Mitchell T. Jacobs's Blog

So, you want to get into indie publishing? To have the ability to market and sell your own work directly to the readers, without any gatekeepers or corporate holdups standing in your way? To write what you want, when you want and publish it when you want? To have complete creative freedom?

To an aspiring author independent publishing may sound like paradise, and indeed the business has many highs. I'm definitely glad I made the choice to go indie. That being said, I have a question for all aspiring authors that are thinking of choosing this path?

What are you expecting from it?

To me, that's the most critical question an aspiring writer must answer before they even start. What are they expecting to get from independent publishing?

Parts of this may come off as overly harsh to some readers, but again, I feel that the answer to this question is absolutely critical for anyone who wants a career in the field. Far too many aspiring writers have run into the wall and subsequently quit because their expectations didn't line up with reality.

So what are you expecting from indie publishing? To become a bestseller? To achieve notoriety? To make a living? To get rich?

Anyone going into the field needs to define their expectations and then assess whether those expectations are anywhere close to reality, particularly relating to sales figures and money. I've seen it time and time again in blogs and on writer's forums. New authors, most with only one book under their belt, ask the same question:

Why am I not selling?

The answer is simple, of course. Visibility.

There are millions upon millions of books available, and more are being added to the mix every day. How is a reader supposed to find your one book, a needle in the massive haystack that continues to grow by the second?

That's not to say that you can't be discovered. On the contrary, you can and will be discovered by readers. Some will pass you over, and some will give you a chance. If you're any sort of a decent writer, then some will like you. Out of those, some will like you enough to recommend you to their social circles.

And as you can imagine all this takes time.

So, for the authors who want to know why they're not selling, I have a question of my own for them.

Just what were you expecting from this?

Were you expecting hundreds, thousands of readers to find your one book in the middle of the haystack, decide to purchase it, read the thing, like it, and tell their friends about it within the span of a few months? If your book isn't selling, is it because you're a failure? Is it because the system's broken?

Or is it because your expectations were completely out of whack?

I see some of the same issues in regard to earnings. Many an author has put their novel up for sale for $0.99, sold a thousand copies of their novel in the month, earned only a few hundred dollars and then claimed that the system is completely stacked against them.

What they fail to realize is that books can and will sell at higher prices, and that the earnings are much greater. I sell less than a thousand books a month but earn way more than a few hundred because I price differently.

Again, is it because the system is broken and unfair, or because your expectations are completely unrealistic?

And then there are those that seem to believe that self and independent publishing is little more than a get rich scheme. Throw something together, put it up for sale, sit back and relax as you rake in the dough.

Yeah, right.

Publishing is not easy. On the contrary, independent publishing is highly demanding. The author has to wear many hats; writer, salesman, marketer, quality control, distribution management, webmaster, social media manager, accounting, record keeper...

I've kept track of the amount of time I spend between the  various parts of independent publishing. Many weeks I've worked 50-60 hours. I've had stretches where I've worked 14 hours a day for a week straight.

What about any of that makes you think that this is easy money? Again, just what are you expecting?

Indie publishing isn't easy. There are no guarantees, no set rules, no formulas. In essence, it is purely an art, not a science.  You might be able to mimic successful authors to some degree, but copying them and their 'winning formula' step for step doesn't mean you'll succeed. Even if you do everything 'right' you may very well fall flat on your face.

I was not an overnight success. I'm still moving up and trying to establish myself even further. In the first four months, I sold less than twenty books. I didn't start seeing steady sales of even one book a day until six months in, and it took even longer to earn more than pocket change in a month.

But I made it through because I didn't quit. I kept writing regardless of whether I sold or not, allowing my fanbase to grow reader by reader over the months. Even though it was discouraging at times, I kept a realistic view of my prospects and kept pushing forward.

This path is not for the faint of heart. It can and will be cruel and unforgiving at times. Not everyone will make it. But does that mean we shouldn't try? That's for you to decide.

The road may be long with its trials and tribulations, but the freedom and the joy that comes with it may be well worth it. It certainly is for me.

Just make sure you go in aware of what you're getting into.

There are a million different writing blogs out there, covering all manner of topics and created by all manner of writers. A simple Google search will yield you a wealth of information from a variety of sources, ranging from amateurs to the wildly successful, to those that fall in between. You'll see the hotshots that rose to the top with their first book, and the author who has never made a bestseller list but has carved out a productive 20, 30, 40 year career regardless. You'll see awesome advice that will change the way you think and operate, and you'll see baffling advice that simply leaves you shaking your head.

So in the midst of all that noise, why should you bother listening to this?

I'm going to do things a little differently in this blog, focusing on the early career trajectory of a midlist independent author. This series will be heavily business focused, because in my belief that is the most critical part of being an author, whether traditionally published or an independent.

I don't claim to know everything (not even close), my word is not gospel, and I'm continually learning and adapting like the rest of you. But I do have some experience and some success within the field, and hopefully you can find something useful within these lines. My focus is on aspiring authors, though established writers may find something to their liking as well.

