Wow. Can you believe July is almost over? Summer is nearing an end already. A few short weeks ago, we were looking forward to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and I was starting my "sabbatical." Well, the sabbatical is over after this week. Back to life as usual. During my time off, I finished preliminary editing of Epitaph, and the publisher is waiting to read it. I also interviewed some people for the second in the series that Epitaph kicks off, so I'm ready to delve into a new story.
What else did I do during my time off? I read some fun books (and some not so great books). I reconnected with an old friend who is also counting down the end of a leave from work. I've been rebuilding strength and am better than ever! I feel re-energized and I'm looking forward to a writer's conference in Green Bay in a couple of weeks assuming everything continues to go well. (and why wouldn't it?)
Ever have those days where you think everything is going so well, what's the catch? As I look ahead to next week, I can't help but wonder how I'll do upon re-entry. I've established a nice routine during my time off, but now it's time to go back to old routines and hopefully incorporate some of the positive changes I've adopted. One "old" routine I'm looking forward to is reading on the train. That long commute into the city provides prime time for me to catch up on my TBR list.
In case you need to add to your TBR list, +Smashwords is offering a sale through the end of the month--that's the end of this week. Click here to browse titles. Coupons are available at checkout and show beside the price.
So what did you do this summer?
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Her name is what???
Closing in on the last of my rewrites and then to put this thing through the meat grinder for overused and unnecessary words. In the meantime, I've been thinking ahead to the next book (see what downtime can do for a body?).
Epitaph will be the first in a new series, and I've already started interviewing people for background information on the second. The anticipation that goes with starting a new book is always exciting, the possibilities, the letting go of my imagination to carry me into new places, but I have to rein it in until I finish the current project. However, I do have a question for you, my readers.
I've created two families that will carry the series forward. One of them is Irish-American, but they bring their names from the old country. Most of those names are fairly standard fare, Kevin, Kathleen, Mary. But I've always had a fondness for the name Siobhan (since Ryan's Hope debuted lo, those many years ago - pronounced shev-AHN). But because it's spelled oddly, there are people who don't know how to pronounce it when they read it. So then I thought about Sinead (pronounced shin-AID). You know, like Sinead O'Connor? But same problem. As a reader, do names like these make you stumble? Do you need a phonetic tip to help you out, like having some random person try to make fun of her by calling her Chevy (along with an explanation)?
When the Harry Potter books first came out, my kids didn't want to read them because the characters had such odd names. I gave them tips for getting past that hurdle, and then they enjoyed the stories, but it can stop a reader dead in their tracks. I remember reading a book when I was a kid with a character named Phoebe. Read the whole book before I figured out how to pronounce it, and yet some people know the names and don't struggle at all. Then there was Laoghaire from Outlander. Even with phonetics, I couldn't figure out how to pronounce that until I saw the series. How do you get that pronunciation from that spelling?
So what do you think? Are you familiar enough with the Irish names to know how to pronounce them? Or would they trip you up? Make you stop reading? (Do I need to find a more "normal" name for my character?
Epitaph will be the first in a new series, and I've already started interviewing people for background information on the second. The anticipation that goes with starting a new book is always exciting, the possibilities, the letting go of my imagination to carry me into new places, but I have to rein it in until I finish the current project. However, I do have a question for you, my readers.
I've created two families that will carry the series forward. One of them is Irish-American, but they bring their names from the old country. Most of those names are fairly standard fare, Kevin, Kathleen, Mary. But I've always had a fondness for the name Siobhan (since Ryan's Hope debuted lo, those many years ago - pronounced shev-AHN). But because it's spelled oddly, there are people who don't know how to pronounce it when they read it. So then I thought about Sinead (pronounced shin-AID). You know, like Sinead O'Connor? But same problem. As a reader, do names like these make you stumble? Do you need a phonetic tip to help you out, like having some random person try to make fun of her by calling her Chevy (along with an explanation)?
