#ROW80 AMAZIIING Milestone

At 11:28 AM on Wednesday, July 13 

I FINISHED MY NOVEL'S FIRST DRAFT

In the recent tweets by @KarenDelabar, GGGGOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!

The 225 page document is off at Officemax right now being printed and bound so I have a galley type object to edit. The cost to print the document was $25. I pick it up tomorrow. Another benefit of printing it out is that I can take it with me anywhere to work on it. 

I am *very* excited to start editing, but I'm going to wait two weeks. I might break this rule and edit Chapters 1 and 2 ahead of time, but they are months old, so I am not attached at all. In fact, I really can't wait to overhaul Chapter 1. It's even technically teetering on being cut altogether. I LOVE my Chapter 2. I find it far more interesting. It has more tension, and grabs the reader more, I think. However, this decision can't be taken lightly, as it would change thing. Unless..... I use the dreaded flashback to just highlight a few important parts.

Other major progress this week on my SOUVENIRS. I figured out an easy, low cost way to make some content on my reader site only available to those who buy the book! 

Finally, I have blog post coming on about a pricing idea. :) Oh, and I have two versions of the back copy for my printed version. So I am on track there. I realize the ten day delay in "travel documentation," my first draft, puts me behind on my editing schedule. I'm not going to panic and move the dates around. Instead I want to see what happens when I start editing and see if I can't make that time up by working weekends.

My To Do list this week:

*** Take a break!!!!

*** If I feel like writing, work on something else!

*** Create a master scene list from the manuscript for editing checklists. (Grading, line editing, typo verifications 1, 2, and 3, characterizations, etc.)

"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.

Other GREAT #ROW80 Participants!

#ROW80 Check in #3 SOUVENIR!!

This is too cool. This has me elated on the inside. This is so simple, it's scary.


My "souvenirs" on my Round 3 of a Round of Words in 80 Days is working on my reader website, eawestwriting.com, and man did I just find a bargain!


My goals for my reader website are here. One idea I feel very passionate about is behind-the-scenes information. As a reader myself, I go bananas for the author's notes/insights into what's coming next, etc. But I also wanted to make the information secret to people who haven't read the book. Yet, not require all of my readers to "register" with a site (the server space alone would be difficult to manage if my books do well, which is the ultimate goal here). 


Enter password protected posts. This is not a feature available on Blogger, but it is available on Wordpress. Thankfully, my reader site is powered by Wordpress (.org install on my home server). Check this out: http://eawestwriting.com/index.php/news/super-secret-information-about-alex

You can't see it, can you? Put in the password Pumpkin


Ta da! (Funny Freudian note.... Pumpkin is my nickname for my stepson, funny how that was the first password that popped in my head.)


Here is a little author's insight on my character Alexis Rodriguez. I might put in a stock photo or something of how I imagine Alexis to look like. Not sure if that's a good idea.... unless I maybe add the caption "Here was my inspiration for Alexis Rodriguez" 


I also added a SPOILER at the bottom, a small detail I know happens in the second book. I tried to make the text the same color as the background, so you have to highlight it to read. This way, people can still read the behind-the-scenes, but choose not to read the spoiler if they don't want to (I don't know anyone who would).


Keeping the Fun Going


Obviously there will probably be someone who tries to ruin the fun by giving out the password. But I'm one step ahead of them. First, I will politely ask that people preserve the fun for others and not spoil the surprise. That usually thwarts the people who will work around the system, if you just roger up that they can and the password is just for fun. Second, I plan to change the password either monthly or quarterly (I'm leaning quarterly). 


For my ebook readers, I will have a Note to My Readers where I will profusely thank them for reading and leaving a review if they so choose to do so. Explain the game of getting to the sneak peeks, and put in the password. On a quarterly basis I will update the ebook file with my distributors and also give a way for them to email for the current password/join a mailing list. By updating, I can also update my reader letter to reflect what is currently going on. I.E. first quarter is just "thank you thank you, here's the game....."
second quarter is "thank you thank you, hope you check out my new book (link) and here's the game....."
third quarter is "thank you and thanks to all of you my sales are X,Y,Z beyond anything I could ever imagine. So glad the book is reaching people, here's my other titles. Here's the game..."


And so on. 


