Stephen King makes a great point about the career longevity writers enjoy versus other entertainers. Even as late in life as forty, some writers are coming into their own. A rock star at forty is on an endless summer tour with a greatest hits album in the bargain bin. Movie stars disappear by forty, trading the screen for a stage, and eventually voice-over gigs. Comics have a longer shelf-life than actors, especially when they also produce or direct, but it’s nothing compared to a writer. Here’s a few examples:

Tom Clancy (58) sells nearly a million copies in hardcover each fiction outing. Robert Parker (73) makes top five on the New York Times Bestseller lists and tours. Stephen King (58) doesn’t sell like the glory days, yet only J.K. Rowling has more in print. Clive Cussler (74) sells better now than fifteen years ago. Thomas Harris (65), the author of Silence of the Lambs, published his first book at 35.

By the way, I’m 32 and my birthday isn’t for months. This isn’t a middle age reflection post, just an observation.

Eight hundred words today. Aimed for a thousand, so it was a Viking try. The real failure was not completing the scene. I’ll have to make that up in the morning.

On the plus side, I got some nice feedback on a few chapters that involve the villain, ballistics and weapons from a competitive IPSC shooter. Suffice to say, he’s very good with handguns. I would cull a law enforcement source for this information, but frankly, the average IPSC competitor fires a lot more rounds per year. In fact, quite a few members of various alphabet agencies shoot IPSC for the challenge.

Approaching the 86,000 mark and it feels odd. In theory, the finish line is close. Looking at an early version this morning reminds me how much the manuscript evolved.

Halfway into this project, it was clear one the characters deserved more ink. I even suspected they might have the stuff to carry a whole novel by themselves. Ultimately, their story is not this book; I just allowed them what they wanted: a larger influence in the events.

Now the heavy lifting is almost done, and the next step looms. There is more work on the horizon. Certainly the revision phase will take most of November.

There’s an old saying, “write with the door closed.” been there, done that. I’m revising with the door wide open. A number of the books I enjoyed over the past year have included a long list of readers in the acknowledgments. I’d like a book with a long list of acknowledgments, too.

A lot of thought went into the recruiting process. A crew of readers like me, or related to me, won’t help much. The core is a diverse group of people who liked reading different types of books, though when they drop their money down in the bookstore, usually it’s on mysteries and thrillers. However, one is a science fiction buff. Another likes stories from unlikely perspectives. Balancing all their feedback will be an interesting process.

One lesson learned on group based revision dynamics so far, even if I disagree with an observation, when two or more people express the same concern without knowledge of the other, it’s worth reexamining my position. Those are very telling moments and when they happen, I believe they are not coincidental.

And if three people, each acting independently run aground on the same issue, ignoring them is perilous.

Some big name writers delight in arguing with their audience. Their posts can be found on Amazon.com, mixed within reader reviews, or at their online journals. Typically, this happens when they tire of writing the stories that made them famous and switch genres, or take a beloved series in an unexpected direction. While lashing out works for them, they have the luxury of brand name equity, a back list, and an advance check.

Here’s my motto when it comes to revisions:
“He who is flexible, does not break.” – Anonymous

The countdown continues…

Had a good day writing. Checking the word count meter, the 85,000 word milestone beckons. A few times today I stopped and checked my index cards. Each one represents a scene. Ten left. Whether that translates into another 16,000 words is still tenuous. The mid 90’s seems more likley, and is way doable.

The Wife readied her pics from Honduras. Thursday I’ll post a sample. Many of the underwater shots are pretty fricking sweet. Especially the ones with sharks.