Today was about the laziest day I’ve had in a very long time.
Being sick is no fun. At. All. Both the Ho and I were sick this week, basically taking turns. I took its toll on us, for sure. And today, we kinda sat out life in general. We slept. We watched some TV. I took care of the dogs.
I’m also onto the next book in my Military SciFi research binge. I’ve just finished a book called Destroyer. Moving on now to a book called Constitution. Both of these are by fellow indie authors, both of whom I believe I’ve met. I’ll do a traditionally pubb’d read through, and a classics read through as well. Touch all my bases, ya know?
For the longest time, I didn’t think I liked Military SciFi, and there certainly are VERSIONS of Military SciFi that aren’t exactly my cup of tea. For example, Space Marines. Military SciFi that is *centered* on a marines-type on-the-ground-fighting unit/main character…not my fave. I like the space shit. Not the blood and guts grunt fighting. And, I feel like I can’t WRITE that stuff, either. I was never a marine. I don’t know the lingo. I don’t know the tactics. I don’t know the culture.
But, a huuuuuge chunk of Military SciFi is stuff I’ve loved since I was a kid. Star Trek. Star Wars to a much lesser extent. Battlestar Galactica. The Expanse. All of those are military SciFi with some Space Opera mixed in and vice versa. That’s my jam!
So, yeah. That’s an exciting revelation, because Military SciFi is a huuuuuge market. Big enough that it will be very, very difficult to get noticed…but if I can…I might be able to sell some books.
Early takeaways from reading Chris’s book: 1) you don’t have to reinvent the wheel as long as the wheel you’re emulating is FUN, and 2) fast pace always helps.
I read through all of the reviews of that book today on Amazon. Those were the biggest, most oft-repeated feedback. I. Love. It.
I spend most of the day feeling a bit overwhelmed by what I’m doing right now. I didn’t anticipate running into such a wall with Escape From Red Tower. A wall I feel like I can’t actually climb over myself. And I didn’t anticipate turning my attention and energy into a new project instead, at least for the time being.
But, here I am. I think it’s the right thing to do. I want a bankable series, and I’m not saying that the Starstuff series isn’t bankable. Quite the opposite. It’s already proven that it can sell. No, I more mean that there is so much unknown to me about Starstuff. It’s not based on any template of storytelling, really; it’s such a mash of several different storytelling inspirations. But, the idea of writing a military SciFi series is steeeeped in very, very specific touchstones and standards. There’s a much more defined blueprint to pour over and get inspiration from. And maybe that’s what I need to get my writing mojo back. Something familiar.
We’ll see how it goes. If it’s a mistake, so be it. I’ll learn from it. Right now, it feels like the right choice.
This blog entry has been brought to you by Self Doubt & Insecurity 😂
‘Twas a good day. the pups are all curled up and ready for the sleeps. Me too. Night.6