New Dad, Will Write

 A Post By Jonathan

I'd like to apologize ahead of time for the randomness of this post. My newborn son is ten days old today, so I'm claiming new parent brain. It's been an amazing experience so far, seeing me looking back at me, but let's just say I haven't gotten a lot of writing done. It's taken nearly 100% of my energy to make sure I don't drop him or swaddle his little arms and legs into a pretzel. Still waiting for the owners manual to arrive in the mail, but nothing yet. Anybody got the number for UPS?

Despite all this new dad craziness, I have actually managed to think about my writing over the last ten days (and nights... oh, the nights). The thoughts have ranged from "will I ever have the time to write again?" to "man, I should be really be writing... I need to make more money!" But, as new as all this is, I can't help thinking that bringing a child into this world is a little like bringing a book into this world (just don't tell my wife I said that!). Both of them start off as a twinkle in your eye, then they go through numerous drafts, and then suddenly they're ready for their debut. Both require a ton of time and dedication, and constant thoughts about their health and well being. Every time I wake up, I can't help but check to see if the kid's still breathing. I can remember feeling like that about my MS a time or two. Come to think of it, I haven't checked it in a couple of days...

The writing time will come back, this I know. But right now, I'm just trying to enjoy some uninterrupted time with my new little muse. I don't think I'll be getting in my 1,000 words a day anytime soon, but if there's a better reason not to, I haven't found one. Anyway, here's to all you real and book parents out there! Remember to feed your babies, change their diapers, and maybe someday they'll thank you for it.

Okay, gotta run. I think Jonathan Junior may need some more daddy time. Or is that the other way around?
 

On the Art of Writing

I often lament—mostly to myself because I would not subject my friends and colleagues to my lamentations—the sad fate of having become an artist as well as a writer. True, this seems like the best marriage of talents. I get to write and draw! I do not need to seek out a collaborator to bring my fictional worlds to life, I can do it all on my own (though, I still enjoy working with a collaborator now and then, but that’s a blog post for another day)! They are perfectly complementary skillsets. One supports the other. But I do find that they can sometimes conflict just as well as they work together.

For one thing, it takes so bloody long to get anything done. Writers, you know what a challenge developing a story can be. The first conception, the research and world-building, the character development and plotting, and then the execution of the thing! The eloquent marriage of exposition and dialogue in a well-paced, harmonic arrangement. It can take a long time to get a story just right.

Yes, well, let’s add art to that. Novels, of course, don’t always require art, but consider visual stories like children’s books or comics (I do both). Art and words do not simply support each other, they need each other. To remove one would be to change how the audience interprets the story, to change the medium altogether. Writing can take a while, but in my experience, art takes much, much longer.

I sometimes find it difficult to find the right balance between the two. I love doing both and wouldn’t ever give up either, but now and then I think of how much more I could accomplish if I just focused on one. Think of it: if I were to commit myself entirely to art, then I could use the time I take for writing to further develop my craft and draw more, faster. The same with writing—who knows how many more worlds I could have created by now. Doing both means you must split up your time between the two, and not always equally. It’s very rare that I manage to do both in one day. More often, I will spend long blocks of time—days, weeks even—focused on one or the other. I’ll work on the art for a while, then switch gears, put art on the back burner, and focus on writing.

Why do I work this way? In the recent blog post The Immersion Factor: Comics + Novels, comic writer and novelist Marjorie Liu talks about a similar gear switch in writing comics versus novels. I think it’s the same thing for me in terms of writing versus art: these are activities that occupy slightly different parts of my brain. I need to keep them separate because I think about them differently. In fact, when I’m in the middle of writing a novel, I refuse to draw any part of it. For some creators this is an excellent exercise—but for me, I fear locking down the visual look of my story will stifle my prose. Why work to describe a setting or a character in just the right way when I have a drawing of them? So while the story is in progress, I focus solely on the words.