So here we go.

What do I mean by writing on the edge?

First, let me give a few details about myself in the interests of disclosure. One of my history professors in college made a statement that has stuck with me. When accused of being biased he said (paraphrased):

"Of course I'm biased. Everyone is biased. Your responsibility as a historian is to be up front about your biases so the audience can take them into account and form their own decisions about what you're saying."

At the time of this writing, I've been an independent author for about a year. I did not have a fast start out of the gate, nor did I start having success until about six months in. I'm nowhere near being a bestseller, and though I make a comfortable living I'd be at the lower end of the earnings scale for full time authors.

So once again, why should you listen to me?

I would answer, because I'm approaching this as an average, midlist writer in the early stages of his career, which put me squarely at what most aspiring authors should expect when going into the field.

More disclosures:

I've been a paralegal (primarily real estate) with experience in several law offices. Nothing I say should be taken as legal advice, but I approach many parts of the business having seen how slipshod handling of the legalities can ruin a situation. As a result, some of my statements on contracts and the like might come off as harsh at times. Aspiring authors need to be aware of the potential pitfalls in front of them.

I view writing as an art, but I view publishing that writing as a business.

I'm not much of a trend follower. I pay attention to them of course, but I generally stick with what I'm doing. I'm someone who wants to forge his own path, for better or for worse.

I'm squarely in the independent side of publishing. I don't think that traditional publishing, agents and the like are the spawn of Satan come to suck us dry of our money and creativity. They have their place. I simply don't see that path as a good business decision at the moment, especially for an aspiring author. Depending on how the industry shifts, that view may change.

Still with me? Good, then lets get back to the topic at hand: when I say 'writing on the edge,' what do I mean by that? Writing on the edge is the slogan of my publishing house, Xiphos Press. From that standpoint it means utilizing fiction in all forms through all channels, whether those are serials, novels, novellas, flash fiction, short stories, and whether they's distributed through print media, magazines, e-books, the internet, or any other fashion.

But taken from an author's perspective, writing on the edge means something much different. Before the advent of the indie publishing revolution (actually more of a restoration, but I'm not going to get into that right now.), there was one clear path to success: sign with an agent, get picked up by a publishing house and then go through the process of publishing the book. Few made it, but the path was relatively straightforward. Now, with the whirlwind changes of the last few years, the path has become much less well-defined.

With the proliferation of e-readers worldwide and the rise of self-publishing platforms, authors can turn their manuscripts into books and have them on a market populated by millions and millions of customers within minutes or hours. They can reach worldwide to anyone who has an internet connection. The gatekeepers are gone. The possibilities are endless.

But with so much freedom comes an overwhelming number of choices. What should I write? Where should I publish? Should I sign up for KU with Amazon, or should I distribute to all major retailers? What cover should I use? Where to I advertise?

Our new-found freedom comes with many advantages, but at the same time, we're all dancing on the edge of a knife. I don't mean that in a dangerous sense, but rather regarding the balancing act that every author has to perform.

That's what writing on the edge means.

This blog is meant to help aspiring authors in their quest to become actual authors. This is not, nor should be your only source of information. Read as much as you can, compare suggestions and styles, and make your own decisions. Be smart, be vigilant, and always remember to have fun.

We may be dancing on the edge of a knife, but there's no greater thrill.

    It's November 21, which means NaNoWriMo is about 70% of the way done. For those of you unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo (or NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth), the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel by the end of November. Broken down into parts, that equals 1,667 words per day. By the end of day 21, writers should have 35,000 words finished.

    So where am I in all of this? [image error] [image error]     Finished.

    This post isn't meant for me to be gloat, or lord my 'superiority' over everyone else, because the truth is that I was in the same boat as every other amateur writer. I've tried to complete NaNoWriMo for several years, and this is the first time I've been able to do it. So what was the difference this year?

    After reflecting on it for a bit, I believe I know the answer. It's all about mindset.

    What do I mean by that? Well, I think the biggest difference is that over the past year, I've switched from being an amateur to a professional author. Crow's Call is my fifth full length novel, so the process of writing is nothing new to me. I know that I'm plenty capable of writing a full length novel in a month because I've done several this year.

    With that being said, I do have a few advantages that also helped me that other people might not have.


    1. I tend to write fast.

    If you look at my per day word average you'll see that it's well over the recommended mark. It's actually even faster than that because I started over on day 4 with a completely new concept.

    Oh yeah, and there were stretches in there where I told myself I was phoning it in. Averaging over double the recommended word count per day.

    But then again, that's just how I write.


    2. I'm a pantser.

    How was I able to switch concepts right in the middle of NaNoWriMo?

    Probably because my writing style can best be described as "make it up as I go along".

    People have heard this before, but I tend to write best when I can just make things up as I go along. Pieces just seem to fall into place and make the story as I write.


    3. I trust my creative voice.

    This is a BIG one. I hear a lot about people getting only a few hundred or a thousand words out per day and wonder how they could be going so slow.

