Feb 2 2014

Here We Go Again

serious

Once again I have to sit back and laugh at debates people have over writing. This time it’s about the words and how complex and simple the ones used are. I have a simple philosophy: use the right word for the right time. And how do I do this? I constantly look up words, even the ones I know, in the dictionary and see how they’re used. I’ve found that there’s been many a time where the word I thought worked really didn’t fit once I studied it to check its proper usage.

Now, with that said do you need to use the complex word when a simple will do? Personally I lean towards the simple and try to make each line easy to read. Why? So the reader has a quick and enjoyable read. However, you’ll find that this is a debate that writers have had over the years. Hell, Faulkner and Hemmingway argued back in forth over this as part of their feud. In fact, Hemingway’s got a quote on it:

“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.”

I am from the Hemingway school of thought: there are simpler words to use. In fact, try too hard to sound smart and one comes across as pompous and stupid. So, with that said, always make sure the right word is used at the right time.


Feb 1 2014

What I learned Today After Taking A Breather From Writing

Today I decided to take most of the day off from writing and allow my head to clear. As I did this, many things came to mind and I thought them over. First off writing isn’t for the faint of heart. Even the best-selling authors get piss poor reviews on works that end up being classics. Thus, a good writer needs to have a thick skin and not let every negative review get to them.

Second, write for the audience, not another writer. Another writer will always end up being more critical of your work than the average reader and sometimes it can do more harm than good. Same thing goes for writing on the forums and letting the amateur writer try to tell you what’s wrong with it. This definitely becomes the blind leading the blind.

Third, things are made overly complicated by many beginning writers. The trap they fall into is trying to write something that’ll be considered both a literary classic and have legendary workmanship. Instead of shooting for the stars and failing miserably, it’s sometimes better to shoot for Jupiter and write a good story and not worry about whether is the best written story. There’s plenty out there that suck ass and still sell good. Don’t get me started on that shit called Twilight.

Fourth, the mark of a mature writer, whether he or she has been published yet, is the ability to write stories and characters that are totally unlikeable. Mareth is one of them for me. There’s nothing good about her; in fact, she’s rotten to the core. But she’s still enjoyable to write. Who doesn’t like writing a bad boy or bad girl character?

I could go on for hours writing down my thoughts but I’m not going to bore you. Hopefully you can glean something from and be able to move forwards as a writer.



Feb 1 2014

Why The Hell People Need To Write Than Live On Forums

nanowrimo-1

 

 

 

As I sit here and write this I find myself thinking about the state of writing and the people trying to start out in it. There are several forums out there, some are better known than others but it seems that there is a plethora of either the blind leading the blind, or just plain bad advice. And the one that is the worst? The self-described expert. Now they don’t have to come out and call themselves that, but their words do it for them.

 

This is a recipe for disaster on so many fronts and in some ways it’s become comedic to read. First off the threads alone are both sad and illogical. One I read lately: “How Do I Make My Emotionless Character More Likeable.” The poster then goes on to mention how his character loved a woman before she was killed and he sought out revenge. Ok, someone loved another person; that’s an emotion right as is seeking revenge. See the illogic of the post?

 

The list goes on and on especially in either characterization of general writing threads. Most time folks are always asking how to make x-character be x-way. Easy! You write them that way. I have 6 main characters I have created…and the sixth just popped into being based off the opening line to a short story. Each has a distinct personality.

 

Talia: Warrior, leader, arrogant at times, ill-tempered when dealing with fools, carries a sinister undertone beneath her honor and commitment ideals.

Methos: warrior, very loving and protective of her sisters, bombastic, bi-sexual, smart ass to the core. Always ragging the other three about having to save them.

Crios: warrior, pragmatic, loves to follow Talia, the most level headed. Decent tactician.

Dannae: warrior, Doctor, scientist, tech wizard, quiet and low-key, doesn’t revel in taking another beings life, strong fighter when necessary

Micki: teen, serving her conscription period in military, tactical genius, hates military life, riddled with self-doubt, needs friends to keep her believing in herself.

Athol: teen, female, sexually abused by uncle, assassin, cold as ice, loves to kill, moody, obstinate, sarcastic, arrogant, always planning ahead, foul mouthed.

 

There you have it, six different characters, each different, all with their own personality. It’s not that difficult; all folks need to do is spend less time on forums and more time writing.

 

Which brings me to the self-described experts. It is obvious that it seems they don’t have any substantial writing of their own to do or they wouldn’t be on forums trying to tell others what to do.

 

I know what you’re going to ask: “If you’re seeing this, doesn’t that mean you’re posting and not writing?”

 

Actually, no, I’m not posting. The who’s who of morons can be entertaining to read when I need to get away from the final read through of my Talia novel and writing about Athol. So, in all honesty, that’s what I’m doing.

 

To make a long story short, if people want to succeed in writing, they need to be writing not constantly posting on forums where the blind lead the blind. If help is truly needed then look around on the Internet and find a mentor. If you’re story is non-violent, then I can recommend someone that could mentor people if she has space.

 

And as usual, keep writing people!

 

 

 

Jan 23 2014

Rewriting vs Old Writing

This is the start of my non-Talia novel involving Micki. The first section is the new section I’ve rewritten. The second part is the old section.

They say that protocol trumps everything in the military, that respect for the command structure and everyone in it is a soldier’s primary non-combat responsibility.

This simple little fact was what Micki Brandon kept telling herself over and over as she stared at the older man sitting behind the desk. She stood ram-rod straight, waiting for the order to relax, while the minutes continued to tick past.

What does he want this time? She thought. Is there something else he wants to lord over me? Or is there a fresh round of insults coming?

How someone with the disposition of a porcupine made command of any starship proved worthy of debate between Micki and her friends. While they glowed over the Captain and his teaching style, she had only negative stories to share. To her is seemed almost as if the man went out of his way to make her miserable.