In the print version, I will use the email listing. They give email, they get password in a quarterly Elizabeth Ann West newsletter.


"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.

Self-Published Author Lesson Learned: Don't Become TOO Attached to THAT Ending

"And they lived happily ever after...THE END."


Writing a draft isn't hard. FINISHING a draft is Herculean. 


I have learned a very hard lesson after weeks of dragging my feet, ignoring my manuscript... just willing it to be finished. That doesn't really work, by the way. There is no Jedi Mind trick to make the book write itself. 


Result: I was too committed to my ending to finish my book. 
I write out of order. The first scene I ever wrote of this current incarnation of CANCELLED is the final crisis where the baby is born. Then I went back and wrote the beginning. Then I wrote a few pivotal scenes in the middle. Then wrote more of the ending after the baby is born. And finally, hunkered down to fill in the gaps sequentially. All with a master outline that had each scene where it is supposed to go. It was kinda like a jigsaw puzzle. I had the final picture (the outline), but I needed to write the pieces one by one, thus sticking them in the puzzle. I began with the edges first (the major scenes that couldn't really change in subject matter or function without dramatically impacting the story).


Then I got to the part of the puzzle where you are almost done, only three or four pieces left but you only have two in your hand. Where did those two lost pieces go? You check under the box, under the table. Finally, after a few minutes you find you were sitting on them, or they were under the puzzle itself. Except my 5 minutes was a few days.


Here was my solution. Reduce the number of pieces I needed. OH NO! THAT'S REARRANGING THE ENTIRE PUZZLE!!!! No, it's not. My story is strong enough that it took it like a champ. A few details will change here and there, but now I get from where Johnathan's fiancee finds out about the baby to the time the baby is born MUCH quicker, just by adjusting when Johnathan is told about the baby by two months. The easiest way to shift this is now my first scene doesn't happen January 27, but December 17. Now, the story remains the same, Kellie still tells Johnathan about the baby, but it's not until March, after she has confirmed without a doubt she is pregnant and likely to carry the baby to term. Now, Alex still finds out about the baby at the end of June, but the baby is born the third week of August, not the third week of September. And most importantly, I can STOP trying to fill a month's worth of "story time" with silly scenes that feel forced, even to me.


If I had an agent, or a publisher, I probably would have had the resources earlier to tell me "Elizabeth, this is too big of a gap from second crisis to final crisis." As an indie, I had some writer friends on Twitter who sparked the solution.


Now, just because changing this major aspect in my story is convenient, doesn't automatically make it the right thing to do. But I've checked against my characterizations. Moving the timetable a little makes Johnathan look a little less like a monster when he keeps the secret from Alex. It fits with Kellie's personality as well, and her fears about what Johnathan might or might not do. Plot wise this strengthens many scenes that I had arranged as kind of a stretch. For example, after celebrating his birthday and having the one-night stand, he leaves to go on vacation with his stepmother in France. This happening over the Christmas holiday makes more sense, and intensifies the jealousy his mother shows at the end of Chapter 2. It also underscores the importance of Johnathan and Anna to one another, especially after the death of his father four years ago, without coming across as oedipal. And when she brings a boyfriend along, and he is jealous because he doesn't have a loved one at Christmas (and who doesn't feel that way being single on the holidays), it intensifies his desire for Alexis. 


Therefore, keep nothing sacred in your first draft. Not even the most important plot element in the story. But, make sure a change isn't just convenience for convenience sake. The change must make the story a stronger and more compelling tale for the reader.  :)


Now I get to dive in and make a ridiculous amount of changes, and close up that little hole left by two missing puzzle pieces.


"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.

#ROW80 Check In #2 When Plans go Awry, You Adjust :)

I am blessed in that I have had many opportunities to travel. My mother always says it's because I was born on a Thursday (Thursday's child has far to go). This journey of writing I am on is already coming with adjustments. This non-coffee drinker has been drinking the stuff! (well, half coffee, half milk, a little caffeine goes a LONG way in my system).


The first trip I ever took that went horribly awry was a school vacation to Walt Disney World when I was in 6th grade. We went by bus from Virginia Beach, Va to Orlando, FL. On the way home, the bus broke down, stranding us at the Georgia Welcoming Center. A bus full of teenagers for 8 hours? The staff at the Welcoming Center was NOT very welcoming. But, we bought their entire supply of candy, and nearly emptied out the vending machines. And we played a good deal of card games. The center sold decks with pictures of Georgia on them.


