By request, there is a need to teach new writers something more than draft polishing, POV, arcs etc. There are 3 very important things every good book or story has,
- Drive / force
- Purpose / transformativity
- A cover to live up to
Every story has a certain momentum. The momentum of a tale causes the structure of it to alter and you will use certain words, metaphors, twists in a different way. Realize that it is the momentum which guides the writing, not the other way around.
Most stories these days have no purpose other than to entertain. You may or may not want to change the reader by the end of a tale but changing them a little bit has been proven to boost your visibility as an author.
The last one is not a joke. Many writers look at book covers and dream of their own book being published with the same stunning artwork. Always strive to live up to your dreams. What are we without a dream in our hearts?
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I was looking at some stats and a lot of / most books only sell a few hundred copies in the decades they're available for purchase. Knowing this, I strove to write my books so that nobody would want to put them down / DNF. I'm not a genius weaver or imaginateur, but I wrote deep whenever I could, and above all, I wrote commercial / pulp. I'm not proud of my mercenary style but I do love people reading my works.
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By request, I was asked to tell my reasons and motivation behind 'iS', my novella, also my first 'real' published book. I actually wanted to expound a theory of mine called 'inexact Science' -wherein technology and psychology or philosophy are entwined. I wanted to clash east against west and see what emerged (in my book). I wanted to talk about the powers over us that dictate our life choices. And as I went along, the novella began to develop a life of its own -becoming a little bit classic / cult which I guess was from all the love I rolled into it.
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I bought Ivy’s ‘In Safe Hands’ which is a good read in my opinion, so far. I would have liked to know more about Gen, looks-wise, even as early as chapter one, as she is the narrator.
Also ate Mr Beast Feastables which taste pretty good.
Am 100 words into part 3/4 of chp 9/10. I was urged to rush the novel so the evil witches might copy it, but can barely make the daily word quota. Monday, will begin chapter 10 which will take 4 days to complete. Almost 10pm. Will write more at 11pm. Finish by 4am.
Past midnight and not much written. The bare bones of an outline have to be fleshed out after the story deviated a little, the necessary battle scene wrapping up quicker than expected and the miracles also having to be brought forward a sub-chapter. This could be a tough write but I will do the usual 1.2k words and edit it in the morning during the Brazil game. Liew witches giving out pains. 2+ hours till kickoff with Switzerland. Take a break, I guess.
Worked out earlier and brushed. Had supper of ramen noodles and garlic dip.
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Almost 5am. Was up after 2 hours sleep to catch the morning matches. We are trying something different to control the Liew witchy scourge.
Most mindspace denizens have abandoned the Liew 6 who are attacking using kids and babies primed by loyalists, corrupt in the heart. Will help persuade them to stop in a bit.
Must write much today, try to finish chp9 by midnight. There will be long monologues. Secret desires and motivations alluded / revealed, then a celebration / analysis, culminating in a vision from God.
There is much telepathy in the air right now and I can’t pull the plot together well, following the plan. Maybe after lunch. I will need to write 2k words in 12 hours. There will be a double wedding of the innocents, during which many evil grouses are ironed out, followed by a metal band concert. Derek and the others like Lotus and her kid are tempted to start the war again for keeps but are chastised by Gabriel who brings a message from God.
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Am almost finished writing chp9 this Monday evening. Need to work out before dinner and get more rest. Liew witches are fuming over where my novel is going. Not sure what they're doing with it. Some say it ties them up from doing wrong to western kids but they are mostly still doing the same wrong things while enjoying trampling my work. Meanwhile desperate Christians are stabbing at me as the 'wrong guy' they are to follow but everyone is getting hurt anyway.
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To help my friends sell more books, I will spend some time writing about targeted marketing. Most marketing plans are mercenary and irritating. To sell anything, you need a draw, and also a taste test. The best draw is the ‘superlative’ or ‘amazing’. The best test taste is the ‘promise of money back (free stuff)’. To begin both properly, always give out the draw and taste test separately and see where it converges. The final part, is that when you identify your demographic audience, always give them plenty of merch options. Merch options are like glue that bridges draw and taste test so they will keep buying and enjoying.
Merch strategy involves 2 things as well. Never give away merch that is obvious. Make people associate a simple aesthetic concept with your design / story. Secondly, never give away merch that is cheap. Make people buy higher priced, valuable merch that makes them think. So say your merch is a T-shirt with your book cover. That’s okay but not optimal. A tee with a half-formed image and a tagline would be better. A tee that flatters and wicks with a one-liner printed in gold and a small logo would be best.
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Finally, after 6 days, chp9 is finished. Will take some thinking to do well for chp10 -the big wrap-up. Planning something special for the final chapter. What, is still unclear. Can’t believe it will take me circa 3 1/2 months to finish this book. 4 months, including editing its 44k words. I took 7-8 lazy months to finish and polish my 20k word novella, iS. Can rest for an hour before psych clinic. Will jot down some notes for tonight’s writing session.
- There has to be satisfactory resolution to every character’s arcs.
- There must be some central religious theme
- There should be commentary and a summary of the book by the narrator whose identity is revealed as Pete’s ex wife
I will be reverting to a more normal 1.2k words a day after the last marathon write late last night to this morning.
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