When the Harry Potter books first came out, my kids didn't want to read them because the characters had such odd names. I gave them tips for getting past that hurdle, and then they enjoyed the stories, but it can stop a reader dead in their tracks. I remember reading a book when I was a kid with a character named Phoebe. Read the whole book before I figured out how to pronounce it, and yet some people know the names and don't struggle at all. Then there was Laoghaire from Outlander. Even with phonetics, I couldn't figure out how to pronounce that until I saw the series. How do you get that pronunciation from that spelling?
So what do you think? Are you familiar enough with the Irish names to know how to pronounce them? Or would they trip you up? Make you stop reading? (Do I need to find a more "normal" name for my character?
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
5 things I do when my first draft is done
Every book I write goes through the wringer. After the first draft is done, I go back through it numerous times to check for grammatical errors, continuity errors, etc. So in case you think you've finished writing once you've gotten through that first run, here's what happens next.
1. Celebrate.
It's done! Drink a toast or go to dinner. Finishing up the story is an accomplishment in and of itself. Lots of people don't get that far.
2. Take a break
Your best bet at making this something good is to provide some distance. Jumping right back into edits will only ensure you're missing the same mistakes you've already made. You become "word blind" to the same misspelled or misused words. You're still so involved in the plot that you miss obvious plot holes.
3. Hunker down and put your editor hat on
My next pass is for continuity and copyediting. Does everything follow? Did a character change his name between page 2 and page 200? Are their names spelled consistently? Are there any time warps? (i.e., it's morning when we are in one POV, but in the next section its the day before or two days later?)
4. READ THE WHOLE THING, start to finish
I do this multiple times, each time looking for different things (reference point 3). Once I'm satisfied that the holes are filled and everything is "right," I read the entire book one more time for all the things I've overlooked, or new mistakes I've made in the copyediting process. You'd be amazed at the number of things that STILL jump out at me, even after I'm sure I got it right "this time."
5. Culling out overused and unnecessary words
With time, I get to the point where I recognize a lot of the "crutch" words and can kill them during the creative process, but they still pop up. (Can I get an amen to the word "still" which I have used too many times in this post?) I have a checklist with words like "just" and "maybe" and distancing verbs like "could see" or "felt." Granted, some of them belong, but the majority of them are superfluous and take away from the reading experience. I save this step for the last, because while I'm copyediting, new unintended occurrences can pop in. Oh, and then I repeat step 4. Any time I edit, there's always the chance I've created new mistakes while correcting existing ones.
This process works with most every book I write. There are exceptions, and those books are generally the ones that either don't make it to the editor (they aren't fit for public consumption - yes, I have a couple tucked into my "even I don't like this one" folder) or ones that I do love, but there's "something missing." The latter requires extra work, extra thought.
1. Celebrate.
It's done! Drink a toast or go to dinner. Finishing up the story is an accomplishment in and of itself. Lots of people don't get that far.
2. Take a break
Your best bet at making this something good is to provide some distance. Jumping right back into edits will only ensure you're missing the same mistakes you've already made. You become "word blind" to the same misspelled or misused words. You're still so involved in the plot that you miss obvious plot holes.
3. Hunker down and put your editor hat on
My next pass is for continuity and copyediting. Does everything follow? Did a character change his name between page 2 and page 200? Are their names spelled consistently? Are there any time warps? (i.e., it's morning when we are in one POV, but in the next section its the day before or two days later?)
4. READ THE WHOLE THING, start to finish
I do this multiple times, each time looking for different things (reference point 3). Once I'm satisfied that the holes are filled and everything is "right," I read the entire book one more time for all the things I've overlooked, or new mistakes I've made in the copyediting process. You'd be amazed at the number of things that STILL jump out at me, even after I'm sure I got it right "this time."
