Catching Fireflies

Ideas are like fireflies.

When I was a child, growing up in the South, we called them lightning bugs. In the spring, with more yellow glowing flickers appearing toward dusk the beginning of summer, fireflies captured our interest and our imaginations.

First the mason jar, then the canning lid and sealing ring. Second, a nail and hammer. With gentle taps on the nail head--a few slips and a lightly smashed finger or two later--and tiny holes dot the metal of the lid.

Breathless, insides zinging, the after sundown coolness takes away the sticky heat of the day. The cool of the night is forgotten in the excitement of catching the lightning bugs. We run, with many squeals and dodges, to gently cup the fireflies in our hands.
 
Cupped in my hand, how do they light and not burn? The flickers light the flesh of my hand, and I press my eye to the open circle of my thumb. The lightning bugs crawl over my inner fingers and palms, bringing their magic to the night.

Held inside the jar for a brief time, the fireflies blink and glow, making a childhood memory as magical as any that I recall.

In the book Manuscript Makeover, Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore by Elizabeth Lyon suggests we catch fireflies of ideas by carrying around a notepad, because ideas are "difficult to catch if you don't act quickly."

Like fireflies on a spring or summer night, ideas appear bright and shiny, but also can provide distraction from the current project. Currently, I am revising the first book in a five-book series, with four more to go.

Yet, the blinking glow of a firefly of an idea tempts me to run barefoot in the grass, hands cupped, reaching outward...

Task at hand: Book #1 Series #1 Revision.

BUT, I've got this idea about my next series you see, then about another one in another genre, plus there's this concept for a trilogy of standalone books, with a fourth book that brings the characters together, growing like a fungus in my head. AND what about the OTHER genre I want to give a try, there's a three trilogy series of books that I'd love to dive into and write.

Task at hand: Revise current series.

So, I step back, make notes about future book ideas, series, characters, etc., then I focus on revision. My reward when I finish the series? You guessed it! I get to pick one of the future ideas and move on to the next project.

For now, I twist open the jar lid and let the fireflies go.

Read, Revise, Edit, Read Aloud, Repeat.

Wait, what was that yellow glow I saw out of the corner of my eye?

Pacing is a Booger

Challenge #1: Use the word "booger" in a blog title. (Won that dare!) and  Challenge #2: Revise/update pacing of scenes and overall book chapters to accomplish a thriller read. (In progress.)

Despite Challenge #1, the honest truth is that pacing a scene or chapter IS a booger. According to dictionary.com, in addition to the obvious, a booger is a noun 1. Informal. any person or thing: That shark was a mean-looking booger. A booger is also listed as something or someone frightening.

James V. Smith Jr.'s You Can Write a Novel, 2nd Edition, presents a method using the Readability Statistics feature included in most word processing software programs.

Once I actually get the gist of this pacing tool, I truly believe this process will be The Ultimate Pacing Tool as James V. Smith Jr. claims.

In the mean time... Argh. Grr. Ack.

But I'm sure the learning curve effort will be worth gaining the strength of the technique. In the long run, learning the process will be a positive, in the mean time, I struggle mightily to grasp something that is actually explained in simple terms.

After I finish revising several chapters today, I am going to reread You Can Write a Novel, finish revising Book #1, then move on to using the pacing technique in a final revise-through before sending the revised version to an editor.

Very much a challenge. But I am learning, and I will get there. I'm gonna conquer this pacing booger. Dare me! Come one make a dare...

Writing Dark Suspense

Suspense, Thrillers, Romance, Paranormal, and, yes, Horror Fiction are on my To-Do list of what type of books I want to write.

While there's still a few weeks of revision remaining of the five-book Young Adult Paranormal Thriller series, in the back of my mind, there's a dark suspense brewing.

Something haunting and twisted lurks just beneath the surface . . . whoa, am I watching too many scary movies and haunted this or that television shows and reading an overabundance novels of terror, or what?

