Writing is More than Words

The writing life is more than just putting words on paper. Particularly if you are an indie author. If you are independent, you actually are running a small business.

Here are some of the pieces of what I've been doing for the last few days.

1. I received a notice from the State of Michigan that I hadn't paid my 2015 sales tax and that I owed mega bucks. Went to my tax person, who is out of town, but I made an appointment. Another person there looked at the numbers and my paperwork and agreed that this wasn't even my account. So this issue is going to take a while to sort out.

2. I tried to continue transferring the tapes I made while hiking to digital before they get too old and dried out. This is where I left off in April of 2018, noted in the post linked below. However:
      A. This computer has no external microphone jack
           i. I looked up how to get around that and the answer appeared to be a USB mic jack
           ii. Went to my computer person to verify this. He said yes, he had one, downloaded all the drivers for me and made sure it was working. Problem solved with a small investment
      B. I had to sort the tapes which were all in a box and labeled, but needed to get them in order.
      C. I had to download audacity again since the computer crash
           i. It needed one more driver that doesn't come with it.
           ii. I had to figure out how to use it again.
      D. I'm now actually transferring tapes to digital!
           i. This needs to happen to keep the audio recordings from degrading
           ii. I need to have several of the next ones on my computer before I go east, so I can write while I'm on the road.

3. I have to get all my 2018 records for taxes ready before I leave on my trip east, because the tax appointment is almost immediately after I get home.

4. I am trying to get my head back around where I was with North Country Quest. Thought I might have lost part of a chapter, but I think I hadn't written anything down yet, so I just need to recover what I was thinking about.

Perhaps some words will get typed today.

See What Does an Author Do All Day

Writing in the Car- Voice Journal App

Yesterday was a long car day. I usually do some good thinking for books while driving, and wanted to be sure I didn't lose what I thought up, so I went looking for a free speech to text app. I tried the Voice Journal App for Android. It works, but right now, I'm giving it three stars and looking for something else to try.

I had the basic plot of then next Anastasia Raven mystery in my head. It will be Dead Mule Swamp Mistletoe, a Christmas mystery. But I thought I could flesh out the characters and their motives to dislike the person who dies. After a day of devious plotting, I think I'm going to like this book.

Voice Journal was pretty simple to use. Maybe too simple in terms of options. You can give entries a title. Then you just touch RECORD to bring up the text pad. You can actually do a text entry or touch the microphone to speak.


There doesn't seem to be a limit to the length of file you can make, since I recorded on and off all day. The accuracy of what was in the text is better than marginal, but not great. I can figure out what I said, but won't be doing much cut and paste to save excerpts.

It seemed like all you could see of your input was in that little central slice, but learned later after I wasn't driving that you can see more, to be able to scroll and read by using the back arrow at the bottom of the screen (the phone triangle one).

The black arrow that says Entry Details takes you back to the screen with all your entries.


Since the first one was a test run, I wanted to delete it. That doesn't seem to be a possibility.

You can email the text file to anyone in your contacts, send to dropbox, facebook, or lots of other choices in your own app list. Do this by touching the EXPORT label. I chose to send it to dropbox, where it appeared as a txt file.

I made this really small on purpose so you can't read it. It's full of spoilers, but you can see that it's just one huge block of text. There's a period wherever I paused, which was often. Odd names throw it for a loop.


At any rate, I made some good progress on a book instead of losing all that stupid driving time.

One really bad thing- I didn't push stop when I was finished one time, and Google Maps- which I was using for driving directions stopped talking to me. This was really bad in a traffic jam around Nashville! I discovered what had happened because all my comments (yeah, I talk to myself) made while trying to get the map to talk appeared in the text file for Voice Journal!

What Does an Author Do All Day?

maps, photos, tape

At the event in Pentwater earlier this week I mentioned that while I was writing North Country Cache I had a nice disciplined schedule for writing. Someone asked me how long every day I spent writing. My answer was two hours. They seemed fairly appalled, so I then explained that meant sitting at the computer and pounding a keyboard for two hours. I was always thinking about what I would write next, figuring out ideas and all that.

Here's how I spent today working on North Country Quest. Time invested on authorly stuff-- 5 or 6 hours. Total words written-- 244, none of which may survive once I get this chapter really going.

