JC Bybee

I didn't have anything particular to add this week, so here's an update on my various projects: Hero Unit 3:  Fallout - plugging away.  My word count is around fifteen thousand now, and I'm hoping to have it land somewhere between sixty and seventy thousand. The Merit System - Still working on the Hero Unit side of the rules, the fantasy side is doing well, almost ready for another play test Dusk and Might - coming along, nothing major to report Dragon Knights:  Rise - started a major revision/rewrite a few weeks ago, it's finally getting some traction, so forward progress Bard's Beginning - also receiving a major rewrite, still haven't gained any forward momentum though, the ideas are there, but the story isn't coming together as well as I would like Fey World (working title) - haven't touched it in a while, one of those stories that has good ideas, but I'm still trying to find the plot... That's all for my major projects.  I'v...

When it comes to the end of a series I’m always of two minds.   There is my reader mind that is happy and sad at the same time.   Happy, because the story is wrapping up, and the characters are usually ending up in some form of happily ever after.   I’m sad, because for however long I’ve been a part of these character’s lives, I don’t really want that to end.   Then there is the writer side of things.   I ask, will this plot be satisfactorily resolved?   Does this feel like an appropriate ending?   I analyze the heck out of the thing.   This occasionally ruins the end of a book, but that’s the price I pay. The reason I’m addressing this point is simple; people have asked me if Hero Unit will have an end.   I’m not really sure.   If I was to follow the trend of a lot of the crime novels out there, a series doesn’t really end, at least not for ten or fifteen books.   It’s not like crimes stop happening.   Evil will sti...

This is going to cover some of the same things I've written about before, but since I know not may people have viewed my first posts, I figure it's okay.  Today is all about understanding how I write, the actual process of taking the random collection of ideas bouncing around in my brain, and putting them on the page. When I sit down to write, I need to make sure I have music.  Now I don't have to have it, but it does make the process easier.  What I listen to is tied to what I'm working on.  For these blog posts I just listen to whatever I want.  As I've mentioned previously each of my works in progress has their own soundtrack, which evolve as the book evolves.  With the right music going I can get to work.  This is where things start to diverge, depending on which project I'm working on.  There are lots of different approaches to writing.  Some people are outliners, some people just write whatever scene comes to mind and worry about tyin...

Recently, in one of my works in progress, I came to the realization that something terrible had to happen to one of the characters.  Like I said in my Facebook post, I'm not going to give out details to avoid spoilers, because this was a real punch in the gut.  Part of the reason why is this:  I don't want to needlessly make a character's life difficult.  If something this terrible is going to happen, I want it to have meaning to the story.  Basically I want the character's sacrifice to be  worthwhile.  This means the scenes involved have to be treated with respect, which in turn tends to slow down my writing.  As some of you may have read in previous entries, I disagree with the idea of just torturing characters to make a story.  Adversity is what makes a story/character progress, torture is disrespectful to the reader. One of the more interesting ways I've had to approach this is with Hero Unit.  My main protagonist, Ace, is very simi...

This post is written in answer to a question I have of other authors:  do you listen to music while you work, and if so, what? My current working play list contains tracks from AC/DC, Taylor Davis, Metallica, and more.  When I was working on Hero Unit there was only one type of music that seemed to fit:  Dubstep.  I used Pandora exclusively for my playlist, because I didn't/don't have enough money to buy all the songs necessary for a book long soundtrack.  If you want to know what it was like give this a try:  go to Pandora, block explicit lyrics and make a Dubstep station.  You'll probably get a good feel for how I wanted Hero Unit to, well, feel. Volume 2 was a little different.  At first I was able to compile a playlist of mostly hard rock and heavy metal.  Bands like Soilwork, Amon Amarth, Metallica, Linkin Park (their earlier albums) were all part of the early stages of Power.  Once I started editing, I switched back to my Dubste...

First off, the reason I have a white on black theme for my blog is simple, it doesn't hurt my eyes as much when I have to go and check it.  I suffer from light sensitivity, so much so that there are times I have to wear sunglasses while inside...  Anyway, on to today's post. Recently I've been unsatisfied with the progress of my oldest work-in-progress.  Something about it just didn't feel right.  I've restarted it a number of times by now, trying to refine the story, the characters and the setting.  To put this in to perspective, I started working on this project in 2004.  It is completely unrelated to Hero Unit.  It's an epic fantasy series. This has lead me to researching other fantasy series.  I'm a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson, especially the Stormlight Archive (which I highly recommend).  However, the very first truly epic series I ever read was Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.  Yes I am aware that some people hate on this series,...

I'm realizing that I've got a lot of work to do.  Being an indie author is all about engaging with my audience.  People need to remember I'm here.  I don't have a marketing department, beyond the guy looking at me in the mirror.  People wonder how indie authors find success, well it comes from hard work and dedication.  I'm proof that occasional work and just talking about it doesn't get you anywhere. My friend Andrea Pearson is a great example.  She's been an indie author for a while now and she's found a great deal of success.  It hasn't been easy, but she's done well for herself.  And this success has come despite difficult challenges in her life. Where does that leave me?  Well first off it leaves me in her dust.  Secondly it actually gives me the road map that I need to follow.  Now she and I write in different genres, so I'll have to tweak parts of the process, but for the most part it's the same.  I have to have a pres...