Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

Writing Update – February 23, 2017

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It has been a crazy week here in the basement. Lots of things going on so let’s get this writing update started!

Writing

You might not know this but:

Tales from Portents is on sale now at the following:

               

Grab your copy today!

writing updateI keep hoping to enjoy the moment a little more but I’ve been in full edit mode with The Medusa Coin. Where Tales from Portents was a dream project from start to finish, the next installment in the Greystone series has had more than a few challenges.

It has been a long time since I tackled a manuscript of this length so the learning curve has been steep in cleaning it up, shredding extraneous plotlines, and following through on the major arcs of every character. This novel also has the unfortunate distinction of being the midpoint of the first cycle of the series, giving it the responsibility of not only carrying the seeds from Signs of Portents but also propelling our characters to the eventual conclusion of this initial journey in next year’s installments.

Lots to keep in mind when working through the book, which I am hoping to button up next week to pass off to some first readers! September might seem a long way off but it will be here quicker than you think.

Pathways in the Dark

The fourth book in the series is progressing nicely. All seven stories in the collection due out next February are outlined and scripted. It will be a nice change of pace to put together some smaller stories after the behemoth of The Medusa Coin. I’m hoping to start the drafting phase next month!

Reading

I had planned to discuss a number of the books I’ve been digging lately but alas, The Medusa Coin has owned my life from top to bottom. Next time.

Thanks for reading.

Celebrate (But Keep Working…)

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It’s hard to imagine a better feeling than the accomplishment of publishing a book. It’s an incredible process, time consuming, labor intensive. A process mired with self-doubt and full of struggle to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

Who wouldn’t want to celebrate a little after all that?

Take the win.

Instead of clicking refresh on your sales figures every hour for the next few weeks, take the time to celebrate your victory over that 90,000 word manuscript that has haunted you every night for the past year.

  1. Host a Launch Party – I have yet to do this but hope to with one of my upcoming releases. What better way to put your accomplishment to bed than a rip-roaring hootenanny of a shindig? Hand out copies, sign a few and celebrate the win.
  2. Go on vacation – Can’t stop yourself from worrying about your precious baby out there in the world? Can’t help but check to make sure poor reviews don’t slip onto your sales page and destroy any chance of bringing in new readers? Go west, my friend. Hell, go ANYWHERE. Schedule a trip to keep your head away from the worries and allow yourself to savor the accomplishment in style.

Use the win

It is all well and good to celebrate your achievement but resting on your laurels is like taking all of that progress and slamming on the writing brakes. Using that book as a stepping stone or a launching point can help make the next challenge seem less insurmountable. (Still a bitch of a thing though. Always will be. Damn, I love writing.)

  1. Motivation – Knowing you’ve already put a book together and the thrill of that feeling as you hold it in your hands is the greatest motivator in the world to DO IT AGAIN. If you ever feel any doubt about that, pick up your last masterpiece and thumb through every page.
  2. Enthusiasm – Publishing brings with it a jolt of excitement and enthusiasm you can use to recharge your batteries and plot out that next project.

Keep Working

That’s what it all boils down to in the end. Taking that win, celebrating with friends and family at the end of a long journey is great. And a requirement before you completely burn out from the workload.

Sitting back down at the desk and putting words on a new page? That’s where the challenge comes in. And it is one that needs to be met each and every day. Take the win, use the win, but keep writing.

I’ll do the same.

Thanks for reading.

Minor Characters – Asset or Distraction

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There is a balancing act when it comes to writing. It comes in many forms and can be handled in numerous ways. One of the main issues I have found while working on The Medusa Coin relates to minor characters vs their major counterparts and the juggling act therein.

The need for minor characters

Minor characters inhabit the world surrounding your principal players. From the man handing over a cup of coffee to Officer John Pratchett in the Greystone series they are a vitally integral component in fleshing out the world of your main characters.

They act as counterpoints for character arcs, offering opposing viewpoints or giving an outsider perspective to issues going on in the background of your story. They bring color to the black and white principles of the main character’s world. Their roles include love interests and foils put in place as obstacles to keep them from their goals.

Whatever the role they are necessary to the end result; a fully formed world for your reader to lose themselves in.

Where minor characters distract:

When minor characters become principal players in the novel it can be jarring for the reader. Unless the transition is gradual and accepted by the reading public, more often than not there will be fan outcry at the loss of visibility for their favorite hero or heroine.

