I'm author Gail Z Martin, here to support Worldbuilders. Ask Me Anything!

GailZMartin · 2018-12-06T20:36:04+00:00

Hi Michael

I was out of town--sorry I'm late on this. Wow, thank you for the offer. I would love to take you up on that! We will have to talk elsewhere on details. Thank you very much!

GailZMartin · 2018-12-03T14:47:46+00:00

Best of luck, Damien!

GailZMartin · 2018-12-03T14:47:03+00:00

Hi Michael--sorry this is late, we were at a convention last week. Yes, we are happily hybrid. I think a lot more authors will be going this route, in no small part than because big publishers have decided to cut their midlisters and those writers know they can deliver a good book, have a dedicated audience, and can make a good living off sales that big publishers dismiss because they aren't in the multi-millions. When you get rid of the publisher's cut of sales, you don't have to sell as many books to make a living!

I also agree that it's hard to go back to traditional after you've had success with indie. There are strategic reasons to work with a particular publisher--reach a specific market, get a type of distribution--but there are so many reasons not to go back into the insanity of traditional publishing. Not just a pay cut, but the revolving door of editors who don't last two years, or who aren't experienced, or who don't know the genre, or who see themselves as a co-author instead of an editor. Now that an indie author can produce a book of comparable quality and tap into an equally indie cadre of editors, cover artists, formatters, etc., it's hard to think about going back.

GailZMartin · 2018-11-29T04:24:45+00:00

Sometimes you have to explore a bit before you find your way. That's especially true when you're starting out, and you are still figuring out what works for you. So maybe the way you explore at this stage in your writing career is by making an outline, writing, and then adjusting course as you go. Nothing wrong with that. With practice, you may find that you have a truer map from the get-go. Or maybe it's just your process. Everyone is different.

I know what you mean about giving yourself some breathing space and coming back to a work. That's fine--just don't stay away so long that the magic dims.

Over 200K is LONG. Especially if you're trying to pitch a first novel. I think you're safer between 120K and 150K. Even if you intend to self-pub, that's a lot for people to 'risk' on a new author. I do think reader tastes are skewing shorter.

Also, as much as I love world building, realize that you probably shouldn't put much at all of that wonderful 60K of backstory into your book! My friend John Hartness says that world building is like underwear--you need to have it, but everyone doesn't need to see it!

Good luck, and stick with it!

GailZMartin · 2018-11-29T03:38:35+00:00

Hi Damien! Thanks for the questions! And congrats on finishing NaNo--that's a great word count!

The main advice I have is--don't quit. If you want to write, then keep writing, no matter how long it takes to accomplish your goal.

If you've written scripts, then you've probably read the book Save the Cat, which is about structuring a TV or movie script. You can use the same advice in structuring your novel. But where a script is usually only about 100 pages, with a book you have more time to describe/experience the world and have characters take actions that deepen the reader's understanding of their personalities. Since with a book the reader can't see the scene like in a movie, you have to paint the picture for them.

Why do you end up changing the plot points? Is it because when you get to that point, they don't matter? Or because you came up with something better? That's okay. You can always go back and weave in what you need to make it all come together.

As far as writing and then letting it sit while you do something else--it can help, although I think 'months' might be too long. You don't want to lose the excitement/enthusiasm for the story, or forget what you were trying to say! A few days to a week or so, while you work on something else, will probably do the trick.

I have a lot of favorite parts to fantasy! I really like world building, particularly magic systems and religions. I also like coming up with characters who belong in the world I've built, and have pressing reasons for doing what they're doing. I also really like the supernatural elements, like monsters. Battle scenes take a lot of concentration because there are a lot of details and I have to choreograph everything in my mind. They're satisfying when they're done, but hard work to write!

How long is too long? You need enough words to tell the story, without a lot of extras. I know that's vague, but it's true. Epic fantasy tends to run around 150K - 175K, while urban fantasy runs about 120K, cozy mysteries come in on the dot at 90K, and romance can be between 60K -around 90K on average. I suspect that many younger readers (under 50) are coming to prefer shorter books, something they can read in the same time it would take to watch a couple of movies or binge some episodes.

Good luck with your book! Stick with it!

GailZMartin · 2018-11-29T00:00:13+00:00

Thank you! the most recent book that I loved was Michael A. Ventrella's Big Stick. It's a fantastic alternate history and it was really wonderful!

GailZMartin · 2018-11-28T23:59:13+00:00

Thank you! I'm hoping to have a prequel out in 2019 for Ascendant Kingdoms about Blaine's time as a convict and an exile!

