Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Writing Update – April 30, 2019

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Welcome to the writing update for April 2019! It’s been a crazy month in the basement as I try and close out some stuff and start others.

On with the show!

Writing Update

DSA Season One

I am currently in the middle of self-editing the final book of season one. But Lou, you said your deadline was today? What happened?

Jury duty. Crazy, right? I am fulfilling my obligation as a US citizen at the moment, so writing time during the Easter holiday hit a big snag.

I will be finished with Broken Loyalties next weekend and reading through all six episodes the following week! Very excited to pass this along to some alpha readers for feedback.

Hammer and Anvil

Another reason for the slight delay is the opening book of the Greystone-In-Training trilogy. My initial plan was to finish DSA before diving into the script for Hammer and Anvil.

Then my brain took over.

Stupid brain.

The script is DONE for this book. 106 pages of Soriya awesomeness that will serve as the spine for the draft. It’s actually a pretty tight script in my opinion. Sometimes when I work a little faster on a project than I should – i.e. all the time – I tend to overlook the nuances of each character’s arc.

I nailed them here perfectly. Every interaction is layered for character and plot. Each scene propels the narrative forward to the next.

Can’t wait to dive into the draft next month. Hoping to close it out by the end of May with edits in June. However, as you may recall, plans tend to shift slightly as life takes over.

Release Schedule

As it stands now, there are a few things coming your way from me later this year.

August – Greystone: The Complete First Cycle Digital Box Set

All five novels of the Greystone series in one fantastic package. The cover is awesome and you already know the contents are. There will be teases for what comes next as well as some personal reflections from me (I hope).

October – DSA: Season One, Book One – The Clearing

It all starts here! The people of Bellbrook, Ohio have vanished and only the DSA field team can solve the mystery behind their disappearance. Or will they become victims themselves?

November – DSA: Season One, Book Two – Promethean

The field team investigates a mysterious murder and runs afoul of a pyrokinetic trapped in a deeper conspiracy than any of them thought possible.

December – DSA: Season One, Book Three – The Bridge

The team is split between personal tragedies and professional inquisitions. Lines are drawn and loyalties are tested.

Where does Hammer and Anvil fit? Hopefully, in September but I’m leaving it open at the moment so I can nail down the draft. By the end of May I should have a clear picture of where it will fall on the schedule.

Stay tuned.

World Hopping – Tips to Transition Between Projects

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There is a part of me that is terrified about leaving the world of the DSA at the close of season 1 edits. It’s the part screaming for me to keep going, keep drafting the next one and the next one until the story is finished. The small voice in the back of my head promising I will never get this close to this world again. Never nail the character voices, never remember all the subtle nuances of each character’s behavior and back story.

It can be a real fear.

But I’m going for it anyway.

Here is how I am preparing for the world hop back to Greystone next month.

World hopping tips:

Take it slow.

Pretty simple, right? One would think so. Over the last week, I’ve spoken to a number of writers who have a problem with taking it slow on a project. Either they are so jazzed about the world they’ve created or are afraid of a detail slipping through the cracks that slowing down seems to be the opposite of what they should be doing.

However, when crossing to a new project it’s exactly the right move.

Instead of launching into a novel sized plot, step back. Take some notes. Learn the subtle differences. Figure out the rules of the new project.

If you’re jumping into an older world, like I am with Greystone, rediscover what makes that story special. Read relevant passages from previously published work. Revisit old notes taken months, or years, earlier.

Reacquaint yourself with old friends.

Focus on smaller aspects first.

Instead of building a new series, work on a single character. Instead of understanding their entire history, focus on one specific event. Tear it apart, build it back together, anything to learn why it should matter and what it tells about your story.

Figure out those rules. Is your lead a smoker? Does she have a tattoo? College education? Siblings? Nothing is set in stone so play with the dynamics.

If characters aren’t your strong suit, turn to the plot itself. Pick up small events, images in your head surrounding your new world. Build the sequence and incorporate different aspects – character, important objects, history, etc – all to create a fully formed picture in your mind.

Broaden your scope

It’s all about building. As you learn each new piece, put it side by the side with the previous ones, to see where it leads. Don’t jump in and hope everything falls in line, create from the ground up and let it expand across the canvas.

Differentiate from the past

This is one aspect I’m nervous about. Making each world unique while playing to your strengths as a writer can be a challenge. Sometimes characters seem TOO similar, or are going through the same arc previously traveled in a different world. Learning the reason behind them, finding new dynamics or changing the game completely is your goal here before you’ve traveled too far and come up short.

Why is this story different? How should it be different?

Asking questions helps the transition when world hopping. Discovering those answers is the fun in creating the narratives that fuel your imagination.

Take it slow but don’t be afraid to push yourself in new directions. Explore possibilities. Your readers will thank you for it.

Heading Toward The End

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I’ve officially started final edits on book 6 of the DSA. This will close out the inaugural season for the series, marking this as the end for me until after alpha readers comment on the books. I’m almost DONE.