Yet the story stays with me, evolving and expanding, in the deep recesses of my mind.

A long-time Stephen King and Dean Koontz fan, I completed a Savvy Authors workshop Make it Horror, presented by P. June Diehl. Good timing in that I will be able to digest the lessons before time to start the standalone fiction book, slated to be a novel of terror.

The syllabus to the Make it Horror workshop consisted of the following topics:

• Starting with a Dark Idea
• Writing from Our Fears
• Horrible Characters & Creating Monsters
• Horrible Events (Plot)
• Eerie Landscapes and Nightmares (Setting)
• Creating Dark Story Tone and Mood
• Crafting the Impossible
• Marketing Your Horror Story

The workshop was a satisfying savvy experience for me! (Hat tip to Savvy Authors and P. June Diehl.) 

Why write dark suspense?

The scary and the obscure call to me (Stephen King, Dean Koontz), they always have, which is why I suppose for the current series, I was drawn toward writing paranormal thriller.

The how and when and why of events draws me in (Stephen King's The Shining and Dean Koontz's Watchers). The inner workings of the human mind -- greed, skewed belief systems, phobias -- has always intrigued me. The thought of haunted houses and night graveyard visits send chills and thrills up and down my spine.

What frightens you in the night or what scares you most during the day? What potential happenings cause goose bumps or encourage you to double check the locks on your doors? What's your biggest most invasive worry? Is there a childhood memory that haunts you still?

Choose one or even a combination of one of the above and write a fictionalized story about those fears, concerns and worries. Keep upping the level of those fears and the strength of the source of those fears and intensifying the conflict between the two. That's dark suspense.

The story slithering through my head, perhaps a psychological thriller with horror elements, will soon rise to the surface. How will I manage to get the story out and how will it evolve? Okay, I gotta say it -- wait for it -- now, that's suspense!

Follow the Revision Road

In pulling together the separate chapter files that comprise the first book in Series #1, the road to revision stretches out into the distance.

First of all, I have to admit, pulling the individual working chapter files together into one single file solidified that, yes, this IS a book. Being in the fictional world while writing a draft of a book tends to be very different than entering the fictional world via revision.

The bricks that make up Revision Road are many.

The items on my Revision Checklist for each scene/chapter include include:

• Spell Check
• MyWriters Tools
• External Environment Layering:
  - Weather
  - Outside bldg. details
  - Outside sounds
• Layering Outward / Physical Details:
  - Hair/eye color
  - Height/weight
  - Style of clothing
  - Facial expressions
  - Body language
  - Visceral Reactions
• Senses Layering:
  - Sight
  - Hearing
  - Touch
  - Smell
  - Taste
  - Pain
  - Temperature
  - Time
  - Motion/Acceleration
  - Direction
  - Balance
• Anchoring:
  - POV
  - When / Time passed
  - Where
  - Current Feeling
  - Voice
  - Dialogue / Tags
• Scene Review:
  - Beginning Hook
  - Exposition
  - Backstory
  - Sensory Details
  - Emotions
  - GMCD Clear
  - Themes/Motifs
  - Ending Hook
  - Pacing
• Foreshadowing:
  - Plant
  - Payoff
• AutoCrit (Details):
  - Typos
  - Repetition
  - Continuity/Timeline
  - Clarity (Who’s who)
• MyWriter Tools Round 2
• Spell Check Round 2
• Levels (1 thru 10):
  - Level of Caring
  - Level of Worry
  - Level of Conflict
  - Level of Tension
• Character Growth Arc
• Beginning Scene Pacing
• Middle Scene Pacing
• Ending Scene Pacing
• Overall Scene Pacing
• Dragon Speaks Reading

By reading each chapter, I enter a fictional world and make sure that each of the above items are layered into the story and/or applied to the revision process (such as using MyWriter Tools, AutoCrit, the Pacing Techniques from You Can Write a Novel by James V. Smith Jr., and Dragon Speaks Naturally).

