Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Testing Descriptions



While participating in a writers conference a couple of weeks ago, it became obvious to me that I’m going to need to develop various descriptors for Blood of Anjels. First, I need a consist way of telling people what the book is about. It is a polite and obvious question. A part of me still wants to say, “70,000 words, give or take.” Snarkiness aside, no one is going to read it just on my say so. They do need a few words from me to pique their interest. No one is going to read a book they know nothing about (my editor--poor baby--excepted).


The trick is to find the right few words for a conversation, an elevator pitch or book jacket.


At the conference I heard another writer answer the question, “what’s it about?” He gave a very detailed plot outline. It was a pretty good elevator pitch; something he’d been practicing. It was too long, though for conversation, and not pithy enough for a book jacket.


This is hard. Harder, in many ways, than writing the book. So, I’m going to enlist your help. Please follow the link below to a very short survey. Thanks.http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LNV9ZNZ

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Finis--the First

Now comes the first test. I have finished the first draft of Blood of Angels--69,500 words, but who’s counting? I’ll be sending it off to early readers and my editor in a day or two. Part of me wants to clink goblets, but it is 10:30 am. Celebrations can wait until all the work is done.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Writer, Full Time


After 29 years with the agency, today was my last day at the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. I served for 16 years as their communications manager and about 15 as chief of planning.
Now, my full-time title is writer. Or, it will be after a short vacation. Blood of Anjels is off to editors and readers in two or three weeks. Still hoping for a summer publication date.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Transitioning


Busy times for me the past few days. Much the same for the coming few, as I wrap up obligations at work before becoming a full-time writer.
For the past couple of days I have been transitioning by participating in the Idaho Writers and Readers Rendezvous put on by the Idaho Writers Guild. I was able to enjoy presentations by Michael Collings, Tony Doerr, Aaron Patterson and Joanne Pence, chat with A K Turner, Clay Morgan and Doug Copsey, have lunch with Les Edgerton and John Rember and dinner with CJ Box. I learned a lot from those folks, received much encouragement and topped it off by winning first place in the short fiction competition at the conference.
On the Anjels front, I’ve been doing a little light editing the past few days and I wrote  for permission to use the following as an epigraph for the novel:
“This is the story of how we begin to remember.” Paul Simon, Under African Skies.