    Then I remember what it was like to be in that same boat, and why it was that way. What's the difference?

    Lack of faith in your creative voice. People write slower when they're struggling over every sentence and every word. They slow themselves down by questioning their methods and ideas. I was in that boat too, and that's why I never completed NaNoWriMo before.

    I'm a football watcher, and I'm a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. Their coach, Chip Kelly, had one particular piece of wisdom for his quarterback that pops up in my head every time I write.

    His quarterback, Nick Foles, had two straight games where he performed horribly. Both were losses to division rivals, very much putting the team's playoff hopes in doubt. Fans and the media were questioning whether Foles would be able to lead the team. Many talked about getting another quarterback in the draft. So what did Coach Kelly tell his quarterback? Five words.

    Grip it and rip it.

    In other words, trust what you see, trust your abilities and don't hesitate. In the NFL, inches and split-seconds are the difference between victory and defeat.

    Foles would wind up tying the NFL's single game touchdown record the next week against Oakland, and would go on to finish with one of the best quarterback seasons in NFL history.

    In the same way, writers need to trust their creative voice. Trust what you see, trust what you think, and then do it without hesitation.

    That is the difference between a professional and amateur writer. The professional trusts their creative abilities and sticks with them. We're introspective. but there's no time for doubt. To go back the the football metaphor, writers are running backs. We may only go for two or three yards. We might drop a pass, or we might even fumble. But we learn from our mistakes, and we keep at it.


    I think the final point is my greatest takeaway from NaNoWriMo, and it's shown how much I've grown as a writer over the past year. I was successful in such a short period of time because I trusted my creative voice.

    And that's something all writers need to learn.

    I'm an anime fan, if you didn't know, and one of my favorite shows from the last few years is Attack on Titan. I especially like both title themes. There's a particular part of the second theme that caught my attention. Translated, it goes something like this:

     Didn't the birds break out of their egg shell in order to fly, not to crawl on the ground pathetically?
    For what reason do you possess those wings? Isn't the sky in the birdcage a little too tiny?

    This applies especially to writers. I've talked about it in the last three parts. Writers should strive to be great. They need to have faith in themselves, and they need to put their trust in their creative voice. Without them, they're just birds crawling on the ground.

    Spread your wings. Jump off the ledge. Learn to fly. Soar.

    And you'll find the world of joy that's waiting for you in the freedom of the sky.

    1. The Adventure in Front of You

    Writing is an adventure. Once you engage your creative mind, the world of your story unfolds before you.

    And the possibilities are endless.

    For me, this is perhaps the greatest joy of writing. I dive into the world and lose myself in it. I explore the world around me, going wherever it beckons me. There are no rules, no formulas, nothing to hold me back.

    And the journey applies to every kind of writer. If you're a pantser like me, let the story take you where it will. Let it lead you to adventures you never could have imagined. If you're a planner, travel to the destinations that you've picked out, and lose yourself in them.

    When you break out of the cage of the critical mind, there's no limit to where you can go.

    I've found that following this approach has drastically improved the quality of my writing. My novels have become progressively more fun to write as I've learned to trust my creative voice. An idea pops into my head, and I go "ooh, I want to take the story in that direction'. I spend less time thinking and more time creating. That creates a better story.

    2. The Adventures Ahead of You

    Not only do you have the amazing adventure before you, but you also have other destinations to travel toward once you're done with this journey. So why on earth would you put them off to stay wallowing in the memories of your previous journey? There's adventure after adventure waiting ahead of you.

    To me, that's one of the saddest things about the rewriting myth. Rewriting is like sitting in a dark room, looking at photos of one of your previous journeys when you have the opportunity in front of you to go somewhere new.

    The topic of writing rituals comes up frequently in writer's circles. People want to know what they need to do to get themselves in the mindset to write. They need to have a routine, a set way of doing things. It pushes them forward.

    I can only shake my head.

    Do you know what pushes me forward? It's desire to continue the adventure I'm on, but also the desire to reach the adventures that wait for me ahead. That really started to take hold during my second novel. I wanted to finish Howl so I could write Fang, and I wanted to finish Fang so I could write my fourth novel. After that's done, there's a light novel I want to write. There's ideas for the next arc I want to write. There's a fantasy series I want to start.

    All because I can reach for the adventures ahead of me. I'm sorry, but no amount of routine or ritual will even come close to equaling the fire it puts into me. Even on the days that I don't write or my writing is slow, it still burns. It drives me forward, because I don't have to remain trapped inside the birdcage. I can spread my wings and soar. The sky is truly the limit.

    3. Becoming better

    Agonizing over every word doesn't make a writer better. Revising doesn't make a writer better. You know what makes a writer better?

    Writing more original stories.

    Writers seem to operate under the strange delusion that they're the only medium that doesn't require practice. It's all about talent. You're either born a writer, or you're not.

    (makes rude, insulting noises)

    How the heck did this myth appear, anyhow? Sure, some people are naturally more talented than others, but you'd better believe that the 'naturally talented' writer is going to be quickly surpassed by the 'average' writer who works hard at improving their craft.

