A Not-So-Sudden Burst of Inspiration

To those of you who have been urging me to finish the second Charlee Hudson book; I have to confess that I haven’t written a word in quite a while now. Don’t worry, though. I haven’t given up. I’ve been struggling a bit over exactly how the story unfolds. That means, of course, that I’ve been doing plenty of daydreaming. I’m happy to report that I think I’ve finally got it figured out. I’m actually starting to get anxious about it. I want to lock myself in a room and start cranking out the words!

WANTED: Beta Readers

Beta readers are people, usually friends who can be relied on for honesty and not flattery, who read a writer’s work while it is still in progress. I already have one beta reader – my good friend Brianne. Brianne read every chapter of Family Secrets as soon as they were written. Her input was invaluable and, on a couple of occasions, helped shape the direction of the story.

Having reader input along the way was so valuable that I’d like to recruit three or four more beta readers. As work progresses on the Deceptions, the second Charlee Hudson story, I will upload portions of it to my website. My beta readers will log in, read a few pages and then send me their comments.

I’ll post more information on this as I get closer to implementing the beta reader section of the website. Anyone who thinks this sounds interesting should consider giving it a try. Future posts will provide instructions on how to become a beta reader.

The Check . . . er . . . Book Is In The Mail

I’m so happy to be able to fill the first few orders! Copies of Family Secrets will go out in the mail today to those who ordered them over the weekend. It’s very exciting for me!

I’m also preparing a mailer to go out to independent booksellers across the country. Maybe I’ll be able to drum up a little interest on that front, too.

In the meantime, I’m happy to have the project finished and out there. It gives me energy and motivation to move forward on other projects – like the second book in the Charlee Hudson series.

Deceptions and Daydreams

Deceptions is the title I’ve chosen for the second book in the Charlee Hudson series. I’ve spent quite a bit of time already working the story out in my head. That’s where the daydreams come in. This, by the way, is the coolest thing about being a writer – you get to spend lots of time daydreaming! It’s productive daydreaming, though. I started out with one idea and, over the course of several daydreaming sessions it evolved into something way cooler. As usual, though, there are pieces missing. I am off to a good start and I have a pretty good idea about the action in the last half. Building up to the action is the tricky part. I’m getting there, though. In fact, I need to sign off the blog for today and start writing down some of the daydreams before I lose those ideas and have to start over.

Proof Copy In Hand!!

My first proof copy of Family Secrets arrived in the mail the other day! I say ‘first’ proof copy because I’m sure I’ll find a treasure trove of typos. That means I’ll have to correct them and then get another proof copy. It’s all progress, though, and it’s very exciting.

When the proof copy arrived, I took it out of the package and I was a little overwhelmed. It looks exactly like a real book. My daughter just rolled her eyes when I said that out loud. It’s a wonder her eyes haven’t fallen out of her head by now. She rolls them a lot.

At any rate, I hope to have the proofreading finished in the next few days. When I return from my business trip to San Francisco, proof copy number two should be waiting for me. Maybe I’ll get it even sooner so that I can review it on the flight.

Off To A Good Start

I’m in sort of a holding pattern until the review copy of Family Secrets arrives in the mail, but I’ve gotten off to a good start on the new book. I’m not sure what it’s called just yet, but I’m liking it already. What can you expect to see in Book #2? Well, in addition to the new mystery we’ll get to see Charlee’s relationship with Carter evolve a bit more. I’m also bringing Murray back for this one. He might have been my favorite character in the first book. He was definitely the most fun to imagine. We’ll also get a little more insight into why he is the way he is, why he chooses to hide in the basement and isolate himself from others.

Since the second book picks up right after the first one ended, we will have to deal a little more with the psycho ex-cult leader as his case proceeds to trial. And then there is Charlotte. We certainly can’t leave her out.

I’m so excited about this new project. The first one felt kind of awkward and stumbly (if stumbly is a word) compared to this one. I think there is going to be a lot more detail now that we’ve gotten to know these people a little bit.

The Final Stretch

Whew! I just submitted my final (well, almost final) edits to the online publisher. In a day or two, I will be able to order my PROOF copy (also known as the make-sure-you-got-it-right copy). That will be my chance to see the book as a whole and read through it again to re-check for typos. I may enlist the aide of others to help with the typo hunt. It’s nearly impossible for me to find them on my own.

