Lazy. But not really.

I haven't updated this blog in a while, but I've had some good reasons. Well, maybe not good reasons, but they were reasons. I have been writing constantly, both for myself and for my clients, struggling to meet deadlines. You know, the usual work stuff.

But I've had a lot of excitement. For NaNo, I made a serious effort and finishing my first novel. I made a lot of headway: 40,800 words. About 2/3 of a complete manuscript. But maybe 10K of those words were forced and the story didn't flow right to me. With a week left in November, I gave up on it. It was a cool concept; a mafia/fantasy thriller with a few really unique twists. I like the overall concept a lot, and might use it in the future, but for now it isn't working.

That leads me to my December project. I started outlining a short story at the beginning of the month. Then I realized that this was a really complex suspense novel that I could easily stretch into 20k words. It wasn't going to be a short story, then. It was a novella. But the more I wrote of it, the more I realized that it wasn't a novella, either. I cannibalized a few fragmented ideas and stories I had written, including the main plot of my Annuity novel, and threw them all together. I have a full blown novel on my hands now, I figure this out about 4 days ago and I already have 1/4 of a novel down on paper.

So have I been lazy when it comes to blogging? For sure. But that's about it. I'm really happy with this story and if I keep working at this pace, I will have a completed first draft in a few weeks. Pretty exciting.

I've never actually completed a whole novel. Right after college, I attempted an epic fantasy, and I got it up to about 45k words. It was a good story, actually, but it wasn't a good novel, if that makes sense. It had an exciting plot, but the characters were lifeless and the main character was so unlikable by the end of the book that it disgusted me. There's some stuff in it that I've included in the graphic novel I'm working on, but that story is long gone. It was good  practice, but it wasn't good, if that makes sense.

I've rambled a bit here, but my point is this: writing something good requires a lot of time and a lot of false starts. I'm still working on it, but I'm getting better and learning every day. You can't expect to write a good novel on your first try. It's like training for a race. The only way you can become a better runner is by running. The only way you can become a better writer is by writing. Will you win your first race ever? Probably not. There's always a few freaks with the natural talent to excel on little training, but the vast majority of us need time to develop the skills to be successful.

Pen Name

I think that once my mystery, The Annuity Contract, is published, I will do so under a pen name. I've written two books on finance under my real name, and although one of those books really is on annuities, this current work in progress will approach annuities from a very different perspective. This is a mystery/thriller and not a piece of non-fiction writing as I have already established as my line of expertise.

I never thought that I would ever use a pen name, but then again, I never expected to first break into the world of professional writing through the financial industry. I am convinced that I beat out others to land the annuity book contract because I was a licensed life insurance agent at the time. This gave me an authority that other qualified freelancers did not have. Now, I want some separation between my different lines of work, and I think a pen name is going to be the best way to do this.

I will still list my qualifications on the inside of the book as a former life insurance agent. I think this will give me credibility writing about the subject of annuities and finance--even in this fictional setting. Again, a mystery/thriller is a much different type of writing than covering the actual financial instrument for purely informational purposes.

Any thoughts on what goes into a successful pen name? I want something that's catchy, yet believable. I have been brainstorming ideas the last few days, but nothing definite yet. I look forward to seeing your responses and ideas in regards to a pen name!

Giveaway Complete

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for my annuities book! We had over 300 people request a free copy, but unfortunately I was limited to only 2 copies. I can assure you that I appreciate your interest in my work and that there will be many more opportunities in the future to get free pieces of my writing. If you simply cannot wait, you can always go to the Atlantic website and purchase a direct copy from here:

http://roia.biz/ts/n/.DLivq1BAALtB2M3ODgAQgAAX9dmMQA-A/

The annuity book is not yet on Kindle, but the selling short book is. If you want a copy at the reduced Kindle price, please visit the Amazon site.

With that said, I am officially switching gears. While I will still continue writing financial pieces for various clients, I will no longer be seeking publication of my financial writing (unless someone makes me a REALLY good offer). Instead, I will be focusing on my fiction. This is my true passion and I want to spend more time pursuing it.