    'Learn more about your craft' might seem more restrictive, but it's not, actually. It's liberating. The writer is able to say 'I trust my creative voice, but I'm going to do everything I can in order to hone it'. They can write knowing that everything in their story doesn't have to be perfect. It never will be. But they'll continue to hone their creative voice, and each work will become progressively better and better.

    Practice makes perfect. And you don't have to be a star right off the bat.

    Write. Write, and learn. Give yourself permission to admit that you're not the writer you could be. You'll never reach that point. But if you keep writing, you'll keep learning, and you'll keep getting better.

    4. Trust Yourself

    When you let go and just write, your creative mind is capable of making something great. That same greatness can be completely destroyed if you allow it to be shackled by the chains of revision.

    I use a lot of passive voice in my books, which is a no-no in the English language because of some arbitrary made up rule (that's not even really true, at that.) If I had edited with a critical eye, I would have made a massive number of revisions to smooth it out. And I would have lost something important in the process.

    I kept Black Wolf the way it was because it felt right. To me, it flowed, and there was no reason to change it. I felt the same thing with Howl. I finally figured out why I was doing it when I wrote Fang.

    I write in passive voice when the characters are observing, particularly when they're trying to establish where things are in the context of a situation. It happens particularly in strategic planning sequences and during battles. I do it because the characters are being passive, and are reacting to the situations unfolding around them in their head. Once they start moving I switch to the active voice.

    But that quirk would have been lost if I followed the 'rules'. And my book would have been covered in obvious scars.

    Give yourself the freedom to trust your own creative mind.

    5. Wings of Freedom

    I need to revise.
    It kills me that these myths have such a tight hold on so many writers.
    I need to polish.
    It's almost like an addiction, and it's one of the saddest things about writing. Writers continue to mutilate their work. They clip their wings and try to fly inside the dome of a tiny birdcage.
    I need my routine.
    I need to find my muse.
    I need to listen to everyone around me that knows better.
    I need....
    And the bars of the birdcage become closer and closer every day.

    Stop. Stop crawling on the ground like a worm. Spread your wings and fly like you were meant to.

    I'll leave you with the last chorus of the song:

    We grip the gear of our fighting spirit, sing the song of the light of hope,
    and have the horizon of freedom on our back.
    With the chains connecting this world in our chest,
    we play a song of what might lurk behind all possibilities.
    Dance into the blue sky--
    Wings of freedom!

    Ugh. That's what I have to say about rewriting. UGH.

    You've probably heard this piece of 'wisdom' before: every story needs to be revised several times to make it good. Without it, the writing is too rough, too imperfect to be presented to the market.

    I bought into this idea for years. My first blog post talks about the writing process being like forging, where heat and pressure need to be applied to the work to turn it into something presentable.

    UGH.

    I wish I could just go back, delete it and pretend I never wrote that. But I won't. It's going to stay there as a reminder of the time I bought into this idiot myth hook, line and sinker.

    Some people view rewrites as essential, and make it work for them. They're not going to get a fair shake in this post, because I believe that the rewriting myth is detrimental to the majority of writers. I'm going to be a raging jerk in this post because I believe that the myth of rewriting needed to die a bloody, gruesome death eons ago, and I will gleefully hammer every last nail into its coffin if I'm able.

    Hopefully I can convince some people to think about the myth. Rewriting might work for them in the end, but they should be the ones choosing it because it works, not because that's what they're supposed to do.

    So here we go.

    1. The Myth
   
    The myth of rewriting is pretty straightforward, and it seems logical to outside observers and new writers. After all, they think, your first attempt is never going to be your best. It needs examination to identify the weak spots, and then it needs modification in order to correct those flaws. We're taught that from an early age. Remember all those drafts you had to do in English class? We're told that in order to put our best foot forward, we need to shine every detail.

    And that myth extends into fiction. The idea of revision is pushed onto us from every angle. Your work needs to be revised for grammar. It needs to be revised so the plot runs smoothly. The sentence structure needs to be revised so it reads correctly.

    Revise, revise revise. You might spend a month or two writing, but you need to spend more time than that revising it into something worthwhile.

    2. Rewriting vs. Copyediting

    I need to clarify one thing before I continue. Rewriting and copyediting are two very different things.

    Copyediting is the process of cleaning up the manuscript, checking it for typos, basic grammar errors and other small fixes, like a certain detail being off. It makes no significant changes to the story's structure or plot.

    Rewriting involves making wholesale changes to the story, whether that's changing characters, messing with scenes or adding or subtracting passages. It fundamentally changes the piece.

    Copyediting is critical, make no mistake, and every writer needs to have it done to their manuscript. But rewriting? That's a whole different animal.

     3. Why Rewriting is Harmful

    I believe that, in the majority of cases, rewriting is actively detrimental to the quality of a writer's work.

    Why?

    This goes back to part 2 of this series. Writers need to have the creative part of their brain engaged while they're writing. It's how they come up with their best ideas, and it's why they enjoy the art.