Once I’m able to confirm the PROOF copy, I can begin selling books. They will be available online at amazon.com, createspace.com and hopefully on my website. I’ll be able to sell them for slightly less than the others so maybe that will drive some traffic to the new site. Check it out if you have time. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s definitely getting there.

Back In The Saddle

I know I’ve neglected my poor little blog for a while, but it’s time to get all ramped up again. The ‘Family Secrets’ journey is winding down and fresh ideas are swirling around in the back of my head for Charlee’s next adventure.

How does this sound? The second book picks up just after the first one ends. The press is still in town and Charlee is getting her fifteen minutes of fame. She gets fan mail, love letters, marriage proposals and one plea for help.

A young woman whose sister has left town unexpectedly is convinced that she didn’t go willingly. She’s been to the police and they can’t help her – there is no evidence of a crime and the sister appears to have run off with her boyfriend. The woman knows that something is wrong and that her sister is in grave danger but no one will listen. Charlee is hesitant at first but finally decides to help her.

This new adventure brings more travel and new experiences for Charlee. It also brings more danger. Luckily, she has Carter and Murray on hand for backup!

FINISHED!!

'Family Secrets' is now finished and all 44 chapters have been uploaded to authonomy. There is still a bit of editing and proofreading to do, but the bulk of the work is behind me now. You can't imagine how good it feels!

BTW - if you're following the book on authonomy and have already read Chapter 37, you'll want to read it again.

My 'AHA' Moment

I’ve had an ending in mind for Family Secrets for a while now. Unfortunately, because of recent developments in the story, that ending just isn't going to work anymore. There are several things about this story that have evolved differently that I originally expected them to. That’s just the way it works. Having tossed out my planned ending, though, I have been in a bit of a pinch. I’ve been fast approaching the point where I was going to be seriously stuck trying to figure out what happens next. That’s what this whole blog is about, right? The never ending search for The Rest of My Story!

Well, by George, I’ve found it!! It came to me out of the clear blue while I was driving to work this morning – and it’s PERFECT!! That’s twice that a problem has mysteriously solved itself on the way to work. Maybe I’ve found the secret to overcoming writer’s block – drive up and down Pellissippi Parkway until you figure it out.

Thank goodness it’s Friday. And thank goodness it’s supposed to rain this weekend. I can lock myself in a room with the laptop and not have to feel guilty about ignoring the gutters and the flower beds.

Almost To The Finish Line

I can see it in the distance. I really can. It’s getting closer everyday and it’s starting to feel strange. I don’t mean strange in the sense that I don’t want to get there. Maybe by ‘strange’ I really mean ‘new and exiting’. When I self-published the first one-third of the book (so that I could actually see my own work in print and have something to share with my family) I was almost giddy. To hold my own work in my hands made me feel like a real writer for the first time ever. What I’m feeling now as I quickly approach the finish line is very similar.

I haven’t had much luck with trying to write in the evenings because I tend to need much more time than that to focus. It’s starting to get easier, though. Maybe it’s the momentum of knowing that I’m almost done. Who knows? At any rate, I’ve already made some progress this week before the weekend arrives. Hooray for me! I’m hoping I’ll have a big pile of chapters to upload on Sunday. Wish me luck!

For now, I’m off to go and prepare for that thing that sucks up so much valuable writing time (AKA my day job).

Story Update - 'Family Secrets'

I made some key decisions lately regarding Family Secrets and I thought that sharing them might help make sense of a few things. So here goes.

I wrote the first 13 chapters back in 1996. I tinkered with it here and there, but didn’t do any serious work on it until last year. After so many years, I was unsure about the time frame. I originally wanted to continue setting the story in 1996 and use an epilogue to bring the characters into the present day. That was because I did not foresee any additional Charlee Hudson stories. Now that I’ve changed my mind about that, I’ve had to change my approach to the time frame. It’s one thing to write one story in a different time period. It’s quite another to write several.

So, I have decided to bring Charlee, Carter and the others into the present day. Yes, Regis, this is my final answer. You will notice in the most recent uploads that Charlee suddenly has a cell phone. That's the sort of thing that I still need to 'polish up' in the previous chapters.

