Writing and Selling Fiction - My Week

Feeling Better – It seemed to take too long – seven weeks, but at last, I am feeling better. So much better that my wife and I have got in a couple of nice hikes in the park. Now, come on spring.

Writing Week – A good one for me, this week a bit over 3,000 words. Three thousand might not be a lot for some writers, but for me, that is not a bad week. I saw a tweet this morning where someone's goal for the day was 5,000 words – wow.

Book Sales – January was okay, not great, but not bad. I did not sell as many books or eBooks, but my KDP pages read was up. Up for me means above 10,000 pages, about $50.00 worth. Some books sell, and others do not do so well seems to be a fact that everyone selling books has to face. My historical western mystery- Commitment – has been a consistent and reliable seller. If all my books sold as well as Commitment, I would be making thousands, not a hundred or two each month. As one of my kids used to say, “Oh well!”

My nonfiction gardening, humor and mystery book - Beginning Gardening & Other Entertaining Lies: Including - 4 Garden Murder Mysteries, is, at this time my slowest seller. Going to try a new cover and maybe with spring coming, some advertising to see if it picks up a bit. The gardening book I really like, and thought it was a unique idea with the chapters of garden tips broken up with short, murder in the garden mysteries, but, alas, it never caught on. Maybe someday.

It is still too early yet to tell how my newest and fourth in the series of kids chapter books, Howling at the Moon, is going to do. It will be the second to the last book in the series, and I have been told it has a great cover – hope that helps.

Writing Goals – I seem to be on track for my goal of a quarter million words this year, and that’s good.

  

From the Old West – Do not tamper with the natural ignorance of a Greenhorn.

Photo of the Week –

As always, you can find all of my books here on Amazon

Follow me here on twitter at @wyohistoryguy

Keep on Reading and keep on Writing

& 

Have a wonderful February.

A Writing Year

There Goes 2018 – Like so many people, as the year comes to an end, it is time to do a bit of looking back. This year seemed to be a slow down year for me. We didn’t travel as much, I took a few thousand fewer photographs, and I did not write as much as I have in the past.

Writing Year – I have written 250,000+ words each year since 2012 – this year about half of that. I posted on this site 43 times down from 59 last year. The other sites I post quite a lot on really took a dive. My Wyoming history blog went from 27 posts a year ago to seven this year. My Guernsey State Park blog went from 21 posts down to three. I did manage to publish a couple of books this year, although much of the writing on one was completed in 2017.

2019 Goals? – Looks like I could use some goals for the next year. Like most Americans, I would like to lose a few pounds and get in better shape. That being said, what about writing goals?

Writing Goals – I would like to get, at least, back to my quarter million words a year mark. I would also like to publish another book in my kid's chapter books series and another of my Blade Holmes western mysteries. I also hope to finish at least one other novel and work on my nonfiction book and continue writing short stories. Wow – that’s a lot of writing, hope I can do it.

From the Old West – When a cowboy’s too old to set a bad example, he hands out good advice.

Photo of the Week –

From the Narrows at Guernsey State Park

As always, you can find all of my books here on Amazon

 And

Follow me here on twitter at @wyohistoryguy

Keep on Reading and keep on Writing

& 

Have a wonderful New Year.

Writing Update and Easter Guests

Looks like March does not want to go out like a lamb. Two or three inches of snow last night and looks like we will struggle to reach 40 degrees today (Thursday, March, 29).

Lots of guests here at our house recently, and that has made for good times, but not much writing. I have got out a little with my camera and taken a few photos. Now with Easter Eggs died, and the weather outside not fit for man nor beast, maybe, just maybe, I will get some writing done. Lately, most of my attention has been on the fourth book of my kid’s chapter book series, the Mike and Moose and Me series. They are fun to write and sell pretty well, but this one, the fourth is scheduled to be the end of the series. Might be a chance at another, but not right away, if ever.

Writing Goals - I am quite a bit behind on my writing goals, three books, to be exact. I hoped to have the kid’s book, I mentioned above, plus my nonfiction book, and the third of my historical fiction series, all complete by June first, now I hope to finish at least one by then. Such is the life of a procrastinating writer.

New free offer coming soon – One of my books, Ghost of the Fawn, has consistently underperformed, just does not sell many copies. The problem seems to be I wrote it with teenagers as the main characters, because of that it seems my adult readers are not giving it a look. I love the story, think it is a really fun read for all ages. In a couple of weeks, maybe sooner, I am going to put it up for a few days only - as a free book. Take a look here and read the free three chapters, I think you will like it.

Today’s photos from the Laramie Range a half hour west of our home in Guernsey, Wyoming

As always keep on reading and keep on writing - have a wonderful and safe Easter weekend. 

See all my books here on my Amazon page.

Writing Westerns - What? Writers Block!

There is no such thing as writer's block, anyway, that is what seems to be a hot topic for bloggers lately. Maybe so. Might not be such a thing. I always have ideas but sometimes life gets in the way of my writing. I am not blocked right now but my time seems to be. Summer time, lots of visitors, and outside activities, that might not be writer's block but it does slow me down a bit. I am back to work on several of my projects, working some here and there as time and my mood allows.

 My Office - Everything I Need and Ready to Go

Goals - This time of year is the perfect time to set some goals for fall and winter. I hope to complete three of my projects/books by Christmas. Most of my writing each year takes place in the fall and winter anyway so there may be a chance I will make that goal.

