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

Serialized Fiction

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Serial fiction has been a staple of the medium for centuries. Weekly installments captured a reader’s attention and kept them coming back to the newsstands for the next chapter. From Charles Dickens to Arthur Conan Doyle, some of the greatest fiction writers of all time offered their masterpieces piecemeal to the public.

Serialized fiction today…

There is a growing trend in the digital book market to split books into installments. Three parts or ten, these serial novels give the reader a small taste of the greater whole. But does it offer a satisfying read?

Benefits exist for this model. An author can surely capitalize more on one book broken down into multiple parts rather than sell only one product on the digital stands. They are able to charge less, though make more in the long run with the full narrative split between chapters.

This model also allows an author to be a perpetual publisher, constantly launching a new product to the market for their readers to lap up. Readers are constantly looking for their next book and staggering the full story in an installment model keeps them coming back. There is always another pre-order, always another chapter to offer until the story is done, keeping them locked on the series rather than stray while it takes six to ten months for another full-length novel to be produced and launched.

How to make it a better experience for readers?

That’s the key, isn’t it? Rather than make them feel obligated to get the next chapter in order to complete the story, maybe the solution is a more episodic nature.

Taking a page from television, each piece of the serial should tell a full-length story within its pages but continue driving the overarching narrative forward to draw readers to the next chapter. They don’t have to be 90,000 word chapters but enough to satisfy the casual reader as well as the devout follower.

The same pitfalls exist, however, as any series. How to make the third book to a series as easy to enter as the first? Or even the fifteenth as the first? It’s not an easy task. Maybe it isn’t even warranted any longer, now that readers are able to go back and download the first book with the click of a button instead of scrounging through old paperback bins at the flea market.

What’s coming in 2019?

Yeah, there’s a reason I’ve been thinking about this argument. Next year I’m launching a new series, one with an episodic structure and a rapid fire launch schedule. There are quite a few different directions I’ve toyed with, different tactics to use and how best to make them work within the structure of the series.

Serialized fiction, episodic story-telling, I believe is the future of the medium. What do you think?

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – October 19, 2017

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I’ve been hiding from the world of late. My social media presence was never staggering but has been extremely limited the last few weeks. Why? I’ve been writing! Best excuse ever, right?

NaNoWriMo and The Lost Outpost

If you’ve been following my blog the last week you may have noticed some attention placed on NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. I wasn’t sure I was going to participate this year, I have plenty to keep me busy as it is – but inspiration struck and now I can’t wait.

I put the finishing touches on a new script-level draft this week. The book is called The Lost Outpost and is my first foray into the sci-fi/space opera genre. New worlds, alien cultures, war and strife. Lots of interesting elements to play with and new characters to learn. It’s been quite the experience putting this together after living in Portents for so long but I’m excited to see where it goes come November 1st!

Founder’s Day

The pre-order should be up next week for the FREE novella sequel to Resurrectionists. Reading through it again, I forgot the fun that came with Loren and Myers’ growing partnership. Yeah, there’s murder and betrayal – lots of darkness abound – but the back and forth between these two characters made the whole project worthwhile.

I’ll be sure to share some links as soon as I have them!

Meanwhile, if you or someone you know hasn’t downloaded a copy of Resurrectionists be sure to snag it before Founder’s Day arrives on December 5th. Definitely want to read that first chapter before diving into the latest Greystone tale.

Reading

I am one-third of the way through my Fall Reading List for those keeping score at home. I think I have time for one more read before the insane drafting begins next month. We’ll see how it goes.

A Fistful of Rain by Greg Rucka – Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Mim Bracca is the kind of character you can’t help but hate and root for at the same time. I could not stop picturing Krysten Ritter from Jessica Jones as the main character, couldn’t stop hearing her voice even. It fit so well.

A fast read with plenty of character moments. Can’t recommend it enough.

Advance Team

I’m opening the Advance Team up again for new readers. If you’re interesting in receiving a free copy of the next Greystone book in exchange for an honest review come release time shoot me an email at lou@loupaduano.com.

Can’t wait to hear from you!

Thanks for reading

Organization – Scheduling and Mapping

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When it comes to the writing game, organization is critical to any type of success. From creative to financial, nothing comes to fruition without maintaining a level of organization in the day to day operation of your writing business.

Remember that? Yeah, it’s still a business. We might tell incredible stories about spaceships and kick ass women with mysterious elemental powers but at the end of the day we have to pay some bills, right?

Scheduling

Scheduling is absolutely key and one of the areas I constantly revisit when figuring out my calendar. Take each step of the process – from outlining to drafting to editing. Add in everything necessary. Communication delays with the cover artist? Make sure it is built into the schedule.  Editor booked until later in the year? Make sure you know what is going on in the world around you.