However, here's what I did:
• Put away the files and stuff from writing Chapter 2- "Meanders and Undulations." Yes, this counts. I'm really bad at putting stuff away.
• Got out the file for Chapter 3- probably named "Chasing Nomad and JoJo Smiley"
• Found the tape of that hike
• Found the pictures of that hike
• Read the brief notes I'd made about ideas for that chapter
• Listened to the tape twice. The first time, I just had to get my head back into that adventure, the second time I began to formulate ideas.
• Re-acquainted myself with those maps, notes, pictures etc.
• Transferred the tape to digital format, which involved finding the right cord.
• Read most of Nomad and JoJo Smiley's online journal since the chapter involves their hike, at least psychologically
• called Marie to see if she remembered a piece of this puzzle. I hiked alone, but visited her on one end
• wrote those 244 words

And, not related to NCQ, I claimed the Dubois Files books on Goodreads, so people can find them to review.

That's how an author spends time. Now my brain will probably wrestle with ideas all night.

See Meanders and Undulations

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp - First Draft Done!

cover design by Farah Evers

 
Now the serious editing begins. I do edit as I go. I'm not a writer who just forges ahead with words and worries about how it sounds later. I almost always read the previous chapter or two when I start a new one, and edit them, to get the flow of the story going. I almost always read back through the entire story a couple of times while it's still in progress, which keeps me from leaving out important things, or forgetting something that happened earlier and then contradicting it.

This method doesn't lead me to a perfect first draft, but a better-than-rough draft. I know there are a few things to fix. Elements I need to add back in, for example. A hint here and there, the description of something, things like that. Then there are always typos, grammatical errors (not too many, I hope!), too many "that"s, dialogue with talking heads...

But I have promised the MS to my beta-readers by April 25, and I should have it to them before that. Maybe in a couple of days. Meanwhile, I'm working on a small surprise for fans of Anastasia Raven. Stay tuned.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, or Amazon

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp - Chapters 32 and 33

cover design by Farah Evers

 
Two more chapters done! That leaves only one more and the first draft of Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp will be complete!

I had to work today, but got home in time to write. Since these final scenes were all laid out in my head, they were easy to write. However, I think there are some risks with writing this fast. In fact, I think it's easy for self-published authors to make this mistake. Sometimes it seems that authors get in a hurry to finish a book and the last few chapters become rushed. The writing is less polished, there are more typos, and there might even be small missing elements that would wrap the story up better.

Several books I read recently were good, but they could have been much better with some independent feedback. Sometimes the difference between an OK book, and a really good one, is in just a few details.

I'd like to seriously guard against those kinds of mistakes, so I'll be reading this section over with what I hope will be an eagle eye. I also have four beta-readers lined up.

Tomorrow, I plan to write the final chapter. It contains the kinds of housekeeping details needed to tie up loose ends for readers, preferably with a solid "period," rather than just a bit of a whimper. Then, I'll start re-reading the whole MS, hopefully in just one or two sessions, so I really get a feel of the flow.

Everything looks like it's on track for a June 1 release.

Paddy staring at me from Farah's cover has just kept me writing his story!

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, or Amazon

Two Chapters and an Oops

cover design by Farah Evers

 
I'm so stoked about being close to finishing Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp. I've completed chapters 29 and 30!

However, I spent most of yesterday afternoon fixing a big oops! I'm sure the beta-readers would have caught it, but I'm just as glad to have found it earlier. I've been tracking the book time in a spreadsheet, but hadn't gotten it up to date for quite a few chapters. For some reason, I decided to do that yesterday. Good thing.

I discovered that in the current week of book time I had Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Friday, Saturday. Oops! Well, there were no spare days in there to move action to, so I had to squish two of them together because Saturday had to be Saturday. I succeeded, but the lesson is, keep track of this stuff as you go.

Unless, of course, you are writing a book with a time warp. I'm not.

Tonight is my writing group, and I'm way back on Chapter 11 with reading to them. That's ok too. I appreciate any feedback they have.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, or Amazon

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp- Chapters 24 and 25

cover design by Farah Evers

 
I've been dabbling at this all week, but finally had serious time to devote to writing. Mostly, this was a matter of word crafting, as I had a clear idea of what needed to happen.

So, I crafted, and typed and finally got to the end of the event. Total words, 2895. Whoa! Suddenly, I have two chapters. That's fine, the number of chapters is nothing important.

I'm currently reading a book by one of my favorite mystery authors, Rita Mae Brown. Now that I'm writing mysteries myself, I'm paying more attention to techniques of other writers. Some of her chapters are long and some are short. There's no rule for length. Personally, I try to have each chapter cover either one event or one day, or one emotional package, with something that either adds to the suspense, or perhaps to character development.

