Blog entry 64

Golden Gate

The Tessera Trilogy begins …

1 - In the sands

The officers walked across the dark red sands of the camp, suppressing fears of the coming battles. They walked with confidence, adjusting their weapons and chatting idly among themselves, confident their battle experience – with no defeats – would mean an easy, quick defeat of this “rabble.” Their certainty of victory spread to their men, confident the coming battle would be a rout of their barbarian foes. They were wrong in their certainty. 

Here the novel and the trilogy start. I leave it to your imagination as to the setting and time frame.  Does it build interest and suspense?

Blog entry 63

BIG NEWS!!!!

About my writing process, I’ve been doing Word searches for selected words that can weaken a novel. I’ve been searching for and eliminating, revising the wording around or leaving such words as “it”, “some”, “soon”, “had” (too passive), and “just.” The final revisions are incorporated; the final word count is only 92,768! Apparently I miscounted, along the way. Golden Gate is ready for Prime Time and stands at 190 pages including the glossary.

Other big news – I sent a few questions to the Amazon associates program, planning to grease the skids for marketing. The response took the wind out of my sails briefly. It turns out the Amazon associates program isn’t for marketing a book, and appears to be a cash source based on links with Amazon widgets for visit fees; I’ve decided to drop that affiliation.

Good news - A fellow RWG member suggested www.bookbaby.com as a way to e- market my novels. Actually several RWG members mentioned it. That site/ business provides distribution packages, including editing, marketing and the full range of commercially focused efforts to sell intellectual products. Am investigating it, and will query RWG members as to their feelings of its legitimacy.

Have found out from a rep at BookBaby.com that they require a novel have an ISBN for them to sell it. Am investigating whether a UPC Bare Code is required; it is typically placed on outside back cover of the book. Bar Codes are sold through www.bowker.com, as are ISBNs in the USA. Bar codes are $25.00 each (per title/ISBN). ISBNs are sold singularly, or in blocks of 10, 100, or 1,000. I am researching pricing and availability of a block of ten ISBNs. BookBaby.com charges $99.00 per book to be sold, and coupled with ISBN and bar code fees I’m looking at roughly $250.00 or more to get started.

I’ve decided on an initial price of $3.99 for Golden Gate. At that price point I would receive a 70 percent royalty on copies sold. Have gone with BookBaby.com, as they can provide an ISBN for $19.00 as part of e-publishing package. The GREEN bolded insert below from BookBaby.com rep verifies receipt of my novel and payment today, 01 December 2011.

I can indeed confirm that a payment came though, so this is now officially booked into my team as BK00004838!  Our team will begin to review everything for you now just to make sure it is in great shape!  I am showing that a payment of $118 was received on our side well.

I intend to include bits of Golden Gate, I am calling them “Hints for the Holidays” as part of regular blog posts. They will sequence through the entire novel, not telling the entire story, but providing glimpses that will tantalize. 

Blog entry 62

Revised GG word count 11/13/2011 – (chpt 21 count to 2118) = 95,446

Revised GG word count 11/14/2011 – (chpt 22 count to 2913) = 95,322

Revised GG word count 11/15/2011 – (chpt 22 count to 2965) = 95,374

Revised GG word count 11/15/2011 – (chpt 27/28 count to 1540) = 95,615

Revised GG word count 11/16/2011 – (chpt 21 count to 2421) = 95,918

Revised GG word count 11/18/2011 – (chpt 27/28 count to 1619) = 96,238

Revised GG word count 11/21/2011 – (chpt 35 count to 6228) = 97,930

Revised GG word count 11/21/2011 – (chpt 36 count to 3861) = 98,877

I have been remiss, my better half tells me, by being too technical in blogging about the progress of Golden Gate. I included the chapter by chapter updates and resultant word counts (see above), but failed to mention the actual writing processes at play. Let me correct that error.

I’ve been rewriting those chapters, initially hoping for completion by Black Friday. That date is unreachable, so I’ve slipped to the end of 2011. This assumes, and we all recognize the dangers of an assumption, that submitting a PDF format novel to Amazon.com electronically would open the gates for vast numbers of my literary fans to stampede to Amazon.com and buy Golden Gate for the paltry sum of $.99. See the Amazon.com Associate at the bottom of this blog.

