Writing Archives - Page 21 of 36

What is a Book?

February 19, 2015 By Kerry Gans 2 Comments

I don’t have an e-reader. I’ve never listened to an audio book. Not for any deep philosophical reasons, just because in my current lifestyle, print books suit me best. And I like print books.

However, I read a lot of blogs for my duties over at the Author Chronicles, and I have been reading a lot about enhanced ebooks. You can add a soundtrack to your book (music and sound effects). You can add QR codes to both print and ebooks to take your readers to outside material to enhance their experience. You can add hyperlinks and pop-ups as well.

I can see how great a lot of those enhancements would be for non-fiction books. But I’m not sure they work for fiction as well. As authors, we want our readers to stay immersed in our fictitious world—not give them reasons to leave it.

All this got me thinking about what a book really is. For me, I think it is a complete, immersive story told in words. A print book, obviously. An ebook version of the print book, sure. Even an audiobook, which is a different medium but still relies on the power of the words to tell the story. But enhanced ebooks…? I’m not too sure about them. At some point, a multi-media experience stops being about the fictitious dream created by the writing and more about the other media. I think that when that happens, when the words alone are not enough to create the immersive experience, it can’t be called a book anymore.

It’s something else.

Not necessarily something bad, just something new. A new way of storytelling. Will it be the way of the future? I think it likely for non-fiction books. For fiction, I am not so sure. We as humans have been sitting around the fire weaving stories with words for thousands of years. We have packed millions of square feet of shelves with books. We upload and download millions of books a year. We like our stories told to us. We like to be invited in by the author to create the story with her. We like to be so immersed in a story that we forget where we are.

Words are magic. Story is immortal. That is the ancient power of books.

No enhancement is necessary.

What defines “book” for you?

Cover Reveal: Donna Galanti’s JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD

February 13, 2015 By Kerry Gans 1 Comment

Today I am excited to welcome writing pal Donna Galanti with her cover reveal of her middle grade novel, JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD!

M9B-Friday-Reveal

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Joshua and the Lightning Road by Donna Galanti

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Joshua and The Lightning Road

Stay away from the window, don’t go outside when it’s storming and whatever you do, do not touch the orb.

Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooper’s grandpa has always warned him about the dangers of lightning. But Joshua never put much stock in his grandpa’s rumblings as anything more than the ravings of an old man with a vast imagination. Then one night, when Joshua and his best friend are home alone during a frightful storm, Joshua learns his grandpa was right. A bolt of lightning strikes his house and whisks away his best friend—possibly forever.

To get him back, Joshua must travel the Lightning Road to a dark place that steals children for energy. But getting back home and saving his friend won’t be easy, as Joshua must face the terrifying Child Collector and fend off ferocious and unnatural beasts intent on destroying him.

In this world, Joshua possesses powers he never knew he had, and soon, Joshua’s mission becomes more than a search for his friend. He means to send all the stolen children home—and doing so becomes the battle of his life.

Title: Joshua and the Lightning Road
Publication date: May 19, 2015
Publisher: Tantrum Books/Month9Books
Author: Donna Galanti

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

Donna Galanti

Donna Galanti writes murder and mystery with a dash of steam as well as middle grade adventure fiction. She is the author of books 1 and 2 in the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy, A Human Element and A Hidden Element, the short story collection The Dark Inside, and Joshua and The Lightning Road (Books 1 and 2, 2015). She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse. It has lots of writing nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she’s still wishing for a castle again—preferably with ghosts. For more information on Donna and A Human Element, please visit: http://www.ElementTrilogy.com AND http://www.donnagalanti.com

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

(Winners will receive their book on release day)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cold, but Warm and Fuzzy

February 12, 2015 By Kerry Gans 2 Comments

Our furnace died Monday night. We’re kind of chilly in our house, but we’re managing. We have one space heater, which is making things manageable. My brain’s a little numb, so no deep thoughts today.

