A Bad Run Gone Positive (This is a Long One, I Hope You Like Reading)

A few weeks ago I got stuck in the driveway because of the snow. Last Friday, I got stuck in the street - again, snow. (Last Wednesday, going 10 miles an hour, I slid at a 65 degree angle off the road, downhill, and got three nice gentlemen to push my car back up onto the street.)

Last night, my fiance bribed me with Taco Bell (who can resist?!?) We had to switch our cars in the driveway because he was leaving first this morning. I tossed my keys in the cup holder of his car. (Can you see where this is going?) We took the dog. When we got home, I had the dog, and the food.

This morning, he drove away with my keys. Sigh.

He's the assistant manager. His lunch doesn't come until 3... about the time I'd get off work, anyway. When I called work, asking if I got keys if I should come in, they said no. Sigh again.

My work is going to think I fell off the planet, soon. However, my creditors will keep searching for me :P

I moped for a minute, then lifted my head high - I'm going to make the most of my unplanned free day! My goal is to finish 3k words on "Cheater's Pass". Writing it, I've already formulated a few ideas for later episodes. I'm really excited about the project, in general!

I'll share my idea with the lot of you, since you're here :)

I want to write each episode in 3 weeks (if a team of writers can write a half-hour show every week, I think I can manage 20k words in 3!). That's about 2 weeks per manuscript (@1,500k words/day) with a week for editing/revisions/cover finalization. I want to release each new episode a month apart. That gives me about an extra week between episodes to:

A: rest
B: work on a different project
OR
C: start the next episode to get ahead/form a buffer

I have a lot of confidence in my ability, and I know with 100% certainty - I work better on a schedule. If I say, write 1.5k words/day, finish by this date, publish on this date, ect... then I feel I can really buckle down, focus my ability and build up a backlist. Backlists seem to be a big part of "making it" in self-publishing... which of course makes sense! (You have to have product, for product to be bought.) Plus, I'm a firm believer in the more you write, the better you get! Story-crafting is a skill that gets better with constant use.

I know there will be nay-sayers (You can't produce something of quality in 3 weeks!) But I will disagree with them. Yes, some authors take 6 months to write a chapter. I do not. I can write a chapter and heavily edit it 3 times in 4 days. But, as I write, I edit. I read the previous chapter, edit, write the next chapter. The next day, I read what came before, edit, write the next and so forth. I'm a rolling editor. Plus, I take what my beta readers say into consideration as I move forward. By the time I finish the story, only the last part needs severe editing - the rest has been looked over by at least 4 pairs of eyes (my own, at least 10 times). Also, when I write, I don't generally "go with it"... the ideas usually ferment in my brain and when I sit down with it, I know where it's going. I learned a long time ago that "letting characters write the story for me..." was a bad idea. My stories took weird turns, and I felt I couldn't get them back on track. It's better if I follow the pattern in my head, then flesh it out after.

And if I may make a nod at people who have already made some success - I think many people would be surprised how quickly some stories were written. I believe I read on Hocking's blog that she wrote Hollowland in about a week... and that's considerably longer than what I'm writing. I don't know her editing schedule, but I believe if you have the story, it's there, and you'll write it. I don't find writing a struggle, I find it a release. I don't get writer's block because there's always SOMETHING in there to write about! (I may get something I call writer's pause, on occasion, as I sift about for that perfect phrase.)

I'm trying to turn around my situation, one chapter at a time ;) So, let's take this unplanned free day and turn it a better life down the road!

A Bit on "Cheater's Pass"

My current WIP goal is series of YA episodic adventure novellas. 20k words for $.99 a pop. I've mentioned before that I have something inside that feels I'm devaluing my work if I price too low - my 60k novel, Shackled has settled into the $2.99 price. I intend to leave it there for some time.

So, it makes sense that 1/3 of the words means 1/3 of the price, right? Maybe it's just coincidence :)

Anyway, (almost) none of you know anything about the (Icarus Helix) series. Given the warning that this is a novella (20k for .99!) and that each one is meant to stand alone, I'd like you to tell me your thoughts on the product description I whipped up for it today. I'm almost halfway done drafting it, and I want it to really be ready for release. Depending on edits and cover, I'm aiming for either March 10th or the 17th for release. (Only 99 cents! Ahem.) Remember, this is Young Adult!

Without further rambling ado, here is the PD for "Cheater's Pass":

How far would you go for money? For Marcus Tiller, gambling debt was an overwhelming shadow on his life. As a neonatal attendant at St. Mercy Four Cities Hospital in need of cash, he became CGT-Inc's ideal pawn. The contract: secretly inject newborns with an experimental compound - for $1,000 a head. But, three years after he began, he disappeared.

Now, 14 years later, the effects of the compound are starting to show. 17-year old Ian Reynolds, an aspiring varsity football player, suddenly finds he can control things with the power of his thoughts. Footballs miraculously end up in his hands, girls' skirts catch sudden drafts and life is good. But the power comes with a price, both physical and mental. When a stranger suddenly comes into his life, leaving cryptic notes and the big rivalry with the Waredo Firehawks looming, will Ian decide his power is best left... undiscovered?

Some Updates

I've posted about my next WIP. Details are on my release blog.

I think it's interesting how many people must come by and not say hello. In December, I had 10 total page views. In January, 365. So far this month? 593. That number staggers my brain (in a good way.)

I wrote "Shackled" because I wanted to write an Adult Book. Not so much themes like sex, or violence, but a book with intellectual wording that I felt good about. I wrote "Shackled". I gave it my stamp of approval, and sent it out on fledgling wings into the wide, cruel world.

So, I did that. That's one thing off my bucket list. Whee!