Since then, I've gone to Paris with my husband....with him in a wheelchair. Want to know how handicapped accessible the City of Lights is? The Louvre. That's about it. Oh, and the train station in La Defense has an elevator. No other train station has an elevator, so I carried the wheel chair up and down the two flights of stairs while my husband played Hop-along Cassidy up and down the stairs. Did I mention this was our honeymoon? Yep. He broke his ankle in three places two weeks before our wedding. 


Then there was the 10 days in Japan in 2007. Going home, I didn't really consider how difficult it would be to move all three pieces of my luggage through Shinjuku Station during rush hour in the morning to get to the airport in Tokyo (I was staying in Yokosuka, where the Navy base is). It wasn't like Paris where people offered to help me. No, instead I just cried as I couldn't get all of the pieces up the stairs in time to make my train to make it to the airport in time to catch my flight. I was about to fall into despair when Eureka! I just pushed the pieces out the door and hailed a taxi. It was $150 in U.S. after the exchange rate, but I made my flight! 


Anyway, every journey I've ever made is never perfect. From the cross-country moves to San Diego and back to the East Coast, visiting my husband in Australia and Hawaii, and the multitude of times I've traveled to middle-of-nowhere Texas, I've always had to improvise. This Round of Words in 80 Days is no different.


I am sad and disappointed to say my first draft still isn't finished. However, I'm not throwing in the towel. Far from it. I have adjusted. The story planning of my next novel is going to become something I do whenever, not necessarily this week. It's not absolutely vital to me getting CANCELLED out the door. I am also very, very close to a completed first draft. 

In fact, today is Sunday, and the day I have the most time to write. Friday and Saturday I had social obligations for my husband's work. But today, he's going to watch the baby and I'm going to get a book finished!


So if your #ROW80 journey isn't going 100% to plan, fret not. This is a pretty long trip, 80 days. And if a few days aren't what we expect it will be okay. Looking back, we're going to remember the successes, and the setbacks won't matter.


"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.


Be sure to read a check-in from one of my friends also participating in Round 3 of a Round of Words in 80 Days.

White and orange? Did Clemson Buy Google?B

This is what my Google Blogger's dashboard looks like:

It's bright white and orange, with the text gray. It is hard for me personally to read. Not to mention how skewed the pictures associated with blogs in my reading list look.  I am hunting for a way to change this, or at least make a better contrast than white, orange, and gray.

"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.

ROW 80: CANCELLED Back Copy revised

First step on the publishing trek for CANCELLED is getting my back copy to my cover artist. I've played with the language in a few versions and a nice comment from R. H. Watson made me realize the crux of the book: the emotionally complex situation. 

To robotics engineer Johnathan Michaels, a problem is opportunity for solution. His unrequited love of business partner Alexis Rodriguez? At the right moment, he will share his feelings. The company's first multi-million dollar defense contract botched by his best friend? He'll cut his vacation short and take charge. And the one-night stand certain she is pregnant with his child? That one can stay a secret awaiting data confirmation.

As lead engineer on a project that keeps going wrong, Johnathan finally wins Alex's love after years wasted in friendship. But it's time for the truth to come out, forcing Johnathan to reconcile two women into his life--one as his future wife and another as mother of his child. Can he keep his relationship with Alex, stand up as a father, and rescue his company? Or will part of his life end up on the scrap heap?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Ann West is a Jane-of-all-trades, mistress to none. For the last three years, she sold non-fiction articles to websites and marketing firms. Before choosing a career in writing, she made magic at Walt Disney World, planned conferences at the National Center for State Courts, and toiled as a quality technician on titanium castings for Alcoa. Armed with a B.A. in Political Science, and experiencing the world courtesy of her husband's naval career, writing fiction is her next mountain to conquer. She loves feedback from her fans and critics at eawestwriting.com. 

