Finishing forgives all.

I'm very near the end of the first draft of Tuskers III.  Should have it done by Wednesday.

I'm right on schedule, though it felt at times like I wasn't making any progress.  None of this book was easy.  I spent many hours just sitting or lying there, trying to come up with the first sentence of a scene. It felt like I was wasting a huge amount of time.

But finishing forgives all.  Finishing means it was worth it.  Finishing means it wasn't wasted.

I think it's a worthy addition to the storyline.  It's probably the least conclusive of the first three books in that it is a set up for the final climax of the next book(s).  A matter of getting the characters in deeper and deeper trouble.

In other words, a third act in a four or five act play.

I've decided I will finish the story in four books, instead of five -- if I can.  If, in writing the fourth book, I find that the story needs to be continued, then I'll do that.

The hardest part of writing a long story like this is to come up with a satisfying conclusion.  The reason I'm writing this as a four or five part story is because anything less would feel rushed and wouldn't have a final payoff worthy of the story.

I realized the thematic arc of this story required that I spin two plotlines per book, instead of trying three plotlines, so that it will be less confusing to the reader.  So, in a sense, I'm simplifying by adding, if that makes any sense.  Two plotlines each for two books, instead of three plotlines for one book.

Book III is going to require a good stiff rewrite, but I can do that.  For example, I wrote a chapter yesterday that was very unsatisfying.  I went back, added in what I thought was missing, and when I was done, the chapter felt firm, it felt good.  I just need to do that to the entire book.

"Progress through constant addition..."

Reading a puff piece on Game of Thrones this morning and this sentence leaped out at me.  It describes George R.R. Martin's process as "progress through constant addition."  I think this is kind of a brilliant insight.  Obvious, once you think about it.

Anyway, I recognize it, because I believe "progress through constant addition" is what happens when you write a series of books with one over-arching storyline.  It keeps the actions fresh and interesting.  It makes the plot complex and demanding.  It introduces new characters to root for or against...

And frankly, it is easier to write new stuff than to try to wrestle older plotlines and characters into interesting situations. 

It also contains the constant danger of writing yourself into a corner.  Personally, I think Martin let his plot get out of control.  Feast of Crows just wasn't as satisfying as the first three books.  (I haven't read Dance with Dragons.) 

I found that with each of my own books, I like to have a fresh slate of characters.  In the end, they interact with the characters of previous books.  It's a really tough thing to pull off.  So tough that I've decided to avoid it from now on.

I can write single books.  I can write single books within a series.  But I don't want to write a single story over a series of books again in the near future. 

Part of it is process.  I can pretty much wing a single book -- the plot usually comes to me, and yet I can also veer off where inspiration takes me -- and contain the whole story in my head.  I love doing that.

Writing a single story over more than one book -- usually, for me, a trilogy -- takes much more planning.  By mid-way through the second book, I really pretty much need to know where the third book is going.  Since I prefer to discover my plots while doing them, this can be a problem.

I mean, I've learned to do what's necessary.  The first two Tuskers books came easily, but by the time I introduced a whole new cast of characters in the third book, I realized that the plot had gotten too big to wrap up in the third book without getting too complicated.

It may sound strange to say, but adding a fourth book actually simplifies the process.  Progress through addition, if you will.  I couldn't both introduce three different groups in one book and wrap it up at the same time.  Too confusing.

Separating the process into having two plotlines per book, establishing them all, means that in the fourth book I can take already established characters and finally bring them together.

I have a sort of thematic structure in mind.  I have two groups who are at polar opposites; basically, the humans versus the Tuskers.  But originally, in the third book, I introduced a third group, in the middle, a group of Tuskers and humans together.  They're basically the good guys.

So I changed it: in the third book I took out the third group, and instead wrote about the extreme polarization of the Tuskers versus the humans. 

It requires a fourth book to establish the third group,  and then bring all these groups together for the final confrontation.

It's fine.  It's just a lot more work.   

The right motivator.

Andy Zeigert, my cover artist to Led to the Slaughter and The Dead Spend No Gold, had this comment about me not checking my rankings and sales and reviews.

"How many times I gotta tell ya. :-P

It's like stepping on the scale 20 times a day. Totally toxic."

He's been telling me this for awhile, and I mostly agree.  But like I said, I don't think it was a bad thing to do...for a while.

Luckily, both sales and reviews were better than I expected, so it wasn't a discouraging thing.

And secondly, I felt like it was important to see what sorts of efforts helped sales and what sort of efforts made no difference. 

As I mentioned, the takeaway was that most promotional efforts had little or no effect. 

So...now I know.  Now I can concentrate on writing and not worry about getting my work and my name out there on a constant basis.

One reason I wanted to stop checking is because it was a distraction.

But the biggest reason was because it was the wrong motivator for writing.

It's really important to have the right motivator.  Usually, if possible, the moral high ground. 

For instance, at the store, when I finally broke away from the "collector/investor" model, and just started selling product as "entertainment" the whole thing became easier to do.  It was easier to buy, easier to sell, but most of all easier to justify the whole thing.  I have no problem selling things for fun -- I just couldn't sell anything as a collectable or investment anymore and feel good about it.