Whenever I want to complain about not having heat, I remember the Little House on the Prairie books. In them, Laura and Mary would sometimes wake up with snow covering their bed inside the house, because the blizzard winds forced it through the cracks in the roof and wall.

Having to wear an extra layer of clothes doesn’t seem that bad when I think about that. Perspective is a wonderful thing. First-world problems!

My 5-year-old daughter is carrying on like a trooper. We had a picnic breakfast in her room this morning, because the space heater could heat up her small room far better than the large kitchen. Her father and I bundled her up so much last night that she was actually hot this morning!

In spite of being cold, I have a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Why?

Because the ARCs of my book The Witch of Zal are finished and out to readers! Getting my very first Advanced Reader Copy takes us another step closer to publication. It makes it feel more real. This is really going to happen!

So happy to be working with the great people at Evil Jester Press, making my dream come true!

What gives you the warm and fuzzies about the writing process?

Anticipation Angst—and Announcement!

February 5, 2015 By Kerry Gans 1 Comment

If you’ve ever visited The Goose’s Quill before, you are no doubt looking at the screen wondering what the heck happened. So here’s the announcement: What happened is that I have a brand-spanking-new website, and my blog is now integrated with that. After you’ve read the blog, feel free to poke around and see what else I’ve been up to.

Meanwhile, I am experiencing what I call anticipation angst. You remember that feeling when some exciting event approached—like Christmas or the start of summer vacation? A taut push-pull between anxiety and excitement. That’s where I am in the publishing process for The Witch of Zal.

People outside the process don’t realize how much waiting is involved in traditional publishing. Between every step of the process is often a stretch of time where the author sees little happening, but much is going on behind the scenes. I am in one of those phases now. And I am sure that when things do start happening, everything will happen at once and suddenly I will have way too much to do!

How does one combat anticipation angst? By keeping busy. I have been doing some things that I know will be needed down the line to market The Witch of Zal. I have done book club questions, am creating visual quotes to use as memes, and working on a Teacher’s Guide. I also have been editing a short story I’ve been trying to get back to for a long time. My critique group work keeps me both reading and writing, and there is the normal round of blog posts every week.

And of course that doesn’t include taking care of my preschooler and the normal chores of living. So I think I have succeeded in keeping busy.

I am enjoying every minute of my journey so far, and I am so excited to see what happens next!

How do you deal with anticipation angst?

First Draft of Veritas Finished

January 22, 2015 By Kerry Gans 2 Comments

Last week I completed my first draft of my YA science fiction novel Veritas. Yes, I still have a long way to go before it’s ready to be seen by publishing professionals, but I still got as excited as a kid in a toy shop!

Why?

Because even though it’s only 70,000 words and I know I have a lot of world-building to add and a lot of revision to do, it is finished. As in, there is a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Character arcs exist. Plot arcs exist. It hangs together as a whole. And finishing any creative act is always something to celebrate—because a very large portion of people who start creative projects never finish.

So that’s one reason I am celebrating. Another is that I actually prefer the revision phase to the drafting stage. Some writers are the opposite. But I like having something to work with, something to mold. As a video editor, the most painful part of any project was finding the music and visuals needed. Once I had them, I flew! It’s the same with my writing. Whatever’s there, no matter how bad, can be worked with. I can polish, demolish, rebuild, whatever. And I can see what story I actually ended up telling—because it’s not always the one I set out to tell in the beginning. So I can see the whole picture and weave all the details into a tight mesh.

The last reason is something of a personal milestone. This is the very first novel I have written from idea to finished draft since my daughter was born 5 years ago. All the other novels I’ve worked on in that time, I had first drafts completed before her birth, and spent the ensuing years editing and polishing. I had no idea how long it would take me to write a complete first draft from scratch. In this case, it was just shy of nine months. It would have been shorter except that I do have a book with a publisher and I had to stop several times to do edits for that book in that timeframe.

But now I know approximately how long it takes me to write a book with my daughter around (it will go faster once she’s in school full time), and more importantly, I know I can still finish! I spent a significant portion of the last few years in a creative wasteland, so just getting the idea for Veritas was huge. To actually finish it?

