Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! This past week has been a good one, and I'm finally finished with Death Brings the Victory (at least the writing portion of things). Now it's a matter of formatting, and working out the cover art...and sometime soon, I'll be working on some new material (some short stories and the next Aston novel).
Results for this week:
1. Finished all edits on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Develop synopsis for Death Brings the Victory
2. Format e-book versions of Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
14 February 2012
13 February 2012
Cliffhanging
No, nothing here about climbing mountains or extreme sports...but something that authors (new and experienced) should keep in mind when putting together their manuscripts. Readers are getting shorter attention spans with every passing day, and as such, it's going to become more important to toss in those ever important cliffhangers (usually at the end of your chapters).
What makes an effective cliffhanger?
The old adage is whatever it takes to get the reader to turn the page to the next chapter. That's a little vague. So, I'd like to propose that your characters should be facing one of the following:
-Impending Death: Nothing gets a reader engaged in the story more than wondering how their favorite character is going to escape death (let's face it, unless you're ending a series, or going for a major plot twist, you're likely not going to kill that character off). Don't do it too much, as then people will start losing interest...but a well-placed death-defying escape now and again keeps things moving and lets people root for your main character.
Author's note: I use this often in most of my novels.
-A Major Fact Just (or about to be) Revealed: This has to be of great significance to the plot, or it simply will not work. In the case of ending the chapter on a reveal about to happen, you also need to do the reveal shortly after, or your readers are going to be let down (the "about-to-be" reveal is a contract with your reader, and you need to pay it in full. One other point about this...sometimes, if you've pulled the reader along a few chapters (using other techniques along the way), it can make the reveal that much more satisfying.
In my novel Friends in Deed (which is currently 99 cents over at Amazon for the rest of the month), I use this at the end of a chapter in which (after Aston wondering what the twins really want) I reveal their true intentions (and its a doozie).
-An Act the Reader Has Been Waiting For: Although not as effective (in my opinion) as the other two listed here, the sense of satisfaction the reader achieves can be used to get that page turned. If they're happy (make it really good!), there's a higher chance they'll be willing to keep moving toward your next cliffhanger.
Author's note: I use one of these quite well in my next novel...I don't want to give it away, so I'll leave it at that.
-Another Piece For the Puzzle: Not nearly as effective as the others above, this can still be useful if you're trying not to overuse your other techniques. In essence, you can lay another piece in front of the reader, so that they can work through the mystery in their mind. Unfortunately, the setup for this cliffhanger can take a while, so it also runs the risk of cutting off your reader's interest.
Author's note: I use this from time to time, including when I introduce one of the main antagonists in my novel, The Cure, and the character reveals that she's been spying on the main character, and isn't against the idea of killing her (sprinkling a little implied "Impending Death" doesn't hurt).
Are there any other cliffhangers that you're particularly fond of (either reading or using)?
What makes an effective cliffhanger?
The old adage is whatever it takes to get the reader to turn the page to the next chapter. That's a little vague. So, I'd like to propose that your characters should be facing one of the following:
-Impending Death: Nothing gets a reader engaged in the story more than wondering how their favorite character is going to escape death (let's face it, unless you're ending a series, or going for a major plot twist, you're likely not going to kill that character off). Don't do it too much, as then people will start losing interest...but a well-placed death-defying escape now and again keeps things moving and lets people root for your main character.
Author's note: I use this often in most of my novels.
-A Major Fact Just (or about to be) Revealed: This has to be of great significance to the plot, or it simply will not work. In the case of ending the chapter on a reveal about to happen, you also need to do the reveal shortly after, or your readers are going to be let down (the "about-to-be" reveal is a contract with your reader, and you need to pay it in full. One other point about this...sometimes, if you've pulled the reader along a few chapters (using other techniques along the way), it can make the reveal that much more satisfying.
In my novel Friends in Deed (which is currently 99 cents over at Amazon for the rest of the month), I use this at the end of a chapter in which (after Aston wondering what the twins really want) I reveal their true intentions (and its a doozie).
-An Act the Reader Has Been Waiting For: Although not as effective (in my opinion) as the other two listed here, the sense of satisfaction the reader achieves can be used to get that page turned. If they're happy (make it really good!), there's a higher chance they'll be willing to keep moving toward your next cliffhanger.
Author's note: I use one of these quite well in my next novel...I don't want to give it away, so I'll leave it at that.
-Another Piece For the Puzzle: Not nearly as effective as the others above, this can still be useful if you're trying not to overuse your other techniques. In essence, you can lay another piece in front of the reader, so that they can work through the mystery in their mind. Unfortunately, the setup for this cliffhanger can take a while, so it also runs the risk of cutting off your reader's interest.
Author's note: I use this from time to time, including when I introduce one of the main antagonists in my novel, The Cure, and the character reveals that she's been spying on the main character, and isn't against the idea of killing her (sprinkling a little implied "Impending Death" doesn't hurt).
Are there any other cliffhangers that you're particularly fond of (either reading or using)?
12 February 2012
Friends in Deed Excerpt
In the depth of my nightmares, Lycus IV would always be a formidable hell, no matter if the scenery gave off the illusion of mighty grandeur. Lush green trees lined the banks. Sporadic cloud cover offered broken views of a distant pale blue mountain range.
This prison planet’s terror was not found in its natural surroundings, but from its unwilling inhabitants.
A wide river flowed slowly before me over a bed of rocks. Filthy clothing, ripped and shredded, barely covered my bruised and bloody skin. I gazed across the clear, inviting water.
A bellow filled the air. I turned as a pale, naked giant rumbled through the brush, yelling at the top of his lungs. His makeshift mallet towered above his head, a boulder strapped into the fork of a tree branch. I jumped aside just before the weapon crashed down.
One of his eyes grew crazy-wide, while the other glazed over. Saliva dribbled from his lips. “I am King of the Wooded Realm! You dare invade my territory?”
This wasn’t a fight I planned to stick around for. This beast was obviously psychotic, and they were always the worst type of violent.
He hoisted his club and swung it. I stumbled back and it sent a breeze across my face. Escape was my only chance for survival, so I turned toward the opposite bank and sprinted across the riverbed.
“Your punishment is death! Vengeance is demanded!”
I high-stepped through the water while the beast screamed bloody murder. I didn’t want to look back, because that would leave no doubt he gained on me.
My foot tripped over a cluster of submerged rocks and I splashed into the cool, clear water. I flipped over and faced my attacker as his cold, dark shadow enveloped me. Milky-white foam oozed over his lower lip, dripping long strands toward the water below.
“Prepare to meet your maker!”
He raised the mallet high above his head. At least my death would be quick, but I couldn’t say much for painless. I shut my eyes tight and waited for the crushing blow.
A sharp whistle passed overhead and the giant beast gasped and choked. My eyes flashed open as the beast dropped his weapon into the river behind him.
Only one object stood between me and oblivion, a homemade arrow buried in his neck, with feathers fashioned into rear fins. He couldn’t pull it out from the front, so reached back. The beast’s mind finally gave up hope as soon as his fingers felt a stone tip emerging from the back of his neck. His eyes rolled up into his skull, then he fell backward.
The corpse splashed down and huge waves pushed against me. I jerked my head around and stared at the opposite bank. There, a bow in his left hand and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back, stood the man who’d just saved my life.
Elijah Cassus.
* * *
I shot awake, drenched in sweat and breathing heavy. The ship was rapidly decelerating, and something was definitely wrong. My ship’s computer usually gave me advance notice before we dropped below the hyperspeed threshold.
I wiped my forehead and tossed my legs over the cot’s side, speaking to my computer. “Jeanie, where are we?”
Her seductive voice was little comfort to me. “The Bacauri system.”
I involuntarily shuddered, even knowing we’d pass this way when we first set a course for the Tranon system. Quite likely, it was why I’d had a nightmare about my time on Lycus IV. Trouble was, we weren’t scheduled to make a stop before reaching Tranon. I scrambled for the bridge. “Why are we slowing down?”
“A power fluctuation interrupted the hyperspeed engines.”
This had never happened to me before. But as always, my life was a textbook example of bad timing.
“Once they cool down, continue course.”
I slumped into my captain’s chair, staring blankly at the viewscreen. A lone red planet, uninhabited, rested several megpars ahead, surrounded by tiny light specks.
I examined the sensor screen in my left side console, and confirmed I wasn’t just a victim of overactive paranoia. Sure enough, the Lycus system border was only two megpars off my port side.
I shivered. “Jeanie, how much longer?”
“Should only be a few more moments.”
I took a deep, calming breath. The prison planet Lycus IV had driven fear into my heart. My escape definitely hadn’t made me any friends with the territorial rulers, the Gohr. It had almost led to my death, more times than I wanted to remember.
Without warning, the viewscreen filled with bright white light. I held my hand up to shield my eyes.
“Incoming transmission, unidentified vessel.”
Ships didn’t make unscheduled stops in the middle of nowhere, especially when there wasn’t a communication beacon anywhere nearby. It meant one thing.
Someone was after me.
“Put it through.” A window popped up along the left half of my viewscreen, and I was face-to-face with a Wasirian in a chair. The squat translucent beast stabilized the gigantic bulb, which served as both his upper torso and head, using several hundred short tentacles grasping onto every surface nearby. Black eyes were huge against his green skin.
Wasirians were a nasty species, known for their short tempers and violent tendencies. At least the males. I never knew anyone who’d actually ever met a female Wasirian. It made one wonder if there was a reason they were always so frustrated with the universe.
The beast’s tiny beak at the center of his body flapped rapidly. “Give me back my cargo!”
“What cargo?”
“Are you Aston West?”
“Yes, but what...”
One of his tentacles broke from the pack and jabbed at the screen. “Then give me back my Nomarian ale.”
I scowled. “I’m telling you, I don’t know...”
His forked tongue flapped out from his beak and he hissed and shrieked, loud and shrill, to silence me, before going back to his demands. “You stole my cargo!” His giant bulb doubled in size and deepened to a red color.
I rushed to prevent another interruption. “I didn’t steal anything. What proof do you have?”
“An eyewitness saw you do it.”
“Then your eyewitness is a liar.”
His eyes narrowed to vertical slits. “Give it back or else!”
I muted the audio and spoke to Jeanie. “What’s his armament?”
“Proton cannons and a set of four AIR-3’s.”
Adilphi Interceptor Rockets. I could evade one, maybe two at the most. Four would be a stretch.
On the other half of my viewscreen, I watched his ship drift, pointed in roughly the same direction as I was. No more than half a kilpar long, the bullet-shaped front transitioned to a rectangular cabin, accented at the rear with four exhaust nozzles. Delta wings were nestled underneath his aft cabin.
