Happy New Year

 

2024 is here. Time to reflect on last year and set some goals for next year.

In my second year of retirement, it was challenging to carve out writing time, but scheduling writing days with writer-friend Laura has helped a lot. I finished the first draft of Periphery, got it out and back from beta readers, and I am making great progress with the final draft. The sneak peak of the cover art came in just before the new year, and that is so exciting! Kudos to Erin Ruffino, and now it gets handed off to Aaron La Porta for cover design while Erin works on the map for the inside.

I had three very successful author signings, two with the Dollars for Scholars event at Sweet Home High School and one with the Buffalo Historical Society.

I joined Buffalo Niagara Children's Writers and Illustrators and have attended most of their meetings. I am still meeting monthly with my writer's group. And I attended an inspirational writers' retreat in Rochester this summer.

So, overall, I call it a successful year. Although the initial plan was to have Periphery out in 2023, I think it will be a better read for the time spent crafting it.

So, what are the goals for 2024? First and foremost, get Periphery into the hands of readers. After that, a sequel to Periphery might take over, although I did start working on a ballet story for middle grades while my manuscript was with beta readers. I also have a short story in the works, which I think I might try to get entered into some contests. I would also like to add a couple more signings to the schedule this year. 

Here's to 2024 and staying focused!

Publishing Series: #9 So You Think You're Done...

Okay. You've written and revised. And revised some more. You're pleased. It sounds good. That manuscript is done! 

Ah, not quite. Now you need to find some beta readers. Three or four should be plenty. They should be people who enjoy a good story. They should also be people you trust to tell you the truth. Their job will be to read your entire manuscript and track their thoughts in the margins. If they have a question, they should write it down. If they are shocked or surprised, they should write it down. They should have a conversation with you and the text in writing in the margins.

Set a date when they should have completed their task and returned the manuscript to you. Then sit down and re-read your story and read their comments. My habit is to spread out at a large table with all the copies in front of me and page through them all at the same pace. I read all the page one comments, then all the page two comments. You get the idea. I also have my writing up on my computer and make suggested changes along the way. Sometimes the beta readers' comments won't help, but if a reader has a question about something they should have the answer to, that is either their fault as a reader or your fault as a writer. You need to figure it out. Having several eyes on the text will help you do that.

If they laugh when you wrote something funny or are shocked when you wrote something surprising, your writing is working. Beta readers can be reaffirming in this way, and they can also help you discover holes in your plot or flaws in your characters.

So what do you do when you have digested all your beta readers' comments? Revise again!

Next Up: Are We There Yet?

Periphery in Sight!

Small celebration today!

I just finished the draft of Periphery, my next young adult novel, which is a fantasy adventure. The tree in the photo at the right was the inspiration. I will read it through once more before it is sent off to my team of Beta readers. If I can get it to them within the next month, I will be able to begin work on the sequel, tentatively titled The Amaranth. Depending on the efficiency of my Beta readers, Periphery could see publication within the year. That would be exciting! Summer could entail work on both projects to make sure they flow together. Now if we could get the Covid pandemic under control and author visits would start up again, the world would be a wonderful place! I miss talking with young readers, but with another novel on the near horizon, we’ll have a lot to talk about when the time comes!

The Bridge to a New Year

This time of year we find ourselves on the cusp of two years.

At the same time, I find myself on the cusp of two projects.

Eye of the Peacock is with my team of beta readers. It is an exciting and anxious time for me. I hope they enjoy it, but at the same time, I know they will have questions and concerns with the plot. Eventually, I will need to return to this project so that it is ready for my anticipated late summer release. My cover designer also has all he needs, except final length, to begin that part of the project.

So while I wait, I have begun my next project, one I am truly excited about. It is a futuristic fantasy with a male protagonist. Both concepts push at my comfort zone, but I am ready for the challenge. The plot is not solidified yet. At this point, I am having fun with my main character and the people who are coming into his life. I am hoping he will be an unsuspecting hero. I hope he meets my expectations!

The Draft is Done!

The draft of “Eye of the Peacock” is now finished. Huzzah!

I’m taking a week to read through one last time to look for silly mistakes before it goes to my team of beta readers. Besides my usual crew, I’ll have three teens on that team, and I’m excited for their input. I’ll be giving them several weeks to read and make their annotations.

Then begins the really tough work: comparing their notes page by page. If they all pin point a problem area, then it’s my job to rework it. Some will also spot some editing mistakes, and I’ll fix those along the way.

The next step is ordering proofs once the cover has been decided. Another team of readers will “red pen” those copies for editing mistakes.

Then it’s off to the publishers!

Crafting the Ending

Crafting the ending of a piece, I believe, is the most challenging. It is not only the part where all the pieces of a story need to come together, but also the part where the writer needs to re-examine the reason for writing the piece. What was the message you were intending to give to your readers? Has that message been made clear?

So I often find myself going back through on the second draft and looking for places to shore up that message, looking for places where I can insert bits of information that I found necessary to include at the end, tweaking wording to cleverly hint at themes.

And that is what Beta Readers will be for as well – helping me find those holes that don’t exist in my head, but haven’t been made clear on paper.

This is the part that is more than just writing!

Great Sci Fi Read

I must give a long-overdue shout out to friend and fellow writer Martin Wilsey.

Martin's first novel, Still Falling, which has only been on the market since late March, has already received eight extremely positive reviews on Amazon. An adult science fiction story, Still Falling is the first in what is expected to be the Solstice 31 Saga trilogy.

As one of his beta readers, I know first-hand what a great read it is. His characters Barcus and Po are facinating, well-rounded characters, and there are some great secondary characters as well. Martin has done this neat thing where he combines futuristic technology in a medieval setting. If you know Martin, these are two of the things he loves most.

I am really proud of him!
 

If you check out his blog wilseymc@blogspot.com you’ll find all his other links.

 

Writers Group

I have to say that joining a writing group is a must. I joined my writers group at least 12 years ago. Although the number of members flexes every year, the core members have remained the same. We meet once a month and bring a piece of writing. It can be anything the writer would like feedback on. The author passes out a copy to each member and tells the members where they would like to focus the feedback. It can be anything – “I was having trouble with descriptions,” “Are you picturing this?” “Is my dialog realistic?” The author reads the piece. Then feedback happens. Some members are good at catching grammar and punctuation errors. Others great with trimming the fat. Within 15 minutes you have some excellent feedback on your work.

My group has been great listening to chapters of Relic and giving me feedback. A couple of the members were even among my Beta readers. They read the entire manuscript and were additionally valuable when I presented two new chapters I added because of Beta reader feedback.

Writing is such a solitary endeavor, but it’s no good if you write just for yourself. Every writer should seek outside eyes so that future readers will love every word.