Tourism IS Bend.

Ridiculous article in the Bulletin today about tourism.

So some of the newcomers don't like all these newer newcomers.

Downtown Bend faces gridlock. No one goes there anymore--it's too busy.

Still, we promote and we promote and we promote.

So now we want to complain about our success? Now we want to reverse course?

Too late, folks. Unless you want to depend on retirees spending money--and they don't spend money--tourism is what we got.

Tourism IS Bend.

All in all, my writing is on track.

I've thought of a couple of extra scenes for Tuskers IV. I have a couple of major characters who kind of fade in the second half of the book, so I've figured out how to include them again.

I'm  eager to get Fires of Allah finished.

I took a week off from writing while family was home. It was good timing, with Tuskers IV finished.
Been doing my walks in the cool of morning instead of the evening. Doesn't work when I'm writing, because I really don't get going on the actual writing until later in the day.

I've refined the process I'm going to be following from here on out. Roughly speaking, I'm doubling the time I spend on a book. The actual writing will probably be about the same. Once I'm in the flow of a story, I really write at the pace the story comes to me. But I'm going to spend some time thinking about the book before I start. I'm adding a step of editing the previous days writing in the morning, I'm going to do a full rewrite before I send it to my editor, Lara, and a full rewrite when it comes back.

I'm in no hurry. I can still produce a goodly number of books at this rate and it's time to try to apply everything I've learned.

Meanwhile, I've got what I think is a very cool idea for my next new book. I'm very excited by the possibilities of it. I haven't decided if I want to make it the next Virginia Reed book, which will require putting in a supernatural element (which happens to be kind of cool) and changing the time of the real events.

Or I can write it as a straight historical.

I've got until the first of the year to decide. Like I said, Step #1 is to fully think through the book before I start.

I'm applying some of this new process to Fires of Allah, which means it will take up most of the rest of the year. In the in-betweens, I'm going to finish off my Lander series. I still have to write the ending of the 2nd book, Zombielander, and I'm undecided about whether to try to include a fifth book. But the other four books just require that I finish them and polish them up.

Like I said, I feel like my writing is right on track. I believe I'm getting better, I'm getting the hang of what a good story should be, I'm refining the process of creation. So all that is going smoothly.

The publishing front will always rely on the other guys. When and how and where is up to them. While somewhat frustrating, the difference in sales is Night And Day. The publishers have their own followings, which really helps.

When I put out my own books, sales are slim to none.  And yet...strangely it doesn't seem to matter to me that much. I still get great satisfaction out of writing the books, making them as good as I can, getting them edited, finding nice covers, and simply putting them out. Every book I put out is up to my standards, so the books I put out myself are just as good as the ones the publishers are doing.

It's just that I've filled all the available slots already, and I don't know if I want to go searching for other publishers too.

So I'm just plopping my own books out there every few months with zero expectation.

It's as if I was a painter who finished a painting he really liked and he just hangs it on the wall of his own office. It may only be seen by him and a few family and friends, but the painting is still the painting, and there is something to be said for that.

I've thought it all through, and I'm pretty satisfied with the way things are going. The quality of the books isn't dependent on sales, really.

I was on fire at work on Thursday. I think I sold 8 to 10 of my books. I did it out of sheer enthusiasm.

I had two separate instances of readers coming in specifically to tell me how much they enjoyed my books. I mean, they really did mean it. I could tell.

That counts for a lot.

So I'm just going to keep on doing what I'm doing. 

Anyone feel like reading a Virginia Reed adventure in these hot pioneer days of summer?

True story: In August of 1845, the famous Lost Meek Cutoff wagon train wandered the high desert east of present day Bend, Oregon. Stephen Meek, the no good brother of the famous mountain man Joe Meek, had promised them a shortcut. (Seems like most Oregon Trail tragedies involve "shortcuts.)

Somewhere around Hampton Butte they stumbled across gold. The Lost Blue Bucket Mine.

They were never able to find it again...or so it was believed.

As usual I tried for historical accuracy.

And ghosts.

Historical accuracy and ghosts.

https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-You-Fear-Ghosts-Bucket-ebook/dp/B01FW5FANE/#nav-subnav

Tuskers IV is finished.

I still have half a dozen chapter headings to write. Those usually don't take long.

I want to give it a quick read/re-write, then send it to Lara.

I'll print out a copy to work on while she has the book, then do a final rewrite in a month or so.

Meanwhile, I'm going to finish Fires of Allah.

As I've mentioned, I've decided to refine my process. I'm going to give myself plenty of time to finish this book. I'd like it to be at least 80K and would be happier at 100K, though the story is the story.

I'm going to do more research on this book than I've done on any other book. I'd like to try to get the firefighting down as correctly as possible.

When I'm done, I'm going to set it aside for month or two, then completely re-write it, and then send it to Lara. And give it a rewrite after it comes back from Lara. This is the new process. A little more intensive and time-consuming than what I've attempted before.

During the waiting times, I'm going to try to get my backlog cleaned up again. Starting with getting Star Axe and Snowcastles/Icetowers back on the market.

Starting next year, I'll start putting my finished books out every few months.


