Month: August 2013

And so it Begins

John GuillenLeave a comment

I said that I would read a handful of detective books before reading my own so that I would have perfectly written works fresh in my head when I attempt to judge my writing from the eyes of a reader. Well, I decided to read only two books instead of a greater number. I chose to read The Widening Gyre (Spenser #10) by Robert B. Parker and Indigo Slam (Elvis Cole #7) by Robert Crais because these two titles most fit into the genre that I wish to write. I have eight more detective stories on my unread shelf, but those are mostly police procedurals and my book doesn’t fall into that more specific category.

I plan on reading with a red pen and sticky notes to mark things that need changing or that I think can be better. I’m not going to stop and correct everything as I go, but rather I’ll mark the place and take a look once I’ve finished the entire book.

I already have a short list of things that I know I want to change for future drafts and I’m sure I’ll find more along the way.

Wish me luck!

My Kickstarter project needs you! Every little pledge will help! Access it here.

Let the Rewriting Begin

John GuillenLeave a comment

Well, kinda.

I am all set to begin the rewriting process the day after I finished the first draft of my first book. But it won’t be what you might think. The first aspect of my rewriting process will be to detract myself from my own work and read at least three books before I take a look at my writing. You might be wondering how come I don’t just jump right in and start dissecting every word, page, and chapter that I wrote. Well, the answer is actually quite simple. I’ve spent nearly three months working on the first draft and I want to be able to evaluate it against other works by more accomplished authors.

I’ll probably read 3-5 books that fall into the detective genre so that I have a real apples-to-apples comparison to make before reading my own book.

I feel that I’ll be able to discern the quality of my work almost immediately by doing this. After i read through my book like any other reader would I’ll start working on the second draft. That will be the one that I send out to my first round of beta readers. I’m thinking I’ll have three or four rounds, all different readers, and all picked for different reasons.

If you’ve gotten to this point of my blog, then I know you must be dying to read the actual book! Help make it happen by checking out my Kickstarter page here!

Every pledge helps!

Done! Acabado! Fertig!

John Guillen3 Comments

Image

I’ve finished the first draft of my book!

I wrote seven chapters in the last 11 days to finish!

The final two chapters were a whole lot of fun to write. I graduated from college in three years, but I can honestly say that I’ve never been more proud of anything that I’ve done. This is just so….amazing.

I know some of you are probably asking yourself, “What if it’s bad?” And that is a valid question that I’ll be asking myself until I start reading it, but it doesn’t matter! I have met all of three individuals who have written a book, three! So my book may be the worst work of prose to ever be called a book, but it will always be my book.

I would like to reveal a few stats about the entire book now that it is finished. I am 100% positive that these numbers will not be accurate once I start the rewrite process, but they’re good for reference purposes. Here they are.

Total Word Count – 53,743

Total Chapters – 21

Total Page Count (in Word) – 168

Average Chapter Length – 2559 words

Total Editing Time – 62 hours 32 minutes

Average Editing Time for Each Chapter – 2 hours 56 minutes

Longest Chapter – chapter 18 – 3676 words

Shortest Chapter – chapter 2 – 993 words

Take a look at my Kickstarter project page here to help me publish this book!

The End is Near

John Guillen1 Comment

My Kickstarter project is in full swing! Access it here.

When I first started writing my book back on May 31 I had a number in mind as far as the word count is concerned. Well I’ve come to the conclusion that it is unnecessary for me to hold myself to that particular number. My story is my story, and it’ll end when it needs to.

Now, on to chapter 20! I got a little emotional while writing this chapter. Why, you ask? The remaining two chapters – that’s right, I only have two left – will tie up a couple loose ends that remain. The story is all but finished! Isn’t that just grand?!

That makes five chapters in the last ten days!

Any person who calls him or herself an avid reader has read several books that bring tears to their eyes. I know I’ve read plenty. I was fortunate enough to be on the other side of that equation with this book. I’m not the reader, I’m the writer! It truly is extraordinary.

I’m not going to reveal anything that happens in the chapter because it’s much too late in the story to give any detail away.

Also, you may recall that I posted stats related to my work once I reached chapter ten. I had planned to do the same at chapter 20, but I’m going to hold off on that because it is so close to the end of the book.

If you’ve read this far you HAVE to stay with me! We’re almost there!

And Then There was One

John Guillen1 Comment

First off, I would like nothing more than to see the name of one or more of my followers in my backer report of my Kickstarter page. It can be accessed here.

The title of this post is slightly misleading. It leads you to believe that some major event has happened in the book and left one man standing, or that I’ve reached the final chapter of my work. Neither of which is completely true. I just like the catchy-ness of it.

Chapter 19 is the start of the roller coaster ride that is about to take place in the story. That’s about all you’ll get from me about this chapter!

I would, however, like to inform all of you that I am nearing the very end of the book. It’s difficult to say exactly how many chapters I have remaining, but what the heck, I’m thinking three or four will be sufficient to finish the story. I think.

Before bed last night, this is around four in the morning, all of chapter 20 played out in my head. All of it. I went through multiple scenarios and sequences of events and almost got out of bed to just start writing it. I don’t need sleep, I told myself, I need to write this chapter! I fell asleep a little before five.

I hope to complete chapter 20 by the end of the day today, wish me luck!

A Chapter for the Record Books

John Guillen3 Comments

My Kickstarter project page to publish the very book this blog discusses can be accessed here.