    But conventional wisdom holds that the creative mind needs to be tempered by a critical analysis of your work. The flaws need to be smoothed out, and that over-eagerness needs to be reigned in by good sense.

    Conventional wisdom is WRONG.

    When you start revising, you switch from the creative side of your brain to the critical side. It starts grasping at anything and everything that can get its hands on. Is the grammar right? Does this word/sentence/paragraph/chapter need to be here? Are the voices of the characters coming through? Question, after question, after question.

    And you know what? Those questions make us cringe. They make us cringe because they're critical of the work that we've spent hours investing ourselves into. They make us question whether we can do better.

    But writers are the worst people to judge their own work, especially from a critical aspect. While some grade too easily, most are far too harsh on themselves, because they can only see the negatives. It's just how the human brain works.

    And that criticism can be costly.

    4. The Destructive Nature of Rewriting

    Let me use a metaphor as illustration. Pretend, for a moment, that writing is cooking. You prepare the ingredients, combine them together and create a dish.

    Copyediting is the garnish on the dish. It adds flair and makes the dish appealing, but it never changes its fundamental nature.

    Rewriting is the equivalent of switching several ingredients out at the last minute. It fundamentally changes the nature of the dish, and in most cases it creates an unappetizing mess.

    5. Let It Die

    One of the most destructive aspects of the rewriting myth is the fact that it keeps things alive that should have been dead and buried long ago.

    It goes something like this: a writer has an extremely flawed piece of work that's fundamentally broken in some way. But they revise it, and they keep telling themselves if they work at it just a little more, it will turn into something good. Somehow, in some way.

    Sorry people, it ain't happening. Once a story is broken, there's no way to fix it. The best you can do is to throw out the draft and start fresh from the very beginning. Harsh? Yes, it is, but it's what needs to be done.

    Remember that 1st novel I mentioned in part 2? I wasted nearly 5 years of my life on that thing. I revised, I tinkered and hammered, trying to shape it into something good. But that never happened, because it was broken from the start.

    If your story is broken, let it die and try again. And take the lessons that you learned from writing it to heart. No writing is worthless if you learned something from it.

    6. Writing Groups, aka the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing.

    If I haven't made people mad yet, this is probably going to be the thing that sets them off. Oh well.

    To be clear, I have nothing against writing groups. They're great, actually. They provide writers with a social circle that knows what they're going through. They provide a number of different perspectives and techniques on writing, which is invaluable.

    What they're not good at is providing useful criticism for your story.

    OK, I should probably clarify that as well. The criticism of a writing group is, in fact useful. It's useful for identifying the areas you need to work on, and the areas that you're strong in. For your next piece, that is.

    But for a current work, the advice of a writing group is actively detrimental, especially when the writer starts making changes because of them. Why?

    Because people have diverse opinions. What someone hates someone else may love. Look at how well Twilight sold despite its vocal hatedom.

    If your writing group collectively identifies a major flaw in your work, it's probably fundamentally broken. Refer back to point 5. But if it's different people pointing out different things, that's just taste coming into play. Don't undermine your writing by caving to them.

    If you do, you've ceded control of your work. You've gone from writing your story to design-by-committee.

    And to me, that's tragic.

    7. You've Created a Monster

    To me, the most tragic thing about the rewriting myth is what it does to writers and their work.

    You can hear writers talk about it all the time. They use terms like 'struggle', or agonize' to describe revising their work. They 'soul-search' over whether or not to add or delete a passage. The melodrama is off the charts.

    I'd laugh, if it wasn't so gut-wrenchingly tragic.

    You know why revisions hurt so much? It's because, when you revise, you're mutilating the story that your creative mind produced. You know, that creative mind that I talked about in part 2. The one that knows how to structure a story, and takes joy in getting lost inside the world it's creating.

    Let me say it again to make it clear: you're not polishing your work when you're revising it. You're mutilating it. You're hacking off parts and sewing others back on, and you're left with a Frankenstein monster that's not even your original story anymore.

    I can't even look at my first novel at this point. For how awful it was to begin with, the revisions have twisted it so badly that I can't even recognize the inspiration it came from anymore.

    Don't make that mistake.

    8. Trust Yourself

    So why does the revision myth exist? I have a theory.

    For me, the revision myth is a safe haven for writers. It allows them to shield themselves from the harsh spotlight. It gives the an excuse to not put their work out there for the world to see. They're afraid of the quirks, the blemishes and the rough edges. They're afraid of what people might think of that. I was in that boat not too long ago myself.

    But the blemishes, the rough edge, the quirks, those are what make our stories come alive. No work is perfect. But readers want a story, warts and all. Those are the parts that stick out. Those are the parts that make the world come alive, the ones that make the world of the story feel genuine. A 'perfect' story is sterile, homogenous and dull. As a reader, give me those quirks any day.

    It really comes down to confidence. Readers need to learn how to trust their creative voice, and trust that it can build a story. That is what makes a great story. No amount of rewriting will ever come close to touching what the creative mind is capable of.

