Sometimes you just have to dive into the water and be prepared to drown

9 days left if my book campaign

Just in case you haven't done so yet, click on the link and take a look at the information for my book Tongue Tied.  If you like what you see, then click the nominate me icon.

This is something my youngest sister Lori believes in. I have an amazing group of siblings.  Three sisters and one brother (I'm stuck in the middle). My sister Lori has always been supportive of me, always encouraging me and pushing my spirits up when they are down. (My other siblings are the same, but Lori is special with it.) She's always trying to cheer me up, and she always does.  I wish I had her courage and fortitude, and her deep spiritual nature.  Love you, Lori.

Hold on, I'm getting to the point. She is also one of the most gifted artists I know -- she gets that from my mother. You should go to her facebook page, Lori Testerman, and look at her drawings of that Thor guy and Vin Diesel.  They are incredible. I don't think I can describe how good they are in actual words, but you need to see them for yourself.  Give her a like while you are there.  I guarantee you she will appreciate it.

Now, to make my point. My sister has always told me that I should write humorous fiction. I tend to walk on the dark side because I have bipolar II (and I teach LOL). Yesterday, I thought WTH, I'm going to do it. I'm diving into a humorous YA novel. I know how I want to begin it and I know how I want to end it, but I know nothing in between. Last night, I just started writing.

I'm going against all kinds of writing advice that says to structure and outline, to do character biographies, but I don't care.  I'm just going to write.  If this is the year I'm taking my last swim in the literary waters, I am going to swim or drown my way. I don't know how my other writer friends write, but this is what I'm going to do.

I was working on a novel. I planned out every beat of the story, and I even drew a map of where it takes place, but you know what, I wasn't loving it. Maybe one day if I continue writing after this year, I might come back to it, but for right now, I'm leaving it on the beach. I can't write about something that I can't dive into.

My novel is going to be about friendship and love, a romance really. It's not going to be dark. It's going to be happy.  I may throw in a little bullying and heartbreak, but you can be sure it's going to end happily.

I don't know how my Kindle Scout campaign is going to end. I can only say that with nine days left, it doesn't appear to be looking good.  If I'm wrong and it does get published, I will write a sequel to it. It's about stories and what happens when people take them away, and that's a topic I can get into so it won't be a problem for me to write one.  That one will have a happy ending too.  Good stories should.
If the story, I submitted to Kindle Campaign gets published, then I might stay in this business a little longer, and if the novel I'm working on now gets published eventually, I'll continue writing until I can't do it anymore.  If they don't, I'm going to put up my pencil, take out the cartridge in my fountain pen, and put my computer to sleep.

I don't know how my story will end, but I'm not worried.  Every story has to end sometime.  As my sister Lori would say, "You don't know until you try."

In the Toilet

Now that I have your attention. Let me tell you about the unusual thing that happened last night. Frequently, I have bouts of insomnia. It's a little better than it used to be, but last night was one of those nights. After tossing and turning for what seemed like days, I was finally drifting off, but some kind of noise woke me up. I didn't think much of it because all houses settle and creak, and I was about half asleep.

This morning I got up and went into the bathroom.  There, in the toilet, was my little bag that had all of my beard-trimming stuff. I would like to say that it was empty, but it wasn't.  The trimmer, the accessories, all of it had fallen into the water.  My first thought was WTH! Then, of course, I removed it. I figured it was probably ruined, and even if it has sustained no internal damage, I decided that it would not be wise to keep it and plug it in later.  Now, my trimmer is in the trash.
I'm not sure how this happened, but as I looked for evidence, I found that the small cabinet door's magnet which enabled to stay closed had come off. I'm guessing the bag shifted, hit the door, and took the plunge.

As you know, I usually turn everything around to writing. I can't help wondering if figuratively speaking, the incident meant my writing was in the toilet. I could get more vulgar than that, but I won't. You can imagine.  Then I thought, maybe I'm supposed to trash all of my thoughts of doing something worthy of not only being published but attaining best-seller status. I'm probably reading too much into the situation, and the only meaning of my trimmer being in the toilet is that my trimmer is in the toilet. Still, at 59 and thinking seriously about giving up writing, I wonder.

Now, having said that, I would like to direct you to my kindle scout campaign to get my novel, Tongue Tied, published. Visitors to my page have lately been pretty scarce. Now, if that trend continues over the next ten day, which is how many days are left in my campaign, I can probably forget about the publishing contract.  What I'm hoping is that many people are doing as I'm doing and reading the books that are about to end their campaigns. If that's the case, then there is still time for people to vote.
Here's the link

Ten Days left to nominate my novel and convince Kindle Scout to publish it.

