Time O' Change/ Butterflies are Free (Final Blog Entry)

Over the past two plus years we have journeyed to new lands together. Lands of which I had never seen before, or only in my dreams.  Our journey is nearing its end.  I have detailed the process, both ups and downs--what it took to self-publish a 600+ page novel released in four individual stages over the course of a year.  Come Saturday, February, 2nd 2013 our journey shall be over.  This blog will be shut down.

I have new endeavors to strive for.  No longer do I feel there is a need to share that process.  My efforts were laid out here in detail for anyone and everyone who had an interest in how things were progressing, through the ups and downs during that time.  Did I make mistakes along the way?  You bet your ass I did.

My only desire was to generate a response, a reaction from those who would read stage for stage the book of Ginger Reed and her journey toward middle age.  It has been a journey much like my own.  Much like Ginger, I have had tribulations to face and overcome before I could be satisfied with my pre-forty accomplishments.  Monarch was the last tribulation, and I fulfilled a promise to myself that I made nearly a decade ago--to deliver Cipher by 12/21/2012.  Cipher being the story Ginger reads in Monarch, which I first wrote as a screenplay over a decade ago.  I had hoped it would be a movie back then, but things changed and I changed along with them.

Did the release of Monarch satisfy my vision I had before I started writing it?   For the most part, yes, it did satisfy my vision, though it surely isn't perfect. I poured my heart and soul into the story, and a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears.  There will be a second edition released at some point, though I do not know when.  I have been a slave to time the past decade and I do not intend to be so again any time soon, if I can help it, or I change my mind, which I am always liable to do. So, no, I cannot tell you when it will be available.  

It's time I took a step back from this, whatever this is.  The sacrifices I made, I would gladly make again.  But it is now time for me to no longer be bound to give update after update of "The Process."  The process is over and I am both saddened and thrilled to be moving on.

Has this blog and my online presence served me well?  I suppose it has in some ways.  I did enjoy sharing the process, even though I probably shared too much at times.

If you're just joining the conversation, welcome.  You better read quickly, because all of these posts here on my blog will be gone by 2/2/2013 and unavailable from henceforth, or until I make them into an eBook.

To my readers, I thank you for your time and feedback.  It has been my pleasure to share my thoughts and feelings on a wide range of topics over the past few years.  My only hope during this whole time was that someone else might be able to take something positive away from what I have written about over the past few years.  I have enjoyed describing the process and my passions, but our time together is now at its end.

Fare Thee Well

-Aaron Pitters
1/28/2013


P.S.

If you haven't done so already, see how the four-staged Monarch resolves by reading the final stage.  Grab it for free from today through Ginger's 40th Birthday this Friday only on Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Monarch-Butterfly-ebook/dp/B00A4SVTLC/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_4/182-9735446-0466936 

Butterflies are free and should never be caged

Time to 86 that New Year Funk and Make Plans for the Future

Thankfully, the New Year Funk has begun to pass like a cloud of diesel smoke and soot and I can see the light of hope once more.  All it took was a deflating Atlanta Falcons loss and the pulling of my head out of my own butt.

POP!

The post release of Monarch funk was inevitable.  Such an enormous amount of focus, creative energy, coordination and planning went into its release.  It was a labor of love that I was all too willing to see to completion, and would do again if the ideal situation made itself available once more.

I do suppose I should try and get an agent and publisher at this point.  While I did manage to self-publish Monarch successfully, it would behoove my work, and any future career I hope to to have in writing, to obtain the assistance of representation and the backing of a publisher and their resources.

While not a real juggler, the juggling of all the different responsibilities (Screenwriter, Director, Producer, Actor, Editor, etc.) for several short films over the past 10+ years certainly helped prepare me for all the juggling of responsibilities required for the self-publication of my first novel.  Even though it was the time constraints associated with the story-line of Monarch that forced my hand into self-publishing, I cannot tell you what a wonderful learning experience it was to bring a fully developed story to publication on a deadline that could not be moved.

There is even a distinct possibility that I may self-publish a short story or three on occasion, but my work would definitely benefit from representation and further assistance with the release of my next novel.

And Marketing (I laugh so as not to cry), it's hard to believe how many marketing ideas I have had since my mind has been free of the gravitational pull of self-publishing Monarch.  "I should've done this, and could've done that."  Got to let it go.  I need remember those ideas, but I have to let that negative sense of regret go just the same.

