G10 Writers

to self publish or not...that is the question

2010-02-04T20:01:00.002-05:00

Our first two books (The Artifact, and Keys) were self published, and though not huge commercial successes, it was very satisfying to have total control over the whole process; editing, artwork, page design.

Now, we are days away from completing our third, and most aggressive, work: The Vanishing Moon.

While total control is nice, we also believe this novel has great commercial potential. And for a bunch of starving artists, commercial = paycheck. So, it may be time to hit up agents/publishers for this piece of work.

BTW...has everyone heard of the statistics of unpublished authors getting a piece of fiction published? As Spock would say, "Captain, I believe the odds of publication are approximately 3,237,810.07 to one."

But, who would of thought that ten virtual strangers would hook up via the 'net to write a single book anyway? I don't know...I think the odds may be with us on this one.

SPOILER ALERT: Be on the lookout for a super cool, super aggressive marketing plan for Vanishing Moon!

too many cooks...

2009-11-20T15:56:00.004-05:00

Being in a collaborative group is a really cool gig.

It frees each writer up to conentrate and do their best writing on their own, individual piece of the work. It allows not only the accolades, but the blame, to be spread around evenly, thus taking most of the pressure off of the individual. And it allows for amazing ideas to flow not from one, but from many, brilliantly creative minds.

But there is a part of the puzzle where more than one or two minds will ruin the recipe: when it comes time to make a decision on procedure. In other words, the decision on how the process will proceed with multiple writers is BEST LEFT UP TO ONE PERSON.

You're at the point where you've gathered the group of writers, you've voiced and voted on your theme to write about, and everyone's chompin' at the bit to "git 'er done." This is the crucial point where you do not want to stall out, because you'll find that everyone could have an opinion, and those opinions could leave behind a trail of bruised and bloodied egos.

This is when your group needs a leader, a hero. One person who is the designated "in-charge" guy who can make these decisions. And guess what...these decisions aren't all that hard, but they are important.

And here's the real secret: most in your group would rather be led than try to lead. Most writers want to be told their parameters instead of make them up. You are doing them a favor by creating the guidelines by which they will birth genious!

So, do not fear being the leader, and if someone else is the leader, respect their decisions. Perhaps your group can switch leaders on each project, which is exactly what we (The G10Writers) have done on our current project.

From whichever vantage point you sit, I ask this one thing of you...write well.

don't edit thyself...at first.

2009-11-19T17:06:00.004-05:00

I have learned, from first hand experience, that the single biggest obstacle to finishing any writing project is the writer themselves. The following is a tip I read recently at http://www.writershelper.com/ , and I could not have put it any better myself...
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Put off editing.

Each of us works at writing on two levels:a creative, unconscious leveland a critical, conscious level.

The unconscious produces creative and powerful words and images. It makes surprising and original connections. It shuts down if the critical "editor" part of your mind goes to work too soon.If your High School English teacher's voice runs through your mind as you write, if you worry about spelling, grammar, or how to sell your book while you write, you are writing with a dull pencil.

There are many books written on how to unlock your unconscious and let the writing flow. Here are just a few ideas:

-Brainstorm words or images about your topic. Don't stop to evaluate their worth. Keep writing down ideas. When you can't think of another word, wait a while. Often the most powerful idea will surface after you have cleared all the less valuable ideas out of the way.

-Write a page or two with your eyes shut. It doesn't matter if you can't read what you've written. You are giving your mind permission to make "mistakes" and just get on with it.

-Write with music in the background. Experiment to find the style that you like. I prefer baroque or classical music. One of my writing teachers needed country and western.

-Give yourself permission to be emotional. If your writing begins to move you, experience the full emotion. Before your writing changes others it will change you.

Edit your work only when you have drawn deeply from the well of your unconscious.

Spelling counts. So does good grammar. They support vibrant writing. They do not create vibrant writing. There are a great many correctly written lifeless sentences.

The best writing comes to life, and then is refined just enough to make it crystal clear.

First, give it life.

query this!

2009-11-18T09:27:00.002-05:00

With the finished product in sight, we are moving our focus to the dreaded query letter.

For those with little or no writing experience, the query letter is the piece of writing that may be even more important than your actual book. It is the piece of the publishing puzzle that gets your foot in the door with the person that says "Yay" or "Nay." Usually "Nay."

In fact, I believe Webster's defines query as: "The act of begging your ass off to have someone of importance briefly glance at your life's work"

Well, that's where we're at now. We figure we have about 2-3 weeks to put together a masterpiece query, one that will let a publisher know that we have THE GREATEST SCI-FI NOVEL EVER WRITTEN!

And no, I'm not biased.

A great resource for mastering this art is Charlotte Dillon's website. Lots of great articles and instruction.

The moral of this post? You've written a good, solid book. Don't slack off now, because your greatest writing challenge lays ahead.

a giddy feeling...

2009-11-17T16:04:00.003-05:00

There are several times in my life when I had a giddy, "schoolgirl-like" feeling of glee and excitement.

1) When I saw the girl I had a crush on in 2nd grade walk down the aisle during First Communion, looking like an angel in her white dress.