P.S. Southeast Missouri has had a couple of tremors the last week or so.  Perhaps we had a tremor that shook my trimmer into the toilet. Maybe that means that my writing is about to take off and shake up the publishing world. (Tremor and Trimmer -- must be a sign.)

Revise or Recycle; that is the question.

If you click on this link, look over my novel information, and nominate me, you just might help me to get published. Thanks.

I have been thinking about revising as opposed to recycling in my writing. When do you throw away a novel that you've written and when do you try to revise it?

I wish I knew the answer to that. Revision is always a part of writing, probably the biggest part, but when do you know to quit and start something new? I guess it depends on how you see it. I think there is a time to quit on something, and I can only give you my viewpoint. I think when you write something and submit it several times, and it gets rejected each time, it might be time to put that novel or whatever you write aside and work on something else. Don't give up on it yet though because we have all heard stories of books that get rejected time and time again only to be published on the 20th try.

Instead, leave it alone for a few weeks and get it back out. If you are still in love with it, then try to revise it.  The weeks of separation will allow you to see it with new eyes. On the other hand, you may decide on the second look that you don't think it's worth the effort to revise it or maybe you just don't love it anymore. I think that if you don't have the same ardor for it when you take a second look, maybe you better put it aside for good and chalk it up to experience.

I know that I have lost my enthusiasm for some of my writing, and to be honest, even if I tried to revise it, my heart wouldn't be in it, and I wouldn't do a good job. Finding a publisher or an agent for a novel is at best a crapshoot. I would recommend that any writer look up the website Manuscript Wish List and do a search for a fit for what you've written if you still think it has merit and if you have revised it.

like Manuscript Wish List because it gives detailed information on the agent or publisher and what they are looking for.  Find out about the agent or publisher by reading the listing there and going to their website. Even though it didn't turn into a sale, I once got a Hollywood Producer to look at a screenplay I wrote.  I had read that he was a fan of cowboy poetry.  For a while, I worked for a newspaper and one interview I did was with a guy who went all over the country to cowboy poetry conventions. They are big deals; if you don't believe me, look them up online.  Anyway, when I mentioned this to the producer, he congratulated me on doing my research, and he requested my screenplay. It didn't turn into a sale, but it was still a small victory for me.

Until next time, keep writing.

How do you journal?

12 days left in my, "Please Help me Publish my Book Campaign."
 Of course I am going to use this link. Again.

I'd like some advice on journaling. This is a serious question. I don't like the way I journal. I'll just give you basics. I like to write some of my journals out pen to paper, and I like to use the computer on some of them. I'm old-fashioned enough that there's something that feels good about using a fountain pen to write a journal. (I don't like regular pens, but I really don't have and don't need a fancy fountain pen.  I found one on ebay for less than a dollar and it works fine.) The big disadvantage of a written journal is that they can get lost easily and it's hard to find stuff you need to find. The big advantage that a computer has is that I can save my entries in dropbox or Onedrive and have them to go back to whenever  I want to.  For a few years now, I have used a separate file for each year. A disadvantage of a computer is that it just doesn't feel as authentic to me.  I know. That's silly.   I usually keep two journals, one written and one typed, but I sometimes think this is ridiculous.
My next question is, "When you journal, what do you include?" I find that I say the same things most of the time, and if I include some stuff about my writing, I tend to forget where I put it. Some people say that they keep a writer's journal, but the last thing I need is a third journal. I already have computers and notebooks strewn throughout the house. I teach, and a lot of times when I am sitting before class or during a break, I'm writing in another journal that I keep in a separate notebook. You can imagine the difficulties in dealing with all of these things.

One of the things I do in my journal that I like is to write myself a letter at the beginning of each new year and each month that sets out some goals for that month or that year. I do this on my computer because it is easy to find.  This helps me a lot to keep me on target because I have a huge problem with focus.

If anyone out there has any suggestions on keeping a good journal, you can comment on this blog or drop me an email at thecrosses@gmail.com
Thanks.

Better judge of other people's writing than my own: some writing advice

vote for my book campaign

I think maybe I am a better judge of what makes good writing than I am a good writer. Let me explain. As part of the Kindle Scout campaign, I get to nominate other books for publication from writers who are trying to get a break just like I am. So far, two of the books I nominated have been selected for publication, two are under review, and one was rejected.

Meanwhile, the views of my own campaign have sunk to near zero lately. I hope that in the 13 days left in my campaign, the visits and views will jump back up, and the book will be selected to be published.  I am not getting my hopes up. Apparently, my book is not all that exciting, and I think I know why. If I'm lucky, the people who have not yet looked at my book will do so in the last days of the campaign.