His head grew a darker shade of red as I returned to the conversation. “Listen, I’m sorry you lost a shipment of Nomarian ale, but I don’t have it. Scan my hold for yourself.”
I didn’t even know what Nomarian ale looked like, but knew all my holds were empty.
His tongue flapped a few more times. “Everyone knows scans can be deceived!”
True enough, but I didn’t have his ale. I wished I did. Business had dried up lately, no pun intended.
“Maybe we can retrace your steps and figure this out.”
I had no idea why the idea of using diplomacy even entered my head. It wouldn’t have been any use with a Wasirian, even if I’d been good at it in the first place.
“You will not return my ale?” His eyes widened. “Then you will die!”
My life’s never dull.
The sub-window disappeared from the viewscreen, which left me an expansive view of the starscape outside.
A skin panel rose along the top of his ship, just forward of the nozzles. His thrusters flashed and the vessel turned toward me. He was about to do something very stupid.
Jeanie confirmed it. “His rocket launchers are deployed and targeting is on-line.”
“Idiot.” I grabbed the control stick on my left and rested my other hand on the thruster control panel.
The ship banked and propelled itself in response as I jerked the stick forward and to the left, keeping him from getting a targeting lock. I kept his ship centered in my viewscreen.
“Can you hack into his computer and disable his targeting computer?”
“Negative. I have attempted to do so since he dropped out of hyperspace. He has a very impressive security system in place.”
“Guess we’ll have to do this the hard way. Bring up the proton cannons, continuous burst.”
“Done.”
“Disable his targeting computer. Maximum power.” The sooner I disabled his ability to kill me, the better.
“Maximum power,” she repeated.
I leveled my ship out. “Fire!”
Green beams pulsed from either side of the viewscreen and impaled his launcher.
“Whoa! Cease fire!”
Jeanie obeyed immediately, and the beams dissipated to nothing.
“I wanted to disable his targeting computer, not destroy his warheads.”
“His targeting computer is located inside his launch bay. It has been disabled as you requested.”
At least no further damage had been done.
Or so I thought, just before all four warheads glowed bright red and then exploded. Another blast followed when debris ripped into the engine pods, and the ship was shredded to pieces. A fireball ignited, then extinguished itself in the vacuum of space. Scrap metal raced away from the scene of the crime. Small fragments pelted my ship and I cringed. The last thing I needed was a hole in my hull. Emergency depressurization in the middle of nowhere would be yet one more nightmare I could live without.
“No life signs detected.”
As if there had been any doubt.
I closed my eyes. I hadn’t meant for the fool to die. Sure, he hadn’t been the first person I’d ever killed, but there was usually a reason someone had to die. Stupidity wasn’t one of the better ones.
Why hadn’t he just believed me? Now he was dead, because of lost cargo neither one of us had possession of. The truly sad part was neither of us had the ale.
“Wait for the debris field to clear. Then get us out of here.”
“Acknowledged.”
This brief interruption had given me a respite from my earlier fear. Without death staring me in the face, though, I returned to my thoughts of Lycus IV.
I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. As long as I stayed on this side of the border, I had nothing to worry about. The Gohr were notoriously mean and vicious, a fact to which anyone who’d heard of them could attest. They only left their territory to annex others, though, and for nothing else.
I opened my eyes once again. The sound of debris bouncing off the hull had ceased, yet we hadn’t moved. “Jeanie...”
“Forward coolant injectors are not responding.” Without coolant, the hyperspeed engines would turn my ship into a ball of liquid metal.
Definitely not anything to experience firsthand.
“Wonderful!” I leaned back and stared at the beige overhead liner, then rubbed my temples. “Can anything else go wrong?”
“I’m picking up a Gohr destroyer departing orbit around the planet.”
I double-checked the sensor screen. “What’s it doing outside of Gohr territory?”
“I don’t have an answer to that.”
I turned to the viewscreen. The destroyer rapidly approached and triple-barrel turrets atop the vessel emerged in exquisite detail. Twin stacks were mounted just forward of a raised bridge. One shot, and there wouldn’t even be debris left to sift through for my remains.
If they discovered who I was, and they would, my escape from Lycus IV would mean my death. My stomach churned with the knowledge my weapons and hull would be useless against a warship. There was no way I’d outrun them, either, not without operational hyperspeed engines.
“They’re closing to weapons range.” Jeanie announced. “Incoming transmission.”
* * *
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Battle Royal - Choose the Winner!
Well, it came to my attention that two of my books have now been put on sale for the rest of this month over at Amazon, for the low price of 99 cents. So, I personally think we should have a Battle Royal between the two. So, it's a race to the top...which book is going to hit the #1 spot first? My Aston novel Friends in Deed, or my short story collection Dead or Alive? You choose!
10 February 2012
SFFS: A Snippet from "Redemption"
Greetings, everyone, and welcome to another installment of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday here on the blog. Make sure to check out all the other authors involved via the previous link. Like last week's snippet from "Lifeline" I'll be digging into my Dead or Alive collection for today's snippet, which comes from another of the included stories, "Redemption":
If you liked last week's snippet (or the full story for those who found it via my website), and liked this one as well, make sure to pick up a copy of the full collection. Enjoy!
I yanked my Mark II blaster out of its holster, rotated the container’s handles and threw open the lid against my instructions.
“Help!”
I climbed up on the bay’s support structure to look inside.
My mind raced to process the images. A young woman stood naked at the middle of the container, save for a long mane of bright red hair. She covered herself and fell silent. I looked around the container and saw eight medical beds angled up against the two side walls.
My skin crawled at the sight of other unclothed beings. Various ages and genders were represented through each bed’s lid. I assumed they were alive, but it could have gone either way.
Whatever this was, I wasn’t going to like it.
If you liked last week's snippet (or the full story for those who found it via my website), and liked this one as well, make sure to pick up a copy of the full collection. Enjoy!
08 February 2012
Sales Update - February 2012
It's been a little over three months since my last update on sales figures, so I figured now would be as good a time as any to give a little update. To recap those figures, here are the stats from that previous post (as of October 30):
Heroes Die Young (released September 2008) had sold a total of 231 copies (print and e-book total), for an average of around 73 copies per year.
Friends in Deed (released January 2010) had sold a total of 65 copies (print and e-book total), for an average of around 33 copies per year.
Seeker (released December 2010) had sold around 42 copies (e-book only).
Dead or Alive (released in print, February 2011) had sold 19 copies. An e-book version was not available.
The Cure (released in e-book, July 2011; in print, September 2011) had sold 2 print copies and 11 e-books.
And now for the new stats:
Heroes Die Young has now sold a total of 260 copies (print and e-book total). This includes copies that were previously sold, but not yet paid for by the vendor (such as Amazon), so 29 copies have passed through the system in the last three months. I have not yet received my royalty statement for the 4th quarter of 2011, but am expecting it soon, so any copies appearing there will be included in the next update.
Friends in Deed has now sold a total of 66 copies (print and e-book total). Same comments about the upcoming royalty statement. There may have been a discrepancy on the past update, as I've sold 6 copies since then...but the 66 copies is correct.
Seeker has now sold around 50 copies (99-cent e-book only), so about 8 copies have sold over the past three months.
Dead or Alive has now sold 22 print copies (3 copies over the past three months). An e-book version was made available in July 2011 over at Smashwords (Kindle version came out in January 2012), and has sold 6 copies (an estimate based on sales ranking numbers...with four of these for the Kindle in the past month).
The Cure has now sold 29 copies (print and e-book total), so 16 copies have sold in the past three months. One side note to this is that I recently dropped the price to 99 cents, and my sales in January and February so far (at least through Smashwords) have been the same number as my sales were in the first six months at the $2.99 level.
As mentioned in the last update, I went ahead and put out my first Triple-Shot collection in November 2011 for a 99-cent price point. Since that time, 8 reported copies have sold.
Now for the analysis:
First, in conversations with others, they aren't entirely sure why some of these numbers are so low. Other books seem to do far better, even though they aren't written as well. This could be for lack of sufficient marketing, a matter that I've previously mentioned is being corrected.
As I mentioned about The Cure, sales drastically increased when I dropped the price to 99 cents. Although the royalty figures decreased accordingly, I believe these prices will need to stick around until such time as my sales figures improve. All of my self-published titles have been priced at this level now, but once my new title (Death Brings the Victory) is released, I'll have a decision to make regarding that price point. Since it already has a base with fans of Aston, it may sustain itself at a higher price. Time will tell.
In the past three months, I've sold 76 books for a total of just over 25 books a month all-inclusive (counting all titles). This backs up the assertion that many have made before, in that putting out additional titles helps boost sales figures. So, if you're spending all of your time trying to promote one book while neglecting your next book in the process, you're doing it wrong. Promote, yes, but if you don't have a new book coming down the pipeline, you're only hurting yourself.
Hopefully I'll do a little more analysis about these figures (specifically, the comparison between sales figures for each book) in an upcoming post. In the meantime, I hope they were useful to you in your search for a publisher, agent, small press or for helping you decide whether to go into self-publishing.
Heroes Die Young (released September 2008) had sold a total of 231 copies (print and e-book total), for an average of around 73 copies per year.
Friends in Deed (released January 2010) had sold a total of 65 copies (print and e-book total), for an average of around 33 copies per year.
Seeker (released December 2010) had sold around 42 copies (e-book only).
Dead or Alive (released in print, February 2011) had sold 19 copies. An e-book version was not available.
The Cure (released in e-book, July 2011; in print, September 2011) had sold 2 print copies and 11 e-books.
And now for the new stats:
Heroes Die Young has now sold a total of 260 copies (print and e-book total). This includes copies that were previously sold, but not yet paid for by the vendor (such as Amazon), so 29 copies have passed through the system in the last three months. I have not yet received my royalty statement for the 4th quarter of 2011, but am expecting it soon, so any copies appearing there will be included in the next update.
Friends in Deed has now sold a total of 66 copies (print and e-book total). Same comments about the upcoming royalty statement. There may have been a discrepancy on the past update, as I've sold 6 copies since then...but the 66 copies is correct.
Seeker has now sold around 50 copies (99-cent e-book only), so about 8 copies have sold over the past three months.
Dead or Alive has now sold 22 print copies (3 copies over the past three months). An e-book version was made available in July 2011 over at Smashwords (Kindle version came out in January 2012), and has sold 6 copies (an estimate based on sales ranking numbers...with four of these for the Kindle in the past month).