    Many writers will say "I'm not sure," or "my creative mind isn't ready to do this," or "it's too risky". I have one question for those people:

    Why are you even bothering to write?

    Why are you even doing this? Don't you have the confidence that you , the writer, can tell a story like no one else? Don't you trust your own mind? Your creativity? Don't you want to be great? To shoot for the stars?

    If you can't, my suggestion to you is to walk away from writing right now. Trust me, it's not worth the miserable slog you'll drag yourself through every day of revisions.

    9. In Conclusion.

    In my experience, revision is a soul-sucking mess that strips writing of almost all its pleasure. I went through it over the course of five years, and I quit writing because of it.

    When I came back, I threw it all away. I took the rulebook, and I tossed it. I learned to put my trust in my creative voice. And I'm happier every day for it.

    It's stunning, in fact. I didn't know how much sheer joy i was missing until I took the leap. What kind of joy? I'll cover that in part 4.

   
    And hopefully this myth stays dead and buried.
   
    *Drives the last nail into the coffin.*

    Just have fun. It sounds like the easiest thing in the world to do, yet it seems like something that's extremely hard for writers. But it's something that I believe is absolutely critical, because it makes every writers work better. So how do you do it?

    Let's start with some neuroscience, shall we? People's brains can be divided into two parts: the analytical, and the creative. Analytical is associated with the left brain and creative is associated with the right, though there's plenty of crossover between the two.

    When I say that writers need to have fun, I really am saying that they need to engage the creative parts of their brain while they write.

    You'd probably respond by saying 'no, duh'. It seems obvious.

    But yet, it's not, especially for newer writers. Part of the reason I think the "writing is hard" belief exists is because of this obstacle. A a new writer sits down to do some writing, and instead of engaging the creative part of their brain, they engage the critical part and start questioning themselves. Questions like:

        - Is everyone going to think this is crap?
        - Is this idea stupid?
        - Is the structure right?
        - Does this follow the correct formula?

    The writer then proceeds to stall out on those questions, crushing every creative idea they have under a wave of criticism until they give up. Then they start believing that writing is hard.

    Uh, NO.

    I said it in the last post, and I'll say it again. Write. Have fun. Instead of sitting in front of your computer, wondering where to begin, put your fingers to the keys and start typing. Let the words out, and let them take you where they will. You're creating a world: lose yourself in it.

    But wait! you'll say. My writing will be crap! There will be no structure, no plot, no theme, nothing that makes a story a story! It's just going to be a jumble of words on a bunch of pages!

    Actually, I think you might surprise yourself.

    Most (I'm tempted to say all) writers are readers. We've read hundreds or thousands of stories over the course of our lives, and our brains have subconsciously filed away every single one of them.

    What difference does that make? Well, the stories still exist in the subconscious of the writer, and the brain has grasped some of the nuances. By the time you're writing a novel your brain knows how to create a plot, knows how to create a narrative, and knows where themes come from, even if it's only on a subconscious level. After all, it's been trained for its entire life.

    When you engage the creative side of your brain, that subconscious knowledge helps to guide you along. It will tell you 'this is what should logically happen next in the plot', or 'this character should act this way'. That is what will give your story its shape and structure while you're engaging the creative part of your brain.

    To illustrate further:

    Writers can usually be divided into two different categories. The first are planners, who plan their writing out beforehand and follow a specific structure. The second are pantsers, who fly by the seat of their pants and make things up as they go.

    I happen to be a pantser on the extreme end of the scale.

    I'm currently about a third of the way through my fourth novel, and yet I still have almost no clue what I'm going to write when I start. I came up with almost everything on the fly, from characters to plots, to the running themes of the books. The only time I've ever tried to make a plan was in my third book, Fang , and that lasted a whole three chapters before I went off the rails. How was I able to do it? I let loose, dove into the world, and had a ton of fun. I wrote and then asked "where do I go from here?". Then I went there. Each novel was a journey, and they were all a blast.

    But you're still not sure? You're still afraid that you'll write crap? Let me say one more thing:

    Black Wolf is not actually my first novel. Over the course of several years, I wrote a novel. It was a struggle. The critical part of my brain kept holding me back, and I progressed slowly. I fought. I struggled. I clawed, and I fell down a lot. It was an endurance test, almost like a right of passage. To my younger self it felt like I had climbed a mountain.

    But it sucked. The writing was terrible, the plot was awful, and half the characters could be replaced with talking cardboard cutouts. It's never going to see the light of day.

    In contrast, I wrote Black Wolf in about a month. I kept the critical part of my brain from becoming overbearing, and I wrote. And at the end of it all, I looked back and saw how much fun I had writing it.

    Don't be afraid to write. Even if you write crap, you'll gain valuable experience. And that will make your next story that much better.

    So, you've followed my advice. You've taken the leap into the world of writing, and you've let your creativity run free. You have a manuscript ready. It's not perfect, but hey, after four or five drafts it'll be ready for prime time. I just need to do some rewrites, right?