I know I have been writing about this campaign a lot, and I know I will be until it's over. I did want to point out some realizations that I have come to as a reader. First, the cover is really important. So is the title. As I looked at the books, the cover either interested me or did not. Next, I read the one line blurb.  In screenwriting, I've heard a lot about loglines and how producers won't even look at scripts that don't have a good logline. That is so true.  I can live with a cover that isn't all that great because I know that a lot of the people who are trying to get published have used whatever they can get their hands on to produce a cover. I will even read past the logline even if it doesn't interest me. (However, loglines like Star Wars Meets Little Red Riding Hood annoy the heck out of me and give me a good reason not to look at the rest of the book.)

Let me have an author intrusion here.  The way the campaign works I can nominate only three books at a time.  There are a lot of books to go through, and what I do is stay within the two or three genres I like. I usually look at the books whose campaigns are about to end because I can always look at the others later. The thing is, at times, four or five books have campaigns that are ending on the same day. I have to be selective about what I read and nominate. I look for certain things to make me want to read on. First, I look at the cover. Then the logline or blurb.

Back to my insights. As I said, even if the book's cover and logline (that's the term I'll use) don't interest me all that much, I will go ahead and read the short blurb. This might be what you would read on the back of a book in a bookstore or some of them are inside the front cover. If I have too many books to choose from, I won't read one if it doesn't have an interesting blurb. I don't have all the time in the world, or if I am buying books, all the money in the world.

I hope all of you writers are going to pay attention to this next piece. The next thing I look at is the first page or two. From my reading, I know there are a couple things publishers don't care for -- they aren't contract killers per se, but they don't create any buzz about the book -- one is the use of a prologue.  So many prologues are dumping grounds for exposition. From what I have read, it is better to bring in bits of exposition here and there throughout the book.

Another issue is grammatical mistakes. If I see a serious grammatical mistake, I'm liable not to read any more of the book. I'm not talking about typos. Most of those are easily recognized. I'm talking about things like using the wrong your or there or too.  I'm talking about tense shifts and subject-verb agreement problems. I wonder about a writer who doesn't know basic grammar.  Of course, I am a snob because I teach composition.

Another thing that turns me off is related to my prologue comment.  If a book is front-loaded with a bunch of exposition and interior monologue type stuff, it doesn't interest me all that much.  I can take it in small doses, but I like to see dialogue and action at the beginning of the novel. Today's readers, I think it's safe to say, don't have the attention span they used to. A book needs to grab them from the start. There is the old cliche: show don't tell. Don't say, John was mad.  Describe how John punches a hole in the wall. If you do that, people will infer that John is mad.  I have to admit that this is my most serious problem as a writer. I've improved some because I write screenplays, but it is still a major weakness with me.

Another thing I don't particularly care for are characters who don't have any positive attributes. Even villains have to possess some redeeming qualities. Also, even though I admire people who experiment with style, there are some experiments that just don't work for me. I also wonder if they work with publishers too. One thing along these lines I can think of is using the "You" viewpoint. To me, it becomes old after a short while. I think I have read one "you" viewpoint book all the way through.

How do I think my cover stands up? I don't think it does unless you have read the book. The black and white is kind of arresting, but I don't think the reader will get the connection between the cover and the title until after he or she reads the book. I like the title, Tongue Tied.  I try to come up with titles with double meanings or that have a little bit of irony in them. I think if you read any of my campaign stuff, you will understand where the title comes from.

My one sentence hook I think is interesting. People might be interested in a place where stories can kill you. My blurb isn't good I don't think. It isn't creative, and people who read it might think, oh gee, another fantasy story. With the excerpt, I think I have a good start.  The book begins with a public hanging, and in that bit of action, you learn why, and you are also introduced to the three main characters in a way that I think is interesting.  The rest of my excerpt drags though, and I wouldn't blame people if they stopped reading after a few pages.

If I might give one more piece of advice.  There is nothing that will kill your book faster than poor characterization and boring action. If you want to be a better writer, watch some movies and download some good spec scripts and then apply some of those techniques in your fiction writing.
So what do I think is the bottom line for my book. I think it's going to depend on if the people are interested enough to read it from my cover, title, logline, and blurb. I think if these catch their attention and they read the rest of the material, they will like the book. If the book isn't selected for a publishing contract, I can honestly say that I learned a lot from this whole thing.

Well, I think that's enough for now.

Self promotion ... Again

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/2K2POB0126BYN BOOK CAMPAIGN



I know ... self-promotion is disgusting, but I am lowering myself once again to do it. My book campaign has 15 more days.

