Something fresh, something new / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-Sept-2018

As I have mentioned previously, I was working on the 2nd romance book under a pseudonym.

Did you notice I said was?

I have been hitting a wall with that book.  Oddly enough, it was one of the first ideas I ever had to do in the romance realm, but for some reason I can't seem to advance the story.  I feel like wading through a field of thick mud up to my waist.  I'm about 7500 words in too.  But last week, I decided to step away from it, brainstorm where I want the story to go, and started something new.

The something new isn't in any of my established series.  I, at first, thought of it as a short story.  Within two days, I had 1500 words written and I'm thoroughly enjoying it--to date, I have close to 3,000 words.  I will keep you updated on where this story leads.  I've written stories where I didn't have a clue where it was going.  It's fun, to be honest.

This is why I love the freedom of being able to write what I want, when I want.

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.

Another secret project / Happenings In The Outhouse 27-July-2018

A few weeks ago, I published a romance novel under a pseudonym.

For now, it is only published in the Amazon Kindle store.  It's selling well.  I am pleased with the outcome.

Why just Amazon?  Because, quite frankly, ebook retailers like Smashwords make it difficult to publish under another name without first setting up another account.  And since this romance novelist pseudonym is an experiment (at first) I didn't want to go through the hassle without some payout.

Will I change my mind in the future?  Yes.

When will that be?  No idea.

I am writing my second romance novel under my secret pseudonym.  I have only just started, but I am liking where it's going.

Romance work-in-progress nearing completion / Happenings In The Outhouse 22-June-2018

My current work-in-progress, a romance novel written under a pseudonym, is close to the 30,000 word mark.

It's been both challenging and fun to write.  Challenging, only from the standpoint that I've never written a romance story before as the main theme.  Although this one may have a bit of suspense thrown in, it's also been very fun to write.

Also, immediately upon completion of this one, I will write another romance under the same pseudonym.  Sorry, I won't be sharing what it is.  It's a bit of an experiment, to see if I can pull it off.  I am thinking and planning long-term, so I gauge success in this experiment differently when compared to others.

As a bit of a teaser, I will be sharing two life events in greater detail.  One from when I was in elementary school, when I may possibly have been inches away from being abducted.  The other was from a deer hunting season when I possibly saw a . . . UFO.

Yes, you heard correctly.  A possible abduction and a UFO.

Stay tuned . . .

Why my pen name is a secret? / Happenings In The Outhouse 11-May-2018

Writing the title to this blog feels a lot like the old "what I did last summer" essays we used to write in school.

For those who have been following this blog, I am currently in the middle of a . . . secret project, for want of a better word.  I am writing a romance novel, with around 18,000 words written so far, and am putting this under a pseudonym.

But what pseudonym am I using?

Sorry, that's a secret.  Will it remain a secret?  I don't know.  There are a few people whom I will tell about it, but that list is extremely small.

Besides, I am writing this romance more as an experiment.  You see, I am a storyteller.  I have threads of romance through many of my other stories, but this will be the first one where the major theme is romance-based.

Stay tuned . . .

Training Grounds Is Out / Happenings In The Outhouse 04-May-2018

Training Grounds is now published!

Click on the link to view your favorite ebook retailer.

What else am I working on?  I am currently around 15,000 words into my new romance work-in-progress, written under a pseudonym.  It's working well, and has been going places I never imagined--which is usually the case with most of my stories.

Keep your goals visible (AKA My Next 5 Things) / Happenings In The Outhouse 13-Apr-2018

I'm embarking on a new venture, under a pseudonym.  I am roughly 5,000 words into a romance story, and it's going well.  It was slow going at first, but lately has ramped up.

I've preached before about the importance of goals.  I don't do New Year's resolutions.  Simply, they don't work.  I set goals year-around.

I also do not participate in NaNoWriMo (the National Novel Writing Month) which occurs every November.  Instead of writing in November, I write all the time--or mostly everyday.

I've had to revamp how I set my goals.  I have a two-year plan, but in the meantime what do I do?

Last week was the start of a new quarter.  I wrote down 5 things to accomplish.  I call it "My Next 5 Things."

I wrote down 5 things I want to accomplish in the second quarter.  It's a manageable list, and I see it everyday.

I have also set a weekly writing goal.  I have it broken down into a daily goal for 5 days (minus the weekends) as well as the full 7 days.

