Tomas’s Comments (group member since Aug 22, 2020)

Tomas’s comments from the Gathering Of Dedicated Scribblers group.

I'm allowing myself some cautious optimism as I'm trying to get back on track. I've asked one of my critique partners for some targeted feedback, so I'll see how that goes. The story itself isn't in a bad shape, but it needs a lot of detailing, so to say. Structure, details, dialogue, clearing up character motivations, and so on. And that can feel overwhelming.

I'm coming to disturb our rest.
This week (specifically, the 21st) marked 10 years since my writing journey started. Originally, I thought that my trilogy would be done at that point. Instead, I'm still working on book two, and I know that will take some time.
Now, to top it off, on that very anniversary day, I got mail from KDP that I'll be paid $0,06 for Kindle Unlimited page reads (pretty much equals one chapter). I must admit I felt mightily amused by that fact, and especially the timing; in a "if this doesn't sum up my writing journey..." way.

Well, let's see what will happen in another decade :D

I think GR as a whole has gotten much more quieter. Let's be honest, this site has a dated, way too simplistic design that leaves a lot to be desired for efficient discussions.
That said, I hope your writing goes well. I've started to get back into writing this autumn after a 16-month hiatus caused by a combination of reasons, and while I made some progress, I'm yet to regain the same real passion I had for writing years ago.

I'm mostly lurking around these times, as I have found myself having no particular words to offer. But the beginnings are hard. I don't plan to give my books any major push until I am ready to release the third book - if nothing else, it gives me some leeway with writing speed (no pressure from the people who read the books) and makes it easier to adjust things if it came to that (though I hope it doesn't).
So, yeah, I just upload on Amazon where it gathers virtual dust. And when I'm ready to give things a nudge, I'll have the ability. Things may well change in the meantime, so I don't even research marketing these days.

Depends... I started in 2015 but the first book was only finished in 2020. So, if we go by release, you were 3 years ahead. But, yeah, quite a long journey already. Here's hoping it won't stop anytime soon - for any of us here.

Simply said, from anything. oh, and today marks 7 years since I started writing. Given the massive heatwave, I guess I will celebrate with a bowl of ice cream.

I'm revising my draft of Secrets of the Eternals - and found a proof that watching Mayday: Air Disaster can be inspiring for fantasy.

---
The sky, so far clear, became full of black clouds in a heartbeat. Strong wind, just as out of nowhere, buffeted him from all sides. It blew snow into his face, both from the ground and what started to fall from the clouds.
Tyr’eshal waved his hand, conjuring a shield around himself. While it prevented the snow from impacting his face, the wind gusts still pushed him in all directions. The snow started to cover the shield, creating a layer of ice around it.
Tyr’eshal conjured three more layers to his shields, then caused the top-most layer to explode outwards, ridding himself of the ice. I’ll have to repeat this every minute if this weather keeps up; otherwise, I’ll be trapped in my own shield.
---

What Tyr'eshal does is inspired by the function of the de-icing systems of an airplane's leading edge.

I haven't encountered that problem firsthand (because nobody knows about me, hah) but it's quite a shady way. I guess that's the reason why Steam has very limited refund period for video games. And I think that the best way would be to just disallow refunds on books once you reach the 10% mark (or what's the length of a free sample).

Eleanor wrote: "Your room looks great! I'd love to write in there. I have a dream to one day have a dedicated writing space all of my own."

Thanks. Living alone in a 55-square-meter apartment (the usual size for a couple) gives me a fair bit of space. I would consider something smaller (around 40-45) but since those are fewer, the difference between supply and demand for those sizes means the rent is pretty much the same. So I opted for more space for the same price.

This is how things look right now, if you don't mind me posting another pic.

I have a whiteboard for my writing needs on the wall opposite my PC, but I'll only get the markers next week, so much for good planning :D

Not everything is exactly perfect yet (I'll be sorting out some smaller things over time), but I have finished the move and am getting back to writing, after 6 weeks... yay!

My move is approaching, it's now down to single-digit numbers.

I think my head will explode because there's so much to sort out. Writing is on hold probably until late April or early May.

Marcia wrote: "Also started a new project because apparently I need to be working on something at all times."

Never enough works-in-progress, huh? That's the start of a future portfolio of books... just make sure to keep those projects straight :)

Andres wrote: "Of course I don't mind. This site is for GODS, this is not my site, it is our site."

I meant in general, it [posting pictures] may be a bit off-topic for writing-related discussion.

You know those rare days when everything seems to come together?
I had a little idea today at work when I was waiting for data to load... with each mini-break as the computer was working, I kept expanding that idea, eventually leaving me with a nice set of notes for my book two (which is still in heavy editing since I got feedback from the previous beta in October).
When I came home, I got to work on it and busted out ~2100 words (a full chapter) in less than two hours and around half of the idea I had (so one more chapter coming to finish this particular idea). That, and I recently had another idea to improve another chapter. All of that will impact a couple more bits of other chapters, so it adds up to more editing to be done, but it's for improving the story, so I can take the delay.

Hope you guys will have such good days soon as well :)

Yeah, I signed it on Monday to start in April. Given what's going on, it's a frequent quip here that I was just in time before the war sends refugees from Ukraine this way, leading to a drop in available apartments...

Something else for a moment - I hope you don't mind images in this thread. On one of my hikes, I saw this, and thought "the snow looks like tiny dragonscales." The curse (or blessing) of a fantasy writer...

Andres wrote: "How is everyone?"

Doing better at work now that most people are back at the office. My free time was mostly spent looking for an apartment to rent rather than writing the last week. So things are going well for me.

Andres wrote: "Sorry I haven't been active this week. I got a lot of work I'm knocking out. I wont be on next week either."

Threat yourself to the break you need. Things were rough at my workplace as well, we were down to 50-60% of people as many ended up quarantined for covid or positive contact. Things were rough those couple of days.

Quoting David Gaughran, one of the most-famous "self-pub" gurus:
"writers hate being asked where they get their ideas, because the answer is obvious: they make them up. I’ve never fired a musket, eaten a horse, or banged a sailor, but I’m pretty sure I could imagine what these feel like. And if you can imagine it, you can write about it."

If you think that alternating chapters work, just keep them at 4-5k each. There's no rule on how long they should be, only suggestions. I've seen books with very long chapters, and books with very short chapters. The 2,5k seems like a sweet spot for commute reading, though.

That said, I also don't think that having two chapters from one character followed by two chapters from another would be an issue. All I can suggest is: if you want to go with strictly one PoV per chapter, put the character's name below the chapter header in some form. That should be foolproof for avoiding confusion.

Then, you can swap PoV at any point and, as long as you have a clear scene break (the usual *** works well enough), it shouldn't be confusing.

Andres wrote: "You're a plethora of information Tomas. Not only are you published but you've also done website creation for author information and promotion. You understand the process of writing and editing..."

I'm nowhere near "successful" and I have no experience with promotion yet. I can navigate the "pre-publishing checklist" to some degree and, with good guides, do some formatting, but I'm nowhere near to be a major guide.
That said, I'll see if I can help more later this year. I plan to move in spring, so my time will sometimes be a bit tough to manage the next couple of months.