.  I've never written romance before, but I have added romance elements into my stories before.

Sifting through the muck / Happenings In The Outhouse 02-Feb-2018

For the past few years, I've had visions of the book Training Grounds swirling around in my head.  Sitting down to write it is like sifting through the muck, arranging it in a way that makes sense.

This is the fun part to writing--okay, I'll be honest, I love all aspects to writing.  From the idea and all the way to hitting the publish button, it's fun.  Even when I have to sift through the muck that's in my own head, I take it as a challenge.

Training Grounds has been a bit of a challenge in and of itself, for I have already written four novels in the Central Division Series, and this book occurs right after book 1.  Kind of a book 1.5 if you will.  I had to re-read Beholder's Eye to get a feel for what happened.  That was also enjoyable.

I am currently over 10,000 words into the story.  Not quite sure if I can see the end yet.  I know where and how it'll end, but the route is always interesting.

In a final note, yesterday was the release date for Strange Birth: Book One in the Repel Trilogy.  Here is a link for all of the e-retailers.

Mindhunter May Be Shifting My Next Project / Happenings In The Outhouse 08-Dec-2017

Strange Birth, the first book in the Repel Trilogy (my first superhero novel), is near completion.
I am speculating a mid-January release date.  Stay tuned.

Then . . . what's next?

I truly want to get this trilogy complete and out into the world, but Mindhunter the new Netflix series has spurred my interest in serial killers once again (honestly, did it ever leave?)

The series is intriguing--enough so that I have watched the entire season twice.  And both times over an entire weekend.  The episodes merge smoothly from one to the next.

Mindhunter has also drawn me back to my Central Division thriller series.  I have an idea for book five as well as . . . at this point, it's a shorter (I think) book that occurs right after the events of book 1: Beholder's Eye.

So I am at a crossroads: do I finish the trilogy or write these others?  Also, there is a horror novel that I am completely rewriting.

Choices . . .

The future is bright, my friend.  There is much work to be done.

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.

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.

Write until it's done / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-Sept-2017

A few weeks ago, during our tri-weekly writers' group meeting, one of our members shared a piece of writing advice that we all thought was golden.
It's very simple.

Write.

And keep writing until it's done.

No more, no less.

With all the writing advice out there, this one goes to the heart of much of most writing.  Some writers try to push a short story idea to something longer just for the sake of making it longer.  Some writers even try to squeeze a longer piece into something shorter.  Again, just for the sake of making it shorter.

One of my recent publications titled Bruce is an example of this.  When the story was originally conceived, it was a short story.  A few thousand words at best.  By the time it was complete, it was just shy of 11,000 words.  Not a short story at all.  A novelette.  But I wrote the story that needed to be told.  I didn't cram anything in that didn't pertain to the story and I didn't leave anything out for the sake of keeping it short.

I wrote.

I wrote until it was done.

Try it.  Write a story without any notion of length.  There are a number of epic fantasy novels, many published a few decades ago, that were bloated just to fit the genre.  Stephen King has even written a few door stops--although we can argue if the door stops worked or not.  People have argued that the last 2-3 Harry Potter books could've been cut down too.

Cycling (in writing) / Happenings In The Outhouse 22-Sept-2017

Ever wonder how many successful writers publish all the time?  No, it's not because writing is all they do--although that may be true as well--but there is a secret to churning out story after story that I didn't discover until this earlier year.
It is called cycling.

Dean Wesley Smith talked about it on one of his blogs this past February.

Bestselling Christian author Jerry B. Jenkins (co-author of the Left Behind series) even talked about it last month on The Creative Penn podcast.

This is something I have also started incorporating in my writing--and it has boosted by overall productivity immensely.

Cycling.  It's not just for bicycles anymore.

In a nutshell, it works like this: write a few hundred words (this amount will vary with each author) until you get to a point where you either feel the need to stop or even after a certain period of time.  Then, take a small break and re-read what you had written.  Once you get to the end, keep writing.  As you re-read, fix what needs fixing, edit what needs editing, but using your creative mind to keep going.