Along the way I saw the movie Julie and Julia again. It was viewed from my favorite place and position, on the couch with my right foot elevated. Am still struggling with crutches and having to hobble around as my right heel fracture mends. There have been benefits, and bright shiny objects.

The most fascinating object has been a squirrel. He (or she, as I can’t see identifying parts to be convinced of either case) has been regularly grabbing my interest on the railing of our deck. Last week he/she was sunbathing. I kid you not. Stretched out flat on the railing with his tail wiggling in the sunlight he sat for five or more minutes, daring me to find a good camera. I did take pictures with my cell phone, but through the glass windows it was imperfect at capturing him/her. And just the other day he/she sat on the railing, chewing on an acorn – and I swear – was belching. I could actually see his stomach move after he finished an acorn. Could it be that squirrels belch? Was he teasing me? Did he/she know I was watching?

“DP Tolan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.”

Blog entry 61

Chapter 21, revision I was read at the November 2011 RWG meeting. Critique comments and author response is noted below.

Very supportive comments were received. Samples are noted below:

RWG member 1 – keeps my attention; best work yet. Action can be visualized

            RWG member 2 - page 3, next to last paragraph – great description

                                     page 5, “something was off” – great description

            RWG member 3 - Vivid; could picture hooks going up. Well done!

                        Written like for a movie

Inputs on revision I, are in the process of being considered for incorporation.

RWG member 2  –

            Paragraph 1 – in last sentence check usage of “as” – done

            Page 2 – reduce of repetitive “hook” – done

            Page 3 – “over the side” used twice – done

            Remove usage of “C-141” – done

RWG member 3 –

Consider usage of “weenie” – reject

RWG member 1 –

            Suggested use other than “mischief in their minds” as cliché– done

                        (Will use suggested “minds set on mayhem”)

            Asked usage of RPG – reject

            Second paragraph, 3^rd line – “imagined” and “pictured” too close – done

RWG member 4  –

Page 1 – Use up, vice upward – done

Page 1 – wrt “the three, “one falling back” – done

Page 2 – top sentences, “to action” – done

            Page 2, “named the spaces” may be superfluous– done

            Page 2 – remove “kin” as sole use of slang – done

            Consider removing “the heartbeat raced” – done

            Search for and reduce usage of “just” – done

            Consider usage of pompous vice “weenie” – reject

Takeaways –

Ensure review for and reduction in use of “just” in wording –

Try to get and keep energy of action higher, consistently

Blog entry 60

Revised GG word count 11/10/2011 – (chpts. 32/33 count to 3674) = 95,124

Revised GG word count 11/12/2011 – (chpt 20 count to 870) = 95,189

Revised GG word count 11/12/2011 – (chpt 21 count to 2015) = 95,342

Revised GG word count 11/12/2011 – (chpt 23 count to 830) = 95,333

Revised GG word count 11/12/2011 – (chpt 24/25 count to 1350) = 95,343

Chapter 21, revision I will be read at the November 2011 RWG meeting today. Critique comments and author response will be in the next blog entry.

Blog Post 59

Revised GG word count 11/09/2011 – (chpt 29/30 count to 4804) = 94884

Revised GG word count 11/09/2011 – (chpt 31 count to 2766) =94,906

Well here is part of the rest of the story. On the first of November I fell off a ladder while doing maintenance in my garage attic. The ladder slipped out from beneath me as I started to descend. My right heel suffered a minor fracture as it hit one of the ladder rungs and the side rail. The rung and side rail are severely distorted, and I will need to eventually cut off the top to make the ladder reusable.

The event has dramatically altered my life. I hobble around on crutches and sleep on the couch so I can keep my feet elevated – to reduce swelling. My right foot is in a removable cast. My writing has become more concentrated as I can’t do much else. This is both a blessing and a curse as Monk would say on his TV show. I may now finish before Christmas so hope is there. Getting around is quite another thing. Wish me luck. I’ll keep you informed as I hobble along. 

Blog Post 58

10/25/2011 – completed revisions to chapters 20 and 21 – word count now stands at 91,563.

10/27/2011 – installed bathroom mirror

10/31/2011 - completed revisions to chapter 22 - word count now stands at 92,133

10/31/2011 – completed revisions to chapters 24/25 - word count now stands at = 92,185

10/31/2011 – completed revisions to chapter 26 - word count now stands at 92,852

10/31/2011 – completed revisions to chapter 27/28 - word count now stands at 92,962