Wednesday, July 29, 2009

"Do Some Damage" group blog

I have some exciting news: starting 1 August, I will be one of the participants in Do Some Damage: An Inside Look at Crime Fiction. The brainchild of Steve Weddle, I think the mission statement says all you need to know:

Do Some Damage is a group of seven crime writers, each with a different voice and something to say. From grizzled vets to grizzly rooks, they pull back the curtain on the way the industry works. Whether beating deadlines or beating characters, each week they share their thoughts on reading, writing, plot, voice and all the sordid junk that goes through a writer’s brain.

Count me in as a 'grizzly rook' since I don't, as yet, have a published book. We all have a scheduled day, as you can see here:

Monday - Steve Weddle
Tuesday - Jay Stringer
Wednesday - John McFetridge
Thursday - Dave White
Friday - Russel D. McLean
Saturday - Scott D. Parker
Sunday - Mike Knowles

We're going to have a couple of days of introductory material this weekend and the regular columns start on Monday, 3 August. Thus, my first regular column will be next Saturday, 8 August.

I have to tell I'm quite excited about this new venture. I read other group blogs regularly (Murderati, Women of Mystery, and others) and I've always liked the idea of a regular column. I did that last year with this blog where I posted certain types of posts on certain days. Now, I have a place for a weekly column. I'm jazzed. I have a few ideas for the first few columns but I'll leave myself open to change them as circumstances allow. It should be fun.

Come check us out this Saturday, put Do Some Damage (http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/) on your blog reader of choice (I use Google Reader), and join us in an ongoing conversation about the ins, the outs, the triumphs, and the heartaches of crime fiction.

Here's a hint at probably (note the word "probably") my first posting topic: I've been undergoing an analysis of my writing life in recent days. I've been in a valley, steep walls blocking me in. I've made some decisions in my writing life that should allow me to crawl up those walls and peer over the edge. What I intend to see is sunlight dawning. I'll let you know.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats on the exposure!

pattinase (abbott) said...

Nice, Scott. And I know your writing will be top-notch as always. Let me know if you need to bow out of Forgotten Books.

sandra seamans said...

What, no ladies? :-) I've put a link on my blog for you. Looking forward to reading more.

Scott D. Parker said...

Doug - Thanks for the praise.

Patti - I hope to keep both projects going.

Sandra - Thanks for the linkage. Re: the ladies, ironically, three projects I'm currently working on feature female protagonists. Guess I'm channeling the XX chromosome these recent days.

Charles Gramlich said...

Sounds like a fun venture. Luck with that, and with getting out of the valley.

Scott D. Parker said...

Charles - Thanks for the well wishes. I'll write more later but I can already tell a difference in my mental outlook and approach. It's as if the air suddenly became fresher. It's exhilarating.

Steve Weddle said...

Looking forward to working with you, sir.

Scott D. Parker said...

Steve - And I, you (and the rest of the guys). I'm contemplating what my first blog will be and trying to decide if I should tie in the writing/completion of my second novel as a weekly goal/part of the blog. We'll see. One thing's for sure: I need to get something published to join the rest of y'all.

Barbara Martin said...

Congratulations, Scott! I'll be there.

Anonymous said...

Keep on posting such themes. I like to read stories like that. BTW add some pics :)

Anonymous said...

Rather cool site you've got here. Thanks for it. I like such topics and everything that is connected to this matter. I definitely want to read more soon.

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