Real quick:
Tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 5th) is the last day to leave a comment on my ParaYourNormal interview and be entered for a chance to win a digital copy of ALT.
That’s right. All you have to do is leave a comment. I’m giving away five Smashwords codes, and right now your odds are pretty good with two comments so far.
So, if you haven’t read ALT (or know someone who hasn’t), now’s a good chance to get on that for the cost of $0.00.
Think it over.
TK
In case you missed yesterday’s ParaYourNormal interview, you can listen to it here:
I listened to this for a couple of minutes and cringed. I hate listening to myself. Anyway, many thanks to the folks at ParaYourNormal for the interview!
TK
Hey, folks. First, a quick TLM update: Ch.6 is done, and I intend to start Ch.7 this week, but first I’ll be going back through the previous sections (as I did after finishing Ch.4) and making sure everything “jives.”
I have an interview up at ParaYourNormal right now. If you leave a comment, you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of five eBook copies of ALT.
They will also be interviewing me via their BlogTalkRadio show this Wednesday, February 1st at 6:30 PM EST (3:30 PST). Be sure and tune in so you can hear me embarrass myself!
Okay, back to work I go. I hope everyone is doing well.
Best,
TK
I’ve discovered I have a bad habit of writing blog posts with the intention of posting them later, only to forget about them and eventually remember at a later date when the topic is no longer relevant. A perfect example is how, last week, I asked readers on Facebook & Twitter if they’d ever had their shoulders dislocated. A particular scene in TLM required some research, and I thought it would be fun to ask. I wrote a post to reinforce my social network requests
and then promptly forgot it existed–until now, after having received the info I needed and working through the scene in question.
The point of me telling you this is to explain why I sometimes go for a week or more between posts. Lately I’ve had the urge to blog more, as I feel I’ve got something to say about things happening in the writing world, but finding the time–or the motivation–to do it is becoming increasingly difficult. However, I’m here for the time being, and I plan to bring everyone up to speed:
Edits
For the first time in months, I can honestly say they are going well. My difficulties with previous chapters were equated to writing (and rewriting) new material, reshaping a section of the plot within specific parameters. The end result was the deletion of about 9k words
from the total manuscript, the removal of one character, renaming of another, and in some cases, completely changing the overall tone of entire chapters.
I still have to go back and update earlier chapters with the name changes, but so far I feel confident that what I’ve done is ready to head back to Amelia’s desk for the second pass.
I hoped to finish Ch. 5 last weekend, but I wasn’t feeling well–sinus issues again–so that put a damper on my plans. Currently, I’m half way through Ch.5, and I’m surprised at the consistency of it all. The chapter reads like the others, post-changes–a fact that reinforces my
decision to revise them so heavily.
Completion of Ch.5 will mark a third of the way through the manuscript. At this point in time, the only major rewrites coming down the line involve the epilogue. All the rest will just need to be trimmed or split. Probably both.
Interviews
I’m going to be interviewed on ParaYourNormal’s BlogTalkRadio show next month. I’ll post details as we get closer to the date. I may also have another book blog appearance lined up this spring. We’re still ironing out the details on that one.
American Books of the Dead
My friend Henry Baum unveiled a new cover this week for his upcoming novel, The American Book of the Dead: Part Two. Actually there are two covers–one’s for a bigger volume containing both books. In case you haven’t read the first one, I
recommend you do so.
So that’s it . . .
I can’t think of anything else that needs to be said at the moment. I hope everyone’s doing well.
Until next time,
TK
I was on the fence about doing an “end of year” recap post, mainly because I’ve been really busy this week, focusing my efforts on revising Ch.4 of TLM (which is done, by the way). However, I decided to take a look at what I wrote last year and see if I accomplished what I set out to do.
Let’s see . . .
So what about 2012?
My primary goal is the publication of TLM. I want it to be available in print and digital formats before the end of the year. Earlier if possible. That’s what I’m going to shoot for.
Last year I ended on a positive note, wishing you all to make 2011 your year. I hope you did, and I’d like to hear about it. I don’t know if 2011 was my year–it felt like it at times, and other times, not so much–but I’m going to try and make 2012 a little better. You might say I’ll live as though it’s our last year on Earth.
Just kidding. Maybe.
For now, I wish all of you a safe, happy new year. I hope 2012 treats you well.
See you next year,
TK
Hello, everyone.
I don’t have much time to write a real post, so here’s a quick update: I got over that road block in Chapter 4. It’s back on track. I plan to have it finished sometime next week.
For now, I’m going to kick back, eat some fattening Christmas treats, and enjoy the extended weekend. I hope you all have a safe, happy holiday.
Best,
TK
Hey, folks. It’s been a while since a I had a normal post, so I thought I’d take some time to give you all an update on TLM’s status, and to get some things off my chest.
On Monday I tentatively completed edits of Ch.4. I’m not happy with them (I’ll come back to this in a moment), but I got through it. This chapter was a long one, clocking in at 10k words, and I wanted to trim it down as much as possible. The rewrites and tweaks to the plot line made these cuts a little easier, but I still had to deliberate on new material to fill in the gaps of the scenes that were cut. In the end, I cut it down to about 6.5k words.
However, I realized I was starting to lose sight of the “big picture,” so I decided to take some time and read through what’s been edited so far. I did that last night, reading through the prologue and all four chapters.
The prologue and first three chapters are solid. The 4th chapter, however, is not. It’s all over the place, and ignores the main points which are so tightly woven through the previous three. On top of that, I’m not really feeling the changes I made anyway, so . . .
I’m rewriting it. Well, most of it. I outlined a new path this morning. Plotting a novel is one thing–you’ve got a wide story arc over all, with plenty of growth between the beginning and the end. Reshaping a chapter with its own mini-arc to fit seamlessly between two solid chapters is much trickier, and much more difficult.
Amelia and I decided last summer that taking a slower approach with the TLM edits was best, and I still agree with that decision. However, I didn’t anticipate reaching a stalemate with myself over changes that would have to be made.
You’d think I’d be used to this by now, but I’m not. I hate backtracking, and I hate being indeciscive. I’m an impatient person. Just ask my wife–she’ll agree.
Years ago, what I wrote was law, but now everything I write is subject to change. I can’t help but examine a dozen different possibilities for a character’s course of action, and to do that also means examining the repercussions of said actions. I can’t write them all down, though, or else I’d never finish anything. So I pick a direction and go with it. Lately it seems I keep picking the wrong ones, and it’s frustrating the hell out of me. It only makes me question myself even more.
So tell me something, writers. Do any of you suffer from second-guessing your decisions? Does it ever make you wonder why you keep doing this to yourself?
Sound off. Please reassure me that I’m not alone.
TK
P.S. Sorry this turned into a rant. I just needed to vent. Thanks for reading.
Time certainly flies. Hard to believe it’s been over a month since the contest began. There weren’t as many entries as I’d hoped, but I’m okay with that. Those of you who did enter are awesome.
So, as promised, I used Random.org to select the winner. And that person happens to be . . .
She is the lucky winner of the following prize package:
I’d like to thank everyone who shared the link about this contest (and ALT) to their friends. Your support means a lot to me, and sometimes it’s what keeps me going in this business.
We now return to our regularly scheduled silence.
(But really, there will be more posts coming up in the next few weeks.)
Until then,
TK
Hey, folks. Just wanted to drop in real quick and wish everyone a safe, happy holiday.
I’m not able to post the photos of the signing at this moment in time, but they are up at my Facebook page (the link’s over on the sidebar there). I’ll write more after Thanksgiving, once I’ve recovered from a sizeable food coma.
Be safe and enjoy!
TK
