What's your process?

There are a lot of writers out there with millions of books on Amazon and other places. There's no doubt the world for writers has changed and is constantly evolving. But one thing that really hasn't changed is the writing process. Or has it?

When I start a book, I never go into it with a full concept in mind. I am not a plotter, simply because I do not want a canned product that is like anyone else's. And I can't get there by extensive plotting. Sure, I have no doubt that I borrow bits and pieces of books and pop culture as I go along, but I never do so with the idea that I want to write something like anything else. Being truly original may be an impossible task, however, so we get there as best we can.

A lot of writers have another process. They read a book and say, "I can do better" and want to expand or change a few things and produce something original. And I think with the speed of publishing, that whole "write what's hot" concept is alive and well like never before. In the old days of the publishing crawl, if you wanted to write something that was hot, by the time it got through the process to publication there was a chance you were going to be very late to the game, and look like a hack. Today, something that's hot in January, can inspire an eBook that can be out by March. Just look at the explosion of erotica that "50 Shades" has inspired.

I actually wish I could do that. I wish I could look at the best sellers list today, and have a 60k word novel ready by March. But I'm not wired that way. I just can't sculpt a story in that fashion, I need to let the story take itself where it may. I'm built on the line of thinking that says if I can't surprise myself, I'm not going to surprise my readers. Other writers can make twists, I have to stumble into them.

I guess that's what's so cool about writing, and writers. We all have such a different process. We all have the same goal in mind, but we get there in such different ways. Are you a plotter? Do you fly by the seat of your pants? Are you a hybrid of both? Are you something altogether different?

A while back I read about a writer who writes backwards. He starts at the end, and works his way to the beginning. That sound incredibly hard, but it would probably be a fun thing to try and see what you come up with.

No matter the process, or the final product, writers are writing like never before in both scope and volume. I'd like to hear about all those different processes out there. Because some of them are so innovative and I'm sure someone out there is going to come up with something none of us have ever seen or tried before.

Savior Frequency

SAVIOR FREQUENCY

Since SAVIOR FREQUENCY has launched last week I've been busy promoting it and working on my next new novel which is close to completion. But I had to take a few moments to say thanks to my fans who've given me such good feedback on SAVIOR FREQUENCY. It has been so well received and that's really excited me to write the next book in the Frequency series. It's still a while off, but I can't wait to take another trip with Jordan and Kayci and see what insanity they can get into next time. 

So I hope those that have not read SAVIOR FREQUENCY yet decide to take the journey. And to those that patiently await a second book in the series I hope to keep you entertained with one of my other books in the meantime. 

I would also like to wish everyone happy holidays.  

Follow me on Twitter @shanescollins and look for me on Facebook where I have both an author page you can like, or a personal page you can friend. 

Shane

New Cover - SAVIOR FREQUENCY

NEW COVER REVEAL

This is the new (NEW) cover for SAVIOR FREQUENCY. My publisher wasn't happy with the original and decided to redo it completely, and you can't argue with the results. The book will be launching this week and so far early buzz has been excellent. This is the reason I love working with Limitless Publishing, they do not mail it in, ever.

Cover Reveal - LEGACY RISING

COVER REVEAL

COMING SOON FROM LIMITLESS PUBLISHING

I'm excited to reveal this newest cover for LEGACY RISING, my next release from Limitless Publishing. The book is in formatting right now and the official release date is just around the corner.

Cover Reveal - THE SAVIOR FREQUENCY

COVER REVEAL

This is the cover for my next book THE SAVIOR FREQUENCY from Limitless Publishing. The book is with the editor right now so we are working hard to get it ready for release. We are probably just a few weeks away from the official release date.

Thanks for the Wild Ride

I've been on a lot of wild rides. Back in my youth I was heavily into street racing, and those unsanctioned (read illegal) rides were exhilarating and wild. Burning rubber and banging gears, yeah, it was fun. I'm also an avid ATV rider, and even at 40 years old I like to get my Suzuki Quad Sport out there ripping up the tracks, pitching it sideways in turns and hanging on for dear life. I also love to ride bicycles, and can often be found leaping my Mongoose off of curbs and carving turns. So, yeah, I've been on many wild rides.

But the one I'm on now is a different kind of ride. Ever since the release of REVENGE OF THE TAKEN (Humble Walker Book 1) with Limitless Publishing, it has been a wild ride. During the weekend, the book hit #7 on the Amazon Best Seller list for SciFi (although it may have briefly hit #4 according to a report I could not substantiate myself). But I won't quibble over a few places. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty cool seeing my book in front of some major heavyweight writers I've idolized for their work.

