tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33889821930434682002024-03-04T21:50:54.533-08:00Musings About Writing Another NovelWalker ChroniclesDoug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-42325835242224845062012-05-22T09:38:00.001-07:002012-05-22T09:38:43.225-07:00Revised and Extended Walker I<p> </p> <p><font size="3">After editing <em>Walker Chronicles IV,</em> I wanted to let it sit for a week before the last reading. However, I also sent it off to Forest for a healthy grammar and spelling check – he is picky and finds all sorts of stuff I never notice. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Part of my advertising plan is to offer the first <em>Walker</em> novel at a reduced price and also free for a couple days. I’ll do that in hopes that folks will get interested in the series and then buy the next three novels. </font></p> <p><font size="3">So, I read the first <em>Walker</em> over again to see what kind of editing it may need. The first thing I noticed was that my writing has improved a lot between the first and the fourth novel. That is, I didn’t really want to use the first <em>Walker</em> novel to represent the others because the writing quality was not the same. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Nonetheless, I wanted to keep the storyline of the first novel. Actually, I had to keep the storyline of the first novel because some of it was mentioned, in passing, in the following three novels. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Which means . . . I had some work to do to bring the first novel up to the quality of the others. And, that took a while! </font></p> <p><font size="3">As soon as I got <em>Walker IV</em> published on Amazon, I went right back to the first <em>Walker</em> and started editing. Really, in this case, what I call editing might better be called “revising and extending” because that’s exactly what happened. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Along with correcting a few things, another 18,000+ words got added. The characters are better described and some technical aspects of the story are downplayed some. Oh . . . and I made a better cover for the book: </font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lKcA1dEKtcg/T7vBEBZfduI/AAAAAAAABP4/WN1b3QmC3f4/s1600-h/DSC00038%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC00038" border="0" alt="DSC00038" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1mJqdZZ_9Td6fLjnTu9IydbmpobkBv4Dd6N9NEuYXjZVzrPBbtbLH5OR5aQ7w9mWMnUN6AAKEbDBR8XUaTSKDb0GZtRNMF05P9_xfQ5tH0carxRZfZQ_0yNE_Tof8PeD4pVKYKNnC3yX/?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></a> </p> <p><font size="3">That done, I sent the text over to Forest to see what he thought about the changes. Turns out, he had a lot of suggestions, all of which I used. </font></p> <p><font size="3">That project ended up being quite a lot of work. But, truth be told, I actually enjoyed doing it. To me, it was almost like writing a new novel, but without needing to develop a whole new storyline. </font></p> <p><font size="3"> Actually, I was surprised how easy it was to slip in another 18,000+ words and none of the editing I did was really that difficult. </font></p> <p><font size="3">So now <em>Walker Chronicles I</em> is reposted on Amazon with the new and reduced price of just 99 cents. </font></p> <p><font size="3">As part of my advertising plan, I’ll eventually be offering <em>Walker I</em> free for the three days allowed by Amazon – probably one day at a time every other week for six weeks. I hope that will stimulate interest in the series. That’s worked well for others and so may work for me. </font></p> <p><font size="3">But first . . . I think I’ll take a critical look at <em>Walker Chronicles II</em> to see what that might need to bring it up to the level of the fourth novel. </font></p> <p><font size="3">That’s what I’ll be starting this week. But first I want to catch up on a few articles on writing and publishing and see what I might learn. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">.</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-49104200289785557912012-05-21T09:43:00.001-07:002012-05-21T09:43:05.458-07:00Walker Chronicles IV is Published<p><font size="3"><em></em></font> </p> <p><font size="3"><em>Walker IV</em> has been available on Amazon for a few days now. Amazon had it up about five hours after I hit the post button, which is fast for them – they say it will be twelve hours. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Funny thing happened when I went to see if it was available: Someone beat me there and bought a copy. That’s okay with me, of course, it just seemed strange because it couldn’t have been available more than a few minutes. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Ann looked over some of the text and found a couple of my errors. I went over it multiple times. Then I sent it to Forest, who won his masters in teaching before I was even born (he’s old!). He found some grammar he wanted changed and even found a couple more spelling errors. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Each time I “edited” the word count grew. After Forest got done with the text, I read it over yet again and again made more changes and added a little more here and there. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Oh, and I used a different cover, too: </font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTI3-5tCQz3xoHiMRl27GoexQe4qvyUou0Im_scn-0avLrDfwAuNCFBYz7ZgSgVHg4jrWr8ug61SRe_yW0363gokSCEn9sTvdn3cFH0hzTfDcITEbqt8UwFwQmCJnDyOq40EX9RbXbAmCW/s1600-h/IMAG0263%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMAG0263" border="0" alt="IMAG0263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-5Hr_X7QsErZ1XY6ONb969JaDngH-smxYqhIPnkPkPmDAJ4A5gsT6mI_yG8RMvkhhGLrbsurUCWsukxS4X64ijAIc5IDhpvgjxETqTsCpEHS-tmkX0qu25PURhlJAx5NKOwFRjeS3S61/?imgmax=800" width="148" height="244"></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">For some reason, I liked this one better than the one posted below. The one below might fit in with the text a little better, but I guess it doesn’t matter all that much. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Will there be a book five in the series? Yeah, probably. That was the plan, anyway. I thought that I would start a little advertising with the fourth in the series while writing the fifth. Then stop writing for a while after the fifth was publish and dedicate some of my time to advertising. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Meanwhile, now that I have some writing practice, I’ll go over the early books to insure the quality is the same in all of them. Because, when I reread the first novel I saw that it needed work. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3">Hey . . . I’ll admit it. The first one was practice. I’ve improved a lot since then. So, I’m working on the first one to raise the quality a lot. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I don’t expect to win any writing awards with this project, but I want the novels to be readable and interesting. And I sure do not want any glaring errors to distract from the story. </font></p> <p><font size="3">So, I’ll be busy for a while. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">.</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-44322681313034819532012-04-01T12:55:00.001-07:002012-05-21T09:57:38.160-07:00Walker Chronicles IV Almost Ready to Release<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It’s taken me a while to write this novel. That’s not because I’m slow or didn’t work at it, either. Nope, part of it is because I ran way over the Amazon suggested word count for a Kindle novel. Also, because I’m becoming more fussy, I guess. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The Prologue isn’t written yet. But the text is probably done and mostly edited. I’ll give it another read during the week and see what kind of errors I can find. The problem with that is that I usually add more to the story line and then have to edit again. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Okay, so now we come to the part about making a book cover again – which is never one of my happier moments for the project. I was playing around with this for a while. It sort of works with the storyline: </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mE_ObebQnzo/T3iytD9TNdI/AAAAAAAABMc/4p8iqW3QruY/s1600-h/IMAG0256%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMAG0256" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWF8S3tAQCKKglDEYdi0Q8alqLoepM845jZlQyfKQ4D39XZi8IPJjPzzKwFcPmZqvEpfoWfQZUKM2zvH_xqdpQcaAu9ex5VQXw9N3oXPj0mprrGN8M3JObcVN6RS0riGLxl_6M3t2ZOdF/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMAG0256" width="148" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I’m not sure that will be the one to get published, but it might. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So then I’ll have four novels at Kindle. They’ve been selling a little, but not all that much. Of course, I haven’t done any advertising yet. And by <i>any</i>, I mean nothing whatsoever. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Three guys have been helping me in the background just a little, though. As I mentioned before, two big city politicians took an interest in my books. It wasn’t exactly a favorable interest, either. Now a third from another city joined in. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I have no idea if these three guys know each other, but their questions and comments seem to be similar. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Anyway, I’m not writing about <i>their</i> city. As readers may realize, no city is mentioned in the novels. The setting could be any large city. That most large cities have the same types of crime by politicians is understandable – there are only so many types of illegal things they can get into and keep their office. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The ideas for the novels come from reading the newspapers from major cities over the past fifty years. So, yeah, most of these things happened in one form of another somewhere. And, unfortunately, most of them are still happening in big cities somewhere. Such is the nature of life. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Therefore, when a politician writes to question me, I just kind of chuckle a bit and wonder if maybe they are not seeing some of that at their city hall. Who knows, they could even be part of it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">More importantly to me personally, now that I will have four novels published on Kindle, it becomes time to try to market them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">And, sure, I’ll admit to being a newbie at that. Fact is, I know absolutely nothing about promoting and marketing books. So, I just started learning. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">All of the “best sellers” on Amazon have blogs and a few have written “how to do it” books. Nowadays, sometimes when I should be writing, I’m reading about marketing tips instead. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Along the way I’ve noticed that there are many people marketing their services and “expertise” on various aspects of editing, formatting and marketing novels. But, when I search for the novels they sold, I find zero. They push themselves as experts, but never did it themselves. I’m staying away from those. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">On the other hand, there are quite a few authors who make a very good living selling novels on Amazon. Some of those are nice enough to give out some rather useful tips. So, I have a lot of reading to do in the next few weeks. Studying, actually. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">When I’m not around, it’s not that I wouldn’t rather be blogging, writing zappy one-liners on Twitter, of browsing Facebook. But for me this is like going to school again and carrying twelve credit hours. Yeah, when it comes to the marketing aspects, I often feel like I’m pulling a few all-nighters studying for the finals again. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">But, in this case, a better score on the tests will mean more money in my retirement account. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So, after a couple weeks of fooling around with marketing ploys, I’ll start on novel number five. Actually, I already have a good start on it because it has been well foreshadowed in books three and four. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span>Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-18553795526177423722011-11-09T11:59:00.001-08:002011-11-09T11:59:39.751-08:00Walker Chronicles III is Posted<p> </p> <p><font size="3">It took a little while because I’m a slow editor. Ann helped some. But every time I read the novel over I found more spelling errors and typos. But I think I’ve got it right now. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Yesterday afternoon I sent the novel off to Amazon. It usually takes a day or two before it becomes available. But this morning I was surprised. Kindle had <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Doug+Fiedor&x=19&y=17">Walker Chronicles III</a></em> available for sale.</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ky3UWqw_f08U9EdJZ_bzfI_M9lAdTuX_bv70T4qYDlj7u1hfVK8hPgLhJuII3hlIht5oFIDQ1_XMHCeSvVgO5E4zDMvLOmFszutcCfUEiDAQMWwEBVKmL0FBGW67_1QPIxL_pGbZwKcD/s1600-h/WalkerChroniclesIII%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="WalkerChroniclesIII" border="0" alt="WalkerChroniclesIII" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_bbxwOUZZEE/TrrbqrJmCkI/AAAAAAAABJ4/KM4xenJ5MVA/WalkerChroniclesIII_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244"></a> </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">Along with that, I realized a good advertising point: I’m now offering three novels in a series for just under $9.00. That’s less than they sell one paperback for in most places. Maybe people will be interested, eh? </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">I’ve got some housekeeping I would like to do around here – and my computer needs some work – then I’ll start on the fourth in the series. Actually, I’ve already got a little of it written in my head and just have to squeeze it out of there and onto the computer. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">Meanwhile, I’m writing the novels in <em>Word</em> on a laptop running <em>Windows 7</em> that only has 2 GB of RAM . Two GB of RAM is good for most things. But strange things tend to happen by the time I’m getting to the end of a novel. These are things that I can only attribute to memory problems. Last night I looked up all the specs for my laptop. I can run 8 GB on this thing and that should cure that problem. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">So now it’s time to clean up the mess I made while writing the last novel and get things ready to start all over yet again. My office in the loft will be a busy place this winter. I would like there to be at least five novels in this series. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3"></font> </p> <p align="left"><font size="3">.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-73554761250198977882011-10-28T16:37:00.001-07:002011-10-28T16:37:53.695-07:00Third Novel is Almost Done<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Finally, I’m about done with the third in the series of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Doug+Fiedor&x=12&y=13">The Walker Chronicles</a></em>. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Folks have written to me saying that I should write more here but I’ve mostly been busy trying to play author with the novel. I should be writing more on Twitter and sometimes Facebook, too. But after a few hours I just get tired of typing. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Those who have written novels probably know that it’s sort of a bummer closing out the story. But, it’s time that <em>Walker III</em> gets put to bed. I’m writing the last couple chapters now. Well, I think I am, anyway. We’ll see how the story goes. </font></p> <p><font size="3">There’ll be a fourth in the series started just as soon as I take a couple days to do a few things around here. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I’ve also been playing with my new Eee Pad Transformer tablet. I can type rather well on that thing and it’s fun to use for all sorts of things. I’ll write a little about it next week, including the couple little problems I’ve found. It’s a great alternative computer, though. I’ll be using it productively. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, there’s a good chance that <em>Walker III</em> may be completed next week. I’m not sure that I’ll also have all the editing done, too. But maybe. </font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">.</font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-12047267908428865642011-10-18T16:29:00.001-07:002011-10-18T16:29:22.507-07:00Walker III is Almost Done<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Yeah, I know that I really should write more here. But, after I read the news and tech blogs, then write for a few hours, I’m ready to get off of the computer for a while. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, the next in the <em>Walker</em> series is more than 80% written. About 75% of it has been well edited, too. That is, I’ve been over and over it many times looking for typos and words used improperly. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Last week I intended to write some here. Then I reread the whole novel instead to edit. Funny thing is that I found some things in there that I forgot about. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3">Even better, I found very few things in there that needed fixin’. But, of course, I added a little here and there anyway, just because I could. After all, the art of writing is rewriting. I can easily write a 750 word political op-ed in one sitting without rewriting. But with fiction, I often seem to want to fool with it a little more. </font></p> <p><font size="3">As I’ve said before, these stories more or less write themselves. That is, the characters do what they’re going to do their own way. Right or wrong, I don’t interfere. But, that’s what makes the story. Everything can’t happen my way all the time. </font></p> <p><font size="3">People have asked where I get the ideas for the story. Generally speaking, they come from reading the newspapers over the past fifty years. Most of that stuff actually happened, just in slightly different ways so I protect both the innocent as well as the guilty – most of whom are probably out of prison by now. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Even so, I’ve received a letter or two from big city politicians inquiring if I’m writing about past events in their city. I’m not. But I suspect some will keep asking anyway because these very same things have happened many times in many large cities – and will probably continue happening. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Meanwhile, I’ve been playing a little on Twitter. I do a little advertising there and have also had an opportunity to discuss writing with some rather good authors. At the moment, there are about 200 good authors following me and more than that that I’m following. </font></p> <p><font size="3">To date, I’ve read some of the books by these authors at Twitter. I’m here to report that they are very good novels, too! So, instead of paying $9.99 to $20.00+ for books at the store, I’ve been paying .99 cents to $3.99 for great quality reads. Most are $2.99, which is what I sell mine for. Also, I much prefer reading novels on my e-reader now. </font></p> <p><font size="3">For those of you who have read my novels, please leave a comment on the Kindle book site. That’s important to help beginning authors get noticed. And, yeah, I would like people to notice my novels. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">.</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-53409130010118005282011-10-03T19:53:00.001-07:002011-10-03T19:53:53.633-07:00Still At It Strong<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Would this be a good time to take a break and say that I’m still writing a lot? Well, I am. </font></p> <p><font size="3">The third novel in the <em>Walker</em> series is now about two-thirds completed. Well, it is if I keep somewhat the same word count as the first two, anyway. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Right now I have absolutely no idea how the novel will end and mostly no idea what will happen in the last one-third. All I know for sure is part of the scene I’m working on right now. </font></p> <p><font size="3">There’s been one major distraction: The computer chair I’ve used for many years finally crashed. We went looking and found another that sort of fits me properly but it ain’t the same. It’s not nearly as comfortable. But, the one I have is much better than the many others I tried. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, the novel is moving right along. Maybe not as fast as I expected, but I’m certainly not having any writer’s block. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Oh . . . with a lot of help from another author, I got a new book cover for the second novel and it is now posted on Kindle: </font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfQqHTbRUtsdRYEm373BgcTb1gSL0XwSKH7lwr8LqU9Gw3aA_gqj0SSHuAUh67fUZBBX2cm0Q1vYSK23iKQ6_dDZ1tQi3bsxeF6dvoTq_9NXjw_yTL38IlOx3CmzxqFK-4CuAaKJQm5rI/s1600-h/%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nsQ_E-maHOA/Top1QCqu-fI/AAAAAAAABJU/TznWEBHfimQ/_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Also, I already have the cover done for <em>Walker III</em>, which is great! </font></p> <p><font size="3">That took a couple days of playing around when I could have been writing. But, it is necessary and I’m really glad for the help. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">.</font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-55194315599668543532011-09-27T08:13:00.001-07:002011-09-27T08:13:36.361-07:00Interesting Reader Reply<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Some folks have asked where I get ideas for the novels. One person (who obviously does not live in a big city) actually thought a couple things were a bit outrageous. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Just about everything I’ve interjected in the novels has happened in one form or another. Yeah, of course I changed it some so as to not name names and whatnot. But, it happened – and will probably happen again.</font></p> <p><font size="3">After all, I’ve been reading big city newspapers for well over 50 years. And I have contributed articles about crime and corruption in the big city to newspapers over the years. I remember many things that may sound totally outrageous to anyone living in any small town USA. But, that’s life in a big city. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Also, I received messages from two major city public officials. First they ask if I might be depicting their city in fiction. Then they chastise me for putting their city in a bad light while not mentioning any of the good points of the city. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Funny thing is that I don’t even know their city! Well, yeah, I know <em>of</em> it. But I’ve never been there. Don’t read their newspapers, either. </font></p> <p><font size="3">What I know is that all major cities are having most of the same problems. Crime and corruption are common in big city government. Inner-city neighborhoods can be very dangerous. There is often not enough police protection on the streets to get the job done. And city workers pilfer from the various funds simply because there are seldom enough accounting protections of those funds to prevent that. </font></p> <p><font size="3">These things have been happening since man started living in large communities. They are just more evident today because we have better communications. </font></p> <p><font size="3">If any big city politician tries to tell you that all the streets are safe just challenge said politician to take a five mile walk, <em>alone</em>, around the inner-city about ten some warm summer night. They have big mouths, but they sure as hell know better than to try that! </font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">.</font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-88422437994270337992011-09-25T05:48:00.001-07:002011-09-25T05:48:11.516-07:00Lots of Writing Going on Here<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Apparently people actually read these blogs. I received a couple messages in the last few days asking why I stopped writing here. </font></p> <p><font size="3">It’s a time thing, actually. I see other writers who <em>say</em> they are writing a book playing on Facebook and Twitter a lot and also running a blog or two. I’m wondering how they find time for all that! </font></p> <p><font size="3">Sure, I have no problem writing a couple thousand words a day. I edit as I go and every morning start out by editing what the wrote the day before. That not only gets things corrected, it gets me back into the mood of the story every morning. </font></p> <p><font size="3">That “mood of the story” gets broken a few times a day, though. Sometimes it seems that I’m called down for eating every hour or so – of course that’s not true, it just seems that way when I’m on a roll. Then the dog wants to go out for a walk a couple times a day etc., etc., etc. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Fact is, I’ve been writing the third novel for the past three weeks. It’s moving right along nicely. If I go by word count alone, it may be a little over half done now. But of course I don’t really go by word count. When the story seems complete overall, and there is somewhat of a conclusion to all the threads in the story, I simply stop writing on that novel. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Well, there’s that and the fact that the novel has to be long enough that the reader feels they are getting value for their money, too. I’m not selling novellas, after all. But I’ve never had a problem with not writing enough. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3">So how can I put in the time necessary to write a half way interesting story in a reasonable length of time and still write to a blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. every day? When I started out, I thought I could. But one of the first things I noticed was that I was running out of time. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Another limiting factor is that there are only so many hours a day that I can sit in front of a computer comfortably. That time needs to be broken up by things like taking a walk and such. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Then there’s this thing called advertising. I haven’t really done any yet. However, I am getting into that slowly. What I’ve done hasn’t helped much yet, but I suppose it will be cumulative over time. At least, that’s what those who have sold many thousands of books on Kindle say. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I’ll have three books in the <em>Walker</em> series posted soon. While I’m writing the fourth novel I’ll pay more attention to advertising. And while I’m writing the fifth novel I plan to spend almost half of my time advertising in various ways. </font></p> <p><font size="3">There’s still a major problem with book covers to get worked out, though. When I find a way to make nice book covers, I’ll make the whole series of them at one time and be done with it! But right now, I have no idea how to do that properly. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Oh, and I have been reading novels from the writers I follow and who follow me on Twitter. There are some damn good writers there! The last five novels I have read were easily “best seller” quality novels, as good as any that we have been paying six to ten times more for at the store. So I’m going to have to start writing some reviews for those. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">.</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-88953569974549669462011-08-30T07:51:00.001-07:002011-08-30T07:51:53.722-07:00Walker II is Posted to Kindle<p> </p> <p><font size="3">That was aggravating as hell. . . . First, the cover art I wanted to use wouldn’t work – for various reasons that I later learned after reading about other people’s trial and errors for a couple days. </font></p> <p><font size="3">So . . . after spending hours studying the subject, I finally learned a few things. What I learned is that my first cover should <em>not</em> have been accepted either! </font></p> <p><font size="3"> Anyway, I now have all the proper specs for a cover written down and know what is necessary. Except, I also know that I do not have the proper software to make a nice book cover. I do know how to take photos, though, and how to format them properly for a cover. What I can’t do yet is get the writing on the cover properly, in color, so it looks nice. All I can do now is black or white lettering. </font></p> <p><font size="3">So, here’s what I came up with for the new Walker II novel: </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1xAInUxBww4/Tlz5B79y2TI/AAAAAAAABI8/bYbO5HSWlzI/s1600-h/DSC00445%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC00445" border="0" alt="DSC00445" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YSBBXabkC8o/Tlz5CSwV3eI/AAAAAAAABJA/JEk_HBKNmB4/DSC00445_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></a></p> <p><font size="3">Yeah, not the best, to be sure. But it’ll have to do for a while as a placeholder to get the book published. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Then came all the little checkboxes and such Amazon wants filled out to publish a book. Some are a bit small for my old eyes and I had some problems with that. It doesn’t help that a couple of them are almost invisible and that there is no consistency in the style used in the three pages of stuff to fill out. So, that took me a day to get it all correct to Amazon’s satisfaction. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I checked the text formatting of the novel in the two systems I have available and it looked rather good – better than the first book. However, as I’ve read here and there, that doesn’t always mean that the book will look exactly like that when published; so we shall see what it looks like as soon as Amazon releases it. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway . . . I’m done fooling around with that. So, now I can get to the part I wanted: writing the third book in the series! </font></p> <p><font size="3">Really, I wish all I had to do was the writing part. That’s easier than all the associated crap necessary to get something published. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Happy writing (and reading) y’all. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">. </font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-42569528175558698072011-08-27T07:25:00.001-07:002011-08-27T07:25:27.763-07:00Problems Publishing<p> </p> <p><font size="3"><em>Walker II</em> is done. Editing is complete. However, I do not have a book cover. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I’ve got many hours into <em>trying</em> to make a book cover that the Kindle system would accept. No luck yet. One interesting point is that the system will not even accept the book cover that I used for the first novel! I tried that just for the hell of it. Didn’t work. </font></p> <p><font size="3">No other errors come up when formatting with the Mobipocket software that’s recommended. I only get an error for the book cover. Too small, it says. </font></p> <p><font size="3">All this damn time spent with creating a book cover and formatting the text to get it posted to Kindle could be much better spent writing the next novel. I’m itching to get started on that <em>right now</em>. Instead, I’m screwing around with stupid stuff. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3">So, I’ll try to get the second novel published – fooling around with the system and trying to make a book cover -- for another week or so. If that doesn’t work out, maybe I’ll go back to writing op-eds. </font></p> <p><font size="3">After all, writing op-eds has always been easy for me. They were well received and I had nothing else to do besides write. They got their own legs and were always quickly published by others for me. </font></p> <p><font size="3">On the other hand, I like writing novels and I’m starting to see that if I had four or five in the series posted they would probably do rather well. </font></p> <p><font size="3">So, I’ll take a few days and study all of the “how to do it” text I can find and see if I can get Walker II posted on Kindle. I did it a couple months ago, just don’t remember how. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Always something! </font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-45466752197549980402011-08-22T08:11:00.001-07:002011-08-22T08:11:43.531-07:00Walker II is Almost Done<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Thanks to the fast reading eagle-eye of Forest, my second novel is just about all edited. Not only is he a fast editor (comes with being a teacher for a few decades and correcting hundreds of papers every semester), he doesn’t miss anything. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Of course, as I said below, he earned his Masters in education about sixty years ago when they were real sticklers on how the English language was used. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, I spend half of yesterday and most of this morning editing. Forest said that the spelling and typos are corrected (he found about twenty!) and he will look at “other stuff” later. I don’t know what this “other stuff” is yet, but have a feeling I’m going to find out soon. He already mentioned grammar in a couple places so this could get interesting. </font></p> <p><font size="3">With him correcting, I’m actually getting a refresher course in English language while editing. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Did I say that Ann helped with some of the editing, too? Yup, she caught quite a few of my blunders early on. She read the “dailies” and kibitzed some. Forest is adding the polish. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I’ve still got the required formatting to do and other odds and ends, so I’m far from done yet. Then, before I push that button to send the novel over to Amazon for publication, I’ll have to read it one more time. Hopefully, I won’t see any problems that need correction. </font></p> <p><font size="3">These are the writing problems for me. Besides the fact that I can’t spell worth a darn and read right over some of my errors, there’s all this reformatting and converting that is necessary. My biggest problem, however, is getting the book cover done! </font></p> <p><font size="3">I know that my “book cover” looks a lot more like a photograph with words on it (that’s what it is) than a real book cover. But, that was the best that I can do by myself. We just won’t mention the fact that it’s wide, rather then tall like a real book cover. But if I try to change that the formatting package necessary for Amazon will not allow it. I do not know why, that’s just the way it is. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, I may be good to go this week and have the second novel published. That is, the words will be right and if the formatting software buys the book cover we’re all set to publish. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Well . . . back to work. </font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Happy writing y’all. </font> </p> <p> </p> <p>.</p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-79983263844130821272011-08-20T11:24:00.001-07:002011-08-20T11:24:42.932-07:00The Second Novel is Almost Ready<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Yup, I’ve been working hard editing and whatnot. I’ve put a lot of time in working in front of this computer for the last few days. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I also had to find some way to make a cover because the deal proposed by someone did not materialize. That’s a damn shame, too! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PAUS2i0W6XY/Tk_752-IFLI/AAAAAAAABIo/RoDGp6EnwSg/s1600-h/pizap.com13136991446334%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="pizap.com13136991446334" border="0" alt="pizap.com13136991446334" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-84wFfW689k4/Tk_76VEF2GI/AAAAAAAABIs/9HKmlRbnAKE/pizap.com13136991446334_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="408"></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">So, above is the new cover for the second book in the series. Not being a graphics artist, that’s about the best I can do. It’s either that or spend a quite few bucks on some good graphics software and then take a couple weeks to learn it. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, the second novel is in editing by someone who has been editing and correcting English for about sixty years. </font></p> <p><font size="3">He bought the first novel and sent me corrections anyway. So, this time I sent him a prepublication copy to look at. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I mean, what the hell, if he’s going to correct anyway, why should he have to pay for a copy? </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyone looking for a great editor – someone with a Masters degree in education from fifty years ago when they were strict about the English language – can contact me. He usually keeps busy playing and composing music for some very good groups, but I’ll bet that he’ll play book editor for a reasonable price. </font></p> <p><font size="3">This man edited well over two-thousand of my editorials over ten years and I know he’s good. </font></p> <p><font size="3">However, this is the first time he has edited (pre-publication) any fiction for me and I hope the old professor isn’t too hard on me. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3">He’s quick, too. So, I expect that I’ll be able to post the novel to Amazon sometime next week – depending on how much editing he wants me to do (that I accept and do). </font></p> <p><font size="3">Having him read the novel is also kind of a test for me. He doesn’t read fiction much. But, he reported that he got caught in the flow of the first novel and found himself reading it late into the night. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Also, we’re friends. So if he doesn’t like something, I am <em>very</em> sure that he will tell me. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3">So, if he gets interested in this novel also, I’m thinking that it may get some legs and sell some. One can hope, anyway. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Happy writing, y’all. </font></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">.</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-1143838872111118162011-08-12T12:18:00.001-07:002011-08-12T12:18:54.098-07:00Reading and Writing<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Apparently, some people don’t believe that I read more than I write every day. Yeah, I read my own stuff, too, to edit. But that’s not what I’m talking about. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Among the novels that I like are those by James Patterson, Michael Connelly and Jeffery Deaver. Of course, I’ll grab a book written by Elmore Leonard anytime I can find a new one. </font></p> <p><font size="3">At the moment, I’m reading a Bourne story by Robert Ludlum and Eric Van Lustbader. That’s not my favorite style writing to read, but I’ve read all the Bourne series. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Also, I have been reading some of the books by folks published on Kendle so I have some idea of what’s selling there. </font></p> <p><font size="3">When reading on an e-reader device or my EVO phone I like to see novels with shorter chapters and plenty of stopping points – like breaks between scenes. I also think that short paragraphs are preferable. So that’s how I’m trying to write. I’ve heard that mentioned by readers who are not writers a few times, too. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Like me, I suspect that many people carry their devices around and continue reading whenever the opportunity arises. Many of these opportunities to read may not be very long. So, having many stopping points throughout the story can be important. </font></p> <p><font size="3">And don’t you just hate it when one paragraph fills up the whole damn screen? I do! So I try to keep my paragraphs to six or less lines. </font></p> <p><font size="3">That’s not how I was in the habit of writing before I started writing for mobile devices, of course. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Then comes the instructions from Elmore Leonard: Interview your characters before you start so you know how they will speak and act. Describe most of what is going on through the conversation between the characters, rather than just describing (declarative?) the action. And keep the story moving with different actions by different characters – some of which may be unexpected to the reader. </font></p> <p><font size="3">That sounded easy when I first tried it. It doesn't work out all that well for me yet, though. </font></p> <p><font size="3">On the other hand, I don’t want to steal Dutch Leonard’s style, I want my own to develop. And, in many ways it is. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Will people like the style that is developing here? I can’t say. Time will tell. </font></p> <p><font size="3">My plan is to have three to five books published on Kindle and then start promoting the series on the net. </font></p> <p><font size="3">If those books sell, I’ll write more in the series. If not, I have another idea that I know a couple somewhat large groups will be interested in. But that one would probably be a one book deal. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, I’m amusing myself with what I’m doing now. The first novel is selling a few every week with zero promotion. Heck, I’ve even seen a couple people on Facebook mention it favorably – and they weren’t writing to me, either. </font></p> <p><font size="3">If I can make a book cover for it, I may have the second novel published around the end of next week. </font></p> <p><font size="3">What’s left of my somewhat addled brain is already outlining scenes from the third novel. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-89912671744092999182011-08-11T11:55:00.001-07:002011-08-11T11:55:47.177-07:00Busy editing<p> </p> <p><font size="3">There has not been a lot of time for writing on this blog because there’s lots of editing going on over here. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I’ve read over the whole novel at least two times in the past few days. Along the way I corrected and changed a few things. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Along the way, I noticed that some of the characters had a little more they wanted to say and do here and there, so I’m letting them do it. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I wanted to keep the storyline fast moving but I’m not really sure I did that in all chapters. For instance, there’s one section of how someone feels waking up after being out quite some time from a closed head injury. Getting it medically correct does not exactly make for fast reading. </font></p> <p><font size="3">However, I’m betting there are a couple chuckles in that section for anyone who has ever been in a hospital for any length of time. Just because some things are serious doesn’t mean that they cannot also be a little humorous. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I’m going to take a couple days off from the novel. I’ll read and edit again next week and then it <em>might</em> be finalized. Maybe. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Of course writing is somewhat like engineering to me in some ways. That is, I’ll never stop working on it until someone needs it and snatches it out of my hands to use (read). </font></p> <p><font size="3">More later. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3">Happy writing (reading, too!) y’all! </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-10299104487889717802011-08-07T22:02:00.001-07:002011-08-07T22:02:13.782-07:00Am I done?<p> </p> <p><font size="3">What do you do when you’re done? </font></p> <p><font size="3">In the past couple days I read over the whole novel, correcting stuff here and there, deleting things that add nothing to the story and rewriting a little here and there to make reading more fun. </font></p> <p><font size="3">The novel is intended for the mobile market. To me, that means that it should have shorter paragraphs and more stopping points. The problem is, I often tend to write in “full sized” paragraphs. So, I fixed some of that, too. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Well . . . surprise, surprise! When I read the whole novel over to the end I realized that it was essentially done. That is, all of the threads I wished to be completed are completed and the story has reached a logical conclusion. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Did the characters get the job(s) done? Yeah, they received an unexpected assist that helped them out some. Mostly, though, they did it all on their own. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Really, I didn’t <em>plan</em> to have the story end yet. I was just sitting here writing away and the story ended on its own. The unruly people in the book managed to wind things up somewhat properly before I had my maximum word count. So, I guess I’ll quit now. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Oh sure, this book is one of a series so there is some foreshowing in there. That is, all threads are basically done but readers will probably realize that some may continue on in some form in the next novel. </font></p> <p><font size="3">A couple of the people, including the protagonist, almost got themselves killed off and didn’t make it to the next novel. But they lived and will be around to cause (and correct) more stuff. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I may take a few days and expand on a couple things in this novel, just for the fun of it. But I really don’t have to. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Actually, I could start on the third in the series if I wished. I’ll wait a few days, though. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, there’s still a glaring problem: I don’t have a book cover and don’t know how to make one properly. I hate to put up another piece of crap for a cover, but I may not have a choice.</font></p> <p><font size="3">Always something! </font> </p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-952323085882086372011-08-05T12:38:00.001-07:002011-08-05T12:38:51.933-07:00Fiction follows the News?<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Reading the news this morning, I see that <em>Fox News</em> published a story about Mexican drug cartels that is especially interesting to me: </font></p> <h4> <a href="http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/08/05/cartel-boss-says-u-s-allowed-drug-smuggling/"><em>Cartel Boss Says U.S. Allowed Drug Smuggling</em></a></h4> <p> <font size="3">What makes this so interesting to me is that, a few days ago, I wrote something very close to this into the storyline of my upcoming novel. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Yesterday’s word-count was high. Then I took a break and decided to edit, starting at the beginning. I’m glad I did that because I found ten or twelve problems that need correcting. I also added a few little things here and there. </font></p> <p><font size="3">A reader of the first novel wrote to say that my writing is like a modern version of pulp fiction. However, she also asked when the next novel will be published, so I guess that was a good thing. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Hey, I never said that my writing would win any prizes! I’m just shooting for an interesting and fast paced story. If that works, people can call my style anything they want. </font></p> <p><font size="3">No word about book covers yet. My fingers are crossed, though! That’s a stopping point for me because I make a mess when I try to make my own. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-79813613526770798762011-08-03T14:30:00.001-07:002011-08-03T14:30:12.497-07:00Good news: Writing and the new Book Cover(s)<p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">This was another good day writing. My morning editing went well and I somehow transitioned right into adding more text. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">The writing part is not difficult for me. One major stumbling block with the first novel was the book cover. I knew what I wanted, just not how to do it! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Really, I spent about a week trying to make a cover that the Kindle system would allow me to use. I couldn’t publish because I didn’t have a cover. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">It was very frustrating! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Well, the good news is that a professional photographer noticed and we talked about getting a proper cover done. Actually, we talked about redoing the first cover and also making the next two. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">I went over to his portfolio and spent some time browsing around until I found three photos that were a fit with the storyline. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">When we talked, I mentioned that I would be happy to give him credit for the cover. But better than that, I plan to point others needing book covers to him on Facebook and in the writer’s forums. After all, as I’ve learned, I’m not the only one with this problem. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Running a word count for the work already done today I see that I’ve already added 1,900+ words to the novel. I’ll probably do more later, but that’s a nice afternoon’s work. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Happy writing, y’all! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-45132002066145399752011-08-02T16:05:00.001-07:002011-08-02T16:05:53.583-07:00Had Some Writing Time Today<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Part of the art of writing is re-writing, of course. So I started out my day as always, editing what I wrote the last couple days. My style “editing” includes clarifying parts that weren’t very clear, fixing typos and spelling errors <em>Word</em> didn’t catch the first time around and often adding a few little things here and there to make the text sound more like real life. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I didn’t get a full day’s work in today because we went to see a cute house on Lake Michigan this afternoon. Well, maybe not actually “on” Lake Michigan, but right across the road with a view of the Lake between some hardwood trees. The place is plenty large enough, the price is right and we’re thinking about it. . . . </font></p> <p><font size="3">Now we’re back home and have dinner in the belly so I’m back up in the loft ready to think about what I wrote earlier. </font></p> <p><font size="3">What I wrote today was one good surprise situation I thought about adding while out walking the dog last night. That scene is already about 1,700 words long and just (maybe) starting to wind down. I suppose it will be over 2,000 words long before I move on. I’m not sure about that, though. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I can honestly say that I do not know how long each scene will be because my characters have minds of their own. They all think differently and each often wants to do things their own way. So if I, as the writer, want to keep them all properly in character, I have to sit back and watch them do what they’re going to do in any situation. I think that my job is to write about what they do, not direct them. </font></p> <p><font size="3">So, I’ll have to admit that not everything comes out <em>my</em> way. They usually get results, just not always the way I might do things personally. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, I’m out of here and back at it! </font></p> <p><font size="3">Happy writing, folks. </font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-44147143869534754802011-08-01T12:54:00.001-07:002011-08-01T12:54:40.366-07:00Nothing’s Working Very well Today<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Have you ever had one of those days when even your computer keeps you from writing? </font></p> <p><font size="3">First, Firefox crashed for whatever reason. Well, that’s not usually a big problem. Except that it wouldn’t load again! It actually took over five minutes to get restarted. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Then the batteries in my cordless mouse went dead on me. And, of course, I couldn’t find anymore AA batteries. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Well, I finally did locate two new ones, but it took a while. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Then I wanted to make this blog. Well, truth be known, I don’t know a lot about blogging and Google wouldn’t let me in again. </font></p> <p><font size="3">They said it was a password thing so I redid my password. </font></p> <p><font size="3">However, I like to use <em>Microsoft Writer</em> to do blogs. But, the password thingie acted up yet again and it took quite a while to get <em>Writer</em> to sync with this new blog. Also, it’s been a few months since I’ve used <em>Writer</em> and my addled brain needed a little re-learning so as to get things the way I like to see them published. </font></p> <p><font size="3">But, obviously, I did that. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Then I walked downstairs for some Pepsi. When I returned something called <em>HP Support Assistant</em> was using my computer! Once I turned that damn thing off I wasn’t really in the mood for writing anymore. lol </font></p> <p><font size="3">Anyway, now we’re just an hour away from dinnertime, so what’s the point of getting started? </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388982193043468200.post-1369842215571745062011-08-01T11:41:00.001-07:002011-08-01T11:43:07.858-07:00First Kindle Novel Published in June<p> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ahvRVRRSTAA/TjbzXCQ2fqI/AAAAAAAABGA/RcEtuNWmx0Q/s1600-h/pizap.com13058550745234%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="pizap.com13058550745234" border="0" alt="pizap.com13058550745234" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dl5lWTy_CoM/TjbzXQrzHkI/AAAAAAAABGE/jpErxTgw-7M/pizap.com13058550745234_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Yup, my first novel was published in June on Amazon as a Kindle e-book. It’s marketed for just $2.99 and is actually selling some, too! I’ve even got a few good reviews on it. You can find the <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Walker-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0052TSROK">Walker Chronicles</a></em> with just one click. I hope you like it. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">The sequel is in the works and may be available soon. More about this later. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"></font></p> Doug Fiedorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156126797021384983noreply@blogger.com0