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Category: Ramblings

Projects

I was reminded today about one of the ‘rules’ that I have noticed over the years. I was doing a little DIY project at home, and thought I had everything ready to go. Then I was caught by what I call “Rick’s DIY Law”:

Every project requires at least three trips to the hardware store.

That ever happened to you? Yep, just about every time.

You plan a project, thinking about all the things you need. You think about the process involved, and go over the steps in your mind. Maybe there’s something you need to buy as part of the project. So you make a trip to the store and get that ‘one thing’.

And you start the project. And discover that there wasn’t just ‘one thing’ needed. You need ‘another thing to use with the one thing’. Which you thought you had, but didn’t.

So, another trip to the store to get that ‘one-more-thing’. And probably another trip to get the ‘thing-needed-to-finish’.

Happens to me just about every time.

And there is a corollary to the law.

The tool you need is not in the tools that you brought with you.

For a home improvement type project, it’s probably in your garage. Not in the toolbox or tools that you brought with you to the spot that you are working on.

And there is even a corollary to that corollary.

The tool you need cannot be found in the places where you keep your tools.

Been there, done that.

How about you? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Writing Stuff That is in My Head

Not many people know that I have published several books. Publishing is easy, but getting sales is hard. Although I have published 7 books, sales have been in the low two digits. Very low. (Although the “Physics Jokes” books have made it to the mid-two digits sales level.) Part of that is because I suck at marketing. I tell people that publishing is not like Kevin Costner’s ball field – just because you publish a book doesn’t mean that you get automatic sales. Getting sales requires marketing, and that’s not something I do well. But writing a story and holding a printed copy in your hands is quite satisfying. Even if there aren’t any sales to speak of.

But, I persevere.

I’ve been working on a new series of books in the ‘thriller’ genre. The series is planned to be three books to start with – conventional wisdom is that a series of books are more appealing than just one. (Assuming you can market them. See above.)

I’ve completed the first two books. They need some minor final editing, which I have been working on. And I have started the third book. I have a general idea of how the book starts and progresses. Although that changes somewhat as I write it. So far, only about 1500 words into the third book.

I’ve also figured out some possible covers, and the book series names, along with the first two titles. And, because I am a web geek (and use website programming to procrastinate doing book writing), have done a very preliminary design for a website for the book. Even got the domain name which matches the book series registered. The current site is just a single page with a teaser image and blurb. It will need some more work. Ideas for content are in progress. Site ideas and book plots sometimes need to swirl around in my head before I put them on the screen.

In the meantime, I sit in my recliner in my front room, with a view of the Strait out the window. Blue skies today, some clouds off in the distance, and I can almost see Mt Walker on the other side of Whidbey Island. Some Classic Rock streaming on the Sirius channel playing.

And cogitating on where book three will take me.

Back in the Keyboard

After a long hiatus, mostly because I am lazy, and my life is not that exciting, I decided to start up a blog again.

Old-fashioned, I know. Why not use other social media? And who would read this stuff, anyhow?

I don’t know the answers to those questions. Or whether this will be a long-term activity or just fade away.

I do know that I have been writing more lately. I’m working on a three-book ‘thriller’ series. This is in addition to the other books I have already published. You can see them on my author site: https://www.richardhellewell.com . They are best sellers – I have probably sold well into the low-double-digits of copies. (For those of you with finger-counting issues, that number would probably be under 20.)

But, sales or not, they were enjoyable to write. So, I’ll keep writing and self-publishing.

I could probably get more sales if I was any good at marketing. Or spent the time in marketing. Alas, other projects keep getting in the way, along with a fair amount of procrastination. I still do websites of various types; lately, they have been related to the self-publishing business. Of course, since I suck at marketing, they aren’t well known.

Sort of a ‘circle of life’, maybe. Or a broken circle – write a boot or make a website, and don’t market it.

That’s what I do.

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