5. Culling out overused and unnecessary words
With time, I get to the point where I recognize a lot of the "crutch" words and can kill them during the creative process, but they still pop up. (Can I get an amen to the word "still" which I have used too many times in this post?) I have a checklist with words like "just" and "maybe" and distancing verbs like "could see" or "felt." Granted, some of them belong, but the majority of them are superfluous and take away from the reading experience. I save this step for the last, because while I'm copyediting, new unintended occurrences can pop in. Oh, and then I repeat step 4. Any time I edit, there's always the chance I've created new mistakes while correcting existing ones.
This process works with most every book I write. There are exceptions, and those books are generally the ones that either don't make it to the editor (they aren't fit for public consumption - yes, I have a couple tucked into my "even I don't like this one" folder) or ones that I do love, but there's "something missing." The latter requires extra work, extra thought.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Stephen King for President
I've been mulling over this week's post ad nauseum. Everything from common courtesy and common sense, to societal changes, to the upcoming election, to Brexit, to yellow journalism, to cyber bullies who voice their opinions on social media rather than in a forum where their opinions might be challenged. I've seen good friends supporting a platform that I am staunchly against and I scratch my head wondering how they got to that point. There is so much misinformation in the media that its hard to find the truth, and that's how bad decisions are made.
Its times like this that make me want to cry out "Stephen King for President!" After all, a man who has written the darkest corners of fiction, the end of the world in The Stand, an alien invasion (or was it?) in Dreamcatchers, and several other apocalyptic scenarios, still gives us hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Dan Brown constructs a scenario of germ warfare. Robert Langdon is staring the end of the world in the face, and only he can solve the puzzle that will save humanity.
Doomsday Scenarios
Authors have the unique requirement to write a worst case scenario and then find a solution for it. Oftentimes, you'll hear them say they had no idea how their characters were going to find their way out of whatever mess they'd been written into. But they always do. Authors are problem solvers. Since we made up the mess, we can make up solutions, or responses that lead to solutions. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that with the problems of the world?
My current work in process deals with police corruption, or rather, one corrupt policeman. They're out there, but they're in the minority. Police have a tough job, and to condemn an entire profession based on a few bad apples is suicide. These guys put their lives on the line for us every single day. As an author, I'm obliged to find a worst case scenario, and so I took a good long look at one of the bad guys. To counterbalance that, the next book in the series will take a look at one of the good guys, but because of THIS book, he has prejudice to overcome, and isn't that what life is about? Taking a look at both sides? Recognizing that not everyone is good, but by the same token, that doesn't make everyone evil?
Wow. Am I on my soapbox again? Oh hey. Then I should start the campaign. Whattya say? Stephen King for president?
Its times like this that make me want to cry out "Stephen King for President!" After all, a man who has written the darkest corners of fiction, the end of the world in The Stand, an alien invasion (or was it?) in Dreamcatchers, and several other apocalyptic scenarios, still gives us hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Dan Brown constructs a scenario of germ warfare. Robert Langdon is staring the end of the world in the face, and only he can solve the puzzle that will save humanity.
Doomsday Scenarios
Authors have the unique requirement to write a worst case scenario and then find a solution for it. Oftentimes, you'll hear them say they had no idea how their characters were going to find their way out of whatever mess they'd been written into. But they always do. Authors are problem solvers. Since we made up the mess, we can make up solutions, or responses that lead to solutions. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that with the problems of the world?
My current work in process deals with police corruption, or rather, one corrupt policeman. They're out there, but they're in the minority. Police have a tough job, and to condemn an entire profession based on a few bad apples is suicide. These guys put their lives on the line for us every single day. As an author, I'm obliged to find a worst case scenario, and so I took a good long look at one of the bad guys. To counterbalance that, the next book in the series will take a look at one of the good guys, but because of THIS book, he has prejudice to overcome, and isn't that what life is about? Taking a look at both sides? Recognizing that not everyone is good, but by the same token, that doesn't make everyone evil?
Wow. Am I on my soapbox again? Oh hey. Then I should start the campaign. Whattya say? Stephen King for president?
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