So I had my short story published in Wild Musette Journal issue #1901. Very happy with that! And it was my very first paid gig, too. (Get it here folks! https://wildmusette.com/collections/stock/products/frog-porridge)
The second draft to No Villains is finally complete. I'm letting it simmer for a while before I start on the third draft. After I'm done with No Villains, I will close out the series as I'm refocusing my efforts to traditional publishing. Main reason? I actually don't like doing things on my own.
I self-published No Heroes because I wanted to see if treating this thing as a business would click with me. No Heroes did not have any editors except for a few beta readers. I had looked into hiring an editor, but the problem with that is they may not bring the story to its full potential. I'm also averse in dropping serious cash only to be presented with bad development.
Another reason is time management. If I commit to self-publishing, I would need to invest time and money on advertising, marketing, social media, rebranding and so on. I have a day job. Self-publishing would become my third job on top of my second job which is writing. Three jobs is too much. So I need to axe one of them, and I chose self-publishing.
Does this mean No Villains is kaput? Nope. I still plan on self-publishing it this year just to close the series off (although it ends with a cliffhanger, but not egregious that things are left unanswered).
In other news, I am psyched at how I'm developing my outlines. Hopefully it will help in producing short stories and novels quicker and better. I am wary of sharing how I do my outlines since it's a jumbled mess. Once my method is proven to be effective, then maybe I'll share.
Finally, my copywork exercises are all updated with a bar graph that shows the rhythm between abstract beats and concrete beats. Also, I've found the best workflow for me to get copywork exercise content out more consistently.
Thanks for reading and keep writing!
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Sunday, April 7, 2019
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Copywork #1 - Grendel, by John Gardner
Here’s the latest entry for my copywork exercises: Grendel, by John Gardner. I wanted to copy Grendel because it’s told in first person POV. Also, I like unreliable narrators, especially the dramatic and primadonna kind (Grendel is one in this fine retelling). Despite his histrionics, he is still and will always be a monster.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
March 2019 Update
The LGBT short story is finished, but missed the due date and word count. Not bummed out, though. It was a nice story to write, and I'm going to shop it around.
Oh, if you get a chance, buy the anthology from Wild Musette (https://wildmusette.com/collections/stock/products/frog-porridge). You will see that I'm a contributor there. So happy about this! I ordered a physical copy for myself.
The second novel is back on track. Had some kinks that I needed to work out, and it's looking good. I am really aiming to finish it this month.
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Oh, if you get a chance, buy the anthology from Wild Musette (https://wildmusette.com/collections/stock/products/frog-porridge). You will see that I'm a contributor there. So happy about this! I ordered a physical copy for myself.
The second novel is back on track. Had some kinks that I needed to work out, and it's looking good. I am really aiming to finish it this month.
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Friday, February 22, 2019
Scene Analysis #13 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Greetings Persistent Writers! Here is my latest analysis: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Friday, February 8, 2019
February 2019 Update
I kinda' slowed down in finishing the second book. I often wonder if this slow-down is caused by my subconscious not wanting to finish it. Crafting a book is so immersive, so much so that the characters in it feel like real people I've journeyed with.
I'm still at the 90% mark on this book, but I feel confident in finishing it this month. (Note to self: finish the fucking book!)
Another reason why I slowed down was my outline. I reviewed and innovated how I craft my outlines (for the trillionth time). At this moment, I am very very very very happy with it. It's a cleaner look, and it stimulates my imagination better than the previous method. Maybe some day in the future I'll share my method if it holds up.
When I'm done with this book, I'll focus on short stories and maybe a movie script, which I'll call "Project A". I initially slated Project A as a novel, but after crafting the outline, it's looking more like a movie script. We'll see.
Lastly, I'm restarting the "copywork analysis" again. I had posted these every other Friday, but now I'm aiming every other Monday. The weekends will allow me to catch-up if something happens within the week.
Weather is warming up, and my mood has thawed. Looking forward to this month.
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I'm still at the 90% mark on this book, but I feel confident in finishing it this month. (Note to self: finish the fucking book!)