There are some rewrites--amazingly, I've learned a few little somethings during the process of writing the series--then I weave in the above to ensure the scene and chapter best entertains the reader and the writing and characters best connect with the reader.

Revision first, editing next.

What a journey this has been and continues to be.

Diving In - Writing and Staying Afloat

One year ago today, I created and made my first post on this Alexa Writes Books blog. The post, Diving In - First Learn to Swim, depicted my beginning of a journey to write full-time and to make a living doing the same.

My very first blog post featured Jude Hardin's guest post on J.A. Konrath's blog about pushing the button and going into writing full time. Jude's part two blog post, Pushing the Button Part 2, includes his sharing of his experience with traditional publishing and independent publishing during the past year and forward.

As of June 13, 2013, I have accomplished the first part of the goal. Five books drafted, with revisions to be completed in the next couple of months.THEN comes the second part. Independent Publishing. That entails book cover design, e-book formatting, internal paper book design, professional editing, offering the books for sale, etc., etc., etc. 

Where are your books? Why did you wait until all of them were finished to revise? Why not finish one, publish, then move on to the next?

In studying those that have succeeded big in the Independent Publishing arena, the thing most of them have in common is a back list, which means they have written multiple books and have many books available to the reader.

I also discovered that newly published authors, without back lists tend to struggle with finding and maintaining readership. (Jude Hardin's Part 2 post tends to lead possible credence to this observation.)

SO, I decided to try a different tact and create a back list first. This five book series will serve as my completed books, with a goal in place to publish a new book approximately every two months.

Will this tactic make a difference in garnering sales and in building a readership? We shall see. (I'll shoot an e-mail to Jude Hardin and J.A. Konrath if it does.) The books for Series #1 be released within a very few weeks of one another, with additional standalone and standalone series books to follow in consistent succession.

While this first year of writing full-time involved some health issues that derailed my time-frames for goals, I still will mange to complete a five-book series in just a little over a year!

Let's celebrate. Where's the chocolate?

The End and Then Some

What does it feel like to type THE END?

The first draft of the final book in Series #1 is complete. Five books drafted, with revisions starting later today. In a few days, my one-year of writing full-time becomes a milestone. At the fourteenth-month mark, I will have completed, revised, and final drafted a five-book series. Ideas for the next few books have been simmering, and diving into writing the next series is only a few weeks away.

Those are the facts, yet when asked how does reaching this milestone and finishing the series feel, I didn't have the insight or the words to describe those feelings, so I turned to the Alexa Writes Books blog to tap into the experience and those emotions.

First of all, I am breathless with relief. Not a boy-I'm-glad-that's-over-with relief, but it's as if I've been holding my breath in anticipation when I hadn't realized I wasn't breathing full lungfuls of air for a very long time. This series has been years in the making, and finally found its way to the page.

The this-is-complete relief is tinged with sadness.

I finished a five-book series, whoo-hoo, right? Yet there's sort of a feeling of loss as if I am preparing to let the series go and say goodbye to the characters that will have been with me for over a year. Happy, sad, bittersweet.

There's also a sense of accomplishment, mixed with apprehension about the next phase of my writing-books-and-making-a-living goal. Sending the book to an editor, making final editing changes, self-publishing. Yikes, talk about fish-out-of-water sensations.

Also, I am experiencing a sense of excitement. This is the Yeah, Baby! moment. A kind of satisfaction of pursuing a dream and living it. The thrill of reaching my goal tingles right down to my toes.

Of course, there's also the enthusiasm of diving into the next project and the next, while basking in the surety that I finished the previous book and/or series and did my best before moving on.

THAT's how it feels to type THE END.

Series #1 revisions, here I come!

Tracking Time & Keeping Time

When a writer figures out she's spending more time on the internet than writing, she's got an issue. A big one.

In my former job, I tracked my time to keep up with billable hours and kept a tally of hours of what I worked on when.