And I am FREAKING OUT.

Closing out a project…

There is this sense of trepidation whenever I reach the end of a project. I’ve spent months fine-tuning and tweaking language, plot points, dialogue and more. Months asking questions about the work, nit-picking details and mysteries to see if they do enough to push the story forward.

Yet the fear remains.

It does so for a number of reasons:

The phoning it in factor. This is a real concern. At the end of a grueling project, months of time spent hammering together the perfect draft, the worry is there that maybe I didn’t put in enough time. Maybe another week, another pass, another draft would make it pop more.

Was that last self-edit just me spinning my wheels or did it strengthen the narrative? Could another one tighten the language, ratchet up the tension, or is it merely terror at sending it to other people?

Is this absolutely ready for other eyes?

Is it good enough to hand to friends and family. Has every question, every doubt, every concern been addressed and redressed within the narrative? Reaching the end never actually means the end, but it needs to be pretty damn close in order to feel comfortable asking someone else to give their two cents. If the first feedback received mentions the fact someone’s name changed halfway through the book (IT HAPPENS) can I handle it maturely?

The answer is no…

Little discrepancies, small plot holes are the bane of my existence and one of the reasons I pour through my drafts as many times as I do. I could let someone else find these errors, could totally allow others to pick up my slack so I can move onto the next draft, the next project, the next world, but I wouldn’t feel right with that.

This is my baby and it has to be perfect.

Accepting the end.

Acceptance is a tough concept for me as an author. Letting the books take wing and fly is like asking a newborn to feed and change themselves. Daddy ain’t gonna let that happen. So what have I done to accept the end, to allow a project to reach the finale?

Slowing down for reflection. When I started this final book in the DSA Season One, I built in an extra week of edits. This isn’t because the manuscript needed it. Broken Loyalties is one of the tightest drafts in the series so far. (You’re going to love it. It’s so much fun. Well, maybe not for the cast, but as a reader you’ll dig it.)

No, the extra time was for me to reflect on the journey. To tie off all concerns, to really dig into the narrative as a whole and make sure everything lines up just right. Not just for this season but for those to follow. It’s clocked in at almost 250,000 words so it’s a journey.

This method allows the pressure of producing this work to more gradually fall from my shoulders. To better see how things started and why it is where it is at the end. Every choice, every stray notion, everything comes into play here and by giving that extra time – taking those moments to pause and consider it helps to better understand why this is the end, here and now.

Savor the win

It may be called the end, but it never is. Alpha readers will take the DSA and offer feedback, which results in new questions to be asked. New perspectives to address through the narrative. Then it heads to my editor to be torn apart and rebuilt better than ever.

More readthroughs. More notes taken creating more changes to implement or argue.

This isn’t the end, merely the first round in a marathon for the next six months. Still, savor the win and accept the end as it stands at this moment. For this part of the journey.

Then get back to work.

Flower City Comic Con is this weekend!

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If you’re in the Rochester area you have to stop by the Blue Cross Arena this weekend for the Flower City Comic Con!

April 13th and 14th!

Two days of incredible deals, celebrity guests, panels and cosplay, this show has it all. I’m so excited to be a part of the guest list. It looks to be a fantastic lineup of talent.

Greystone Deal

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it here on the blog but for shows like this I offer a huge discount on my paperbacks. Typically, a Greystone novel costs $13.99 online. Plus tax. Plus shipping in some cases. I hate having to charge that. Hate it.

That’s why I love these conventions.

This weekend, you can get any Greystone novel for $10. No tax. No shipping. And a sweet autograph from yours truly.

That’s not even the end of it. The deals get sweeter the more books you buy and all come with a genuine scribble from the author and his eternal gratitude.

2 Books = $18
3 Books = $25
4 Books = $30
And all 5 Greystone novels are only $35!

Why I do it…

It’s not for the money. Much as I would love to live off this amazing gig of mine, the discounts are there to promote Greystone to a local audience. To spread the word about my writing and hopefully earn a few devoted fans along the way.

I might not bring home enough to pay off that last college loan but if I am able to connect with a few special readers at each occasion, if I can inspire someone to dig into the world of Soriya and Loren just a little, I know I’ve done my job.

Beyond that, the joy is in being able to talk to people. To hear what they’ve been reading and what drew them to the table. Anytime I am able to break away from the cave and step into the light is a good one. A good exercise for promoting the series and for showing readers how enthused I am to keep living with these characters and the stories coming up for them.

See you in Rochester!

I do hope you’ll make the trip. I’ve spoken with a number of the guests already and they are so pumped to meet you, to share their stories with you. Pick their brain, ask them about their pets or their kids. These are regular folk doing everything they can to give you the best convention experience they can.

Enjoy it and I’ll see you there!

Signs to Step Away from a Draft

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Let’s be honest, there are times when it feels like a story will NEVER come together. In some cases a narrative refuses to click into place, that final puzzle piece has somehow managed to fall off the table, slide under the carpet, never to be seen again.

