It’s That Writing Time of Year

Winter time seems to be the best time for me to write. A few years ago, okay, a long time ago, I liked winter, looked forward to it. Once upon a time I skied, ice fished a bit, enjoyed winter. Now my favorite place in winter is in my recliner or at my desk with my laptop. Guess that means winter is my best writing time.

What about the other seasons. Fall – football games can be distracting, but I seem to get quite a bit done in fall. Spring, I like to get outside, garden, lawn, golf course, and warmer weather. Summer, well, summer is tough for all writers. Too many distractions.

So here I am in the middle of winter, and it seems like I am getting quite a bit of writing done. No real distractions now that Christmas has come and gone and it’s 2017. Oh, there is a handful of meaningless, pro football games left, a new guy taking over as President, spring training around the corner, and of course it’s that time of year to get ready for April tax paying day.

It’s still winter, as I look out the window, so, back to one of my works in progress.

So, how about you? What time of year is your writing time?

It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous.

- Robert Benchley-

If it's cold in your part of the world today, read a great book, or write a few terrific lines.

Writing In a New Year

Christmas is over, and now we are counting down to the New Year. Each year I make a few resolutions, and each year they seem to go quickly by the wayside. Last year I decided, for the first time, to keep track of how many words I wrote and published. I did it, but am not sure I will keep track this year, seemed to put too much pressure on me, and I started worrying about the days I didn’t write. Sometimes that causes a bit, or a whole bunch of bad writing, not worth saving. (Oh, for the record, I wrote a tad less than a quarter of a million words this year. Quite a bit for me but partly because I wrote a lot recently, trying to finish up last year's goals)

Geese on the ice

This year my goals are simple - 2017

1.     Publish the third of my kid's books – This book is finished but is yet to have a cover. I am sure to get this one out. The first two of the Mike, Moose, and Me series were fun and sold a good number of copies, I hope this one does as well.  

2.     Publish the second, in what I hope will be a series of five, western mysteries, with Marshall Blade Holmes as the protagonist.  This one is 90% written, but has some things I need to clean up. Then editing.

3.     Finish my modern day mystery, set in a Wyoming small town with murder on a golf course. This is to be a novella, and I am about the halfway point. Fun, especially for golfers and mystery lovers. (still in the western genre)

4.     Publish a book for gardeners, yep gardeners. This one started on a whim and now is about 2/3 complete. Gardening tips in the western high country with every fourth chapter a murder mystery.

5.     Continue research and writing of my second nonfiction book. I hope to add another 20,000 words to this one before the years is out.

6.     Keep on blogging, for the past few years I have written more than 100 blog posts each year, twice over 200, this year about 10-12 each month on my various blogs should do.

A few minutes before sunset

2016 - This year I published one book and one short story. I also ran a five-day reduced price, promotion on my Christmas book, which was well received. I also did a giveaway of a short story, that story is still doing well, selling for .99 cents. My newest book, Ghost of the Fawn, has enjoyed a good run on Amazon, staying in the top 200, where it still is, for several weeks.

We hiked this trail a few days ago - wonderful

Will I Make This Year’s Goals? - Maybe I will do more than my stated resolutions in the New Year, I hope not to do less, it often depends on our travel and my love of photography and golf. Several things I am sure of. I will run a couple more promotions for my books, I will take lots of photos, I will write and edit, and put some time in at far away, but not too far, destinations.  

 See all my books on Amazon here.

Winter ski from the trail

Books and EBooks

Looks like January has flat lined my book sales. I remember when television medical and murder mysteries used to show a machine beeping and flashing and then a solid beep and solid red line when the patient/victim died. That is what my KDP sales look like right now. Flatlined for nine days. Looks like the New Year is off to a slow start.

Sales are as slow as this old bull in the January snow

I did sell a couple of books yesterday, books not EBooks. The sale of EBooks brings on something that still bothers me. Why are so many traditional publish houses charging so much for EBooks? I wanted to read one yesterday and it was $12.99 – too much for me. I put my name on the list at the Library and should get it next week. FREE to read.

My books are all available as EBooks or softcover books - check them our today

Often I look for older books to read as EBooks, but if they are with a big publishing house, the price is still at the original, usually over $10.00. The same book, after a couple of years, can be bought from dozens of online used book dealers for a few cents. These sellers always tack on $3.99 for shipping, which is how they make their money. I send books out for less than $3.00. Seems to me if the big publishing houses would lower their client’s EBooks to three or four dollars, after a year or two, they and the author would continue to make money. 

Hoping my sales take off soon

Writing on a Frosty Wyoming Morning

Sometimes it takes a great frosty morning to get enough inspiration to write.

Mountainside frost in Guernsey State Park this morning

I often wonder how the mountain men and early explorers handled winter. I have read the stories but am not sure they can relate how tough it must have been.

North Platte River above Guernsey, Wyoming

Winter can be hard, but it also can be beautiful - as it was today on this frosty Wyoming morning.

Meanwhile, I am into a rewrite on a novel I put away several years ago. I am having fun with it and so far am pretty happy with the story. I am also continuing my research for my Fort Laramie book. Research is slow but fascinating.

I don't look much like a Mt. Man at Fur Trade days at Fort Laramie last summer -one of my favorite places 

Speaking to an elementary Wyoming history class later this week about mountain men. I Will also be talking about the Civilian Conservation Corps to a high school history class this week. Then what? How about some Christmas shopping, and of course, being the head sampler for my wife's Christmas goodies.

Writing Update

The review copy of my fifth book, Under Western Skies – 14 stories of Christmas, should be here tomorrow. I hope I don’t have too many things to clean up. Still would like it available, both as a book and eBook by next week. I like the book and have another book of short stories in the planning stages. This next one will be traditional western stories, not Christmas stories. I find writing short stories both relaxing and challenging. Sometimes it can take me a week or more to write a four or five-page story and get it the way I want.

Early draft of the cover for my book of Christmas shorts

I am also finishing up the first draft of my sixth book,  Mystery at Hell’s Half Acre, Wyoming. This is my first teen/young adult offering and will come in at a bit over 50,000 words. The book is set in modern times with flashbacks to the 1800s. It is both a discovery/growing up book and one that deals with American Indian (Arapaho) legend and beliefs. I am hoping for a release by February 1^st but will not hold my breath on that date.

Hell's Half Acre Wyoming - setting for my teen mystery

 Work continues on the research for my second nonfiction book, this one about Fort Laramie. Nonfiction is a whole different kind of animal – takes a lot of time, but it seems worth it, I learn a lot.

Old Bedlem on the grounds of Fort Laramie

For me, with winter, comes more writing. Not crazy about doing too much out in the cold any longer so writing occupies most of my days December through February. We do hope to take a trip south in February which should warm us up, but it may slow down the writing.

Winter is coming soon to the mountain west

Yesterday I found a tongue in cheek novella, I wrote 15 years ago about the trials and tribulations of starting a business. It still seems pretty timely, might give it another look. We have started up several, none succeeded, although one try lasted five years. Mostly we discovered much work – little money.

 

Enjoy the day!

Snow Day

Now that summer is officially over with snow yesterday and last night, guess I can get into my normal grumpy winter mood. Here in the cowboy state we get most of our yearly moisture in the form of snow. It reminded me of this line from a C. J. Box book -

“Wyomingites, Joe had observed, didn't know what to do when it rained except get out of it, watch it through the window, and wait for it to go away.” C. J. Box - Open Season

With snow on the ground today, I couldn't wait to get outside. By afternoon the wind was gone, the sun peek-a-booed in and out and the temperature went to 30. Another great day out west.