I’m seeing red…

Sins of a Father draft being edited

This is what my editing looks like. Look how much red there is! And this is a part that doesn’t even have a whole lot wrong with it. What? You didn’t think I was serious about breaking out the red pen? Well I was, and I did.

My goal is to work through a chapter a day with pen and paper to the end before I even think of making any changes to the file on my PC. And once I make it the whole way through all 22 chapters, I’ll be starting back from the beginning and doing it all over again for a second pass to make sure I didn’t miss anything. The upside? The chapters only average about four and a quarter pages each since this is a novella, so tackling one every day is an easily accomplished task.

For those of you who a writers and hate editing your work, I find it’s so much easier to edit with a printed copy and a pen than on a computer screen. It makes me despise the process a bit less anyway, and that’s a good thing. For me personally, the biggest problem with doing it on the computer is that I have a short attention span, so I have trouble focusing on the task at hand when so many other distractions are readily available (internet, email, etc.). I find this is especially true on longer works. Longer works just seem so daunting a task that removing the computer from the equation makes it a bit more enjoyable. Give it a shot next time you find yourself avoiding editing. Just make sure the pen is red so you can easily find your edits when it comes time to transfer them to the computer.

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I feel all jittery

I just sent out some beta copies of Sins of a Father to those who so graciously offered to read through and give their feedback. Now I feel nothing but nervous as I await their responses. Be honest with them, you guys. Drumming up my ego does no good if the story needs fixed and you don’t say so.

It’s always a bit nerve wracking giving something you worked so hard on to another person to see what they think. Any writer will tell you that. I’m sure even the most famous of writers have their doubts.

Now I just have to be as patient as possible until I get some reactions from the readers. Don’t worry, I know you won’t have it back to me tomorrow, or even the next day, but overnight those babies to my doorstep as soon as you have them so I can stop being so nervous about it. But seriously, take your time and mull over your answers to the questions for a couple days after you finish reading if you need to. Waiting isn’t going to kill me and I appreciate you guys doing this for me, so take as much time as you need.

I still have two more slots open for beta readers if anyone else is interested. Just hit me up using the contact form below.

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The opportunity you’ve been waiting for!

I’m about to tell you something that will no doubt excite you. Please try to keep calm. We don’t need anyone having a panic attack. There’s no sense in letting your excitement drive the rest of the world into a frenzy over the opportunity I’m about to present you with- the opportunity that they’re about to miss out on. Let’s just keep it between us, how about that? You don’t need to tell anyone how special you are.

Ok, I’m going to tell you before you have a heart attack. I can’t have that kind of thing weighing on my conscience.

I’m looking for a handful of you lovely folks to be beta readers for my novella Sins of a Father. I’m planning on unleashing it on the world in January, that should give me plenty of time to make all necessary edits, but I’d like your feedback before I do too much more editing.

If anyone is interested, it would be highly appreciated if you could read through it and get me your feedback by mid September so I have time to make any necessary corrections before January. I’ll send you the file in PDF format with a list of a couple questions I’d like you to answer about it. Feel free to comment on anything I haven’t questioned as well.

Keep in mind, this is NOT the finished draft. There will be mistakes and things that need fixed. Try not to let that affect your opinion of me. I’m only human, after all.

I’m not sure how I’ll pay you guys back, but I’ll think of something. If nothing else, at least you’ll get to say you knew me before I was nowhere near famous. That counts for something, doesn’t it?

Use the contact form below to drop me a line if you’d like to be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Thanks again! You rock!

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Lock me up and throw away the key

All signs point to me being completely insane. I’ve decided to start writing yet another novella and I haven’t even finished the two I’m working on yet. In fact, I’ll be starting it immediately after I finish this post. Before you send me to the looney bin, you should know that there is a method to my madness.

Here’s how my mind is working at the moment. I have four basic stages of writing: Draft 1, Draft 2, Edit 1, and Edit 2. The goal of starting another project is to have a project in each stage of the cycle at all times. Currently, the ladder looks like this:

Edit 2 – Sadly, nothing is currently this far along

Edit 1 – Sins of a Father

Draft 2 – The trials and tribulations of Cherokee Johnson

Draft 1 – Whitaker’s Island

When each of these progresses up the ladder, a fourth story will be added to the bottom rung. Currently, the fourth is slated to be a story I have dubbed Epoch, but that’s subject to change when the time comes. There are a lot of other ideas floating around in ye olde noggin and one of them may just fight its way to the top of the list before I get to the fourth rung.

Having multiple projects helps keep the creativity flowing. If I’m not feeling Mr. Muse’s juju on one I can move to one of the others. Surely he’ll have something to say about one of the four. Plus, when I finish one I don’t have the overwhelming feeling of how much work I need to put in before I finish another, because the next is already in the editing phase. I need to keep the pipeline full to keep writing. If I allow that overwhelmed feeling to sink in then I can go for months without writing. I don’t want to allow that. I refuse to allow that, thus the four step plan was born. By keeping something always near completion, I don’t notice the amount of work required quite as much and can keep my spirits up.

There is also the novel, The Rain (working title), in the works, but that’s being viewed as an “I’ll get to it when I get to it” sort of deal at the moment so it doesn’t count as one of the steps on the ladder at this time. It’s currently at the beginning of Draft 2, so when the time comes it’ll just squeeze in and halt whatever is below it, just not yet.

If I can stay motivated and friendly with Mr. Muse (if not friendly, at least keep a working relationship going) I’ve got big things planned for the future, but that’s a post for down the line at some point. Right now, I’ve just got to focus on doing what I do. “Keep on keepin’ on,” as Joe Dirt would say. Thanks for the support and friendship, guys. It means a lot.

Love, peace, and chicken grease, my friends.

Halfway There

The good news: I’m halfway through the second draft of Sins of a Father. The second draft is coming along nicely and much faster than I’d anticipated, which I’m thankful for. I’m thoroughly enjoying this writing kick I’ve been on lately. Here’s to hoping it lasts.

The bad news: I’m tired, so no more writing for tonight. It would all be rambling gibberish that would need changed during editing anyway, so it’d be a bit pointless to keep going. I’ll get back at it tomorrow evening and try to knock out a few more chapters of draft number two.

Time to visit the land of nod. Have a good evening y’all, and an even better Sunday.