The Week in Words (August 21)

At the Editor's Desk

This week was so busy it ran into next week! Sorry for the late newsletter, but it's been delayed by some truly exciting projects, so I'm sure you'll forgive me.

Master of Professional Writing

This week I attended the orientation for new graduate students in the Master of Professional Writing program at the University of Oklahoma. It's a two-year graduate degree that focuses on writing novels, non-fiction books, and screenplays. You know I'm already focusing pretty heavily on the first two of those, and I've got secret dreams of seeing Gods Tomorrow as a screenplay within my lifetime, so there's incredible potential here.

I said a little bit more about orientation (and my expectations for the coming semester) over at the Consortium blog, in case you'd like to know more.

Gods Tomorrow

I've also spent most of the month really wrapped up in last-minute improvements to a two-year-old manuscript. That's because I'm planning to self-publish Gods Tomorrow in early September.

It's a huge undertaking, but I've been making rumblings here lately against the publishing establishment, and I've been linking you to article by J. A. Konrath who makes screeds against the establishment, so I'm doing my due diligence. I'm going to publish my best, most polished, most promising manuscript as a total gamble, and let you know what I learn.

Of course, I'm doing everything I can to bias the results, so I've been pretty busy planning a coverart photoshoot with the amazing Julie V. Photography (not to mention contacting Julie Roads for some help with the back cover copy).

On Unstressed Syllables

This week we covered two major topics: after exhorting you to accept your expertise as a writer (I called it "writing in the deep end"), I went on to demand that you obey some writing rules again.

Sunday I introduced the Technical Writing series on expertise with a story about throwing my daughter in the deep end of the pool, and watching her struggle back to the top. Ugh! Just typing that makes my stomach tie up in knots, but it turned out to be a good thing.


Then on Monday I talked about pretending to be an expert writer. I've spent most of the last year practicing what I preach, as far as that goes, and it's definitely turned out to be a good thing.


Then Tuesday I tried to tell you how to overcommit yourself as successfully as I have done. It's all about stretching your competence, and I'm pretty confident that's the only way anyone has ever earned the rightful title of "expert."


On Wensdy (as we sometimes say it in these parts), Courtney told us what she learned about writing this week when she returned to her writing Bible, a memoir/textbook written by Stephen King; in essence, she told us -- as he told us before -- to use the words we know and stay away from the big and fancy words, no matter how tempting they might be. I think it's good advice. How about you?


Thursday I introduced the Creative Writing series on writing rules with a story about a high school math teacher who let me sweat it out, before doing me a tremendous favor. Who would have thought math could be so suspenseful?


On Friday I talked about suspense, and the challenging balance of surprising your readers without keeping them in the dark. One of those things is a requirement of good writing, and the other one is absolutely against the rules. Fun.


Saturday's article cleared things up a little bit, though, because real suspense isn't built out of ignorance. The best way to write suspense is by creating real concern for fictional characters. Once that's in place, you can do more to worry your readers by revealing what's in store than by hiding the things they need to know. It's liberating...and incredibly powerful.

The Week in Words (August 14)

At the Editor's Desk

This week my works in progress included four books, and all of the How Tos. That's not normally the way I run things, but this week has been an excellent exception.

Catching Up on My Reading

This week I didn't get any new scenes written for The Girl Who Stayed the Same, but I've been busy reading anyway. I finally read through Chris Baty's No Plot, No Problem (the NaNoWriMo book), and it was inspiring. I wanted to start writing right away. None of that's a big surprise (most of you know I'm a three-time NaNoWriMo winner), but the message wasn't a surprise and the book still got me ready to go. It's incredibly well written. I recommend it highly.

I also picked up ePub: Straight to the Point this week, and started working my way through it. It promises to teach me everything I need to know about digitally publishing a novel and making it beautiful. So far I'm a couple chapters in and it's telling me to do all the thing I'm telling you to do, but I have high hopes the second half will be the actual application bit.

Getting Behind on My Writing

And I'm not just getting behind on my writing for The Girl Who Stayed the Same. I'm making it worse by adding new projects to be behind on!

This week I designed and outlined a new e-Book that's all about using Google Docs as a Documentation Production Environment (or, put simply, getting the most out of Google Docs). Much of the book's foundation (just like the ePub book I bought) will be the stuff I've said here in the last month or so, but I'm going to get into some pretty detailed advice for management and publication in the e-Book that would be hard to present on the blog.