When this happens there are few positive reactions to share with friends and family. But is the problem truly with the narrative or the amount of time spent putting it together?

Self-Editing Round 124… 125… 126…

It’s an endless battle, beating your doubts and your draft into submission. You want the best story possible, action-packed, descriptive, punchy dialogue – the works. Yet edit after edit goes by and you can’t help but feel it’s not quite there yet.

What do you do?

3 signs you should take a step away from your draft

  1. You start questioning the original intent of the piece. It can happen. And sometimes for the right reasons. But if you are finished with your draft and in the editing phase you tend to know what the theme or the purpose is behind the work. Rethinking concept is a natural sensation. Worry it might not be a strong enough connection with the reader is a completely rational thought. Not at this stage of the game. Here is the time to refine not rethink, tweak not toss out. Which leads me to my next point.
  2. Let’s rewrite the whole story…AGAIN. You know you’ve thought the same thing. You’ve tweaked and prodded the story in a certain direction and now you’re not sure if you’ve been on the wrong track the entire time. So why not start again? DON’T! Your story is there. Something in that massive draft is a problem but the narrative itself will work itself out if you don’t succumb to those doubts at the back of your mind.
  3. What if I can’t find the solution to my problems? It happens. Writers get tunnel vision, only allowing their thoughts to travel down a certain path for a story. It flows in their mind like a river, yet rigid and regimented in accordance with the original draft. An unending problem isn’t cause to cast the work aside or toss it in the junk heap of lost causes. You merely need to open your eyes to alternative paths and thoughts.

Solutions when it comes to unending self-edits

Let someone else read it! Alpha readers are crucial to the editing phase. There are only so many times you can read the same draft, edited or not, before the narrative becomes mundane in your eyes. Where it loses that excitement that drove you to write it in the first place.

Sending it to close family and friends for initial feedback not only allows you to share the hard work you’ve endured for months, but also brings back that critical feedback to drive you forward in your own efforts and point out potential pitfalls to revisit.

Create a post-mortem of questions and concerns. This is tied to my last thought. When I send a new draft to readers, be they close friends or family, I write down every question that’s bothered me during the editing process. Any issue I foresee or that has hindered me from hitting the publishing button in my brain.

It may be plot related, setting oriented, or even something as obscure as formatting. Write it all down to ask.

Save it until after they’ve read it. If the questions force them to read through again, they will do so with more perspective than the first which can only add to their feedback.

Let an outside perspective open new avenues of thought. This can have positive and negative connotations with your readers. Opening up your narrative for them to influence, be it plot, character or structure, can assist in providing new avenues of thought when you self-edit.

It can also steer you down paths you never wanted to travel in the first place.

All are worth exploring, though your readers may be upset if you choose not to follow their path. Remember, this is your story and while they may have worthwhile commentary on the subject it has to fall to you for the final decision.

No surrender, no retreat.

Walking away from your draft in the editing phase is not surrendering. It can’t be. Not after so much labor and love poured over a word processor for months or possibly years. Don’t let that happen.

Take a step back but never retreat from making your book the best it can be.

Thanks for reading.

Upcoming Appearance Schedule!

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That’s right! The slave-drivers at Eleven Ten Publishing are letting out from the basement and into the world for 2 upcoming conventions!

Buffalo Comicon is this Sunday!

A one-day show at the Buffalo Marriott and sponsored by the wonderful people at Queen City Bookstore, this show has it all. Cosplay, deals, freebies – and me! Visit my table for a signed copy of your favorite Greystone novel. You are also welcome to chat me up about the upcoming DSA releases… I might even spoil a secret or two.

It’s going to be a blast. Hope to see you there.

But, if you can’t make it then you definitely have to attend…

Flower City Con in Rochester

April 13th and 14th at the Blue Cross Arena. Thousands of your fellow geeks will be nerding out over comics, games and, of course, Greystone! I’ve spoken to the wonderful people hosting the event and they are putting together a murder’s row of authors and artists that you have to see.

Tickets are on sale now!

Ending this week –

Series Starters Promo

Bookfunnel, a fantastic site for free books, has put together a tremendous collection of series starters. Sci-fi, fantasy and horror titles have been included and there are over 150 novels to choose from!

 

Explore Promo

Sponsored by MyBookCave and the always incredible Rachel Branton, The Explore promo features close to 50 new worlds for you to discover. Sci-fi and fantasy titles are included in this collection as well as the chance to win a gift card so be sure to head over there right now and start reading!

What do you want to learn about or read about?

I’ve never done this before and thought it would be interesting to throw out there. I am very curious what you would like to hear about on the blog.

I have some cool writing tips coming your way next month but beyond that my schedule is wide open, so if there is a topic you’re dying for more information on, anything from drafting, editing, even the publishing side, reach out to me at lou@loupaduano.com.

Thanks for reading!

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