This block of words splits nicely into two sections.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 25:

    Clearly, no one had been here for ages. The weeds grew tall and were unbroken around the sad, but once proud old building.
    On the opposite side of the road, the river side, an opening had formerly been cleared to the river. I thought it must have been done to provide river access to the house. A faint trail led through a swath of daisies and Queen-Anne’s lace. Paddy was already poking his way along it, and I followed him. Sure enough, the river was very close, and the bank had been cut to provide a sloping access to the water. If there had been a dock it was long gone, a victim of winter freezes and spring floods.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, or Amazon

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp- Chapter 20, and some thoughts on modern publishing

cover design by Farah Evers

I've been struggling with Chapter 20 all week, and I'm still not very happy with it. However, it's time to leave it and move on to Chapter 21. Maybe when it's bracketed by parts I like I'll be able to see what's wrong with it.

The first time through, I left out an important piece, so I had to go back and weave it in. I think something more significant needs to happen, but I'm not sure at this point what that would be.

Since this chapter is likely to change, perhaps significantly, I don't think I'll include an excerpt.

Instead, I'm going to comment on a blog post made by Dougie Brimson, author of Billy's Log, at Why I love my readers (and why their reviews are so important!)

He says:

"Of course there are people who would never review a book for all kinds of reasons. The usual three being ‘I wouldn’t know what to write’,’ I’d be embarrassed’ or ‘I can’t be arsed.’ But by thinking in this way they are actually missing out on what to me is one of the most exciting elements of the ebook revolution and that’s the potential for the reader to become directly involved in the publishing process... And speaking as an author, reviews have other benefits. One of which is that they help me to decide what to write next."

I think this is one of the most interesting parts of the e-publishing revolution... the instant feedback. For example, When I wrote News from Dead Mule Swamp, I included several local people who became friends of Ana. I generally planned that those characters would continue to show up in subsequent books. However, as feedback began to come in, obviously readers loved Cora Baker.

Chatting with my husband the other day he said with some surprise, "You've changed what you are writing because of what people said?"

In response I explained that I wouldn't go quite so far as to say I changed anything, since I already had the plot of this book pretty much worked out. However, I did make sure that Cora makes more than a short appearance, and that her friendship with Ana has a chance to grow.

So, feedback has certainly had an impact on my writing. Not to mention the encouragement from people who liked the first book. Without that, I probably wouldn't have continued. What you think does make a difference!

Action item of the day: go write a review of a self-published book you've read. I'd love it if you'd review one of mine, but it will help the entire publishing industry if you review a book or two.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, or Amazon

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp - Chapters 18, 19

cover design by Farah Evers

Saturday night I got a brain wave for a small element to add to this story which serves several purposes.
1. It brings Cora into the story more (something readers of the first book wanted)
2. It provides an emotional relief from Chapter 17
3. It creates a piece of the final outcome that will be satisfying to the reader

Once I decided how to make it work, I sat down to write yesterday afternoon, and it just exploded onto the screen. I ended up with over 3000 words, and since the chapters in this series are generally short, I split it into two.

Now, I'm ready to buckle down and get back to the main theme and the emotionally heavier part of the story.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 18:

    By the time I got some food collected and Cora had returned the papers and photos to their files it was eleven o’clock. We decided to go to the park first. We didn’t want to waste any time, so just took the paved roads, crossing the county on School Section Road and turning north on Kirtland till we reached the turnoff to Turtle Lake. During the drive, I filled Cora in on my conversations with Star and DuWayne. She shared my concern for the girl, but her body language made it clear that she still didn’t have much use for DuWayne.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, or Amazon

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp- Chapter 17

cover design by Farah Evers

Finished this chapter on Saturday. I knew exactly what had to be in it. Which leads me to digress a bit about how I organize my thoughts for writing.

I was asked, by someone I was chatting with on my trip East, if I work from an outline or how I know what goes where in the story.

I guess the idea of an actual outline is mostly in my head. I do have a file with general notes- scenes that I think might be good, interesting names, snippets of conversations, but what I actually write down in terms of organization is a list of chapters.

It's easy to divide the story into bite-sized pieces with generally what happens in each one. These are the central events in chapters. I put them in sequence and write them down. That doesn't mean they are set in stone. In Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp, already, one chapter had to be broken in two, another potential chapter was shrunk to a few sentences and tacked on the end of another one.

Just last night, as I was getting ready to start Chapter 18, I got a brain wave for a small interesting development to add to the story, so that bumps all the original chapter ideas ahead one number. It's just a list to organize the sequential flow of the story, not a rigid plan.

As for Chapter 17, it's another emotional one, and when I finished writing I was really wrung out. For a "light" mystery, this one is having its heavy moments. Here's an excerpt (but I'm deep enough into the story by now that I don't want to give things away with the excerpts):

    Paddy had been crouched at my feet, not barking, apparently trying to understand the angry human voices he was unaccustomed to hearing. I'd almost forgotten him. Now he stood up and nuzzled my hand. Suddenly my knees were weak, and I collapsed into an easy chair. The dog put his head in my lap.
    "Now what, Paddy?" I asked, as I stroked his silky ears.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, or Amazon

Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp- Next Chapter

cover design by Farah Evers

In which the opening of Chapter 13 becomes Chapter 12, and other feats of reformation.

