Hello, all.
Today, we’re doing a bit of blog “housekeeping”. I’d like to get some opinions from you, and let you know where we stand on a few things.
First: How have you been liking the “Talk Nerdy To Me” posts? I’ve really been enjoying the variety of topics. Have there been any posts that you’ve particularly related to? Any topic that addressed a shared geeky passion? We’ve got quite a few quest posts already scheduled throughout the summer, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
Second: I’ve finished sending out this round of “Three Words” stories in the newsletter. The word suggestions you sent in were fantastic (many thanks to Ricky R, Clarence W, Susanne F, and Adam R. for some great words to build on this time around). I wish I had time to do stories for all of them. I hope each of you receives my newsletter, and were able to read them. If your word suggestions were used, what did you think of the story? I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts.
Third: Those of you following this blog on a regular basis are some of my (and the Mindspace world’s) most dedicated fans. I’ve been trying to think of a way to be more interactive with you, and I think I’ve got something that we’ll all enjoy. Keep your eyes peeled for a new Q&A vlog feature that will be coming in the next few months!
Fourth: Many of you have asked, via social media or email, for ways to help me spread the word about my books. Since the next book will be published independently, having a dedicated fan base is a HUGE gift. You guys who love the stories are THE reason it will work! A few ideas if you’re feeling enthusiastic and motivated…
- Ask me a question. – This doesn’t sound like a “pro-active” support method… but it does give me an idea about what information readers want to know about the story and the characters. It also gives me an idea about how in depth the world building and/or character building needs to be.
- Leave a review. – This is invaluable for any author. Not only can you share your love for the series with anyone who comes across the titles on retail and review sites, but many sites do in-house promo based on the number of reviews. Places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Powells, IndieBound, GoodReads, BookLikes, LibraryThing, Shelfari, etc. are where people go to choose their next books, and they’re looking for opinions like YOURS!
- Recommend the books to a friend. This sounds super simple, and it is… it’s also one of THE MOST effective ways for authors to reach a new audience. There is no equivalent to in-person excitement and word of mouth.
- Join my street team. Did you know there was a TEAM ALEX? If you’d like to take your love of the books to a slightly more active level, we’re creating a team that will have weekly (non-spammy) missions, special activities and challenges, special perks and contests, and lots of fun interaction. Even though it IS work, we hope to make it feel more like fun. If you’re interested in joining, you can email me (or my street team captains Jen and Lisa) at alex at alexhughes dot com.
One more quick note… if you’re not subscribed to this blog, please consider doing so. This way you’ll receive an email when there’s something new to see, and you won’t miss out on any of the fun. This is different from the newsletter, which goes out only for special events or announcements. It’s super easy… you just put your email in the little box right over theeeeere —————————–>>
So, there you have it. A mini “state of my union” right now. I’ve got lots of irons in the fire, not the least of which is a new Mindspace story for all of you. I appreciate each of you who comes back to this blog, and to my books, time after time. I can’t wait to see what questions you have for me!
*And in the spirit of all things Nerdy…*
Just my opinion, but I like the “Talk Nerdy to Me” posts.
One thing about which I’m curious, is how you decided to build the Mindspace world? Did you start with a general interest in writing something in a world where telepathy was plausible and then build the story Q for Clean, moving onto Adam as the natural result? Did you instead start with the idea of a flawed telepath and then build the world into which such a person could fit? Or, of course, something else entirely?
Most authors I know have story files where the put ideas that are still percolating but aren’t ready to start writing on yet, or ones that didn’t work but they love too much to assign to file 13. Are there are ideas from your story files that you’d be interested in discussing?
As a writer, do you tend to plot out all of the details of a book, just the highpoints of the book, write by the seat of your pants, or take an entirely different approach? Does it vary a lot from one book to the next?
First, I have to ditto all of Chris’s questions. I’d like to know all of that! I also have enjoyed the Talk Nerdy to Me posts, the one on Legos being one of my favorites.
I haven’t received any 3-word stories lately – can you tell me what was the last story you sent, so I can check if I’ve received all of them?
Looking forward to being part of Team Alex, and the new features!
Hi guys–I will respond to all of these questions in a video soon! Thank you so much for asking them, and being patient with me with Flu and Traveling and such.
As for the three words project, the last one I sent out was Enigma and Maverick on 3/20, so it’s been a little bit. Always exciting though 🙂
But, to leave a teaser, I’m about halfway between a plotter and a pantser (someone who writes by the seat of their pants), so while I like to plan a skeleton for a story, I don’t like to decide on all the details. That’s one of the reasons why Book Five has taken me so long (in addition to Many Family Things), because I had to plot out the book in detail to try to sell to the editor before I was ready. It’s a lot harder for me to write with either no structure or too little structure!