It’s nearly the same with my visual stories. I will write the script first without worrying about art—for the most part. This is never a completely clean divide because with comics and picture books, the words and art are intricately linked. At times, I cannot plot and write notes without also sketching. And once I have a script completed, I print it out so I can draw thumbnails all over it. As I’m drawing and figuring out the staging and acting, I might make changes to dialogue. It’s a more fluid process. One cannot work without the other.

And can I draw without writing at all? Certainly, and I do all the time. But weirdly enough, I have trouble coming up with stories for those pieces, and they end up existing solely as works of art.

How about you guys? Do you find yourself struggling to balance two skills, and if so, how do you deal with it? 

~Nilah

Back Jacket Hack-Job #1: BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS

Another quality post brought to you by Steve!

HAWM, young disciples!  I am very, very pleased to introduce the first original, recurring segment here on ATB: Back Jacket Hack-Job!  For each entry in this series one of our contributors will put on the hat of a total industry hack attempting to write the back cover of a book.  Writing terribly is almost as hard as writing brilliantly, so this should be a fun challenge.  There are three basic formats:

A)  A real book.

Example:  "HARRY POTTER lives in a rundown house on Privet Lane with his adoptive family the Dursleys.  The house is probably a colonial, I'm not really sure.  Around 1500 sq feet.  Of course this is all in England so I guess it would be whatever the equivalent of that is in meters.  500 sq meters, I guess."

B)  Your own book.

Example:  "GRUNGE, GODS, AND GRAVEYARDS is a book.  My book.  I wrote it.  You like NA?  Too bad.  This is YA, bitches!  You can't tell right now but I'm making the devil sign with my fist."

C)  A made-up book.

Example:  "GOLLY GUMDROPS GRUM-DUM-DIBBLE-DUM DREAMHOUSE is the tale of an anthropomorphic gumdrop named Steve Martin.  Not the famous Steve Martin, it's just a coincidence.  But!  He has a secret.  A TERRIFYING secret.  Because when a walking, talking confection has a sweet tooth, a holocaust of cannibalism will ensue, devouring (literally) the entire Grum-Dum-Dibble-Dum Dreamhouse."

Got the picture?  Oh, if you think you might be interested in writing a guest BJHJ, send your submission to me along with a headshot, bio, and social media links.

All right, let's get started.  Just because I suspect this will be the least popular format, I believe I will kick us off with a look at the worst possible back jacket copy for my own novel, BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS:

Oh.  Hey.  How's it going?  You, ah, doing all right?  Look, I know you don't want to hear from me and...what?  Yes, I know you told me not to talk to you, but...look, can I just say my piece?  Jesus Christ, two minutes of your time, that's all I'm asking!  You'd think I was asking for a freaking car loan!  Well, yes, I mean, I do need to borrow $10,000, but we'll get to that...well, I'll just, look, I'll just toss it out there.  But that's not the point!  God, you never let me finish!

Look, here's what it boils down to: everybody needs a book in their life.  I mean, there's Angry Birds and Facebook and shit for when you're on the toilet, and, really, at the end of the day, God knows all I want to do is to just fall down on the couch and watch some old Simpsons reruns, or, you know, if you're a hip kid or whatever and you've got the Netflix maybe you watch some Bojack Horseman or what was the one with the detectives?  You know, Woody Harrelson was in it.  Was that not Netflix?  Look, you're getting off track again.

The point is...yes, swear to God there's a point.  The point is sometimes you just want a book.  And they're all pretty much the same.  But, you know, BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS is one of them.  So grab it.  Or don't.  I don't give a shit.  But, look, what I really wanted to ask you about was this $10,000.  I am in really dire straits.  You don't even understand.  No, the mob is not gone.  I mean, yeah, they've had to evolve with the internet age and everything, just like everybody else, but they're still there.  And if I don't get them their money, well...

My Book was Nominated for Kindle Scout

I was elated when at 10 p.m. on December 29th, I received an e-mail stating that my novel, A HIGHLAND KNIGHT'S DESIRE had been selected for the Kindle Scout Program. Have you heard of Amazon's Kindle Scout? The program is still in the early stages of development, but is fast becoming a fantastic way to break through the barriers of self-publishing.

