Being a Better Writer: Audience Versus “Poor Writing” · 7:18pm March 11th
Welcome back writers, and welcome to the start of a new topic list! That’s right, we’re on Topic List #24. Once this one’s been written out, we’ll be headed to #25!
I’m wondering now if I should do something for the big #25 too. Maybe revisit some of the most popular topics of the last eleven years. Or do something else special? I don’t know. Let me know, though, in the comments.
Oh, and don’t forget that right now there’s a vote going for Patreon Supporters over what the next project will be after Axtara 2 hits shelves! You can vote on that here as long as you’re a supporter of any tier. So go vote!
Now, before I dive into today’s topic, which is an interesting one, I do want to catch you all up on some news. First up, I’ll be absent this week for a few days. I’ll be flying back to my hometown for a few days to attend the public funeral for my father. It’s … gonna suck. I’m not going to sugar-coat it or try to pretend this isn’t going to hurt, or that it won’t be a trying experience. I’m just going to push through it as best I can. I’ll be back by the following week, and there won’t be a gap in Being a Better Writer, but there won’t be any news posts during this time.
The other update is that the Alpha 2 for Axtara 2 is going quite well. The changes to the start of the story seem to have streamlined a few poorly paced areas to improve the flow, which was one of the big issues with the first draft, and overall the reception has been really positive with just small quibbles here and there (many of which are grammatical or typos, which is a clue that we’re headed to Beta). The one largest contention so far is that a few feel the title needs to be changed from Magic and Mayhem to, well, anything not using the word “mayhem,” which gave them the impression of a much more action-packed and less-cozy novel.
Hmmm … one second, adding “Titling Your Book” to the topic list. Now, where was I? Ah yes.
So I am actually considering a name change, though to what I’m unsure. Only a small percentage of Alpha Readers have expressed that the name led them astray, but at the same time that could be a small percentage of readers too. I’ve been calling it Magic and Mayhem for a few years now, but in the grand scope of things it may not be too confusing to change the name prior to release. Though I also need to come up with a good alternative that keeps the alliteration going.
I’ll need to do it soon, too, because I need to get the cover ordered! And paid for. Oh, and I’m moving to a new apartment at the end of April, so somehow I need to juggle Axtara 2 with that … I’d still like to get it out in April if possible, but it’s going to be tight!
All right, that’s the news, I’ve prattled on about other things long enough. Let’s switch gears from talking about my writing to talking about writing at large. Let’s get down to brass tacks (what an odd saying) with today’s Being a Better Writer! Hit the jump!
I'm so sorry to hear about your father. :(