I'm also working on a new e-Book that's all about writing a novel during NaNoWriMo. And yes, of course, my finally reading No Plot, No Problem is related to that. I needed to make sure my book wasn't too much of a duplicate, and it's not. I think the two guides could coexist quite peacefully.

Two new e-Books, three novels I'm working on at the moment, and the publication of Gods Tomorrow scheduled for September. It's going to be a busy summer.

On Unstressed Syllables

This week we covered two major topics: programming your language and pointing your plot.

Sunday I introduced the Technical Writing series on programming languages with a story about writing a macro in VBA to handle complicated Word tasks. It protected my productivity and saved my sanity...and gave me a great chance to show off my technical skills, too.

Then on Monday I talked about automating tasks as a Technical Writer. Programming might not be a normal pastime for writers, but it's an incredibly valuable one.

Then Tuesday I told you which programming language you should start with, if you're ready to get started. Dive into Python. It's a programming language that does its best to read like a human language, and it can do remarkably cool things.

On Wednesday, Courtney told us what she learned about writing this week from painting trees for Julie V. Photography. She told us to get really good at the things we're good at, and...well, to get good at the things we're not good at, too. I think Chris Baty would agree!

Thursday I introduced the Creative Writing series on plot points with a story about my high school graduation, and the dedication of my first home. Both of them were monumental moments in my life, and both of them proved to be major turning points in my story. I think that qualifies them for a couple hundred words of memoir, don't you?

On Friday I talked about monumental moments and turning points in your stories. I explained the concept of plot points -- what they are, and what they have to offer.

Today's article came with a little caveat, though: they won't really pull their weight until you learn how to write effective plot points. It's a matter of deliberate design. You don't have to outline every scene in your book, but every scene should know which plot point it's moving toward, and what that change will bring.

Around the Web

I also found a couple of good articles around the web this week, that I thought you might find interesting.

• Jane at Writer's Digest's There Are No Rules insists that Self-Publishing and Online Publishing Will Not Ruin Your Chances at a Traditional Deal. It makes sense, and it's certainly good news. I see the future of the industry working that way, even if the present of the industry doesn't.
  
• Self-publishing advocate J. A. Konrath at A Newbie's Guide to Publishing talks about The High Cost of Self-Promotion. He's saying exactly what I want to hear...and that always makes me a little nervous. I'm hopeful, though. That's what I want the future of the industry to be.
  

The Week in Words (August 7)

At the Editor's Desk

After last week's big reveal of my other project, I think it's time to get back to a real focus on what brings us all together here: hating Dan Brown.

Freelance Services

It's a shame that I've never gotten around to preparing a sales page around here, but as some of my blog posts in the last couple weeks have probably hinted, I do have some valuable services to sell. In addition to my own extensive experience with creative and technical writing, I've done writing coaching, document design (fiction and nonfiction), story editing, voice editing, line editing, copy editing, and several types of copy writing.

At the moment, I'm working on breaking into grant writing, and I'm in talks to maybe do a ghost writing gig. It all sounds like a lot of fun.

Incidentally, since I don't have a strong sales process set up at the moment, I've got some open availability, so if you find yourself in need of some of those services, you can feel free to send me an email (or use the site's Contact Form) to ask me for an estimate. I'm not cheap, but I'm terribly good.

The Girl Who Stayed the Same

There's the technical and the creative writing to do, though, and I'm still going strong on my current work-in-progress. This week I finished chapter seven and started chapter eight of The Girl Who Stayed the Same.

Someone finally asked Jonas if he was an angel (and he answered with a qualified no), and we also learned that Jonas is really terrible at chess. He's also pretty emotionally unstable, but what do you expect from a dude who hangs around with artists all the time?

On Unstressed Syllables

This week we covered two major topics: following directions and preparing a document according to the rules (specifically grant applications), and following the rules and writing stories with due respect for your readers.

Sunday I introduced the Technical Writing series on grant applications with a story about my three-year-old daughter learning to read...by memorizing the shapes of words. It's limited in a way phonetic alphabets aren't supposed to be, but it's also advanced in a way three-year-olds aren't supposed to be, so I'm considering the whole thing a wash.

