Thinking Ahead / Happenings In The Outhouse 11-June-2021

I'm only on the sixth chapter of my latest novel and I'm already looking forward to what's next.

As you may (or may not) know, my latest project is a writing of a horror novel I wrote more than two decades ago, and is the second novel I ever completed.  I'm using the old book as an outline.  It's going great.

Beholder's Eye, which is my first full-length published book, was the fourth book I ever completed.  Between Beholder's Eye and my current project was another horror novel, set up in Lake of the Woods, in northern Minnesota.  This book actually got some interest from literary agents back in the day, but nothing came out of it.  Thank God.  Knowing what I know now about book contracts, royalties, and publishing rights, I'm sure I would've given as much away as possible with little to show for it.

Anyway, it's that book that I will be bringing to life.  And again, I'll be using the old book as an outline for the new one.

The many flavors of outlining / Happenings In The Outhouse 21-May-2021

Another short one this week as we prepare for my daughter's high school graduation next Friday.

My work-in-progress is progressing very well.  Far better than I could imagined at this point.  My last novel progressed very . . . very slowly.

But this one edged beyond the 11,000 word mark, and I'm only on the 5th chapter.

I've talked before about how much I dislike outlining in general.  Here is a link to all of my posts about outlining.  What's interesting is how much has changed over the years and whatever I'm working on.

For this project, I'm using each previously written chapter as an outline.  The plot is similar, the story is following a similar path, but the story is much, much better.

Outlining can come in a variety of packages.  I'll explore this topic more in the future.

Progress / Happenings In The Outhouse 7-May-2021

I am making tremendous progress on my "new" work-in-progress.

Now, I put new under quotes for a reason.  It's not a new story.  It's a story I first wrote back in college, when my late wife and I were dating.  So, yeah, well over two decades old--we were married for twenty-two and a half years before her passing.  But what's new is what I'm doing with it.

I'm using the old story as an outline.

I did this with a fantasy novel a few years ago, before moving on to another project--don't worry, I'll pick it back up again.  So far, I'm making great progress.

I know, I know, I have written about my dislike toward outlining before.  So I'm revising my thoughts toward outlining.  For me, for the most part, outlining is a waste of time.  But now, and a few times in the past, when I've hit a bit of a block, getting thoughts down on paper has helped dislodge the block.

I'm currently at the 6,300 word mark.  It'll be interesting how soon I can get this one published.

Wish me luck!

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.

Changing it up (again) / Happenings In The Outhouse 03-May-2019

I came to a realization earlier this week.  At the rate I was going, I may not publish anything in 2019.

Don't get me wrong.  I write pretty much everyday.  Some days, more than others.  But the pace at which I was going, my current WIP (work in progress), an epic fantasy novel, may not see publication until December 2019.  And with that, I'm being generous in the timeline.  It's currently around the 34,000 word mark and I'm estimating it will be close to 200,000 words by the time it's done.  In reality, it may not be finished until . . well, a year from now.  If not later.

Right now, I have a lot riding on my shoulders--trust me, I'm not complaining, so sympathy is neither needed nor requested.  This has to do with my family life.  A lot of things are piled on at once each night and before I know it, I'm exhausted and the best thing for me to do is go to bed.  My writing time consists of the morning, after I drop my kids off at school and before I get ready for work.  Roughly, an hour tops.  Maybe 30-60 minutes each night, if possible--with a strong emphasis on the IF.

I have a lot of writing projects vying for my attention.  Then, the other night, I asked myself if I should slow down on my epic fantasy and work to publish other writings.  *ding!*  That was all I needed.

Lately, during breaks and lunches at work, I've been sketching out (yes, one may call it outlining) future projects.  Some I will tackle right away.

Stay tuned . . .

I, hypocrite / Happenings In The Outhouse 11-Jan-2019

I realized something the other day.  I'm a hypocrite.

I dislike outlining with a passion--in fact, I consider it a colossal waste of time.  Want proof?  Here's a series of blog posts I have done on the subject.

However, with the epic fantasy novel I'm currently writing, I am using the old manuscript as . . . yes, you guessed it . . . an outline.

Oh, the horror!

Anyway, I do admit I'm a hypocrite in that respect, but keep in mind the original book was written sans outline and I'm taking great liberties with the new project.  I am currently 5,000 words into it and it's going great.

In the meantime, I will be publishing three short stories within the first quarter of 2019.  These short stories have already been written, but never published.

Stay tuned . . .

Power of brainstorming / Happenings In The Outhouse 02-Nov-2018

I've covered the topic of brainstorming before on this blog.

But I came to a realization this week, about something I've been struggling with for much of this summer.  As you know, I've started writing the second romance book (under a pen name) and then put it aside to write a completely new story.  Even though the new story is going well with over 8,000 words, I've been hitting roadblocks on where the story is going.  I sat back one day to reflect on my writing career up to this point, not once experiencing what I have been now.