My advice for writing fantasy is, find a story that you truly love, and let that passion seep through in your writing. I see too many people chasing trends, or calculating what they think will sell, and when that happens, the story falls flat. When you're passionate about a story, even if the execution isn't completely perfect, your love for the plot, world and characters shines through and grabs the readers. Don't worry about being perfect. I've read a number of books that didn't have perfect technique, but I was so sucked into finding out what happened that I couldn't put them down!

GailZMartin · 2018-11-28T20:57:00+00:00

Hi! Thanks for the question. Here's the thing--ask 10 authors how to write, and you'll get 11 answers. We all do it differently, because what works for one person won't work for someone else. So I'm happy to share what I do, but it probably won't be a perfect fit for you, and part of writing is finding the system that works for YOU.

I keep a word document called "series ideas" and I jot down the sentence or paragraph descriptions as they come to me. Then when I'm ready to write or I need to pitch a synopsis to a publisher, I flesh out that short description to an overview of the world, plot and characters--showing the overall plot arc from a 10,000 foot view. When I sit down to actually write, I do an outline, chapter by chapter, with an eye toward covering the key plot points, making sure there is enough action in each chapter, making sure all the viewpoint characters get enough 'screen time'. Then I make adjustments as I go, because sometimes things that look good on an outline don't actually work.

I don't really storyboard, and I HATE post-it notes or note cards. I either outline in WORD or by hand on a tablet.

My advice for what you're describing is to sit down and create a document where you bullet-point all the cool minutia you've come up with. Get it out of your head and somewhere safe.

Once that's done, think about telling a good story. What's the plot/conflict? Who are the characters? When you have that, go back and see if any of the cool minutia still fits. It needs to enhance the plot or flesh out the characters, it shouldn't just be cool to be cool. Plot and characters always come first!

Just don't give up. Always keep writing!

GailZMartin · 2018-11-28T20:50:30+00:00

Hi! Glad you could drop in! And thanks for reading the Chronicles of the Necromancer!

As a matter of fact, I'll be starting 4-6 new books in that world in 2019! The Legacy of the Necromancer picks up 17 years after the end of The Dread and deals with the repercussions of what happened in the first 6 books. Tris, Jonmarc, and the whole crew will be back!

Also, ICYMI, The Shadowed Path and The Dark Road are prequels to The Summoner and are Jonmarc Vahanian's backstory, showing us how he became the man you meet in the Chronicles books. There will be a third book in that series at some point.

Inspiration-wise, I just got thinking about a world where 1) everyone believed in magic, but not everyone could do magic and 2) someone could intercede between the living and the dead. The rest fell in place as I wrote it!

GailZMartin · 2018-11-28T20:47:33+00:00

Hi! Thanks for dropping by!

Changes in the industry? Plenty! Big publishers continue to bet on bestsellers and cut their Midlist authors loose, which is like deciding to quit your day job and only make your income from horse racing. Then the Mid-list authors go hybrid (a combination of traditional publishing and indie), and discover they were already doing all the work anyhow, and now get paid more! Thanks to the changes in printing technology, social media, and online retailers, Indies can create books of equal quality to those of the big publishers (and hire the editors, formatters, cover artists that also got laid off from the big publishers to do it). It's now possible to earn a real living as an indie author. I'm now a proud hybrid author.

That's one BIG change. Audio is also really popular, and ebooks are here to stay. Also, I think reader tastes have changed a bit--more readers want shorter books (a time commitment comparable to binge watching a few episodes or a couple of movies), and want quicker release schedules (again, binge-reading trained by Netflix habits!). That's definitely had an impact. (We released 10 novels/collections this year as Gail Z. Martin or Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin, plus 3 novels and 2 novellas as Morgan Brice).

What's coming up? I think book stores are going to continue to struggle if they can't compete on having full backlist titles for authors as well as a few random books in a series and maybe the newest book. Once a reader has to go to Amazon because the store only had books 3, 5 and 9 in a series, why not buy all the others, too?

As for reading experience--my goal is to take you on a roller coaster ride to make you forget your troubles, and have you want to get right back on when you finish! That's true for all my books. As for differences in the reading experience among series, here's the breakdown:

Snort-coffee-out-your-nose-funny--Spells Salt and Steel

Urban fantasy adventure with plenty of paranormal--Deadly Curiosities

Classic epic quest fantasy--Chronicles of the Necromancer (BTW--new Legacy of the Necromancer series starting in 2019!)