Enormous.

Do you get giddy when you finish your first drafts? How do you celebrate/reward yourself?

Anti-Climax–Getting Writer’s Block at the Climax

January 8, 2015 By Kerry Gans Leave a Comment

I normally don’t get writer’s block. If one story isn’t humming, I’ll jump to another until my subconscious has time to sort out the mess going on in story #1. So I’m a bit surprised at my current situation. My WIP was rolling along fine in first draft—rough, some ugly, but words on the page—when I got to THE climactic battle scene. Forces of good and evil, all that happy stuff.

And I couldn’t write it.

I can think of 3 reasons for the block:

I am a bad writer without the skills needed to write it.
I am afraid to write the scene because it won’t match what’s in my head.
I don’t know enough about what needs to happen in the scene.

Okay, so even though I have days where I wonder why the heck I am doing this writing thing, I know I am not a bad writer. My skills are up to this task. So it’s not that.

I am always afraid to write every scene, because it never does match up with what’s in my head. At least, not in first draft. That’s what revision is for. So that’s not it.

Which leaves #3—I don’t know enough about the scene. Now, I outlined this entire book, so I am fully aware of what needs to happen and what the stakes are. So that part isn’t the problem. I think it comes back to my less-than-stellar world-building skills. Why? Because I know what has to happen, but am blanking on how it has to happen. I mean, we’ve got magic and spirits and stuff like that going on. Personally, I’m no good in a pillow fight, let alone a battle for the fate of the universe.

So I think that’s my problem in a nutshell. The magic and power of these beings is tremendous, but I’m not precisely sure a) how to depict it and b) what the upper limits are. Can they hurl suns and planets at each other? Are their spirits indestructible? Since they are top of the food chain, is there anything/anyone below them that can stop them?

Since I have plotted out the entire book, I’ve skipped writing the battle scene for now and moved forward. Since I know who wins and what the consequences are, I am able to do that. I am hoping that while I work ahead, my wonderful subconscious mind will simmer away and eventually come up with what I need.

Have you ever been blocked on a certain scene, but not the rest? How did you solve your problem?

Top 10 Goose’s Quill Posts of 2014

January 1, 2015 By Kerry Gans Leave a Comment

I always love seeing what posts spoke to my readers each year. It is no surprise to me that 2 of the posts were about Gavin Leong, a little boy who has changed the world without ever uttering a word. I hope you enjoy all the posts here, and check out ones you might have missed.

10. Old Fashioned: Writing With Pen and Paper

9. What’s Your Observational Intelligence Quotient?

8. When a Bridge Phobia Isn’t a Bridge Phobia

7. Why Disney’s Captain Hook is a Great Villain—and how yours can be, too

6. Gavin’s Playground Project

5. The World Lost a Superhero: Farewell, Gavin

4. Kids’ Questions #1: Does Novel Writing Ever Get Boring?

3. The Writing Process Blog Tour

2. The Literary Toolbox: Writing Simultaneous Action

And the #1 post of 2014 was:

1. CreateSpace vs. Ingram Spark

Thanks for reading, everyone! Happy New Year—I hope 2015 brings you peace and joy.

The Next Step

December 4, 2014 By Kerry Gans 5 Comments

Those following this blog know that I got my final edits back from my publisher right before Thanksgiving. Those in my Facebook network know I returned those final edits on Sunday—yay! After rejoicing in getting that finished, I wondered: what next?

The immediate “what next” is getting “blurbs”—asking fellow authors in your genre if they would consent to read your book and, if they are inclined, to give a quote for the book. As a massive introvert and a person who hates to ask for help, this is actually quite hard for me. So I sent some emails asking if people would consider reading my book and am now waiting for the responses while quietly sweating and shaking.

Other things that will be happening are finalizing the title and cover art (I am looking forward to that!), final edits (on their end), formatting, setting up a marketing plan, and producing promo materials. Much of this, thankfully, will be handled by the wonderful team at Evil Jester Press, although obviously I will have a finger in the title and marketing.