The reviews have been amazing, and people are just loving the book at every turn. I could not be more excited to hear what people are saying, and reading what they are writing. There is really no better feeling as a writer when people love to get into your story as much as you did while writing it. We writers pour a lot of soul into our work, immersing ourselves in the worlds of our characters all the while hoping when someone reads it that they get it too.

Art is so subjective. Be it movies or music, books or paintings, when the creator is producing such things they never really know if anyone is going to like it. Some people don't really care if people like their work, but I think most of us want someone else to enjoy it. Personally, I write to tell stories, to take readers on journeys and wild rides that might be unexpected or even bizarre. I like to give people an escape from reality even if I'm describing things as if they could (and might be) actually happening right next door.

So I want to say thanks to those who have bought REVENGE OF THE TAKEN and those on social media who have passed on nice words about the book. I'm truly humbled by the support and it makes we want to work that much harder on the next one. After all, wild rides can be addictive in a good way.

Official Release

It's official REVENGE OF THE TAKEN has launched into the Kindlesphere. If early indications are anything to go by it's headed for big success. The initial reviews are in and I'm excited that people like it. There is nothing more rewarding for an author than people enjoying their work. The reason I write is to take readers into worlds, places and situations that they normally would not and could not go.

REVENGE OF THE TAKEN

COMING SOON FROM LIMITLESS PUBLISHING

Here it is - the cover for REVENGE OF THE TAKEN, the first book in my HUMBLE WALKER series and my first book with Limitless Publishing. Hats off to my publisher and the graphic artist for all their hard work in getting this one done. It came out great.

A great cover can really bring a concept to life, and this does it so well. It's amazing as a writer when something visual is stuck to your words. In this case the artwork captures the book in such a way that it makes me want to read the book, and I wrote it. We are still working hard to make sure the product under the cover is the best it can be. The official release date is within reach and I'm excited. Working with Limitless Publishing has been an awesome experience.

Cover Proof is Proof

It's always an exciting time when you have a book coming out. But for me the thing gets real when you start to see cover proofs coming down from the graphic designer. Today I saw the cover for REVENGE OF THE TAKEN the first book in my Humble Walker series. All I can say is wow...my publisher has really got a great graphic designer, and they worked tirelessly on this project. The end result is a cover even better than I dreamed it would be.

As I said, for me the cover is really the big step. It just seems to put a stamp on all the hard work you put into a story. The cover brings the book to life, it breaths oxygen into the words. It also makes me want to work that much harder to get the next project done so I can see another cover...and another cover...and another cover... In this case Humble Walker is slated to be a three book series, but one never knows how many it will really go. I leave that up to the will of God and the Universe.

I will be posting a link to the cover soon, and putting it up on my website. For now, it's back to work on edits for my next project.

One Book Two Book Three Book

In recent days I signed on with Limitless Publishing to publish my Humble Walker Series, a three book deal that will start with Revenge of The Taken. I'm really excited to be working with such dedicated professionals. We in the editing stages right now and things are going well.

I've already started working on the second book in the series, and since I've never written a series before I was not sure at first how it was going to play out. After doing some brainstorming and getting words on the page I can already see how the second and third books are going to play out. Well, a little bit.

I'm definitely not a storyboard writer. When I start a book with a basic concept, I almost never end up with what I thought I was going to. I suppose that's good and bad. I pretty much let my characters develop and take over the story as they go. I also hate to put myself inside a box and cap what possible insanity my brain might create.

In the case of a series though, you kind of have to follow a formula, so it's a new challenge. But as I've been getting into the process I've realized it can be fun to let your characters grow beyond the first book. And you can introduce new characters along the way to enhance the established ones. Very cool.

Either way, there is a lot to be excited about.

Social Writing

I admire my fellow writers. Some of them are really good at staying active in social media and keeping up on their blogs. I am not one of them. I tend to spend more time working on my novels and writing never perfected query letters then I do posting on Twitter, Facebook or writing something for this blog.

I guess I need to find more of a happy medium. I have managed to collect some 3800 Twitter followers, but I feel like I don't dedicate enough time to them all. I want to read all of their books and write reviews like they often suggest but I just can't seem to find the time. And I feel like it's not fair to pick and choose which ones deserve my attention. They all do. Where does one start?

So I've decided to make a more directed effort to spend a little more time doing the social media thing. I do admit to liking Twitter much more then Facebook, but I guess that's a personal preference thing. Most people seem to prefer Facebook.

Summer is the hardest time to write anyway. I find myself really forcing it. I'm in the middle of the final drafts of three different projects and still seeking a publisher for another project. So technically four projects are sucking up my time and I cannot focus on a single one. That's not a good sign, but it is reflective of the summer writing mind. I'd rather be outside on my bicycle then inside with a hot computer on my lap. So the trips into social media platforms should be a welcome change.

Either way, have fun in the sun, and maybe I'll see you in the social circles.