Author | Joseph L. Selby

Tag: wip it

  • Being Factual in an Alt History Story

    I’ve been doing a lot of research for PATAPAN. I’ve nailed down most of what I needed (or what I didn’t already have). I am taken aback by how many people are shocked that I would do research for an alternate history story. I’m changing the history as it’s been taught to us. It’s important…

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  • Anything but Perfect

    I’m working on a new wip and I think I’ve made a few mistakes in the opening chapters. Specifically, I’ve introduced the romantic interest a little early maybe? Or maybe I did not. I’m not quite sure yet. And you know what? It doesn’t matter. Well, it matters a little based on where I go…

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  • Query’d

    So I posted a three drafts of the query for JEHOVAH’S HITLIST (twice as primary posts and once as a response). I got some ingenious feedback from Elizabeth Poole following my third draft that took in it a whole new but slightly different direction. I am withholding the final draft until querying has passed and/or…

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  • QUERY: JEHOVAH’S HITLIST (another draft)

    In September ’10, I made a first draft of a query for Jehovah’s Hitlist. It’s a rule peoples, never go with your first draft. Of anything. Not your novel. Not your query. So I’ve written a few drafts of JH (and will be doing one more) so it’s time to put the nose to the…

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  • If this is YA, Society is Coming to an End

    I have mentioned previously that despite the popularity of YA, I have little interest in trying to cash in on the genre. I like writing adult work. I like deep moral and ethical exploration that comes from an environment of violence, sex, and all the topics that a YA book can ricochet off of but…

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  • Holy Balls!

    I have been pondering it for months and I finally made a decision. An agent gave me feedback on WANTED: CHOSEN ONE, NOW HIRING. He wanted Bastin to be the main character rather than Nashau. I’ve discussed that here before. Bastin is clearly the most likable, charismatic of the group, but the story was Nashau’s…

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  • Measuring Progress

    On my website, I have a page named the Queue where I list all the ideas I plan on pursuing to completion. This includes novels, short stories, plays, etc. My current wip will have a general word count (I don’t update it every day) and those works I’ve finished will be struck through with a…

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  • Arbitrary Milestones

    I passed 10,000 words on THE 7TH SACRIFICE this morning. This pleases me. I don’t know why it pleases me more than passing 9,000 words or 11,000 words. 11,000 is more than 10,000 so why doesn’t that please me more? And it can’t be some ridiculous “if I pass 10,000 then I know I’ll finish…

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  • Find the Fun in the Boring

    I wrote chapter 2 for 7Sac today. This is a big deal because it’s the first fully original chapter of this version. Pieces of chapter 1 got held over from my first attempt and much more of it came from the wind sprint I wrote. Chapter 2 was wholly fresh. I actually tried to write…

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  • Beginning Anew

    I revised the wind sprint I wrote a few weeks ago into a MUCH better first chapter. There’s a little too much there, but I’ll pare that down during revision. The tone and the action are so much better. Less description of action and more action. I am incredibly pleased. The thing is, today is…

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