Posted in Fallen Cloud Saga, Writing, tagged books, Corporate America, creative writing, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, novel writing, novels, publishing, self-publishing, Writing, writing tips on 09 Sep 2012| Leave a Comment »
Now hear this!
In the past, people have asked me: Do you get to pick your own title for your books?
Such was the case for two of my books, and I now have the chance to fix at least one of them.
Posted in Fallen Cloud Saga, Writing, tagged amazon, Beneath a Wounded Sky, creative writing, ebooks, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, Kindle, novel writing, novels, publishing, self-publishing, Writing, writing tips on 06 Sep 2012| 2 Comments »
The goal of almost every writer is to be published by a big publishing firm. These big publishing houses pretty much had a lock on the whole shebang until about 20 years ago, when small and on-demand presses started popping up. Then, when e-publishing started to take off, authors had even more options open to them.
But, for most of us, the Yellow Brick Road still leads to Oz, and all those other venues are just waypoints for which we must “settle” if we can’t get all the way to the Big Publishing House.
I’ve hit pretty much every stop on the Yellow Brick Road. Under normal circumstances, I’d be taking my new novel down as far down that road as possible, but FC:V is a bit of an edge case. (more…)
Posted in Fallen Cloud Saga, Writing, tagged Beneath a Wounded Sky, books, creative writing, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 05 Sep 2012| Leave a Comment »
First Reader has come back with comments on Beneath a Wounded Sky (FC:V).
Overall, response was very good. Really good. “I miss them already,” was the comment after the last page.
But, there was room for improvement. Here’s the sort of thing First Reader found:
Now, all the changes have been considered and fixed. The new version is off to a select group of Second Readers. I expect to hear back from them in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, I get to think about what to do next? Agent/Publisher (which could take—literally—years)? Self-publication (which would reap little, monetarily)?
k
Posted in Fallen Cloud Saga, Writing, tagged Beneath a Wounded Sky, Characters, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 27 Aug 2012| 2 Comments »
You’ve heard it before; my big deal when I’m writing is to “Write, don’t edit.” You know…don’t put off ’til tomorrow what you can put off for months, right? Well, now that I’ve finished the writing bit, I can’t put it off any longer. I have to sit down and do what I’ve successfully avoided.
Editing is hard; everyone knows that, but why? I mean, why edit at all? Just run that puppy through the spell-checker and send it out, right? Wrong. Seriously wrong. (more…)
Posted in Culture, Low Tech, Writing, tagged books, e-readers, ebooks, Kindle, novels, Writing on 21 Aug 2012| Leave a Comment »
Just as today no one will ever go into a store and thrill as they unfold the triptych of the latest Roger Dean album cover, so too, in a short period of time, no one will go into a bookstore and stop as they smell that rarefied combination of pulp and fresh ink.
Like it or not (and I don’t) we are moving toward a world in which sales of physical books will be a niche market, like vinyl LPs are today. Most of the trade in these items will involve used books and take place in small, dust-filled shops where these throwback items will eagerly line the shelves, their worn spines and faded gilt lettering displayed to their best advantage. Like potential adopters at an animal shelter, we will wish we could take them all home, but we will not be able, and will have to satisfy ourselves with saving just one or two.
A plethora of experiences and rituals will be lost to this, the Kindle generation. Technology will enhance their lives in many ways, but in this one arena, they will be the poorer for it.
Posted in Writing, tagged Beneath a Wounded Sky, Characters, creative writing, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 07 Aug 2012| 1 Comment »
I’ve often heard actors say that they really prefer playing bad guys to good guys. Good guys are generally so…good. They’re simple, where bad guys are complicated; straightforward, where bad guys are conflicted.
I can understand this view and, based on how characters are written in most movies these days, I agree with it. In books, though, I think we have to do better than that.
Posted in Writing, tagged Beneath a Wounded Sky, creative writing, Dreams of the Desert Wind, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, Music, novel writing, novels, soundtracks, writing techniques, writing tips on 02 Aug 2012| Leave a Comment »
Before I started to write, I studied music. Classical music, ancient music, and modern; in orchestras (symphonic, chamber, and pit), in bands (marching, symphonic, jazz, and swing), and in trios, quartets, and quintets; as a student, as an amateur, and as a professional; as a violinist, a violist, on the tuba (Sousaphone and miraphone), with bass guitar, on percussion, and as a conductor: I did it all. For the first three decades of my life, music was my sole creative outlet.
When I swapped music for writing, music did not disappear. I brought it with me.
The world is filled with distractions, and it can be a challenge to block them all out so I can concentrate on the world inside my head. Music helps me do that.
Each of my books has a soundtrack. Sometimes it’s related to the subject, building an ethnic backdrop (like the Arabic pop music I played while writing Dreams…) but more often it’s completely unrelated, just providing the beat, the drive, and the mood (like all the Symphonic Metal music I’ve been listening to while writing FC:V). I specifically ignore lyrics—I was never good at picking them out, anyway, so ignoring them works fine. Foreign language and instrumental works are especially well-suited, and movie soundtracks are often the perfect choice, evoking a mood and drama.
k
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 