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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

One Year In

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on 05 Jun 2013| 8 Comments »

Mahonia after rainToday begins the second year of this blog. It’s been an education.

Here’s the obligatory breakdown of my first year:

  • This will be the 299th post
  • The blog has garnered almost 7000 hits
  • The blog has been viewed by 137 countries

What fascinates me the most is the variety of search criteria that has sent folks this way.

Factoring out the “miscellaneous” search phrases (like “walking stick heavy end up or down”…hunh?), some things become clear.

  • People are very curious about the relative properties of dishware
    (“porcelain vs. stoneware” — 30% of search hits)
  • People are as interested in my writing as they are in some of the recipes I put up
    (both at 14% of total search hits)
  • People are nearly as interested in what a “peeper’s dry plate” is, as they are in my writing
    (“peeper’s dry plate” — 9% of search hits)
  • Movies, Seattle, and general writing topics each took in 5-7% of the total

It’s all just nerdy gee-whiz sort of figures, but it shows that I’m meeting my two major goals:

  1. I’m writing something on a regular basis
  2. I’m providing a way for my readers and potential readers to learn about my writing

So, my thanks to all of you, both subscribers and passers-by, for your interest, your comments, and your encouragement.

k

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Hard Numbers

Posted in Books, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 31 May 2013| 6 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiReality is a test. Are you going to face it? Or are you going to reject it?

I’ve tried the latter. I don’t recommend it.

Example: for decades I believed I was a dog person. Then I lived with a dog. I’m not a dog person. I’m a “let me play with your dog” person. Don’t get me wrong; I love dogs. I just don’t want to live with them. At least, not at this point in my life. It wouldn’t be fair to the dog.

So, I’ve learned the lesson that facing reality is always the better choice.

Therefore, I took a long look at the hard numbers from my Amazing Free Book Giveaway Weekend (AFBGW). [For those of you just joining, the AFBGW was a three-day event wherein I was giving away Unraveling Time, my time-travel romance/adventure novel, for free in the Kindle Store.]

The results are pretty grim. (more…)

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LinkedOut

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on 30 May 2013| 14 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiWe just passed the six-week mark since the Amazing Free Book Giveaway Weekend, and it’s time to start evaluating the entire process for success or failure. I’ll crunch the numbers later, but right now I want to discuss one of the “softer” aspects of the AFBGW.

As part of the AFBGW, I went out to LinkedIn and joined a few writers’ groups.

I joined these groups because it’s a quick way to reach a lot of people at one time. Writers are (presumably) readers as well, and some of these groups have membership up in the five-digits. With one post, I could (presumably) reach thousands and those posts could (presumably) drive traffic to my blog, my AFBGW promotion, and my books. In addition, the groups can (presumably) provide a venue in which to discuss Things Writerly, and I looked forward to entering discussions on style, debates on the value of writing disciplines, and reading posts on marketing strategies.

What I found was very different. (more…)

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The Not-So-Big Reveal

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on 29 May 2013| 2 Comments »

Stack of Books

I’ve lived with this working title for a couple of days, now. I’ve let it rattle around in my head, done a little research into the phrase I want to use, and played with it in relation to the outline. I’m still happy with it, so I’m going to move forward with it. Even if it gets changed, it’s a good focal point.

It’s funny how it just came to me, bang! as a title for the book.

It was Sunday morning, and I was doing a clustering exercise. This exercise was an inverse cluster, where I leave the central idea blank and start with the surrounding topics. Inverse clusters are really helpful when I’m searching for something–an idea, a cohesive theme, etc. I’d done a couple on this book, prior to Sunday morning, and distilled some of the central themes for the book. That morning, I’d jotted down some of the basic elements of the plot, had surrounded the central circle with characters, objects, events, and then–like I said–Bang! I had my focal point.

I looked up at my wife, shared it with her, and she smiled (and not in her “That’s nice, dear,” way; this was an “Oh, yeah!” way).