Using the same method, in 30 minute increments, instead of 15, I used a daily calender to track the actual time I'm spending writing and in doing other things.

Since I've starting tracking my time, my writing productivity has increased. I had no idea how much time I spent doing what. I was amazed when I tracked a few days to discover how much time I allowed to slip away.

I added the windows clock gadget to my desktop so that I can easily reference the time. The calendar that I use shows 1 day per page, with 24 one-hour time blocks. I drew a line down the middle of the page so that I can track the first half and second half of the hour.

For the first day, as embarassing as it is to share, my time in a 12-hour period included:

• Phone = 2 hours
• Cover Design = 1-1/2 hours
• Internet = 1-1/2 hours
• First Drafting & Writing Related = 4 hours
• Breaks, Puppy play time, Meals = 3 hours

After I winced and flinched and cringed from this time-suck revelation, I disected the time spent.

Right off, I see limiting internet and designing covers for future books equated to 3 hours, added with phone time with several friends (after all writing is an isolated activity), the total now goes to 5 hours.

In looking at the time actually spent doing what and evaluating how to better manage my time, what if I space phone time with friends over several days. What if I talk with Person A today, Person B tomorrow, Person C, the next day, etc., limiting phone time to 1 hour per day.

Okay, I just gained another hour of writing time.

How about the 1-1/2 hours on the internet? How about limiting that to 1/2 hour during the work day, then unlimited after the 12 hour mark. Self says that's acceptable, so okay. Another hour salvaged.

In regard to cover design for future books, seeing possible covers helps me to get a better handle on the stories, but do I need to spend 1-1/2 hours ever day to do that, with the next story scheduled for several weeks in the future. Although I enjoy designing covers, the answer is: Not really.

So, in reviewing time spent, I reclaimed 3-1/2 hours of writing time. In the next few days, I will be experimenting with tracking my time and applying these changes in my behavior and actions.

Yep, I'm going to keep tracking time, because I plan to keep my time for the thing I want to do most. Write.

Why Authors Should Strive NOT to be Negative Nancies and Debby Downers

Social media and internet interaction can and will make or break an author. Whether it's another blog or an author's own blog, the author's attitude can either be a positive draw for readers or send them in search of less whiny and less bitter writers. No matter how good the author's books, if a reader reads snarky or critical or woe-is-me driven author's comments, those authors and their writing become less and less appealing.

With minimal searching, you'll find plenty social media cringe moments, and you'll discover glaring examples of oh-my-gosh-she-did-not moments. This is not an author-bashing post. No need, any author that exhibits these behavior handily succeeds at bashing his or her career and writing efforts all on their own.

I've observed these particular actions and have witnessed over the last two or three years the effects certain behaviors have on a writer's potential to draw, maintain, and expand their readership.

Insult your reviewers and readers or present yourself in a negative manner, and it just ain't happening, baby, no matter how many books you write or how many times you recreate yourself with another pseudonym, especially should you continue to exhibit those same off-putting tactics.

Here are a few of the examples of what what not to do:

Use your Former Writer-Based Blog as a Reader's Blog, with your Comments turned off. Why would an author think that walling off their reader access would be welcoming and encourage a connection with said readers? Is it any wonder, an author might ponder, in blog posts, why sales and readership have dropped? Um, well...

Make Comments about Reader Reviews either in Reply to Negative Reviews or Insulting Negative Reviewer on your Author Blog. Although blog posts may even be deleted after the fact,  those that read them while they were on the internet for all to see do not forget. Insulting reviewers and calling them names -- real bright, GE. Fail!

Lament on your Blog about Lack of Sales and Blame Reviewers, Other Writers for their Competition, Timing, Other Author's Successes, etc. As a reader, I am not interested in reading posts where the author whines about lack of sales, poor judgement, other author's successes, blah, blah, blah. Straight up, I'm heading on over to that awful successful author's blog or Amazon author page, if you mention the other author(s), and buy one of their books. Not, um, yours. Great move, Sherlock, for pointing out that your books aren't selling. After all, there must be a reason why, right?

Discuss Personal Issues, such as Hygiene Techniques, etc., when your Writing has NOTHING to do with Any of that Stuff. Share about the Police Procedural class you are taking if you write suspense or the conference having to do with the Thrillers or Suspense. I do not care about or want to hear about what should remain your private quirks or personal grooming habits. I'm interested in your books. (Not to say if you're personal info adds to the interest toward your books. You were a lounge singer, and the book is about a lounge singer framed for murder.) Why waste your time and your readers time with irrelevant silliness?

Use your Blog Posts as an Excuse to Share Foul Language or Gross-Out Factors for Shock Value. You are building your writing persona and this is who the writer part of you is and you'll do whatever the eff you want. Sure. Have at it. No problem here with an F-bomb dropped in an appropriate place or a called for expletive, but if you choose to share all forms of body fluid descriptors, curse words, name calling (Yeah, B--ches!), etc., I suggest you keep it up, just like you can keep your books and your writing. The majority of readers -- and it is a majority of whatever niche your genre falls in that you are trying to reach and connect with -- are not interested in adolescent displays of character flaws and shameless attention getting attempts. Edgy is appropriate and even welcome for some genres; however, the lack of professionalism and out-right rudeness is not. No, thanks, I'll pass on those bleeping books of yours. 

Whine about your Earlier Success not being Your Current Success. Yeah, I want to know that you sold say 7,000 books in a month in 2010, but you are not selling well now. Tell me that, and how you are struggling for an audience now, and I'll rush right over to Amazon and download your most recent book with 1-click. Not.

Act Out Online in a Forum or in Blog Comments and Continue to Rehash the Event on Your Blog. You did something you should not be proud of and that would have bettered your career had it not happened in the first place. If you haven't apologized for perhaps attacking another person (reviewer, author, etc.), then do so, and move on. It was ugliness the first time it happened, and rehashing ugly, as though you're proud of your actions, does not pretty up ugly at all. Do I want to read the writing of someone who would do that in the first place? Er, iffy. Do I want to read the books of someone who won't let it go and brags about it? No, thank you, very much!

Create Controversy in the Name of Being Whoever You Decide Your Current Psuedonym of the Moment Might Be at the Present Time. What a turn off! You insult, argue, snipe at, criticize, etc., and then complain that everyone misunderstands you and that wasn't your intent at all. Perception, it is said, is 99% of reality. Fact is you did act in a manner that was perceived as being negative, and regardless of your over-filtered opinion of your intention, we as readers ain't buying it. Nor your books. 

Attack Other Authors on their Blogs. Writers that are readers as well as readers that are non-writers read author blogs. It's a great way to keep up with what's going on in the writing world, book releases, controversies, etc. Reading your bitter hateful comments encourages me to visit your blog to see who in the world might act that way, then I see self-designed covers that look cartoonish and don't depict the genre. (What the heck are those books about?) Next, just to satisfy my curiosity, I pop over to Amazon and download a sample of your most recent book. Quickly, I discover that you are unable to judge the quality of your own writing and cover design, and I can so see you have reason to be so bitter. Please, accept my apology for my earlier lack of understanding.

Share about your Awesome Sales Numbers then Ask me to Buy Your Books and Memorabilia because the Tax Man has come a-knocking. Um, really? I think I'll belly up the bar and pass.

Release Sub-par Unedited Material and Offer Replacement Copies once your Book has been Edited. Not interested. If I struggled to read your book the first time and your grammar, word usage, punctuation sucked, do you really think I'm going to make another attempt to read your supposed cleaned-up version? Why not do it right the first time and build your reputation as an author, not derail or tear it down? Embarrassing, unprofessional, and not acceptable.

