Author, Blogger, Book Designer
This book wasn't supposed to be scary. When I set out to write 17 Weddings, I intended to put some space between myself and my writing. I was determined to avoid the depth of self-reflection that I'd experienced while writing my debut novel, Goodnight Sunshine. I hadn't intended my Goodnight Sunshine protagonist to be a [...]
It's been so long since my last post that I should probably call this a cobwebsite. Okay, that was terrible. But seriously ... for the past nine months, my blog has been an exercise in futility. A reflection of my fragmented existence. Too many projects and priorities chattering away in my mind, battling for precedence, [...]
I'm starting to hear back from my second round of "beta readers" for 17 Weddings -- people who have volunteered to read an unedited manuscript and provide feedback about my story. I am infinitely appreciative of their time and effort -- and their honesty. While talking to another author recently, I said that "every reader [...]
Feedback is rolling in for Goodnight Sunshine. I'm trying to absorb it as a whole without focusing too much on the details. Trying to give my writer's mind the time and space required to sort through the dozens of messages it is receiving, to reconcile conflicting views and recognize consistent patterns. Once we release a work of fiction, there [...]
I received an e-mail from my cousin the other day -- a wonderfully long, heartfelt response to my debut novel. It confirmed what I had already begun to recognize: that the greatest part of writing a book is the dialogue it creates between author and reader -- between a writer and his friends. One passage of my cousin's [...]
I launched my first novel today. It feels strange, and yet familiar. In my past life I ran a small software company. Product launches were the rhythm section for the whole company. Launch, upgrade, update, update ... Launch, upgrade, update, update ... that was the sound of software being released into the wild. Major launches were significant [...]
Well, I am now being blogged about ... by someone other than me. It makes me feel kind of like a celebrity. Kind of. Never mind that the blogger is my wife, Sheila. Or that she is my editor. Or that she has her own take on me and my writing, which might not be exactly [...]
I did it. Today I finished Goodnight Sunshine -- acknowledgements, bio, author interview and all. 334 pages. 4 sections. 61 chapters. 1 prologue. 90,916 words. 398,135 characters. A team of 16 people: 1 author, 2 editors, 10 beta readers, 1 painter, 1 photographer and 1 graphic designer. More than 3 years, at least 6 complete drafts, and too [...]
I have great appreciation for the editing process. My wife, Sheila, is an editor -- a very good one -- and I have benefited from her input on just about everything I've written during the past seventeen years. Coming from a software background, I liken editing to quality assurance -- a critical step that turns a [...]
"Writing about a writer's block is better than not writing at all." - Charles Bukowski
Mark of Words 