Then on Monday I talked about grant money, selection committees, and how grant writing is just like the slush pile all over again. It's frustrating in ways, but it also gives experienced novelists a leg up on the competition.

Then Tuesday I took it a step further, saying that grant writing is just like writing Shakespearean sonnets. The metaphor isn't perfect, but the application is -- if you can learn to express your ideas well within someone else's strict structure, you're ready to call yourself a professional writer (and start raking in the dough).

On Wednesday, Courtney waxed domestic with a story about sewing up some torn garments, and in the process taught us how to patch up holes in our stories' plots. It can be a lot of work, and it's certainly the sort of thing we're often tempted to let pile up on our To Do lists, but a little extra effort can save a story from becoming scrap, and turn it into a perfectly serviceable Saturday shirt.

Thursday I introduced the Creative Writing series on writing rules with a story about Trish trying to watch The Da Vinci Code in spite of all my lecturing. The lecture's got to go someplace, though! So I spilled it through onto Friday and Saturday, too.

On Friday I talked about respecting your readers, and specifically focused on understanding and deliberately crafting your book's reading experience. When you consider how your story affects your readers (and what they're offering in exchange for your storytelling), it becomes far easier to stick to some of the core rules of writing.

Today's article tied that up with a detailed look at what some of those rules are: premise, verisimilitude, and the unforgivable sin named "Deus Ex." It's been a pretty academic week, and if you've followed along you probably deserve a couple hours of college writing credits for it. Alas, my blog isn't yet accredited.

Around the Web

I also found a couple of good articles around the web this week, that I thought you might find interesting. They're certainly relevant to our most recent discussion.

• Writing this week's aggressive broadside against popular novelist Dan Brown, I couldn't help thinking about literary agent Nathan Bransford's fantastic article last week, The One Question a Writer Should Never Ask.

• Wouldn't you know it, though, Bransford followed up with another excellent post this week on the same topic, Writing vs. Storytelling. Be sure you read both of these -- you'll be a better writer for it.

The Week in Words (July 31)

At the Editor's Desk

At last, it's here! Three months of talking about it, a month straight of setting up, and a week-long, thrilling extravaganza of business plannery have combined to make this the most exciting weekend at Unstressed Syllables since that one time when I wrote an e-Book.

We'd better get straight to the action!

The Consortium

This week I finally unveiled the glory that is my current project: the new new media, the right-brained brain trust, the Consortium...OKC. It's amazing.

If you haven't already been by, go check out the website. My graphic designer hasn't gotten around to making it pretty yet, but it's packed with good information about what we're doing, and grandiose hints at what we plan for the future.

Believe it or not, you'll probably hear more about it below, too.

The Girl Who Stayed the Same

I'm still talking about the girl I've been talking about for a while. (In case you haven't been keeping up, her name is Kelly Lane.)

This week I added three new scenes to chapter seven of The Girl Who Stayed the Same, messing with my newest narrator's muddled mind, and bringing back Jonas with the promise of chess. I'm looking forward to exploring his devious technique.

On Unstressed Syllables

This week we covered two major topics: a business plan as an example of a good document template, and a business plan presenting the ultimate solution to a month's worth of complaining about (C).

Sunday I introduced the Technical Writing series on business plans with a story about my first effort at a sales pitch for the Consortium. It wasn't terribly compelling...but it worked anyway.

Then on Monday I reminisced about the week before and its obscenely long list of template elements. I answered the questions in that list with a look at how the parts of a standard business plan line up with the template elements.

Then Tuesday I got into the nitty gritty, with a look at exactly what goes into the standard business plan. If you ever need to write one, it's probably a good place to start. Not a good place to stop, but you could at least start there.

On Wednesday, Courtney proved she's been paying attention with a timely look at how you can (and should) find inspiration in the public domain. By way of illustration, she talked Lincolns, zombies, Frankensteins, and Koontzes. (Personally, I find the Koontzes scariest.)

Thursday I introduced the Creative Writing series on art with a story about a story about the Academy of the Arts in my fantasy world. Turns out fifteen years ago I was already laying a conceptual groundwork for the world-changing ideas I just dreamed up last February. How unsettling.

