So here we are, everyone.  This is the official one-week mark since the start of the contest between Mercedes and myself.  Here are the numbers as they stand this moment:

Start: 1996 words.

2/27 - 22,137 words.

Words this week - 20,141

Words to go - 77,863

Well, that was a good start.  My initial goal was 25k last week, so I fell a bit short.  That just means I'm going to have to kick it into overdrive this week.

Time will tell.   Off to write now.

RJD

So here it is.  My official first day of the competition between Mercedes Yardley and myself.  Every Sunday I will be posting an update as to my progress with Silas, the book I must complete by April 1st.  So here it is...

Words written - 1996

@ Words needed for completion - 100,000

Words to go - 98,004

What a haul!  See you next week with more updates.

I've been slagging a bit lately.  I know I have a personal deadline set for myself, but sometimes I need to give myself an extra shove to get going.

Enter my good friend and uber talented writer, Mercedes Yardley.

This is a woman known for taking on challenges.  She's done it quite a bit over the years, and with very few exceptions, she always comes out on top.  So yesterday I called her and, laughing maniacally, stated, "I CHALLENGE YOU!"

So here's how this will work.  I have 75,000 words to rewrite and another 25,000 new words yet created, to finish Silas.  Mercedes has 45k and 35k, respectively.  That makes us just about even.  We have until April 1st to finish everything.  That's right...EVERYTHING.   And what are the consequences?  Ah, this is a thing of beauty.

Whoever loses this challenge will have to record themselves singing 2 minutes of "Womanizer" by Britney Spears, accompanied by our significant other on bongos, and allow the other to post it to their blog!  And no matter WHAT happens, someone will be doing this.  If both of us finish?  Whoever finished first, down to the minute, will be saved.  If April first comes and neither of us is done?  We BOTH have to do it.

To read about this challenge in Mercedes' own words, visit her blog post about it.

I can't think of a more horrifying price to pay.  This is gonna be good.

Let the games begin...

RJD

As I've said before, I count myself extremely lucky that I've been able to get to know and converse with a great many accomplished and upcoming authors.  These are my friends, advocates, and support system.  They help lift me up when I'm feeling down, and they also enrich my life by allowing me to get lost in the worlds they create.  So I'd like to take this opportunity to help give a few of them (and their recent news) the props they deserve.

AMANDA HOCKING

I consider myself quite lucky that I've gotten to know this wonderful, talented, and supportive woman.  She's a great author and an even better person.  If ever I need advice or simply to shoot an idea off of her, she's quick to reply and assist, even though she's busier than hell.

As for news, Amanda's Trylle Trilogy series has been optioned to be converted into screenplay by Terri Tatchell (she of the team that wrote District 9, quite possibly the best movie of 2010).  What, you say?  An independent author having an Oscar Nominated Screenwriter converting her work?  This is fantastic news, and I'm super-pumped about it.  Amanda deserves every iota of success she gets, and I hope she gets tons more.

To read this announcement in Amanda's own words, visit her blog.

DANIEL ARENSON

Recently I had the privilege of reading his book, The Gods of Dream.  Dan is an author I've come to know well over the last year.  I love all his work.  Even if it doesn't completely mesh with me, I can still see the natural ability he has as a writer.  He's another one of the most supportive folks I know, and his talent needs to be out there.

As for The Gods of Dream, I reviewed it on my blog, Journal of Always.  Go check it out, and then buy it.  It's a fantastic book, and I put my reputation as a reviewer on the line in saying I guarantee you'll get something out of this special work of fantasy that you might not have expected.

E.J. STEVENS

E.J. is another talented and compassionate writer.  She runs a very popular blog dedicated to everything paranormal, From the Shadows.  She is an ally to all writers, constantly filling her site with author interviews and book reviews - something very time-consuming, especially for one with their own books to write and promote.  She's also a super-sweet person, and yet another willing to take time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions or be an ear if I need one.

Her good news is this:  E.J.'s publisher recently discounted the ebook versions of first two books in her series, She Smells the Dead and Spirit Storm, to $2.99 and $3.99, respectively.  I can personally vouch for both books (I read SStD, and am almost finished with Storm).  They are beautiful bits of escapism and innocent, otherworldly charm.  And at that price, they're a bargain.  I suggest them to anyone with a soft spot for paranormal romance or young adult fiction.  Good work, written by a spectacular person...and one who needs our support.

Well, that's all for now.  Look out for more shout-outs on this blog next week, 'cause I'm thinking of making this a staple feature of the TRO blog.

Peace!

RJD

There are a great many advantages to self-publishing, as long as you're willing to put in a ton of work and are able to develop a vast amount of patience.  However, once you obtain even the slightest morsel of success, you end up developing a certain mindset that can quite literally cause mind-numbing obsession.  And this mindset is...

(drumroll)

Doubt.

The sales of our books have skyrocketed (comparatively) of late.  For the last week or so, we've been selling right around 40 a day.  But on this particular Saturday, things have ground to a halt.  Our sales rankings are climbing higher and higher, and along with that goes my level of panic.  I have a great fear that one day everyone will look at my work and say, "Oh, that's right, he's no good," and everything I thought I've built will crumble.  It's a dangerous thought process to have.  I've been checking the KDP feed obsessively and pulling my hair out trying to figure out HOW OH HOW I will get everything on track.  My stress levels are through the roof.

The thing is, deep down I understand that this is nothing but a hiccup, that if I simply take a deep breath and forget about the immediacy of success, everything will even out.  We've put out a damn good product, after all, and I've always lived by the theory that the cream rises.  And we're that cream.  But this doesn't stop the fear, doesn't stop the self-doubt from infiltrating my every waking thought.

I've wondered recently if this is something that will ever leave me.  I've wondered how I'd feel if (hell no-when!) I ever reach Amanda Hocking or JA Konrath levels of success.  Will the doubt leave then?  Will I finally be able to settle down and not constantly wonder if the next book will finally be the one that sends me down the eternal shitter where all failed authors land?  Will I stop looking at my life with a soul-crushing fear of failure?

Somehow I doubt it.  And there's that word again.

It keeps cropping back up.

Damn.

RJD

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