The art of writing and cold feet

How many times in the course of a piece of writing do you say to yourself, “This is a piece of garbage.” It happens to me every time at about the 50% mark and stays with me to the end when I stash it in memory and on my wip thumb drive to rot for a couple of months. Invariably I return to read the piece and determine it is worthy of the work of editing. 

There are many ways we get cold feet as writers.  We don’t let others see it because we fear their opinion.  Or, we don’t submit because we fear rejections.  My first novel had 46 rejections in the 80’s. I stashed it for 30 years and self published it. It’s my best seller.

Even with cold feet you can succeed. Indie or traditional, all ya gotta do is try.

Go write. Try it, you will like it.

doug

A New Year, So What????

The new year is just around the corner. I will figuratively throw out the old calendar and hang the new. I have never seen much sense in the hullabaloo over the new year coming around again. Nowadays its even more ridiculous. I will not be throwing out my calendar because I can’t afford a new phone. Me and Google got the calendar all set up years ago and it just keeps going on. Just like the gift of Christmas.

There is no sense in spending many hours reflecting on the past when it is gone, over, done with. We must set out minds on our goals for tomorrow and the next day should the Good Lord allow us to live through them. We’re not talking about resolutions here, we are talking about sincere goals we are going to fight for with every ounce of our strength and to the last breath. Realistic goals with just a hint of stretching what has been done before. We need to be like Star Trek in many ways, we need to go where we have not gone through the routes we have gone through and then beyond.

Wake up. Take two aspirin and soak it. Make your goals and then CHARGE!

I have set my goals for the next six months and they are:

1. Finish audiobook on State of Defense (awaiting Audible’s approval for the past three weeks.
2. Finish audiobook on State of Threat (at the narrator’s”
3. Finish three more books (last chapter on one, finish the second which is at 25%, and one brand as yet thunk up)
4. finish audiobook on Gentle Rebellion (have just received the equipment to narrate myownself)
5. Review two of my old books for errors and repair files (I am reading them on my new Kindle and finding errors hear and there)
6. Be faithful to my Lord and enjoy the 73rd year he has given me (He has been very good to me for 72 years as of tomorrow)

May you all be blessed in the coming days in ways beyond your wildest imaginings.

doug

Frozen feet and the art of writing

The day after Christmas and all thru the house not a creature was stirring except me. The temperature is 9 on my front porch, the dogs romp with glee. My feet are both freezing, the thermometer says 8. I think that a foot rub would really be great. A sequel to write and a first draft to edit, can really pressure when there is no more credit.

Okay, dumb poetry is to be apologized for. My brain is in my cold feet I think.

I have a 16 year old protagonist who has just been dumped by his girl, almost. She hasn’t really made up her mind, women are like that. How should he react? Me, I just said bye and went fishing. He’s a bit more sensitive and she is a really serious part of his future in is mind.

Suggestions?

Are you writing? If so, what?

Wanna welcome all the new folks. Howdy.

Witch Well Arizona

The end of another perfect Christmas.  At least it beat being at sea submerged with 139 men.  Hohoho.

It is now time to begin writing your Great American novel.

MERRY CHRISTMAS is the password.

MERRY CHRISTMAS is the word of the day. You hear it, sing it, and return in. Is a conscious thought involved? Merry,  happy, joyfilled, Christmas.  Christmas, mas – a celebration,  Christ – the babe in a stinky, fly-filled, crowded, noisy stable because no one cared. He cared enough to rise to show us how to live and then, like the warrior he is, died for you on the battlefield of heaven so you can be the person the Creator wants you to be, which is a person beyond your wildest imaging.  Accept the gift he made for you with his own hands.

Life gets in the way

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Lone Pine

My latest. This was my camp Nanowrimo book last summer.  It needed a lot of help to get to press. What do you think of the cover? Does it grab ya.

Lone Pine

My latest. This was my camp Nanowrimo book last summer.  It needed a lot of help to get to press. What do you think of the cover? Does it grab ya.

ON AND ON

The website dougball.com is moving along. Will be putting material up soon on the appropriate pages. Got 8 books to post and write new blurbs on. Got a ninth one coming in a couple of weeks. Need to get it up and running. Final edit for Createspace.com print edition and KDP ebook. Will also post on Smashwords for ebook distribution.

On the old news side, I have STATE OF DEFENSE working up on acx for an Audiobook for Audible.

Also in old news, working on the book learning for making my own audiobooks for CD set distribution on my own. Will do GENTLE REBELLION first I think. Maybe I will do a one story one CD audiobook first just for trial and error on a smaller scale. You know, like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

Now that I’ve told you about my agenda, what are you doing?

Now go write.

Off and Running

Dougball.com is off and running. After years of study and finding someone who knows something, the site is in draft mode. Rough draft. Very rough draft.

Monitor it from time to time and see how it evolves. Only time will tell.

Thank you, Demond Davis, the man with the know how.