The Wrong Way, the Right Way and a Pledge

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right....

Honestly, in publishing In the Sunshine, I didn't follow that old, but true adage. You see, I was all charged up with a story idea after the family and I returned home from a vacation in May. I wanted to write it and publish - to score a "quick win."

At least that was my mindset going in. I hadn't self-published in more than a year, and really hadn't written much accept for some freelance articles. So, I intended to write a short story, spiff it up with a paid editor and toss it out into the world.

Goal accomplished, I guess.

I did indeed publish on September 1. The real question is, should I have? In a word, HELL NO (okay, that's two words).

There in lies both the beauty and the trap of self-publishing: asking readers to buy a story before it's really, really ready. In The Sunshine was not ready.

I wasn't honest with myself in that respect. Sure, I had poured over it several times. Wrote and re-wrote. My editor did a good job of catching typos and other grammar issues, even had a few suggestions for me to improve the story - some of which I followed, some I didn't.

The truth is, the process wasn't enough to turn out a story worthy of someone's time and hard-earned money. I should have found some beta readers. I should have looked at my editor's remarks as a starting point instead of a finishing point. You know, it's not uncommon for a manuscript to be completely re-written or at least have several major surgeries before it hits the shelves.

Unless your name is Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, skipping the above process probably isn't a good idea. I think part of my rush to publish was a left over from my days a newspaper reporter. Because of daily or twice weekly deadlines, the stories I wrote generally went into the paper with very few structural changes. As long as there were not glaring errors, misspelled words or other grammatical defects, articles got a headline slapped on them, and BAM they were published.

Fiction doesn't work that way, at least not well-written fiction.

I should have known better.

That's why I'm pledging right here, right now, not to do it again. Ever.

Also, I'm going to pull In the Sunshine from Amazon. I'm going to work on it, I'm going to revise it and then I'm going to find a few kind souls to read the story and give feedback. When that's done, I'm going to seriously consider the feedback, rewrite again, if necessary, and then get it re-edited.

This story is going to get the TLC it should have received right from the start. However long that takes, is how long it takes. If at the end, after I've hit the publish button, and a few people actually buy and read it? Great.

If not, that's fine, too. Because I am a writer above all else, and that's enough for me.

'In The Sunshine" a Labor of Love

After a power weekend of writing and rewriting, In The Sunshine is live on Amazon!

My goal was to have it published and FOR SALE by Labor Day and I just barely made it. The story wound up a shade over 14,000 words and I'm generally happy with it. Technically, it falls in the novelette range, but I think most readers will view it as a short story. Anything less than 100 printed pages tends to get viewed that way.

Sunshine has two protagonists - Regan Morel, a recent college grad trying to make her way in the world and Matthew Fischer, who is a little world-weary and coming off of a divorce. The central question of the story is, can chemistry overcome difficult circumstances and a nasty ex-boyfriend. Pick up a copy and find out (hint, hint).

While my two previous published stories, Born Again and Eden Effect, had elements of romance about them, Sunshine is my first for-real romance. I don't think it will be the last one I'll write, either. I can't see myself ever writing Harlequin or Debbie Macomber style romances. I could envision something more along the lines of Nicholas Sparks or Richard Paul Evans.

Anyway, I want to thank my editor, Mr. Bryon Quertermous. He's a real pro, can spot a typo or plot hole from a mile away and his prices are very reasonable. Hire him.  Most of all, I want to thank my wife, Cora, and my kids for giving me the time I needed to write the story.

Done! (at least for now)

After several years of starts, stops and disappointments, I finally finished a manuscript. So, pardon me while I say Yeah Me!

Since publishing The Eden Effect a few years ago, I've started several projects but not been able to actually complete anything. I was starting to wonder if I could.

Most of these failed projects were intended as novels.  I would start off like a house on fire but then burn out a few months down the road for various reasons. As I said in an earlier post, everyday life  tends to get in the way. That's a bad excuse, I suppose. Every writer faces challenge, whether it's working a full-time job, raising a family or any number of other circumstances.

The net result, for me anyway, is that I felt like I needed to get a "win" under my belt. Combined with our family's May trip to Orlando and Cocoa Beach, and the idea for In the Sunshine was born. I initially  intended for it to be a short story of about 8-10,000 words. It wound up just a shade under 15,000 when I wrote the final scene yesterday.

Most of the story was written in late May and over the past few weeks. In between, I was starting a new job and tending to my mother, who was in and out of the hospital twice. So now Sunshine is in the capable hands of editor Bryon Quertermous. I ran into Bryon over at  the Writer's Cafe on KBoards and, as it turned out, we're practically neighbors.

I've instructed Bryon to be brutally blunt about Sunshine. As an industry vet, I trust him to give me the straight scoop about my writing. I'm nervous, of course, but also excited to get his take on my work, what my strengths and weaknesses are. My aim is to publish the story on Amazon and other platforms on Labor Day weekend.

That's almost besides the point. It just feels good to finish what I started for once.

When Life Gets In The Way Of Writing

Okay, then. So that’s what writing feels like. Hmmm, I kind of enjoy it.

After not pecking out a word in nearly two months, I started workingagain on In The Sunshine, my latest little foray into the world ofromance. For you writing types out there, it’s likely going to fallbetween 12,000 – 15,000 words at completion, a “novelette.” For therest of the world, it’s a short story.

A family trip Cocoa Beach, Florida, in May sparked the story idea. Istarted writing the story just about as soon as we got home. I madegreat process, about 8,000 words in less than a month. Then life gotin the way.

I interviewed for a job and actually landed it (started a week ago)!My mother, who is in her mid 70s, was also in and out of the hospitala few times with various ailments. Those elements combined with mynormal day-to-day life pulled me away from the keyboard. It was afrustrating period from a writing standpoint, but you’ve got to dowhat you’ve got to do.

I’ll admit I was nervous when I sat down and tried to kickstart thisproject. I reread what I had written and was relatively pleased. Afterthat, I started writing. I think I churned out about 500 words overthe course of an hour, before my kids started getting up. I wroteanother few hundred words this morning.

It’s going to take awhile to really get back in the flow. I have givenmyself a deadline of August 10 to finish the first draft. I’ve alreadygot an editor lined up and had originally intended to get the story tohim a month ago. He dropped me a note this morning wondering what theheck was going on.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to publishing the story. As short, I knowit’s not going to sell tons of copies and I’m not too worried aboutit. I haven’t published a story in almost two years, so it’s time toget of the shnide, as they say.

Enough about me. If you’re a writer reading this, tell me about yourcurrent Work in Progress. Where are you at with it and when do you seeyourself hitting the publishing button?

If you are a reader, what’s on your Kindle right now? If you’re aromance reader, are you open to shorter than novel-length work? Whatprice would you be willing to pay for a piece that’s about 50traditional pages in length?