It was difficult emotionally to think of the future there for a few weeks.  Reason and Emotion always seem to go together like water and oil.  Even if Reason does dominate during such times on the exterior, it masks the inner truth boiling under the surface.  Case in point, Ginger Reed's inner turmoil in Monarch.  It sure is nice when the characters we create can teach us lessons about ourselves.

I am excited to bring my readers something new.   What that will be is under debate.  There is a screenplay that I am currently working on in collaboration with Chuck Thomas.  We have been wanting to work on something again together ever since we collaborated on a screenplay called 4-WAY several years ago.  This new project has a lot of potential.  I have to be careful with one plot point, though.  It is similar to a former script of mine and also a portion of a novel that I hope to release in the future.  However, if I can actually use it in this project with success, I may not be concerned about its use in any other stories. We'll see if it is actually used or not.

My gut feeling, which is often wrong, has been telling me for over the past two years to try and utilize Monarch as a diving board for a screenplay I wrote before the novel called In the Moment.   It deals with James Ruth, an important character from the novel.  It is not a true follow up to the book, but it tells a story that readers of Monarch who wanted more would hopefully enjoy.  Being that it was written prior to the novel it stands alone as a unique tale of lost love with a mind-bending twist.  If I am unable to option or sell this story, I will likely rewrite it as a novella or full-fledged novel.  

Should I decide to self-publish again this year, I will likely release another mind-bending story, Psykosis.  It would be the third  story in my Psychological Apocalypse series.  For some reason I write a great deal about the fragility of the human mind.  Take from that what you will.  I do not have a degree in Psychology, but I do find what makes us tick more fascinating than just about anything when it comes to my writing.  The mind dictates all that we do, good and bad.  A good memory here or a bad memory there can alter the course of a life, and those around us.

I welcome your two cents and am open to ideas and comments of any sort, and will respond to all comments and emails. . Thank you for your participation in advance.

Email:  aaronpitters@monarchthenovel.com

-aap

Post Psychological Apocalypse Blues

Maybe it is the sickness I've had for the past week, but I am extremely weary in this New Year already. The last year was a trying time, and a prevailing exhaustion weighs on me mightily in this second week of January.

My post-publication withdrawals are in full swing.  While I long to move on to something new, a part of me is having a hard time letting go of Monarch.  Some of that is related to the vast amount of time I invested in creating it.  I certainly have no regrets in writing and publishing the story, but I am disappointed in myself for being unable to get more readers to keep up with my story and interact with me about it over the past year.

Had I done something wrong in my release of the story?  Absolutely.  I'm no Stephen King or George Orwell.  But did I miss the mark so badly?  As I assess the landscape that I traversed over the past three years, some mistakes on my part are clear, as are the road bumps and obstacles that were in my way.

I am not the man that I was when I began this journey. For better and for worse.  Injuries have plagued me for two of those three years, and I found out last week that some of them may be with me for the rest of my life.  And I hate lingerers.  But what can you do?

The most positive part of having finished my first novel is that I don't fear doing it again.  In some ways that me be my curse.  I am not afraid to sacrifice my time and health to create something.  While not overly religious, I believe we are measured by our works and not what we possess.  If only the world might slow down in some way so I might create something in an instant, without having to sacrifice so much time.  

What I have to face this year is the fact that maybe what I write isn't what people want to read.  I learned a very painful lesson over the past year:  Even if you write something that doesn't mean people will respond the way you hope--let alone read it in the first place.

I'm fast approaching forty, and while I have no intention to stop writing, I have begun to wonder if maybe I should.  Maybe I've just been wasting my time, while missing out on certain things in life.  I have heard countless times since I started down this path in the '90s that you have to stick with it if you want to find success.  The desire for success was never my biggest motivator for writing.  The desire to create something that people can enjoy and possibly take something positive away from has always been my purpose.  I have gone to great lengths to ensure that a underlying message of hope was in all my work, no matter how dark the material.

It's been thirteen years since I moved back from the insane asylum on the left coast that is Hollywood.  Where has that time gone?   What is there to show for all that work that I've created?  Should friends and loved ones become indifferent toward your efforts, does that mean you went astray somewhere along the way?

Sometimes it feels like I might be better served to just step away from it all.  To separate and move on.  The joy I felt upon completion of Monarch has been tinged by the indifferent world unto which I have released it.  