I learned about it when Amazon sent me an e-mail announcing the program. I thought about entering for a while before I actually decided to give it a try, and then I thought, why not? Most of my sales are on Amazon, and since I released my first self-pubbed book a year ago, they have given me an opportunity to earn a living through self-publishing that I never thought would be possible. Why not put myself out there and see if I can get nominated? The worst that could happen would be an unsuccessful campaign, and I could turn around and self-publish the book myself.

So how does the program work? Amazon Kindle Scout website quotes: "Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book gets published. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing."

Once you submit your book to Kindle Scout, Amazon owns the rights to it for 45 days regardless if you are nominated or not. They put up an excerpt, bio and questions for the author as well, but the author agrees not to publish the book until the 45 day period is up...unless it is selected for a publishing contract. If a contract is awarded, Amazon gains the rights to the e-book, audio book and e-foreign rights for five years. They in turn agree to promote the author's book on any and all platforms they choose. Astonishingly, the author retains the print rights. Read more about the program details here.

The Kindle Scout Program is open to the genres of Romance, Mystery & Thriller and Science Fiction/Fantasy.

During the 45 day period, the author notifies their friends and fans about the campaign and asks them to nominate their book. So, I dove in head first and asked people to help. I have to admit that I'm pretty active on social media. I posted a couple of Facebook notices and mentioned the program on Twitter a few times. I sent out an e-mail to my contacts and my newsletter followers, and posted it on my blog. I think I probably got the most nominations from Facebook--I did "boost" one of the posts, which helped (got me several new fans, too). Also, because I hold Facebook parties when I release a book, I have a pretty strong following there, and I have no doubt it helped.

Another point to remember: in the rules, Amazon makes the final decision as to whether they think a candidate's book will be a good fit for their program.

Once I was selected, I submitted my final manuscript, and it has now been approved by the Kindle Scout Team. I'm waiting for them to tell me when they plan to publish the book, after which I'll prepare the MS for print. I do have a phone call scheduled with a manager next week, because I had a few questions and they were kind enough to schedule a call.

Bottom line, I don't know where this will lead in the future, but having Amazon's muscle behind a new release can only help. I'm glad I bucked up and took the challenge!

You can check out my winning entry here. Or check out all the entries selected by Kindle Press here. While you're there, why not make a few nominations and help another author join the Kindle Scout program?

To learn more about my books, please visit my web site: www.amyjarecki.com

Other news: KNIGHT IN HIGHLAND ARMOR was released on January 1st.

Grieving from the death of his wife, Lord Colin Campbell listens to the cries of his newborn son whilst penning a missive to the king. With no marriage prospects, Colin petitions his majesty for help in finding a stepmother. Never again will he fall in love—the death of a woman brings more pain than losing a whole contingent of men on the battlefield.

Feisty, quick tongued and smart, Margaret Robinson is delighted when her father receives a messenger from the king…until she discovers what news he brings. In a sennight, she will wed the notorious Black Knight—her life is about to end.

Tension builds during the wedding and deteriorates from there…until an accident draws them together. Just when their love begins to blossom, a dire request arrives from the Pope. Colin must join the Crusades at once.

Their fragile love is forced to withstand the seductions of hell—Margaret tempted by a scoundrel laird—Colin courted by Satan himself. Aye, the war for Christendom could very well ruin their dreams forever.

Write on Friends and I'll see you next time!

~Amy

New year, new deadlines

Happy 2015, y’all! It's KGG and I am typing this from my dining room. Right now, I'm sitting at a table made up of two Costco folding tables covered with Christmas-motif table cloths. One day, we'll get nice dining room furniture and then my husband will ban me from working in here. But for now, I'm sprawled out with my laptop, revision binders, highlighters, a beehive drink dispenser, and a glass vase of multi-colored ornaments. I can't wait to de-holiday my house. 

