Newsletter April 2008
Hello everyone,
It is April already. Where does the time go? Oh right, it goes towards getting ready for daddydom. When I started this newsletter, I wanted to avoid a lot of personal detail, but I'm so excited that I can't help it. I can't wait for May to arrive! :) With such a big change coming, life has been very hectic, but worse, I have a hard time concentrating on my novel. When I sit down to write, I can usually block out the real world and enter the world of the characters. That state lasts about 45 minutes, and I can usually write anywhere from 500 to 1000 words. Nowadays I seem to be lasting for 20 minutes or so, and my word count is pathetic. I am still making forward progress though. That is what counts. And I still like the characters and story.
I wonder how my writing will change once my little girl arrives? When I wrote A Clockwork Murder, I was single and had been for a while. I had drifted out of contact with some close friends, so it was easy to write about Zook's life. Once the baby comes, it might be hard to write something dark and gritty, though it will probably be easy to write about characters who are exhausted and worn out. Only time will tell. But if I wind up with any Jar Jar characters, feel free to slap me.
In other writing news, HarperCollins Publishing is launching a new imprint that will take a radically new approach to publishing. Instead of big advances, the authors will get a percentage of the sale. And when a store buys copies from the publisher, they won't be able to return the unsold portion for a refund. Robert Miller, the person heading the new imprint had this to say: "Our goal will be to effectively publish books that might not otherwise emerge in an increasingly 'big book' environment, an environment in which established authors are under enormous pressure to top their previous successes, while new authors are finding it harder and harder to be published at all." Sounds promising. We'll see how it works out. Even if it doesn't, it gives me hope that the industry can adapt to the changing world. Maybe one day they will even figure out how to handle ebooks.
If you want to read more of my ramblings, I've brought my blog back from the dead. It is mostly about how strange science news stories have sparked plot ideas, but you never know what it will have. I host the blog on my site, but you can also read it on Live Journal or Facebook. The main blog: http://toddcedwards.com/blog/ Live Journal: http://doctodd.livejournal.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=645026792
And now it is 6:45. Time to send out the newsletter and write a few paragraphs before my wife wakes up. Did I mention how I love the quiet of the pre-dawn morning and watching the sky transform from black to gray to blue?
Take care,
--Todd
PS Unique views on my site since Jan. 1 2008: Main page = 365, ACM page = 81, Novel downloads = 25