eBooks

So since I’ve made the decision (again) to self-publish, I would like to take a moment to talk about eBooks, since they’re the primary product of self-publishing.

Now, there’s a lot of debate about what an author should do in regards to creating his or her eBook. Some authors relinquish all control and let a self-publishing company or a vanity press do the work. Some authors rely only on an editor and a cover artist. Other authors rely on less. Me? I rely on myself and my husband. Sometimes, I wonder if that’s such a good idea.

self-publishing again?

This weekend, I visited family, read The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, had a long discussion with my husband about the publishing industry and what path I want to take, and I started plotting the second book in my steampunk series.

I always feel relaxed after leaving our grandparents’ house. They live in the middle of nowhere, northeast Arkansas. No phone service. No 3G. No internet. Just trees, deer, and old people. It was nice. I spent most of Saturday reading, and then while the Razorbacks were owning Auburn, I started working on my next book (shows how interested I am in football). So far, I’ve plotted twenty-odd scenes. I’m still trying to figure out where exactly I want this book to end, and what I want the next book to be about, so it may be another week or two before I finish plotting. That said, I’m excited for what I have so far.

blogiversary!

I have officially had my blog for a year now!

*confetti*

I started this blog not really knowing what I wanted to get out of it. I didn't really know what to talk about, and I kind of fumbled around for topics for a little while. Now that I've been at it a year, I still have trouble coming up with topics sometimes, but that's okay. When I write a post, I do it that morning, when I'm still a little sleepy, eating my cheerios, and rocking out to some techno. That's why they're a bit scatter-brained and rambling. But that's who I am: scatter-brained and rambling. Just ask my husband.

For those of you that have been reading since the beginning, I thank you for your continued readership and support. You made me feel like this blogging thing was worth doing. I know that my posts may not be entirely original or helpful sometimes, but I do my best. I write about what is important to me and what I happen to be experiencing at that time, whether it be revision trouble or writing craft or a particularly awesome Dungeons&Dragons campaign. For those of you that have joined me along the way, you've given me reason to keep blogging, keep writing, and keep making friends on the internet. I don't feel like I'm shouting to the clouds, knowing (hoping) you semi-consistently read my posts. And for those select few of you that comment nearly every week, you are the awesomest of the bunch.

This blog spawned with few enough followers, I could count them on one hand, and they were all people I knew in real life. In a year, I've gained nearly ninety followers. Eighty-eight people who make me feel important.

In hindsight, I'm glad I did this blog. I probably shouldn't have started out with five posts per week, but it's a learning process. I've met some great people, and I've learned a lot about myself and my writing, just by putting my journey out there for the world to see.

Here's to another year of blogging and making friends!

To celebrate, eat some of this fudge. This is my recipe, so it may not be proper fudge, but it tastes good all the same. It's awesome. I promise.

AWESOME FUDGE

Ingredients:
1     stick unsalted butter
1     5 oz. can evaporated milk
1½  cups sugar
1     tsp. vanilla
3     cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Line a 8x8x2 baking pan with foil, wrapping it over the sides. Butter a 2-quart saucepan and the foil in the baking pan so that the fudge doesn't stick.

Mix the butter, evaporated milk, and sugar in the saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it boils. About ten minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue stirring for six minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in the chocolate pieces and vanilla until melted and smooth. About a minute or two. Pour the fudge mixture into the foil-lined pan. Spread it evenly.

Cover and put it into the fridge to cool for 2-3 hours.

Cut into squares and devour.

Have a great weekend everyone!

growing as a writer

Over the course of my writing career, I’ve learned a lot, mostly how not to do things. And that’s been a hard journey in itself. Once a writer gets past that point, when they understand what not to do and what to avoid, then the learning becomes even more difficult. We know the rules by heart, but no matter how many books on craft we read or how many writing classes we take, no one can teach us how to do things right.

A lot of the time, to write a good book, you either got it, or you don’t. And most of us don’t. That’s something we have to earn. We have to work for it, book after book after book. I think I’m finally getting there. I’m at a level of competence, but I still have a lot to learn. Hardly anyone writes perfect first drafts, and those that do, well, they aren’t human. Biowriters. That’s what they are.

revision party-time

Well, I’m in the middle of revisions, and they’re going a lot better than I thought they would. If you remember, I posted a comprehensive revision checklist about three weeks ago, and well, it turns out that I don’t follow it very well. Rather than do several readings for each section, focusing on one thing at a time, I’m just going through fixing things as I see fit, following my gut instincts. I just happen to examine and change several things at once. I think I work better that way.

I’ve already finished the first eight chapters, and my changes have ranged from word choice changes to sentence deletions and rewordings, from moving passages around to deleting entire scenes, and even rewriting of certain passages. I’ve changed plot points and descriptions, but mostly, I’ve deleted stuff. I’m a very repetitive writer, and most of the time, that comes across as me beating the reader over the head. The remedy is simple. Select. Delete. Moving on.