Holy, moly. Anyone feeling anxious? Like writerly anxious? Like, it’s the first day of the new year and I-have-all-these-things-to-write anxious?  

I guarantee a common thread on writer forums is something about goals and resolutions. In addition to wanting to lose a few pounds, writers resolve to get their butts in the chair to work faster, increase their daily word count, and get off the friggin’ internet (Okay, so these might be my goals).

My goals for 2015 are modest. I intend to finish my novella, a spin-off to Grunge Gods, and submit that to my publisher. I’d also like to finish the first book in a new YA paranormal mystery series. Maybe even write the second one as well. We’ll see how that goes. Even as I write this blog post, I’m being constantly interrupted by two adorable little boys. (Good thing my kids are cute but Mama has to work.) I know I can achieve these goals, but lately, I’ve been feeling like there just isn’t enough days in a year to do everything I want to do.

This year is also going to be the year I forge ahead with self-publishing. I’m very excited, albeit nervous, about these plans. For the last year, I had been considering various projects, tossing ideas in the air, wondering which one was attractive enough to land me a traditional publishing contract. Then I met the awesome indie authors on KBoards and after reading up on self-publishing, I decided I wanted to try this route. Because I want to write what I want to write. It's not going to be easy, but I'm determined to try. 

Also on my 2015 list -- maybe getting a proper writing space where no one will bug me. That space might just be the library.

Okay, that's enough about me. What about you? What are you plans for 2015? What are you writing and/or publishing this year?

Happy New Year!

The Law of Diminishing Returns

I recently finished my manuscript for my third novel, Shattered Angel, and I’m in edit mode. I think this part of the process stresses me out more than actually writing the novel because there is no definitive end. I could edit and edit and edit... and still my perfectionist brain would want to edit more (and more and more and more...)

Enter the Law of Diminishing Returns.

This law is not just for business processes. If you are not familiar with this law, here’s the definition from Wikipedia.org:

In economics, diminishing returns (also called law of diminishing returns, law of variable proportions, principle of diminishing marginal productivity, or diminishing marginal returns) is the decrease in the marginal (incremental) output of a production process as the amount of a single factor of production is incrementally increased, while the amounts of all other factors of production stay constant.

The law of diminishing returns states that in all productive processes, adding more of one factor of production, while holding all others constant ("ceteris paribus"), will at some point yield lower incremental per-unit returns. The law of diminishing returns does not imply that adding more of a factor will decrease the total production, a condition known as negative returns, though in fact this is common.

Having now self-published two books, I believe this law is one of the most important concepts to implement during the editing process—I'm talking about all the edits that take place from the moment I type the final word in my first draft to the moment when I send my manuscript to my proof-reader. Using the definition above for the Law of Diminishing Returns, the two variables in my process are:

Output (return): reader enjoyment

Factor of Production: edits

I know that I could read and revise my manuscript forever. Literally—forever. This is because nothing in life is perfect, and there would be no end to revisions if I didn’t put some sort of arbitrary end date out there. To help keep myself out of the endless abyss of editing, I’ve grouped my editing process into three separate phases:

Phase 1: Quick review

I do this right after I finish the book. I look for obvious errors, inconsistencies, and wording changes. The return in this phase is still relatively high due to the importance. It’s hard for someone to enjoy a book that’s filled with typos and silly mistakes. For example, in my second novel I had realized that the name of one of my secondary characters changed half way through the book. Oops. This is something that’s insignificant in the grand scheme of the entire novel, but it can turn a reader off quickly. The feeling is that if I don’t care about my characters enough to get their names right, why should the reader care about them either?

Phase 2: Beta reader edits

As a self-published author, I can define my own process. Instead of paying for one person to edit my book and receive only one perspective, I like to have several volunteer beta readers. I’m talking in the range of 10-15 people from my target reading audience. If there is a specific topic that requires an expert for validation, I include them in the beta read. I’m also a part of my beta read—this is where I read it on my Kindle and try to become the ‘reader’.

