Finishing and starting

It's kind of funny (funny odd not hilarious) or was for a bit. For over a year, I had two unfinished historical manuscripts. I just do not do that. When I write something, I finish it. The first incomplete tied into the Oregon stories. I  put it off when I realized more editing was required before submitting my contemporary romances to ePublishing. In the midst of that I got the idea for a story to follow my Arizona historical (confused yet?) and began that. The world interfered as well with the need for better covers. So, I let them both set.

When we drove to Tucson in November, instead of finishing either, I got the idea for a Christmas novella which I wrote while there and got out barely in time for Christmas. It also had characters from another book.

Back in Oregon in January, I was determined to get both of those unfinished novels into the rough draft category. I did the Arizona one first as it has been my intention to see the Arizona historicals ePubbed before the Oregon ones. 

As soon as I got that one done, I started on what was required to finish the Oregon historical. It was finished the last week of March. By finished, I mean rough draft as no book is done until it's been edited, edited and edited again. Still it was a good feeling when I got it to that stage as it meant I suddenly had nothing on my plate.

That was until I got the idea for a fourth Oregon historical. The hero for it was already in two of the other books as a secondary character. I realized, with the youngest of the Stevens sisters, I had the leads for a new story set during the Snake Indian War and involving the history of the John Day country. This is beautiful country, full of fossil beds, interesting rock formations, and a wide variety of terrains. 

On the history end, with all the gold mining, the rapid growth, rampant crime, the Chinese population, there was a lot to research even if I didn't include the main purpose for the story-- the Snake Conflict, 1864-68. 

Canyon City, bigger than Portland at that time (10,000 population) had some fascinating characters, not the least of whom was one of Oregon's most colorful poets, Cincinnatus Miller who wrote under the name Joaquin Miller. He led an interesting life in terms of women and experiences. Basing more of my story in Canyon City and Camp Watson, he could add some color because he was a judge there during those years-- before he ambled on for adventures elsewhere.

The hero was a cavalry officer in two earlier books and having him stick with that lets him be more involved in the actual Indian conflict. My idea for the heroine (the youngest of three sisters) would have her being a governess which was how I would get her to this unlikely place after a college education and travel to Europe all helped along by wealthy friends who took her under their wing. What if the wealthy family headed for Canyon City and the gold wealth to be had and brought her reluctantly along? Definite potential there.

Sometime I might write more in a blog about the process behind historical romances, but generally speaking I like to research a geographic area, time span, understand what was going on in the big picture, what could be possible personally (that is, of course, fictionally), and then set my characters into it.

The one thing I know for sure, interesting though this all is to me, I should wait a couple of months to get started on it as writing original novels makes for long, long days at the computer. Emotionally I've had enough burying myself in other people's problems-- for awhile.

When I do put out the first historical, I am thinking of doing paperback as well as eReader. That means I will need to design a backcover and probably an inside leaf. The eBook covers I have been creating are good enough for paper covers. I wouldn't use any system that forced the paper version to be over $10 (if you aren't careful, it can go way over, and you would never sell a single book), but CreateSpace seems to be good method as it appears it keeps the costs down. The books are printed only as you sell them through Amazon; or if you decide to take them to a store, as you buy them to put out on consignment. I am still thinking about the ramifications of this and reading other writers' experiences with CreateSpace.

 All photos from the John Day country. Writing another book based there is a wonderful excuse to spend a lot of time absorbing the energy of the place as it's one of those areas I've come to love very much.

finding inspiration from nature

Often, my own writing inspires ideas for this blog. Although I'll be researching/tweaking/editing, I am finished with another rough draft and for a bit might have to depend on my own life for topics-- do I have an 'own life' right now? 

In order to be sure I still did, Sunday I was out at Finley, a nature preserve about twenty miles or so from our place. The birds were in high excitement with thousands of geese flying, landing and taking off. I don't know but many may be on their way north. What an exciting season.

In Finley, there are some regular residents. To just sit and listen to all the birds, to watch for the one moment something happens, that's why it's wonderful to go to such natural sites. And why it's so important they remain available for wild and migrating birds. It is a creative space that inspires me every time I am there.

The sounds of hundreds of birds landing and lifting off from the water, their wings beating the surface as they call cannot be duplicated. It has to be experienced. It must be thrilling for them also as they act together on some unheard (by us) signal.

We took quite a few videos and can't say any totally told the story of what it's like to be there. The following link is to a piece of that feeling: 

March 31 at Finley 

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I am a writer

from Vintage Anchor

When you think about what being a writer means, the above (which I got from Facebook) says a lot of  it. Because for the last couple of years my main writing of fiction involved editing and rewriting, I had forgotten how all encompassing writing an original novel actually is. This winter I did a novella, followed it with the Arizona historical (which ended up 117,000 some words give or take when final editing is finished this summer) and now am into the Oregon one with it now a finished rough draft.

Perhaps if one stops at the minimum length for a novel, which is 60,000 words, this total absorption would be less so. You'd live with these characters less time and have less complexity to the novel. But if  you go for the longer lengths or into what are considered epic lengths of over 100,000 words, you live with them and their problems in a way that takes over your own life. That's just my warning-- be prepared for any author who has yet to write something that long and complex.

image from CanStock

I've shown these statistics before but basically here are averages for lengths of books: 

Novel-- over 40,000 words

novella 17,500 to 40,000 words

novelette 7500 to 17,500 words

short story -- under 7500 words 

Some would say that a novel must be 80,000-95,000 words and an epic or saga is over 100,000. It seems it's all a bit subjective but, one thing is true, where novellas and short stories can be looser in form, novels not so much. There are expectations for what the reader will find in the novel-- which I wrote about in an earlier blog.

The first full length, historical romance novel I ever wrote was140,000 words. It's the one I spent over a thousand dollars (and that was over fifteen years ago) working with a consulting writer on editing. Recently it got another look by me and it's still at 135,000 words and yes, that's epic, a length that most editors (at least back in the years when I submitted manuscripts) wouldn't even bother to read from an unpublished writer. The thing is it's a story not only of love but the trip west on a wagon train. Even though it centers on one couple and two families, that still makes for a lot of story.

Anyway the work that currently sucked me in is set in Oregon and involves the history of the state in 1865. While writing it, once in awhile I'd come up for air and realize there is no me. Instead of my life, I would find myself fretting over if my hero is reacting logically, would my heroine really do that, what about that villain, is he acting and reacting consistently to his character (yes, even villains should). And on it goes. It's especially bad in the middle of the night when it's all I can think about.

With the rough draft done, other than a few immediate tweaks (which have come to me in the night, I really need a break from writing (although I already have an idea for the book that would follow this one). I need to get back into my own life and find out what's going on. It turns out that my husband has been pulled into a technology project right now to the point he's not really here either. We are going through the paces of looking after the livestock and our place, but our imaginations are elsewhere. Bad timing-- as it might be best if we staggered our obsessions.