Perfection

I seem to have a problem finishing my own work.  Every time I read a chapter in a novel or a short story, I always have edits?  Why is that?

I sometimes think that all writers automatically edit everything they read, but I doubt that's true.  Still, I would like to know why I'm constantly making changes.

Case in point:  I found a section in my novel, Aure, the Topaz, that wasn't quite right.  Brashani's, the wizard,  reaction to being chased out of town by the local necromancers should've been anger not a grim determination to go fight them.  His anger leads to the idea that he should fight them, but he shouldn't just jump there.  Additionally, I need to show the reader the reaction and transition Brashani undergoes at that moment so he or she can follow the scene better.

It was a small point but I felt I had to revise and clarify the scene.  Do I have some underlying need for perfection in my work?  Or is it merely that the scene wasn't as good as it could've been and I knew that.  So I improved it.  Of course, good and improve in the case are subjective.  As I said it was a small point; I wonder how many readers would've even noticed.

But as a seasoned writer I know nothing is perfect.  And the pursuit of perfection can drive one mad.  Of course, the publication process can do the same thing, and mostly for the same reason.  When the time comes to get something out the door, the text needs to be free of typos and grammatical errors.  The writing needs to flow and be engaging.  That alone can make you nuts.

Then there's the cover for the print version and map I include so you know where all these places I refer to a in relation to each other.  The map took three tries before I figured out to make the text small and legible.  The cover, on the other hand, has been a lot tougher to get right.  And that's something that does need to be perfect.  I see now why lots of folks don't bother with a print version.

But I have to wonder, am I the only writer edits released work?  If I'm not, I'd love to hear from you.  That way I'd know, at least, I'm not completely crazy.

Site review: Authonomy

Authonomy is a web site where writers can go to post part or all of a book they want to here published.  Once posted, people on the site are expected to see and comment on the work.  The best works are supported (backed is the site jargon) and rise in rankings.  Writers are also ranked.  The most you read and comment on the higher your personal ranking is.

The site is run by HarperCollins.  Every month they take the top five books and review them.  In some cases this leads to a publishing deal.  Most often it doesn't.  And in my experience, the entire site fails to achieve the promise set out by the publisher.

Initially I used the site on my first novel is get some feedback to see if I could get high enough in the rankings to warrant a review from the publisher.  As it turned out, I couldn't get above 1000.  Additionally, what I found was the site is more about wheeling and dealing, making bargains with others so that if they back your book, you back theirs.

So the more you play that game the better off you are.  Ultimately I gave up on that because that's not how I want to spend my free time.  I want to write not play politics.

So I don't recommend the site.  It seems pointless.  I've had better luck elsewhere.

Off to the Faire!

I'm off to the Faire tomorrow.  That's King Richard's Faire, a Renaissance faire held annually in Massachusetts.  I go every so often because it inspires me to see people dressed in period costumes or joust a little or even shop a little.

This year my wife has some business at the Faire and I'm only tagging along for the ride so I can do as I please, but it's a good excuse to get out of the house.

This time of year New England is full of fairs and activities and after almost a full week of rain on top of what Irene gave us, it will be nice to walk about in a small grove and people watch.  People watching is really the main thing because the event attracts so many types.

You've got the people who come in costume, you've got the people with their kids, you've got the people who have never been to a Renaissance faire, and you've got people like me who have and keep coming back for one reason or another.

Still, I'm sure I can find some interesting characters or costumes from which to draw upon for a story I might write in the future.  I'll have to rely on my memory or a notebook because the local Sheriff will fine you for the use of a camera.  The fine is for show, by the way, and is for the use of an unauthorized magical device.

Nevertheless, my goal is not to be seen while people watching so that the people I'm watching act naturally.  This can be a fine line because if people notice you watch, they can get hostile and that's not the intent as all.

The Climb isn't just Uphill, it's Steep too.

Readers of this blog may recognize this theme.  I've written about this before: namely how hard it is to write and publish a novel.  But I think this bears repeating.  Plus I keep finding new potholes in the road.

First, you have to have a good idea.  That's hard enough.  It doesn't need to be an idea for a story.  It can be an idea for a character.

Next you have to develop the idea into a story.  The story must be well written and must be satisfying to the reader.  Some people have told me it must be exceptional, but this is subjective.

Then you have to sell the story to a publisher or publish it yourself.  If you publish it yourself, you must be sure the production value is top-notch and that it is priced properly.  Electronic distribution makes this easier but I don't think you can distribute exclusive in electronic formats.  You need a paper form too and getting that right can be a huge time sink.  The paper version will also be more costly.

Marketing the story is also an issue.  You'll need to spend the word yourself and that's a lot of work, making hard to find time to write another book.  But you must continue to write.  One book from one person is like a lightning strike.  It's a fluke.  But if you can write two or three or more books than readers (and publishers too) will know you have the right stuff.

This is why many famous and well-known modern writers started by writing short stories and then graduated to novels.  They proved they could do it.  But short story writing and novel writing are different and I have no interest in writing short stories, at least not at the moment.

What this means is this even if you have a good story that is well-written, it may go nowhere because you have not marketed correctly or you've priced it too high.  Or maybe your sample is not interesting enough.  In my case, I know my sample, before I revised the novel this year, was misleading.  It gave the wrong impression of the story.  The new sample from the revised novel should work better, but it has not helped from what I can tell.

So I am forced to conclude that the marketing of the novel is insufficient or poor in some way since I know the story is good (from the reviews I've had) and it has been professionally edited.  Maybe I need a thicker skin.  Maybe I shouldn't let this concern me.  Maybe.  But it does.

I think I need to attract the right audience.  And I need to find a way to do that.  I have some ideas on that score which I've not enacted.  Perhaps it is time I get off my ass and do something.  And perhaps I will once I am ready to announce and relaunch my first novel.

Sometimes Luck is Your Best Plan

Many years ago, before iTunes and online purchasing was common, back when CDs were purchased in retail stores -- I know, the Dark Ages -- I went looking for a CD with a specific track on it.  It was for my brother.  I don't remember the song, but he wanted it and I remember wondering how I was ever going to find it for me.

He was a student then and had no car to go places, where as I did have a car and was working in one of the jobs on my resume, before I started focusing on novel writing.  It was late in the year and he had asked for the song as a present.  The problem was the band that did the song was a one-hit wonder so they didn't have an album of their own.  Worse still, I am terrible remembering who recorded what song.

So with the odds stacked against me I went to browse in a music store.  I remember feeling lost and adrift and after a few minutes decide to look at the CDs with a complication of songs.  After a quick search I happened to stumble across a CD with the exact song I was looking for.

I couldn't believe it.  In such a circumstance, luck is your best plan.  This is also true when a hurricane is bearing down on you.  Only luck will keep your house intact, the power on, and the flood waters away.

However, luck is not the best plan for selling books, or even writing them or for many other things that require effort and planning such as exercising to stay fit, mowing the lawn, repairing the car, shopping for food.  I say this because I know please who think otherwise.  They rely on luck regularly for everything when they need to buckle down and get working.

But I shall not preach here.  That would be too easy.  Rather I just pose this point as something to think about when, say, you are resting from some hard work you have completed.  With luck, you'll find such a moment and reflect on this post.