Last month, I jumped into writing the first draft of my WIP (work-in-progress) with little planning. I figured that after doing this fourteen times, surely it had gotten easier and I could rely on my instincts.



It was like biting into an apple that I didn’t know was made of bronze.


So I spent the last few weeks walking and talking and thinking through my ideas, sculpting the thing in my head. I covered my whiteboard and created a deep Excel sheet and nearly blew up my Scrivener software with character and setting sheets and corkboard outline beats. I asked myself and the characters questions and figured out how they would change over the course of the story and what plot points would force that change. From the outside, I probably looked like a mumbling man in a straitjacket.



I’ve done this level of planning for all my novels but had hoped this one would be different. I kept wondering if the masters still had to prep like that. Or did they just sit down and let it flow? I suppose it doesn’t really matter. I just know what works for me.



Everyone always talks about plotting vs pantsing (writing by the seat of your pants like Stephen King). The argument for pantsing is that you get to enjoy discovering as you go. What I find, when I think through the novel ahead of time, is that I get the joy of discovering without having to sit in front of my keyboard. Writing isn’t always typing. As a caffeine-fueled American cliche of a man who feels guilty if I’m not getting in my word count, I have to remind myself of that fact.



Doing this for a living and trying to spit out one or two books a year, I just don’t have the luxury of going down a path and then realizing it’s not working and having to delete large chunks.

And outlining certainly doesn’t limit your creativity. Though I have my story beats mapped out, I am wide open to surprises.



This prep work also serves to drive a stake into the heart of that bastard self-doubt gremlin who sits on my left shoulder. And whenever he’s silenced, the fun amps up.



#amwriting #fiction #ishouldhaverunforSenate

Whole wheat sourdough

What do we have here, my amigos? The epic love story of Otis and Rebecca Till (of the Red Mountain Chronicles) lands in September.

When they met in 1969, neither of them could have imagined the darkness to come, or what it would take to find a spark of light once again.

My new fave cover designer, @carrot_eagle_johnson, has once again outdone herself. I thought what she did with the Secrets of Good People was marvelous. In fact, I think we might redo the entire Red Mtn. series!

#redmountain #lakeunionpublishing #fiction #CoverReveal @lakeunionauthors @amazonpublishing #kindle

Going in! @alicewriterland

#amreading📖 #fiction

I’d happily be stuck in the middle of this sandwich any day!

Today’s the day!! You can find it on Amazon or Bookshop.org.

#bookclub #fiction #lakeunionpublishing #newrelease

Often, facing 350 to 400 blank pages is a dark abyss of terror, but today it feels like a playground. Let’s do this.

#amwriting #fiction #dramedy #expats #bologna