JC Bybee

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...

Recently I've been struggling.  The ideas for my third book are there, but the words aren't.  I've written two beginnings revolving around the same plot point.  Neither of them were to my liking.  And yes I'm aware that for some people two versions really isn't that many.  It is for me.  I never compare my writing style and process to others.  It is a fruitless and fraught venture that will make anyone woefully inadequate, so I don't. Back to my original point.  I will often say that I don't get writer's block.  To me writer's block is a lack of ideas.  That has never been the problem.  There have been times when I've simply had too many ideas and they all got in the way.  I have to admit though I get writer's apathy. Writer's apathy is just simply not caring about what I'm writing, just putting words down for the sake of working.  And I'm pretty sure that's what's happening right now.  I know I need to up my numb...

One of my biggest hurdles in life is trying to work when I don't feel 100 percent.  These past few weeks I haven't been doing great.  I have a sinus infection that is just lingering.  It makes concentrating difficult, it makes caring difficult.  There are people out there, writers, and so on, that will just work through the pain and discomfort.  I've never been one of those people.  Just sitting and writing this is difficult.  I'm doing it because I know that I need more exposure.  There are lots of people who have no clue who I am, and what I write.  It is up to me to remedy that. So here I am, writing a blog post, not because I want to, but because I have to.  Indie authors, we don't get paid benefits.  Heck, traditionally published authors don't get benefits.  Our career choice is a hard one.  And just to get something clear, I do not want, or need your sympathy.  I was aware of all of this before I started writin...