So far, it seems to be working.

What have you tried to accomplish your goals?  How about one goal a month?  It's okay to start small.

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.

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.

Pseudonyms - reasons why you don't (or may not) need to

Two days ago, I posted on the reasons why you should have a pseudonym.  Now let's talk about why you may not need one.

"But, Mark, my readers will get confused if I start writing in other genres."

Hogwash!  Readers are not stupid, and may even like it when their favorite author writes in another genre.  I just got done reading the latest John Grisham legal thriller (The Racketeer), and I have to say that it was a lot better than many of legal thrillers he's been publishing over the past few years.  But here's the funny part: my favorite books by Grisham are not the legal thrillers (okay, maybe a little bit) but the stories that outside the genre: Skipping Christmas, A Painted House, and Bleachers.  The same goes with Stephen King.  My favorites from him are The Green Mile and On Writing.

This seems to be the main reason why publishers want authors to write under a pseudonym.  Dean Koontz wrote several stories under a pseudonym, and has since becoming a mega-bestseller republished those books under his own name.

"Okay, Mark, I get it.  But I'm not Stephen King or Rowling or Koontz.  I'm just (insert your name here) from (insert place of residence)."

You make a valid point.  However, all of the writers you named above started as a nobody.  They, through sheer dogged determination, churned out books that connected with people en mass.  You can do this to.  Just sit your ass in the chair and write.  That's all they do.

Here's my final argument for why you don't need (or may not need) a pseudonym.  Why do you really think you need to?  Years ago, I wrote several of my novels under a pseudonym--name to be withheld at this time--but then came to the realization that I may not have to, and if a publisher forced me to do so in order to publish a book, then I'll consider it.  For now, I write under my own name.

I want to repeat this again: readers are NOT stupid.  They may also appreciate it when you do branch out into other genres.  Let me leave you with this final thought (okay, I said this above, but now I'm serious): who is Elvis Presley?  He's the King of Rock and Roll!  But did he sing just rock and roll?  No.  The reason he was--and still is--considered the King was because he branched out into so many other musical genres, including hymnals and folk, that he captured the lovers of those musical tastes and drew them back in to his rock and roll.

Elvis was a master.

Follow what the masters have done.

And remember: readers are NOT stupid.  They just may not be able to find you if you happen to write under a pseudonym in another genre, and you could've expanded their reading tastes.  Not long ago, I read a collection of science fiction/western short stories by Alan Dean Foster.  I'm not a reader of westerns, but after that I may branch out my reading tastes to include the likes of Zane Grey and Louis Lamour.

Pseudonyms - reasons why you should or may have to

You are a man who strives to write romance.

Or erotica.

Or you are a woman who has an itching to write thrillers or horror.

Let's say you've written multiple fantasy novels and now wants to branch out into horror or thriller novels.

Your name could be boring.

Or simple.

Or too generic.

Or too difficult to spell or pronounce.

You don't want your readers confused when you suddenly write in another genre.

You've written nonfiction, have even won awards for your work, and now want to write genre fiction (i.e. John Sandford).

Or you could do the old Stephen King/Richard Bachman experiment where you're convinced that people buy your books solely due to your name and not on the quality of writing.

All of these, and countless more, are reasons for you to write under a pseudonym.  The choice is yours.  If you do, you're in the company of grand writers such as Mark Twain.

What are some other reasons you could think of to write under a pseydonym?

Pseudonyms - the great debate

"Why can't I have a great name like John Grisham or J. K. Rowling?  Oh, hell, a name like Joe Montana or Tiger Woods or Clint Eastwood has got to be the key to success!"

I'm not quoting any such individual with this statement, but I've heard it plenty of times: if only I had a great name, I'd be successful.

Baloney!

Or, you may have heard the story about the writer who writes in one genre and when it comes time for him/her to publish in another genre, the publisher asks them for a pseudonym--AKA a pen name.

Next week, I'll debate the pros and cons to pseudonyms.  At one time, I even had a pseudonym that I wrote under, and an agent called it "contrived."  After much internal debate, I decided to just write under my own name, with middle initials included.

Need an example of someone who writes in multiple genres under his own name?  Check out Dan Simmons.  He writes in fantasy, non-fiction, noir crime, science fiction, horror, etc.