“Micki you disappoint me,” he said finally.

Make sure to look at the prescribed six inches over his head, she thought.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“I don’t get you,” Captain Alric Patton said as he rubbed the bridge of his thin nose. “Command has eyes on sending you through the command program and you act like it’s the plague.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said, “but as you know, I’m serving my required two years. I don’t, at this time, wish to make Fleet my career.”

Dannae2

And here’s the old:

Micki Brandon looked at the man sitting behind the desk and sighed. What did he want this time? Was there something else he wanted to either lord over her or insult her with this time?

How he ever became the captain of a starship, much less command the training ship Barton, beat the mud out of her. The Captain loved to let her know of every little mistake she made and then remind her of it a thousand times. Frankly she didn’t know if he was trying to make her a stronger cadet or cause her to cry. At this moment it looked like crying was the front runner.

A scar ran down his left cheek, which emphasized every facial gesture Captain Alric Patton made. His hair had turned gray long before Micki ever saw him and, in her opinion, age had done nothing but make the man crankier. Of course, she could be wrong, but at this point who knew?

“Micki you disappoint me,”

She looked at the wall the prescribed six inches above his head. “I’m sorry, sir,”

Patton rubbed the bridge of his thin nose. “I don’t get you. Command has eyes on sending you through the command program and you act like it’s the plague.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said, “but as you know, I’m serving my required two years. I don’t, at this time, wish to make Fleet my career.”

Jan 21 2014

Turning Short Stories Into Novels

As I’ve been doing my final read-thru and editing on the first chapter of The Wheel Of Fire (tentative title), I got to thinking about the short story I finished and whether or not I should start to stretch it out to be a novel or work the third Talia novel. While I’m going to try to sell it as a short story, there’s a lot of things that take place in 9k words and in some ways it feels rushed.

Would it make a good novel? There is the possibility of it being that, especially since the character isn’t such a “good girl” like my others have been. There’s no real redeeming qualities to her, but she’s still an interesting character. This is where I’d love to ask for opinions. Would people like to see me keep this short story as a short or work to stretch it out into a novel? I’m sure I could do so rather easily.

I’ll let you, my followers, help me decide that.

Jan 21 2014

Current Writing News

The last 24 hours have been particularly satisfying. I finished the final rewrite of my first novel and will now start the final edit and then prepare for submission. Today the short story I was working on at the same time was finished. For the first time in a while I’m happy because I’ve had the time to actually create. If there’s one part of writing that sucks, it’s the editing process. Yes, it’s the most important part but it’s such a stressing and boring thing when I’d rather be creating something instead.

Anyone who reads the short story will be both surprised that the main character is so unlikeable. In fact, she has few redeeming qualities, but it’s written and constructed in such a way that it can be stretched into a novel rather easily if I so choose. In fact, if I can get it published in a magazine, I will seek to retain the rights to any novelization of it. Another thing that separates it from other works I’ve done is that I leave the ending intentionally open. There’s no conclusive closure to the story, and that’s done intentionally. It allows the reader to make decisions for themselves about whether Athol has a future and reaches her destination. Also, it allows me to be able to write more stories about her if I so choose.

Talia, though, is also calling to me, trying to tell me there’s another adventure of hers to tell, so I really want to get the first novel polished and ready to go. All in all it’s been a pleasing twenty-four hours. Hopefully it’s been good to you too.


 

Jan 17 2014

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Jan 17 2014

Research Shows It’s Better To Run Away From Nuclear Detonation Blast « CBS Sacramento

I can’t make this shit up. What an idiotic study..of course you want to run, why wouldn’t you? Makes you wonder how much tax payer money was wasted on this shit?

 

Research Shows It’s Better To Run Away From Nuclear Detonation Blast « CBS Sacramento.

Jan 12 2014

Stats To Humble Any Perspective Writer

A MESSAGE FROM KRISTIN NELSON

2013 Year End Stats!

Kristin Nelson

I’d like to cordially welcome you to the new year!

Out with the old and in with the new! But before we move on, I know readers love to get the tally of our end-of-year statistics. Please note that sales figures are approximations rather than exact calculations.

Enjoy!

40
books sold (up from 33 last year).

128
foreign rights deals done (way up from 83 last year—holy cow!).

7
new clients (down from 16 total last year: 3 for Kristin and 4 for Sara).

35,000+ or some big number…
estimated number of queries read and responded to.

67
full manuscripts requested and read (down from 81 last year).

972
number of sample pages requested and read (down from 1029 last year).

2
number of projects currently on submission.

3
tv and major motion picture deals for Kristin.

2.8+ million
copies in print/sold for my bestselling long-running series this year.

1.5+ million
copies in print/sold for my bestselling individual title.

1.6+ million
copies sold for my bestselling hybrid author.

3+ million
ebooks sold for my bestselling indie-publishing-only author.

300,000+
copies in print/sold for my bestselling debut series.

800,000+
copies in print/sold for Sara’s bestselling author.

13
conferences attended—6 for Kristin (which includes Digital Book World, BEA and Frankfurt Book Fair), 5 for Sara, 2 for Anita.

31 
New York Times bestsellers for Kristin (up from 20 just last year). I did 11 more in 2013 alone. Wowza!

32
New York Times bestsellers for NLA as an agency. (Sara had her very first with Jason Hough’s THE DARWIN ELEVATOR this summer. Woot!)

130
consecutive weeks on the NYT bestseller list for one of Kristin’s authors.

170
physical holiday cards sent.

468
electronic holiday cards sent.

Not telling it’s so embarrassing
number of eggnog chai consumed in the months of November and December.

Lots
of late nights reading on my living room chaise with Chutney.

All
great days loving my job!