Here's to 2018

I met my goals for 2017. I told myself that I would publish my first novel, and so I did (self-published, at least). I don't have any illusions that I'd be raking in bags of money. So far I've made some cash, but it won't pay the phone bill.

The great thing about being an accountant is that I know how to set up my accounting books. If I want to succeed as a business (which is what this is, really) then I need to treat it as a business. So far, I don't have any initial investment on it, but as soon as I get my holiday bonus, I'll add some capital to it.

So, what are my goals for 2018? Here they are:

• Finish a short story collection for "The Abandoned" series
• Finish the second novel, No Villains
• Finish 10 short stories unrelated to the above series
• Make at least $100 for No Heroes

Let's start small with that revenue. If I reach it, then I can move the goalpost further.

Well, that's it folks. See you next year and drink some bubbly!



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NO HEROES (Book One of the Abandoned Series)

BUY NOW!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0782Y46B9

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The Locke twins possess a peculiar power: they can pass pain and injuries to one another. Despite this flaw, Aries Locke dreams of becoming a superhero one day, to the chagrin of his twin, Ezra. But after performing a heroic deed they soon learn why there are no heroes in the world.

With the help of their mother, they run away from the shadow of The Purity Project—an organization devoted in controlling and regulating superhumans.



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Here it is, NO HEROES!

You can buy my first book right here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0782Y46B9

What a ride it has been.

If you look at the posts on the sidebar, you can read about my journey as a writer trying to get this book out. There had been many aches and pains, but in the end the bundle of joy waits in the end. I believe this is as close as an experience I'll have with regards to child-birth.

Now for the next book!

Book Two of No Heroes is titled as No Villains. The first draft is already finished and awaiting revisions. I already have some notes on how to fix it, but it will take me about three months (hopefully) to crank out the second draft. I've learned a lot from the first book, learned a lot about craft, discipline and mindset. Learning doesn't stop, and I'm excited on what I'm going to learn on the next book, and the next.

Other than the next book, I'll also need to learn about administrative work. First stop: Mailing Lists.

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30k Milestone For Second Novel

A bit of celebration on reaching 30k on my second novel. I intend to update the blog every 10k, just to keep it alive or have some content.


I have a feeling that No Heroes will be released after I finish No Villains. I didn't want to revise No Heroes just yet because I wanted to write another novel, which is No Villains. I read about writers who get stuck in their first novel, constantly editing it again and again as if they were trapped in their own Hell (or Heaven if you're into masochism).

A writer needs to move on and write new material if he wants to learn. That is my intent for No Villains. I want to learn more on how I write and what my process is. I am still learning, still looking for ways to improve.

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Pantsing The Story With Outlines

I’m excited to write my next novel. Excited because not only do I get to live vicariously through my characters again, but I’ll also get to experiment with a new writing process. I have learned much from writing the first novel, and I’ve been refining the process through short stories. With those, I’m ready to embark on the second novel.

Now it might sound like an oxymoron to say “pantsing with outlines,” but after you read this blog post, you’ll realize that it’s not.

So--

There are two processes I am experimenting with: beat list and scene teasers.

Novel Number Two

Here we go! Novel number two is in the first draft phase. As for the first novel, I'm still waiting on a response from the publisher. Fingers crossed.

I wrote about 2,300 words this weekend. I'm currently tweaking my process, and I think I'm enjoying how it's progressing.

When I wrote my first novel, I was literally a pantser, the whole novel only hinged on one idea alone, which is "twins transferring sensations to one another." With this second novel, I'm keeping track of the beats I wrote. So, let's say, I wrote 1,200 words and I'm done for the day, I will then make a beat list of what I wrote, and I'll use that as a quick reference on the next writing session.

Along with the beat list, I will also give myself one or two scene teasers. Since I follow the Scene/Sequel format, I will make notes for myself what the next two scenes are, but I won't tell myself what the outcomes are.

For example:

INCITING INCIDENT: Theo/Ezra is in a coma
GOAL: Aries needs to enter their consciousness so he can rescue Ezra from the false memories.
CONFLICT: But Ezra is comfortable with the false memories and doesn't want to leave.
OUTCOME: ???

So I tease myself on what will happen, but won't tell myself how it will end. This gives my creative mind something to play around with.

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Follow Your Bliss; Find Your Process

Joseph Campbell said to follow your bliss. My bliss is making up stories and experiencing them as if I’m inside the character’s head. (Sometimes I hear their voices, but they shut up once I put them on paper.)

At one point, however, writing became as excruciating as pulling teeth and jamming them back in.

A little background:

I always believed that in order to write professionally you needed to outline. So I did an outline for a novel that I always wanted to write. I had everything completed. I had a scene list, a timeline and a character sheet.

I was prepared.

But when the time came to write, I choked.

The schedule of a writer

I have no idea what a schedule of a writer is.

It should be simple, right? You devote a chunk of time for writing, and then you write. But the path I'm taking isn't that simple.

I'm leaning towards self-publishing now, and that would mean taking more tasks beyond my writing schedule. I will need to carve time for marketing. Having a day job cuts into that, and I'm torn between that and writing the next short story or novel.


I'm torn between traditional publishing and self-publishing. On one hand, you don't have to worry about sales channels and advertising, but you only get a portion of the profits--not all. On the other hand, you get all the cash, but you have to do everything. Everything!


With this novel, I don't know where I should shove it to. Right now, I'm testing the waters, experimenting. I had sent a query letter to an interested publisher. We'll see what happens.

At the moment, I should probably dabble with marketing. And to begin, I'm focusing on planning and getting a book cover. I have an idea of how it would look like, and I'm grateful that my husband can do photoshop.

I may need to schedule on working on the book cover.

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