Much as I would like to think the universe stops for my deliberations – and it damn well should! – I wake up every morning hopeful in my attempts to GET AHEAD of schedule.

But the schedule comes first. And not just for one project, one week or even one month. But a year out. At all times. At least.

That might be difficult to imagine. The schedule won’t be perfect. It can’t be. There are too many variables, too many pieces pulling in different directions. By looking at the macro – the big picture of the business of writing – you can see pockets of time for these last minute calamities that WILL occur no matter the amount of planning involved.

What do I use for this?

There are tons of calendar apps out there and I really need to upgrade my method here but I stick with the Outlook calendar. I list out each event, the time involved and plan accordingly, stretching out four to six months at a time per project.  I am actually trying to nail down the specifics for 2019 at the moment so I’m hopeful it’s working.

From the macro to the nitty-gritty

Macro is great. It gives you perspective. It gives you wiggle room to shift and play with the overall plan in place. But what about the day to day?

When it comes to my calendar, the big things make it there. Drafting. Outlining. Editing. Cover Design. Publication Dates. Marketing initiatives. When it comes to the day to day operation that is my basement office, there is nothing better than a legal pad and a pencil.

I make a list every Sunday for the week. On that list are tasks ranging from this very blog you’re reading to making sure a tweet is scheduled about another author’s new release.

Some are date specific and noted as such. Others are carryover tasks from the previous week. (Really, who has time to clean up their email?) Each is essential to making sure I can find the time to write. Every line I can check off makes it that much easier to fit in some time for a new book, a new series, whatever.

Organization when it comes to the creative side

That’s the business side. Yeah, it’s drab – unless you like checklists which are the BEST – however, I enjoy looking at that side of things and finding new ways to explore the creative side with the time allotted through careful planning.

For organizing plots on future books?

I use OneNote. I know, WINDOWS. I had a Windows phone (I was the one, yes), so sue me. When I take a walk to clear my head, rather than pack the legal pad and pencil I have the app open so I can punch in random thoughts ranging from a line of dialogue to a crucial plot element that I had been missing for months.

It works. Everything is broken down into pages. I have a page for each of the Greystone books. I have one for the overall map of the series – even the beginning stages of the second cycle.

When I’m working on a project I tend to map out the plot in OneNote. I’ll break down each chapter or I’ll follow a specific character from start to finish to see where they head and how they connect to other characters later explored in this manner. It helps me see the story before getting too far along the process.

It also helps me see if there is an actual story in the mix or if I need to sleep on it more.

Systems, systems, systems

Obviously, every writer is different in their approach. Everyone handles the workload differently. The very idea of scheduling is anathema to some writer’s – though those people are CRAZY.

Find your system and make it work for you. Then refine it. Play with it. Map it out.

Now go write!

Previously… Bringing New Readers Up to Speed

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Bringing new readers up to speed is a new experience for me. With each installment of Greystone released there is more backstory to fill in along the way and the method of doing so can be tricky. There is a thin line between over explanation and revealing necessary details from previous books.

Previously…

new readersI’ve been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I received an e-mail from a reader who started with The Medusa Coin without having any previous knowledge of the series. Which should be allowed always when writing a series. There is no written law that states every story has to be read from the beginning.

And while it would definitely help, each book has to stand on its own to give new readers a satisfying experience.

Balance is the key…

Yeah, I take Mentor’s lessons to heart as much as Soriya does. When putting together The Medusa Coin certain details were necessary to carry over from the previous books. A lot of it, though, was left up to the reader to discover. How much is fair in that regard though?

Should everything be explained in great detail or is the goal to intrigue the reader to pick up the earlier installments?

New Readers Syndrome

Comic books suffer from this consistently. The edict “Every book is someone’s first” is crucial in this regard but catering to new readers only causes the narrative to suffer for those who have been around since the start of the journey.

Who gets preferential treatment? How much is acceptable?

Notice the lack of answers, so far?

That’s because there is no right answer to this or pretty much anything when it comes to writing. There are guidelines or words of wisdom from the greats in every genre, but typically the narrative dictates all.

The Medusa Coin refers heavily to Signs of Portents. Characters changed because of previous events and reminding the reader of them is crucial to seeing where each player goes from that point. Is it fair to new readers? Probably not. But at the same time slowing down the current story to explain one easily sought out and read on its own isn’t the solution.

What is the solution?

Awareness. Since I received that e-mail – and I am grateful for the reader’s honesty in this regard – I’ve taken great strides to make sure there is enough reference within the current book for all that has come before.