Oh, sure, I've hit a rough patch or two in my writing life, but the stories I want to write just don't seem to want to be written.  Reflecting on my past, I knew what I had done before that I somehow quit doing.

Brainstorming.

Not quite outlining, but some may see it as such.  I went to work one day, armed with a notebook, and wrote out a few pages of thoughts.

If you ever find yourself in a rut, reflect on what may be the issue.  Brainstorm your thoughts.  You may be surprised what may happen.

When all else fails, re-read what you have written / Happenings In The Outhouse 10-June-2016

Something happened when I hit the 20,000 word mark on the latest thriller: I stalled.  I didn't write for a few days (life happens, you know?) and then I struggled with where I wanted to go.

The fourth novel in my Central Division Series is going very well, and I know where I want to go from here.

But I need to fill in the gaps.

So, I decided to go back through my book so far, chapter by chapter, and re-read it.  I'm making notes as I go, to see where I had made promises, created clues that I forgot about, and in one instance changed to District Attorney's name and gender.

If you find yourself stalling, wondering what to write next, may I make a suggestion to try this.  It may work for you.  It may not.

But doing something is better than nothing.

New mindset for outlining / Happenings In The Outhouse 20-May-2016

A month ago, I said I was going to try my hand at outlining the fourth thriller book in the Central Division Series.  It went well, brainstorming the beginning, middle, and end, and a lot of pieces in between.

But after two days, I was itching to just start writing the book, because that's the way I roll.

What brought about this urging for me to outline?

I discovered a new podcast a few months ago called the Story Grid Podcast with Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl.  When I started listening, I knew I had to listen to them all.  And I highly recommend it, if you want a new sense of storytelling and why some stories work and many don't.

Shawn Coyne has been an editor for over twenty-five years and wrote a book called the Story Grid.  Check it out.  It's well worth the investment, no matter what genre you write.

In a number of the podcast episodes, Shawn suggested not necessarily planning out one's day in word count but in writing a specific scene or two.  The scene or two may take up the word count you need for the day, but it's a different mindset to have, looking at it by scene instead of words.

With my new book, I decided to take this approach.  After the day's writing, I would plan out the next scenes.  It's still early in the process, but it seems to be working well.

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.

Fine, I'll try outlining / Happenings In The Outhouse 25-Mar-2016

As of today, the polish edit on Discarded is complete.

"According to the FBI, more than 100,000 young women and children are victims of human sex trafficking in the United States.  Globally, that number is in the millions.

Little does Minneapolis PD Investigator Kolin Raynes know that finding a discarded cell phone would lead him into the murky world of human sex trafficking.  And Kassi Young, a homeless teenage prostitute, isn't the only one to fall into their clutches."

When it's up for sale, I will provide a link to it.

As I wrap up Discarded, I'm planning the fourth novel in the Central Division Series.  Much of it is in my head.  This time around, I'm going to do something I don't normally do: outline.

*gasp*

Before you freak out and run for the hills, let me say right up front that I do a little planning with each novel.  For this next book, I will do a bit more.

I'm always experimenting with refining my writing process and feel the need to give outlining the old college try.

Stay tuned.

Like tumblers on a lock (when a new story comes together) / Happenings In The Outhouse 04-Sept-2015

The tumblers fell in place yesterday morning.  And I mean, perfectly in place.

I've been working on the first draft of the third novel in the Central Division Series, and at first I didn't feel the original plot was enough to hold through the entire novel.  I added a second major plot to fill it out.  My thought was to add a more realistic feel to big city investigators, juggling multiple cases (even high profile ones) at once.

As Arnold Schwarzenegger has said on multiple occasions in his movies: "Big mistake."

(insert smiley face emoticon or appropriate meme here)

As each of the major plots for the third story grew, I quickly realized I had two novels in my hands.  Not just one.

I thought a lot about the major thriller novels, movies, and TV series, and how they were set up.  I realized that to pack so much in would be . . . well, a mistake.  It would confuse the readers, something I don't want to do.

So, what was once one novel is now two.

I'm about 8,000 words into the third novel, which will have to be dissected now that I have to take the second story line out.  No worries.  I'm very excited for the change.

In the meantime, both of the novels in the Central Division Series are available at all major ebook outlets.  Here is a link to my website, which has retail links to places from Amazon to Google Play.

And interesting sidenote: here is a recent Washington Post article about the small-town where I currently live.  Very well-written, and an eye-opener for many.

Outlining really does work (honestly) / Happenings In The Outhouse

If you've read my blog at any length, you know I'm not a real fan of outlining.  I am what is called a pantser--AKA writing off the seat of my pants.

Now, I can't say I never outline.  In fact, even the most die-hard of pantser writers outline some, even if it's brief drabs in their mind.  When I get an idea for a story, I describe it as Morse Code.  The dots are places where I feel the story is going and the dashes are scenes I've thought about.  Put them together and ta-da!

Magic!

A story is born . . .

Earlier this week, at work, I decided to outline the rest of Straight Razor, the second novel in the Central Division Series.  I'm currently 45,000 words into it and going strong.  I figure another 25,000 words should about do it.

