Jeff Adams Writes » Adventures of Jake #1 http://www.jeffadamswrites.com Wed, 21 Jul 2010 01:08:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 New Story & Nerdvana Update http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/12/29/new-story-nerdvana-update/ http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/12/29/new-story-nerdvana-update/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:58:34 +0000 Jeff http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/?p=2984 I wrapped up the first draft of the short story that takes place inside of a So You Think You Can Dance-style show. I’m glad it’s finally out of my head as it was making it difficult to do anything else creative. It took longer than I expected, but I had trouble with one of the scenes and got stuck for a few days. I’m going to work on getting it revised/edited and then shop it around since this story is not in response to any particular submission call. It was just something I needed to write.

Nerdvana (Edited by Fred Towers | ISBN: 1934187577) is finally fully available! I got the STARbooks newsletter in my email box yesterday afternoon and there it was. You can check it out on the Starbooks site. You can also pick up the paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon.com. I hope to find my author copy in the mailbox soon so I can check out the other stories.

]]> http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/12/29/new-story-nerdvana-update/feed/ 0 Learning How to Revise… and New Ideas http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/12/06/learning-how-to-revise-and-new-ideas/ http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/12/06/learning-how-to-revise-and-new-ideas/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:18:19 +0000 Jeff http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/?p=2982 Since June, once I knew the results of the Delacorte contest, I’ve been working to revise Neutral Zone. Some of this work is pretty straight forward since it’s about restoring scenes I removed to make the competition length requirements. The rest hasn’t been so cut and dried. I’ve been adding in more scenic elements becuase Will has pointed out that my characters tend to exist in a black box. I see the scenery in my head, I just don’t point it on the page. I’ve also been taking care of story problems as I find them. I’ve never been sure though if I’m helping, hurting or even not changing its chances at getting sold.

Frankly, I find it hard to revise since I see everything in my head so clearly with this story…including things that aren’t on the paper.

I think Will found a solution to this problem. A while ago he took an online course written by Holly Lisle called How to Think Sideways, a course on writing that he enjoyed and felt he learned from. Lisle just introduced a new course called, appropriately, How to Revise Your Novel. I read the synopsis of the 22 week course and decided it sounded like the perfect thing to give me guidance on how to make Neutral Zone (and anything else I write) the best it can be.

I started the course this week. The goal for this first week is to go through your book and give a really subjective look at the character, story, setting and any place that your plot loses your attention. You also have to highlight the parts that you love since those are important too. I’m working my way through the 247 pages of the novel, which is now in a  binder so I can make notations where there are issues. Luckily Lisle breaks this process down very well in the course materials so I really understand the objective I’m trying to achieve. It’s been quite eye opening so far and I can already see a path to a better book. If only I had the time to get that all done in week 1…at least she says it’s not a requirement to complete the week’s lesson in seven days.

I’ll write about the course periodically as the revision journey continues. My hope is to finish the course by  mid 2010 and move on to finding an agent/publisher who wants it. If only it was as easy to make that happen as it is to write it here.

In other news:

  • A couple ideas started buzzing around my head: 1) A sci-fi story that involves a rescue mission of some sort. 2) A story set at a So You Think You Can Dance style show. Random pieces for both stories are getting written down and I hope to get drafts written soon.
  • It’s been fun to watch the download counts on Rivals. After it’s first day it was #5 on the Nap-Size Dreams best seller list and since then it has been parked solidly at #4. If I’m reading right it looks like over 80 downloads have happened. Sure, it sounds like a small number, but I think it rocks that people are reading my story!
  • Nerdvana may finally be out. Amazon is no longer listing it on pre-order, back on backorder. I’m not sure what’s going on there. Hopefully I’ll be able to take it off the “coming soon” list by the end of the year.
  • I also have to say that I finished a wonderful book this weekend. Admit One by Jenna Jenna Hilary Sinclair, another Dreamspinner Press author. It’s one of my favorite books of the year. You can read my review of it over at jeffandwill.com
]]> http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/12/06/learning-how-to-revise-and-new-ideas/feed/ 0 Writing for the Holidays http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/09/15/writing-for-the-holidays/ http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/09/15/writing-for-the-holidays/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:01:48 +0000 Jeff http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/?p=2948 It’s only September, but the holiday feeling has been in the air the past month or so for me. I’ve been working on a story for Dreamspinner Press’ Christmas Dreams – Mistletoe Madness anthology. I just sent “Rivals” in this morning, the deadline day. It was a fun story to write, just under 10,000 words. The anthology is for this Christmas so I should know soon if this is accepted or not.

In other news, Nerdvana (edited by Fred Towers, from STARbooks, ISBN: 1934187577, list price: $17.95) is up for pre-order now from Amazon and other sources. I’m excited about this since “Adventures of Jake #1″ will be the first story I’ll make a little money for as well as my first story in a book that will be available nationwide. It’s going to be fun to read the other stories in here too to see what the other authors created from the theme. (Caution: Nerdvana contains adult subject matter)

Over in Neutral Zone land, things have been static. Work picked up for the summer and I haven’t been able to give time to it and get the short story done. Work kept me from finishing a short story for the Games in the Dark anthology. I’ve got a good chunk of that story written so I am going to finish it and hope to find somewhere else to shop it to. Work will lighten up by mid-October so I can get back to Neutral Zone and finish that editing job. Reading David Inside Out by Lee Bantle further drove the point home that I need to finish working on Neutral Zone and work to get it out there. There is a market for this kind of story–Martin, Bill and Lee have all proven that to me this year.

]]> http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/09/15/writing-for-the-holidays/feed/ 1 Nerdvana Acceptance! http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/03/18/nerdvana-acceptance/ http://www.jeffadamswrites.com/2009/03/18/nerdvana-acceptance/#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:51:19 +0000 Jeff http://www.jeffandwill.com/?p=2579 I did one last email check, as usual, right before bed last night and there was some good news! The story I submitted back in November for the Nerdvana anthology was accepted. “Adventures of Jake #1″ will be included when the anthology from STARBooks Press hits the stores in the fall. This is the first story I’ve sold for cash.

Meanwhile, there’s no news yet on Neutral Zone and its status at the Twenty-Sixth Annual Delacorte Press Contents for a First Young Adult Novel. I can’t decide if I should be encouraged or not that I’ve heard nothing and it’s  mid-March. The rules say “Writers will be notified between January and April as submissions are evaluated by the editors.” The winner (if there is one) is announced “on or around April 30.” I’m trying to stick with the “no news is good news” mantra for now.

I’m still working on the Untitled Dream Project, writing some scenes and sketching out the main characters to see what I have there. I’ve also hatched an idea recently for a story set within a reality show… too early to tell what might come of that idea.

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