News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #107…
[Note from Steve: Why do I say I’m in “the writing trenches”? Because I’m like that grunt soldier in World War One, slogging it out while the dapper generals AKA Big Five authors sitting comfortably in their Big Five tents could care less what happens to me. I apply a wee bit of Zen philosophy to my situation: what is, is, and there’s little I can do about it except for having fun entertaining you with my cryptic and often acerbic comments about the writing life. So, read on: issue #107 is on your breakfast plate for today for you to enjoy.]
Item. Outlines or seat-of-the-pants? When I write a novel, I start out with a few plot ideas, what-ifs, and character sketches, and then write like a madman. In the course of that writing, cut-and-paste is my friend, what some writing gurus call content editing. My first draft is my last draft before copy editing (search and destroy mission for incorrect grammar, misspellings, overuse of adjectives and adverbs, etc). Sometimes this writing technique works really well; other times, it’s a wee bit of a struggle. Generally my characters help things along and surprise me.
That technique can be contrasted with outlining a novel in its entirety and sticking to it. That’s more methodical but equally valid. I don’t think the story would flow as well if I did that, but many people write that way, so there must be something good to say about it. What technique do you use? Do you use outlines? Or do you write like I do, seat-of-the-pants style? If you’re a reader perusing a work of fiction, can you tell which technique an author uses? I doubt it. I’m an avid reader, and I certainly can’t.
Item. Author’s Guild. First, don’t think this represents ALL authors—it doesn’t. Far from it. It’s basically at the service of Big Five publishers and their anointed writers, many sure bets already in the stables but often ready for the glue factory as they write their formulaic schlock (what’s Sue Grafton going to do when she runs out of the alphabet? Maybe go to Cyrillic?).
On Joe Konrath’s blog, where he often says the above and more, I suggested that writers should start a real author’s guild, an org for writers that actually works for ALL authors, not just the anointed ones of the Big Five. If you think about it long enough, you’ll realize that it’s a good idea. We don’t really have an org to protect us. Maybe readers should start an org too. The two orgs could work together to guarantee that the nefarious middle, those people standing between good writers and avid readers, can’t dominate the reading world. That sounds like a better place to be.
Item. Too many lawyers? You know the joke about the convention bus filled with lawyers going into the ocean. John Grisham, traditional publishing’s sure-bet horse #1, has made a career with his legal thrillers. Michael Connelly, sure-bet horse #2, jumped on the bandwagon. Now the Times applauds two more tales by them titled Rogue Lawyer and The Crossing, respectively (when will the Times push an indie book?). I’m sure these books are well written—the sure-bet horses always receive great grooming—but I won’t read them. After the first two lawyer books by these gents, I lost interest. Sorry, John and Michael. There are too many lawyers per capita in our society, even in fiction! (Your opinions might differ, of course, so comments are welcomed.)
Item. Mayhem, Murder, and Music. Now that I’ve finished the series (the last short story, “TKO,” appeared last Wednesday), I’ll let it set awhile. You can access all the stories free-of-charge in the blog category “Steve’s shorts.” Be forewarned that by next year sometime, they’ll disappear and magically reappear in a short story collection with that title. The disappearance is an Amazon requirement, but I only think that’s fair—other readers will have a chance to enjoy the stories.
Item. A Decent Bomber. Next week I’ll review this ebook (coming Nov. 5) and interview the author. It’s a lot more interesting than anything Grisham or Connelly ever wrote (see above) and McNabb sounds like he’d liven up any cocktail hour. Don’t miss this treat.
Item. Family Affairs. In case you missed it, #6 in the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series” was just released. The title is the theme, but this is still a novel filled with mystery, suspense, and thrills. The yin-and-yang detectives (Chen is a conservative Asian with a Mona Lisa smile; Castilblanco is a tough but compassionate progressive, a Manhattan Puerto Rican who has become a Buddhist) have to solve two cases at once in this one before bringing the bad guys to justice…or even determining who the bad guys are. Available on Amazon in ebook format only. Reviewers can have a free copy in return for an honest review by querying me at steve@stevenmmoore.com; the ebook is also available via Net Galley.
Item. The Midas Bomb, Second Edition. You probably balked at the $9.95 price for the ebook version of #1 in the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series,” and rightly so. I would, but it wasn’t my doing. Many readers have discovered that numbers 2 through 6 can stand-alone (this is true for all my novels), but maybe some didn’t want to start a series where the first ebook is so expensive. I empathize with that. So, lucky you, coming real soon you’ll be able to buy The Midas Bomb, Second Edition, for only $2.99, matching the prices of the other novels in the series! Look for it. (The original edition, available in both pbook and ebook format, will still be available; the second edition will only be in ebook format.)
The Midas Bomb is, of course, where the adventures of Detectives Chen and Castilblanco all began. If you have read other ebooks in the series, you won’t want to miss this one! In addition to the intrepid detectives, the arch-villain Vladimir Kalinin makes his first appearance here. His presence is felt in many ebooks in many different series. In this novel, Rolando Castilblanco has lost two partners and is adapting to his new partner, Dao-Ming Chen. You will also witness the on-again-off-again romance between Castilblanco and Pamela Stuart, who later becomes his wife in the series.
Item. Happy Halloween! To all youngsters out there and all young-at-heart adults, have a safe and enjoyable spook night. Make sure your tricks don’t hurt or damage and don’t get sick on all the treats.
In elibris libertas….
