Last of my introspection days, then we’ll be back to “12 easy hacks for unpeeling an orange”.
Sometimes editing requires ADDING words. I have two novels that are under word count, but they’re TIGHT. Blazing Glory has a little wiggle room for me to add 11,000 words.
Dreadnought needs another 7,000.
Bottom of the Ocean needs I think 35,000 words. It’s by no means done. I stopped it to work on NaNoWriMo, and the momentum hasn’t gotten back yet. Don’t forget I lost a month to Pneumonia in December.
Of course, I suppose I should get working on Blazing Glory, since that’s going to be a series of westerns.
I have a mystery in the works – I just can’t write cozy’s. I grew up watching Clint Eastwood, so writing a cozy mystery for me is alien. There’s going to be a fight somewhere, and I just have this ethical need to write a fight the way they really happen. If you get punched in the mouth, your lips bleed. My mouth bleeds everywhere when I get smacked in the mouth.
Speaking of which, I thought of taking Matt Carpenter and writing a prequel story for him, back in his Karate tournament days. I was going to take a less than flattering incident in my life and simply stick it onto Carpenter. Those who know me know the story, but I decided against it. It wouldn’t add anything positive to Carpenter.
Why are my novels so action filled? Because I’ve been in that Red Zone a time or two in my life. I’ve met too many people who’ve been in the Red Zone. The Red Zone really happens, to people all over the world. Daily.
What’s the red zone? If you don’t know, you’ve thankfully been spared. My house is white zone. Safety. Immediately outside my door is yellow zone. Everywhere outside my house at every minute is yellow zone. Anything can happen. Red Zone is imminent danger.
I’d love for my life to have been all kitten whiskers and butterflies. And it is!
Did I get sidetracked again? By the way, I think I mentioned that “Catcher In The Rye” is absolutely one of my least favorite books.
Carpenter ranks as one of my favorite protagonists. The problem with the countdown books is, I painted myself into a corner. I made Carpenter do exactly what you should do, get everyone out of danger. The problem is, I either had to get him out of safety for the other books, or have him sitting safely with everyone but directing people from afar.
I’ve got a couple of ways out of this, and I may actually re-write the first book to add much more action. I doubt it – I need that first book right the way it is. We’ll see.
And I’m contemplating having them break into the next plot step a book early. I wanted to make the mid point of the tribulation where they move.
But that affects everything else.
Why can’t writing be as easy as everyone thinks it is?
