Archive for the ‘Writing Process’ Category

This is the worst part of the whole book writing thing, self promotion. I do not like doing it. I hate cold calling people and saying, “Um, yeah, I’m a writer and I want to read my books at your place so people will buy them. Can you set that up for me?” Most of the libraries that I solicited have come through, and I still have two more readings already scheduled.

But, other than New Richmond, April’s looking thin. I’ll need the leave the libraries. I hope to try coffee shops. Coffee and reading material seem like a natural match. How about books and wine? Books and Beer? One librarian suggested I do a reading in a bar. I don’t know. Bar people aren’t generally known for their literary savvy in my neck of the woods. What I do isn’t like poetry slamming (If only I had that kind of passion and rhythm, you know, for book reading). So more ideas…

Art galleries, they tend to get busier in the spring. Art centers, there’s a couple not far from here. Not a whole lot of actual book stores around anymore, and most of them seem to want “legitimately published authors.”

So far, most of the self promotion I have done has been free. It might finally be time to start researching actual paid advertising. I hate doing it. The best advertising for any business is still word of mouth. Of course, if no one knows your product exists, it might be kind of hard to get them to buy it. I need to track those Mo-fo’s down. They just don’t know what they’re missing.

The first book: Head in a Haymow must have been bursting forth from my brain because it only took two and a half months to write. The Second Book: Femur in the Fieldstone took nine months, like a literary baby if you will. I started Book 3: Cop Incognito at the end of book two, starting actual writing sometime in early November. It’s now March and I’m on page 27 (out of about 175 pages before I change the page size and type size for publishing). Not very impressive, ha?

See, the problem is with each book the existing characters have to evolve, and new characters have to be created. Every book needs new killers, new victims, new ways to kill the victims, and interesting ways to solve the murders. And in case that’s not enough pressure, my books also have a romantic aspect to them, so there are also the ongoing relationships and that extraneous baggage.

Young people falling in love, in my opinion, is relatively uncomplicated because they haven’t had enough experience at, well, much of anything to muddy the waters. Old people (don’t get offended, you know who you are), on the other hand, are complicated by their life experiences and the imprints left behind, good and bad. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing these older characters. I’m old. I can relate. Besides, it’s job security. Starting a new book? Pull long lost so-and-so out of the woodwork and watch your characters squirm.

But it’s pulling all that crap together to make a cohesive book that’s a challenge. I’m a lazy perfectionist, not a good combination. I’ve had the outline for “Cop” done for a while now. I know how it’s going to end. I know the last sentence in the book and who says it. I’ve just figured out a couple of weeks ago, though, what the status of the main character’s relationship is going to be. I was having problems with one of the antagonists because the person seemed too obvious to me. I just figured out a couple of days ago how to fix that.

I crochet pillows as gifts for people who are special to me (hang on here, there’s a point). They are hard to start because I created the pattern myself and I never seem to begin at the same stitch twice. Then, once I get going, I can go to town, and before I know it, one side of the pillow is done. Then I have to start the other side. Several attempts to pick up the right stitch again, and I’m crocheting like a mad woman; side two, done, bam. Um, yeah, now I have to stitch it all back up, make sure both sides match-stitch to stitch, stuff it with fiberfill, close the hole, add the frill on the edge, and cinch the middle with a bow. If I made an entire pillow in one sitting, it would take seven hours. At minimum wage, that’s a fifty dollar pillow, not counting yarn.

Good things usually take time, but if you begin on the right stitch, a complicated pattern will weave together to form a satisfying result.

Not too bad. About nine people showed. That’s respectable. Lots of books bought (including a nefarious purchase in a dark parking lot…DA DA DA!). I know both novels are going across the pond in exchange for a copy of a very talented friend’s screen play. I read one book standing, and one book sitting. Like the way my voice sounds standing, but the water bottle was cumbersome and caused some unintentional comic relief. Husband suggested I switch to a sippy cup with a straw. Next reading is in Milltown. Used to have our business there, so I’m hoping for a good turnout.  Thanks for coming guys. Always a pleasure. Keep reading. Cross you fingers for Book 3. I’m shootin’ for June, Baby!