I tried to simplify the back copy but still keep the details of the novel exciting. Johnathan is pursuing three different directions: professional success, success in marriage, and success as a soon-to-be father. There is a sub-plot involving his family and its history coming back to wreak havoc in his life, however I don't think that needs to be on the back cover/book description. I also have minor coursework in English Literature, but I don't know that will really help my readers. My resume is actually extremely varied (I temped my way through college working as an admin assistant in everywhere from engineering firms, for an architect, manufacturing, real estate, non-profits, the military, and many others), and I pull experiences and lessons from those jobs into my writing. As an admin assistant, you are invisible, and you see it all!

Finally, the website will be live before publication of the book. I plan to make it a reader's paradise with excerpts, behind-the-scenes information, and a weekly live chat. 

Would love thoughts, feelings, and feedback.

"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.

RANT: Stop Raining On MY Parade Critics of Self-Publishing

Yeah, I'm going to say it. Ready? If you're writing a slam piece about self-publishing authors and warning about publishing poorly-written works, or saying those authors are not *real* writers, here's my advice.


SHUT UP!


Yep. That's right. Shut up. Because who you are really upset with, really annoyed with, are the people stealing copy or slapping expired copyrighted material up without any forethought to get a couple bucks off a sucker. And guess what? They aren't reading your blog anyway. 


You want to know who is? Me. My friends also working on their manuscripts. Anyone with half a brain doing their absolute best to publish a story and make readers happy. And you're killing our joy.


It's not my fault the traditional publishing world is elitist, exclusionary, and rips off great writers by offering them pennies on the dollar for their work. Writing is information. Information should be free for the masses. Not free as in cash, but free as in available to all, without restrictions. That includes the tidy version of restriction called a "gatekeeper." 


How many traditionally published books win literary awards? An infinitesimally small percentage. Does that mean every traditionally published book that doesn't win a literary award is not worth a reader's time? No. It means like every other industry, there are humans who work and operate at a level above the rest. You see it in mathematics, the military, athletics (without enhancing substances), etc. We naturally compete with one another and acknowledge excellence by merit. 


But these tirades against self-publishing are wrong. Why? Sure, it makes the poster feel better in his or her role as a traditionally published author, editor, agent, or other position in the publishing world. Yet, they are written at the expense of so many others working hard to put out the best book they can. That is wrong. That is stepping on the little guy to prove your own self worth.


I 100% defend your right to seek a publishing house to promote, edit, and publish your book. The book world would NOT be better off with only self-publishing; there is infrastructure our amoeba-like group cannot support. But perhaps you should acknowledge self-publishing offers advantages to the traditionally published world, too. Such as:

• boldness to challenge genre definitions
• sandbox to test new ways to enhance the author-reader relationship
• faster lead time to experiment with new electronic formats
• reinforcement of your publisher's pricing schedule as "quality" for a reader

I could pull out the printed books in my library and point out all of the typos I see, times when a page in the middle of the book was blank, or talk about the entire series I returned because chapters were printed out of order (sold in a retail book store chain, who proofed that?). But why? Books are written by humans. Humans are not perfect. 


These blogs and articles poking fun at self-published works are rude at best, bullying at worst. One even proudly teases about how many pages the reviewer can get through before the writing is just too bad to continue. To me, this isn't helpful, it's hurtful. The reviewer could offer constructive criticism, but not if they won't even evaluate the book as a whole. 


I could list hundreds of books I would never get past one, two, or twenty pages in, many of them favorites of my husband. Does that MEAN anything? Or is it just me being mean to the writers of those books if I write a scathing review to boost my page hits? I think the later.


So again, I'm telling you to stop being negative to a group of writers brave enough to push publishing in a new direction. No, we're not all John Locke, Amanda Hocking, J. A. Konrath, Dean Wesley Smith, Barry Eisler, and the other big-time sellers. But all the traditionally published authors aren't just like J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Danielle Steel, Dan Brown, and the other names on the best-selling wall. 


The point is self-publishing authors are reading your blogs and articles. But you don't win many friends among us by looking down your nose. If you really want to help improve the quality of books out there for readers that you are so concerned will stop reading over a few typos, write about ways to improve a book. Write about what you do with your manuscripts before you send them off to your agent/editor. Give tips on strengthening characters, settings, and plot lines. 


Why? Because we, the self-publishing authors are reading. And you catch far more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. 


"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.

