Even When Busy…

I lost days of time to various appointments this week. None of them were bad. No emergencies. Just things came up that stole entire days from what I could normally accomplish.

I knew going into the week that it would happen. The days had been on my agenda for a while. Some of them were happy. The kids had Monday off school! That meant I got to spend extra time with family. We played some games and celebrated one of their birthdays a couple days early. Another of those days was more an annoyance; I had an all-day meeting that I rather not have at all.

And these things happen, you know? But because of the schedule, I kind of figured I wouldn’t get a lot of writing done. That’s how it works for me; writing is not the last thing on my agenda, but it’s usually not the first, either. When life gets busy, less writing happens.

I’m not one of those writers who says, “Thou shalt write every day, or thou shalt not be a true writer!” Please. Don’t bring that up. Write regularly. Do the work of creating. That may mean rough drafting, outlining, editing, revising, whatever. Do that regularly. But every day? It’s okay to take a day off.

Which means me recognizing this would be a slow writing week because it was a busy everything-else week? Annoying, but fine.

Except… I’ve done a lot of writing this week!

Now, it helps that the current project is going super well. The words are flying off my fingers. No problems there! And that speed encourages me to squeeze writing into more nooks and crannies of time than I might otherwise try to write in. Sometimes being busy, paradoxically, means I have more energy to get more writing done!

Not every week can be like this, but I’m happy this one has been!

How about you? Have you found that you can write even when you’re incredibly busy? Do you slow down and give yourself grace when writing doesn’t happen? How do you handle these times stuffed full with activities?

Drawing with Artists

I need a dragon that looks surprised. Can you do that?

I… wasn’t sure what to do with this. I knew the kind of thing I wanted, but I’d never really worked with an artist before.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. Sorry. I’ve worked with artists for all our covers. Overall, it’s been a positive experience. The cover artists want guidance. What do I want on the cover? What’s the feel of the story? What am I trying to convey?

I’d like to think I’ve gotten better at communicating with cover artists. I know I’ve not been disappointed by a single cover I’ve received!

But now… now, this is something new. See, my next project is an illustrated book.

So first I had to find an artist that could do black-and-white drawings in the style I wanted. And then I had to find out if they were available. And then they had to read the book to see if they wanted to take on the project. And then we had to hammer out a contract.

Honestly, it was a lot.

But as I spoke with the artist, I found she was as excited as we were. She has some fantastic ideas. Should this book do well, she’s on board for another book!

But now she wants my ideas for illustrations.

So I just read through the book again. The idea is that each chapter gets a unique illustration. But she’d like some ideas from me!

So… I just read through it and made a list of suggestions. And I’m looking forward to seeing what she does!

And just so you get a taste of what’s coming…

Incidentally, this is not the surprised dragon.

But more will be coming soon!

New Kinds of Writing

I’m at home in science fiction and fantasy. These books are my people. Still, I try to read other genres, too. I’ve poked my head into westerns, noir, and even romcoms. And I’ve generally enjoyed what I’ve read! Reading outside my genres broadens my horizons and gives me more ideas for the stories I want to tell.

But now I’m also broadening my writing horizons with two very different projects.

First, I’m posting a story a day at https://twitter.com/JonathonMast. I’m posting other things, too, but at least one story every single day. I’ve been at it for almost two months straight now. And writing a story in the size of a tweet… that’s a challenge!

I’m trying to make sure it’s an actual story, too, not just a couple sentences. There’s a beginning, middle, and end. Granted, the beginning must often be implied, and the ending hinted at, but there’s a story arc there.

I certainly don’t succeed with ever story I post, but it’s fun to try and do something very different. It’s pretty much the opposite of the craft of writing a novel, but it forces a lot of creativity.

And on the other end of the spectrum, I’m also attempting to write some TTRPG gaming adventures. In my Cade series, the main characters play Old Earth. It’s their version of D&D. Those who backed the book series at the book box level will be getting some sessions and the basic rules so they can play along with the characters!

I’ve used plenty of gaming supplements, and I’ve read plenty of various TTRPG’s. I’ve never tried writing one before, though! (As an added wrinkle, I’m trying to write them as if they were written on the Ark, within the setting of the novels.)

So what does all this mean?

