Tag: novel writing

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GKP Writing News

Choosing Self Publishing

Lately I’ve been reading the magazine “Writers’ Digest” with its many hints and interviews for authors and wishful authors. Some always seem to be about choosing self publishing.

Common Reason

The reason I see most often for choosing self publishing is keeping control of the book. Traditional publishers can change the title which may or may not be for the best, assign the cover design to an illustrator who may or may not be able to read the book before designing it and determine royalties and other payments for the book among other things.

This is not my reason.

Problems With Self Publishing

Although serious authors do the necessary work, when an author self publishes, no one insists the book be carefully edited. There are editors for hire, but they charge for their services. As this is how they make a living, it is understandable.

Those on a strict budget may skip hiring an editor and do it themselves. Sometimes this works out well, if the author has a strong English grammar grasp. Other times the resulting book is a disaster for readers even if the story is good.

Marketing is another problem. Traditional publishers do have more contacts and do put out new books to places a self published author may have difficulty getting to. They may place ads for the book. However, they do insist that the author do a lot of the marketing such as social media on their own.

cover for "Goat Games" by Karen GoatKeeper
Although this book began as a lot of pencil puzzles about goats, it grew with goat trivia, breed pages, information pages and lots of photographs of goats.

Why Do I Self Publish?

When I wrote my first book, “Goat Games”, I dreamed of being published. I researched publishers and found one where I thought my book would fit. A comparable title, although about horses, had additional material in it, so I enlarged my book to include much more about goats than the many pencil puzzles I started with.

I thought the book was ready, so I queried the publisher. The editor wrote back she liked my book, but wouldn’t accept it. My book was for a niche market, with, in her opinion, no big market and wouldn’t be a viable addition for their company.

Many of my first novels had a lot of goat information in them. They would all fit into this niche market. So I found choosing self publishing was the only way to get my books printed.

Now there is another reason. Time. I am old enough to not want to spend possibly years getting a book published.

Marketing and cover design do sometimes make me wish.

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How Many Drafts?

When I wrote “Broken Promises” the first time, it was a disaster now long erased. The second draft became the novel. How many drafts did it take? Two or three, I think.

“Old Promises” also took one draft. Then I rewrote and edited for two or three more drafts to finish the novel.

Both of these were rewritten again to add the recipes Hazel used in the book.

cover of "Old Promises" Hazel Whitmore #2 by Karen GoatKeeper
This novel took only a few drafts before I decided it was ready to publish. Even so, I reread it and noticed a few more things I might change, if I redo the novel.

Life’s Rules

This novel is different. The first rewrite happened even before the rough draft was written. In fact, I’ve never completed the rough draft.

This last is not really true. I’ve completed the draft in my head. That’s not really the same as I add lots of details, dialogue and more when I write down what’s in my head.

How many drafts so far? I’m on the third rewrite now. It seems I needed to draw some maps and rewrite some of the draft.

The problem with rewriting a partial draft so many times is that part of the novel gets set, edited and polished while the rest is still in need of many things. I tend to focus on actions, plot and dialogue in my first drafts.

The characters are in my head. The settings are in my head. I can see them, hear them, feel them.

A reader can’t see inside my head. That means yet another draft adding descriptions of characters and settings. Those things I can see need to be visible to the reader through my words.

The Carduan Chronicles

How many drafts does this one make for the Carduan Chronicles? I’ve lost count. At least this draft has straightened out two major problems.

Ship Eighteen is journeying to Cardua. With this draft the journey has some semblance of timing. And my missing six passengers are now included in the draft.

This part of the novel will need one more rewrite to add details about the characters. My problem now is that I don’t really see my characters yet.

Ship Nineteen needs to be rewritten as well. How many drafts for it? I don’t know. But I will have a better timeline and know what some of the problems are for tackling this draft in April.

Both Life’s Rules and The Carduan Chronicles: Arrival should be done this year.

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Write What They Know

I’m a city girl moved to the country. Anne of Green Gables is a favorite series. Perhaps that is one reason this type of plot interested me. After all, writers are encouraged to write what they know.

That’s a good idea as far as it goes. Few of us have led such adventurous lives to really live up to this. In fact, although I grew up outside Los Angeles, “Broken Promises” is set in New York City, a place I have visited twice.

Gaining Experiences

My depictions of New York City are limited in the novel because I did want to follow the write what they know admonition. My last visit to the Big Apple was a two week stay. During that time I explored Central Park, a way to stay sane surrounded by so many buildings and people. Times Square, Broadway, Coney Island, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History got stuffed into that two weeks.

At the time, my novel was not even an idea. Writing was not on my agenda. I was on vacation, the first one I’d had in many years. Although I was not aware of it, I was storing up all those memories so I could draw on them years later.

cover for "Broken Promises" by Karen GoatKeeper
One advantage of being older is having a big storehouse of memories to draw on when I am writing. An important attitude is seeing every task, person, place and happening, no matter how mundane or boring, as a learning experience.