On Friday I settled down, though, and spoke to you for the first time in a totally mature and professional voice. Don't worry, I promise you won't hear it from me often. This was a special occasion, though. It's not every day I share the Executive Summary to a business plan about my world-changing ideas.

Then I wrapped up that discussion with today's invitation to become a part of the movement, and find your place in the Consortium. I want you working for me. I've got nothing to offer, and it's going to be a bunch of work, so dive right in!

Around the Web

I've also seen more than a handful of good articles around the web this week, that I thought you might find interesting. Here's the best.

• Kate Shaw at Ars Technica reported on a recent experimental study that found "Pay what you want" benefits companies, consumers, charities. That's a pretty promising finding non-profit organizations and new-media artists hoping to compete with traditional publishing on customer service rather than litigation campaigns.

• Speaking of litigation campaigns, the litigious J. K. Rowling is defending her own work against claims of copyright infringement, but she came out swinging this week. The Bookseller sums up the current legal situation with J. K. Rowling moves to dismiss plagiarism charge.

• Meanwhile, guest writer Phyllis Zimbler Miller writes at BookBuzzr explains why Book Authors Need a Dedicated Website for Their Books. That's something that's been on my mind lately, with all the work on the Consortium. I'll let you know if I find any better ways to get it done.

The Week in Words (July 24)

At the Editor's Desk

I spent the week getting ready for Trish's birthday. But that didn't take as long as it probably should have, so I've gotten some other stuff done, too.

Consortium Time

I've gotten to the point I spend most of my project time these days doing something for my new patronage program (which I do intend to finally announce in complete detail here all of next week). That doesn't mean I'm working on the Consortium instead of writing.

I started chapter seven of The Girl Who Stayed the Same this week, and started coordinating a photoshoot for the cover of Gods Tomorrow (which I intend to publish sometime before November).

I also spent a lot of time working with my programmers to get the Consortium's website working (and doing amazing things), and we've made arrangements to do even more of that this weekend.

My Homeroom

My other big project this week has been my three-year-old daughter. She's learning to read.

You can (of course) expect to hear much more about that in future blog posts, but I worked with her nearly every day this week, and she's accumulating words at a pretty impressive clip. By my last count, she's got eleven words she can recognize on sight now (with a little prodding, anyway).

It's fascinating watching the way she learns, the way pieces slowly start falling into place. And (again of course) I am extraordinarily proud of her.

On Unstressed Syllables

This week we covered two major topics: what goes into a good document template, and what goes into mastering a craft.

Sunday I introduced the Technical Writing series on document templates with a story about a Photoshop tutorial, a blog post illustration, and a reality that's so much less than fantasy. It was a great reminder of the purpose and effect of a good document template, though.

Then on Monday I made the connection, explaining how document templates create context through style. That article included an incredibly handy list of all the elements that go into a document template definition.

Then Tuesday I explained how to use that list, by searching for sample documents and reverse-engineering a template. The trick is to recognize what's general and what's specific -- and then to borrow the best, and leave the rest.

On Wednesday, Courtney told us with a straight face that she's not an expert writer, and we just sort of snickered in disbelief. Who does she think she's kidding? That article was full of expert advice.

Thursday I introduced the Creative Writing series on patronage with the story of the time Kris Austin offered to support my writing. It helped inspire this month's long-running series, and it helped drive me to be the best writer I could possibly be.

On Friday I discussed my ignorance of history, and then went on to give you a history lesson. At least I got a little expert input first. Anyway, it turns out the Renaissance community chose to support the artists to support the arts. They called it patronage. I'd call it retirement.

Then I wrapped up that discussion with today's article on becoming a master of an artistic style. It's all about learning the craft, practicing a refined style, and sticking to the path (even when it feels a little demeaning). My advice to you? Join the school of a master you can be proud to imitate.

Around the Web

I've also seen more than a handful of good articles around the web this week, that I thought you might find interesting. Here's the best.

• I've got a little further reading on last week's Word Count articles. Karen Marcus over at Final Draft Communications offered her own numbers with the post Working With Word Count: How Long Should Your Business Document Be?

• Joel Friedlander at The Book Designer shared a guest post by an intellectual property attorney, What Every Writer Ought to Know about Fair Use and Copyright. It's definitely worth a read, given the conversation we've been having on the topic.

