Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Writer's New Year's Day - 2019 Edition

It's been six years since I resolved to complete a story, and it has  made all the difference.

The Vision


Before 1 May 2013, I struggled to complete projects. I had one book done in 2006, my first. But I hadn't completed anything since. But I had an image in my brain--a man, wearing a fedora, knocking on the door of a 1940s-era bungalow house, and being answered with bullets--and I wanted to know what happened. I told myself I'd write that tale and complete it.

I did. That story ended up being WADING INTO WAR: A BENJAMIN WADE MYSTERY, the first book I published.

The decision, back in 2013, was inspired by a quote whose origins I have been lost to time: “A year from now, you may have wished you had started today.” Since then, every 1 May, I take stock of things since the last Writer’s New Year. This is the 2019 edition.

The Year of Calvin Carter


While I didn't publish much in 2017 or 2018, I kept writing. The end result is six books featuring Calvin Carter, actor turned railroad detective. For 2019, I decided to publish six books, one every other month, starting on New Year's Day. EMPTY COFFINS is the first book, while HELL DRAGON is the second. Today, the third book, AZTEC SWORD, is published.

Halfway there.

It's an exciting time, and now the advertising can really start. I gave a few thoughts to putting the books out one a month, ending in June, but I prefer the 60-day version. Now, with three books out, I can start creating buzz, get more people to read these books, knowing three more are coming before the year's out.

It's a business decision, one I never knew I could make back in 2013. Now, I make decisions like this all the time. I'm a small-business owner.

The Other Big Project...


...is still under wraps for the moment. I know it's crappy to tease something and not reveal the thing, but know that it is a major aspect of my business as I start Year Seven of this fun adventure. This time next year, I'll be able to assess whether or not The Other Big Project was worth it. In my head, it is. Now it'll just be up to me to make it a reality.

Keep the Writing Fun


Speaking of fun, I'm still doing my best to entertain that first reader: me. Taking a cue from a post Dean Wesley Smith wrote earlier this year--"No One Cares"--I'm still writing for myself. I know we're all supposed to do that, but if a particular book hits with the public, the temptation is to do it again and again. Granted, that's a little what the Calvin Carter books are, but they are still an experiment. Maybe the world doesn't need the exploits of a man I envision as the combination of Jim West, Artemus Gordon, Bret Maverick, and Brisco County, Jr. Only time will tell, but I know I'll be writing Carter yarns for a long time.

Because they are fun for me. This year more than most I'm spending time on the business side of things. But that aspect of this adventure never enters my head when I'm writing. In that one hour at 4:30 a.m. when I'm drinking coffee, writing, the only sound the clicking of the keys on the Chromebook, that's my fun writing time. My imagination expands and entertains me.

If you have any designs on writing stories for the marketplace, be sure to keep up the fun.

A Daily Blog?


Somehow, I stumbled into writing a blog every day. I suspect I'll break the streak someday, but I'm having too much fun. It's a good way to keep my writing chops fresh. Yes, it's not fiction, but it is still writing. And I suspect all those analytics and algorithms must see I'm publishing everyday at 6:00 a.m. and will help me along.

I've kind of broadened what I write about to include nostalgic and retro things in addition to the usual books, comics, music, movies, and such. Heck, I've even started writing about Foods From Childhood. Tell that to my past self who started that first Ben Wade story six years ago today.

Bookmark this page and follow along.

A Good Place


Writing fiction is not my day job, but the day job I have I enjoy quite a bit. The folks are nice, the work is challenging, and the constant paycheck enables me to work on this side of my life without too much stress. That's an awesome place in which to be. Who knows if, on some future Writer's New Year's Day, I will be able to report fiction writing is now the day job. It isn't 2019, and I'm perfectly fine with it.

It's been a great six years. I can assess where I've fallen short and cheered at all the things I've done reasonably well. This writing career--this second career--is constantly evolving. I keep learning new things to try and shedding things that don't work. It's a blast. Or, as Robert Lamm wrote in a song, "It's a Groove, This Life."

Tune in Tomorrow...


...for an unexpected find in a comic book store.

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