When We're Drafting, Lots Goes On

I've known only a couple of writers who claimed that their first drafts were their last. Supposedly, the words came as notes once did to Mozart's brain: each one perfect as it was. Or, if you will: the entire book or concert was already completed...and simply transcribed. Well, hats off to Wolfgang. But those writers were delusional if they really did believe their novels couldn't have used lots more work. A low form of genius may be a play when a writer is able to get it all down in sellable form, in one swoop. But none of those writers who boasted to me of their first draft ability produced a single novel that stood the test of time.

And why be surprised about that?  Consider how much is at play even we're working from a detailed outline:
1) Our brains are processing matters of plot, structure, pacing, character, grammar, word choice, style.
2) Our brains are also timing the release of vital info, especially in mysteries: clues that can't be delayed for too long but mustn't be revealed too quickly.
3) A daily tug of war goes between the left and right sides of our brains: the right side wants control, of course, but the left side wants us to throw in everything including the kitchen sink--so we can see what works out. If we have no control, we'll end up with a 1000 page novel we need to edit down to 300-400 pages. If we have too much control, we'll end up with a novel that has no real soul.
4) In the exhausting marathon of writing a long novel, we need to maintain our energy and keep our juices flowing. The psychology of composition becomes as important as the creative act.

Some will turn out first drafts that are cleaner and more polished. But none of should feel discouraged. Worlds are in collision, within us, when we get those first words down.

I May Semi-Unretire from Retiring from Reviewing

LinkedIn was one of those things I'd never really understood but decided to give a try. Glad I did. I received an invitation from a serious new online review journal, asking if I'd like to join their review team. I saw a terrific opportunity to review assigned books when my schedule allows...work with some cool new people...and keep one foot in both camps, trad and ebook publishing. If this works out, I may look for a way to return to other reviewing as well.

Fingers crossed. It's been a long while since I've had the pleasure of holding new galleys in my hands!

IT'S HERE--TODAY IS TOOTSIE DAY!

Shocking, hilarious and true-blue: how I passed myself off as a woman in order to break into print.

GIVE MY TOOTSIE ROLE A HUG is now Live on http://authorselectric.blogspot.com

You don't want to miss this one--at least if you hope to get published!

On the Fine Art of Self-Surprise

My upcoming spring release is a short novel loaded with plot twists and tricks. Originally called White Knights, this is is the one that agent Henry Morrison once called "Perhaps the greatest Christmas story ever written--but one that can never be published." I've learned a lot about writing since then and, because of what I've learned, I'll be putting out an even better version:  cleaner, clearer, infinitely quicker in its prose.

But something astonishing happened the other night when I was revising one passage. At several points throughout the book we return to the basement, where a man lies trapped, apparently destined to drown. Now, I hadn't reread the book in some time. And I'd hidden the identity of the doomed man so carefully that I couldn't recall, to save my life, which of two men I'd placed there.

The book is now called April Yule. Revisiting, and revising, it has been a great dual adventure:  I've regained the magical sense of fun that possessed me when I wrote the book and I've discovered a new type of fun in revising to enhance the reader's pleasure at each turn. It's all about 'me' in the first draft, for most. But it's got to be all about 'you' at the end.

I think you'll get a kick out of April Yule. Coming soon. Brace yourselves: I've got a few tricks up my sleeves that top the misdirection with the poor guy in the basement.

Beat the Clock: Part Two

One day I expect to look back on this past Tuesday night as one of my life's bigger moments. I'd worked two jobs for years while battling for time as a writer. And I'd finally given notice at my second job. Tuesday was to have been my last night.

But I wasn't making the move in a decisive enough spirit. I was worrying about the lost income.  Now, I didn't want to work that last night. My main job's a night position: 7 nights on, 7 days off. And I'd have lost my full first day off, sleeping for four or five hours after a ten hour night sift, then working six hours at job #2. Plus, my part-time boss had been treating me worse by the week.. But hang on, the good part's at hand. Here it is:

I sat down with a pencil and paper, then examined the finances with a cold eye:  I figured out what I was actually making on the part-time job if I factored in cab fare from there to job #1. Then I began to strategize: How could I make more money by working just the one job? E.G.: Scrap the cab fare: $48/month. Eliminate the first morning coffee at Starbucks. Switch from $2.00 single servings of oatmeal to a box containing eight servings at $.40 apiece. Switch from 20-oz bottled waters at $1.00-$1.25 apiece to 24-bottle cases, on sale: approx.  $.10 a bottle. 