Mining Memories

Many writers keep journals. I don’t. I have pictures and each picture tells me a story of a place, a time, a reaction.

Every place I go, every job I hold, every person I meet is a chance to learn something new. As I write, my memory reminds me of similar places and people from my past.

Different experiences bring back emotions as well as situations. Hazel loses her father in the novel. My family lost my nephew. My father had died leaving behind a letter, a letter from the dead.

It’s possible to look places up, even take virtual tours now. People write about lots of things on the internet, even as I am doing now. But these are second hand.

Write What They Know.

To truly write about something, it helps to have actually seen and felt it in reality. At least experience something similar. That’s when words stop being just words and create a fictional reality.

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Writing That First Novel

Before I found National Novel Writing Month (NaN0), my books were more exercises in writing about goats and nature. Writing that first novel was not even an idea. Fiction was something I read, not wrote.

However, I’d finished “Goat Games” and “Exploring the Ozark Hills” and wanted a new writing project. I liked writing and wanted to do more of it.

False Starts

The NaNo challenge was to write 50,000 words in 3o days. That’s almost 2,000 words a day, a mind boggling number to me then. But I like challenges.

The problem was not having an idea for writing that first novel. Somehow I came up with one.

Disaster Looming

That plot idea was not workable. It was a disaster waiting for me to fall into it. I did just that.

There was no novel draft that November. However, I was hooked. That novel was left moldering on my computer as I came up with a new idea.

It was trite. City girl moves to the country. Done and done well so many times, the idea was a waste of time.

Marine Private First Class Brandon Smith

Everything changed with a phone call from my mother. My nephew, my brother’s only child, had been killed in Iraq.

Brandon was 19. He joined the Marines because he was looking for a way to get his life on track. His love was working on engines and he was supposed to do that. Except he was sent to Iraq.

Grief has so many forms. It’s different for every person. Perhaps that is why it shows up in so many novels.

cover for "Broken Promises" by Karen GoatKeeper
Hazel Whitmore is 12 when her world starts falling apart with the death of her father. Grief comes in many forms. Learning to live with it comes in many forms as well.

“Broken Promises”

My brother didn’t really accept Brandon’s death for a year. For my mother, it was devastating. He was the only grandchild she really had time with and he was killed on her eightieth birthday.

City girl moves to the country. Now Hazel had a reason to move. She had a conflict to resolve.

And I found writing that first novel that some novels write themselves even as they tear you apart inside.

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Writing Loneliness

Writing is considered a solitary occupation. A writer sits in front of a computer or typewriter or has pen and pad in hand. Loneliness is part of the occupation, or is it?

A recent article in “Science News” magazine reveals scientists are taking another look at loneliness and its causes. It is no longer considered as the same as being alone.

What Is Loneliness?

Anyone who suffers from loneliness can tell you about being in the center of a room full of people, yet they are still alone. At other times a peron can be alone as off walking in the woods or sitting at a computer and not be lonely.

Although present measures of loneliness don’t touch on this, the key seems to be connections. If a person feels connected to a group, pets or a place, that person is not lonely.

Hopes, Dreams and Reality cover
Mindy is left with no phone to call anyone and no road to drive out to town. She is alone except for her livestock and cat. This could be a recipe for loneliness to strike.

Writing Loneliness

In my recent novel “Hopes, Dreams and Reality” the main character is cut off from everyone she knows. She is left alone for the first time in her life. Yet, she depends on her goats and cats for companionship. This keeps her from sinking into loneliness most of the time.

“Life’s Rules” has a main character who has cut herself off from everyone. She lives in the midst of a neighborhood, yet knows no one. She walks to town for groceries and library books, knows the people there, yet doesn’t know them.

Her life revolves around travel books and language tapes. These give her that sense of connectedness so she isn’t lonely until she makes a connection with another person.

Loneliness companion Mira Cat
Mira Cat always seems to be criticizing the world, but she is a loyal companion. She naps in my computer room, comforts me when things fall apart, destresses, counters loneliness and demands I pay attention to the important things in life: food and sleep.

Describing Loneliness

Most people have had that empty longing we call loneliness at one time or another. It isn’t a pleasant feeling, one we try to avoid.

When writing about such a feeling, a writer deliberately recalls the feelings. These are described in writing. And the aftermath colors the day afterwards.

Then writing is not only solitary, but lonely.

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NaNo Preparation

The stores are full of holiday decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don’t bother with any of these. Instead I start with NaNo preparation in September.

What Is NaNo?

NaNo is National Novel Writing Month. It started as something of a dare between three men who talked about writing novels, but never did. They challenged each other to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.

The challenge was fun. It was hard. Soon others wanted to give it a try.