The Cure has now sold 29 copies (print and e-book total), so 16 copies have sold in the past three months. One side note to this is that I recently dropped the price to 99 cents, and my sales in January and February so far (at least through Smashwords) have been the same number as my sales were in the first six months at the $2.99 level.
As mentioned in the last update, I went ahead and put out my first Triple-Shot collection in November 2011 for a 99-cent price point. Since that time, 8 reported copies have sold.
Now for the analysis:
First, in conversations with others, they aren't entirely sure why some of these numbers are so low. Other books seem to do far better, even though they aren't written as well. This could be for lack of sufficient marketing, a matter that I've previously mentioned is being corrected.
As I mentioned about The Cure, sales drastically increased when I dropped the price to 99 cents. Although the royalty figures decreased accordingly, I believe these prices will need to stick around until such time as my sales figures improve. All of my self-published titles have been priced at this level now, but once my new title (Death Brings the Victory) is released, I'll have a decision to make regarding that price point. Since it already has a base with fans of Aston, it may sustain itself at a higher price. Time will tell.
In the past three months, I've sold 76 books for a total of just over 25 books a month all-inclusive (counting all titles). This backs up the assertion that many have made before, in that putting out additional titles helps boost sales figures. So, if you're spending all of your time trying to promote one book while neglecting your next book in the process, you're doing it wrong. Promote, yes, but if you don't have a new book coming down the pipeline, you're only hurting yourself.
Hopefully I'll do a little more analysis about these figures (specifically, the comparison between sales figures for each book) in an upcoming post. In the meantime, I hope they were useful to you in your search for a publisher, agent, small press or for helping you decide whether to go into self-publishing.
07 February 2012
Weekly Goals - February 7, 2012
A good week on the edits, and even better, almost to the end. Almost there!
Results for this week:
1. Edited 5 (versus goal of 5) chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Finish all edits on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. Edited 5 (versus goal of 5) chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Finish all edits on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
03 February 2012
SFFS: A Snippet From "Lifeline"
Greetings, everyone, and welcome to another installment of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday here on the blog. Once again, make sure to check out all the other authors involved via the site link above when you're done reading. For those who were not aware, I have an eleven-story collection Dead or Alive featuring my space pirate Aston West through the folks at ResAliens Press, and you can pick up the e-book version here (a paperback version is also available). Today's snippet comes from one of the included stories, "Lifeline":
"Lifeline" was a top-ten finisher in the 2009 Preditors and Editors Readers Poll. I highly encourage everyone to go pick up a copy of the full collection, especially with this month's discounted price. Enjoy!
She’d drugged me, there was no mistaking it.
The walls in front of me were decayed gray stone, overgrown with fuzzy mildew. I stood with my back flat against a table. Nothing but cold metal touched my backside. A rush of frigid air flew under a thin gown draped over me. I shivered.
I didn’t have my jacket, so couldn’t contact my ship’s computer to get my current location, or come and pick me up. I had no clothes on, and that was disturbing because I didn’t see any sign of the woman who’d given me a drink.
A male voice spoke behind me. “Ah, you’re awake.”
"Lifeline" was a top-ten finisher in the 2009 Preditors and Editors Readers Poll. I highly encourage everyone to go pick up a copy of the full collection, especially with this month's discounted price. Enjoy!
01 February 2012
SEEKER Excerpt
I was in deep crap. The white flash faded from my forward viewscreen, leaving me right in the flight path of an assault ship. The attack vessel took up my entire display and then some, its twin claw-like engine nacelles stretching out as if to crush my ship in their grip. There had to be at least a dozen automatic laser turrets I could make out. This definitely wasn’t what I’d signed up for in coming here.
My ship’s computer’s voice carried over the internal speakers. “They’re hailing us, audio only.”
I was glad someone had bought all my contraband during my last stop. Being arrested was the last thing I needed. “Put it through.”
“Sierra-tango-four-two-four, shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded.”
“Tell me what this is all about,” I told the screen.
The response was all business. “Random cargo check.”
With a sigh, I watched the dark gray structure approach, battle scars lining the outer hull. Odds were this wasn’t as random as they made it out to be. I reconsidered the idea of making a run for it, but another look at the assault craft’s firepower made my decision simple. There was no way I’d escape alive.
My innocence would get me through this. If that failed, Jeanie could sabotage them. I hoped so, anyway.
“Shut us down, Jeanie.”
“Acknowledged.”
Impending doom festered in my gut as our thrusters cut off. I responded to the assault ship. “I have important business waiting on one of your outer planets.” A blatant lie, though I almost convinced myself. “I hope this won’t take long.”
“We’ll process you as fast as we can.” His tone told me I could toss myself out the nearest airlock. “Prepare to be boarded.”
I cursed aloud.
“The transmission has terminated,” Jeanie responded.
“Friendly.”
The two engine nacelles passed off either side of my viewscreen. Even being innocent, I couldn’t stop the intense dread. A large access tube telescoped out from the nacelle on our port side. Bright yellow flashes shone all over the assault ship as its position thrusters lit off in random sequence.
Loud thumps echoed as their docking clamps ensured my ship stuck around. Another even louder clang right after made me cringe as the airlock tube sealed against my hull. I was sure they’d be disappointed if they ended up smashing a hole in the side of my ship, but I’d be the only one suffering the permanent consequences.
Jeanie’s voice returned. “Pressures should stabilize in a few moments.”
Once the atmospheres on either side of the hatch were equal, it would open. “Take your time.”
“The process is automated based on a set schedule. It is not something I can adjust.”
Sarcasm was still tricky for her. “Never mind.”
I reached down and pulled a half-bottle of Vladirian liquor from my captain chair’s side pocket. Peace and quiet would both be running short, and as I faced the prospect of several unwelcome guests on-board, I needed something to take the edge off. Uncapping the lid, I emptied the sweet yellow nectar down my throat.
Passing through the doorway into my living quarters, I tossed the empty bottle into a clothes pile, crinkling my nose at the stench. The entry hatch popped open as the pressures between the two ships equalized. Six automatic blast rifles were pointed directly at my chest, giving me the usual welcome I received in these circumstances.
Knowing the drill by heart, I clasped my fingers atop my head. Troops piled in, yelling jumbles of words at each other and at me. Someone kicked the back of my legs and a rifle barrel was shoved in my face as my kneecaps struck the metal floorboard.
“Don’t move, scum.”
In my youth, I would have taken exception to such treatment. Age and more than my fair share of holding cells had made me wiser. I bided my time quietly, since I had nothing to hide. A pair of troops tore apart my quarters while others ducked off into my aft cargo hold.
Testosterone flooded the compartment, and all of it was wasted. They were going through this exercise and would end up with nothing to show for it. I smiled, knowing I’d have the last laugh.
“Wipe that look off your face, dirtbag.”
I looked up into the fiery green eyes of my captor. His helmet matched the metallic gray body armor he wore. His nose and mouth were covered in black fabric, but nothing muffled him from running his mouth, unfortunately. “Answer me when I speak!”
I frowned at his abusive attitude, just in time for him to club my head with his rifle butt. He jerked the barrel back at my chest, while my skull throbbed.
The only thing preventing me from jumping up and pummeling him was the fact this would be over soon. I forced words through clenched teeth. “Yes, sir.”
It was good my Mark II blaster was hidden in a secret crevice next to the airlock. Had it been holstered under my jacket, I might have been shot dead like a wild animal, instead of just beaten down like a domesticated one.
Those inside my living quarters finally gave up the search just before the other troops came back from my cargo hold. Their dejected facial expressions told me everything I’d already known; there hadn’t been anything they could find to implicate me. A smile almost crept back onto my face, but I refrained. I really wasn’t in the mood to end up with a concussion.
Another man entered through the hatch, absent any sort of body armor. His dark gray shirt bore a pair of silver ornamental bars on each shoulder. He looked down upon me with all the contempt I’d expect out of a ship’s officer. “Take him to the interrogation chamber.”
My heart sank. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. “Why?” I protested, before my captor’s blast rifle tagged me again.
I brought my eyes back into focus while another man’s voice carried through the room. “Lieutenant, this ship’s completely empty. There’s no contraband on-board.”
“We’ll see what else he has to hide. The seeker should get some useful information out of him.”
My two-time attacker yanked me to my feet. “Up, scum!”
Already in a poor mood for this unsubstantiated detainment, I pulled away. “Get your paws off me.”
His eyes went wide. He shoved the barrel against my chest. “Give me an excuse to drop you, punk.”
“Enough!” We both faced the officer, whose stare burned into the armored guard. “You have your orders.”
His eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring as he shoved me. “Move.”
The officer led the way. We ducked into the telescoping airlock tunnel, where I worried the spongy floor might bust through with each step. There weren’t enough words to express how thankful I was when my feet stepped inside the craft’s entry corridor. The rubberized floor panels and metallic hull were definitely welcome.
My senses were assaulted with an overwhelming aroma of honey. The mixture was a rare delicacy out here in the depths of space, something I’d only had a few times in life. I looked off to my left as the lieutenant started off in the opposite direction. A woman faced me, shimmering black dress brushing along the floor, her breasts jutting out against the fabric. A hand-crafted shawl was draped across her shoulders, the same color as her fire-like tresses, making it hard to tell where the garment ended and her hair began. Her eyes were two milky white globes against a face of smooth, pale skin. Her petite frame seemed as though it would break just by looking at her.
And look I did.
It wasn’t often I stood this close to such beauty, let alone caught a woman’s stare. At least I assumed she was looking at me. Those milky globes haunted me, somehow conveying warmth despite their cold, empty appearance. It was a shame she was so out of place standing between her escorts, a pair of tall, armor-clad monsters.
A bright flash blinded me. Quick glimpses, images, random visual fragments bombarded my vision. Two bodies, intertwined, slowly came into focus.
Then, blackness collapsed it all.
Massive pain radiated through my skull. My sight slowly returned to normal, and I found myself chest-down on top of the cushioned floor panels. I was back on-board the assault ship.
“Move, scum,” a familiar voice spat above me.
I climbed to all-fours and looked back at the red-haired vixen, fear in my eyes. What just happened? The woman’s forehead creased as I stood.
The armored guard gave off a deep belly laugh. “She’s already in your head, isn’t she?”
It finally made sense. This was the seeker the lieutenant had mentioned.
The bastard kept up with his jubilation, speaking to his comrades behind him. “She’ll crucify him.”
I kept my eyes on the woman and my mood turned from bad to worse. I had no idea what she was capable of, but she could get inside my head, and that scared me to death. I was privy to a lot of information not meant for anyone to know, much of it illegal activities. I’d mistakenly thought my present innocence would lead to freedom. Now, it seemed past misdeeds might be my downfall.