Going back to the comic book side for a moment, Marvel decided to solve “New Readers Syndrome” by including a recap page in each and every issue, describing relevant details from the previous issue/arc to bring the reader up to speed.

I’ve debated doing the same thing. Maybe not in the book proper but here on the site. But again, five years from now someone might find this site and discover Signs of Portents. Do I really want to ruin it for them by spelling out the narrative for other readers who have an interest in reading The Medusa Coin first?

Like I said, no real answers here yet.

For now, I’m gauging reader feedback while keeping an eye on the books ahead. The goal, as it always should be, is to make each book a rip roaring good time for new and returning readers alike.

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – January 5, 2017

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Welcome Back! A new year begins. Hopefully everyone is well rested and ready to jump right in. Me? Not so much, but then again, that’s my own fault for working instead of resting.

Has a lesson been learned? Probably not.

Enough with the banter! Your writing update awaits!

Writing

Slowly but surely the final pieces for next year’s short story collection, Pathways in the Dark, are coming together. I’ve had one story, in particular, that I’ve had rolling around the old noggin’ for years but it never went beyond the one line elevator pitch. Finally, over eggnog and gift exchanges something clicked into place and I am very excited to see it come together.

Back in 2017, (yeah, this isn’t going to get confusing quick) I’ve started self-editing September’s release, The Medusa Coin. Feels like I wrote the draft a lifetime ago but it’s only been five weeks. I have this mapped for the next two months so bear with me. I want to make sure this one comes out just right. It is a piece I’ve wanted to put together for years and I want to make sure it comes out right.

First, though, comes Tales from Portents, completing our journey to the present. The order is in for the first proofs! I can’t wait to hold it in my hands while I read through it for the final time. I wrote down the first notes for the project back in April 2016 so I am very excited that it is almost time to put it out in the world.

Hopefully everyone has been enjoying Resurrectionists, the free teaser for Tales from Portents. If you haven’t snagged your copy yet, click on the image below. And if you have, a word of thanks and a small request to not only spread the word through the wonderland of social media but also to leave a review anywhere and everywhere so others can find it to enjoy in the future. Reviews also help me position the books better for promotions. (Something I will be talking about more in a couple weeks.)

Resurrectionists

Reading

I could mention Tales from Portents and The Medusa Coin again but that would seem awfully self-involved, wouldn’t it?  (That Lou Paduano guy is great though, isn’t he?)

Suffice it say, editing and proofing have taken over the schedule so reading for pleasure has been a little lost in the shuffle. Hoping to get back to providing some top notch recommendations soon. If you have any to share with me, please do so. I’m always on the lookout to try something new.

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – November 10, 2016

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I like to take stock on where I am with my work and I feel it’s important to share that with you here. Every two weeks you can find out what I’m currently writing and what I’ve been reading.

Reminder Alert: Only one week left to enter the Goodreads Giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of Signs of Portents! Plenty of time left to spread the word and get people excited for the book!

Writing

NaNoWriMo is in full swing and I am chained to my folding table in the basement to crank out the second full length novel in the Greystone series. The Medusa Coin is a story I’ve been waiting to tell for way too long. To have the opportunity to maximize my productivity during this month long sprint is incredible.

I’m looking to complete the entire first draft for the NaNoWriMo challenge this year and have been plugging away diligently to make it happen. As of this writing I am 30 chapters in at a word count of 34,042. It definitely takes some getting used to being able to write almost full time compared to my normal schedule (the ever fading nap time). Very happy I’ve taken the challenge this year to test out how things will be once my two wonderful munchkins hit their school years though I do miss daylight (Not that there’s much of it to enjoy these days.)

You can read about my NaNoWriMo experience as well as some tips to prepare and survive the grueling month over at The Write Life starting next week.

currently writingTales from Portents

The line edit just came back from my brilliantly talented editor, Kristen Hamilton and I will be digging through her notes over the next two weeks before the proofreading phase begins. February is right around the corner so I plan to make this my full priority once I survive November. I’m looking forward to sharing this project with you. Very surprised at how well it came together considering its origins.

Kristen was nice enough to entertain some questions – okay, a lot of questions – about her process. I plan to share them over the next couple of weeks. A nice primer for how much she brings to the table as an editor and how to make the most of the collaboration.

Reading

Unfortunately, with more writing time the reading portion of my day has ground to a halt. I have been lucky enough to get more reading time with my three year old so if you’re looking for some scintillating reviews of Dora the Explorer or Pete the Cat I’d be glad to share them. Just not here. (As long as my daughter enjoys them, that’s all that matters, right?)

Thanks for reading.

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