Post Release Dates of Published Books and then Repeatedly Miss those Projected Dates. Missing projected dates can happen, legitimately and infrequently, but if you can't meet your own self-imposed release dates on a consistent basis, perhaps state you have a release coming in the Spring of 2013 or in several months, then surprise us with an early release. Continue to disappoint and your potential releases cease to matter or have relevance. I will no longer look forward to your books or believe you. Yawn.
_________________

Note to Self:

These behaviors, actions, and characteristics are negative and a hindrance to a writer's career and a deterrent toward books sales. DO NOT do these things! Focus instead on presenting a positive, professional image that is appealing and interesting to readers in your genre and beyond, while first and foremost, writing good books.

I'm Stylin' Now! (Lovin' Ergonomics)

FOLLOWUP NOTE: Initially the Articulating Arms seemed to help with the tension in my shoulders, however, I ended up with tendonitis in one shoulder. Once I stopped using the arms, the tendonitis healed. (Good try, but not for me. Would not recommend.)

Dear ErgoRest, where have you been all my life?

With stationary arms removed from my office chair, I attached two articulating arms to my writing desk. As many hours as I have sat before and continue to sit at a desk work at a keyboard, I finally found just what I need for arm support in the ErgoRest Articulating Arm, which supports my arms in the proper position to not cause neck, shoulder, and back pain.

The lightweight arm provides support while adjusting to my movements. It's a simple, but extremely helpful gadget for which I am exceedingly grateful.

Tight neck muscles led to aching shoulders and headaches. Bunched and knotted neck muscles refused to relax or be stretched out. Aching wrists and throbbing elbows happened so often that I got used to them. No more tingly hands and fingers or hands and arms going numb during the night.

After all these years of struggling to find comfort in long hours at a desk, I've found it. Thank you ErgoRest!

Determination in Gear

For the first time, I first drafted three chapters in a single day. I busted a writing myth that had been stuck in my head and wrote approximately 6,000 words. (Hat tip to you, Dean Wesley Smith!) And, you know what, I had fun writing those three chapters. Guess what I did to celebrate? I sent out a few hey-guess-what-texts, then jotted down ideas for the next days chapters, and the next morning wrote another chapter.

While I get excited about busting myths and achieving writing goals, since writing books is my job, my focus is production.

Author Dean Wesley Smith's blog post regarding How to Keep Production Going All Year helped me discover which scheduling & production method works for me. (Idea #4 inspired me to set a goal of the number of books I will publish this year, with an increase in the goal for next year, due to shortened learning curve in 2014.)

The key ingredients for me to gain focus and production:

• Disconnect from the internet (using Freedom Internet Blocking software)
• Turn overhead lights off
• Turn reading lamp on
• Play relaxing instrumental music low in the background
• Jot brief bullet notes about upcoming potential scenes 
• SBICAW (Sit Butt in Chair and Write)

With spending so many hours in front of the computer keyboard and monitor, having an ergonomic enviroment is a must:

• Desk or Writing Table right height
• Feet flat on floor or on footrest
• Arms straight out from the bend of the elbow from armrests

To make the length of time writing non-damaging and bearable:

• Write in stints of 45 minutes to 1 hour in length
• Take breaks every 45 minutes to 1 hour
• Do arm neck & shoulder stretches spaced throughout the day
• Lie flat on floor and stretch out back throughout day
• Space writing stints throughout the day

Also, in a comment in his recent blogs about ghost writing a book, Author Dean Wesley Smith mentioned focusing on the next line, then the next, then the next. With this method, Book #5 in Series #1 has taken several unexpected and interesting turns and presented some awesome plot twists! (He graciously took the time to answer questions and reply to comments; therefore, the comments are an integral part of the posts and well worth the read.)

Writing life doesn't have to be limited and long suffering. As Dead Wesley Smith said in his myth-busting blog post Writing is Hard, while writing more than six to eight hours a day is hard work, making stuff up is not.

Another aspect of his advice is to have fun, and, oh man, am I.