ROW 80: Day 1, Cancelled's Backcopy

I'm not going to lie, there is a snafu with my travel documents. My draft is not 100% finished, but it's at 90%, so I'm happy. I had to rework the ending a bit, really. It's not MY fault the robot tried to eat the intern. But it happened. And I had to deal with that. :) So, the good news is we're on version 1.5, but it should be done by Friday so I can get it printed.


Now, I PURPOSELY arranged my first two weeks on Round of Words in 80 Days so there is 0 impact if there was a problem with my travel documents (first draft being finished). The first stop is getting the back copy to my cover artist for the paper cover version.


Here's what I have so far:


To robotics engineer Johnathan Michaels, life is a series of problems needing solutions. When a one-night stand announces she is pregnant with his child, it's perfectly logical to keep quiet until the data is confirmed. In love with his business partner, Alexis Rodriguez, he doesn't see how a baby changes what they mean to one another, and asks for her hand in marriage.


But people are not robots. Inputs don't always match outputs. As the truth comes out, Johnathan fights to reconcile both women into his life -- one as his future wife; the other as a mother to his child. All while getting his company out of hot water on its first multi-million dollar defense contract. 


Can Johnathan save his relationship with Alexis, stand up as a father, and rescue his company? Or is the scrap heap going to get a little bigger?

About the Author
Elizabeth Ann West is a Jane-of-all-trades, mistress to none. For the last three years, she has made a living selling her non-fiction articles to websites and marketing firms. Before settling into a career of writing, she made magic at Walt Disney World, planned conferences at the National Center for State Courts, and performed as a Quality Technician on titanium castings for Alcoa. Armed with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science of all things, while she and the kids follow her husband around the world in his naval career, writing fiction is her next mountain to conquer. Yo-de-le-he-hoo! 


It still needs some work, but this is how far I have gotten. I don't know that is the picture I will use on the back cover either. It's hard to pick a picture that looks good and shows a little of my personality behind the smile. I will probably leave final selection up to my cover artist, with veto approval. :)


"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.




OTHER AWESOME #ROW80 TRAVELERS:

Unpublished Author, How Can I Negotiate?

Why a high five and not a typical handshake?


Remember when we were kids at the lunch table and a Twinkie traded for like two Fruit Rollups? Both kids happily eating the snack they prefer, Moms never the wiser?


True, successful negotiation is teamwork. Everyone gives a little to get something they want, all parties left generally happy. In self-publishing, negotiation skills are a must, and nobody wants a party to feel "shafted." Why? Because "So-and-so screwed me over" travels much faster in the link sharing, social networking universe we live in than the other side of the story.


When will a self-publishing or unpublished author need to negotiate? ALL THE TIME. Blog tours? Usually a quid-pro-quo situation. Advertising on reader blogs? Negotiating is the only way to get a reduced rate.


There are a number of skills an author should use in negotiating. Throw out any ideas of playing hardball. This is about bringing people on your team, and you joining theirs.

1. Be nice and professional, even when the answer is a "No." This is just a counter offer. By being courteous back, you never know when someone will say "Oh, alright." Especially if they think you are walking away. Don't be fake, but being polite makes any offer much sweeter.
2. Give a reasonable offer, not a low-ball. If you don't have much of a marketing budget, that's okay to say so, but don't expect to buy a $50 image ad on a blog that regularly charges (and gets) $300 for the same ad. Now, maybe ask for a $50 text ad, or offer to buy 2 image ads for $250 each. 
3. Only make promises you can keep. Don't say your blog has 100 visitors a day when it only gets 20. Remember how fast bad press runs? It's okay to trade for a future favor, but make sure you are 100% prepared to deliver, or go above and beyond (and most likely inequitable) if things fall through.
4. Expand beyond yourself. Becoming friends and acquaintances with people in other professions, and with other skill sets, you can help people find each other to trade services. It might help you get a discount, or bump you up in the line later on.

Negotiation is about being real with expectations, what you can deliver, and how it will help both of you. Finally, the most important part is to remain mum on the details of a negotiation, unless the other party has given you permission to disclose the terms. A reader blog might not want it widely known it will take two guaranteed ads at a discounted price (there might have been income shortfalls that month). 


"CANCELLED" arriving SEPTEMBER 2011. A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby.