This is one of those “I don’t blog enough” blog posts. How blase. I’m, like, so over this.
What’s there to say? I’ve been writing. Or to phrase that differently, I’ve been gestating ideas and thinking about writing…and now I’m writing, and I claim the activity retroactively.
You may have noticed (all six of you) that my wordcounts disappeared, and there’s been no update on that longer novel I posted a sample of before. The explanation is simple: I gave up on it. For now. Turns out I’m rubbish for long-form fiction and have no idea how to pace a novel. Ah well. Stick to what you know.
Work on Deep Sounding Volume 2 is proceeding at a full-on sprint. I tend to write like Jackie Chan does karate: I spend a lot of time refusing to do it, and then I whip it out and throw everybody to the ground and do something ridiculous with two chairs and a ladder. I’m aiming for May 1st, and the book is tentatively titled “Diamonds and Rust”, but I’m waiting to hear back again from Joan Baez’s people about whether or not I can quote some lyrics in the book. (Turns out you can just write them and ask for permission, and they’ll respond! Who knew?)
So what brought all this on?
Well, I stalk author Hugh Howey on Facebook, and he posted an excellent video of a TED talk by Amanda Palmer. http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking.html In it, she talks about forging personal connections with her fans; about exposing herself in a vulnerable way, and forging real friendships. It’s got me thinking about this business-only approach I have to social media, and I don’t much care for how I handle things.
So I’m going to try to post on here more often. I’m going to try to write more frequently, and with less blatant and bland self-marketing. It’ll still be mostly book-related, but it’s time to open the door. Maybe I’ll do a live sit-in on google docs, and let people hang out while I write. That would be terrifying, but probably good for me. Like a prostate exam.
I’m thinking of doing a small Kickstarter after Volume 2 comes out. It would basically be pre-funding for Volume 3. I figure having already released two really good novellas is fertile-enough seed for a crowdfunding project. (Technically three, as “Deep Sounding” is actually two separate novellas, joined at the hip.) Part of me is scared to try it. What will people think? Brandon’s begging for money on the internet?! Good lord, what a wasted life! But the other part of me feels a kind of jittery excitement at the idea, and it has nothing to do with money.
Well, okay. It does a little.
I’m working at a Toys R Us right now. It’s a fun job, but it’s not writing. Nothing is writing except writing. Nothing gives me the same joy or satisfaction, and it’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was 10. Hell, it’s the only thing I HAVE done since I was 10 that’s been of any human value whatsoever, excepting maybe that one time I helped a guy jumpstart his car in the grocery store parking lot on Christmas Eve. I’ll probably start with a small amount, somewhere in the range of $1000 or $1500 — enough to fund the month or two it takes me to write a book. And if it succeeds, maybe I’ll do it again for the next one. People kickstart books all the time. But continuously pre-funding each installment of an ongoing series? Pretty new ground. Pretty exciting to think about.
In other news: there’s a print version of Volume 1 coming out soon, for all the luddites who don’t do e-books. If everything shakes out, it should also be a second edition: I’ve got a series of illustrations on the way from my extremely talented brother, Matt, and possibly a new cover from my friend and designer, Jordan Erb. Not sure why on the latter (she insists her first cover is garbage, and I vehemently disagree) but I sure won’t complain.
That’s it then, I suppose. Post a comment! Let me know you exist! I hope I’m not just babbling into the void.
Ooh, hey, that’s good. “Babbling Into the Void”. If Baez’s people turn me down, maybe I’ll go with that.
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EDIT: Ten minutes later I got the return e-mail from Joan Baez’s managers. They are “pleased to grant permission” for a quote from Diamonds and Rust.
Woo!
In honor of that, let’s all listen to one of the prettiest folk songs ever written:
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