Opening the Tap

I sat myself down this weekend and had a long conversation about what I'm doing and what I'm going to do.  As a result, I did not get my edit notes done yesterday.  On the other hand, I did get 2259 words laid down on a new book.  Okay, not a new new book, but I wasn't that far along on the manuscript, so those words about doubled its length.  

Part of the impetus for picking this particular book was reader input.  As in someone I don't know contacted me filled with excitement about my books and she had asked for more of three different series.  Since I can't write four different books at once (those three plus the sequel to SSS), although lord knows I wish I could, I picked the first one she mentioned.

I also decided I need to be more business-like as a writer.  As in, I need to stop with the 'only writing when the mood strikes me' crap.  Like some precious flower who can only grow when the circumstances are right.  I need to be a dandelion and grow wherever and whenever.  

The world is going to hell and I can't control any of it.  But I can control this.  

So, to that end, I will be working more.  Edit and do business stuff during the day, write at night.  So basically, back to the way I used to work.  

As for the book I went back to working on, it's SCIU #4, tentatively called Justice Served.  If you're not familiar with the format of SCIU, these books don't hide who the villain is.  The story is in the actions of the villain and the heroes.  Who's going to die, how are they going to be stopped, who's going to stop them.  The tug and pull between the characters.  And the justice at the end.  There's always justice at the end.

Anyway, I will finish SSS and get it published by the end of the month.  I will also write subsequent books, but later.  Right now, if my gumption holds up and I keep whipping myself to work, the plan is to complete this book and get it out, then another Dennis Haggarty and another Duke Noble.  Can I do all that this year?  :shrug:  If I fail, I hope it's not due to lack of trying.  Although, I'd rather it was due to that then the world collapsing.  All I know is I'm gonna go out fighting one way or the other.

And now, I'll leave you with this quote: "If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow." - Louis L'Amour  

I'm going to keep the water flowing.  Open the tap and let it gush on out.

Update

First off, I dragged my gumption away from the extended vacation it has been on for the majority of the year.  :cue fans cheering loudly:  "Hip, hip, hurr... meh.  'Bout time, lady."

Right now, I'm in the middle of accomplishing the edits I wrote down back in March.  I've gone through all the notes and done the easier ones.  Yesterday, I went back through the notes and typed up the bigger, deeper edits this book requires.  It's about a page and a half of typed notes.

I started tackling them last night. 

Little things that take more effort are on there.  Like verifying what floor Jeni's apartment is on.  (The eighth, btw.)  And verifying Jeni's mom's name is the same throughout - apparently I couldn't decide on Marjorie or Maude, so there were instances of both.  (It's Maude.)  At one point, I mentioned that there was a storm brewing, but I never actually made it rain.  That's a 'fix or delete' situation.  I fixed that.  I think.  Might need to go back and layer in some more rainy stuff.

Some of the things I have to verify are already written down in my 'series bible'.  (That's the file you keep so that certain things stay the same throughout - like names, hair colors, etc.)  Some of it, I never put in there, so I have to go back through Sleeping Ugly, trying to find the information.  (The ages of Josh's kids, for instance.)

Once again, I'm checking the easier stuff off and making a big O around stuff I need to go back over again - the bigger stuff and the more tedious stuff (like 'find and replace THAT').  When I go through the list of easier stuff, I'll go back and hit the harder stuff again. 

And when all of that is done, I'll set it aside for a bit.  I'll write Cinder Ugly.  Then I'll go back and re-read through UatB and make another round of notes, this time making sure that what I wrote in all three books is constant. 

This isn't a quick process, but it gets the job done.  Maybe once I get all this done, I'll be ready to send this off to my AWE (Awesome Wonderful Editor) and start the process for CU.  Again, I hope to be able to release these things before the end of the year, but I ain't promisin' anything.  All I have right now is hopes and gumption.

It's All on Me and Me Alone

Over the weekend, I was watching an old episode of Extreme Weight Loss.  There was this guy who was really struggling with his food addiction.  So much so that he is the only contestant in the history of the show to not make it to the final weigh-in.  At 9 months, he'd gained back 60 pounds and the trainer dude gave up.  Unable to provide any further support in this guy's weight loss journey, the trainer recommended the guy check himself into rehab. Which he did.  After the show was over, I went online to see if there were any updates on this guy, but no. 