Fear building, I followed the officer, who watched with a subtle laugh under his breath. He hadn’t reprimanded his subordinate this time, which meant I’d used up my one get-out-of-being-assaulted-free card.
He let loose his chuckle. “Afraid of a pretty woman?”
I didn’t bother to answer, instead figuring out my options. I couldn’t fend off another mental invasion.
In other words, I was screwed.
* * *
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31 January 2012
Weekly Goals - January 31, 2012
Thankfully, edits have been going well this week. I might even get them all worked out in the next few weeks...whew!
Results for this week:
1. Edited 8 (versus goal of 5) chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 more chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. Edited 8 (versus goal of 5) chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 more chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
30 January 2012
Building Up and Tearing Down
This post goes along somewhat with my earlier one regarding surrounding yourself with successful people. Successful people are going to be the ones who build up others, not those who tear them down.
This doesn't mean that you have to celebrate writing that isn't up to snuff, but it's still important to encourage the author. People enjoy being around those who build them up and give them support (something that's extremely useful for anyone in the creative arts, where rejections drag you down over and over again).
So, how can you build a person up and still help them to improve? First, the person has to be willing to accept constructive criticism. If they aren't, then you're dealing with thin-skinned individuals, and it's best to smile and nod...and hope that they develop a thicker skin in the future. Second, it's best to wait for someone to ask for feedback (which doesn't take much in most cases...who among us hasn't asked "what do you think?" to our other writer friends). Once it's come to that point, mention issues as you see them, but offer up suggestions for how to improve. You'd be surprised how your suggestions will be taken, and how your feedback will likely be sought out in the future.
On the alternate side of the coin, publicly pointing out flaws (especially ones you think exist, but actually don't), when there hasn't been a request for a critique, is a great way to alienate yourself. I'd take it one step farther, and restrict public comments to critique sites. People don't want to hang out with those who only tear others down, and if you do so, proceed at your own risk. Even if the flaws exist, it comes off as being petty.
So, wait for that request for feedback...it will come. And then, offer it up with suggestions for improvement rather than just being critical. In the meantime, be supportive of their efforts, and encourage them. It's the best way to build others up.
Trust me.
29 January 2012
HEROES DIE YOUNG Excerpt
I awoke to a seductive female voice. “Aston…”
Too bad for me, it belonged to Jeanie, my ship’s computer. A cruel joke, designed mostly for male pilots traveling long distances alone. It was even worse when I ignored the fact she was simply a machine, programmed to think.
I grumbled, “What?”
“We’re entering the Toris system.”
I sat up from the hard, low-lying bunk, stood and walked toward the front end of my ship. My hope was that Toris would be my gateway to temporary financial security. It was a short distance, nonetheless painful, as metallic floor panels clanked under my feet louder than normal.
As I walked onto my bridge, the hyperspeed engines disengaged and slowly wound down. I held onto my captain’s chair to steady myself until we reached a constant velocity.
I sat down in my chair, stuck my hand into the side pocket, and grabbed the same bottle which put me down after our last stop. “How are we doing on time?”
“Far ahead of schedule.”
In the second of my four cargo hatches was a cargo container full of blue organic crystals. When I’d picked it up, the seller had instructed me to take it to Toris, the outer planet in the system of the same name. I hadn’t been told why they were needed so quickly, but he’d said I’d double my pay if I made it to Toris ahead of schedule. I didn’t need to be told twice.
“Let me know when we reach the station.”
I took a small taste of the light yellow liquid in the bottle. The Vladirian storekeeper peddling the stuff at my last stop had given me the full story behind the drink. An animal native to Vladiria, a small passive thing called a Roshtu, would secrete the liquid as a defensive measure when attacked. The sweet smell and taste of the liquid would cause the attacking predator to concentrate on lapping up the liquid, intoxicating it and allowing the Roshtu to escape unharmed.
I took another drink, this one longer. It was a dangerous combination of tasty and addictive. I had to wonder if those predators ever woke up feeling like this. “So, what would you like me to buy for you once I get paid?”
“I am currently running at peak performance, and have no requirements.”
I smiled and leaned back in my chair. I usually found scuttled and abandoned cargo, then sold it for profit. Scavenging was a less aggressive form of piracy, and usually safer, since you didn’t have to carry out threats of violence. Unfortunately, such cargo tended to be scarce, and had been more so lately. So, when I’d stumbled into an opportunity to carry cargo, I jumped at the chance. An extra bonus for speedy delivery didn’t hurt matters.
I took another sip of the Vladirian liquor and put it away. There needed to be something left to celebrate my newfound fortune with. “ETA?”
She ignored my question. “I’m picking up a ship on medium range sensors.”
The hairs on the back of my neck rose. “Show me.”
My viewscreen lit up along the front wall of my bridge. A couple of kilpars in length, the lines of the ship were smooth, tapering from the nose to a constant rectangular cross-section around the first quarter of the hull. Near the back of the ship, I could see bell shaped nozzles behind four embedded engines, darkened against the starfield. I recognized the configuration, but wanted confirmation. “Rulusian freighter?”
“Designation Green Three.”
I took another look at the sensor screen beside my left armrest. “I don’t see any other ships out there.”
“There are none in the vicinity.”
A Rulusian freighter in an alien system, all by itself, made no sense. They often stuck together in vast convoys, to give themselves a better defensive position through sheer numbers.
“Status of the freighter?”
“Engines and main power are down, backup systems are in effect. No shields, no weapons charged.” She paused a moment. “No life signs.”
With the condition of the ship, and no crew, I wondered what happened. Then a smile crossed my lips. I was a scavenger pirate at heart and wasn’t about to let a prime opportunity escape. “Any cargo in the bays?”
Jeanie was hesitant. “Yes.”
“Well,” I chuckled, “what is it?”
“Signs of cargo without accompanying records in the transport manifest.”
Contraband. My smile grew. Rulusians were usually law-abiding as well. I had no idea why one of their ships would be hauling illegal cargo, but with three open bays on my ship and plenty of time to spare, there was only one thing on my mind.
Jeanie was too smart for her own good. “The logic of this situation does not compute.”
“It’s nice you worry about me, but I’ll be fine.” I smirked at the thought of a machine having feelings.
She remained silent.
“Access their computer, and drop their cargo.”
“Unable to comply.”
If she wasn’t programmed to obey, I would have been upset. There had to be something wrong. “Explain.”
“The on-board systems were placed under a command-level lock-out by the Captain of the vessel. Only the Captain can remove it.”
I clasped my hands behind my head and sighed. Green Three grew larger in the viewscreen as we approached it. Finding the freighter made me think my luck was turning for the better. Now, the situation was tougher than it first seemed.
My thoughts drifted to the state of the ship. “Looks like they didn’t want anyone else gaining control. Maybe they abandoned ship.”
“That theory appears plausible.”
I ran my hands through my dark brown, wavy locks, then massaged the tension out of the back of my neck. “I guess I’ll just have to go over and drop it manually. Move us to the starboard docking hatch.”
* * *
Soon, I stood inside the airlock compartment of the Rulusian freighter, my Mark II blaster in my right hand. A crude and stubby weapon, it was small enough to hold with just the one hand, with a recoil guard propped against my arm. It had always been there for me, and never let me down. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to put that streak to the test.
I lifted the left sleeve of my black leather jacket up and spoke through the embedded transmitter. “Can you get me through the airlock hatch?”
“Negative.”
Green indicator lights above the inner circular hatch told me the pressures had already equalized. I stooped over to the left and looked at my reflection in a dark computer screen mounted in the wall. My face was rugged, covered with a few lines and weathered by experience. My once bright blue eyes were dim from the passage of time. I quickly grew tired of looking at myself and yanked the screen from the wall. It dangled from a large jumble of wires.
It was a mystery which ones controlled the locking mechanism, so to save time, I ripped all of them out amidst snapping sparks and rancid fumes. The screen dropped to the floor and smashed. The door popped loose, just enough where I could put my fingers around the edge. The muscles in my arms bulged slightly as I strained. Finally, the door hit a point where it rolled out of the way on its own and I ducked through the entryway.
“I’m in,” I announced to Jeanie, out of breath.
“Be careful.”
Inside, I broke into a sweat, both from the physical exertion and the climate controls on-board the freighter. Rulusians were from an extremely warm and humid jungle planet, and liked to make their ships feel like home. My heavy jacket didn’t help matters. Lines of sweat made their way down my face, as I stepped away from the airlock hatch.
I turned my gaze down the entry corridor and saw carnage I wouldn’t soon forget. Rulusian bodies were piled on either side of the hallway, burn marks from energy weapons appearing as black patches on their dark green skin. The putrid scent of scorched flesh was in the air. I passed an open doorway on my left, and looked inside at crew quarters. More Rulusian corpses lay amidst sparks and clouds of smoke.
I lifted the transmitter again. “You’re sure there isn’t anyone on this ship?”
“Affirmative. All scans show nothing but yourself.”
“This damage is far too recent.”
“Did the crew abandon ship as we had thought?”
I grimaced. “Doesn’t look like it.”
I continued down the corridor toward the bridge. Smoke particles lingered in the air and I detected a faint chemical odor while my eyes watered. Dark blast marks lined the doorframe and floor, where an access hatch had been blown open with some sort of bomb. I took slow, cautious steps through the opening and became witness to even more carnage. Ten more Rulusians had collapsed against the outer wall or slumped over consoles, all roasted by weapons fire. I definitely didn’t need to meet up with the people who had done this. I didn’t get into the scavenging business to be a hero. Everyone loves heroes, but heroes have a tendency to die young.
I glanced at the console screens while stepping around the short end of an oval-shaped half-wall. All of the displays flickered with minimal power from backup systems, while I stepped over a pair of corpses. I stopped at one and attempted to bypass the lockout. The sweat fell off my face onto the screens and formed little pools which slowly worked up enough courage to slide down the panel. I realized my attempts were useless and walked to a single access hatch at the back of the bridge.
“Jeanie, which bays contain contraband?”
“All of them.”
A huge smile spanned my face. This was definitely a dream come true.
Unfortunately, I only had three bays open and there was no way I was dumping the crystals. Perfect opportunities like these were the exception and after these weapons were sold, I’d likely have to run some more regular cargo. Even in such a huge universe, it wouldn’t take long for word to spread that I couldn’t be trusted to complete a delivery.
“Get ready to pull three containers in. The winches should be adequate.” I had a loading arm installed, and even though it was a lot more accurate, it was slow and cumbersome. There was still a bonus on those crystals to keep in mind.
