Entertaija-vu

A few minutes ago, a sports story I wrote on Bleacher Report got 1000 reads. I know this because the site sent me an email saying so. The number even earned me a bronze medal. I don't know if it indicates anything about my writing skill as much as it apparently pays to write about polarizing figures and provocative subjects. It isn't my first story on the B/R, but it's the first one that garnered that much attention (which means I've never come close to even third place with my stories up to this point).

I segue from that thought to hearing recently about rumors about a new trend in 'rebooting' with movies. Stick with what works, is the central premise, beyond the basic idea that unless whatever idea continues to be used, rights revert back to the original owner of whatever intellectual property (translation: studios will lose the ability to print money). Combining that situation with the financial gamble making movies nowadays is creates a likelihood wherein people will very soon have occasion to wonder "haven't I seen this before?"

And I jump from that valid question to my own work. I was looking at reviews written about my book and noticed a common theme. At its least flattering, my style is referred to as 'strange' and 'weird' and 'odd,' and at the most complimentary descriptors of it have been 'fresh' and 'new' and 'interesting.' Of course, either negative or positive, all of these are hay needles and I don't have anything amounting to a readership yet to have any sort of way to know if the effort was a success or not. Recently, I spoke with a writer friend who had just finished the book that morning, and among other things we discussed what sorts of things those popular authors do that helps them sell. The techniques involved have a lot less to do with dynamic language and vivid metaphor than one might think.

Looks like it'll be another week of wondering if I'm doing things in a way that will ever turn a meaningful profit.  I take solace in the writing over the weekend having gone well. I haven't gotten to the edits quite yet, but thankfully I'm far enough along in the process that these pockets of time where the pace falters might as well not matter. I'm almost done, close enough to the end that for one of the books I have the last few chapters all ordered and outlined. When I talk about the stories now, I can discuss them beginning to end, I can look back on the out lines and nod. I can look at the folders filled with files that back in January seemed so terribly empty. It's a nice feeling.

Medals are nice, too, even fake ones made from only virtual, semi-precious metal. 

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