In short, Tongue Tied is a YA fantasy set in a near-future world where storytelling is against the law and those who disobey the law face serious consequences.  However, there is an alternative world where stories are not only alive but thriving. In fact, stories can mean the difference between life and death.

Here's the way the campaign works. If you click on the link about, it will take you to the campaign page for my book. There you will see the title, a one-sentence blurb, and a very brief summary.  You can also read an excerpt from the book. If you like what you read, then you can nominate my book which means basically that it will be considered for publication with an advance and high royalties. 

Amazon Scout makes the final decision on what gets published.  If my book is one of the lucky ones, anyone who nominated it will get a free ebook copy of it.

Less than three weeks to go in my book campaign.

The traffic to my book campaign has been light lately, but that is to be expected. The way the Kindle Scout campaign works, your book is displayed for 30 days. I think that at the beginning, the book gets quite a lot of exposure and page visits, but then it settles down. When the campaign for the book is about out, traffic picks up again. At least I hope that's the case. I know that I can nominate three books, and I have a list to choose from. I look at the ones whose campaign is about to expire and I decide whether I want to nominate any of them.

I am doing a little writing experiment. I found a really good free book that details the structure of fiction, books, screenplays etc. and gives you a template to plan your own writing.  I also use Save the Cat software.  I'm seeing if I can combine both of them into some sort of superstructure plan that will help with all of my writing. I am not going to be writing as much this year so I want to make sure that what I write is actually worthwhile.

Have the faith to follow your vision even when you feel as if you have lost sight of it. #crossbytes

I need to remind myself of this a lot. Sometimes your vision gets so blurred, you can't see anything but tears.

Click here to nominate my book for a publishing contract.

25 days left on my publish me book campaign. Please check it out.

Link to nominate m book for publication

I've mentioned this nomination thing a few times now, but I haven't explained it well. Kindle has a program where you can upload information about a book you have written.  The Nominate my book link above takes you there. There's a logline, a brief description, and an excerpt from my book. If you look at it and read it, you can decide whether or not you would like to nominate my book for a publishing contract.  These nominations figure into Kindle's decision, but obviously, they make the final decision. If my book gets selected for a contract, I get a $1500 advance and a huge percentage of all sales. They also guarantee you 5,000 copies sold in the first year or all rights to your book revert back to you. Now, you may wonder what this all has to do with you.  You can nominate other books other than mine, and if any book that you nominate gets a publishing contract, you get a free copy of it.  That's the gist.  I like this program because Kindle doesn't tie your book up forever.  It makes a decision in like 40 days, so that is another plus to the program.

I am 59 years old, and though I have published a lot of things, I have never quite achieved the success I've wanted to achieve.  This is a big deal to me, and with your help, you can help to make my dreams come true.  Thank you.

Now, for all of my writer friends, I would like to recommend a free book you can get on Kindle that I have found to be incredibly helpful. It is called 5 Secrets of Story Stucture and the thing that impressed me so much was that it was short and practical. I don't want to wade through a 300-page writing book; I want to write.

I just realized I don't really have too many other things to write because my life is boring, so why don't I end with a #crossbyte.

Don't be so introspective that you can't pull your head out when you need to #crossbyte.

My wife has often accused me of having the HUB disease -- Head Up Butt.  This is because of two things.  One, sometimes I think about a decision so much that it makes my indecision almost unbearable. That makes sense if you think about it. Another thing is that I sometimes get so lost in my own inner world that I often miss the beauty of the outer world.  A time and place exist for introspection, but sometimes you just have to pull your head out.

Time is running out

Time is running out

If you have an interest in buying "Beyond the Manor" a middle-grade fantasy, you need to act quickly.  The publisher goes out of business on January 15.

Thank you,
As always,
Steve 

updates

27 days left to nominate my book. Please click.

I have reached about 1,100 people in my scout publishing contract campaign. It sounds like a lot for just three days, but I'm not sure if it is or not.

If you haven't nominated my book yet, I would ask you to please click on the link above. Just read the information and the excerpt.  It won't take long, and if you like what you read, please click nominate me. If you don't like it, I understand.

The book, by the way, is a young adult fantasy.  It's kind of dystopian fantasy, and the premise is that in the future, stories and literature are outlawed because they take away from the efficiency of technology.  I want it to be a series if I can.  If this first book gets published, then I might be able to publish several more.

Thank you.

How many of you have done resolutions? I resolved not to waste so much time on the Internet, and I'm going to try planning out every day this year to see if I can be more efficient. In a few minutes I need to start doing lesson plans.  My spring semester starts two weeks from today.