Now NaNo is international with hundreds of thousands of people writing furiously for 30 days. The only prizes are some digital badges, a winner’s certificate and a rough draft for a novel. For anyone who loves to write, these are enough.

My NaNo preparation

This year is a bit different for me because of the ArtsRolla writing contest. Usually I spend September making up characters and plots, searching for one I want to pursue.

In October, I start creating lists of possible plot points, outlines of characters and descriptions of settings. I’m not what is called a plotter where every detail is fully developed and stated in the outline. And I’m not usually a pantser who takes an idea and just writes to see where it leads.

I fall on the spectrum between the two. Each novel moves me one way or the other, depending on the complexities of the plot. With “Dora’s Story”, I needed great outline details as there were several goat shows involved over more than one year with the contestants and their goats aging through the years. And Dora had a timeline too.

cover for "Capri Capers" by Karen GoatKeeper
When I started writing, I had a long list of cliff hangers. Many of them were never used. A few new ones occurred. The resulting novel is a wild romp of a story.

“Capri Capers” was closer to pantser. All I needed was a list of possible cliff hangers. That is, that’s all I needed for NaNo. Rewriting the novel required making a map and changing the story to fit the map.

For NaNo preparation this year

As I’ve gotten older, my novel ideas have moved from upper middle grade to adult to older adult this year. Lots of things change as you get older. What is it like to be old?

Only an older person can really write about this. A senior citizen was once young and can remember many of the issues a young person faces which may change forms, but not the underlying issues. However, a young person has never been old. There are so many considerations a young person can’t know even with interviews about what an older person feels both physically and mentally.

My first chapter is drafted and will be entered in ArtsRolla. I need a good working title. And then there is the outline of plot points, scenes and characters to write down so I don’t forget them before November when the novel draft will get written.

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Creating Book Covers

My last week has been spent creating book covers for both my new novel “Hopes, Dreams and Reality” and the teaching units from “The City Water Project”. That means nine covers.

Finding Images

There are online places to seek and purchase novel covers. I’ve looked at a couple and found the covers look nice, but don’t suit what I’ve written.

That leaves me deciding on images and drawing my cover designs. For nature books I can use photographs with the title etc. put on them using the computer. All other book covers must be drawn.

The image must reflect the book or teaching unit. The first water unit has two activities concerned with bottled waters and comparing tastes. The cover image is a water bottle.

For “Hopes, Dreams and Reality” the choice was more difficult. The book spans almost a month. The major storm takes four days yet sets everything else in motion. So, the image needed to reflect the storm.

Readers like seeing people on the covers. I don’t like drawing people. Having the main character, Mindy, standing holding an umbrella seemed so trite. The cover image I’m working with has Mindy fighting the wind and rain with her umbrella on her way to the barn.

Complications in Creating Book Covers

There is more on a book cover than the image. The title and author is on it too. The image may take center stage, but there must be room for the writing.

Another decision is whether or not I will write the title on the image or use the computer to add it to the image as I finish the cover later. With the teaching units I printed the titles on the covers. For my novel, I will use the computer.

creating book covers requires fitting the cover to the project
If this were a book cover, I would add a dark blue border to define the cover as I did with “The Pumpkin Project”. This is for a digital download teaching unit from “The cith Water Project” so the border is not needed.

Creating the Cover

Sketches are fine. I sketch all my covers and illustrations with pencil first. Then I clear table space and take out my watercolors.

Watercolor pictures look good to me. I like the quality of the colors.

Watercolor is unforgiving. Any mistake is permanent. That is a major reason most artists prefer painting with oils and acrylics.

Digital Art

I know a digital artist and love her work. I still prefer creating book covers and illustrations with watercolor. Then I scan them into my computer.

This lets me add writing, if I want to, crop the image to the size of the book and, most importantly, fix mistakes where lines got too thick and other flaws in my image. I can also add an all over background color instead of using a wash.

Does my method of creating book covers work for everyone? Definitely not. It does work for me.

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Writing Projects

How many writing projects in progress at the same time are too many? I’m trying to find out, I guess.

Writing Projects List

At present I have two science projects going. One is rewriting “The City Water Project” as teaching units. The other is writing units for “The Chemistry Project”.

There are also two novels. “Hopes, Dreams and Reality” is being looked over by some friends before I do a final rewrite and edit. In the meantime, I am brainstorming cover ideas.

And I am trying to finish the draft for “The Carduan Chronicles: Arrival” Since I haven’t worked on this one since last October, this entails reading through seventy pages of manuscript trying to not do a total rewrite to get back into the story.

Then there is the idea for a picture book. I have the idea, the setting, possible characters and the perfect candidate for a character model in mind.

bloodroot flower for writing projects
This bloodroot flower is one of the first Ozark wildflowers to bloom. Even though the Dent County Flora page is complete, I still enjoy seeing them and can’t resist taking another picture.