2) The second time I went to Disneyworld. (the first time was with my parents...HATED IT!)

3) When my soon-to-be wife said yes to my marriage proposal.

And, today. Today, all of our seperate pieces of "Vanishing Moon" have been spliced together to form a rough draft of what will be THE GREATEST SCI-FI NOVEL EVER WRITTEN.

And no, I am not biased.

I'm not sure what makes this day so great; it could be the sense of accomplishment, or the idea of having a vision finally take physical form, or the fact that it has taken 11 months, and we are all a little worn out! Whatever the reason, let the giddy feeling ride!

location...location...location...is meaningless!

2009-11-16T15:18:00.002-05:00

"You can't become a screenwriter unless you live in L.A. or New York."

"Not everyone can be a writer."

"Unless you already have someone on the inside, a new writer will never get published."

These are the lies and myths that keeps "the music" botttled up inside so many creative people. They are the words whispered into your ear by the enemy of your inner being. They are the stuff that prevents you from being the person you were meant to be.

Here's the good news: those lies can be easily squashed. But to accomplish that, you must destroy one more lie. The lie that tells you that a writer must lead a lonely, solitaire life, bound to a laptop in a dark, contemplative corner of their house.

WRONG!

We are here to tell you that you need not, and should not, be alone in your endeavor to write. There are wonderful ways to connect with like minds, and begin to motivate yourself to greatness in the written word!

For decades, the conventional way was to join a local writing group that met once or twice a month in a coffee shop. This was fine, although experience warns that some of those groups are merely showcases to boost individual egos rather than to nurture and grow each other as a group of writers.

Now, there are many other ways to connect. And the internet is involved in almost everyone of them. There are online writing groups, classes, fansites, poetry sites and a plethora (did he say plethora?) of forums to share ideas and network with others.

Here at G10, we have made it no secret about how we met. We were all members of a Fan Writing website, and came to admire each other's work. After a while, we took it to the next level, and decided to write a book together. It was the ultimate writing group! And, of the 10 members, only 2 of us lived in the same state!

At first we communicate through email. Then, we started a private chat room. Now, we use a private forum, and we meet once a week using Skype, an amazing way to talk with a large group all at once.

All we are saying is this: If you want to write, and want to connect with others while you do it, the way is already paved. Just get creative, find a place you like, whether on the net or local, and just do it.

Ready...set....unfocus!

2009-11-13T09:39:00.003-05:00

There are two schools of thought about the writing process.

1)Start writing a project, and don't stop obsessing with it until it's finished.

2)Every now and then, step back, walk away, work on something else, then come back to it.

I subscribe to the latter. I personally find it excurciatingly painful to concentrate on one thing for months, weeks, days, or sometimes even hours, at a time. Have I ever been diagnosed with ADD? No. However, that does not preclude me from having it!

I find it refreshing to have several projects working at one time. In fact, sometimes ideas that don't float for one may work for another. But there is a danger: if you don't have some discipline to shift focus back to where, and when, it needs to be, you could end up with a hard drive full of unfinished novels, screenplays and poetry. (see Whig's hardrive for reference!).

On that note, while we have been struggling through our Vanishing Moon story, one of our writers, Chris Valin, has had a book published! While I haven't read it yet (waiting for Kindle), it looks like a piece of historical drama that everyone could love...and, it's about one of his ancestors!

If you like a good read, or want a gift idea for Christmas, go to Amazon.com and look up FORTUNE'S FAVORITE: Sir Charles Douglas and the Breaking of the Line by Christopher Valin.

Along the way...

2009-11-12T09:01:00.005-05:00

Although our upcoming novel, "Under a Vanishing Moon", has been a collaborative effort, it was originally the dreamchild of our very own DG McMurry, Jr.

This was something he had on the drawing board for years, looking for just the right time, and place, to let it fly. And it ended up being the perfect project for our G10 Writers group.

Vision is a funny thing. It is something everyone can have, but the true gift is the ability to translate that vision into a tangible goal. Thankfully, DG is not only a dreamer, he's also a do-er!

Once he dreamed up Vanishing Moon many years ago, his artistic side took over, and he began drawing and mapping out the details of this complex story. It's because he took his vision to this next step that we are now ably to turn it into an amazing story.

The moral of this post? Dream. Dream big. Let your visions go nuts. But there is a point when the dreaming needs to stop, and action must begin.

To quote the famous commercial....just do it.

The End is Near...

2009-11-11T19:47:00.001-05:00

Yes, the end IS near...

For eleven months, our humble group has been pounding out our third book, and we are now only weeks away from completion!

Did I say eleven months? Yeah, I know...that's a long time for a group that cranked out their first book in four months, and their second in three months. So why so long on this one?

Easy...it's the first time we have written something where every aspect of everyone's story affects everyone elses' story. Before, there was always a common tie between stories, but this time was different...and so much harder. This time, the words "Collaborative Effort" have taken on a whole new meaning. We had to mold eight different minds and writing styles into one lean, mean writin' machine!

And guess what? I do believe it has worked!

We cannot wait until we unleash "Vanishing Moon" on the world!