This pass through CURSE is done!

ByJohn Brown

Oh, this feels soooooooo good. Here are the stats.

  • 58 chapters
  • 205,000 words
  • I received the green light midway through April. Finished 27 weeks later.
  • Looking at my time records, it took me a total of 345 hours to finish this draft.  And the lion’s share was new stuff.  This took less time than it normally does for me, but it’s the freaking forth time through and I know the world and characters.
  • I averaged about 13 hours per week. It still bothers me I couldn’t get that closer to 20 hours.
  • This translates to a rate of about 600 words per hour, and that’s with daily edits, thinking, backtracks.  I’m not going to win any speed contest, but at least I’m consistent.

Of course, it took me an additional 105 hours of work to finally get an outline we could agree on. If I add that, it brings my stats down a bit. But, overall, I’m pleased. For those who want to read an excellent article on writing productivity, look at Kevin J. Anderson’s “The Mathematics of Productivity.”

Now I need to take the next two weeks to cut about 10%. And fix the weather stripping on our French doors to keep the hordes of  #@!$%! spiders from coming in. Wish me luck.

Note: it bugs me my bullets don’t show up. Some day I’m going to get someone to fix the stylesheet on this website.

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    MountainCon 2008 Killer Story Workshop

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    Just got word from the programming organizer that my killer workshop is a go for MountainCon this year. The bonus is that Brandon Sanderson will be teaching it with me. You do NOT want to miss this one.

    WHAT: Writing Killer Stories: This is a hands-on workshop conducted by two professional
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    When you finish, you will know:

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    • 4 parts of story & how they relate to the key
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    WHEN: Saturday, September 20th,  7:30-10:00 PM, Panel Room 1

    WHERE: Davis Convention Center, Layton, Utah

    For more information go to MountainCon.org

    And if you get sick of me, you can listen to Sarah Douglas, the villain from Superman II.  She’ll be there as well with lots of other folks including

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    Richard Herd

    Herb Jefferson Jr.

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    Scott Schwartz

    Victor Brandt

    Tad Atkinson

    Mark Goddard*

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  • Awful Intent Update

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  • News: LDStorymakers

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    You want to go to a writing conference dedicated to writing commercial (popular) fiction. Stuff people like to read. You want a conference that actually helps you on the business end, not just with craft. You live in Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, northern Arizona, or maybe a bit farther. What if you could go to one that featured the following:

    1. AUTHOR: Anne Perry. Yes, that Anne Perry, the mega mystery goddess.
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    Plus lots of other great folks. Including some who are making some nice numbers on Kindle selling independently.

    Geez, John. Sounds fab!

    Yeah. It’s happening May 10-11, 2013 in Provo, UT (a glorious time in Utah). It’s the LDStorymakers conference. There’s not a better conference in the Intermountain area. I presented last year. It was fun and insightful. I’ll be there this year. It’s great for meeting other authors (that includes lots of friendly folks trying to break in). And, obviously, meeting agents and editors.

    The thing is the attendance is capped. Last year they turned folks away.

    If you want in, I suggest you register now.

    See you there! (Really, I hope you come up and say hello.)

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  • Listen to Loose in the Wires for free

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    far-fetched-fables-logo

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  • Rest in peace, Dave Wolverton

    ByJohn Brown

    I was saddened today to learn that Dave Wolverton, best known by his pen name David Farland, passed away this week.

    Dave was such an incredibly helpful mentor to me. It was the workshop he held at BYU back in 1993 that made me think I could actually write stories that entertained people. It was that workshop that prompted me to start submitting to the magazines.

    And when I finally got my first publication, he was involved. He was the initial judge for Writers of the Future when my story won a first prize. And he was there, helping lead the writer’s workshop in Cocoa Beach, Florida and cheering all of us on.

    Later, when I started writing novels, it was his thoughtful feedback that helped me improve my second novel to a publishable level. He believed in it enough to write a recommendation for me to Tor Books. When they decided to publish me, it was Dave that agreed to take me on tour with him. I enjoyed hours and hours driving with him, chatting, laughing, and signing at bookstores in Washington, Oregon, and California.

    He was always interested. Always friendly. Always willing to talk and share his expertise. And always had great stories to share about his life.

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    I still remember going to the bookstore in Pleasanton, California in 1998, hoping to get a copy of RUNELORDS when it was first published, being so excited when I found it on the self, opening it, and reading the first pages. They completely enthralled me. Blew me away. I felt like I was in the cinema. I loved that series and was always waiting for the final book.

    I loved Dave’s stories. I appreciated so much his many kindnesses to me and his good humor.

    May you rest in paradise, my friend, until the trumpet sounds.

     

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  • SERVANT & Smith’s grocery, CURSE, Suspense series, My blog readers

    ByJohn Brown

    Smith’s Grocery Goodness

    Just saw the paperback of SERVANT OF A DARK GOD in a Smith’s grocery in Kaysville, Utah. What this tells me is that SERVANT sold well enough when it was in the Smith’s stores in hardback for them to bring it back a second time. I’m guessing it’s in all the stores in the state. I want to thank all of you who bought it in hardback at the time from Smith’s.

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    Barnes & Noble is one of my favorite places in the world. But there are only 10 stores in all of Utah. There are 50 Smith’s stores in Utah. There are probably 30-40 Fresh Markets in the same area.  There are 10 Maceys. When a book gets picked up by a grocery store, that ususally means it’s going to sell a LOT more copies. Why? Because more people can see that the thing exists. Furthermore, those displays put the cover face out. A huge draw for buyers that like to browse. So this is great news. And SERVANT might even be in some stores outside of Utah since Smiths’ and Fresh Market are national chains. If you see a copy in your local grocery store, please let me know.  

    And here’s to the day when these books show up in Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and Costco as well. 

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    A lot of people have been asking about the release date for CURSE. The short answer is that we don’t have a date yet. I will be writing a long entry about it next Monday or Tuesday. Just know that I’m working my keister off to deliver more great entertainment to you.

    Suspense Series Status

    I’m working on the post on structure. It’s about half way done. I hope to publish it over the Thanksgiving weekend.

    You JB blog readers

    I get a few thousand folks coming to this site each month. Most leave very little trace. But there’s nothing like meeting someone new who mentions they found a blog useful or entertaining. I had a great time at the Dragons & Fairy Tales book signing and at the dinner afterwards with the other authors. One gal who came by mentioned she enjoyed the recent post on cauliflower, even though she hasn’t read SERVANT yet. That made the whole evening. Of all the posts . . . Anyway, I’m so glad to hear from my readers. Even if it’s the veggie lovers 🙂

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8 Comments

  2. So excited for you. Way to stick with it, John! I was just talking about you with my wife today, and about how much I’m looking forward to you getting another book in this series out. Sadly, I won’t see you at LTUE next year because we up and moved all the way to Pennsylvania when my wife got a great job offer, but if you’re ever out in the Philly area, you’ve got a place to stay and get some free meals. 🙂

  3. That first sentence really needs some capslock and an exclamation point. Should read “SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!” 🙂

  5. Holy crap, Bryce. Pennsylvania! You know, we spent a few years in Ohio. I hope you love it. What type of work does your wife do?

  6. Behavioral Analyst. She works with people of all ages with disabilities that exhibit problem behaviors.

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