    NO. No, no, no, no, no, no. NO.

    NO.


GIFSoup     I'll explain why in part 3.

    I've been asked to do an author presentation at my local library, and end up wondering what exactly I was going to present (other than my books of course). One of the possibilities I'm considering is doing a presentation / Q&A on what I've discovered about the writing process since I've started my career. That got me thinking about all the things I've learned as a writer, and I decided that I wanted to write those thoughts down.

    This blog series is going to focus on how to write, specifically how I believe that several pieces of conventional wisdom on writing are wrong. Please note that these are opinion pieces, and I'm not going to pull any punches. I'm going to be snarky, and I make no apologies for that.

So with that, here we go.

   
    I noticed it around the time I was finishing up my second novel. The reactions that I was almost done with a novel little more than a month after my first one ranged from surprise to shock.

    I honestly didn't think much of it until then, because it had all felt right to me. The story flowed well, and I was able to write at a consistent pace. I put a lot of hours into it, to be sure, but nothing drastic. So why the surprise from everyone?

    Honestly, I think it has to do with the misconception that many people have about novels; that writing is hard.

    To which I laugh uproariously. Then I hear authors claiming the same thing and exclaim "what?!"

    Say this aloud : WRITING IS NOT HARD.

    Writing fiction is one of the easiest things in the world. You sit down, and you let your imagination run wild. Anything is possible. You can create anything, go anywhere, and you can do it with a simple screen and word processor (or pen and paper, if you're old fashioned.)

    But wait! you say. Look how many words are in a novel! It has to be hard to write that much!

    Let's break down some numbers, shall we?

    Take an average novel, around 80,000 words. Then take the amount of words that an average person can write in an hour of work. Estimate that around 1,000. I've timed myself and I know I'm capable of doing 1,500 if I stay focused (which is never), but let's stay conservative.

    So, it will take about 80 hours to complete a novel, working at average speed. Let's run some more numbers.

    NanoWriMo is coming up. Based off these numbers, you would need to write for 2 hours and 40 minutes per day to complete the novel by November 30. Certainly something that requires your attention, but nothing insurmountable.

    Want to write a single novel in a year? You need to spend a whole 13 minutes a day to complete your novel by year's end.

    13 MINUTES A DAY .

    Say it with me again: WRITING IS NOT HARD.

    Hold on! you say. The writing's not going to be any good! I'm just going to put a pile of crap that will need months and months of editing!

    *Sigh*

    This was something I believed myself, up until the point I finally had enough, threw out the rulebook and jumped into the blue. For those who are saying this, I have one question for you:

    Why do you have so little faith in your ability?

   Writing isn't hard. But writing is intimidating, especially to those who are new at it. I've been there. Aspiring writers are afraid of what they might create. What if the plot's not right? What if it's not structured properly? What if it's not good enough? My past self said that a lot.

    My current self says "so what?"

    My advice is to write. Write. Ignore the doubts in the back of your head, and write. If it, then so what? You practiced writing, and that's going to make your next novel better. Buckle down and write another one.

    Ah, covers. That one element of the book that can be so often forgotten, yet is so critical. A good cover can make a book: it draws the attention of a prospective reader and plants a seed of curiosity in their mind. On the other hand, a bad cover can be the death knell for even the best written book. There are millions of books out there, so why should the reader pay attention to one with a single color and a bunch of crummy text?

    As I started on preliminary designs for the cover of Howl, I began thinking about the process I used to design my first book cover for Black Wolf. While being my first attempt, it birthed several design elements that I continue to use.

    The first, and most distinctive element that I came up with was the use of the circuit board pattern as a background. Black Wolf is a science fiction novel dealing with a virtual reality, so I used the pattern to draw attention to that part of the narrative.

    In fact, that element became so distinctive that I also use the pattern for my short story covers as well. The reason is simple: the design is clean and uncomplicated, but it's very, very eye-catching and can be applied to any number of color patterns. It also gives my work a unified theme: a reader can immediately tell that a work is from the World at War series simply from the pattern on the cover.

    The second element of my novel covers is the unit patch design. Since the series deals with fictional military units inside the World at War MMO, I put that on the cover. I did it instead of a battle scene or a character picture because it conveys what the novel is about. It's not just about one character who's part of Black Wolf Company: it's about Black Wolf Company, as told through the eyes of one person. I felt that the unit patch emphasized that distinction: it's about the group, not the individual.

    So in summary, the design elements for the Black Wolf cover are as follows:

1. The circuit board pattern ties into the virtual reality setting, and provides a background that is eye-catching without being overpowering.

2. The unit patch helps to emphasize one of the themes of the book: that it's about the group, not the individual.

    Put them together, and it makes a pretty good looking cover. So what do you think about cover design?

WARNING. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

    There's a lot of philosophy contained within the pages of Black Wolf. The major reason for that is due to the fact that the technology of virtual worlds would have a significant sociological and philosophical impact on human society were they to be introduced on a massive scale. We've already seen the changes that social media has introduced, and I believe a virtual world would have similar impact. Because of this, I felt that I couldn't ignore it.