To some, this may seem like a slow process.  Take, for example, NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, which occurs every November.  The goal is to write 50,000 word in a single month, which equates to 1,667 words a day.  Many writers who write their 50,000 words in November for NaNoWriMo will then say the story is crap.  Why?  Using the cycling method--a method that bestselling authors use--may help not make the story crap.

In Smith's post, he states that using this cycling method will keep one in a creative mode.  This will keep the story fresh.  I have also found that it eliminates the needless editing passovers.  Don't get me wrong, stories still need editing, but cycling will boost your productivity and decrease the amount of time "working" on "fixing" your stories.
Give it a try on your next story.  It may take a bit to get your personal rhythm down, but cycling is worth trying out.

A life of its own / Happenings In The Outhouse 15-Sept-2017

Last week, I started writing a new novel in a new series.  This story has been brewing in my mind for the longest time--it's the reason I chose to write it next, after I completed my technothriller series The Shadowkill Trilogy.

This new story is a superhero story.

I've written a few posts where my story ideas look like Morse Code.

Let me briefly explain again: the dots are where this happens and then this happens and so on.  The dashes are scenes where this thing happens.  Together, I write to fill in the spaces.

This new story has been brewing for a long time--and I really mean, a long time.  I'd walk to and from work (the day job), and I'd envision what this superhero would do.

I won't explain the story nor the powers this superhero has (I briefly told the story to my youngest daughter, who watches a lot of superhero shows on Netflix, and she thought it was very cool!) but I will say that once I sat down to write it . . . the story took on a life of its own.  Some of the troubling areas of the story has worked itself out as I write it.

If you're having troubles starting or even continuing a story that you're working on, go back a few hundred words, read, and then write.  Keep the words flowing.

Publication update:
I am currently working on the covers for the final two books in The Shadowkill Trilogy, my nonfiction book centered around traveling with diabetes, and a superhero novelette.  Once these four are completed, I will share links, etc.
I am also working on putting a box set together for The Shadowkill Trilogy too.  Good times!

Create A Character List Early On In The First Draft / Happenings In The Outhouse 21-July-2017

I'm in the middle of editing the last two novels in the Shadowkill trilogy, and I've come across something that may be helpful to fiction writers: as early as possible, create a character list as you write.

This may seem like a no-brainer to some and a "oh I don't need that; I'll remember all of my characters" to others, but trust me when I say that for most, you'll thank me later.

No matter how minor a character may seem, it's good to jot their name down and maybe add a note on how they're relevant.  About a third of the way through book 2, I discovered I had a different name for an extremely minor character.  I didn't have a note on this one.

This list doesn't have to be some Wikipedia page or anything.  Just a name and anything relevant to the story.

Stats On Third Novel In Shadowkill Trilogy / Happenings In The Outhouse 07-July-2017

On July 4th, while many Americans were celebrating our country's Independence Day, I not only celebrated that, I also finished the third (and final?) novel in the Shadowkill trilogy, titled Storming The Hill.

I started it on 3/19/2017
I finished it on 7/4/2017
Total days is 108

The novel came out at 69,916 words, averaging 647 words per day.

Unfortunately, there were 30 zero word days.  Over half could be attributed to our son's graduation and the vacation to Tennessee, even though I still could've found a few minutes here and there to write.  That's something I'll have to revisit down the road.

When I take the actual writing days into account, which were 78, my average words per day rose to 896.

I'm budgeting the next two months to edit the final two books, prepare covers, write the blurbs and product descriptions, research keywords.  I haven't decided if I will do any pre-orders or not.  I also feel I will publish this on all platforms.  I won't make these Amazon exclusive.

So, what's next?

No worries, I'm already brainstorming what to do next.  I have at least three short stories I may publish in the meantime--while I work on books 2 and 3--so there will always be something I'm working on.

At the finish line / Happenings In The Outhouse 25-Nov-2016

On Wednesday this week, I finished the first draft to my Christmas-themed book.  This is my 22nd published work.  Some are even free on my website (yes, I count those).

I am still not sharing the title for another week or so when I have the cover and blurb to also unveil.  It turned out much, much better than I originally thought, and even had a few tears when I was nearing the end.

The book is around 55,000 words.  I started it on September 20th, and finished a little over two months later.  I will breakdown the number of days I wrote and the average words each of those days.  When I looked at those number a few weeks ago, I discovered I didn't write every single day.  But when I didn't, there was a reason behind it (I know, life gets in the way at times), and it seemed to be for multiple days in a row too.