“Acknowledged.”
The door into the cargo hold slid open easily, which I found odd as I walked inside. The air was stale and dry in my lungs as the floor panels clanged and echoed with each step. The door closed behind me and I glanced down the dimly lit corridor at six bays on either side. The best thing would be for me to drop the first three bays and ignore the possibility of a better catch in the others.
A computer console beside the bay door monitored the ambient conditions inside, while a marked service panel underneath drew my attention. I shoved my Mark II into its holster inside my jacket and knelt beside the panel. The cover pried off in no time and I tossed it aside. A lever on the right, and two dimmed lights next to it looked like what I needed. Even though I’d never jettisoned cargo manually from a Rulusian freighter before, there were plenty of bays left to find the proper technique. After I pulled the lever, the lights flashed in an alternating sequence, rapidly increasing in speed before they turned solid. A miniature explosion sounded off as the bay evacuated itself.
Just to make sure I hadn’t destroyed a perfectly good cargo container, I lifted my transmitter again. “Do you see it, Jeanie?”
“Pulling in the cargo now.”
“Two more on the way.”
I moved on to the other bays, going through the same process. As the third bay jettisoned, I heard a metallic clang echo farther down the hold.
I pulled out my Mark II and stood, as a woman with bronze skin and black hair jumped out from a crawlspace under the floor. She raised a disintegrator cannon and pointed it at me. I dropped to the floor just before her first shot hit the bridge door behind me and showered sparks down onto the floor grills. I fired a three-shot burst and she dropped down in the crawlspace again, while minimal damage was done to the aft bulkhead. At least it gave me the opportunity to run toward the bridge door, where the impact mark from her first shot still glowed. Eager for cover, I ducked into a small alcove at the front of the hold as another shot struck the wall. Sparks fell at my feet while I pressed my back firm against the cold hard metal. My heart beat faster than it had in quite a while.
I yelled out, “You can have the rest. I’ve got all I can carry.” I had no idea how this person evaded Jeanie’s scans, but my main concern now was to get out of this alive.
“This is my ship, idiot.” Her footsteps drew closer.
“Funny, you don’t look Rulusian.” I eased my head out and quickly jerked back as another shot hit the corner. More sparks showered the grating at my feet.
“Come on out. You can’t escape.”
“And get myself shot? No thanks.” The blaster felt loose in my hand, while my palms grew damp.
“Slide your weapon out first.”
I had no choice. Disintegrator cannons were outlawed for civilian use almost everywhere, and for good reason. “Okay, okay. I’m coming out.” I slid the blaster along the grill and lifted both hands high in the air.
She taunted me as I walked out to face her. “You board ships, and arm yourself with a toy?”
I didn’t care for her insults, but wasn’t in a position to complain. “I didn’t expect visitors.”
“Glad to see some old tricks still work.” She smirked.
Jeanie’s voice was frantic over my transmitter. “Aston, Aston!”
A little late, I thought. I looked at my captor with an edge to my voice. “Mind if I take this?”
She scowled and grabbed her weapon a little tighter.
“My ship’s computer,” I told her.
She gave a stern nod and I held my wrist over to my mouth. “What is it, Jeanie?”
“A pair of attack cruisers are on an intercept course from Toris.”
My captor relaxed her grip on the cannon. “You’re not part of a boarding crew?”
“I’m just a scavenger pirate.” I reached down for my blaster. “We need to go.”
She was loud and abrupt. “Hold it.”
I looked up, the barrel still pointed at my face.
I frowned. “Come on. We don’t have time for this!”
“How can I trust you? You’re a thief.”
I let the insult slide. “Right now, it doesn’t look like you have a choice. You can stay here and wait for those attack cruisers to show up if you want. Me personally, I plan to be on a ship that can run.” I grabbed my blaster and stood.
The reality of her situation finally sunk in. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Finally,” I muttered as we ran back toward the docking port.
***
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27 January 2012
SFFS: An Excerpt From "Collateral"
Time for another snippet for Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (don't forget to check out all the excellent authors involved). With me being deep into edits for Death Brings the Victory, I've been neglectful in figuring out what three stories are going to be going into the next Aston West Triple-Shot (and if you've not seen the first, make sure to get a copy). Although today's snippet won't be (since it doesn't feature Aston specifically), it does feature a character near and dear to my heart, Kasey Reynolds. If you like this one, be sure to check out the first appearance of Kasey in my Aston West short story "Entrapment" (available for free from Smashwords). And now, an excerpt from the Kasey Reynolds short story "Collateral":
As of this posting, I've not yet found a home for "Collateral" and I may end up going ahead with an arrangement like I did with "Entrapment" (but we'll see). Enjoy!
As they moved closer, Kasey made out finer details of the beast she was escorting. His massive forearms rested against the wall of his cage. Black metal bands wrapped around his wrists while muscles bulged all across his body. There wasn’t a single hair on his body, and Kasey couldn’t tell whether he even had a neck to speak of. Elaborate body markings covered every spot she could see, and likely those she couldn’t due to his thick black shorts. If it wasn’t for the fact he was a known criminal, she may have held some attraction for this specimen.
“This is Estil Ortiz.” The young officer motioned with his head while the criminal stared through Kasey with two dark black eyes. She shivered on the inside; This was no common criminal.
She should have demanded more money.
As of this posting, I've not yet found a home for "Collateral" and I may end up going ahead with an arrangement like I did with "Entrapment" (but we'll see). Enjoy!
26 January 2012
How Many Edits Does It Take?
How many edits does it take to finish a novel after the first draft is completed?
Much like the elusive question, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" this is a question that may never be answered. But there really is not a right answer, and the answer will vary depending on the author.
There are certain authors who subscribe to the "look through [one aspect] in the first edit, and change [another aspect] in the second edit, and so on" camp. I'm not one of these. I simply work my way from start to finish, and then let it set for a little while, and then repeat. I'll often times put in electronic notes for myself, to review the next time around, but I'll do this at the same time as I'm working on correcting typos and grammatical issues.
I've also seen some authors who think that short stories shouldn't be edited at all (or perhaps a cursory spelling and grammar check). I personally think this is crazy, because even the best author is going to make a major snafu from time to time, and taking the extra night to make sure isn't going to make or break your writing career.
Ultimately, my edits are finished when I feel I've done the best job I can, and then I send it off to the publisher or start formatting it for the self-publishing gig. Only you as the author can best judge when it's ready, and hopefully you've honed your skills enough to have a good idea when that should be. At the moment, I'm working on final polish edits on Death Brings the Victory. And I've already decided that this is going to be the last one.
So, feel free to comment...do you subscribe to a different plan for edits?
Much like the elusive question, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" this is a question that may never be answered. But there really is not a right answer, and the answer will vary depending on the author.
There are certain authors who subscribe to the "look through [one aspect] in the first edit, and change [another aspect] in the second edit, and so on" camp. I'm not one of these. I simply work my way from start to finish, and then let it set for a little while, and then repeat. I'll often times put in electronic notes for myself, to review the next time around, but I'll do this at the same time as I'm working on correcting typos and grammatical issues.
I've also seen some authors who think that short stories shouldn't be edited at all (or perhaps a cursory spelling and grammar check). I personally think this is crazy, because even the best author is going to make a major snafu from time to time, and taking the extra night to make sure isn't going to make or break your writing career.
Ultimately, my edits are finished when I feel I've done the best job I can, and then I send it off to the publisher or start formatting it for the self-publishing gig. Only you as the author can best judge when it's ready, and hopefully you've honed your skills enough to have a good idea when that should be. At the moment, I'm working on final polish edits on Death Brings the Victory. And I've already decided that this is going to be the last one.
So, feel free to comment...do you subscribe to a different plan for edits?
24 January 2012
Weekly Goals - January 24, 2012
Not sure why, but the edits have been going rather slow...here's hoping that the coming week goes better.
Results for this week:
1. Edited 2 (versus goal of 5) chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 more chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. Edited 2 (versus goal of 5) chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 more chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
23 January 2012
Where Do I Find the Time?
One of the most common issues I hear about from new writers (and I've been known to make the claim myself from time to time) is that they just don't have the time to get any writing done. Now, I could go down the same path as others, and mention that all the time spent online checking Twitter and Facebook and e-mail, or catching up on all your favorite TV shows would be better served for writing instead. But that would be more like the pot calling the kettle black. All of those things are fun and entertainment, and preventing yourself from doing them is going to be like taking all of the sweets out of the house when you're on a diet. Sure, it will help for a while, but then you're going to start sneaking away to get your fix.
So, instead, let's look at some ideas for how to find a little more writing time in the same 24 hours of a day:
- Extending the length of your regular day: This depends on whether you're a morning person or a night person, but if you regularly get up at six in the morning, set your alarm for five instead (for morning people). If you regularly go to bed at ten, stay up another hour (for night people). Although an extra hour may not seem like a lot, it will tend to add up over time. Assume that a person could write 500 words in an hour, that's 3500 words a week, and in 20 weeks (5 months), you'd have yourself a 70,000-word novel.
- Utilize time spent waiting to get some writing done: Rather than just sitting around and waiting, do some writing instead. This has a wide range of applications. How much time do you figure you spend waiting in a day? At the doctor's office, at the mechanic's, at a sit-down restaurant, in airports. Although one isn't going to have every one of these on every day of the week (we hope), this is all part of a strategy to find every moment possible. Besides, a doctor's office alone may give you an hour. Plus, if you eventually get published, people will undoubtedly ask you during these waits what you're working on, which can lead to you accomplishing some self-promotion at the same time as you're writing new material.
- Utilize time you're unable to do anything else: This is somewhat along the same lines as the previous idea, but is meant to utilize time that isn't considered "waiting." Think about the time you spend in traffic (if you're not driving). Unless you suffer from motion sickness, there could be hours spent just sitting there which could be used for writing. What if you're dragged to an event for your spouse's family? Certainly, some interaction will be required, but often times, you can huddle off in a corner and spend your time writing. This can also lead to questions from family members, and thus, more self-promotion efforts...
Definitely, these ideas should help give a little more time to your day...and if you have other ideas, feel free to share them. And of course, comments and criticisms are always welcome. And if you didn't already catch my short story "Sweet Embrace", you can still check it out for free.
So, instead, let's look at some ideas for how to find a little more writing time in the same 24 hours of a day:
- Extending the length of your regular day: This depends on whether you're a morning person or a night person, but if you regularly get up at six in the morning, set your alarm for five instead (for morning people). If you regularly go to bed at ten, stay up another hour (for night people). Although an extra hour may not seem like a lot, it will tend to add up over time. Assume that a person could write 500 words in an hour, that's 3500 words a week, and in 20 weeks (5 months), you'd have yourself a 70,000-word novel.