Aside from grammar and spelling, I’m not a fan of editing while I’m in the middle of a story. I will go back later and make the necessary revisions – give them cell phones and laptops, etc. None of this will alter the basic storyline.

FYI – I’m probably about 60 pages away from the juicy ending! The completed novel will be smallish – around 250 pages. Don’t worry though; I already have an idea brewing for Charlee’s next adventure!

Broken

It's official. The new blog for 'Broken' is up and running. There is a link to your left. I posted a brief summary of the story yesterday. From here on out, I'll start with an idea (for a scene, a character, whatever) and just dabble with it until we see where it goes. It should be fun!

New Energy

Anyone following ‘Family Secrets’ has surely noticed that it’s been a little neglected over the past couple of weeks. Sorry about that. I guess I needed to recharge a little. At any rate, I’m feeling much more focused now and am anxiously awaiting the weekend so that I can crank out a few more chapters. I feel like the action is really picking up and moving towards some sort of resolution. I’m getting excited again!

I’ve also given some more thought to what happens after this little adventure is over for Charlee and Carter. Someone asked me a while back about the next installment of their story. My response was that I didn’t think there would be a next installment – that my second book would be something different. Charlee’s situation is a unique one and it didn’t make sense to me that it would carry on into another story. I think I’ve changed my mind, though. I really do like these characters and I’ve become much more interested in what happens to them after 'Family Secrets'. I had originally thought of using an epilogue at the end of this book, but I’ve pretty much decided against that. With my new plan, Charlee and Carter can live on in other books. I think it would be much more fun to see what happens to them along the way instead of having it thrown at you in a quick summary. What do you think?

On a different note, ‘Broken’ (the other story that I mentioned in my last post) has really taken hold of my brain. It’s not something I can crank out quickly because it’s a much more complicated story than ‘Family Secrets’. I also can’t ignore it. The solution? A new experiment! Since I don’t have the required 10,000 words (or a coherent storyline) Authonomy isn’t an option right now. So . . . . . . I will start a new blog dedicated solely to ‘Broken’. It will consist of character descriptions and random scenes. The beginning of that story is really the end. It starts in the present but keeps taking us back to different points in the past to tell the story of the main characters’ lives. Eventually, I hope to be able to string all the snippits together into an actual book. In the meantime, getting bits and pieces of it written down should satisfy that annoying nagging going on in the back of my brain.

Completely Distracted

I’ve been completely distracted for the past several days with some new software that I’ve found. It’s called Writer’s Café and it’s a database designed to help writers get themselves organized and develop their storylines. I have downloaded the trial package and will probably make the purchase once the freebie is over. I think that once I get really comfortable using the database, it will seriously come in handy.

For example, there are lots of times when I just work on character development. Until now, I’ve done that on notebook paper. In case you’re wondering, that gets really messy. With Writer’s Café I can keep all those notes in one place – sort of like an electronic corkboard with sticky notes all over it. It’s wonderful! I can do the same thing with different scenes without having to worry about trying to string them together. When I’m ready to do that, I just drag and drop them into whatever order I want. How awesome is that?

I tried using Family Secrets as my trial project for WC – to try and learn my way around. That didn’t work out very well. I guess I’m just too far into Family Secrets at this point. There is another story, though, that’s been tugging at my brain recently. Right now I’m calling it Broken. It’s quite a bit different from Family Secrets, but that’s turned out to be a good thing. It has forced my brain to think about writing from a different perspective.

I’ve spent the past few days working on some character development and a few random scenes for Broken. At first, I felt a bit guilty. I really do need to finish Family Secrets before I jump head first into another project. Broken just wouldn’t leave me alone, though. I think being distracted with that for a few days has actually helped. Now I’ve got Family Secrets nudging me again. It’s like a little kid going “mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy” while you are on the phone with someone.

Maybe toggling back and forth is the secret to finally getting Family Secrets finished and ‘out there’. We’ll see . . . . . . .

Silence

This has not been a productive week for me as a writer. My real job was overly demanding which made writing in the evenings impossible. I was really looking forward to a productive weekend, though, and that didn’t happen either. All I can tell you is that the story simply wouldn’t talk to me.