As of now, I am at the finish line.  I have now printed it off, and will start the editing process.

Oh, and happy Black Friday!

Here are my books on Amazon.

Not on Amazon, no problem.  Here is a list on my website and where they can be purchased.

Confusion with newsletter subscribers / Happenings In The Outhouse 30-Sept-2016

A few days ago, I sent out a newsletter regarding my two new releases: Shades Of Darkness (Book 4 in the Central Division Series) and Grave Secrets: A Halloween Mystery Suspense Novelette.

Much to my surprise, I had over 600 subscribers.  For any normal person, this would cause great excitement.  Here's the problem: Mailchimp (the e-mail subscriber I use) sends me an e-mail after each subscription . . . and I know darn well that my number wasn't that high.  I won't disclose how many, but it certainly wasn't that many.

I sent the newsletter without looking at the list.

Then, I started to get unsubscribes and bounce-backs.  Bounce-backs are from e-mails that simply do not exist.

As I looked into each subscriber, many had funky names like 5764g113bn82.  Now, I know no parent would name their child this, let alone well over 550.

I then started deleting these subscribers.  Unfortunately, I think I deleted my entire list--in fact, I know I did.  I can still look over the list I sent on the last newsletter blast, which I'll probably end up doing.

Currently, I working on the first draft of a Christmas-themed novel.  I am roughly 5,500 words into it and it's going well.  I will share more when it gets closer to done, like the title, synopsis, and the cover.

The tortoise revisited / Happenings In The Outhouse 16-June-2016

Almost four years ago I wrote a blog post titled "Lessons from a tortoise."

I re-read it again recently as I looked at the state of publishing and how everyone (well, not quite everyone) is preaching the gospel of "Write faster!  Write faster!"

I still believe what I wrote.  And it's as applicable today as it was back then.

Each writer is different.  Each writer has various life skills, talents, methods, and external forces that make each writer unique.

To me, the mantra of writing faster is equivalent to acting like the hare in the race.  Now, if it works for you, go for it.  I won't deny one's unique writing style.  But it's not for everyone, and writing fast doesn't necessarily mean you will succeed--and this has nothing to do with all fast writing is crap; I don't believe that for a second.

Being the tortoise means writing steady and consistently.  I don't care how you break down your writing tasks.  Back in college, I used to write X amount of pages in a day.  My first goal was to write one page.  Then I moved it to two . . . and so on.  Whatever you use for your goal is fine for you, as long as you do it consistently.

If you only have twenty minutes to write each day, do it.  Write with all your heart for those twenty minutes.  Over time, those words will add up.

Be the tortoise.  Speeding quickly towards something is not necessarily the key to success.  Keeping at something for a long period of time is your best shot at success (and I'm talking career success, not success on a single book).  Keep your eye on the finish line.  The finish line is your goal.

Because no one can read your book (or books) if it's not finished.

Discarded published - another first draft begins / Happenings In The Outhouse 01-Apr-2016

The FBI estimates that over 100,000 young women and children are victims of human sex trafficking.  Globally, that number is in the millions.

Yes, you heard right.  Millions.

Discarded, the third in my Central Division Series of thriller novels tackles human sex trafficking head-on.  It was published earlier this week.  Here's a link to the Amazon page.  For roughly 90 days, it will be exclusive with Amazon, and then afterwards I will make the determination on when it will be published on the other platforms, like Google Play, Barnes and Noble, Apple iBooks, etc.

If you have an Amazon Kindle Unlimited account, you can pick up Discarded for free using your monthly subscription.

However . . . unless you're completely dying to read it, I suggest waiting about a month to purchase it.  Huh?  Why?

Because I will be running a promotion on Discarded as well as the other two novels in the Central Division Series: Beholder's Eye and Straight Razor.  Then, you can purchase all three novels for roughly 66% off.

Stay tuned, I will share more specific dates when it comes closer.

Yesterday morning, I started the first draft to the fourth novel in the series.  I spent most of the week outlining the book.  It worked out better than I thought, but let's see how it holds up as I keep writing the first draft.