On Writing

So I’m taking some time off from the day job this week. Usually, when I’m off, it just never seems like I get the things done that I want/plan to. But this — this week! — will be different. This week, I am going to do book stuff. I am going to get things accomplished!

Mainly, I want to finish revising the Spy book so I can send that to my agent to read. That’s goal number one. I also need to update the Web site, write some more on Quiver, and clean off my desk. In between laundry, chores, and all that other fun stuff. And I’d like to sit down and actually read a couple of books out my TBR pile this week. And I still have my old Wonder Woman DVDs to watch …

Just writing this is wearing me out. Maybe I’ll just take naps instead … 😉

So a few weeks ago, I talked about where an author’s advance goes. Today, I thought I’d talk about something else authors have to deal with — waiting.

Because nothing – nothing — in publishing happens fast. Not one darn thing.

Case in point: I started working on the first Assassin book in the fall of 2007, and it’s not coming out until February 2010 — more than two years later. Of course, this one is partially on me, since if I’d written the book right to start with, things might have happened faster. :rolleyes:

But for the most part, when it comes to the world of publishing, you’re in for a lengthy wait — whether it’s waiting for an agent/editor to read your work or getting royalty statements or getting paid. Plan on waiting months — or even years — for stuff to happen.

Another example: The proposal for the second Assassin book was due back in October. I sent it in a few weeks before the deadline (because I’m anal that way). But I didn’t get paid for it until mid-February — four months later. Why? Because that’s how long it takes for a) my editor to read and okay the proposal; b) the money to be released by the publisher; c) the check to be sent to my agent; and d) the check to be forwarded on to me (minus my agent’s 15 percent of course).

And royalty statements? Forget about ’em. Most publishers issue two royalty statements a year — on June 30 and Dec. 31. But I still haven’t gotten my statement for Dec. 31, 2008. Frankly, I’ll be lucky if I get it by April 1. And of course by then, the information is already out of date, which means I never know exactly what’s going on with my sales.

So why does this all take so long? Mainly, I think because everyone is overworked. Editors and agents can have dozens (if not more) authors to deal with and read their books/proposals/e-mails/whatever. That’s a lot of material to get through every day, every week, every month, every year.

But what really sucks is that I’m terrible at waiting. Seriously. I suck at it. So how do I cope with all the waiting? I write. Seriously. I have written books waiting for various things to happen. Some days, it’s all that keeps me sane while I wait for whatever I’m waiting for.

So I guess my point is this: If you’re serious about being an author, start taking yoga or tai chi or some other Zen-like class that will teach you how to be calm and patient. Because you’re going to need it. Unless you want to look like this guy: :hulk:

Got questions? I’ll answer what I can in the comments.

So I think I’ve finally got a handle on how I want to start Quiver, the young adult fantasy that I’m writing. I’m going to make my main character a Robin Hood, outlaw-type and then go from there. Sword fights! Adventures! Magic! Etc.!

This is about the sixth time that I’ve rewritten the beginning at this point. Seriously. Six times. I think I have a really cool idea here, but the beginning is kicking my ass. Which is strange since I usually don’t have any problems starting out a book. It’s when I get 20,000 or 30,000 words into something that I feel like slacking off.

But you know what? Even now, I’m having doubts about the beginning — again. Argh! At this point, I feel like Charlie Brown. And this book is my own personal Lucy with her stupid football.

Ah, well. Wheezley has told me to shut up, quit whining, and just write the darn thing. Which I’m going to do. I hope … :rolleyes:

Today, I got a call from a local library wanting me to come and do a talk/book signing. This is funny, since when Karma Girl first came out in 2007, I went to said library, talked to the director, dropped off my info and some bookmarks, and asked to set up a signing. Oh yes, the director said, we’d love to have you.

But nobody ever called me back. I even called and left a couple of messages for the woman who arranged the book signings — and still nobody ever called me back.

So am I going to do the book signing now? After two years have passed? Sure. Because I love books and libraries and talking about books. People are busy, and stuff falls through the cracks all the time. It happens.

But the weird thing is that it seems to happen to me more than other folks.

When another one of my books came out (I can’t remember if it was Hot Mama or Jinx), I tried to set up a signing at my local Barnes & Noble. I dropped off some info and bookmarks for the community relations manager. I called, left messages, and even talked to her on the phone at one point. And she never called me back to see about setting up a time for a signing.

But the strangest example is probably this one. A few years ago, I pitched a cozy murder mystery to an editor at a conference. I sent her the book and got a rejection letter about six months later. I thought that was strange because I knew the book was pretty good and it seemed to be what the editor was looking for. Still, that seemed to be the end of things, and I let it go and worked on other projects.

Then, one day out of the blue, the editor calls me and says that she had some problems with her assistant (who left the company or something) and that she wants me to resubmit the manuscript. Which I do. A few months pass, and I don’t hear anything, so I assume that the editor didn’t like it any better than her assistant did.

Then, one day out of the blue, the same editor calls me and offers me a contract for the murder mystery. Shocked the hell out of me because, at this point, something like two years had passed since I first pitched the manuscript to her at a conference. By this point, I had an agent and I think we’d sold Karma Girl. So the murder mystery never saw the light of day.

Lots of folks think that when you get a book published that you’ve got it made. But the truth is that you don’t. Especially me, who always seems to get things two years too late. Hey, maybe this is my own special kind of Jinx … :rolleyes:

So I’m currently reading Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (one of his Dresden Files books). I’m enjoying it, but something keeps jumping out at me — all the action. The book takes places over a couple of days. I’m about halfway through, and our favorite Chicago wizard has already been attacked/threatened/injured half a dozen times — at least. And we’re not even up to the grand finale yet.

Now, I love me some action scenes, but it’s almost to the point where I want to reach into the book and say, “Harry, man, take some aspirin and crash for a few hours. The apocalypse will still be there when you wake up.”

The last book I read before this one, Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard, was the same way — nonstop action from beginning to end, with attacks and counterattacks and narrow escapes.

I’m wondering if this is new trend — authors ramping up the action in their books. If so, then I’m on the bandwagon already. There’s a lot of action in my new Assassin series — lots of blood and lots of death. Gin kills something like 15 people — and that’s just in the first book. 😈

What about you guys? Do you like lots of action in your books? Or do you like the characters to take a breather every now and then? Share in the comments.