Writers will often state that a work will take on a life of its own and dictate what should happen next, or when. I've been a victim of that phenomenon this week.

I have an outline, supposedly through Chapter 18 (when I have to make a plot decision). So, I started Chapter 12 on Thursday, right after finishing 11. I thought I knew what was going to happen in it. But I got a few paragraphs in and stalled. What should John Aho tell Ana? What was the real reason for the attack with the tire iron? Then I stalled. I didn't know the answers to those questions yet.

Finally, I decided to just finish that chapter later and move on to the next one where some action was due to occur. Last night I couldn't sleep, so I began writing that scene. But the more I wrote, the more I realized that it needed a long build-up, which became its own chapter, but delaying the action any more might be unwise. So much for the original Chapter 12! I reduced it to seven sentences, left those unanswered questions unanswered (it's a mystery after all) and it became the ending for Chapter 11.

I'm back to matching with my outline (not that it matters a bit... it's just a tentative way to track the timeline of the story), and something big is about to happen in Chapter 13.

Meanwhile, here's an excerpt from the current Chapter 12:

    Len was seated on the couch folding a basket of laundry, and Sunny was eating toast with red jelly at the counter which served to divide the kitchen from the living room. It was a typical set-up for a single-wide trailer, made with cheap materials. The cupboard doors were chipped and the Formica countertop was worn. Everything looked beat-up and dingy, but clean. There were no sagging curtain rods, or gaping holes in the paneling with erupting insulation, so typical of old mobile homes which have been subjected to years of family life. I was impressed.

You can buy book 1, News from Dead Mule Swamp, for only 99¢ at Smashwords, or Amazon

The Value of A Good Writer Support Group

Tonight was our twice-monthly meeting of the "West Side Gang," the local writer support group. I can't say enough good things about this experience.

I'm not a joiner. Generally, I hate organized group activities and don't feel as if I fit in well. Yet, despite a huge diversity in backgrounds, worldviews, and genres, this group really "works."

There are generally about ten of us, and usually most everyone brings something to read. We take turns at this, and then offer suggestions... what we like, what we think could be improved, technical writing tips, etc. Sometimes, the facilitator begins with some tips from an expert on mechanics or style.

Tonight, four people brought poems, two people had essays, and I took the first two chapters of Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp. I'd already trashed most of chapter 1 once, but even so, there were lots of suggestions to make it better. The spirit of "criticism" is always so important, and this group does that well. There is lots of encouragement.

Even I can accept critique if my work is characterized as having value (even if it's entertainment value). And believe me, the suggestions are good ones. I'm well through the period of an author's evolution when she/he thinks that what they wrote captures perfectly their every thought. Knowing how others "hear" what I am thinking is important, and helps me make my ideas more clear.

The group is diverse in experiences, so they often have comments about how to correctly describe things I may not be familiar enough with.

And best of all, they seem to just plain like my story, always seeming eager for the next chapter. They've done this long enough now that they can't possibly be faking the enthusiasm.

If you are a writer with dreams of real publication, I urge you to search out a group that will help you polish your work and provide encouragement.

Chapter One "Meanders and Undulations"

With some concentrated effort yesterday, I got an actual beginning for North Country Quest that I like.

I'm at 443 words, and have the opening written and the concept for the way the chapter will come back to a conclusion.

I borrowed ideas on perspective from a passage in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard that I've always loved. Hopefully my efforts will be somewhat as appealing.

When I finish each chapter I may share a tidbit here. I'm thinking about that.

I Spent an Hour and Wrote 44 Words

I spent an hour yesterday on chapter 1 of North Country Quest and wrote 44 words, of which 22 are going to be moved to the preface, and the rest are junk.

Why am I so slow? It's all part of the writing process. I listened to part of the tape again. I made two additional false starts and deleted them as horrible. I looked up the section of this hike on the map and read the description. I opened my mapping software and tried to find the name of a creek where I ate lunch (it has no name). I spent some time just getting the memories of that hike arranged in my head. Some were very clear, and others I had to work on.

I've had the name of this chapter, "Meanders and Undulations," settled since the date of the hike (October 2003). It's a phrase taken from the actual trail map description, and it's a perfect lead-in to the second half of my meandering journey along the North Country Trail.

But the next step, getting a catchy opening on to paper (screen), isn't that simple. I think maybe I've got an idea now. We'll see if I can get somewhere with that today.

This first chapter not only has to be an essay about the particular hike, but be an opener to the entire second volume, so it needs to be GOOD.