Dead to the World

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted, I know, but I was kinda half dead. Okay, a little dead. Dead enough that I didn’t want to write or do much of anything.

Though it was only a cold, I’m sure y’all know how much that can take out of you. The constant coughing. The wheezing. The shortness of breath. The sinus congestion. The fever. The body aches. It sucks, and it isn’t very conducive to productivity.

Thankfully, though, I’m starting to feel better. I still have a little ghost of a cough, but hopefully tomorrow I’ll be right as rain. That’s a funny saying. What’s so right about rain? Shouldn’t it be right as sunshine? But I digress.

A lot of projects have been backing up. The art commission project. The cosplay work. The beta read. The writing. I’m barely keeping up with the Talk Nerdy With Us work that’s been assigned to me. I’ve been able to work at my day job, but only while heavily medicated. (Not too heavily medicated. The max that I can take legally to function in the workplace.)

I’m trying to psych myself up for getting back into the swing of things. I need to get back into that art project. Like kick-my-own-ass get back into it.

Back from the dead. Time to get to work.

Chapter One: Back in the Saddle

Well I finished the first chapter of the new novel. I’m holding out hopes that I will be able to keep going and finish the first draft sometime this year.

It wasn’t too bad to write. Didn’t have to force it, which is good, and I think I set up for the conflict fairly well. It’s a long road to go yet, and I still have plot points to work out, but I at least have a start.

All this in the middle of a long beta read and an ongoing art project. Guess I’m a glutton for punishment lol

The other side of the glass

Though I have a solid idea for a new novel and am mostly ready to start, I’m putting that aside for a while to do a beta read that’s been sitting in my computer for far too long.

I’ve already read this novel in bits and pieces for critique, but this will be my first time reading it all the way through. It will also be my first beta read, so I have to read through carefully and look for plot continuity and things like that.

Beta reading should be interesting. When I read for a critique, I usually look for grammar/spelling and general readability, and I usually only get snippets–a chapter or two at a time. This time I have the whole manuscript before me.

Being a beta reader is a big responsibility. This is someone’s livelihood. They’ve entrusted me with their hard work to pick apart or compliment as I see fit. You can’t just phone this one in.

New Year, New Me?

It’s that time again! The past two years I’ve made a list of resolutions with decreasing success in accomplishing said list. The first year I did great; the second, not so much. This year, I’m keeping it short and sweet. I want to finish the first draft of my work-in-progress, and I want to eat less. Not necessarily “lose X amount of poundage,” but control my cravings and try to have small portions.

I’m hoping that by having a short list of resolutions I’ll better be able to stick to it. Last year was dismal, and I know it kind of started with the disappointment of the weight gain after the holidays and the snowball effect of being depressed about the weight gain, eating because I was depressed, more weight gain, etc.

There will be a few semi-resolutions, I guess. Make more friends, even if it’s just through social media. Try to learn how to market my book better so I can get more sales and have it reach a wider audience than just friends and coworkers (that was part of this year’s resolutions, but since I don’t think that anyone other than friends bought it so far I’m calling that one a dud). Come up with more ideas for my own original content/articles for Talk Nerdy With Us. Not really resolutions per se, as they were things I was wanting to do in general to begin with, but just some sort of goals to strive for.

I don’t want to make sweeping changes. Just some little things that will hopefully make life better in the coming year.

Metaphysics

I think I’ve finally done it. After a couple of dismal attempts at starting a new novel from a ghost of an idea, I have settled on a more solid concept that, while not the most original (and what really is original these days after all), has promise.

Now, I may be jumping the gun, but my hope is to have a first draft by the end of 2016. Ambitious, I know, but I have missed writing and think this will be good for me. I’m going to plan this one better than the first. Not so much pantsing this time around. Oh sure, there will be some–that’s just who I am–but I want to see how it goes.

Early in the morning

Some mornings I have to get up early for work.

And some mornings, there’s Rory.

My cat does not seem to understand the concept of allowing me to sleep past 2:30 or 3:00 a.m. Every morning, he at least attempts to get me to wake up around that time, though sometimes I can fend him off and get back to sleep for another hour or two.

Rory is a little too smart for my own good. He trained himself to play fetch…and he trained himself to wake me up early in the morning.

It’s slowly getting better. This morning, after his failed 2:30 a.m. attempt, he let me get back to sleep until 4:30. Which, on a day when I don’t have to get up until 5:30 or 6:00 a.m., is still a bit early, but it’s an improvement.

My muse had been silent for a while, but I think I may have an idea for another novel. It’s kind of contrived and probably has been done before, but I’m hoping I can execute it well and have a good story. This time, I’m going to try to put more thought into the plot and not pants it quite so much. The last couple of times I tried pantsing, the results fell rather flat. If the plot does come along, I’ll have something more to do in the mornings other than just mess around on Facebook and Twitter 😉

Resolutions revisited

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It’s coming to the end of the year, and as I look at my resolution list I’m both proud and disappointed.

I not only completed the first draft of my novel; I published it as well. I exercised more (not much more, but more than last year). I published a few short stories and flash fiction stories. I sold a few art pieces. And I did more cosplay.

Some of the other resolutions, however, were less than successful.

I gained more weight than I wanted to lose. I didn’t get the tattoo that I wanted, but that’s a trivial thing. And thus far, my marketing sucks.

I’ll try for more realistic goals next year. Perhaps another rough draft? Developing an exercise routine? Who knows. I have a couple of weeks to figure it out.

Looking up

Things have changed a bit since yesterday. I came across an opportunity to have some promotional material for my book made up, which is fantastic. I don’t know how much help it will be, but it is looking to be a great way to garner more interest in the novel.

The planning is still kind of iffy, but I’ll do my best to wrangle it together. I really am excited for this. Serendipity, as it were. It just kind of fell into my lap, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

I will post updates as things solidify, but for now I’m going to keep mum until I’m ready for the “big reveal.” 😉

Slow Going

Sold a couple more books this weekend–to friends, of course.

I wish I could figure out the marketing better. I need to start researching that. I mean, tweets and Facebook posts can only do so much. Facebook is only going to reach the people I know, and though Twitter can reach more it’s not enough.

I have to keep telling myself that no one starts out on their own like I did and sells hundreds or even dozens of copies overnight. Well, very few people do. It’s a learning process.

Word of mouth would help, but I have no control over that. If people want to tell their friends who like the genre I wrote in, they will. If they don’t, they won’t. And I can’t rely on random searches bringing in readers.

I’ll figure it out. Somehow. Eventually.

The Proof Is in the Printing

They arrived today! The two hard copies of my novel that I ordered from the print-on-demand service.

They’re here, and they’re gorgeous! I’m so proud–I’m practically bursting! The cover looks professional and the interior smells amazing (as nearly all books do–lol). I’m in awe of the fact that the novel that I spent more than a year writing is here, in my possession, in print, with an ISBN and everything.

Now comes the hard part. I have to learn marketing and figure out how to get this read by more than just friends and family. I think I can do it. I know I can do it. I just need to sit down and get cracking.