One of the things that struck me was the idea that no one could help this guy but himself.  And he wasn't in a place where he understood that basic fact.  He wanted everyone else to help him.  And then while they were trying to help him, he did everything he could to undercut what they were doing.  It was a mess. 

And I started thinking.  In fact, the above idea kept echoing in my head - no one can help you but yourself.  You can have all sorts of support around you, but none of it will work if you aren't willing to help yourself.  You can have no support whatsoever, though, and still accomplish your goals if you are willing to help yourself.

So, last night, I set about helping myself.  I sat my ass down and started working again.  Got through a page and half of edits. 

Then, I went for a hard-target walk.

Tonight will be more of the same.  Well, edits anyway.  I might take today off walking and do something else active - like cleaning or yardwork.

Because writing and getting more active are on me and me alone.

Sure, it's easier to sit and read or watch TV.  When I'm sitting around, I have no urge to tear my hair out over a phrase I can't seem to get right.  There's no burning muscles.  There's just peace and comfort.  Well, that's ain't getting the job done.  Life wasn't meant to be easy.  Easy is for when the job is done. 

Is this newfound gumption going to stick around?  Time will tell.  But I can tell you one thing, I'm going to try and keep at this every day for as long as it takes. 

On the Charger

Okay, I told myself that, once I finished Unequal and sent it out into the world,  I would take time off of writing for the rest of the year.  No writing.  No editing.  Just time to gel and get myself back into a writerly place. 

Of course, there's no rest for the weary... or the wicked, if you will... so I'm not totally taking time off.  I have marketing stuff to do and writerly business stuff to do.  Year end stuff and coming year stuff.  (Plus, pay-job stuff.)  The non-creative half still needs to work.

This past week, I got the 2019 Sales and Book Sales Data spreadsheets done, so when 1/1/19 hits and the sales start rolling... err, trickling in, I'll be ready.

The creative half is storing energy.  Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket.  Storing energy.  Like a squirrel.  Yeah.  Cuz, let's face it - my battery is dead.  Look at this time as me putting the battery on a charger and letting it sit until it's full.  Then maybe when 2019 rolls around, I'll be able to sit down and churn out the words. 

And it's not like the creative half isn't trying.  Like the dead battery in your car, it's trying to turn over, but it just doesn't have the energy to actually start.  Little snips of story ideas wander through my brain.  Nothing worth writing down.  No gumption to actually sit here and write anything yet.  Just Rrr Rrr Rrr clickclickclick :silence: Can't even get the freakin' dome light to flicker.

So, that's where I am right now.  Sitting on the charger, waiting. 

Meanwhile, I have a sale coming up.  Starting Monday, the entire SCIU series will be discounted through the end of the 30th.  $3 off on DE, $2 off on FG and EG.  With ads.  And I'll be out there hawking my wares on FB and Twitter.  :fingers crossed:

How's you battery here at the end of the year?  Are you busy busy or taking some time off? 

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Inspiration and Epiphanies

Jack London once said "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." 

I totally get it. Sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike isn't productive.  And we all need to be productive to make this writing thing work.  (Hell, to make any venture work.)

My problem most of the time isn't a lack of inspiration - although there is that, too, from time to time.  It's a lack of gumption.  I expend energy writing or editing or marketing, and I need a freakin' nap.  Like a two week long nap.  And when I'm tired, it's harder for me to find the words. 

But like inspiration, I realize I need to go after gumption with a club.  I make myself sit down here and write.  Mostly, those times produce really crappy lame words.  But it's producing words.  Crappy words are still better than no words.  Crappy words can be fixed.

Sometimes, though, something clicks in my head and things fall into place.  An epiphany!  Who needs inspiration or gumption when you have an epiphany.  I had two of those last night.  The first one I had when I was sitting in the living room trying to work up the gumption to work.  It filled my gumption tank and I scurried in here to write about 2K words.  The second one struck after I'd already shut down the 'puter for the night and I forgot to write it down.  Lucky for me, just thinking about having the epiphany made it pop into my head and I wrote it down a couple minutes ago.  Things are falling into place.

Thinking about it now, I guess I got the first epiphany because I was strolling through the jungle of my mind with a club looking for gumption, and I flushed it out.  WHACK.  Brought that sucker down.  The other epiphany was sneakier, but I nailed it, too. 

So, I'm back to writing.  I had hoped to get this first edition done by the end of September.  I don't see that happening, but it's possible.  And if I miss that deadline, I'll be finished soon after.  It's all good.