Writerly things to do in 2014

Let's call them resolutions, shall we? I have resolutions every year when it comes to my writing. They really didn't change much.

First Resolution: Write something different. Believe it or not, that's been my credo since day one. I do not want to write the same thing again. I might travel through the same waters, but I don't want to write the same story. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail. Part of this, by the way, means not doing the exact same things with the same characters. If I DO use a recurring character (I have several, actually) I at least attempt to have them going through changes in their lives. I want them to "live" as much as possible and that means transformation must be a part of the make up. That goes for the bad guys, too. In keeping with this credo, by the way, 2013 saw the release of my first fantasy novel. Next up, a crime novel. Yes, I'm completely serious.

Second Resolution: Sell stuff. It's that dreadful business part of the job. Write it, sell it. Sometimes I sell it and then write it, but that always confuses my brain. Once I've written that crime novel, I have every intention of selling it. I'll keep you posted.

Third Resolution: Do it better. That's pretty much it. I am not satisfied to continue on the same way. What I've done in the past is the past and I try to learn from that, but as a rule I'm seldom satisfied with repeating the process again and again. I like to experiment. A few years back I wrote DEEPER, which was my first novel length story told in the first person. A few years later I wrote SMILE NO MORE, which is a blending of first person, first person and third person limited omniscience. To break that down, I have first person set in the distant past--that's the narrative of our "hero" (From his perspective it might be true) Rufo the Clown recalling his life before he died a horrible death and his escape form death to go on a slightly different sort of life path. Then there's the modern Rufo recalling far more recent events regarding the disappearance and possible death of one of his family members and his search for the answers as to what happened. And then there's the third person, limited omniscience that makes up the rest of the novel, telling the story from the perspective of several much saner characters. I am pleased with myself for successfully writing both of those books and equally pleased that both were well received. To be fair, I gave a few readers headaches, but that's what happens when you try to tell the story of a dead clown and his search for vengeance in the land of the living.

So, once more, do something different, sell it, and do it better. That pretty much sums it up. Of course there are other resolutions for my life outside of writing, but those have nothing to do with this.

I hope you have a wonderful new year, folks. May 2014 bring you nothing but joy, prosperity and good health.

Cheers,

Jim