Given that I pretty much know how the whole thing plays out from this point forward, you would think that it would be a piece of cake to just sit down and write it. It may be that easy for some, but not for me. It’s about so much more than just knowing what happens. It’s about finding the right words, revealing the juicy stuff at just the right moment and making sure the characters stay true to themselves. The story has to cooperate with me in order for me to do those things. That just didn’t happen this weekend.

I’m definitely disappointed. I am in such a hurry to finish this story. I’ve been working on this forever and I can’t wait to hold the finished product in my hand! I also need to know if I have other stories to tell. The only way to focus on a new story is to finish this one. Maybe I just need to relax. I’m going to try not to think about it this week and then see what happens over the long weekend.

Not-So-Super Sunday?

I didn’t make it to the coffee shop for my Super Sunday appointment this weekend. I was out way too late Saturday night at a Sushi Party and just could not get my carcass moving. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t write. I propped up in bed with the laptop and tried to write from home. I managed to crank out a couple of chapters, but that’s about it. Super Sunday usually includes a great deal of thinking in addition to writing. I spend a lot of time playing out the story in my head. Even if I don’t get all of it down on paper, I still feel productive because the story has advanced. That was the part that did not happen yesterday.

In an effort to speed up this process, I have decided to try and write at least a little bit every day. That’s how the great ones do it, or so I’m told. The problem for me is that I need time to sort of ‘get into character’. It’s not easy for me to just spit out a few words and then stop to go do laundry. I write best with a few uninterrupted hours to kill. I figure the daily thing is worth a try, though. I'll continue to upload on Sunday evenings. That should give Brianne a respectable amount of writing to digest on Monday mornings!

My next dilemma is about story length. I’ve read that the average novel (around 300 pages) is about 80,000 words. Right now, I’ve got around 41,000 words. That means I’m only about halfway to the finish line, right? I don’t think so. It feels more than half finished at this point. Two-thirds? Maybe. I’m not sure. Events are falling into place nicely (at least in my head they are) at this point. I think it will land somewhere between 60,000 and 70,000 words. That’s my best estimate today. Will readers think less of me if the book isn’t as thick as an ‘average’ novel? Will my not-so-average novel be taken seriously? Surely quality counts more than anything, right? I mean, I suppose I could add enough useless fluff to generate additional pages. Would that really further the story, though? I don’t think so.

In the end, it is what it is. When it’s finished, it’s finished.

Cliffhanger Alert!!

Brianne is surely going to kill me today. Super Sunday was successful (no worries there), but today’s chapters end in kind of a cliffhanger. On the one hand, it feels kind of mean. On the other hand, it was just too juicy of an opportunity. I couldn’t pass it up. I’ll make it up to her later, I swear.

Kudos to Brianne!

Brianne and I talked last week after she read my updates. As usual, she was so excited and complimentary. She truly inspires me to do my best work and hurry up about it.

This time, she did even more than that. As we were talking about different elements of the story, I realized that she had made an incorrect assumption about where I was headed on one particular topic. I didn’t mention it at the time. Instead, I mulled it over in my head. I wondered if I had been unclear, or if she had misunderstood. I finally decided that I had not been clear and immediately began reworking that chapter in my head.

Today, smack dab in the middle of my Super Sunday writing spree, it dawned on me that I liked her version better than mine! Without giving anything away, let’s just say that new information was uncovered in the chapters that I wrote today. The brilliant idea that I am blatantly going to steal from Brianne will fit perfectly into future events that are going to relate directly to that information.

Ok – enough blogging for now. Super Sunday isn’t over yet and I need to get back to the story. I have a deadline to meet, you know!

Getting Antsy . . . .

Can you believe I am anxiously awaiting the weekend? Well, I suppose that’s not so hard to believe. I think most of us probably start wishing for the weekend first thing Monday morning. What I’m getting particularly impatient about is getting back to the coffee shop so that I can crank out a few more chapters.

After I packed up the laptop and headed home last weekend, I began working through the next series of events in my head. I was trying to plan for a big scene and there was just one little piece of the puzzle that didn’t want to fit. In the end, I decided to force the awkward piece into place and be done with it – until Monday morning.

I was on my way to work and it just came to me. The awkward piece didn’t belong at all! I found the piece that did fit, though, and I was practically bouncing off the walls by the time I got to work. So, now I am anxiously awaiting the weekend so that I can write it all down.

For those of you who are reading ‘Family Secrets’, you may have to wait just a tad to read all of the juicy stuff that I’m talking about here. It’s kind of an ongoing situation and some of it will take place near the very end.

Thank You!

Thank you, Doug, for the compliments! Also, a special thanks to Brianne and Gina who are always eager to read my new stuff and tell me what’s wrong with it. They also provide tons of encouragement and constantly push me to write the next chapter.

Brianne has even set deadlines for me! She has translated my Super Sundays into her Super Mondays. I have been instructed to have new chapters uploaded each week by 6:40 am on Monday so that she can read them before her kids wake up.

For anyone who wants to take a look at my work in progress, the link is http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=4938. I welcome any feedback.

P.S. – Keep an eye out for my website. Once we get some of the features up and running, I’ll add a link here.

Super Sunday

That’s what I’m calling them and today was the first. My new goal is to spend every Sunday working diligently on my book. Today, I went to a nearby bookstore/coffee shop and spent about three hours making some real progress. I was so pleased with my success that I’ve decided to make Super Sunday a habit. They are ALL going to be Super Sundays from now on and, before you know it, I will finish this novel and move on to the next one. If I find myself on a roll here, I may even throw in some Super Saturdays!

My self-imposed deadline for completion of this project is June. That means I have to crank out around 3,000 words every weekend for the next twelve weekends. I think that is a completely realistic expectation. I guess you will just have to check back in twelve weeks to see what happens! Or I could keep you posted on my progress. Yeah. I agree. That sounds like a much better idea.

Until next time . . . .

Twenty Minutes . . . . .

That’s all the time I have left on my lunch hour. After that, it’s back to the daily grind. I have to say, though, that this lunch hour has been a productive one. My lunch buddies abandoned me today so I spent my hour doing some research on other authors’ websites. A dear friend of mine is going to build a website for me so that I can promote my books. (Note the optimism – I’m assuming that I’ll eventually write more than one!) My web designer's name is Scott Gordy and, if you look to the left, you will find a link to his company's website.

My website research has uncovered several sites that I like. I’ve also found several others that make me think “What the ****?” Personally, I’m not a big fan of clutter. That includes the visual clutter that you find on so many websites. If I have to read for half an hour to figure out what’s going on, yours isn’t the site for me.

I’m quickly learning that there is so much more to this business of being an author than just coming up with a good story. Websites, blogs, cover art, marketing – the list goes on and on. I’ve also come to realize that finding a publisher in the current market is next to impossible. That means self-publishing and self-promotion. I guess I can work on that stuff in my spare time between midnight and four, right? Right. For writers who also work a regular job, time becomes the biggest challenge of all.

Speaking of time, my twenty minutes are all gone and I hear that regular job calling my name.

The Story Behind The Story

We’ve all had that daydream. You know the one – a wealthy relative that you never knew dies and leaves you a gazillion dollars. Well, that’s where my current novel-in-progress was born. It’s a nice little daydream. You get to keep the gazillion dollars (even though it’s probably only half of a gazillion dollars after the IRS gets its share) and you really don’t have to do any mourning because you never knew Great Aunt Myrtle (or whoever it was that left you the gazillion dollars) to begin with. Yes, it’s a lovely little daydream.

Most people would probably wile away a rainy afternoon imagining how they would spend the gazillion dollars. Not me. I’m all about the details. I wanted a little more information about this scenario. Who is this mysterious long, lost relative? Why did he or she choose me as the sole recipient of said gazillion dollars? Then my slightly warped (ok, so maybe it’s more than slightly sometimes) imagination kicks in and a story starts to unravel in my head . . . . .

The Rest of My Story . . . . . . . .

The Rest of My Story . . . . . . . this is what plagues me as a writer. No matter what I'm writing, I always reach a point where I find myself wondering 'what happens next'? It feels like I had my story all neatly put together and somehow managed to misplace part of it. Where is the rest of my story?

This is the purpose of my new, redesigned blog - to find the rest of my story. It's somewhere in my head. I'm sure of it. Unfortunately, there is a bunch of other junk in there too and none of it is as neatly organized as my kitchen cabinets. My only option is to root around in there until I find what I'm looking for.