Now I have to understand how to market it.

This may seem antithetical to the topic of book marketing, the very category under which this question was posted, but in my own experience, my best writing comes when I stop thinking so much about the spotlight. Long ago I shed my narcisistic desire to be published and concentrated on the story: the technical aspects perfected and the voices made true. With those sort of blinders on, the time involved is irrelevant. All that matters is the reality of the world I’m creating. With a strong story behind me the rest, the energy for publishing and marketing comes easily. So ironically, yes, the one best book marketing method is to write the %&h##& out of your book. What a terrific post!

Truth is, I can be smart all I want, but if I don’t write the book straight from the heart, I’m only gonna be a great marketer for something that nobody wants. And, if I do write the book from the heart, even if it only finds a small audience, I will have at least succeeded in creating something I am proud of.

thanks for pointing me toward this clarity.
Leisa

On the Usenet group rec.arts.sf.composition, one of the most common sayings is “nine and sixty ways”, from the old quote “There are nine-and-sixty ways of constructing tribal lays, and every single one of them is right”. Some people like myself write once, they’re done. Others write, revise, revise, revise. Some write outlines in detail before even attempting to write the story, while for others, writing an outline KILLS the story dead. Some feel that they completely control the story, while others feel that the characters usually take over and they have no control at all over where the story actually goes. And so on.

For each one of these different types, and all the others, “writing the *&^# out of the book” will be a completely different thing, and for many of them, using techniques of one of the others will be *actively destructive* of their work.

I like Ryk’s Q: What does that mean, write the $%#& out of the book? To me, the work isn’t in writing; it’s in revising. It’s more like ‘revise the $%$&’ out of the book.

I revised my novel 14 times. I would never have thought I had it in me to keep going to a higher standard. I know I could revise my articles more and will take your post as a nudge to do so, Jonathan.

On the other hand, this standard of perfection is what prevents people from going very far past page two. I coach writers, and I help them shake off the expectation of quality and write without reins. Let loose. Release that passion onto the page. The quality comes later, in the revision process.

We make the mistake of thinking that the first draft should be brilliant. That as adults we should know what we’re doing at all times. I feel like a toddler in the creative process, stumbling toward genius as I try to figure out what I really want to say. That only comes through draft after draft.

Getting solid feedback is essential to writing well. If you’re serious about writing, you must have an editor, and not a spouse or a friend but someone who truly has the skills to help you improve your writing.

It does take a lot longer to write than most people think. My clients can get very frustrated with themselves, believing that it’s a shortcoming to take so long to write.

Despite the speed of life today, writing remains a slow process.

Thanks, Jonathan, for the kick in the writing pants.

Started rereading Digital Knight last night, much fun!

I could spend a dozen hours going through two chapters of a just-completed novel and, at most, I’d catch one phrasing that wasn’t right. All my “editing” is done on-the-fly. By the time I’m a paragraph or three on, the text is set in stone.

The only way I see how to improve my material is either:

1) Let a **LOT** of time go by — four to five years. That’s because my writing style shifts slightly, the universe I’m writing in probably developed more, and I can (in some sense) read the old stuff as if I was reading another person’s book.

2) Have someone else point it out — make a suggestion, find a problem. This is what editors and beta readers are for. In Grand Central Arena, for example, my editor pointed out several things that I needed to clarify or emphasize more, and the need for a couple additional pieces to bring out some more background, etc.

Even so, 95+% of what you see published is what manifested on the screen the first time I typed it.

The publisher did not request more Jason, however. The rights have reverted to me, so I’m looking for a publisher who would do a revised and expanded release (so that it wouldn’t be a waste of time for other people to pick up). On the other hand, I have two new books coming out in the next couple of months, one solo (Grand Central Arena) and the other a collaboration with Eric Flint (Threshold, sequel to Boundary).

Drop in at http://www.grandcentralarena.com or at my LJ (seawasp.livejournal.com) if you want to talk more/see more of what I’m up to.

And thanks again for the kind words!