So what am I to do for the next few months while all this is going on behind the scenes? Aside from freaking out, I need to think about things such as the dedication and acknowledgements for the book, creating support materials for the book such as book club questions and a teacher’s guide, finalizing my new website, continuing to network within my genre, and honing my social media strategy.

And I need to keep writing on my other projects.

And take care of my preschool daughter.

And sleep. Maybe. We’ll see.

So much to do, so little time!

Oh, and Christmas. I forgot Christmas.

Welcome to the life of a published writer. (I still get giddy when I say that!)

I’ll keep you posted as things progress!

Final Edits While Failing NaNo

November 20, 2014 By Kerry Gans 1 Comment

I said a couple of weeks ago that I was “sort of” doing NaNo. That I would be trying to finish the final 23 chapters of my book (around 23,000 words). Here’s how it’s going.

I got a good deal of writing in two weekends ago. I now have 17 chapters left to write. It felt good to break the 20-chapter barrier, I’ll tell you!

But I don’t know if I will make it by the end of November. Why?

Because in that same blog post, I had said that if I got my edits back from my publisher, it would derail my WIP’s progress.

And I got my final edits back from my publisher last week! YAY!!

While the edits were relatively minor, I still am not finished. I printed out the manuscript Monday morning and am now giving it a final read-through with my trusty red pen. I am reading it aloud, so where I can do this is limited (my daughter’s dance class was not an option). I have completed reading 30 pages of 190.

This is going to take a while.

And that is why I’m not sure I will finish my WIP by the end of November.

However, I am so excited about these final edits, because that moves us closer to the book being “real.” Once the edits are complete, it can be placed on the publishing schedule. We can start working on the cover. We can finalize the title. We can start getting blurbs. We can talk about marketing strategies.

It’s getting real, folks. The crazy ride that is a debut novel is starting.

Strap in and enjoy the ride!

Self-doubt and Creativity

November 6, 2014 By Kerry Gans 2 Comments

Most creative types I meet have at least periods of self-doubt. They wonder if what they are creating has any value, if it will touch anyone, if it’s worth all the trouble and sacrifice.

I have had this issue myself at times. More than once I have contemplated just walking away from writing. Or maybe just going back to writing for myself and never showing it to anyone.

Because sometimes I am positive that what I write is no good and never will be.

That no one will like what I write and no one cares anyway.

Lately I have been feeling that way when I read about other authors who have their characters talking to them. I know what they mean—in my younger days, my characters were that real to me. They had minds of their own. They did things I did not expect.

But they don’t anymore.

I have characters, of course. They are real to me. I know them well. But they do what I tell them. Of course, this is my first time trying outlining, which may have had an unintended consequence.

But maybe it’s something more sinister than that. Maybe I do not know my characters as well as I think I do. Why are they being so obedient? My answer, of course, is that I am simply not as creative as the other writers I am reading about. And then the self-doubt crashes in on me.

But no matter how doubtful I feel, I never give up. Because I can’t stop writing. It’s been almost 40 years I’ve been writing, so any idea that I might be able to stop is laughable. I am a writer, for better or worse, for richer or poorer.

The one boon of self-doubt, for me, is that it pushes me to be better. After all, if I feel like my work is not good enough, and I cannot stop writing, the only answer is to find a way to improve my craft. So hopefully the self-doubt is a blessing in disguise.

Stepping back from my self-doubt, I think perhaps this complacency of my characters is a signal that I am not yet completely recovered from the 4.5 year, post-baby creative drought I experienced. While I am miles ahead of where I was then, perhaps I have a little farther to go before I get back into the full author groove.

Maybe next year, when my daughter starts school full day, and I suddenly have more concentrated time to work.

It will come. And I will be ready and waiting when it happens.

Because no matter how much self-doubt piles up, I will never stop writing.

Have you ever stopped writing, or seriously considered it?

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