The Journal: The Novel Finished

In today’s Journal

* Welcome
* How to Write Fiction Sales Copy
* More Boring Talk About My Own Writing
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

Welcome to Kelley and Anitha and any others who have joined our little community lately. If I can ever do anything to help with your writing, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

You know those writers you meet at writers’ conferences who deliver their lecture or class and then disappear into their room in the hotel for the duration?

Yeah, that’s not me. I was the guy hanging out in the lobby or the lounge, waiting to talk and share. So anything at all, write me.

Hey, listen, seriously, if you don’t have a copy of Dean Wesley Smith’s How to Write Fiction Sales Copy, buy one. You won’t regret it. You can find both ebook and paperback (recommended) at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0178MQVX2.

More Boring Talk About My Own Writing

Wow, was my head ever all over the place yesterday. I had almost finished the new version of Wes Crowley, Texas Ranger when I realized something.

If I ended the current novel where I wanted to end it (Chapter 44, to lead into the first book of the “gap” series), it would be a completely “new” Book 3.

Oh oh. That would mean I’d have to renumber the entire series (covers, etc.) I’d also have to renumber the series again every time I finished another novel. AND I’d have to keep track of what I cut out of the old Book 3 to add back in at the end of the gap series. And who knows when that’ll be or how many books will be in that series? I certainly don’t.

So I bit the bullet. I brought back over 10,000 of the words I originally cut from the old Book 3 and added them back in to the new Book 3. This edition of the book still contains almost 22,000 new words.

I also added an “Important Note to Readers” at the end and just before the “About the Author” section:

“If you enjoy reading about Wes Crowley and his adventures as a Texas Ranger, you still have 9 more books to go in the main series.

“HOWEVER, between Book 3 (this one) and Book 4 (Leaving Amarillo) there’s a gap of about 15 years. I filled part of that gap in this book.

“But I’m also writing a new series of books called Wes Crowley: The Gap Series.

“The first of those, in which Wes and another Ranger are on loan to the Ranger company in Brownsville, will begin where Chapter 44 of this novel leaves off. I hope you will join Wes, Charley and the rest of the gang as they continue their exploits. And I hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.”

Naturally, I’m hoping this is good news for fans of Wes Crowley. (grin)

The book finished, and it came in at a little over 62000 words. Now I can feel free to write the books that will fill the “rest” of the 15-year gap between Books 3 and 4.

The covers for those books will read

WES CROWLEY: THE GAP SERIES
stories to fill the 15-year gap between Books 3 and 4 of the Wes Crowley series

Then the Title of Each Book in the Series.

Who knew back in October 2014 when I finished a short story called “Adobe Walls” today I’d have 12 novels and counting about the same character? Amazing.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

See “10 mind-boggling things you should know about quantum physics” at https://www.space.com/quantum-physics-things-you-should-know.

See “The Dream Pedlar” at https://www.thedreampedlar.com/. A truly beautiful blog.

See “It Was A Day” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/it-was-a-day/.

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………………… 600 words

Writing of Wes Crowley, Texas Ranger (novel)
Words brought forward………………………………………… 31,122

Day 1…… 0773 words. Total words to date…… 31895
Day 2…… 2162 words. Total words to date…… 34057
Day 3…… 2642 words. Total words to date…… 36699
Day 4…… 3021 words. Total words to date…… 39720
Day 5…… 2716 words. Total words to date…… 42436
Day 6…… 3935 words. Total words to date…… 46371
Day 7…… 3307 words. Total words to date…… 49678
Day 8…… 2341 words. Total words to date…… 52019

10,087 words added from old version……………… 62106 (done)

Total fiction words for June……… 9583
Total fiction words for the year………… 464072
Total nonfiction words for June… 2180
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 108410
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 572482

Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 9
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… 1
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 62
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31

Disclaimer: In this blog, I provide advice on writing fiction. I advocate a technique called Writing Into the Dark. To be crystal clear, WITD is not “the only way” to write, nor will I ever say it is. However, as I am the only writer who advocates WITD both publicly and regularly, I will continue to do so, among myriad other topics.