Is This Enough?

I don’t think so. It is wildflower season once again. That means the “Dent County Flora” books are again open.

Already I’m trying to get out walking and have even completed pictures for a plant to enter into the “Dent County Blues” book. Another tree, a new one, has bloomed and I only need to get some seed pictures and the tree picture to complete it.

Virginia bluebells flower picture for writing projects
The Virginia bluebells page for the Dent County Flora is done. But I saw this plant in bloom and loved this view showing the side of the flower as well as how the flowers staart out one color and usually turn blue as they open. I have found plants whee the flowers stay pink.

Getting Books Off the Writing Projects List

The only project close to being done is “Hopes, Dreams and Reality”. If I can keep to schedule – and I’ve already overshot it, the book will be published in May.

cover for "The City Water Project" by Karen GoatKeeper

“The City Water Project” teaching units are supposed to be done in May. I will get them done as it is mostly just adjusting the book into pieces and changing some explanations.

The problem with these units is setting up yet another account, this one with teacherspayteachers, to sell them. Since I am already juggling accounts with Amazon, Smashword, IngramSpark, Goodreads, Pinterest, NaNo (National Novel Writing), iNaturalist and Flickr (also new), my five to six hours a week of internet time is spread very thin.

Justification: I’m not bored.

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Finishing Novel Drafts

“Hopes, Dreams and Reality” is finished. Or is it? Finishing novel drafts is tricky.

The first rough draft is only an outline of a story. It allows the writer to create characters, try out plotlines and subplots and follow the story to an ending. My rough drafts are often a mess and only expand on my novel idea.

Enter the First Draft

That leads to a rewritten draft. This is my first real draft. By now I know my characters fairly well. That means I know how they will react in a given situation which can totally nix a plot.

If the plot won’t work with these characters, I have two choices. I can create new characters for the plot, if I like the plot. Or I can rewrite the plot to suit the characters, if I am happy with them.

One way or the other, I am finishing novel drafts to this point. And this draft may sound really good. Maybe good enough to keep?

Probably not. And the truth is in writing a second draft. This is not a carbon copy of the first draft, although they may be very similar.

finishing novel drafts like for "Hopes, Dreams and Reality"
My new novel seems to finally have a title:”Hopes, Dreams and Reality”. The draft is done and only needs a final read through. Finishing novel drafts is more a decision to stop tweaking than a lack of things to tweak.

Going For That Second Draft

My method is to make a copy of the first draft. Then I retype this draft one chapter at a time.

As I retype the draft, I think about it. What’s missing? Description? Explanation? A scene?

What doesn’t work? Is there too much description? Does something not make sense?

Does the ending belong? Or is it too over the top? Is all the groundwork laid for it?

Finishing Novel Drafts

How many more drafts will I write? Any after the second one will probably be pretty close to that one. Should I stop?

No matter how many drafts a writer does, there are things to change. A sentence sounds rough. The grammar stinks. These go on and on appearing with each reading.

I am to that point with “Hopes, Dreams and Reality” now. This is a new type of novel for me so I have asked a couple of friends to look it over. Then I will read through it once again.

In the meantime, I am returning to Cardua. Then I can look at this novel with fresh eyes.

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New Ventures

As of now I have published 14 books which sit on various platforms ignored by almost everyone. I’m not wanting to be a mega author, just one people like to read. It’s time for some new ventures in search of these people.

Time and knowledge are my two big stumbling blocks. The third is a dislike of the main social media platforms. How can I work around these?

Website Considerations

First comes my website. It’s still a work in progress as I am not that knowledgeable about building a website. I can set up pages, put up posts and monitor comments, if any appear.

Much of the background analytics and set up are beyond me. It takes weeks for me to puzzle them out. One of my new ventures will be finding someone to help with these.

Second come my various author pages too often ignored for months. Every platform my books are found on has an author page. This puts one on Kindle/Amazon; Smashwords; Ingram Sparks; and National Novel Writing Month. That leaves me updating each once a month.

cover for "The City Water Project" by Karen GoatKeeper
Water is fascinating, so much more than the water cycle. This science activity book explores this, yet is ignored. Would it be more used as digital science units?

Writing Plans

Third relates to my writing more directly. I love creating my science activity books. As a former science teacher, I target the entire book toward teaching the subject thoroughly. And they are ignored.

Another of my new ventures will be to break these science books up into units and offer them as science units on a teacher/homeschooling site. “The City Water Project” will debut in April or May. This includes “The Chemistry Project” now being worked on scheduled for July.

There are two novels I would love to complete and publish this year. I suppose these can be considered new ventures as well.

My target for the first is publishing in March this year. I’m trying to convince myself I can do this. It does still need a title.

“The Carduan Chronicles: Arrival” has a target of this fall, preferably October. That will leave me open to more new ventures in November for NaNo.