Selling Books - I also hope to continue to market my books keeping my sales on a steady rise. Sales since May have been the best for me since I started selling on Amazon more than two years ago.

Books by Neil A. Waring – my books

My two historical fiction books with Marshall Blade Holmes, Commitment, and The Ghost Dance are doing particularly well. My book of short Christmas stories, Under Western Skies, continues to sell despite Christmas being half a year away. My newest book, Beginning Gardening and Other Entertaining Lies, with real tips and lighthearted stories, is selling surprisingly well. Not because it is not a good read, actually I am quite proud of it, a book that is both a good garden resource and some smiles, along with a handful of murder mystery short stories.

Front Yard Visitors a Few Days Ago

My other five books also continue to sell a few copies each month despite all the things potential readers have to do in the summer.

Here is a link to all of my books on Amazon.

Meanwhile – Keep on reading and keep on writing

The End of the Year - Goals & Selling Books

Remember the old line from Alice in Wonderland, “The hurrier I go the behinder I get?” When I was a kid, more than a half-century ago, I used to see it quite often, I think we had a napkin holder on the kitchen table with that Lewis Carroll quote. Funny, I saw it often but had no idea what it meant.

Goal Setting - It took a lifetime to understand, but now I do, especially this time of year trying to tie up last year and get into a new one. This time of the year I start thinking about setting goals for next year. My first goal will be to work on them, and actually try to reach my goals. Seems to be much better than just surrendering in the middle of the year.  I fell woefully short this year, I wanted to publish three books. I published one and one short story. I wanted to write 300,000 words, watered down from my original goal of 350,000. I wrote just a bit over 200,000.

I wanted to publish a few more of my photos, I didn’t say how many, so I guess that I may have reached this one, as more than a dozen were picked up by various people/companies.

Dollars & Cents - I also wanted to pick up some paid writing, I also made that one. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, but my word count needs to improve. Next week I will be posting my new goals which I hope to work harder at this time around.

Yikes, My Neighbor Is A Vampire - I have, at last, finished the third of my kid’s book series, all I need now is a cover. I am pretty happy with this one, should be fun for 6-11-year-olds. What follows is a cut from page six of the first chapter with the 11-year old me narrating.

I grabbed my winter coat from the peg by the door, scooped up a pair of gloves, and my favorite stocking hat, pulled them all on, and headed outside. This time, I was careful to push it shut tight, I had been reminded enough times the past few weeks. I jogged along the first twenty or so yards, then took a full run and slide on the ice in front of Mike’s house. We were still in trouble for getting out the garden hose and building our little ice rink, but it sure was fun. Maybe leaving the hose out all night and then breaking it, several times, the next morning is what got us into trouble. That must be it because everyone loves a good slide on the ice.

The book, like all my kid's books, runs between 11,000 and 12,000 words. Should be fun.

Selling Books - I mentioned on my Wyoming Blog a couple of days ago how happy I was to see the reception and sales for my latest book, Ghost of the Fawn, it has consistently sold in both eBook and softcover and stayed in the top 100, in its category, on Amazon for several weeks. Gratifying to say the least – oh, how I love readers.

In a few days, my book of Western Christmas stories will be reduced to .99 cents for five days, I will let everyone know when the sale goes live.

Today's photos all taken in the last few days – it's winter outside.

 Keep on Reading and Keep on Writing 

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Writing Goals

No Goals Reached

Another month and another dismal writing report. Not really, I did write some, but it was the fourth straight month I failed to reach my goal of 20,000 words. For many writers that would be a week or less of writing but for me it is running about seven weeks to get up to twenty thousand.

While not writing I found a website to make a Monet-like me.

I did take some time off

In my own defense, I did take a couple of nice trips out of state. Since making my goals seem to be pretty much unattainable anyway, I never take my laptop with me on vacation. Someday, when I reach the rich and famous stage, I will go away to a beautiful writing hideaway, laptop in tow. But, not yet.

Spent some time in Rocky Mt. National Park - always fun!

What I Finished

This month I did manage 24 blog posts, which by the way, had over 4,000 hits – thanks, readers. My word count for July was 11,601, and the blogs were more than half of all of my writing. I did get some editing work done and wrote a few pages in two of my, in progress novels.

Embarrassed to say - I am still at work on the final edit of this one

So Far

For the year I am a bit past 133,000 putting me on pace to fall about twenty thousand short of my quarter of a million goal. Who knows, once the weather turns cold, I may get my word count up. If I could just have a few 2,000 word days .  . . . . 

Part of our backyard, old-fashioned flower garden

Write More in 2015

Not sure my writing total of a bit over 100,000 words was enough this year. In the past couple of weeks I have read two posts by authors that wrote over a million words in 2014.  Not sure I could ever get close to this but am hoping to get close to 250,000 in 2015.

 I have an advantage over many writers and would be writers, because I don’t need to sell anything. I live comfortably on retirement and occasionally substitute teach in the local district to pick up what we old folks used to call, “a little pin money.”

I have been lucky to publish many short stories and travel pieces over the years but still have high hopes for a novel. So 2015, will be the year!

At present I have a non-fiction, local history, being edited with publishing coming, I hope, in February. When that is complete, I will work on the two novels I have completed and two completed volumes of short stories.

 Who knows? If everything goes great I might get a few books out this year – and maybe write a bit more.

“I was sorry to hear my name mentioned as one of the great authors, because they have a sad habit of dying off. Chaucer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I am not feeling very well myself.”
- Mark Twain

Freezing up North of Town

Happy New Year!