- Utilize time spent waiting to get some writing done: Rather than just sitting around and waiting, do some writing instead. This has a wide range of applications. How much time do you figure you spend waiting in a day? At the doctor's office, at the mechanic's, at a sit-down restaurant, in airports. Although one isn't going to have every one of these on every day of the week (we hope), this is all part of a strategy to find every moment possible. Besides, a doctor's office alone may give you an hour. Plus, if you eventually get published, people will undoubtedly ask you during these waits what you're working on, which can lead to you accomplishing some self-promotion at the same time as you're writing new material.
- Utilize time you're unable to do anything else: This is somewhat along the same lines as the previous idea, but is meant to utilize time that isn't considered "waiting." Think about the time you spend in traffic (if you're not driving). Unless you suffer from motion sickness, there could be hours spent just sitting there which could be used for writing. What if you're dragged to an event for your spouse's family? Certainly, some interaction will be required, but often times, you can huddle off in a corner and spend your time writing. This can also lead to questions from family members, and thus, more self-promotion efforts...
Definitely, these ideas should help give a little more time to your day...and if you have other ideas, feel free to share them. And of course, comments and criticisms are always welcome. And if you didn't already catch my short story "Sweet Embrace", you can still check it out for free.
22 January 2012
"Sweet Embrace" Now Available
For those who've been following my SFFS snippets, I've posted a couple from my short story "Sweet Embrace" now and again. So, for those who were interested in reading the full story, it's now available (for free) over at Mindflights. Be sure to check out the story, and then head to the main page to check out the rest of their fine offerings.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
20 January 2012
SFFS: A Snippet From DEATH BRINGS THE VICTORY
Time for another snippet for Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (and after you're done here, make sure to check out all the excellent authors involved). Being as how I've been editing Death Brings the Victory the past several weeks, I decided it was time to bring out another small sample. So, here goes a snippet with Jeanie alerting Aston to how far away a pair of attacking star-fighters are:
And of course, if this snippet draws your attention, be sure to check out all of my novels. Some of them (such as The Cure and Seeker) are even available as 99-cent downloads from Amazon, B&N.com and around the internet. But all of them are great reads, so you can't go wrong!
“Fifteen kilpars outside of their weapons range.”
Quite a distance, if we’d all been flying the same ships. Unfortunately, my small transport would barely make it to orbital altitude before they caught up to us. There’d still be plenty of distance to cover before we reached the Torian border, let alone the orbital station.
A shiver went up my spine as I remembered a crucial fact. There was still a trio of Torian warships out there.
All in all, it was a pretty dismal situation. I’d been through them many times before, and had always come out mostly unscathed.
So, in other words, I was due.
And of course, if this snippet draws your attention, be sure to check out all of my novels. Some of them (such as The Cure and Seeker) are even available as 99-cent downloads from Amazon, B&N.com and around the internet. But all of them are great reads, so you can't go wrong!
19 January 2012
Excuse The Mess!
For those who haven't already noticed, the blog is going through a few upgrades...would love to hear your feedback, whether pages and links work and all that (especially on mobile devices). And of course, feel free to share a few pages on Facebook, Twitter and other spots...especially those writer-themed posts I've been writing lately.
For now, I've generated pages for my novels, but fear not, my various short stories will be coming along sometime soon.
For now, I've generated pages for my novels, but fear not, my various short stories will be coming along sometime soon.
17 January 2012
Weekly Goals - January 17, 2012
Well, things have been continuing on track so far. Been hard at work with the writing class, along with all of the edits. Throw in a few blog posts, and it's been a busy week Doesn't figure on getting any easier in the coming weeks...
Results for this week:
1. Edited 6 (versus goal of 5) chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 more chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. Edited 6 (versus goal of 5) chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 more chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
16 January 2012
Never Stop Learning as a Writer
As I believe I mentioned (perhaps it was on my fan page), I've been taking writing classes for the past couple of weeks, and will do so for several more weeks. Now, you may be asking yourself, with four novels, and multiple short stories published, why would he need to take classes on writing? The answer is simple: Until I reach a point in my career where I can just say "I think I'd like to write another book" and publishers start a bidding war over my un-started novel (or every reader on the planet pre-orders without me writing a word), then I need to keep learning about the craft. And even then, the world will be ever-changing, and there will be new things to learn about the business and craft of writing.
Other things to keep in mind:
- I've gone over my sales numbers previously. Needless to say, they can use a lot of improvement. Part of that is going to be from my ongoing conversations with a marketing strategist, as I mentioned before. But some of that may be related to my writing (despite those who tell me how great it is). So, the classes also serve to help me find out how I could improve. This is something all writers should be striving for, to improve their writing.
- We can all use training in alternate ways of doing things we've done all along. For example, I've always plotted out my stories from beginning to end (even if they don't always follow the plan), and have done this many ways. In our most recent class, a new method (to me, at least) was given for the plot progression which I plan on utilizing in the future, to see how well it work.
So, to recap, authors should always continue to keep learning throughout their career. I hope that you take this advice to hear, and I'd be interested to hear from everyone (via the comments) something they've learned about (either the craft or the business of) writing recently.
Other things to keep in mind:
- I've gone over my sales numbers previously. Needless to say, they can use a lot of improvement. Part of that is going to be from my ongoing conversations with a marketing strategist, as I mentioned before. But some of that may be related to my writing (despite those who tell me how great it is). So, the classes also serve to help me find out how I could improve. This is something all writers should be striving for, to improve their writing.
- We can all use training in alternate ways of doing things we've done all along. For example, I've always plotted out my stories from beginning to end (even if they don't always follow the plan), and have done this many ways. In our most recent class, a new method (to me, at least) was given for the plot progression which I plan on utilizing in the future, to see how well it work.
So, to recap, authors should always continue to keep learning throughout their career. I hope that you take this advice to hear, and I'd be interested to hear from everyone (via the comments) something they've learned about (either the craft or the business of) writing recently.
13 January 2012
SFFS: An Excerpt from my Short Story "Sweet Embrace"
Another week, and time for another snippet to be posted for Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (and after you're done here, make sure to check out all the excellent authors involved). This week, I've decided to give a tiny sampling from my short story "Sweet Embrace" which is scheduled for publication in an upcoming edition of Mindflights.
Can't wait for the whole story to appear, and I'll be sure to let folks know when it's available for your viewing pleasure. Until then, check out the rest of my short stories or if you prefer to pay for your reading, check out my short story collections.
Before long, we’d docked with the much larger craft and I stepped through the airlock hatch into an empty corridor. Eyebrows raised, I looked in both directions. I’d expected a welcoming party at the very least.
Raising my left sleeve, I spoke into the embedded transmitter. “We spoke with an actual crew before coming in for docking, right?”
“Affirmative.”
“Where are they?”
“I no longer detect any life signs on-board.”
Can't wait for the whole story to appear, and I'll be sure to let folks know when it's available for your viewing pleasure. Until then, check out the rest of my short stories or if you prefer to pay for your reading, check out my short story collections.
Surround Yourself with Successful Authors
So, continuing along the line of posting my writer's tips, I'd like to put forth an opinion of mine and fish for a little feedback.
As a writer, it's ultimately your choice as to how you fare in the end. Yes, yes, I know...those looking for an agent are dependent on an agent actually accepting them, and of course, publication with a major publisher...
But all of these things are end goals, and getting there is what you have control over.
So, one thing I would highly encourage any writer truly wishing to reach their goals is to surround themselves with successful writers they know. Hang out with them, seek out their feedback on issues you're facing, and take their advice to heart. Now, it depends on the amount of success an author has (most of us aren't going to be sitting down for tea and conversation with J.K. Rowling, for example), but I've found that most authors enjoy hanging out with other authors, even if they've gotten a measure of success.
The alternatives are where I see many authors go awry. They often like hanging out with other writers who aren't serious about their craft, and then wonder why they don't end up progressing in their own journey. These writers are those who spend twenty years working on their grand masterpiece of a novel, or have started thirty different novels and have never gotten past the third chapter, or constantly show up to writer's meetings without ever having written anything to share (no offense to anyone who may be bearing witness to those, and reading this post).
But if you're serious about a career as a writer, this is not where you want to get your motivation and your advice. You want to hang out with those who've gotten contracts, those who have publications under their belt, and those who have reached the level of success you wish to attain. Because ultimately, those are the ones who know the path to get there and can lead you across the Red Sea, Moses-style.
Listen to what they have to say. Take their advice on your writing, and apply what you learn. Above all else, surround yourself with as many of these successful authors as you can stand...because it's ultimately about increasing your chances of reaching that same level with your writing.
As always, comments, criticisms, and general discussions are more than welcome!
As a writer, it's ultimately your choice as to how you fare in the end. Yes, yes, I know...those looking for an agent are dependent on an agent actually accepting them, and of course, publication with a major publisher...
But all of these things are end goals, and getting there is what you have control over.
So, one thing I would highly encourage any writer truly wishing to reach their goals is to surround themselves with successful writers they know. Hang out with them, seek out their feedback on issues you're facing, and take their advice to heart. Now, it depends on the amount of success an author has (most of us aren't going to be sitting down for tea and conversation with J.K. Rowling, for example), but I've found that most authors enjoy hanging out with other authors, even if they've gotten a measure of success.
The alternatives are where I see many authors go awry. They often like hanging out with other writers who aren't serious about their craft, and then wonder why they don't end up progressing in their own journey. These writers are those who spend twenty years working on their grand masterpiece of a novel, or have started thirty different novels and have never gotten past the third chapter, or constantly show up to writer's meetings without ever having written anything to share (no offense to anyone who may be bearing witness to those, and reading this post).
But if you're serious about a career as a writer, this is not where you want to get your motivation and your advice. You want to hang out with those who've gotten contracts, those who have publications under their belt, and those who have reached the level of success you wish to attain. Because ultimately, those are the ones who know the path to get there and can lead you across the Red Sea, Moses-style.
Listen to what they have to say. Take their advice on your writing, and apply what you learn. Above all else, surround yourself with as many of these successful authors as you can stand...because it's ultimately about increasing your chances of reaching that same level with your writing.
As always, comments, criticisms, and general discussions are more than welcome!
11 January 2012
What Makes a Bad Book Terrible?
Reading along over at (frequent commenter to the blog) Angie Lofthouse's blog post "What Makes a Great Book Great?" yesterday, I couldn't help but be inspired to write a companion piece, thus my post today.