I’ve written over a dozen novels… but I’m still learning how to write. I’m expanding my abilities. Will everything be awesome? Not so much. But you can’t learn if you don’t fail. I’m hoping that the gaming books will be good enough that I end up publishing them separately, but if I don’t? Well, hopefully those who get the bonus content still enjoy it!

What kind of “new” writing have you attempted? Have you expanded your horizons lately?

The Vital Importance of Writing Ahead

Oh, you want to write and publish six books a year?

It can’t be done. What’re you thinking? No one can live at that speed, particularly if you’re not a full-time writer! Sure, some people can write that fast, but they have a whole staff of people working with them, and probably a few ghost writers! Even if you can write six books right now, you’re going to burn out so fast. Doing it year after year? Impossible!

I’ve heard that a lot the last couple years. Well-meaning friends have warned me that I’m setting myself up for failure, publicly proclaiming that I’m publishing six books a year.

Guess what? I done it.

Almost.

All six Madelyn of the Sky books came out last school year. The first four Cade books are out, and books five and six are on the way! The first three Altira books are written, book four is halfway done, and books five and six are fully outlined and ready to go!

But.

Cade and the Sleeping Scouts is set for release on March 1. That’s less than a month away. I got my final set of edits from my editor a week ago. Usually I can get through those in a day or two. No problem.

Except.

This week I’ve been hit by depression hard. Every time I look at the file, it’s like my brain convulses. It refuses to concentrate on anything. Not just writing; anything. Can I do any work for my day job? Nope. Can I play a game with the kids? Nope. Can I write? Nope.

Honestly, it’s a little bit of a miracle I’m able to do this. Maybe I’m finally coming out of it. Maybe tomorrow I can finally get through this edit and hand it back for proofreading and formatting.

We can draw out a few writing lessons here. The first is one I’ve harped on before: Depression doesn’t create art.

But moreso, I’d like to say this: Work ahead. You know you have a book coming out? Get it written. Procrastination is not your friend.

Because of my depression, I’m actually behind on Altira, too. I wanted to be done with all six rough drafts by the end of 2023. Clearly that didn’t happen. What’ll happen with our schedule of publishing next year?

Well, we’ve got that planned out, but more on that later.

Especially if you have a mental illness like depression, work ahead. If you’re an indie author, make sure you’ve got a book or two banked so you can keep writing, or if you have an episode like I’m having, you have some margin.

Work ahead. You’ll thank yourself later.

The Importance of the Pivot

A year or two ago, I saw a presentation made by Kevin J. Anderson. He wrote my favorite Star Wars novels, The Jedi Academy Trilogy. First, I realize, that’s an unpopular opinion. A lot of people apparently don’t like that set, or its follow-up, Darksaber. I did, all right? Deal with it.

Anyway, in this presentation, Anderson talked about how he used to write a lot of Star Wars material. And he did! But if you keep looking, you’ll notice that he suddenly vanished from that universe. Apparently, he’d asked for a raise, and as a result, he was never asked to write a Star Wars novel again.

At that point he had to pivot if he was going to continue living as a writer! It’s hard to make a living from books you’re not allowed to write.

His presentation focused on the importance of being able to pivot. If you’re going to make a living as a writer, you have to write what people will buy.

Now, a large part of this is knowing your goal. If your goal is simply to write a good story, who cares if anyone buys it? That’s not your goal. That’s a laudable goal, too! However, it’s not the only possible goal.

My goal is to make enough off my writing to be able to support my family. That’s a long-term goal, obviously, but it is what I’m shooting for! And that means… I need to write things people will pay for.

Is that selling out?

Nope. It’s asking, “What sells? What am I interested in writing? Where do those two things intersect?”

And that means looking back at what I’ve written and evaluating how it’s selling.

And honestly… it may be time to pivot.

I’m not sure yet, but based on how my books have sold, it’s time to put in some analysis. Madelyn of the Sky and Cade sell… okay. But they’re not going to be supporting my family! At least, not as we’re approaching them now.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’m giving up writing! Definitely not! But it may mean I’m going to attempt writing something else. I’ve written some YA and some epic fantasy. Time to return there? Time to aim for a younger audience and write for grade school?

I’ve got plenty of options here, and way too many story ideas.

So we’ll see what happens coming up… but I’m mentally prepared to pivot!