Ultimately, the moral high ground motivator for writing is just writing for writings sake.  For art, if you will.  For self-exploration.  For fun.  Any of those things.

Writing for money or fame or whatever -- wrong motivator.  Probably can't win.  Besides, if I write for fun and good things happen, it's a bonus.

And more likely, I think.

Daredevil: Comics are the most creative and original stories out there.

The new Daredevil series on Netflix reminds me of my start in comics.

A confession:  I was not a comic reader when I bought Pegasus Books.  I'd played around a little, reading some Elfquest, some First Kingdom, some other fantasy oriented books.

So when I bought the store, I realized I needed to understand what I was selling.

I started with reading a full run of X-Men comics, which was the hottest title at the time.  I liked them, the soap-opera elements, and could understand why they were popular.  But they didn't grab me deep down.

I kept having that experience right up to the moment I found Swamp Thing, which was the first title that Alan Moore wrote.  I actually cried during one of his comics, which is not something I do very much.  This was a good writer.  (Who of course went on to write great comics like Watchmen and V for Vendetta and just about anything else he wrote.)

There were other titles I really liked, such as American Flagg, and other indy-types.

The next author (and artist) to really convince me comics were an artform was Frank Miller.  Specifically Daredevil.  He was still writing in the superhero format, but...well, it was more gritty noir.  I really liked that.  I liked what he did with Batman, too.  (More his Batman: Year One than The Dark Knight Returns, frankly.)

This version of Daredevil is the best superhero series I've seen -- frankly, I like it more than almost all the Marvel movies.  I just wish that people who watch it and like it could understand that the same experience is available in comics -- years and years of great, gritty stories, not just by Miller but by a host of other artists and writers. 

Comics, in some ways, are the most creative and original stories out there.

Some day they're going to do Preacher and Y-the Last Man and many others of the huge backlog of great stories, and I predict they'll be hugely popular -- and that they won't do a thing for comic sales...

I don't have that kind of fortitude.

You know how when you make a big decision that hadn't planned on making and you instantly know it's the right decision?

Quitting checking my rankings and sales and reviews yesterday had more impact than I thought it would.  It sort of reminds me of when I quit smoking years ago: I suddenly had all this free time on my hands and free hands on my time.  I never knew that so much of my day was made up of that.

Anyway, I can tell this is the right thing to do.  Just concentrate on the writing.

Makes me wonder how much free time I'd have if I stopped using the internet or watching TV?

The days would certainly be longer.  A life extension, so to speak.  Especially if you're the type of person I am, who is perfectly happy to be by myself.

But no...the other day I woke up and my wifi was down and boy, did the morning feel empty. 

So it's all good in theory, but I don't think I have that kind of fortitude.

Besides, I'd probably just use up all that free time reading -- which would be better than internet and TV browsing, perhaps, but would still take up all the time.

Anyway, I feel like I have writing time in front of me, and that's a great thing.

Incubating my daydreams again.

So I've made the decision to stop checking rankings and sales and reviews of my books.

I'd gotten pretty obsessive over it, checking multiple times throughout the day.

I'm not sorry I was doing that.  I learned some things.  Mostly I learned a negative, that is, sales didn't happen because of how many times I mentioned or highlighted my books, or how often a publisher did something, or even how many reviews I got.  Books with 10 reviews sell as well as books with 35 reviews.

As long as the news was mostly positive -- as long as I was selling some books every day and the reviews were all positive -- I don't think checking hurt me.

But the downside is so much bigger than the upside, that I've decided to quit while I'm ahead, with the understanding that not paying attention can't hurt my sales.  I mean, I'll still pay attention to my blog and Facebook and my publishers' sites and emails.  Just not the rankings and reviews.

It had gotten to the point where sales and good reviews were expected and where no longer getting much more of a reaction than, "that's cool..."

Whereas, when I got only my 3rd 3 star review, it felt really harsh.  I mean, what would happen with a 1 or 2 star review, which I think is inevitable?

So the upside benefits of checking were fading and the downside was increasing.

For instance, most of the criticisms of Tuskers were that it wasn't "believable." Well, if they didn't find book I believable, they sure as hell won't find book II believable, because I pretty much up the far out aspects of the story.  That doesn't bother me -- it seems perfectly right.  But I can almost see what the reaction is going to be.

Anyway, I look fondly back on the days when all I did was write and had nothing to do with the outside world.  I have a perfect opportunity to do that again, because the next year is pretty much settled.  The Tuskers books have a home, the Golem book is ready to be sent to find a home, and I'm assuming that if I write a third Virginia Reed adventure, it will find a home.  So...I can turn my back on all the marketing stuff and just write.

I'll have to fight the impulse to check for the next 3 or 4 weeks, until it becomes a habit.  Just concentrate on doing the work.  Making the books as good as I can.  Nothing but that.

 I'm looking forward to descending into my little make believe world again.  Incubating my daydreams.

Stuck and questioning.

I seem to be stuck.  I'm questioning whether it is a good idea to force myself to write.

I got about 800 words in yesterday.  Which is basically doodling.

Not sure what to do.

I have to box up books at Linda's store today, but I still have time earlier to do some writing.

I'm going to make the time, and focus, but I'm not going to write unless I'm pleased with the notions.  So...we'll see.