Amazon Ranking for Writers

I'm not understanding Amazon's ranking system. I check my rank (probably too much) but it fluctuates constantly. What's up with that?

Its never great..ever. But I watch it anyway. You know, average day...check Amazon rank, think about blogs, page views, check Amazon rank, check for new reviews, maybe open latest WIP, check Amazon rank before starting. Coffee break, check rank again.

The rank is constantly going up and down by thousands. What does this mean? Does it rise and fall by page views? It certainly can't be for sales. At least not with this book so far.

Can we improve it? Am I doing something to wreck it that I don't know about?

Okay, now someone tell me how to stop watching it. Its almost as addictive as facebook.

A Writer's Block Kind of Week

Absolutely no writing this week and I'm feeling really bad about that fact. When I step away from a story too long I feel a bit of a disconnect somewhere in my ...well, not my brain really...more like my soul, that inner emotional connection that helps me to live and breathe the characters.

Last Sunday my credit card got hacked and I guess I went a little nutzo. I think it was such a shock since I always guard my card super uber carefully. I double check every time I put it in my purse, never use it on shady sites or places. I think it was the guy in that little liquor store I stopped in on Saturday night but the bank is investigating. Kudos to my bank for catching this so fast. They were great. They asked if we catch who did this would I prosecute? HELL YES!

Last Saturday the groomer found a lump on Gracie's (my Shih Tzu) paw. Vet visit on Monday.  She went for surgery on Friday. She's home now and limping but should get better. We're just waiting on the biopsy.

Then we see the horrible things that happened in Boston. I have friends who are avid runners, luckily, after a few calls we find out everyone is safe. But the images of this tragedy have a way of staying with us.
My daughter used to live in Watertown, its a beautiful little community and we spent the week sending prayers up to the people there.

We're still reeling from Boston and that big explosion happens in Texas. Something that didn't get enough press this week. So many dead and injured. I still haven't heard how it happened. Our healing thoughts and prayers go out to them too.

Too much on my mind to write. Every time I'd steal a few minutes to write I just couldn't concentrate. My mind was going in a million different directions. I'd turn the T.V. off, sit and wonder what was going on in the world. Get nothing done. Turn T.V. back on. Get nothing done.

Discipline!

Read through the pages. Try to write.Try to get my head back into the story.

Get nothing done. Give up. Go cuddle dog.

Let's hope the planets align, the world calms and peace and healing descends on our little planet. Let's have a good week peeps.

You're Not Jesse James

        
No one’s going to remember you. They won’t think you were cool or something special. History might to say you were mentally ill or just something to be pitied and punished. You bombed the Boston Marathon but you’re not what we’ll remember. You’re already yesterday’s news.

We’ll remember the survivors for their fortitude and courage. We’ll remember the heroes who responded with compassion and guts to run into the chaos and save lives.

           You bombed the Boston Marathon and now the world thinks you’re a jerk. Something found smushed and smelly on the bottom of a shoe. They won’t remember you as an outlaw or an amazing human that you could do such a thing. They’ll think you’re just a bad person, someone no one wants to know or deal with in life. They’ll want you flushed down a toilet because that’s what your actions showed you are, just a living turd.

           What we will remember is those who ran toward the blast to help. We’ll remember the police, the FBI, and paramedics and doctors who ran to the rescue. These people became heroes that day and will forever go down in history as loving, good human beings who went the extra mile to save lives. They showed courage beyond imagination. From the brave people in the media who stayed to help and share the story, to Google who was one of the first to set up a link to find loved ones, to the city officials in Boston who jumped into action, these people are all heroes. These are the ones with stories to tell and to whom we’ll give our hearts, praise and thanks.

           You’re not Jesse James or any other kind of famous outlaw. Soon we will forget your name and your life and know you only as the asshole who tried to hurt people. Whatever your reason for doing this, we don’t care. We only save caring for those who deserve it. You’ll be caught and soon. You’re trial will be a joke because there’s not a jury in America that won’t throw the book at you. 

         The only question left; Does Massachusetts have the death penalty? 

Writing 556 Pages

Writing sometimes comes easy. I have one story I wrote a few years ago that's 556 pages. I don't know why this story went on for so long, I guess it just had a lot to say.

After I send No Apologies out the door, Threshold of Midnight is up next. This 556 page moose does need some reworking but the story line is pretty solid. But who the heck will commit to read 556 pages? I think the size of this book might be a turn off so I'm thinking of breaking it in half and do a "Book One" and "Book Two" thing with it.

Which brings a whole lot of other issues in because I believe both books should be stand alone. I wouldn't want someone grabbing book two and spending 225 pages lost in space.

This is going to require some thinking. I have to let it settle in my brain a bit before I get started. But I still have to finish No Apologies and I have about 50 pages to go in the final draft. In this book I changed the story line about half way though so I had to rewrite it all the way through. I almost didn't. I just wanted to put No Apologies on the shelf and move on. The only thing that stopped me was that I liked my main character and wanted to breathe life into her. And I liked her quirky little dog.

Have you ever had a manuscript so long that you feared its marketability? What did you do?

Writing Business Trials

Writing is the easy part. Editing not so hard. Then comes putting it out there. Setting your baby free into the world. That's hard at first but then it gets easier. The first one flies, the next, soon you're flinging your written works of art out there without a care. You know you did your best and you let it sail.

Now comes the hard part. The business end of writing. Marketing....eeeek! Does anyone really like this aspect of book sales?

I remember when Konrath got his first contract for a 3 book deal. He went crazy with marketing. I think the work he did then, still follows him today. People he met along the journey, people who respected the work he did to get his book into as many hands as possible. I know I watched his journey, paid attention to his techniques and ideas. Could I do the same? I'm not sure. Should we all do the same? Maybe.

My daughter who has some freelance and marketing experience is helping me with marketing. She's got great ideas and the energy to make it happen. And she's a bit of a slave driver (which I need!). When I'm monkeying around with book cover art she tells me to stop playing and get back to writing.

Once Betrayed is up and running I'm thinking of paying for a book blast. I have Soul Mates registered for a kboards email and post ($15 fee) for May 24th. I'm thinking of Orangeberry but not sure if it's too soon.

Any other ideas? Okay, back to writing.....

Writing Ideas & Organization

Every good writer has ideas. The problem arises when there are too many ideas or we lack the ability...commitment... to see the idea through to a full length novel. (Or novella if that's how you fly)

Always before I had a full time day job or I was raising kids and doing car pool every day. I barely had time to think, let alone actually write something that wasn't just a few pages. I have a few books finished but only in first or weak second drafts.

Now I'm unemployed and if I ever wanted to make writing my job now was the time to give it a go. I don't need to make a million dollars but to get a little income rolling would be rewarding.

I have dozens of books outlined. Ideas are easy. Taking them through to perfection...not so much. I know I have a tendency to want to get it done now. I'm from New Jersey. We do everything fast here; talk fast, walk fast, work fast. Not always a good thing. Especially when writing.

I write it start to finish, read through and edit. Then print out and edit line by line. Enter those edits into the computer. Read through start to finish send to editor. Get it back, fix what ever needs fixing and then off it goes to the editor...hopefully for the last time. (Not always the case, but it seems to be working.)

So what's your magic? One draft or two? The process?
How long does it take you to get a book from start to end?