I spent both breaks and lunch outlining the rest of the story.  Now, all I have to do is sit down and write.

Happenings In The Outhouse 07-Mar-2014 / Write endings that don't suck

Endings are tricky.  Do you leave the story open, leaving the reader's imagination to wonder what is in store for the character?  Or do you tie everything together in a nice neat bow?

Or, is it a combination of both?

Last week, on Netflix, I watched the season finale of Breaking Bad.  I won't spoil it here, except to say that it ends perfectly, tying up all loose ends.  As we speak, I'm just an episode or two away from finishing Dexter.  I'm dying--no pun intended--to see how it plays out.  Some of the character development in the last season is a bit poor and far-fetched, but overall I like the series and want to know what's going to happen with our friendly neighborhood blood splatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killer.

When it comes to endings, I believe it's important to give the reader enough to satisfy them.  This is where I believe a bit of planning--AKA outlining--may come into play.  As we speak, I have written in my lifetime a total of six novels.  In all of them, I had the ending in mind long before I even got to it.  But, when I wrote closer and closer to the end, it didn't quite turn out the way I had planned.  It was better.

In Shadowkill, I had an ending in mind yet didn't quite know how to get there.  A lot of questions were raised prior to it.  Then, like magic, they all fell into place.

I like explosive endings.  I hate cop-out endings.  This is why I hated Dracula.  The death of Dracula was about 2 lines in the book . . . and that was it.  Poof, big bad vampire is gone.  Don't do that.  Please.  Don't write endings that suck.

How do you tackle endings?  Please comment below and share.

Happenings In The Outhouse 29-Nov-2013 / Being an outlining convert

Yes, you heard me correctly.  I am an outlining convert.

At least for now, and for what I'm doing.

This week I found myself struggling with writing the first draft of the sequel to Beholder's Eye as well as editing Shadowkill.  It wasn't an easy task.  I only have around 5000 words written on the new thriller novel so far.

Then, a thought occurred to me Wednesday: why not outline the novel.  At least try.  So I spent my work day and did it.  I felt good afterwards too, because now I have a game plan for the novel.  Now, all of you staunch outliners out there are sure to pat yourselves on the back--not so fast, sweetheart!  I do see the value in outlining.  But I do love the discovery part of writing as well.

In Shadowkill, I am around chapter 5 in the editing process--and a long ways to go.

But I'll get there.  Keep in mind, we had Thanksgiving this week and another trip to Mayo this past Monday thrown in mix.  And I still wrote.

Also, my mystery novelette Guest of Honor is free today.  If you haven't picked it up yet, please do so.

Don't throw the trunk novel away - use it as an outline

I've been reviewing my list of goals for 2014, and one of them is to publish a lot more books.

Trunk novels are stories that authors write and they either don't feel are any good or need a lot of work.  So, they sit and wait--in the proverbial trunk, so to speak.

I have at least four completed novels that are my trunk novels.  Lately, I've been brainstorming how I can go about getting them ready for publication.  The earlier ones need a LOT of work . . . almost to the point where they just need to be rewritten.

Then it came to me: why don't I do that.  Rewrite them.  From scratch.

Using the already written novel as an outline.

So don't throw those trunk novels away.  If you feel they can be salvaged, use what you've written as an outline and rewrite it.

If you do try this, please comment below on your progress.  I'd love to see if this works out for others too.

Best way to improve your writing productivity

You've been slaving away for weeks, months, and in some cases years.  And now you've finally done it.  Your novel is done.  Complete.  The End.

Time for a grand celebration!  Fireworks galore!

Now what?  All of the experts say to put the book away for a while--the time may vary per writer.  Trust me, each one is different.  Some can start right back at chapter one, page one, and begin editing.  Others may let it sit in a drawer and marinate for 2-3 months.

If you're one of those waiters (raise your hand . . . go on, I know you're out there, lurking in the shadows.  Peek-a-boo, I see you.) then what should you work on next?

Another project.

When?

Right away.

Last week, on Friday May 31st, I finished the first draft of Shadowkill.  I took the weekend off from physically writing, except I did do a little outlining for my next project--an inspirational novelette or novella.

It's refreshing working on a smaller project between big ones.  Also, since this one is in a completely different genre than what I'm used to, it's challenging me just the same.  I currently have close to 3,500 words written, and I started it Monday.

Not bad.

The best way I know how to keep your writing productivity high is to write and keep writing.  When I'm nearing the end of one project, have the next one planned out.  There will be plenty of time for editing.

(yes, I did say I outlined my next project a little.  There's a reason behind it--David Farland and his ebook Million Dollar Outlines.  I highly suggest subscribing to his blog, where he gives daily writing tips that are absolutely invaluable.  I will cover more on my style of outlining in a future post.  I'm still not a have-to-put-every-single-detail-down-on-paper outliner, but I've discovered that I do a little.  I do have a novel that was completely written with no idea on the end, and I believe it turned out wonderful.)