• And wow! There was big breaking news yesterday about "real" authors discontent with the big publishing houses. Alison Flood at The Guardian reported that several celebrated authors bypass publishing houses to sell ebooks via Amazon.

The Week in Words (July 17)

At the Editor's Desk

This week I've spent a whole lot of time advancing hundreds of different projects and goals in hundreds of parallel paths. The net result is probably only a gain of a few inches on average, but miles and miles if you add them all up.

I suppose that's too vague to be useful, but getting into all the specifics would probably be tedious. So I'll just give you an overview of the more interesting pieces.

Visiting with Family

My parents came to visit two weeks ago for the holiday weekend, and my mom stuck around, so I got to drive her home last Friday night. That gave me five hours to chat with her on the drive to Little Rock, which was probably the first uninterrupted time we've had together in most of a decade. She just finished her degree to become a certified therapist, so she's got a lot of exciting stuff going on.

I also got to check out the major work they've done on their house, and spend lots of time talking with Dad about his plans for opening a web practice for his therapy. It just so happens I've spent most of the last six months learning the kinds of things he really needs to know right now.

It was a busy weekend, but it was also incredibly valuable. I've got to make the time to get out there on my own more often.

Writing

After promising to get caught up last weekend, this week I did prewriting work on three different books, and finished chapter six of The Girl Who Stayed the Same. I also got to know Jesse Lane in the process, and he's turning out to be a much more interesting character than I expected him to be.

In fact, I wrote a lot this week. I wrote six detailed project descriptions, and a couple dozen critical emails. I wrote editorial reviews for a dozen different projects in a dozen different media. And best of all, I wrote ten blog posts this week. For the first time since February, I've got an actual blog post buffer.

I'm really hoping to get some significant fiction writing done this weekend, to brag about in my next newsletter. In the meantime, here's the firstfruits of my blogging labor:

On Unstressed Syllables

This week we covered two major topics: the ways writers use word count, and the value of free art.

Sunday I introduced the Technical Writing series on word count with a story about a busy weekend I spent finished up a digital copy of Ivanhoe. It wore me out (but, as I admitted this morning, it also inspired me to start on a brand new project).

Then on Monday I talked about the single metric writers, editors, and publishers use to avoid that same confusion: word count. It's amazingly handy for a lot of reasons (and you'd better believe I exceeded my allotted word count to list them all).

Then Tuesday I explained how to convert word count to page (and vice versa), and listed some standard word counts given for a handful of common document types. I also tasked you with figuring out the right word count for the documents you write, but what are the chances you followed through on that? Probably about (one):(the word count of the fifth Harry Potter book). I can live with that.

On Wednesday, Courtney told us what she learned about writing this week from words, and weird as the words were, their message was a simple one: until you've got them right, you're never completely making the connection with your reader that you want. Spend a little extra time, and hone in on the fine details. You'll be glad you did.

Thursday I introduced the Creative Writing series on the public domain with a story about Twilight that I thought was funny. I suspect in the process I probably alienated nine out of ten of my readers, though (and that's not a ratio, sadly enough, that's a direct accounting).

On Friday I discussed the difference between free speech and free beer, and it was all in the context of stealing a Dickens novel from Barnes and Noble. Wait, no, that's not right. I know it had something to do with the public domain. Go read it, and find out for yourself.

Then I wrapped up that discussion with today's article on how to use free art in your original creative works. It's not as complicated as you might think, and it can be incredibly valuable. If you haven't already, check out the Creative Writing Exercise and give it a try.

Around the Web

I also found an article or two online this week that you might find worth reading (in light of our current discussions).

• I've been hanging onto this one for a while, because I knew I had an article in the works on free art, but Julie Roads (yes, that Julie Roads) posted an article at Geek Girl Camp with a great primer on Using Creative Commons to Add Media to Your Blog. And, y'know, I was just talking about that yesterday!

• And I'd like to pretend that, like last week, I'm sharing this post as a valuable counter-point to some of the things I'm saying in support of self-publishing, but I mainly wanted to share literary agent Mary's post over at Kidlit in which she talks about Self-Publishing, Finally so that you can see the viciously condescending attitude the publishing industry has toward...well, most writers. It's painful to sit through.

The Week in Words (July 10)

At the Editor's Desk

Wow! Thanks to the holiday and some clever use of vacation time I ended up with a six-day weekend this week...and I'm still exhausted. The world is moving in fascinating directions, though.