The real change will come with the next book.

My old process. Find an idea that I like and that I think will sustain a book, sit down and write it straight through without any major changes. Get it edited. Give it a brief rewrite.

My middle process. Step one, the same. Step two, think about each chapter before I write it, then write it, but otherwise write it straight through. Get it edited. Do a more thorough rewrite if I can.

The new process. The same way I've been thinking about chapters before I write them, apply the same technique to the book as a whole. Try to identify my strong points, what I do best. Work out all the ramifications in advance. Take a longer time to finish the book with more thought between each chapter. Set it aside, and then come back and give it a really thorough rewrite and only then send it to Lara.

I'm attempting to find more depth in my writing. At the same time, I want to focus on conflict and tension in the first page and ratchet it up from there. For depth, the characters need to be more detailed, and there has to be emotional possibilities. For tension, the plot has to be tight and focused.

Since I'm only as talented as I am, I have to try to use time spent as the improving factor. More time and thought.

But--I have to be very careful I don't block myself. And even more careful I don't ruin the book by overthinking or overwriting.

So it will be a fine line.

I don't even really know what the next book is going to be, yet. I'm purposely avoiding thinking about it too much until I'm done with Fires of Allah.

So I want to be as focused as ever on writing, but try to slow it down and put some more thought into each stage. Pretty clearly, I can finish a book. That doesn't seem to be a problem.

Wrote the penultimate chapter of Tuskers IV, where one of the major characters dies.

Was reading it to Linda, and I thought it was OK. Looked up and Linda was crying. "Oh, poor ****, he didn't deserve it."

Success! (Yes, I have a weird reaction to Linda crying.)

What I've discovered about major emotional pivot points is that the less "emotional" words you use, the more effective it is. That is, you underplay the drama in words and let the actions speak for themselves. The opposite of what you might think.

I still have a last chapter to write, and the epilogue, and a few chapter headings, but I'm almost there. Should be done by the end of the weekend.

Phew.

That means all my obligations have been written. I've done my yearly Virginia Reed Adventure, and finished the Tuskers saga. There is nothing anyone is currently waiting for.

So a bit of freedom.

I've decided to slow down slightly, change the process. I want to think more fully about a book for before I start writing it. Slow everything down. Basically, my goal is to try for more depth.

I always say, you can't write a book deeper than you are. (Well, you can, sorta, but...)

But if I take adequate time to think it through, and have a disciplined process, gravitas should happen. Heh. 

I'm almost finished with Tuskers IV. One last chapter and the epilogue. I have some chapter headings still to write. But the book is more or less finished.

It's coming in at close to 80,000 words, or 25% longer than the other Tuskers books. I hope that won't be a problem, but I'm trying to wrap up four books worth of characters and plotlines. I feel like I've accomplished that. It has a suitably big climax at the same time as concluding the story arcs of the characters. I hope.

Who knew this would be a 1000 page epic!  Really amazing.



After I'm done, I'm turning my attention to Fires of Allah. I've pretty much missed this fire season, which was my goal, so I'm no longer in a hurry.

I'm about 40,000 words into this book.

I've started research, and it's helping a great deal, but I want to do more research, make it as accurate as possible. What's weird is, just like rewriting, research really helps my books. I'm pretty good at picking out pertinent and interesting details. And yet, like rewriting, I don't really like doing it.

I like having done it.

I'm giving myself permission to slow down. Take my time. Fully flesh this book out. Work on the characters. This has the potential of being a good book. It has completely engaged my interest, which is always the true test.

I think, I hope, that whatever engages me will engage the reader.

Just trying to become a better writer, little by little. 

Faerie Punk is live!

I'm going to be putting out a book every few months for the foreseeable future. Five years worth of writing and re-writing and setting aside and coming back and writing and polishing and arranging editing and covers and putting them aside for the next thing and on and on.

I love this book, but I didn't send it anywhere. I don't know where it will fit, and I don't think I have the patience. It's my biggest book so far, about 140 thousand words, or twice the size of most of my other books.

This time all I'm doing is announcing it. I do hope you'll read it.

Here's the synopsis:

A story of coming home to a place you never knew existed.

The genius half Elve, half Dwarve inventor Joseph Tindermaker has died, leaving his inheritance inside his unbreakable Vault, which only his true heir can open. Iggy Sinclair, a punk bounty hunter unaware of his heritage, is approached for what seems to be a straightforward job: find Carter Tindermaker, the missing son of the great inventor.

Meanwhile, Grendor, the evil Ancient One, who was banished by the humans’ One God ten thousand years ago, has returned. He has infested an artificial intelligence and is intent on taking over both mankind and Faerie. All of Faerie must choose sides.

On a journey from Oregon to New York City, Iggy discovers that Faerie and the Mortal Realms exist side by side, and encounters Pixies and Trolls and Ogres…oh my! It is up to Iggy, along with his Changeling sister Kerrie, the half-Elve lawyer Maggie Cleeve, and the Ogre Chuck to make their way across a magical America to stop the Ancient One.

Part American Gods, part Wizard of Oz, part Kerouac, this an urban fantasy road trip through Faerie and Mortal Realms.