So, now that I’m happy with it, I can tell you. (more…)

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By Any Other Name

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 28 May 2013| 6 Comments »

Sometimes, it’s the little things.

We spent a lovely holiday weekend with our friends, Barb and J.C. Hendee, authors of The Noble Dead Saga (among other titles). They’re a couple of the lucky ones: bestselling authors who have had the wonderful opportunity to make their living writing books. Naturally, it has its trade-offs (all self-employment opportunities do), but it was great to spend time with them, talking about Things Writerly, and learning from tales from their lives as modern writers.

Barb Hendee has a new book out, first in a brand-new series, so if you like fantasy, exceptional character development, a tight plot, and a satisfying read, check out her The Mist-Torn Witches, available in paperback and on Kindle.

During our visit, I took advantage of the quiet mornings to do some clustering exercises for my new project, and in doing so, I discovered my working title! (more…)

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Vignette

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on 23 May 2013| Leave a Comment »

Stack of BooksAlfie drove the black Audi up the hillside curves, through the grey dawn and springtime rain, stopping under the still-burning lamps of the Alta Mira. He got out and opened the passenger door.

She stepped out onto the quiet street, hair wild from the damp, portfolio of photos under her arm, and saw her ex standing at the curb across the street. Sleepy-eyed, disheveled, he looked as if he’d just wakened from a dream.

She smiled, and that was all it took. He stepped toward her.

“I miss you.”

She retreated, eyes glancing, smile snuffed like a candle. “Don’t go there, or I’ll be lost.”

Alfie interposed himself–her guardian, her protector, her armor–“Easy, mate.”

Her footsteps echoed on the brick pathway. The ex watched as she ran up to the hotel, to her dark room, her photos, and her memories.

“Leave her be,” Alfie said as he got her camera bags out of the trunk.

“For years now, everywhere I go, all I see is the light.”

Alfie’s chestnut hair gleamed with droplets of rain. He flashed white teeth in a devil’s smile as he shouldered the bags.”I know exactly what you mean.”

The ex frowned. “Where is she going next?”

“San Francisco. Then Portland.” Alfie walked across the street to the ex and extended his hand. “We won’t see you there, will we?”

The ex looked at the offered hand, then reached out as well. Alfie’s hand was strong, broad, and warm.

“No. You won’t see me.”

“Thanks, mate.” Alfie smiled again and winked. His leather soles scraped on the asphalt as he turned and walked to the hotel.

The ex watched him go, watched him toss his car keys to the valet, watched him go inside.

The ex sighed, smelling the fresh, rain-washed air. He put his hands to his face, scrubbed away his tears, and looked around at the newborn morning.

The light was beautiful.

———————————-

Product of inverse clustering, 23Apr13

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Open Season on Dan Brown

Posted in Books, Writing, tagged , , , , , on 20 May 2013| 4 Comments »

Kurt R.A. GiambastianiRenowned author Dan Brown has a new book, and it is therefore open season for critics, professional and amateur alike.

But I’m going to leave that to others, especially Michael Deacon of the Daily Telegraph, who did it better than anyone in his pastiche of the Brownian “style.” Really, go read it, but don’t drink coffee while you do so. And don’t pass by the top comments, either, one of which gives us the neologism “blort”–the perfect one-word replacement for “spit take.” If you have time, also check out the Telegraph’s “20 Worst Sentences from Dan Brown.”

The pastiche is easily the funniest piece this side of Chuck Lorre’s vanity cards. Reading it aloud reminded me of similar sessions with “The Eye of Argon” and Atlanta Nights by Travis Tea. (If you’ve never heard of the latter, let me know and I’ll let you in on the history.) The “20 Worst” will make you simultaneously laugh and cry that such sentences make it into a bestselling novel.

But as I said, I’m not going to dogpile on renowned author Dan Brown. Why? (more…)

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