My beta readers tell me exactly what they think—words that annoy them, little things they love, errors, plot inconsistencies, characters they hate/love, how they felt when reading certain parts, etc. I also follow up with some very specific questions on areas that I’m debating on changing. The reason I have so many beta readers is because they all read with a different perspective. One person my love my main character while another may hate him. Seeing the story from so many different angles helps me to determine if there are any perceptions I wish to eliminate, or at least lessen. For example, if someone hates my main character and my goal is for the reader to love him, then I might want to make some tweaks based on that reader’s feedback. The many different perceptions also help me establish patterns—if a vast majority of the beta readers are confused by a certain part then I know I need to change something.

With my second book I started using a tiered process that I think works great. I designate a certain time period for my beta reads—for example the month of December. I then ask my beta readers to sign up for a week with the requirement that they read and send me comments by the end of that week. I give myself some time between the weeks to make any changes/corrections. I started doing this because I found that during the edits on my first book, I’d make changes based on feedback but then didn’t have anyone who could read the updated version. I had to resend certain parts to see what the beta readers thought. With my new process, there is always someone to read the new content. I also let the prior beta readers know about significant content changes I’ve made in case they are interested.

I don’t skimp on this phase of the editing process because it really is where I reach the peak of my returns. Remember, my return is ‘reader enjoyment’ so there’s no better way to affect that then to use feedback from readers in my target group. I don’t change things based on all the feedback, but I’m confident that I’m able to capture the important changes that will affect the reading enjoyment for the majority of my target group.

Really, my beta readers are awesome.

Phase 3: Endless tweaks

This is where the return on edits drops significantly. Without a deadline from a publisher forcing me to cut it off, this phase could go on forever. I could adjust the way a sentence is worded or add/remove content until the day I die. However, changes in this phase won’t significantly alter the reading experience, positively or negatively. At least it won’t for the majority of the reading population in my target audience. Remembering the Law of Diminishing Returns helps keep me from remaining in Phase 3 too long.

So when you start to edit your manuscript think about the Law of Diminishing Returns, and don’t get caught in the endless abyss of Phase 3. It will save you a lot of stress, headaches, and time.

Let us know in the comments how you avoid the pitfall of Phase 3!

~ Carrie

Reading Challenges

I'm a huge fan of reading challenges. They help me work toward a goal and push me to spend more time reading. And, really...who doesn't want to spend more time reading?


Goodreads is great for reading challenges and even counts books for you. At the moment, I'm behind my goal of thirty books this year, but I'm hopeful that I can get as close to that number as possible before the year is up!

Back in January, I blogged about a 2014 Challenge I was taking part in against my brother, Sunshine. Basically, whoever read the most books would receive a $20 gift card from the loser. My brother wants his card for the PlayStation store, while I want mine for Amazon. Of course I'll use it to buy more books.

Here are the rules for the 2014 Challenge, in no particular order:

1. Books must be added to and tracked on Goodreads to count, with a special 2014 Challenge shelf.
2. Books must be published (so my critiquing doesn't count, nor do my read-throughs of my own drafts). 
3. Only novels count toward the total read (no non-fiction, comics, graphic novels, etc.). 
4. Every two audiobooks listened to equals one book read.
5. Only one book started before January 1, 2014 counts toward the total for 2014 (for me, this was Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, started December 30, 2013). 
6. Revamped books will only count if added to the 2014 Challenge shelf. 

As of today, I have finished twenty-six books. Of those, eighteen were new reads, seven were audiobooks, and one was a reread. Considering I work from home, unschool two kiddos, and cover a wide range of other duties that would lead people to believe my alter ego is Wonder Woman, I think I'm doing okay. 

In 2015, I already have plans to participate is in this reading challenge:

I'm already excited and thinking of which books on my TBR list can count toward each check!

Do you participate in any reading challenges? How are you doing for 2014? What are your reading goals for 2015?

--Brianna Lebrecht