There is an old Superman tale I always come back to when it comes to this issue. The story is called Panic in the Sky and deals with Brainiac invading Earth with his Warworld fortress. Superman leads the charge, commanding a cadre of heroes, against the forces of Brainiac.

The story is amazing. Well thought out with high stakes. Superman is put through a real test during the course of the piece. Then at the climax Superman DOESN’T save the day. Someone else does. A woman named Maxima.

MAXIMA? WTH?

Now, being a comic nerd I understood what the author, Dan Jurgens was doing here. He was setting up Maxima and Superman’s entrance into a new incarnation of the Justice League. However, for a Superman story to lose sight of the man of steel so completely at the finale of a long arc was a tragedy of the worst kind. It pulled me right out of the story and is painful to read even now. (Pretty to look at though.)

This would be akin to the Lone Gunmen showing up in The X-Files finale and ending the threat of the Cigarette Smoking Man once and for all. (If they had survived until the finale – stupid Season 9…)

Or Dean Thomas saving Hogwarts while Harry Potter slept one off at Hagrid’s. (WHO THE HELL IS DEAN THOMAS?!)

In the words of the Earl of Lemongrab from Adventure Time – UNACCEPTABLE.

How minor characters best serve a story:

Much of what I spoke about above are the ways a minor character best serves a story. A foil for the protagonist. A love interest. An obstacle. A counterpoint. Someone that brings humor to a dreary situation or brings conflict with an opposing perspective on a situation.

Someone that adds a layer that wasn’t there without them in the room.

The very best way to use a minor character is to give them A moment not EVERY moment. Maybe it is a one-off joke. That’s how Pratchett started off for me in Signs of Portents. Now I try to work him into the story more often in order to showcase that differing perspective.

The story remains centered around your principal players. Stay true to that, while allowing the minor roles to add depth to the plot and conflict to your character arcs.

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – February 2, 2017

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February already?!! Not cool, Calendar Man. Not cool. Here is your writing update on this lovely Groundhog Day:

Writing Update:

writing updateTales from Portents is on sale in TWO WEEKS! But I’m sure you already knew that. Interested in an advance reader copy of the book? Let me know.

The Medusa Coin – THE EDITING CONTINUES. It’s been a slow process. Every time I tackle a new project I have to relearn my own system. This week I’ve been researching like crazy to shore up the story. A couple key moments needed to be reconfigured and a new element or two inserted to really drive some of the character arcs home.

It’s coming together though and my plan is to hunker down the entire month and put the final touches on this one.

Pathways in the Dark – All that research has had an unintended bonus (and another reason The Medusa Coin is going a little slower than usual for me). Researching one project helped me figure out the key components to Pathways, allowing me to finish up the outline for the collection coming next February.

Another set of six tales, these take place immediately after the events of The Medusa Coin. I’m very happy with how the project is coming together and can’t wait to script the outlines this month. Lots of hints at what is ahead in the series and some old friends from Tales get their moment to shine in this collection.

Reading

Lots of time spent researching lately but I did make the time for two new releases from DC’s Rebirth titles:

Flash: Lightning Strikes Twice – Joshua Williamson takes on Barry Allen and gives him a nice well-rounded cast to play off in the series. There is quite a bit going on in this book but that is how it should be for the Flash. Frenetic pacing and equally exciting layouts made this story a page turner for sure. Carmine Di Giandomenico has a great style for the book and is able to maintain the twice-monthly schedule nicely.

I was a little letdown by the villain’s reveal though it was understandable and acted as the perfect counterpoint to Barry Allen’s role as the Flash.

I only ask that DC reconsider the insane lightning coming off the Flash on every page. It is distracting as hell and if I was standing by him at a crime scene I would be completely freaked out.

Justice League: The Extinction Machines – I wasn’t sure about this one. For me, nothing beats Grant Morrison’s run on JLA in the 90’s. (Oy. I’m old.) Geoff Johns did a great job as well, but let’s face facts. The man ALWAYS does a great job. It’s a sickness with him.

Bryan Hitch and Tony Daniel offer up a strong first arc with the new Justice League. They play up the tension between Batman and the “new” Superman well. I enjoyed the banter between the Green Lanterns and the Flash. Aquaman’s role was a little out in left field and should have at least connected slightly with the others but it came together in the end.

A great opening tale with lots of bombastic action and widescreen visuals. Can’t wait to see how they build on it.

That’s it for this writing update. Fingers crossed that Spring comes early!

Thanks for reading.

Building Character Moments

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I love it when a character takes over a scene. When you hit a moment completely plot based and your character screams to be heard on how they would handle it. Character moments are an essential piece to fiction and can make or break a novel with an audience.