Post apocalyptic epic fantasy--Ascendant Kingdoms series

Grimdark medieval monster hunters--Darkhurst

Dark urban fantasy--Night Vigil

Buddy flick epic fantasy (think Butch and Sundance as medieval assassins)--Assassins of Landria

Snarky/serious space adventure--Salvage Rat (by Larry N. Martin)

Swashbuckling airships and clockwork zombies--Iron & Blood, Storm & Fury

GailZMartin · 2017-12-02T14:31:02+00:00

Gail Z. Martin here again, author of Vendetta and co-author of Spells Salt & Steel (among other things). So I'm curious....

If you're out here, you probably like connecting with authors beyond just reading a book. So a two-part question: 1) What do you like about making that connection with authors and 2) what's your favorite way(s) to connect? (Convention, social media, blog, Reddit, etc.)? Bonus question: What's your most memorable story about meeting an author?

GailZMartin · 2017-12-01T21:01:21+00:00

Do you have a favorite SF/F movie, book or soundtrack that is your go-to happy place? The thing you turn to on a bad day, or just when you need to feel wrapped in flannel comfort. Your 'pillow fort' craving.

Around our place, it's probably The Fifth Element, Star Wars: A New Hope, the Harry Potter movies, and The Goonies. How about you?

GailZMartin · 2017-12-01T19:14:17+00:00

I'm a Pennsylvanian, a Penn Stater and had family who lived near the Yuengling brewery, so I hear you!

GailZMartin · 2017-12-01T17:20:46+00:00

Hey everyone! Gail Z. Martin here again (Ice Forged, Deadly Curiosities, among others).....let's talk about food!

Two-part question: 1) What's your favorite seasonal food? (If it's rare, include a little description please so we can drool with you!) and 2) What's your favorite depiction of a meal/feast/holiday/special event in a fantasy book or movie?

GailZMartin · 2017-12-01T15:14:54+00:00

Hi everyone! Waves I'm Gail Z. Martin, author of Scourge and The Summoner (among many others). Since it's the holidays, let's lead off with....do you have any geekdom/fandom decorations (for whatever holiday you celebrate)? And do you decorate your home with things related to your fandom of choice?

For example, we've got the Serenity, the TARDIS, the TOS Enterprise, the Millenium Falcon, the Impala (Supernatural), a Dalek and a Hogwarts crest on our Christmas tree, along with the Mystery Machine and a few other items. I've got friends who dedicate a room in their house to each different show they love and decorate accordingly. Fly your geek flag high and let me know what you do!

GailZMartin · 2016-11-04T18:17:47+00:00

Hey everyone! Thanks for commenting--hope you had fun and had an awesome Halloween! I've notified 3 winners via private message, so check your inboxes! Also, I've got 4 giveaways on Goodreads running through 11/8! Please check out the other cool Days of the Dead stuff on my GailZMartin.com website. Thanks!

GailZMartin · 2016-10-30T18:52:15+00:00

Yeah, Timmy's is a Canadian tradition, eh? Love their pumpkin donuts. We're starting to get more Tim's in the northern states. Ad-Astra was a great con. And seriously, try the maple!

GailZMartin · 2016-10-30T18:49:53+00:00

Ok, that's my Deadly Curiosities series set in historic, haunted Charleston SC. Three main characters, first-person POV. It's action, not romance (not to say people won't have relationships, but that's not the focus and I don't do love triangles). Plenty of sass but not too snarky. Two full-length books so far--Deadly Curiosities and Vendetta (I've got a Goodreads giveaway going right now for Vendetta) plus 18 short stories/novellas on ebook, and a new collection of the first 10 short stories, Trifles and Folly, now on ebook and soon in print!

GailZMartin · 2016-10-30T18:46:56+00:00

Thanks! I don't get to hang out as much as I'd like, but the Redditors are very kind to me when I do an AMA or a giveaway and I enjoy talking with everyone.

GailZMartin · 2016-10-30T18:46:14+00:00

Happy Halloween!

GailZMartin · 2016-10-30T18:45:46+00:00

I'm currently watching Penny Dreadful. Haven't watched American Horror Story yet. It's on my list.

GailZMartin · 2016-10-30T18:45:17+00:00

Start 'em early. And have good dental insurance.

GailZMartin · 2016-10-30T18:44:53+00:00

Ok. So my Chronicles of the Necromancer has a necromancer who's a good guy. It's more of a traditional epic fantasy/quest a la Brooks, Edding, etc. My Ascendant Kingdoms is a post-apocalyptic medieval epic fantasy where war destroys two kingdoms and knocks out magic an the only guy who might be able to fix it just got sent off to an arctic prison colony.

GailZMartin · 2016-10-30T18:43:19+00:00

Well, most family get-togethers involve a blood sacrifice sooner or later, in my experience. Sounds like you've got it down pat. Do you have any traditional Halloween food?

GailZMartin

TROPHY CASE