Monday, January 1, 2018

Resolutions


January 2018 Blog
Resolutions 2018
Revived from their dis-use last year: Must Write! Must Edit! Must Publish! Must Promote!

Resolved: A Haiku
There must come a peace –
Within if not without; I
Pray this be the year.

So much for the best laid plans of mice and men. This blog almost didn’t happen – or might have been very, very late. I’ve been down with a crummy cold for the past few days.  Not much thought for the pen and paper. I’m full of Alka-Seltzer fizzy stuff, so I’m up for writing this. Should get it posted before my midnight, once again.
I’m actually looking forward to this coming year. I plan on accomplishing a lot . (See, I said plan, not hope.)  Hoping doesn’t feed the bulldog – or so I’ve been told. (Just usurped part of an old saying I never really understood, except that it fits right here.)
As part of my Writer’s Resolutions for 2018:
I will chart each part of my writing goals this year. (See, I said will, not should or might.)
My “Must Write!” section will include the rough draft, the plotting and maintaining a bible of who’s  who and what they’re doing, as well as what they look like. That way, I catch if my heroine’s eyes change from blue to brown, or my hero’s hair from blond to sandy and back again. I might even keep a log of how many hours I spend on each. (Okay, I said might, and it might be might.)
The “Must Edit!” section on editing will include the first pass of checking the rough draft against the first printout for errors, omissions, or to make preliminary changes. The second pass is where weak dialog is punched up and story is expanded where needed (or changed if I made a really, really bad start). Then comes the final pass where all the little formatting problems are fixed and the bible is fleshed out with story and plot lines and how each character ends up, so that the dead stay dead, if I’m doing a series.
The “Must Publish!” section is relatively simple for an independent author. It is also the really hard part. I usually use a CreateSpace ( https://www.createspace.com ) template, so I can cut and paste the body of the book and the front material. But it is tedious and not everything goes smoothly. You need to pay close attention to detail including scene breaks, chapter headings, contents and index. (I try to index or at least list poetry titles in my chapbooks.)
Special Note:  It’s always best to order a proof copy of your novel before it goes live. It’s amazing the little things that pop out at you when you actually have the book in your hand. After you’ve corrected and/or okayed the print copy on line, you get to push the button to publish the book and make it available on Amazon and as many of its subsidiaries and outlets as possible.
Then you get to “Must Promote!” That’s where I still fall a little short. I’m great (or at least okay) with the technical stuff, but I’m a rank amateur at asking people to buy my book. Perhaps I should rethink that and say that I have difficulty letting potential readers know that I have something they might enjoy reading.
I believe I will find that promotion is the hardest thing of all, yet it is perhaps the most important. I don’t believe there’s any writer out there who doesn’t want what Stephen King has – fame and fortune. Seeing your book on the big screen can’t hurt either. I always picture my novels as movies. Too bad they will not get there in my lifetime.
Again, the happiest of New Years to you and yours. If you are a writer, the best luck to you. If you are a reader, please enjoy what I (and other independent authors) have to offer – our hearts and our souls on every page.

Until next month, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there:
All of my books are available on Amazon.
This month’s featured novel is my paranormal Western “Black Oak: Town of Joy” http://tinyurl.com/hohuhce 
This month’s featured poetry chapbook is Life's Lemons and Lemonade: A Collection of Haiku: Volume One: One for the Book” http://tinyurl.com/zuayqu8


No comments:

Post a Comment