There’s a joke among fiction writers about people who offer, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea for a book. You write it and then we’ll split the profits.”
There are a few problems with this, but one of the most obvious is that the idea is the easiest bit. It’s the writing that actually takes time. Ideas are everywhere.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a walk and look for plot ideas. How about last week’s Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio?Where Do Plot Ideas Come From?
At times, life is strangely kind. This time, it was both kind and strange. Foxes became a hot internet meme, and in an… unexpected way.
A friend joked about my copious free time. “I mean, what do you have to do, really? You’re self-employed, so you can totally slack off there. And you’re writing a book, and that can’t be hard. I mean, really, how long can that take?”
He was joking about all of it, of course, which is why he’s still breathing. But he put forth a question which many people do ask less ironically — how long can writing a book take, really? (Seriously, just look at fans complaining about George R. R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss needing time.)
That’s the wrong question — as NaNoWriMo and the 8-Hour Book Challenge prove, writing a story may not take long at all. But writing a good story does.
Why Does Writing a Book Take So Long?
Remember the 8-Hour Book Challenge I described a few days ago? Today Konrath posted the achievers, and you can find them here. (Check them out; you might find something fun!)
Even before Konrath’s post went live, however, Smoke and Fears somehow started climbing the chart, and it’s reached #13 on Amazon’s Free Historical Fantasy list. Which is pretty cool, even if temporary.The 8-Hour Challenge follow-up: Smoke and Fears
Geekery, fiction, and ninja — that’s a pretty typical day in my life, actually….
Gen Con, the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Ninja
Oh gosh. Hold on a sec and let me catch my breath.
Okay, author J.A. Konrath wrote a post on (among other things) maintaining the joy of creating without fussing over commercialism or perfectionism, and he ended with a challenge to create an entire book in just 8 hours.
That’s the entire book project. Writing, revising, formatting, creating a cover, and publishing. Complete.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
The 8-Hour Book Challenge
Have you heard of the bowing deer of Nara?
Sika deer (probably from shika, Japanese for “deer”) are spotted into maturity and still have a strong population in Japan. They were once sacred, considered divine messengers, and now they are protected. In Nara Prefecture, they roam freely and harass visitors for treats.
Polite “Bowing” Deer in Japan
I found this quote while flipping through an older book, in a section on electronic publishing:
“…Will [electronic publishing] ever be more than an intriguing fringe for a literary avant garde and those who just can’t make it in traditional publishing?”
How I Use Ebooks Differently
I had an interesting Twitter conversation a while back when World Weaver Press tweeted a link to an article about hot alpha males (“dangerous,” “possessive,” “dominating,” etc.) in paranormal romance. Being a total behavior nerd, I replied that most of these “alpha males” were actually displaying lower-ranking behavior – real alphas don’t posture, act aggressive or defensive, etc. — and we chatted briefly about the implications for fiction and PNR in particular.
Don’t confuse the “alpha male” and the “bad boy.” They’re different things. It’s a common myth, the posturing alpha male, but it’s a myth. Simply put, if you’ve got it, you don’t have to flaunt it. Only those worried about their position waste time, energy, and other resources in reminding others of their position.Alpha Males & Fiction
(I wanted to be blogging this week about the Midwest Writers Workshop and the coolness thereof, but I’ve been considerably distracted. So please accept this pre-written post about chocolate in the meanwhile.)
What does dark chocolate do for me?
Well, it provides the caffeine which I don’t get from coffee. (Yeah, I’m one of the maybe four writers in the hemisphere who don’t drink coffee. Makes me the odd one out at conferences and workshops, where I have to find my own soft drink or something.)
How Do I Love Chocolate? Let Me Count the Ways….