Having read several great books, I've also read a lot of stinkers. Not to get into a self-published versus small press versus major publisher debate, but many of these have come from the two former categories. And as I foresee the trend to be for more and more authors to begin venturing into those realms, it's going to be important to have your book stand above the pack.
So, what drives a book to be so terrible that it never gets off the ground with readers?
1. Poor editing: Yes, this is a bit of a generality, but it deserves to be said. Books absolutely HAVE to be edited, there is no getting around it. And like it or not, there are a lot of authors out there who don't want to spend the money to get their books edited. Which is perfectly fine, if you have a significant background in editing, and have plenty of honest beta readers, and can look your own work over with a highly critical eye.
That's a lot of ifs, by the way. So, make certain you're not just taking the cheap way out by eliminating an external editor.
And if you do get with a small press, make certain your editor is doing you justice. If they give you back your manuscript with a few spelling and error corrections throughout, then perhaps it's time to start looking for a new publishing home.
2. Major errors with points of view: Nothing is going to drive a reader more crazy than a book that goes back and forth between first and third person, not sticking with the character's point of view you've chosen (head-hopping), or lacing everything with a load of author intrusion. Not to say that it can't be done, because it can, but you definitely need to know what you're doing.
The best advice I had was reading a book on POV, in which they likened it to watching a film. First person is all seen from your main character's point of view, and you can only see what they do from the camera, with that character narrating as they go. Same goes for third person, but the camera isn't being held by any particular character. Thinking of this analogy reminds you that you're not going to be able to tell things to the reader which they can't see from the camera's vantage point (author intrusion).
3. Playing a game of red-light/green-light with the reader: People like fairly consistent flow through their reading. No one likes to be going along and then all of the sudden, the author tells them to "STOP!" This could happen in any number of ways, including making large jumps in the timeline of the story that make the reader stop to figure out where they've just been taken to, and what happened in between then and now. If you find yourself trying to fit a huge timeline into a single novel, perhaps it's time to ask yourself whether it can be condensed into a smaller timeline, and whether more continuity could be had.
There's also the problem of being in the middle of a scene while you're trying to get your bearings, and then the author decides now is the best time to go into a bunch of infodumps, which bring the reader's enjoyment of a story to a screeching halt. Avoid these at all costs. Readers like to find things out about the characters and the worlds you've built, but just like when we take cold and flu medicine, we don't like large doses at once. Sprinkle it around a little, spread the joy, and you'll find people still get the same amount of information, but love every minute of it.
I could go further (and maybe I might for a later post), but for now, I'll let everyone digest this information for now...and as always, I do love comments, criticisms, and other interactions, so feel free!
Having read several great books, I've also read a lot of stinkers. Not to get into a self-published versus small press versus major publisher debate, but many of these have come from the two former categories. And as I foresee the trend to be for more and more authors to begin venturing into those realms, it's going to be important to have your book stand above the pack.
So, what drives a book to be so terrible that it never gets off the ground with readers?
1. Poor editing: Yes, this is a bit of a generality, but it deserves to be said. Books absolutely HAVE to be edited, there is no getting around it. And like it or not, there are a lot of authors out there who don't want to spend the money to get their books edited. Which is perfectly fine, if you have a significant background in editing, and have plenty of honest beta readers, and can look your own work over with a highly critical eye.
That's a lot of ifs, by the way. So, make certain you're not just taking the cheap way out by eliminating an external editor.
And if you do get with a small press, make certain your editor is doing you justice. If they give you back your manuscript with a few spelling and error corrections throughout, then perhaps it's time to start looking for a new publishing home.
2. Major errors with points of view: Nothing is going to drive a reader more crazy than a book that goes back and forth between first and third person, not sticking with the character's point of view you've chosen (head-hopping), or lacing everything with a load of author intrusion. Not to say that it can't be done, because it can, but you definitely need to know what you're doing.
The best advice I had was reading a book on POV, in which they likened it to watching a film. First person is all seen from your main character's point of view, and you can only see what they do from the camera, with that character narrating as they go. Same goes for third person, but the camera isn't being held by any particular character. Thinking of this analogy reminds you that you're not going to be able to tell things to the reader which they can't see from the camera's vantage point (author intrusion).
3. Playing a game of red-light/green-light with the reader: People like fairly consistent flow through their reading. No one likes to be going along and then all of the sudden, the author tells them to "STOP!" This could happen in any number of ways, including making large jumps in the timeline of the story that make the reader stop to figure out where they've just been taken to, and what happened in between then and now. If you find yourself trying to fit a huge timeline into a single novel, perhaps it's time to ask yourself whether it can be condensed into a smaller timeline, and whether more continuity could be had.
There's also the problem of being in the middle of a scene while you're trying to get your bearings, and then the author decides now is the best time to go into a bunch of infodumps, which bring the reader's enjoyment of a story to a screeching halt. Avoid these at all costs. Readers like to find things out about the characters and the worlds you've built, but just like when we take cold and flu medicine, we don't like large doses at once. Sprinkle it around a little, spread the joy, and you'll find people still get the same amount of information, but love every minute of it.
I could go further (and maybe I might for a later post), but for now, I'll let everyone digest this information for now...and as always, I do love comments, criticisms, and other interactions, so feel free!
10 January 2012
Weekly Goals - January 10, 2012
Hope all of you have been enjoying the "writerly" posts lately. But for those who haven't been around for long, I do like making a weekly post of my writing goals. This mainly serves to hold me accountable, a necessary evil when trying to get into (and keep) a rhythm going with our writing. So, without further adieu, here's the recap for the week.
Results for this week:
1. Edited 5 chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 more chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. Edited 5 chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 more chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
08 January 2012
What a Character!
I've always been hesitant to post blogs in the past which made me out to be an expert in writing. But that was the past, and if you've read my most recent posting, then you know that it's time for an attitude change. And this isn't to say that I'm going to make myself out to be something I'm not...but I've been at this writing gig for a while, and have a lot of wisdom that can be helpful to authors, both new and experienced.
So, today I plan to discuss characters. How do you come up with good ones?
One would think that you need to figure out what your character looks like. Maybe that's important to you, but to the average reader, they're going to fill in most of the blanks you leave. If it's important to the plot, or is indicative of your character's life, then put it in the story. Heck, even if it's not, you can still put it in. Just remember, the more important details need to have a greater exposure in the narrative. What I mean: Something that's important, spend more time on. Something not so much, then give it the briefest mention possible.
Take my space pirate Aston West, for example. I give a little bit of a mention of his "extended" gut, because he's a heavy drinker and gets no exercise. I might mention his hair when he runs his hands through it. But if you were to have ten people who count themselves as loyal Aston fans describe him from head to toe, you'd likely get ten different looks. Why don't I blather on about his looks (and quite often in my series of short stories, I barely describe him at all)? Because that's not where the story is, and story is what people are reading for.
So, we've established that looks aren't all that important. So what is? I'd say you need to figure out what makes your character tick. Why does he do the things he does? Why does she react to life the way you have her do so? What does he like or dislike? If you don't know these things about your characters, it's going to show in your writing. And as a result, your characters are going seem flat and uninteresting.
Take Aston as an example again. He absolutely hates getting involved in anything unless he absolutely has to. Why not? Because of his back story...he served in his planet's military as a plan of last resort, and nearly died as a result. Getting involved is a great way to get yourself killed, and he has a big helping of self-preservation. Will he get involved? Only when he feels that great moral imperative that was instilled in him by growing up an orphan with his two (since deceased) brothers. Do I come out and tell the reader all this when he's declining the chance to get involved? No, and that's not my job. My job is to present facts along the way, sprinkling the back story in as appropriate and letting the reader connect the dots and come up with the "aha" moment. [Spoiler] So, at the end of my novel Heroes Die Young, when he ultimately has to decide whether to get involved, he ends up doing so (despite not getting involved at any other point in the story) because he feels responsible for the pain and suffering that is going to be inflicted on people (i.e., that great moral imperative I mentioned before).[/spoiler]
Why your characters act the way they do is going to directly relate to how they handle themselves throughout the plot and with other characters (thus hopefully developing conflicts), both of which will end up being future posts. Make sure that your characters react believably (so that readers will believe it) based on their backstory, and you'll have characters that readers latch onto and love for a lifetime (as so many have claimed about Aston).
So, to recap, it's as people always claim and what you have on the inside (of your character) is what really matters...and looks are just skin-deep.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you have different opinions, feel free to share in the comments.
Good writing!
So, today I plan to discuss characters. How do you come up with good ones?
One would think that you need to figure out what your character looks like. Maybe that's important to you, but to the average reader, they're going to fill in most of the blanks you leave. If it's important to the plot, or is indicative of your character's life, then put it in the story. Heck, even if it's not, you can still put it in. Just remember, the more important details need to have a greater exposure in the narrative. What I mean: Something that's important, spend more time on. Something not so much, then give it the briefest mention possible.
Take my space pirate Aston West, for example. I give a little bit of a mention of his "extended" gut, because he's a heavy drinker and gets no exercise. I might mention his hair when he runs his hands through it. But if you were to have ten people who count themselves as loyal Aston fans describe him from head to toe, you'd likely get ten different looks. Why don't I blather on about his looks (and quite often in my series of short stories, I barely describe him at all)? Because that's not where the story is, and story is what people are reading for.
So, we've established that looks aren't all that important. So what is? I'd say you need to figure out what makes your character tick. Why does he do the things he does? Why does she react to life the way you have her do so? What does he like or dislike? If you don't know these things about your characters, it's going to show in your writing. And as a result, your characters are going seem flat and uninteresting.
Take Aston as an example again. He absolutely hates getting involved in anything unless he absolutely has to. Why not? Because of his back story...he served in his planet's military as a plan of last resort, and nearly died as a result. Getting involved is a great way to get yourself killed, and he has a big helping of self-preservation. Will he get involved? Only when he feels that great moral imperative that was instilled in him by growing up an orphan with his two (since deceased) brothers. Do I come out and tell the reader all this when he's declining the chance to get involved? No, and that's not my job. My job is to present facts along the way, sprinkling the back story in as appropriate and letting the reader connect the dots and come up with the "aha" moment. [Spoiler] So, at the end of my novel Heroes Die Young, when he ultimately has to decide whether to get involved, he ends up doing so (despite not getting involved at any other point in the story) because he feels responsible for the pain and suffering that is going to be inflicted on people (i.e., that great moral imperative I mentioned before).[/spoiler]
Why your characters act the way they do is going to directly relate to how they handle themselves throughout the plot and with other characters (thus hopefully developing conflicts), both of which will end up being future posts. Make sure that your characters react believably (so that readers will believe it) based on their backstory, and you'll have characters that readers latch onto and love for a lifetime (as so many have claimed about Aston).