I also asked for, and received, an extra hour a day at the main job.

You get the idea. Without suffering in any way financially, I could scrap the part-time job I hated and by following my game plan, I could make about $300 more a month. I could continue to work for about 3 hours a day on my work nights and as many hours as I please on my off days. I could put on more serious speed in building an online body of work.

Back to Tuesday night: I called out and said, "That's it. I can't come back, I'm busy."  And I wrote with, at long last, a true warrior's heart. I'd escaped a dependent position. I'd flipped the bird at bad treatment. And I'd taken better ownership of my time and money. 

Something Liquid This Way Comes

Mark this on your calendars if you have any hope of succeeding:

When: February 12.

Where: Authors Electric blog:  http://authorselectric.blogspot.com

What:  A magnum of Dom Perignon in the form of a new post entitled: Give My Tootsie Role a Hug.  A mindblowing, true account--containing a great deal of bubbly--about the greatest untold scandal in the history of publishing. I'm proud to have been part of it and look forward to sharing top secrets that may help you break into print.

See you there!
Reb MacRath

Learn:
--How you too can change past negative perceptions and be seen with a fresh eye.
--How you can get a Good Address.
--Why you're better off ignoring agents' demands for your bio.
--Why you should refuse to speak with, even meet, any agent until they're officially handling your work.

And, while you're at it, learn the Almighty Shockeroo--all on February 12!

Biggers Can Be Choosers

As you'll have noted from the last blogs, my sights are now trained on Perception. And I'm taking five from Perception at large to improving Perception on Twitter. Here's why...

Take a minute or two to sit at your computer screen and watch Twitter's general stream. About 200 Tweets seem to flash by every minute. And anything you Tweet will be vanish from the screen in a second or two, missed by the very people whom you hope to reach--unless: 1) You have a substantial Followers base; 2) You ReTweet your core Followers who ReTweet you in turn; 3) You maintain a healthy balance between your 'shout-outs' (touts for your own work) and reach-outs--inspirational, informative or helpful stuff to others.

Let's look at each of these in turn...
1) What's a substantial Followers base? We begin to be taken more seriously at 1000 Followers. Then at 3000 we can take some pride that we're actually starting to look pretty good. But I now agree with John Logan: 10,000 seems to be the magic number--the point at which we're taken very seriously indeed...and at which we make super-desirable allies.
2) With a base of 10,000 we're in a position to offer them something important: the power to ReTweet about their new books and giveaways, etc. And our 10,000 Followers have their own fans in turn. When Claude Bouchard ReTweets you, the word goes out to his 300,000-plus Followers.  Getting up to 10,000 will take some hard daily work...but as Logan says, the growth process grows easier. The rich get richer and the big get bigger. And biggers can be choosers.
2) Balance becomes everything. If we're perceived as spammers or self-aggrandizing jerks, down we go: we get Unfollowed or get blocked. No one minds an occasional tout or even more than occasional--so long as balance is perceived. And we're more likely to buy or free-download something from someone who's amused or amazed us with well-written, unselfish Tweets. I discovered nearly all of my ebook writers on Twitter--through the power of their Tweets: Claude Bouchard, David Cranmer, Kirkus MacGowan, Roz Morris, John Logan, Rebecca Scarsberry, Diane Rapp, Douglas R. Cobb, etc.

Closing note on numbers: I hope to find a balance between Bouchard's volume and selectivity. Now and then I'll copy a block of Followers from a writer I like to help me gain some traction. But I prefer to examine each name, seeking those who share my interest in mysteries and thrillers or who stand out somehow in their profiles. Anyway, the game is on and I will keep you posted.