13 months ago, @mariannewest and @dreemsteem decided that they were going to make ME the subject of the freewrite the same week I was granted by @freewritehouse to be the freewriter of the NEXT week, meaning that @wonderwop, our own Uncle Bruni, would be rolling through with extra upvotes and everything.
I was so honored that I decided to produce an extended story with a freewrite character I had created, police captain/detective Ironwood Hamilton ... and so, THIS happened!
I wrote that as extra content, and ended up with a novel written -- I crossed 50,000 words in 17 days.
That wasn't quite what anybody had in mind.
I didn't know I could do that.
I was a published author before finding Steem/Hive, but I took my time -- nine years separate the publication of the first two, and two years separate numbers two and three.
SO: Turning out a novel-length tale in Freewrite was a groundshaking surprise ... and then it happened again, and again, and again ... even now it is going on, as Ironwood Hamilton and friends are working with the daily prompts to find out who stole some toys and finding out some shocking things along the way!
Had I never found Freewriters, I still would have just been trundling along in my slow way, publishing here and there ... but INSTEAD, I found myself with enough writing piling up by the time Hive launched that I knew it was time to get some help.
Writing is tough by itself. Don't let anybody fool you. Having a daily prompt really helps, of course -- thank you, Freewriters, AGAIN -- but writing alone is TOUGH. It takes a lot of energy to do it consistently and well ... and this makes it even HARDER to find time and energy to get work out to a larger audience and get it paying for itself so writers have time to do less things for money beside writing.
My search led me in a loop, actually -- I had known about Toneal M. Jackson and APS International and was about to make a move in the spring, because so many authors I know and respect were getting good results there. A lot of powerful books had been coming out of that as yet little-known but important powerhouse in Chicago, so I figured I had better make my move before the crowd arrived.
But then, Covid-19 arrived, and I got distracted ... perhaps you know the feeling ...
... but I looped back around in late July and GOT THE DEAL, folks!
True to all I had heard, Ms. Jackson lets no moss grow under her feet with APS authors -- I'm up for a BIG book review on Facebook on the 18th and I will be doing live readings on Facebook beginning tomorrow at 2pm Pacific ... I'll drop the link into the comments here at that time, but if you miss it, no worries -- I will post it up sometime on Friday and get it here!
FINALLY, for all of you that wanted to be able to read this story at one sitting -- on the 18th, Black, White, and RED All Over will be available as a free download on Amazon, and also discounted in paperback (I told you, Ms. Jackson and APS DO NOT PLAY -- she said I needed to get that together and how to do it WITH THE QUICKNESS, and I got it done)!
More updates as they become available -- the link to the live will be in the comments tomorrow, and I'll post the video up by Friday!
And now, I need to get on to doing the day's freewrites ... one thing my father taught me was MASTER the BASICS. If I hadn't been writing every day as a freewriter, none of the above could have ever happened, so now is not the time for me to forget our beloved daily discipline!
Big additional thank you shoutouts to @owasco, @wakeupkitty, @whatisnew, @carolkean, @kaelci, @road2horizon, @marcybetancourt, and many others who read my stuff back in the early days through now (and if I didn't mention you, SPEAK UP and be thanked)! You all have a part in this along with the entire Freewriters Community -- THANK YOU!
And, a grateful memory offered here of Sharon, our own FitinFun, who was a HUGE supporter to me and many others in the last months of her life.
You're very talented. Reading you is an immense pleasure. Go on!
Thank you!
That's great news! Congratulations! We are good peeps, aren't we? I'm happy I've been keeping kinda sorta up with your prolific writing since you joined us.
I was just about to include you in a thank you shoutout, but my computer decided to crash my page just then ... going to redo that now!
Congratulations!!! 😃🎉
Writing IS tough, and really does take sooo much energy. So much emotional energy. I'm a very crabby person when I'm writing, haha. Thankfully people, for the most part, seem to understand and accept it.
You are blessed to have understanding people around you ... it takes a LOT for us and for others to do what we do!
Inspirational events happening to you. Makes me want yo engage the Freewrite more often.
2pm tomorrow on Facebook a live reading you say. I'll be there! 😃
Engaging with Freewrite regularly is KEY -- it's the habit of writing, getting feedback, learning how to tell a good short story, and then for me, short stories within longer stories making for rich extended writing that is at the same time easy to take in because it is built on relatively short chunks of plot movement and information. One can only do so much with five minutes (or so), so it forces decisions that keep clutter from piling up in one's writing.
Engage regularly with Freewrite -- it will do you all kinds of good!
I will drop the link for the live here about 5-10 minutes before I actually start, Lord willing!
Ok ill be on the lookout for it tomorrow!😊
Thank you for the words of wisdom. I definitely plan to do more writing for the freewrite community. I think i have lots of improvement to make but that the talents there just needing to be refined.
Wow!! How cool is that! I will try to set my timer for tomorrow. Are you reading under your own profile? Can you drop a link?
And when is the book available on Amazon? (or better - somewhere else but Amazon :)
I will drop a link 5-10 minutes before the live in the comments on this post! The book is available on Amazon now, but I will be doing a free giveaway of the e-book on the 18th, and so will drop the link then!
Owing to Amazon's policies, it will be 90 days before I can put the book anywhere else ... that's the price you pay for enrolling in KDP Select. Obviously, you can still read it back on The-Chain-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named in its original form written day by day, but, until November, I can't have it anywhere else.
But, hey, I'm open to suggestions -- where would you like to see the book in addition to Amazon late this year and next year?
okay - good to know. I will buy it - I want to support you.
Do you know about this lady?
www.thecreativepenn.com
She has all kinds of suggestions on where and how to publish.
Personally, I love audio books these days... And I buy them on Chirp :)
Never heard of Ms. Penn or Chirp... but I will check both out ... and I am sort of doing these live reading to see if I can transition to doing audiobooks ...
Joanna Penn is a prolific author and also, a very good businesswoman. I have listened to her podcasts for quite a while. She built herself a high 6 figure income with all her offerings to the world.
Chirp is a business that sells audiobooks for a discount - they usually are on offer for about 30 days. A good way for a listener/reader to get a lot of books - and for an author to get them in front of people :)
I think audiobook recording will be different than life reading. You want to have good sound (mics are not that expensive) and you will have to do quite a bit of editing to get it clean...
But it is the fastest-growing market...
Okay, good to know ... I know some people who can help me with the mics and all ... Chirp ... I also know a grand voiceover artist as well who already has the setup!
My end date in KDP Select is actually October 6, so, maybe by Christmas, you will hear a "chirp" ...
Sounds good! I loved your reading yesterday but for some reason, I couldn't comment. I was listening from my phone.
As to the setup - mics are not that expensive and a mentor of mine has done audiobooks (she is a professional podcaster) and recorded to her laptop with a mic sitting in her closet :)
When I first started podcasting, I used audacity - a free editing software. I don't know if that is still around. But there should be free or very cheap options...
You could do your life readings with a mic in front of you.
I have the ATR 2100 - it goes on sale ever so often. But there are others that have good sound and can be had for less than $ 100. I feel that a pop filter is a must...
Personally, when I listen to podcasts, I don't mind misspoken words - but when I listen to a book, it takes me out of the story.
This is so cool!!!
Congratulations 🎉
Thank you!
Congrats, Deeann! This is exciting! I'm planning to download on Amazon to my Kindle. :)
@mariannewest and @kaelci and @jeanlucsr, @owasco, @wakeupkitty, @whatisnew, @carolkean, @kaelci, @road2horizon, @marcybetancourt -- THIS LINK WORKS!
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2663246017324578&id=100009176179605
Thanks!
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