I couldn't help but think yesterday that I may not have successfully put on to paper the story that I had in my head. Because the story in my head blew my mind enough to race against time and injuries to deliver it on an unmovable deadline.

Hopefully this post-release funk will fade quickly.  I have other stories that I would like to write.  But if I am not talented enough to deliver those stories the way that I can envision them, and nobody cares anyway, then what is the point?  I would still like to get at least a couple of days of joy out of doing this.  This was my joy for over a decade.  I have to find it again before I can continue.

So as not to be a broken record replaying a sad old song, this will be my last post until I can again find that joy.

-aap

Questions in 2013 and a New Approach

When I set out to release Monarch, I had to ask myself a lot of questions.  While there are questions today that still need be asked, it was those first questions that shaped the story and original release of Monarch.  Why the hell did I want to write the story? was certainly one of the first.  As I've stated before, it was because I had to.  Another question I asked was, why write in a woman's POV?  The answer to that is a little more complex.

When I came up with the story structure for Monarch in 2010, I knew that Cipher had to also be told within the same pages.  Cipher's main character is Ted Parker, a young man with a lot on his mind.  Believe me, I thought about having another young man as the main character to relate to Ted.  It just seemed like too much testosterone.  I felt the story needed both ying and yang. The decision was clear from the start that there needed to be a female counterpart to Ted Parker.

This turned out to be an instance where my being a low-rent, self-published writer was actually a benefit.  My work as a bartender, sales associate and even as a laborer allowed me to interact with all kinds of people.  Because these jobs varied so much, I was also able to speak with them when they were in different states of mind: uptight, relaxed, and everywhere in between.  My countless hours spent in coffee shops didn't hurt either.  "People Watching" is a broad term that I use to describe the process by which I gather info.  While certainly not a science, it is an invaluable learning tool that I am grateful to have at my disposal.

One of the biggest decisions I had to make in regard to Monarch was its release.  In retrospect, my decision to release Monarch in four separate stages was a very good idea.  The smaller publishing goals kept me on track.

Had I released Monarch all at once there would have been no way for anyone to realistically finish reading the story, just as Ginger, the main character of Monarch, was trying to finish reading Cipher, before 12/21/2012.

I laid down a challenge to a reader that I hope some people took up, completing Monarch before that day.  If not, well at least I delivered it with time to spare for you to do so.   Albeit, I did cut it very close--13 days to be precise.  

The release dates of the four stages were as such:
-Stage One -12/22/11
-Stage Two - 5/31/12
-Stage Three - 9/22/12 (1st half) and 10/1/12 (2nd half)
-Stage Four - 11/10/12 (1st 3/4) and 12/08/12 (last 1/4, entire eBook release and paperback)

The goal was to give a reader enough time to finish before 12/21/12.  If a reader kept up with each subsequent stage's release, they had just enough time to complete the book before the 21st.  They say you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink if he does not want to.  It was evident in the days leading up to the 21st that most people were disdainfully dismissing the day out of some kind of spite.  Surely there will psychological papers to come out during 2013 about that day and its effect on people.

Now that 2012 has come and gone my marketing of Monarch has changed.   I tried to write the story in a way that it maintains its relevance beyond 2012.  While those who took the ride with Ginger during 2012 experienced it in a way that cannot be experienced again, there are messages in the story that extend to any generation.  Fear of growing old and dying are not unique to merely Ginger Reed and her experiences around the end of 2012.  While many people may feel her fears over 12/21/12 were silly or unwarranted, she was not alone.  There may come a day that we all face our own personal 12/21/12, or as I have grown found of calling it "The Psychological Apocalypse."  What is important is how we deal with it.

A recent question in the ether relating to Monarch:  Why do a limited-time release of the Collector's Item Paperback Books?

Answer: A Paperback was released for those who took the journey along with Ginger and myself in the lead up to 12/21/2012.  In addition, because I literally put myself on the clock to have the book completed in time for a reader to take the journey along with Ginger, I knew there were likely to be a few mistakes made along the way.  And so the paperback will be removed from sale by the end of the day today.

Don't worry, though.  The Monarch eBook will remain available until I release the 2nd Edition of Monarch later in the year.  There is no definitive date for that just yet.  I will also be pulling all the other stages from sale as eBooks, except for Stage One (EGG), which shall remain available for free for anyone to read.

I will keep you posted on the release of the Second Edition Paperback.

