What are you working on right now?

[Tim Murray]

Slogging along on Thumar 2, editing now. trying to get it out this year sometime, Maybe??? Putting out more short stories as well

 

[thaddeus6th]

Finished off some outline work for Sir Edric, and also Wandering Phoenix and Roaming Tiger. Working on a medieval style drawing of Sir Edric as 'king'.

 

[Coconut_Sundae]

Trying to make characters and story fit in with technical drawings and engineering. I can do one (sort of bare bones scifi) or the other (a text book) but neither really works in isolation.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I have my full synopsis drafted! I know what happens in Inish Carraig: Aftermath. I am... delighted. And relieved.

 

[Guillermo Stitch]

Publication day is only a few days away so doing last minute createspace and KDP stuff, a few last minute 'publicist' emails etc

Oh and haranguing people who probably now wish I didn't have their emails for the reviews they promised me, obviously.

 

[Mouse]

I'm saving my beta readers comments in a separate doc so I can refer back to them. I've also opened a document to attempt a synopsis (so far, one line) and watching a meadow brown butterfly bash itself up against my window repeatedly.

 

[-K2-]

The novel I had written as a fan-fiction, I decided to alter into a 'stand-alone' getting away from the original theme. In the process, as new ideas began popping up to make it into a series, I've already thought some 6+ continuation novels out.

Realizing that I was getting way ahead of myself, as I was jotting down notes for scenes, plots, chapters for the subsequent novels, this 'open novella' thread here opened up. Just kicking ideas around, I knew that I didn't want to chop my initial novel in 3rds, yet then it struck me how I liked the idea of a prequel to that novel.

More so I realized, having crammed everything (world, government, society, history, etc.) into that initial novel just so the story had a foundation, I could now take some peripheral bits of it and use them instead in that prequel (for example the introduction which is very strong, and recycle the appendices of which glossaries and vocabularies will grow with each edition), and chug out a not so background heavy, more action based novella so that the novel is not as much of an info dump.

That said, I don't believe my work is of a caliber worthy of publication. However, if it improves which it has been by the day, then I could use the novella as a free edition to get folks interested. If it's well received, possibly sell the novel (which I am very pleased with) and then be established to generate the series.

So as I give the novel a rest so I can perform a re-read and edit with a fresher outlook, I've started writing the prequel novella.

Maybe, naw, possibly, who knows?

K2

 

[HareBrain]

watching a meadow brown butterfly bash itself up against my window repeatedly.

Sounds like it might be trying to write a novel too.

 

[Mouse]

Sounds like it might be trying to write a novel too.

Yep, I often feel like bashing myself against a window whilst writing.

The synopsis though, is outlined. At four frelling pages.

 

[Bowler1]

I'm building up a respectable word count with my Many storyline and what will eventually be a book. Think hive alien species, but think ugly Wombles that try to be helpful and your sort of there. Crafting the buggers into words is challenging but fun.

I also have a new demanding job that limits my writing time, but on the up side, my writing time is more important to my daily sanity. Escape to alien worlds and a human future of space travel being sane, which would only ever make sense on this forum.

 

[The Judge]

Hello, Bowler! Long time no see. How are you doing? Demanding new job, eh? Hope it's going well.

 

[Guillermo Stitch]

Have been on the internet most of the day trying to do my best with all this "publication day" tweeting and sharing and what have you, but I don't think I really have the temperament for it, and it doesn't seem to have any effect at the Amazon end anyway.

It's out there, I've done my bit and need a break from it. Maybe I'll do some kind of promotion a week or two.

For now, the football and a beer. Exhausted.

 

[picklematrix]

Im nearing the end of my first novel, first draft. I dont know how well it will turn out, but i love sitting down to write and getting the ideas out of my system.
I have a feeling it will be self publishing if, hopefully before the end of this year.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Guillermo, self-promotion isn't my cup of tea either. It's awkward but I do think it helps (for reasons I won't bore people with, Sir Edric and the Plague was hurriedly released without the reviews/pre-release stuff I normally do, and its sales were, er, less than previous books).

 

[Guillermo Stitch]

The thing is, to the best of my ability, I've given the self promotion a serious effort these last couple of months. Must have contacted over 400 bookbloggers, dozens of outlets. The early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, some of them effusively so. I have a review from Anne Cunningham who reviews for the nationals in Ireland which is a ringing endorsement and although none of the nationals would run a review of a self-published book, she has got it into a regional one for this Wednesday. Great blurb from published writers and all that.

But on launch day, nobody bought the book. Sank without a trace. I'm not experienced in this - maybe there is the possibility of it being a slow burner. But if you can't make a few sales on release day then I think you're in trouble. The effort/reward relationship is non existent, as far as I can see right at the moment.

...and just to reel this post back towards relevance for the thread...I think it's high time I got to work on something else.

 

[thaddeus6th]

With early reviews, unless there's a pre-order link, people may read it and enjoy it but forget it by the release date.

I don't have experience with mega-sales but with Bane of Souls (my first book) there was a weird but nice period when sales spiked for a month or two for no reason I could discern. You could try linking to earlier good reviews with an "out now" line, or ask bloggers to RT their reviews as your book's just come out.

Unfortunately, selling books is difficult. The market's saturated and lots of people don't read, and many of those who do just buy from the Big Names. I'd offer more helpful advice, if I could.

 

[Phyrebrat]

I've also opened a document to attempt a synopsis (so far, one line)

Hahah, that made me laugh. I hate the thought of synopses. That's why having never finished a grown up novel, I've never had to do one.

I often feel like bashing myself against a window whilst writing.

Coincidence, I often feel like bashing you against a window, too!

At four frelling pages.

But, is it dren or drad?

Think hive alien species, but think ugly Wombles that try to be helpful and your sort of there.

The key word in that for me is 'try'. That sounds possibly hilarious.

I also have a new demanding job that limits my writing time,

And limits your time here by the looks of it.

My WIP is now at a shameful 170k mark. I wrote ~2100 today. It's going to be a Herculean task to edit down, but I think I'm still on for my deadline of draft 1 finished by December.

I also got to type the line:

Lázaro Rocha stands before the Eastern Star shortly before his deportment from Lowe (UK) for crimes against humanity.

Which gave me the feels

pH

 

[Mouse]

It's dren. A steaming pile of, in fact. Currently with the lovely @monsterchic for disembowelment.

At this very moment I'm editing L&C because if I don't get this done this year I'll cry. I've just been working on one beta's comments and now about to work on anothers because there's a nice bit of crossover where they both agree on the same bits.

 

[sknox]

But on launch day, nobody bought the book.
...and just to reel this post back towards relevance for the thread...I think it's high time I got to work on something else.

Sinking without a trace is pretty standard for prawns. Don't let it bring you down (it's only castles burning). The really discouraging time is when Book 3 does less well than Book 2, or some other sequence. One likes to think each successive effort will get one further down the road. T'ain't necessarily so.

And yes, the only way to go is forward. Write another. Then another. Because, really, whaddyagonnado? Stop?

 

[Toby Frost]

I'm trying to work out how to describe this book I've written. The trouble with writing exactly what you'd like to read is that you finish the story and think "Now, what the hell is this, exactly?".