So here goes the first official week of this book and I’m tracking my exact progress every day. This was actually a tough week because of the holiday and that usually slows me down but not this time. So let’s see where I got.
Cephus' Corner
A Place for my Geeky Side
Category Archives: Writing
The Tale of a Book, Week 0
I had a couple of people ask, even after I did my “day in the life” post, exactly how books shake out, given my quick turnaround schedule so I’m going to toss this out there, both because I think it might be interesting and because I hope it might help people. So, for this book, the last book of the year for me, I’m going to do a weekly check-in to show what I’ve done. This is more of an introduction because I’m scheduled to start writing on Monday, November 22, 2021.
So let’s see where we stand.
It’s Not About Making You Happy!
I see a ton of this out there, but when you ask established writers how to write a book, their answers are not intended to make you happy. You being happy is irrelevant. The goal is to make your potential readers happy. That’s how you get to be successful!
A Day in the Life
Now I know that I’ve been complaining a lot recently about the poor state of the amateur writer and while that’s certainly valid, after all, if the goal is to help people to become better writers, correcting their misconceptions and pointing out their foibles is essential, but I wanted to do something a bit more positive today.
So this is how I write a book and where I’m at right now. Hope it helps.
There’s Just No Point!
Honestly, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no point trying to help amateur writers at all. Time and time again, I try to inject some real world honesty into the, unfortunately, fantasy land that far too many of them want to live in and time and time again, I’m met with hostility and anger, not thanks.
Yeah, well fuck you too.
Watching the Amateurs Whine
This is another one of those things that, if you hang around on Reddit or amateur writer forums, you will run into near constantly. The second they get the feeling that someone is better than they are, they will demand that it can’t be so because… fee-fees!
And that’s just dumb.
Fighting for Bad Ideas
I came across this today and unfortunately, it’s not at all uncommon for amateur writers, especially young, immature amateur writers, but I thought it would make a good cautionary tale that people can learn from.
There was someone who popped up on Reddit with a rather silly idea for a major mechanic in a book and even when everyone pointed out just how unrealistic, unworkable and downright ridiculous it was, he kept demanding that he wanted to do it, no matter how badly it would all turn out.
These people need to grow up.
How Worthwhile is NaNoWriMo?
I ran into someone who was trying to decide if they should do NaNoWriMo in November and asked my opinion. Personally, I don’t because the only thing that it’s worthwhile for is getting yourself writing consistently. I already do that, so what’s the point? But sure, let’s talk about it.
Sometimes, It All Comes Together
I’m in the midst of writing another book. I started last Monday and I expect to be finished in 4 weeks. That’s nothing new. However, there is something that I’ve noticed as I’m writing, that there will be a point, hopefully toward the beginning of the book, where everything will just click and from that point on, the whole story just comes together. Today was that day. Here’s what happened.
Nobody Cares. Work Harder!
I ran across a sign in the background on a woodworking video that said “Nobody Cares. Work Harder!” Just because I think it’s a pretty cool channel, go check out Shara Woodshop Diaries over on YouTube, but that’s not really what I’m getting at.
The simple fact is, no matter what you’re doing, it’s not about getting attention, it’s about doing your best. I’m mainly going to talk about it in relation to writing, but it’s just as applicable in everything else.