The Girl Who Stayed the Same

I've stumbled a little bit with The Girl Who Stayed the Same this week. Monday's post didn't actually go up until Wednesday (although, to be fair, I wrote it out longhand in its entirety before lunch on Tuesday). Thursday's is still waiting. I'll get it live before the new one comes due on Monday, but it might be close.

There was a bit of an exciting development there, though. When I finished Part I (with its entire last chapter taking place in Paris), I shared it with Andi Fisher, a friend of my blogger friend, who happens to be in love with Paris. She's now in love with The Girl Who Stayed the Same, too. (I think I'm allowed to repeat that....)

She gave me some fabulous feedback and valuable criticism, but mostly it helps to know that someone who has no real incentive to flatter me considers it a worthwhile project. And that's on just 20% of the book. And in a state barely better than rough draft.

So...yay.

New Book Idea

This one doesn't even have a working title. It's that new.

But yes, as you may have seen if you follow me on Twitter, I came up with a fantastic new story idea this week. I don't have time for a fantastic new story idea. I'm going to follow my own advice, though, and at least do a full prewriting package for it. That should be enough to capture the inspiration until such time as I can give it the attention it deserves.

Extraordinarily brief synopsis: the wizard Claighan, Master of the Sarian Academy of Wizardry, somehow gets banished to our universe where he finds the magic too erratic and feral for him to return home. Based on nothing but the preview of the Nicholas Cage movie, I'd say this story is like The Sorcerer's Apprentice, but not dumb.

I've been wanting to do an action-packed urban fantasy for a little while now, I've been wanting to discuss "Science as the last magic" for a decade, and Courtney has gone and rekindled my love for my old fantasy stuff. This project is the result of all those forces.

On Unstressed Syllables

This week we covered two major topics: Microsoft Word Styles, and copyright.

Sunday I introduced the Technical Writing series on Microsoft Word styles by telling a story of the time I used a well-styled document and created an automated Table of Contents in seconds. It blew their minds.

Then on Monday I backed away from the magic a little bit to show you the goings-on behind the curtain. After all, before you can make a Table of Contents in seconds, you've got to put in half an hour or so setting up and applying your custom styles. Once that's done, you're in business.

Then Tuesday I pretended to backpedal some more, admitting that there is a little bit of work to do to create a beautiful Table of Contents. I dove right into the illustrated tutorial, though, and it took all of four steps. So easy, they'll think you cheated somehow.

On Wednesday, Courtney served up some knowledge (and a tantalizing book description) with her high praise for Descent by Jeff Long. The lesson she shared was that as writers, we should all be adventurers. So get to it!

Thursday I introduced the Creative Writing series on copyright with a story about the I got paid to write some fiction. Yes, "time," singular. Shut up.

On Friday I dove into some discussion of how you could get paid to be a writer, with a brief primer on how copyright works. It's not easy and it's not terribly reliable (and it might be a little bit easy), but that's the system we've got to work with. If you missed the article by Dean Wesley Smith in there, you're doing yourself a disservice. Go read it.

I wrapped that up today with some words that might get me in a little bit of trouble. I'll blame it on Courtney's WILAWriTWe, though. I was being adventurous. Frankly, though, I don't believe copyright is good -- for the public or for artists -- and I said as much in a detailed look at what it costs you to make money off of copyright.

Around the Web

I also read some fascinating articles this week that all did a pretty solid job challenging some of my positions. In the interest of fair play, I'll go ahead and share them with you.

• First, I'm going to throw in Dean Wesley Smith's Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: Can't Make Money in Fiction because I don't entirely trust you to have gone and looked it up again for yourself. I know it's long. You're a good reader, though. Make your way through it.

• Then Joel Friedlander from The Book Designer went and undermined my advice that you write a serial novel with Top 5 Reasons Authors Shouldn't Blog Their Books. I don't consider either of these articles crushing blows, but it's worth your time to get both sides of the story.

• Oh yeah! And this one doesn't defy me in the slightest. Thank you, internet! Iain Broome over at Write for Your Life wrote up a tutorial on How to Write Smarter in Microsoft Word with Document Map. That's a fantastic supplement to this week's Technical Writing series, and will let you take that well-styled document even further.