So, to recap, it's as people always claim and what you have on the inside (of your character) is what really matters...and looks are just skin-deep.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you have different opinions, feel free to share in the comments.
Good writing!
06 January 2012
SFFS: An Excerpt from my novel DEATH BRINGS THE VICTORY
Well, after a few weeks' vacation, it's time once again to get back into Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday and since I'm neck-deep in the editing phase of my next Aston West novel, Death Brings the Victory, I figured I'd give a small snippet from that one.
I'm hoping to get all of my (polish) editing completed in the next few months, and then it's time to 'choose my own adventure' if you will. So, until then, check out the rest of the novels and short stories from the Aston West universe, over at AstonWest.com.
“There it is,” I muttered. An orbiting superstructure rotated on the viewscreen before me, silhouetted by the bluish-white planet Toris. This monstrosity was far smaller than its sibling, the Torian orbital station, but still far larger than the Rulusian vessel we rode in.
I studied the hulking mass of dark gray metal which symbolized so much pain and suffering. A long boom, half the length of the satellite, jutted toward the planet. At the very tip, a sensor sphere conducted scans of the planet. Beams penetrated deep under the planet’s surfaces and bounced back to large cupped blades surrounding the satellite’s cylindrical body. The strength of these beams tracked the planet’s citizens, rooting out large gatherings of anti-government forces. Violent executions had run rampant, and had to be stopped.
That’s why I was here.
I'm hoping to get all of my (polish) editing completed in the next few months, and then it's time to 'choose my own adventure' if you will. So, until then, check out the rest of the novels and short stories from the Aston West universe, over at AstonWest.com.
05 January 2012
Attitude is Everything - How's Yours?
The holidays are often the times when many start feeling down, or sorry for themselves, and toss a writer in the midst of that, and you have a recipe for disaster.
So, I follow a lot of writer blogs and websites, and so many of them have stories filled with success. Thousands of copies sold over the Christmas holiday. Myself, not so much. So, I'm left wondering what am I doing wrong? Don't leave such an open-ended question out for a writer used to constructing elaborate plots, because the number of reasons for slow sales could be mind-boggling.
Then I realized that a "woe is me" attitude in regards to low sales (the same could be said for lack of acceptances when querying or submitting to magazines) is counter-productive. A defeatist attitude is going to only lead to further defeat, and the vicious cycle will continue. So, instead, I decided it was time to do something about boosting my attitude out of the gutter, and improving my lot in (this writer's) life.
Friend of the Aston West Universe, Lisa Pietsch, and I began discussions, and we're starting off on figuring out a marketing strategy to improve my sales numbers. I'm positive that with her experiences as a marketing strategist, things will skyrocket in no time (how's that for a positive attitude? *smile*).
So, how about all of you? How's your attitude (and this isn't just limited to writers, but everyone)? Does it need some improvement? How are you going to do it?
So, I follow a lot of writer blogs and websites, and so many of them have stories filled with success. Thousands of copies sold over the Christmas holiday. Myself, not so much. So, I'm left wondering what am I doing wrong? Don't leave such an open-ended question out for a writer used to constructing elaborate plots, because the number of reasons for slow sales could be mind-boggling.
Then I realized that a "woe is me" attitude in regards to low sales (the same could be said for lack of acceptances when querying or submitting to magazines) is counter-productive. A defeatist attitude is going to only lead to further defeat, and the vicious cycle will continue. So, instead, I decided it was time to do something about boosting my attitude out of the gutter, and improving my lot in (this writer's) life.
Friend of the Aston West Universe, Lisa Pietsch, and I began discussions, and we're starting off on figuring out a marketing strategy to improve my sales numbers. I'm positive that with her experiences as a marketing strategist, things will skyrocket in no time (how's that for a positive attitude? *smile*).
So, how about all of you? How's your attitude (and this isn't just limited to writers, but everyone)? Does it need some improvement? How are you going to do it?
03 January 2012
Weekly Goals - January 3, 2012
A Happy New Year to you all! Although this week wasn't as good as I would have liked, it was a fairly decent one for me, output-wise. However, now that we've passed into the new year, it's time for me to make good on my promises, and shifting gears to get my final polish edits done on my next Aston West novel. So, Resurrection will be placed on hold for the time being...
Results for this week:
1. 2000 words (vs. goal of 2500) on Resurrection
2. Edited 1 of 32 chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. 2000 words (vs. goal of 2500) on Resurrection
2. Edited 1 of 32 chapters on Death Brings the Victory
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. Edit 5 chapters on Death Brings the Victory
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
27 December 2011
Weekly Goals - December 27, 2011
Between time spent on airplanes, in airports, and in hotels without wi-fi, this week was exceptionally good to me. Not sure I want to contemplate what this means, in regards to what I should be (or should not be) doing to get more writing done during the week. Also helps to be off from the day job for the next week or so (in addition to this vacation time I took last week). So, hopefully things will be decent for another week as well.
Results for this week:
1. 5800 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. 2500 words on Resurrection
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. 5800 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. 2500 words on Resurrection
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
20 December 2011
Weekly Goals - December 20, 2011
Not entirely certain that this week will be too productive with the holidays and all, but giving it a try anyway.
Results for this week:
1. 1000 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. 1500 words on Resurrection
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. 1000 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. 1500 words on Resurrection
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
16 December 2011
SFFS: An Excerpt from my Newest, THE CURE
Pushing to get a major chunk of my Aston novel RESURRECTION, I figured I'd take this week's Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday snippet from my latest published novel, The Cure. For those who haven't seen this one, it involves Mila Groso, a scientist who's lost her family and in her distress, makes up her mind to develop a cure for death. Unfortunately, not everyone is after her research for the same reasons:
If you enjoyed this tidbit, catch the full first chapter on my site. And of course, the novel is available in e-book and paperback versions all over the place.
Jorja smiled, knowing she still had her lover under complete control. Her feet padded along the floor as she eased inside a shower cube. Pressing a green button on the waterproof panel before her, streams of cleansing water slammed against her naked body. The warmth drove deep into her exhausted bones, relieving her tension and washing off the filth that came with her job.
She’d have to inform her superiors how close Mila’s lab was. In Jorja’s opinion, they needed to confront her immediately and put forth their demands. Once the cure proved effective, they had to have it. Mila would hand it over, or join her family a little sooner than she thought.
Jorja smiled as the door creaked open once more. When naked flesh brushed against her back, she turned and pinned her lover against the damp wall, then they kissed.
If you enjoyed this tidbit, catch the full first chapter on my site. And of course, the novel is available in e-book and paperback versions all over the place.
13 December 2011
Weekly Goals - December 13, 2011
Didn't quite meet the goal this week, but fairly close...hopefully this coming week will be more productive.
Results for this week:
1. 1250 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. 1500 words on Resurrection
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. 1250 words (vs. goal of 1500) on Resurrection
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. 1500 words on Resurrection
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
12 Days of Christmas
For those who've been debating buying a copy of my books, I'm pleased to announce that Champagne Books is holding a 12 Days of Christmas sale. TODAY ONLY, you can get a copy of Heroes Die Young for only 99 cents in the Champagne store or the Burst Books store. And if you don't know what Heroes Die Young is, then you apparently didn't read the snippet from last Saturday.
So, get on over there and buy your copy today, for the special sale price. Because tomorrow will be too late... :-)
So, get on over there and buy your copy today, for the special sale price. Because tomorrow will be too late... :-)
09 December 2011
SFFS: Another Excerpt from HEROES DIE YOUNG
Neck-deep into new material and edits galore, it was a bit of a trick to find a snippet for this week's Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. So, for this week, I'm going to reach back into the past a bit, and get another excerpt from my first published novel, Heroes Die Young. Here's a snippet, this one a little bit racier, between Aston and his best friend's (adult, for those wondering) daughter:
Poor Aston can never catch a break...
If you enjoyed this, click the link to HDY up there, and check out the whole first chapter. And of course, what really gets me motivated toward putting out Aston's latest adventures is to see the book being sold and enjoyed. Pick up a copy! You'll be glad you did...
Her assault on my senses continued as she combed her fingers through my hair, and our mouths pressed against one another.
As she reached down to my pants, my conscience slapped me upside the head and I grabbed her arm. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’m sorry, I just can’t.”
She pulled away and folded her arms across her chest. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes drooped. “Please leave.”
“If the circumstances were different, Juniper, I…”
Her eyes burned through me. “Leave!”
Poor Aston can never catch a break...
If you enjoyed this, click the link to HDY up there, and check out the whole first chapter. And of course, what really gets me motivated toward putting out Aston's latest adventures is to see the book being sold and enjoyed. Pick up a copy! You'll be glad you did...
06 December 2011
Weekly Goals - December 6, 2011
A great week in finishing the short story, but spent myself, apparently. So, now it's time to spend the rest of this month getting as much work done as I can on the novel.
Results for this week:
1. 400 words (vs. goal of 1000) on Resurrection
2. 1750 words (vs. goal of 1000) on "Temptation"
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. 1500 words on Resurrection
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
Results for this week:
1. 400 words (vs. goal of 1000) on Resurrection
2. 1750 words (vs. goal of 1000) on "Temptation"
And now the goals for this coming week:
1. 1500 words on Resurrection
Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals
02 December 2011
SFFS: An Excerpt from "Temptation"
Nearly missed the deadline for getting in on this week's Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. It's been a heck of a busy week. But thankfully, I'm all signed up, and once again bringing out the first draft material. First off, a big thanks to TK Toppin for great reviews on my first Aston West Triple-Shot. I always enjoy feedback, as it keeps me motivated to put out new material. And now, without further comment, I present a snippet from my new Aston West short story "Temptation":
As always, if you enjoyed it (or not), leave a comment...
“You look like someone who’s down on his luck,” came a sultry voice from beside me.
I lifted an eyebrow and turned to look, my other hand instinctively grabbing my Mark II blaster. With one glance at the woman standing there, my grip on the weapon relaxed, though my grip on the bottle didn’t.
“You might say that,” I told her and looked back to the front, where I could surreptitiously watch her in the mirror behind the bar. Her light brown skin was held tight in place by a white dress that showed far more than it covered.
She was forward, I’d give her that much. “How would you like your luck to change?”
I stared in disbelief, not entirely sure whether I wanted to ask how. Part of me was intrigued by the possibilities, but the other part reminded me over and over again that nothing good usually happened when I met pretty women in unfamiliar places.
As always, if you enjoyed it (or not), leave a comment...
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