If you have any questions that you would like answered, please let me know.  I would be glad to answer them.  You can contact me here, or at the Monarch facebook page or by email at aaronpitters@monarchthenovel.com

-aap

Lessons from the Self-Publishing Trenches

First lesson learned, it's hell out there.  No one is going to give you credit that you don't deserve.  And even if you do deserve it, because you are "self-publishing," most people will dismiss your hard work.

Yes, it is unfair.  Even though the publishing world has changed since the beginning of the eBook revolution several years ago, the marketplace is over saturated with self-published work.  Anyone with a computer can self-publish on Amazon, or any of the other online retailers.  While I am proud of my accomplishment with Monarch and I feel it is something that everyone could benefit from reading, I surely didn't expect to become a bestseller by self-publishing it.

The second lesson I learned is that most self-published work is less than quality work.  I was fortunate to have a wonderful editor in  SB (SaraBeth Huntley).  Her guiding hand saved me from myself.  Most self-publishing writers don't have their own SB, and it is to the detriment of all self-published writers that they release unedited material.  A reader may likely find a mistake or three even in the best edited work.  To release anything with your name attached without someone first looking over your work hurts your reputation as well as ours, because we wrongly all get piled into the same "self-published" trash bin of opinion.  It can take years or decades to build a reputation, but it only takes a few sentences to destroy one.  

When I decided that I was going to self-publish, I debated releasing a short story first -- to test the process.  It was 2011 and the first draft of Monarch was complete.

Time constraints changed my mind, but in my research I began to notice the prevalence of extremely short self-published work out there.  The further I delved into the work of others I noticed that these self-published works were often 5-20 pages in length.  People were just trying to make a buck.

It became evident that people were self-publishing everything, but mainly short stories.  My 700-page novel was being sold alongside a three page recounting of a family vacation.   It was frustrating to be thrown into the same pool with writers who spent days or weeks on their eBook, while it took over three years of work to bring Monarch to life. Ugh!

Now, I don't want anyone to pity the Pitters.  I knew what I was getting into.  My goal was to give people a chance to read my book.  Check.  That goal was accomplished.  What I missed on was creating the zeal I hoped to create about Monarch by releasing it in four individual stages.  Re-writing time constraints and personal issues crippled my ability to properly promote my first novel in 2012.  Promoting is probably the most difficult aspect of self-publishing.  The "Who are You?" complex, as I like to call it.

I remember just a few weeks ago, I was at a writer's meeting.  My spirits were high.  I had just released the final stage of Monarch and the paperback for the entire novel had just been made available. I encountered a young gentleman in the parking lot who was lost and looking for the writer's meeting.  As a member of the group, I knew where the meeting was being held.  So I walked with him to the meeting.  Turns out the guy was a reporter.  He said he was there to interview one of the speakers.  We talked about our writing as we walked.  To make a long story short, I will say that this young man dismissed my novel simply because it was self-published.  I never even had a chance to tell him what it was about.

I've suffered all kinds of pain in my life, but that pain cut deep.  To me, I had just summited Everest.  I can only speculate what he thought.  Needless to say it only reiterated the first lesson I learned about self-publishing.  Know this - nobody will care about your work until they've read it, and people are less likely to read something that is self-published and that none of their friends have already read.

The good thing about self-publishing my first book is that there is no paparazzi hounding me like the author in my book.  I am free to move onto my next story, while James Ruth is still answering questions about a book he wrote a decade prior.

The third lesson I learned about self-publishing is that if you put your mind to something, anything is possible. I made a decision in my early twenties that has shaped my life since.  I chose the life of an artist and left college to do so.  The old saying goes that an artist must suffer for their work.  While it has been tough at times since I left college, there is no way I could have written Monarch without enduring certain hardships and having experienced perspectives that I wouldn't have otherwise since that time.

In one regard, I chose to live two different work lives.  One, is of the artist, who sacrifices to create.  The other, is of hardworking employee.  I have, as of yet, been unable to merge the two.  But it is the hardworking employee who has allowed me to see things differently.  Finishing school might have helped ease some of the trials and tribulations that I have faced, but I wouldn't have the vast amount of work stockpiled and awaiting publication as I do now.

The self-publishing stigma is something I will have to live with for the time being.  I made a goal for myself back in 2010 to release my first novel prior to 2013, and I proudly did so.  Releasing Monarch was never the destination.  No, it was merely a step along the journey of this writer.  

-aap