Less Fairy, More Tale

It's been far too long, dear reader, since I've written. Not that I'm not writing--I've been working on editing the third book in my four-book series. But I have been woefully negligent with my social media. It's an offshoot of my mixed feelings about marketing.Therefore, I'm going to write one of my rare writing posts. I don't write them often because I hardly feel like an expert. However, I have learned a few things while working as an indie author.How to keep series notesNote taking is a skill that most people don’t master. Writers are notorious for jotting down a thought or an idea on a napkin, the corner of a menu, or on the myriad little notebooks that are half full with scribblings we can’t identify under penalty of death (which is what it feels like when you lose an idea). Think of all the amazing stories that go unwritten because the perfect sentence is now in the trash with a wad of gum stuck to it!While I don’t pretend to know everything about note-taking—I’ve been guilty of the lost gum-wad note—and I don’t assume this will work for everyone, here’s my guide to notes.

1. A series is a marathon, not a sprint

The same idea can be applied to a writing career, but that’s another post. What I mean by a marathon, is no one runs a marathon without a plan. I may write as a pantser, but I take notes like a planner (which is to say, after the fact). Each of my books has a dedicated notebook (yes, millennials use pen and paper) where I write the names of each of my characters in the inside cover. Lots of times I forget the name of a tertiary character or that a main character has a last name.

2. You have a life and so do all your characters

I have a great memory and I still forget at least ten things a day because I have a life outside of writing. It’s hard enough keeping all my stuff in order (and my daughter’s, and my dog’s) without having to memorize ten to twenty character’s lives! I have a separate notebook of just arcs, so I know where each of my characters have progressed by the end of each book, that way I don’t have to go back and remember if Periquito is still friends with Perensejo. I also include what they look like and a timeline.

3. Confused? You won’t be after this episode of Soap

Extra points for anyone who gets the reference! Essentially, it means I write a summary of how everyone ended their story in each book. This is separate than the arc journal because it connects how all the characters have related to one another. Character X might not have cliffhanger at the end of the book, but Character Y does and it will effect Character X.

4. Places are people, too

In my series, there are places that the characters visit frequently and they need to be described in each book, hopefully without repeating the exact words each time. I have a section of my arc notebook dedicated to buildings. I also include things like rules, special words, sayings in Spanish, and because I write about fantasy, any magical objects or spells.This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I think I've shared enough of my general insanity to be helpful instead of daunting. 

Plans and Villainy

I'm a person who likes preparation. I've always said my superpower is research. It comes from my curiosity and imagination--two things essential for any person, but especially a writer.This past weekend I attended a writer's conference for fantasy and needless to say I was underwhelmed. I spent months preparing. I researched the speakers (where possible because the panels weren't announced until a week before), I printed out marketing material for my current book, A Smuggler's Path and for my upcoming novella, The Cemetery Circle (unrelated to my Path series), and ordered a box of my book to sell at the consignment table.The night before I packed and made sure everything was ready both for my conference and at home. And it was... well...I was a great student. I don't say that with any conceit, but it was something I was really good at because it was the culmination of my all my strengths--preparation, curiosity, and imagination. I knew that if I worked hard, I'd get good grades and inevitably praise from my teachers. Sadly, I've discovered that's not how writing works. All the plans in the world does not guarantee that I'll be either praised or noticed. Not an uplifting thought, but a true one.That got me thinking about villains. Have you noticed that they're the one's that make plans and prepare in fairy tales. The Evil Queen didn't just wing it and poison Snow White--that took planning! You think Rumpelstiltskin hadn't run that "straw into gold" scam on some other desperate waif? He was way too practiced for that. The angry fairy in Sleeping Beauty had weeks to seethe about not getting an invite. Girlfriend had a plan! It's why they end up monologuing--they need to share all that hard work with someone.Only heroes get to make it up as they go along. They're saved because of good looks or charm. They show up with skills, but no preparation.So where does that leave me? With twenty unsold books and wondering if plans are really the way to go. Or maybe it gives me a little insight into the mind of fairy tale villains. When so much planning goes into an idea, is it any wonder they go a little mad?

Book Release Day and Mother Goose

DREAMSFriday night’s dream, on Saturday told,Is sure to come true, be it never so old.   -Mother Goose Nursery RhymeMy Friday night dream for some time now has been to be a published author. Today that became a reality. By the end of the day my book, A Smuggler's Path, will be available on digital copy on Nook, Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, Scribd, tolino, and 24symbols! The paperback release date in TBA, but likely sometime in August.I used the Mother Goose quote because a long time ago when I started this adventure nursery rhymes inspired me to write a story about all the characters I remembered. Originally my book was called Mother Goose Mysteries and that evolved into the book currently on all those platforms and patiently (okay, maybe not that patiently) awaiting paperback release.Thanks to all those people who have supported my Friday night dream and to those who have recently signed up for my blog.Check out my author website to learn more about my book, A Smuggler's Path.And a special thanks to those who participated in the Fairy Tale Book Club/A Smuggler's Path contest! Here are the winners:To those of you who prefer a paperback, I apologize in advance that your prize will be late. Thanks again!

Joys and Sorrows of a Indie Newbie

In a few days, my first book is being released. I am both excited and exhausted. For those of you who have gone through this process, you know what I mean. I'm at that nit-picky stage where a missing punctuation mark feels like a cosmic calamity.Today I discovered that multiple corrections to my cover are still not completed and therefore the release of my paperback will be delayed.At times like these I have to look on the bright side, when what I want to do is "cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war," more or less.

1. The digital versions will still be available on time, July 24th, 2018.
2. I've learned a lot with this process, which will make it that much easier for book two next year and the novella I'm publishing in October.
3. No more rewrites!

I know all the reversals and headaches will be worth it...eventually. For now, I just hope I get through it in one piece and mostly sane!Commiserating is one of the best reasons to blog. Anyone else have newbie publishing stories?