It’s Mulder’s love of sunflower seeds (and his japes with Scully over his porn collection).

It’s Captain Kirk’s womanizing.

Or Twilight Sparkle’s obsession with Star Swirl the Bearded. (Yes. We watch way too much My Little Pony in my house. And yes, it is an awesome show.)

Touchstones, habits, character obsessions or quirks connect them with readers on a more intimate level. Not everyone can really grasp a murder mystery involving two hundred year old spirits – though it would be pretty cool. Instead, having Loren be an ex-smoker and a Superman fan helps ground the character and bring little moments to the story that pull the reader deeper into the plot.

Inserting character moments into your writing.

While they should all come naturally there are some instances when the scene falls flat or uninspired. Too mired in plot that it forgets that there are living, breathing characters in the mix. (And readers on the other side of the page.) In these times, your book practically demands character moments be inserted.

Here are some tips to better flesh out your writing with character moments:

  1. Pull each scene apart. While self-editing your early drafts (or even at the outline level) step back from the plot and question your character’s motivations at the moment. What is the overall goal of the scene? If it is exposition is there a way to deliver it that also speaks to the character conveying or receiving the information? Do they have a catch-phrase or schtick that tends to shine through for them? (Is it Clobberin’ Time yet? as my good friend, Ben Grimm would say?)
  2. Actions can speak louder than words. When looking at each piece of your book is there a place where maybe dialogue isn’t necessary to pass along information and a specific action carries the same weight? One that speaks more to character? In the case of Greystone, Greg Loren chews gum. Loudly. Incessantly so. (Filthy habit.) Having him stop talking to chomp in someone’s ear says something more than a resounding “I’m done talking with you” or “Kindly shut the hell up.” It could also be played for comedic effect. But it adds a character moment to the scene that wasn’t there before.
  3. Play with the dynamics of the scene. Maybe structurally the scene works but the character interactions fall flat. Substitute players when you can to see if the rhythm flows better, or to add that extra bit of interplay between characters. I wrote a scene for The Medusa Coin with Mathers berating Loren over a situation. Then I realized Mathers would never bother even talking to Loren and Ruiz could deliver the information much more effectively. It opened up the scene for some comedy and supported the growing dynamic between two principle characters in the book.

Character moments or bust.

Character moments can create truly memorable scenes that readers share with others. They come to define the book better than any one plot point might.

And they bring your book to life.

Take the extra care with your characters and your reader’s will appreciate it.

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – January 19, 2017

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I was hoping to really dig into this one and deliver some grade A sarcasm and topnotch witty remarks that are patented Lou material. Instead, my toddler decided to enter her quarterly scream-fest and I am too bleary eyed to think straight. So let’s get to the writing update!

(Then sleep. With my headphones blaring. In the car. Down the block.)

Writing Update!

writing update

The PROOFS are in. I’ve been hip deep in reading through Tales from Portents “one last time” this week. Why the quotes? Because I know there will be another readthrough. There is always one more readthrough.

I’d like to thank my lovely wife for joining me in this endeavor. She found two glaring issues with Resurrectionists that I have spent the last two hours repairing. If you noticed them, apologies all around! If not, then what the hell are you talking about?

The Medusa Coin self-edit is chugging along. SLOWLY. I think I’ve figured out my main issue with the narrative and the changes I’ve noted, on copious amounts of stickie notes running throughout my basement, are going to really ramp up the overall storyline.

I’m very excited to pull the book apart and really tear into some of the weaker sections. You’ll thank me for it, I promise.

One final thought on editing this go-around and yet another apology if it has bothered you as much as it does me now. Littering. The damn word is everywhere in my books. I can’t stand it now. I am editing that word out of my vocabulary for the foreseeable future. (UGH. Buy a Thesaurus jackass. Oh wait, it’s right there, littering the floor. Idiot.)

The Signs of Portents sale is going on now. 99 pennies will get you a brilliant copy of the first book in the Greystone series.

I started outlining a new project. (I KNOW. Just wait.) I was talking with my editor to line up our schedules for The Medusa Coin and we started chatting about future series. And I told her about what I’m thinking comes next.

Big mistake.

I’ve been outlining since. Character moments. Overarching themes. Specific threats. Connecting factors.

No details yet for you. But damn, is it going to be a helluva time.

Thanks for reading.

(WHAT? No reading recommendations? Sorry. Can’t hear you over the screaming toddler down the block. Next time.)

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