Kane Gilmour

I’ve heard a lot of authors refer to having some variation on an idea drawer. Mine is actually a spreadsheet. Right now I have ideas for about 40 novels on it. Most likely not all of them will get written–some are probably fragments of ideas that will get trashed, while others might get folded into other stories.

The ideas stack up because I’m working a 40+ hour a week job that sometimes goes to 60+ hours, as well as a second job editing book manuscripts for other authors. Hard to find the time lately to work on my own stories. But the build-up of creative juices is good. When the last build-up occurred last year, I rented a cabin in New Hampshire and pounded out a good third of my first novel. Hopefully the ideas crammed to the gills will lead to more productivity as I strive to get books that have rattled around inside my head for years onto paper, so there’s room for the next thing.

The spreadsheet has a page for novels, one for short stories, and another for comic book ideas–should I ever find my way into that industry.

Sometimes I only know the title. Other times I have the whole plot planned out. Resurrect was fully planned out. Monster Kingdom has been more organic and goes in places I’m not expecting. Both interesting ways to write.

Warbirds of Mars, the retro-noir WWII sci-fi Web comic that I write for genius creator and artist, Scott “Doc” Vaughn, is nearing the end of its first major story arc. The Martian Killers have formed their team, gone to WWII Europe, been on some hairy missions, and they are about to make their final escape over the next few weeks.

If you haven’t been following it, now’s a good time to catch up at:

http://www.bombshelterzine.com/wordpress/

Okay, so it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Time to fix that.

I started revising my first manuscript, for the thriller RESURRECT, a few days after I finished writing it. That would have put it around end of August 2010.

What I did was print out the book on paper. Then I read through with a red pen and marked up the whole thing. Probably the last time I’ll do it that way.

I got through about a quarter of the manuscript rapidly, and then life intervened. I had family visit. Then I fooled myself into thinking I would enter 2010’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) contest. Shortly after I started the contest (or in other words, about ten pages into my NaNoWriMo novel), I took on a side job that killed any chance of completing the contest.

I had read an advanced reader copy (ARC) for a new horror novel by Jeremy Bishop, called TORMENT. It led to a gig editing the manuscript and future editing work.

I’m now thinking of taking on more clients and have done several more books for action thriller author, Jeremy Robinson. I’m reading an ARC for Brett Battles’ new thriller, Little Girl Gone.

So anyway, by December 2010, I still hadn’t finished the red-pen edits of RESURRECT. So over the Christmas holidays, I pushed through to the end. Then I procrastinated a bit on entering the changes to my electronic file. Finally, I sat down and started. I worked through the night and after 22 hours, the work was done. Lesson learned? The work takes a lot less time than you think it will once you actually apply yourself to it.

December 30th, 2010, I felt like the book was really done. Almost ten years to the day that I started it in Denver.

I sent the book off to a trusted proofreader (my mom, who has been an eagle-eyed editor and thriller-reader for decades) and also sent the book off to my First Reader, who will hopefully be getting me some feedback on story flaws and technological gaffes in the coming week.

Next step for RESURRECT is for me to start querying agents on it.

Meanwhile, I’ve set my planned second novel (a mystery) aside, and I’m working to finish up the NaNoWriMo novel–a YA supernatural adventure tale called MONSTER KINGDOM, which I plan to self-publish directly to e-book, as soon as it is done.

So…any agents out there looking for the next big thriller? Feel free to save me the time and energy of sending out dozens of query letters and get in touch.

-Kane