Now that I've done the writing that was necessary for my happiness as a writer, I can move on. I'm trying my hand at YA. I sort of think I was meant to write YA. (But as I said, I wanted to write an Adult Book first.) The themes and wording feel very natural to me. Also, I devoured books faster when I was younger (easier reads, yeah?). I have a lot of YA reading under my belt, and I think I have a really interesting concept with the Icarus Helix series I'm starting. I will probably post the intro when I get closer to release.

Jeroen ten Berge is going to be my cover artist for the series, also. He's really a delight to work with. He's easy to talk with and I think he really delivers a quality product. He's also open to how I feel about the series, and what I'd like to see on the cover. Good guy to work with! I recommend him.

Please keep an eye on my writing widget to the left. You can watch my progress, as I plow forward into the horomonic (yes I made that word up, suck it spellchecker) lands of the YA...

Unintentionally STUCK!

We got a lot of snow last night.

A LOT of snow. More than I expected... More than my car can handle.

I successfully backed out of my driveway this morning. That's -all- the success I had. I'm supposed to be at work. Earning money. To pay my bills.

I can't get down my street.

I called my work. "I'm stuck... In the street." I told my manager. "Huh." she said. I guess she'd already called another driver, just in case. Smart on her!

This is the worst winter I ever remember having. Between the mountains of snow and the ice storms that coat everything in slippery danger, then snow and more ice... and more ice... and more ice... and SNOW...

In honor of this winter, I've prepared a short letter.

Dear World,

Please stop global warming. Seriously, you're killing me here. (Seriously, if I can't get to work, I don't eat.)

Love,
JEM

Moving Forward...

My head has been an absolute whirlwind the past few days!

I think I've finally settled down into a long-term mindset. I know everyone says, "This isn't a sprint - it's a marathon!" but the fact is, my bills don't feel the same way. For them, this race was over yesterday (plus interest!)

I'm engaged and one of the stipulations for accepting the engagement was that it had to be at least 2 years long, because I wanted to pay off my debts before tying the knot (Or: I want to start the marriage with a clean slate.)

I'm 26. I want kids someday. I don't want to be 50 and changing MY kid's diapers (grandkids, maybe okay). I don't really want to wait 2 years, I love my fiance and he's nothing but good for me.

For now, I'm just going to "Keep on keepin' on". After my initial crazy settled down, I can think about the whole publishing thing more rationally, and how I need to move onto Phase 2 (It looks a lot like Phase 1)

Phase 2: WRITE MORE!!!

Creep Creep Creep

I have steadily watched my Amazon rank creeping along until it is now over 118,000. This makes me a little sad, as I sit in my computer chair and say, "Go on, little book! You can do it, make me proud!"

On Smashwords, I had over 50 views of my product page, but 1 purchase and about 8 sample downloads. I am starting to wonder if my $3.99 price point is pushing away potential readers, newbie author, yadda yadda yadda (anyone on the indie circuit has heard it a million times).

Amazon doesn't provide any data on downloaded samples, so I don't really know how much traffic is being driven there - same with B&N.

So I'll put it out there, to my faithful readers - should I take a hit? Try the $2.99 point, or even the dreaded $.99?

I sent out a bunch of e-mails today for potential reviews/blog tour/guest post chicanery.

If it were anyone else, I would probably do the logical thing and say, "Take the hit!" But please, I need a good smack in the face on this one - what do you guys think?

P.S.: So much for keeping cool about the whole thing :P

Sally Forth (This is a No-Tarrying Zone)

My 9-day vacation was well spent, I think, in that I released "Shackled" on all three platforms as I wished. I have even sold 2 copies :) I know at least 1 is to my friend Lauren, she was excited to read something by me... no clue who the second one was! But, it got me a rank on Amazon, which I now understand...

IS VERY EASY TO CHECK COMPULSIVELY.

Ahem.

That being said, "Shackled" is complete and it's time to move forward. I have more in mind for that world, but as I've read the story about 5 times in the past week, I need to step back from it for awhile and let the toons ferment about their business. I know where it's going, but I want to rest that part.

As you may notice by my widgets to the right, I have 3 projects I am considering next. (Stupid ideas, never seem to stop coming... not that I'd want them to. I love you, ideas! You're not stupid! Please don't abandon meeeee!)

I had 4 editors and 5 beta readers for "Shackled". I have 2 editors and 3 beta readers for my next project, whatever it may be. One of those editors may not be able to keep up - through no fault of his own, but due to my own pacing.

You see, two of those projects are me considering a foray into the land of episodic writing. I would aim to write 20k novellas (less than a month of writing, for me) so they would bang out rather quickly.

In a (rather forward-thinking, if I do say so) move by myself, I'm writing the intro to the beginning of all three, asking the opinions of my beta readers. I've already gotten opinions from various people on the "pitch" but I want an opinion on the "voice" for the stories.

The thing is, I need 2 (possibly 3) more editors and at least 1 more beta reader. (You can be both editor and beta reader - but yo' skillz bettah be AMAZING at grammar/punctuation!) I catch about 85% of my errors. But that 15% could drown me in mediocrity and plot holes, so I need good eyes.

I write fiction, exclusively. I like twists in my stories and everything to tie up neatly. I write fast and can send out as much as 3,000 words to be edited, per day. (Though usually I send around 1k, and sometimes bundle a few k together after a period of silence, and I don't usually send out large chunks more than 3 days in a row). You'll read the whole story at least twice. The first time is the rough draft, the second time is edits, and possibly a third time after that. Two of the projects, if chosen, will be episodic so I'd need a long-term person to stick through the whole thing.

Last thing: The episodic are aimed at YA, the novel at A.

Any takers? :)