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Post by bill on Mar 20, 2017 17:37:33 GMT
I know it's not all the story itself. I haven't been able to focus on it for several weeks so when I do sporadic work on it I don't feel like I've improved the story at all. If it wasn't for the PPWC I'm sure I would have put it away for a while and worked on something else. But I signed up for the first chapter reading and the query critique so I feel like I need to do everything I can to get the manuscript as progressed as I possibly can. So I keep pushing as I can.
Sometimes I wish I could/would slow down enough to appreciate and enjoy the present. I know I rob some of the joy I could have from releasing Vetrix by continuing to write. I just can't do it.
I can't wait to see what Josh comes up with for the conference. That is going to be such a fun and rewarding weekend. I'm going to savor every moment of it.
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Post by Admin on Mar 21, 2017 3:20:14 GMT
Part of what you're feeling is a normal progression of the creative brain. I don't understand it even though I've lived with it all my life. I could have such a pleasant life if I could let go of the drive, the dreams, the internal message that I feel I'm supposed to put out there. Every time I say enough, I'm going to put it all away and just putter my way through old age, that little fire inside me flares up and tells me no, not until I'm done can I put the fire out and I'm nowhere near done.
Joshua is so excited, I get excited watching him. He practices his boards over and over. He is getting really good talking to Kathy. I need to get him around more people so he can practice even more. He needs to branch out. All I expect from the conference is for him to get a taste of what it's going to feel like to be a verbal, literate adult. Once he learns to use the keyboard in a functional manner, there will be no stopping him.
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Post by bill on Mar 27, 2017 0:43:16 GMT
Weekly update:
Vetrix / Before Vetrix - I received the proof copies on Thursday and have read through both, marking mistakes. I also have a friend reading Vetrix who will finish tonight and give me what she found. I have about a dozen typos. Cat has agreed to make the changes so I'll send her a list tonight or tomorrow. My first book signing is April 8 so I don't think I have time to order another proof. I'll have to order books for the signing and hope for the best.
Mystery - I realized today that the conference starts a week from tomorrow. The manuscript still needs a lot of work but I'll have to focus on getting a query written and the first chapter polished. I wanted to be able to hand it off to beta readers after the conference but I've lost hope in that.
Aneeka - On hold, but not for much longer. I want to get it finished before Memorial Day weekend so I can have it available at Yates Center Days.
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Post by Admin on Mar 27, 2017 2:06:14 GMT
The conference is the last week of April. We have almost 4 weeks. You gave me a heart attack. I need several more weeks to pull the illustrations and presentation package together. There is never enough time.
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Post by bill on Mar 27, 2017 2:45:56 GMT
Oh my! Sorry!!! I meant to say a month from tomorrow. LOL
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Post by bill on Apr 3, 2017 0:08:24 GMT
Weekly Update:
Vetrix/Before Vetrix: Both books are published and available online in both printed and digital versions. I received my first box of books for Before Vetrix. Vetrix has been shipped. I did interviews with both the Halstead and Newton newspapers this week. Book signing next Saturday. I sent my application in for a booth for Yates Center Days. I'm also working on a second book signing in Halstead at my church, which also has a coffee shop.
Mystery: I finally got a rough draft done for the query letter. I want to make sure my first chapter is in tip top shape and keep working my way through manuscript.
Aneeka: I want to find someone to proof it this week so I can get it published before Memorial Day Weekend.
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Post by Admin on Apr 3, 2017 3:23:52 GMT
And all that during tax season.
I got two more pages ready for Josh's book but I wasted my weekend. I did one of my hide in a corner and cower weekends. I'm tired, and discouraged, and letting my internal editor play havoc with my confidence. I'll bounce back but I have a lot on my plate and I'm running out of time.
I'll head over to Amazon and buy me some books. I'm so excited.
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Post by bill on Apr 3, 2017 4:05:53 GMT
Thank you! I'm not doing taxes this year, so I'm in audit busy season, which isn't far behind tax busy.
Hang in there! Emotions are so cyclicle. You'll bounce back in no time.
I'm out of town all week, which gives me a chance to do some writing in the evenings at the hotel room, but means I had to be ready for the book signing mostly by tonight. My dad and Susan are coming next weekend so it's going to be a fun and crazy weekend.
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Post by bill on Apr 10, 2017 2:30:49 GMT
Vetrix/Before Vetrix - I received the books and had my first book signing. I sold 22 books (gave away a few others) and made $200. I just need to do that about ten more times to break even with all my costs - books, banners, bookmarks, formatting, etc. Actually, I was very pleased with the turnout and the publicity. On to May 6...
Mystery - I've done a little work but not much. The next three weeks I will focus on getting the query the best it can be and my first page just how I want it. I'll also try to get the first three chapters polished just in case. If more is requested I will deal with that at the time. I just can't do any more.
Aneeka - It's time to get this proofread so I can get it published. I want books in hand before YC Days May 27.