    At the same time, I try not be preachy about any line of thought. My stance on including philosophy in a book is this: I write about concepts, and let the readers form their own opinions about them. One of the ideas I learned while studying for my history degree in college was the idea of perception and memory. While history is ostensibly fact based, it is also extremely subjective. One a single event can have drastically different meanings depending on who's viewpoint is being examined. In the same way, philosophical discussions can have wildly varying interpretations, and I feel it would be a disservice to the reader to simply push one point of view.

    There are two core philosophical ideas contained within Black Wolf. The first is the idea of living in a virtual world, and whether experiences and relationships in the virtual world have as much meaning as those in the real world. It's a topic that has become extremely relevant in recent years due to the rise of video games and social media. Many people spend a significant amount of time in a virtual world, whether that time is spent in an MMO, on Facebook or in a chat room (remember when those were relevant?). The idea is discussed several times by the characters, and with good reason: they're spending a majority of their time in the game world, and one school of thought would lead us to believe that they're letting the world pass them by. Of course, it could also be pointed out that, strictly speaking, virtual worlds aren't a new thing. Every time we watch television or see a movie we step into a constructed world. Even reading a book could be considered stepping into a virtual world, because we distance ourselves from the real world and travel to a constructed one.

    The second idea is the concept of a virtual world as a means for a utopia. This theme is much less pronounced, but it's important nonetheless. On the surface, the idea of using a virtual world to create a utopia is an intriguing idea. It would allow people to live their lives free from care and stress, and the boundaries within a virtual existence are endless. On the other hand, there's a significant argument against it as well: does life have any meaning if one does not have to strive to overcome anything? And then there was the question that I ended up asking: are we shackled by pain and suffering, or is it the fear of them that binds us?

    One of the most interesting aspects that developed as I wrote Black Wolf was how it compared to other adventure works. The fear of death is always present, even though the characters usually learn to overcome it. But in Black Wolf, where death is merely a slap on the wrist, the outlook of the characters changes dramatically. By the end of the book they end up reveling in the danger they face, because the chains of death are completely broken. Now, to be sure, fear is still present in the game. The characters still fear dying, in the same way that I fear watching my army of plastic men being gunned down by horrible dice rolls. But the effective immortality they possess frees them. Interestingly enough, that aspect was also liberating for me as a writer; I could kill a character any time I wanted, which I exploited to its full effect. The protagonist bites it no less than three times over the course of the story.

    I feel that science fiction always needs to have an underlying theme, even if it's a simple one. That belief manifested itself as I wrote Black Wolf, and I hope that it give readers a little something to ponder.

    Building the virtual world of World at War was one of the most enjoyable things about writing Black Wolf. Like many video games in real life, World at War took many elements of tried and true concepts, and mixed them together to create something with it's own unique flair. There was a lot to put into the book, and there's quite a bit of stuff that didn't make the cut this time around. Many of those elements will be expanded on in further novels.

    The first decision I had to make was where the game would be set. I eventually decided to set the game in a post-apocalyptic version of the real world, scaled to a quarter of its normal size. Log Horizon had a similar concept, where the world was set in a post-apocalyptic Japan scaled to half size, but I though the setting was appropriate for several reasons. First, the post-apocalyptic setting was important to the feel of the game, so setting it in the real world would add to the sense of breakdown and decay. Second, it would be easier for people to connect with locations that they could find in the real world, even if they were so wildly different as to be unrecognizable. Third, the concept of hubs also made the choice appealing. Since different regions would begin in different hubs, it made sense to make them correspond to their real world locations; a player in Seattle would be closer to a player in Chicago than a player in Miami.

    The second decision was how to create a battle system. I toyed around with a few concepts; making only small areas available to player versus player battles was one, making fights self-contained was another. In the end, I decided on a system heavily influenced by EVE Online. The hub cities would be safe zones, while everything around them would be lawless. Players would have to band together in order to survive in the harsh world. It would be a difficult game to get into, but it would be extremely rewarding as well. There are also plenty of safety nets for new players that I didn't elaborate on. You may notice that I mentioned NPC quests at the beginning of the book, and then never say another thing about them. This is mostly due to the fact that the main characters go off the rails and never bother with them. They're still present, and they're an important part of the world, but they don't influence the course of the novel.

    One of the most important aspects of an MMORPG is equipment and loot, and I had to decide how I wanted to implement that. I felt that the schematic system fit within the confines of a post-apocalyptic world, and it introduced many interesting scenarios to the mix. To me, one of the most interesting parts of EVE Online was large-scale economic warfare, which also plays a significant part in Black Wolf's plot. It also gave the characters room to grow and build themselves in the games world.

    Inventing World at War was a long process, and it's nowhere near finished yet. As more is written about it, the world will continue to grow.

    The virtual world is one of the most critical aspects of the story, but it's not the only aspect. Many philosophical elements became a part of the story as I wrote, and I'll detail them in the next post.