Another reason why I slowed down was my outline. I reviewed and innovated how I craft my outlines (for the trillionth time). At this moment, I am very very very very happy with it. It's a cleaner look, and it stimulates my imagination better than the previous method. Maybe some day in the future I'll share my method if it holds up.
When I'm done with this book, I'll focus on short stories and maybe a movie script, which I'll call "Project A". I initially slated Project A as a novel, but after crafting the outline, it's looking more like a movie script. We'll see.
Lastly, I'm restarting the "copywork analysis" again. I had posted these every other Friday, but now I'm aiming every other Monday. The weekends will allow me to catch-up if something happens within the week.
Weather is warming up, and my mood has thawed. Looking forward to this month.
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Tuesday, January 15, 2019
January 2019 Update - Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone!
Quick one--
I am still writing. Won't ever stop writing. Will not stop writing. Will continue to write until I'm buried in the ground.
With that said, I've stopped listening to some writing podcasts that I frequently listen to. Whenever I listen to those podcasts, I feel pressured to finish my novels as quick as possible. The ones I frequent usually has this mantra: the faster you write, the more books you'll have; the more books you have, the more likely you'll get a purchase.
So they say.
Personally, I don't want to write fast. I like to take a trip through my imagination, taking in the scene and experiencing what my characters are going through. But I don't want to write slow either. There are more stories in this noggin of mine, and I want to breathe life to them.
I'm at ~95% on this second novel, and it's dragging. I feel that my subconscious is telling me to slow down because the next venture seems scary. I plan on writing a new novel, and with every new novel, it's uncharted territory.
As far as my copywork exercises, I will put those on hold until I get into the groove of things again. The winter weather just crapped on my lunch time routines (can't copy some great works when it's twenty degrees outside!).
Brrr...
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Quick one--
I am still writing. Won't ever stop writing. Will not stop writing. Will continue to write until I'm buried in the ground.
With that said, I've stopped listening to some writing podcasts that I frequently listen to. Whenever I listen to those podcasts, I feel pressured to finish my novels as quick as possible. The ones I frequent usually has this mantra: the faster you write, the more books you'll have; the more books you have, the more likely you'll get a purchase.
So they say.
Personally, I don't want to write fast. I like to take a trip through my imagination, taking in the scene and experiencing what my characters are going through. But I don't want to write slow either. There are more stories in this noggin of mine, and I want to breathe life to them.
I'm at ~95% on this second novel, and it's dragging. I feel that my subconscious is telling me to slow down because the next venture seems scary. I plan on writing a new novel, and with every new novel, it's uncharted territory.
As far as my copywork exercises, I will put those on hold until I get into the groove of things again. The winter weather just crapped on my lunch time routines (can't copy some great works when it's twenty degrees outside!).
Brrr...
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Click this to join my newsletter
Thursday, December 13, 2018
December 2018 Update
Still writing, still working on the second book.
As for the copywork exercises, I've paused that at the moment. I blame the cold weather. I do my exercise during my lunch time at work. I like doing it outdoors, taking in the fresh air and the sun. Well, winter came along and took a giant dump on that routine.
Anyway, I'm also having a writerly identity crisis: do I stick with self-publishing or do I focus on traditional publishing? Money, it seems, is not the deciding factor for me. I want a good editor, but I don't have the budget for a GOOD editor. A good avenue for me is getting into traditional publishing. But then again, that's like winning the lottery.
We'll see how it goes. Maybe it's the winter time blues...
Follow me @jonmayowriter
Click this to join my newsletter
As for the copywork exercises, I've paused that at the moment. I blame the cold weather. I do my exercise during my lunch time at work. I like doing it outdoors, taking in the fresh air and the sun. Well, winter came along and took a giant dump on that routine.
Anyway, I'm also having a writerly identity crisis: do I stick with self-publishing or do I focus on traditional publishing? Money, it seems, is not the deciding factor for me. I want a good editor, but I don't have the budget for a GOOD editor. A good avenue for me is getting into traditional publishing. But then again, that's like winning the lottery.
We'll see how it goes. Maybe it's the winter time blues...
Follow me @jonmayowriter
Click this to join my newsletter
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