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Post by Admin on Apr 10, 2017 3:59:28 GMT
I've been popping in here all weekend waiting to hear how the signing went. 22 books sold is a really good first signing. I think I sold 2. Handselling books gives you the biggest profit. I used to carry extras around in my van so if anybody asked I had copies to sell. Josh is working hard on his query. I'm painting illustrations but I've decided that getting them done isn't going to happen and I'd rather slow down and do it right than present bad work. I have samples and Josh's book is finished so that's not a problem. It looks like the focus is on the query anyway so a lot of the pressure is off.
I'm sort of looking forward to after the conference when life will stop being crazy and I can get some sort of rhythm going again. My work has completely fallen by the wayside. Although I have an art show coming up second week of May that I'm hopeful about.
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Post by bill on Apr 17, 2017 4:16:20 GMT
Weekly Update:
Vetrix/Before Vetrix - I have scheduled for April 27 to speak at an assembly for the 4-6 graders in Halstead. I'm going to give them each a copy of Before Vetrix and a card with a q-code so they can download Vetrix. I hope many read it and want the second book!
Aneeka - I dropped it off at a proofreader today. When I get it back will publish
Mystery - I got my query letter and first page done. I'm going to read them at my writing group tomoroow and refine them the next 10 days.
Can't wait for the conference. Sydney and I are excited!
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Post by Admin on Apr 17, 2017 13:15:53 GMT
I'm trying to learn how to stitch a book together. Making one by hand is eye-opening to say the least. Busy getting ready to travel on Friday. So much to do. So little time to get it done. Need to have Joshua's query, book dummy, and series proposal ready to go. I don't think he'll need all of that but he's nervous and it has to be done at some point. I may be able to get pointers from somebody on how to do a better job with it.
I also want to make up cards with questions to ask so everybody can help Josh practice when we're in Kansas. I want people to pull a card and ask him what is on it so he has to go immediately to the response.
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Post by bill on May 8, 2017 0:28:17 GMT
Mystery - I sent this to a friend yesterday to beta read. It still needs work but I want to know if the mystery works before I start fixing character issues, pacing, conflict, etc. At this point I don't know when I'll get back to it but it will be at least a couple of months. Flipper 2 - In one more week I want to start work on this manuscript. I'm going to try to take it through Holly's 7-day crash rivision course. I want to see what that course is like and determine if/how it could be useful in the future for me. I also need to keep working on my revising skills and this will help me in that. I plan to take a week for each day in the course, so I should be done with the manuscript by the end of June and can send it off to an editor. I hope to get this out by the end of the year - maybe Oct/Nov. This week I'm on the road and am going to take HTTS Lesson one with me and do it. I have been bombarded the last few months with the fact that my writing still needs a ton of improving. My problem is I don't know how to get to where I need to be. Yes, it's discouraging at times and can push my patience to the limits. I don't mind not being where I want to be as much as I mind not knowing if I'm going the right direction. The only comfort I have is that I notice more and more how crappy my writing really is. I hope that means that I am learning to discern good from bad and not that I'm becoming a worse writer. I'm not sure what to expect from HTTS but I hope it gives me the sense (and a plan) that I'm becoming a better writer.
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Post by Admin on May 8, 2017 1:25:20 GMT
Sounds like you've hit what I call the six week slump. Periodic bouts of self-doubt. Your craft is good. You are starting out stronger than I did. I couldn't even recognize whose pov I was in. You have a unique and interesting voice. You can't teach voice. Your humor comes through and no matter what genre you write in the reader wants to be entertained.
Its easy to over-analyze everything. I've spent a lot of time moving from one thing to another trying to find the magic formula. The only thing I can say is the search educates you and only experience will move you forward. You get experience by trying everything you can think of. I wish there was an easier way but there isn't. The only way you can win is to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving.
You'll rest up, you'll catch up, and you'll wake up with renewed energy and ready to try, try again. Believe me, I've been chasing this dream for over 20 years. I run out of breath, I stumble and I fall, but I keep learning. I keep trying. And, at times, I have moments of clarity when I realize how far I've come. You've accomplished a lot in the last year. You already have more in print than I do. and you're marketing has already been more effective than anything I've tried.
If the goal was easy we'd be bored. It's the Scales curse, or blessing depending on which side of the coin you're on at the moment. The Scales genetics give us great curiosity, the ability to learn anything we choose to concentrate on. But it also causes us to be easily distracted by the next shiny object. Achieving a level of concentration that is effective is hard for us but once we get there we're capable of making creative leaps. If you learn to balance the Scales genetics nothing will stop you from accomplishing your goals.
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Post by bill on May 8, 2017 12:46:50 GMT
I struggle with bouts of depression. They aren't strong, and often I don't realize they're coming on until I'm in the midst. I'll plow through as I always do, but it sucks during these times. Part of my current challenge is that I'm so busy. I don't feel like I'm making progress even though I know I am. It's a wave and it will pass. In the meantime I'm grasping for a nugget to make me feel better about the journey (like taking comfort in knowing I'm doing the right things to get me where I want to go). I'll focus on my plan for a few days and hopefully it will help. I tend to get lost in the details and lose sight of the big picture, so if I can get back to the big picture hopefully it will help ease me out of my funk.
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