That is massive, man. Congrats! How do you feel about sharing book two with betas compared to book one?
thanks! I feel much more confident and less clueless this time around. I was able to get one of my original betas back (a fellow indie author), one of my original ARC readers back, and a fellow indie author I respect. Last time I cast a wide net and got a bunch of randoms, but also two people I know, which is never the best idea. Word count is much higher this time (205k) so I gave them until July 1st, which is forever. Far too long for me to be not writing, so it's time to work on some other stuff.
So exciting. Did you share with my good friend Eric? I believe I connected you with him last time. I know he really enjoyed the first one. It’s inspiring to hear you’re still hard at work. It’s been hard for me to commit to returning to the page. I love when I take the time for my manuscript, but I have no cadence about it. It’s hard to convince myself to stick with it.
I did! And he is one of the betas so that's cool. I thank you for that connection. I honestly didn't think I'd go this hard. I was pretty burned out after book one, but then turned around and wrote 205k words in 4 months. Are you working on a new novel or poetry?
I'm taking a big trip in about a month and I'm bringing a guitar. I have a lofty goal of writing a record while I'm out driving around the country. I'm wondering if there's anything in particular that ya'll find inspiring - a writer, a poet, a book you go back to, some (not super dense lol) philosophy, anything really. I've found that reading poetry can help, I'm bringing some stuff like Emily Dickinson and a copy of Letters to a Young Poet but I don't have much else. Has anything helped you?
Richard Shelton is a bit of a hidden gem when it comes to Southwest poetry. The Tattooed Desert is one of my favorite poetry books.
Also, for any writers (especially non-fiction) looking to get a book published, I recommend checking out this book: Take it From Me: An Agent's Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch Plenty of great insight there.
hey sorry for missing this! that's a GREAT question! it's definitely leaning hybrid haha. I'm just totally going with the flow right now. it started as a more traditional multi-generation family POV novel, which has mutated into a nonlinear prose-poetry fiction experiment loosely based around the structure of a multi-generation novel. one of the characters is an author/poet--her section is the most fragmented and experimental. a lot of it, to me, seems to be about storytelling in an overarching way. still figuring it out myself haha, but also allowing it be a breeding ground for ideas. not trying to be rigid at all with this one
-Abridged- My heart is a bridge No one appreciates Until it collapses The rubble now stained With both tears and rain The dust hasn’t settled And it never will It wasn’t until the ground shook That you looked In my direction Long after the kill My heart is a bridge No one appreciates Until it collapses My heart is a bridge That many have crossed And took for granted In many dark days I got in your way A light that flickered Not all hope was lost In return None lifted my curse Now older and sicker I’ve become unsound My heart is a bridge No one appreciates Until it collapses The skyline can be rebuilt But never replaced My heart was a bridge No one appreciated Until.
i’m almost ready to release a rap/poetry/jazz album !! would luv ta collab with all the other writers maybe for future projects !!
i set aside some monies to self publish about 100 copies of this book i've been workin on for over a decade. the hard part now is narrowing down 250 pieces to about 80.
reporting back on the tattooed desert. I love it was floored by “In one hand I carry your picture To guide me and with the other I am combing your name through my hair” and that’s from the first one in the book lmao
That first poem also hooked me, haha. It just hits you with stunning, lyrical images. Awesome to hear you're enjoying Shelton's work!