In Today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* The Value of a First Reader
* The Publishing (and Writing)
* For Any Who Wonder
* The Numbers
Quote of the Day
“People are what they do, not what they say.” James Lee Burke in an interview.
The Value of a First Reader
In the back of every novel I write, I credit my first reader, Russ Jones. In part, I write that he “keeps me from looking like a total dweeb.”
That is an understatement.
In Blackwell Ops 38: Paul Stone, Russ pointed out that I had inadvertently changed the name “Dilbert” to “Jaxon” at three places through the document.
Of course, I changed it back when I went through his suggestions. Imagine the confusion that would have ensued on the part of the reader if that had gone unnoticed.
That inconsistency was Russ’ only ‘big’ catch during his reading of BO-38, but he also nailed me on several other more-routine missteps: Here and there, I
- omitted an article (a, an, or the).
- omitted the D at the end of a past-tense word or an S at the end of a plural.
- inserted a redundant word (e.g., beginning and ending a sentence with “finally” or somehow managing to include “has” twice in a sentence).
And there were a few other minor errors.
I call them minor because many readers will correct them as they read and continue unabated. But some readers are less forgiving.
Several years ago, I made the acquaintance of one such reader (a critic) who said bluntly that if she encountered so much as a single misspelling or typo, she would immediately stop reading and close the novel. That’s how crazy some readers can be.
Of course, most readers aren’t like that. As one character in my current novel would say, “More’s th’ blessin’.” (grin) Much depends on your level of craft and how well and deeply you’ve pulled the reader into the story.
Still, this is a great illustration of the value of a good first reader.
Remember, I cycle over my writing as I go. By the time I send the PDF to Russ, I’ve already read the whole novel at least three times myself.
So again, a good first reader is invaluable. And the best first reader is not also a writer. Avid readers make excellent first readers.
Here’s what I personally ask of a first reader:
1. Above all, Read Strictly for Pleasure, not critically. Then…
- Note anything that shoves or jerks you out of the story (usually confusion over something). Let me know where you became disoriented and why if you know.
- Also note any inconsistencies, like eye color or clothing or a changed name. Don’t “look for” those details, but if they pop out at you as you read, let me know.
2. Please don’t try to spare my feelings. That isn’t helpful. Just tell me the truth.
3. Above all else, here’s what I DON’T need:
- Don’t tell me how you would have written the story.
- Don’t tell me what the story makes you think about me personally (my mental health, my political attitude, religious beliefs, language, etc.) It’s the characters’ story, not mine.
- Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, etc. unless it gets in the way of your understanding or pulls you from the story.
Feel free to use or adapt the above with your own first reader.
Finally, if you don’t have (or can’t find) a good first reader, read your work aloud.
As I read the prologue and the first chapter of my current novel to my wife yesterday, I caught three or four glitches I missed while cycling over those sections silently. Reading your work aloud works.
The Publishing (and Writing)
Yesterday I went through my first reader’s input, made the necessary changes, and published Blackwell Ops 38 to D2D and Amazon for release on March 29.
However, for fans of Blackwell Ops, it’s live at my discount store right now. You can see the cover and read the description here.
Reading and applying Russ’ comments was fun and interesting, as always.
The rest was sheer labor.
That’s why I publish as I go. I want to rush through and get the publishing behind me so I can get back to writing and rinse the taste of publishing out of my mouth.
Publishing to D2D, Amazon, and Payhip took only a half-hour max, but that’s still a half-hour I’ll never get back. Ugh.
For Any Who Wonder
I’m venting a little bit here: I don’t teach marketing in this blog.
I suck at marketing, and unlike many today, I don’t teach what I don’t know thoroughly. So I won’t advise you re marketing beyond advising you to “build a list” of those who enjoy your work and then feed that list.
I never built a list because I don’t like those annoying pop-ups (so I don’t use them on my sites). ‘Capturing’ emails seems disingenuous to me.
I’m not judging anyone else. If you want to use pop-ups and capture email addresses and all that, knock yourself out. It’s just something I can’t bring myself to do. I’m more interested in writing fiction and teaching others how to write fiction than in marketing.
As a result of my not having built a list, my fiction doesn’t get a lot of reviews. When readers do bother to review my fiction, this recent review on my Payhip site is typical:
(5 Stars for) In the Siberian Fields
“A high-octane ride with creative twists and high-stakes action. Unforgettable characters strive to survive a possible holocaust. Siberian Fields quickens your pulse in an adventure that never slows. I found every page a new discovery. Unmissable!”
Any false modesty aside, I am a great fiction writer and storyteller, though I am also still learning from reading the works of Hemingway and Stephen King. You can learn a lot from reading Lawrence Block’s stories too.
Fortunately for those who take advantage of it, I am also a no-strings-attached giver.
In a post on March 1, I wrote, “If you email me and let me know which novel you’d like, I’ll personally send you a free novel. You can browse my novels in a non-hostile environment at StoneThread Publishing.”
I received one request.
In a post on March 5, I offered a free PDF of the prologue and first chapter of Blackwell Ops 10: Jeremy Stiles to illustrate how I handled switching from 3rd person to 1st person POV.
I also wrote, “I anticipate that out of around 200 subscribers, only three or four will take me up on this offer.”
I was wrong. Only two took me up on that offer.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………… 1100
Writing of Blackwell Ops 39: More Paul Stone
Day 1…… 2789 words. To date…… 2789
Day 2…… 3308 words. To date…… 6097
Fiction for March…………………….. 17606
Fiction for 2025………………………. 203437
Nonfiction for March………………….. 6420
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 60350
2025 consumable words…………….. 257277
Average Fiction WPD (March)……… 2934
2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 5
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 9
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………….. 109
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 279
Short story collections……………………. 29
Disclaimer: Whatever you believe, unreasoning fear and the myths that outlining, revising, and rewriting will make your work better are lies. They will always slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
Writing fiction should never be something that stresses you out. It should be fun. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Because of WITD and because I endeavor to follow those Rules I am a prolific professional fiction writer. You can be too.