That’s right, chapter 18 is one for the record books. Well, my record book. It somehow became the longest chapter of my book, though I struggled to write the first 800 words just yesterday. These things are weird sometimes.

The case is largely forgotten throughout the chapter by everyone involved. Detective Nathan rests at home during the day before returning to Andrew’s home and Sydney and Andrew just relax pretty much the entire day.

But the chapter ends with a conversation between Detective Nathan and Andrew that shows they know what’s coming. And I know what’s coming, but I’m not telling! All they can do is wait and see if they’re right.

Also, I spent a solid two hours last night before finally falling asleep reading my blog. I read every post in order, and I must say, I definitely wanted to read the book after reading all of that. Maybe I’m biased. Just a little.

Officially Launched!

John GuillenLeave a comment

My Kickstarter project officially launched last night!

For those of you who may not be aware of what exactly Kickstarter does, here’s the very basic premise.

Project creators, like myself, start creative projects like writing a book and explain what it is they’re trying to accomplish. The creator sets a funding deadline and goal for the project and Kickstarter allows other people (known as backers) to help fund the project.

When creating the project the creators set different reward thresholds that can be met with certain pledge amounts. For example, on my project you can receive a copy of the paperback edition of the book, a bookmark made specifically for my book, and a personalized thank you from me for your contribution of $20. That’s just one of the thresholds I’ve set. Take a look at the project page here!

Divided Within Kickstarter Project Page

All the information related to the project itself is listed on the project page and you all could get some nice goodies for your generous donations!

Also, please note that should you decide to donate that you will not be charged unless the funding goal is met by the deadline. You’d then be charged at the deadline of the project!

Thank you all for still keeping up with my blog after nearly twenty posts about my book! There will also be a link on my About Me page for the duration of the project.

Setting the Stage

John GuillenLeave a comment

Chapter 17 is done! I sat down yesterday and soon realized after my first sitting that it would be a long chapter. Well, it kind of was.

The chapter is setting the stage for what I have in my head for chapter 18. Everyone involved in the case is at Andrew’s house and he realizes that they probably feel more safe than they have in almost a week. But he doesn’t beat around the bush and give them misguided messages. He acknowledges that there is real danger lurking just beyond, but does his best to reassure everyone that he’s the right man to protect all of them. He even offers up a guarantee that appears to convey his message.

Chapter 18 is going to be wonderful to write. I already have it thought out and I can’t wait to get it down on paper.

BUT until then I have some fantastic news for all of you! My Kickstarter project has been approved for launch and I’ll most likely make some final changes today and tomorrow and either launch tomorrow or Sunday.

I’ll keep you all posted as far as the actual launch date.

This journey only gets better!

16 Chapters and Counting

John GuillenLeave a comment

My vision for chapter 16 somehow made its way onto the Word document. Sometimes this happens, and other times it doesn’t.

The chapter forces all of the main characters in the story to adapt to what is happening with the case. Let’s just say that Andrew has some house guests that he hadn’t anticipated. It’s done primarily out of great concern for the safety of everyone involved.

Also, I mentioned in my last post that I have chosen to self-publish my first book and will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to help with the funding. Well, the project has officially been submitted for review and I hope to learn in the next day or so if any changes need to be made before the project goes live. I’ll post as soon as I know something.

I hope you all will take a look at it once it’s up and running, if only to learn Andrew’s last name and the working title of the book!

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT/ New Chapter

John GuillenLeave a comment

I’m going to first discuss the newest chapter and then I’ll delve into my announcement.

Chapter 15 was great, well at least I liked writing it. The events that took place when Hunter, Sydney, and Andrew came together remained largely unknown to the reader until the conclusion of this chapter. Also, Andrew realizes just what the case means for him and also what it means for his clients. I think it’s eye-opening and great insight into who Andrew is.

Now to the major announcement!

As an aspiring author, it is only wise to be aware of the publishing market of today and also of all of the publishing opportunities available. I am now at least halfway trough the first draft of my manuscript, let me repeat that, I’M HALFWAY THROUGH THE FIRST DRAFT!

I continue to tick off chapter after chapter and the realization that my book will be finished soon is settling in. As a result, I have spent far too many hours over the last ten days or so looking at publishers, book writing competitions, agents, and query letter techniques because this information will be needed soon enough.

I’ve read countless first-time author testimonials and articles written by others who work closely within the publishing industry, and what did I find? Well, after the months it takes for the author to find an agent, if it ever happens, and the time it takes the agent to sell the book to an editor at a publisher…the end result is often the same: The publisher pays a small advance to the author and prints the book.

Sure the book will be sent out to critics prior to publication, but the major reviewers like Publishers Weekly receive so many books for review that only a small percentage actually fall into the hands of a reviewer, and so many first-time authors write brilliant books and find no success. It’s unfortunate, but certainly something to consider.

With all of that being said, I have decided to self-publish my first book. I just don’t see the upside of opting to go the “traditional” route with my first book. I’m not writing because I want to become a millionaire, but I also don’t want to write a book that sells 50 copies and never again sees the light of day.

To help with the self-publishing process I will be launching a Kickstarter campaign next week that I hope you all will at least take a look at. It isn’t online just yet, but I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop when it is. Also, there will be a video on the project page telling a little about how come I’m making self-publishing my first choice rather than my last resort. And you’ll get to find out Andrew’s last name!