A Change in Posting

Status Update

I’m on the homestretch with my novel, The Devoted of Imshalel. Posting three times a week has become too time-consuming. I hope to start sending out query letters after Christmas. I also want to return to the short stories I’ve only sent out once and try again to find publishers who might be interested in them (another time-consuming process) and build that elusive platform—basically, a ready-made audience already familiar with your writing who might be predisposed to buy your novel.

Like many novices, I made the mistake of writing the first draft of the book before learning about the industry and the craft of writing. Found out I actually wrote two books worth of material and had to figure out how to condense it into one. I’ve also learned a great deal about publishers’ expectations. They tend not to accept too large a book from an unknown author, for instance, as it costs more to produce and there’s less of a guarantee they’ll recoup the expenses.

 Show, Don’t Tell

Another typical mistake of novice writers is to ignore or be ignorant of the above writer’s adage. Telling might be something like: “Oh, no,” Jason said in horror. Showing is action-oriented and preferably uses action verbs rather than non-action verbs such as to be—is, was—or have. (“Oh, no.” Jason’s light eyes darkened to wide holes in a blanched face.) The action leading up to this should make the declaration clear as well. I had to go back through my novel and, I hate to admit, change quite a few passages.

The Point of the Gospel

I will post various subjects for discussion on Tuesdays and continue the story of the Gospel on Fridays. I may change the format there to read more like a story, though that means taking a certain license in assuming people’s reactions and words for dramatic effect. I don’t want to stray far from the biblical story.

A subject that comes into play in my novel is middle-aged sex, myths and the reality. Are men really the frustrated sex or are women becoming more frustrated considering rising obesity rates, diabetes, and other diseases that unfortunately tend to affect a man’s sexual abilities more than a woman’s. I’d like to know what questions or insights you readers care to share on this subject or any other.