C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m

See all my books at AllThatChazz.com.

11/26/2024 • 11:07 AM 0

We’re Going Somewhere Together

I’m not going away. We are merging.

After gaining a lot of experience with both traditional and indie publishing, I’m finally doing something I should have done quite a while ago! For years, I blogged here daily. Then I told you I’d only blog when I had something new or different to say. The archives are extensive, after all, and much of the old stuff you’ll find here still holds up nicely.

Now, aside from posting on social media and publishing books, I’m going to go exclusive with my author website, AllThatChazz.com.

Chazzwrites.com has always been a site for writers. From here, I’ve encouraged subscribers to head over to my author site to check out my books. I’d built a following, helped people, and met wonderful fellow writers through this space. Frankly, I was nervous about letting go of this blog. I’ll keep this blog up for the benefit of those searching the archives, but it’s time to consolidate (and, not for nothin’, appeal to readers, not only to other writers).

I’m not slowing down. I’m speeding up.

Longtime readers may recall a time when I published as many as four books a year. For the last couple of years, due to pain, a couple of hip replacements, and a lot of rehab with my physiotherapist, I had to take time away from the keyboard. I had to feel sorry for myself, play a lot of Sniper Elite, and watch a lot more TV. I haven’t published since (the award-winning and fantastic) Endemic. It’s been rough, but that phase of my life is over. I’m biking an hour a day and working out for another hour each day. I’m mobile, almost always pain-free, waking up earlier, feeling great, and eating right. I’m a productive, full-time writer again! Expect my next thriller, Vengeance Is Hers, early next year.

So I’m asking all visitors to move over to my author site.

Here’s a sampling of some recent posts from AllThatChazz.com:

What Holds Up? A post about the books you once loved and now might not (plus a book recommendation).

Anger, Humour, Spite. A post you’ll love about where the words come from.

Sincerely, What Else Can I Do for You? Finding out what readers want.

This is My First Novel with a Disclaimer. About Vengeance is Hers, and your many, many enemies.

Forgive and Forget? But How? Should you forgive? I’m not so sure.

Crime Thrillers are a Different Kind of Apocalypse The apocalyptic genre has cooled for the moment, but there’s room for different kinds of scary thrillers.

New Cover Reveal! Dream’s Dark Flight has a fresh face!

Inspiration, Off the Beaten Track. Sick of the same old movie sequels and reboots? Try graphic novels.

And more about Vengeance Is Hers:

COMING IN 2025

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

See you over at my ONE blog site:

AllThatChazz.com.

Filed under: My fiction, publishing, robert chazz chute, the writing life, allthatchazz, allthatchazz.com, books, fiction, publishing, Robert Chazz Chute, self-publishing, thriller, writer, writing

10/02/2024 • 9:20 AM 2

What If We Changed Publishing Again?

Publishing novels is not for the weak. There are many obstacles on the path to publication. Indie publishing cut through the gatekeeping with positive and negative results. Hybrid authors straddle that divide. In the past year, many authors began selling directly. If you can drive enough traffic to your website and have high stress tolerance, you might make a go of that. The advice I’ve seen lately is to get out of your basement, get a table, and sell at book fairs, flea markets, and whatever public events your introvert ass can tolerate. Meet the people! (The horror! The horror!)

Today, I stand on a new precipice. I have questions, maybe even a good idea.

I’ve just completed a new novel. In the past, I put out several books a year, but this one had to percolate longer. I had two hips replaced with bionic implants, and that put a dent in my progress. Now that I’m mostly recovered, I’m back at the writing biz, full steam ahead and all that. This one is a thriller about vigilante justice packed with all sorts of clever ways to get back at bad people. It’s a lot of fun, heartfelt by turns, and ultimately, a heist caper with crazy twists.

So, what happens next? Typically, this:

1. I’m going to spend the next week or so listening to the manuscript for one final polish. I did a lot of editing as I went (not recommended, but it’s what I needed to do at the time). With all that faffing about back and forth, I want to make sure I’ve sanded all the puzzle pieces to make sure they fit. I typically add more jokes with every pass.

2. Then it’s off to the editor while I reach out to a graphic designer to discuss the look of the cover.

3. I have to revamp my author site. There are problems with its functionality which, frankly, I have not prioritized. Pain, physiotherapy, and surgical appointments distracted me from such trifles for quite a while.

4. Planning marketing and promotions, bien sur!

But do I have to go back to Amazon? Probably, but I do have some concerns about the Zon.

I’ve published forty books since 2010. The last one, Endemic, published at the end of 2021, was my latest pride and joy. Amazon sabotaged its launch. They wouldn’t allow me to advertise and promote it properly for months. That hurt. I got pretty depressed and hid out in my blanket fort. Eventually, Endemic won awards from the Hollywood and New York Book Festivals, a Literary Titan award, and the North Street Book Prize. That exoneration soothed me, but I still felt burned by Amazon.

At about the same time as Endemic was getting torpedoed by Amazon, a publisher reached out to me. Suitably impressed after reading This Plague of Days, they asked me to send fresh book proposals their way. After doing some research and hearing from authors they’d published, I became less excited at that prospect. The publisher didn’t seem very adept, or even interested, in what’s required to market a book. That particular publisher’s forte was more about the publishing side and less about selling in the Social Media Age.

Now I’m wondering about a different model for publishing. Don’t be afraid. Everything is unprecedented until it’s not.

I have an editor whom I adore (Gari Strawn of strawnediting.com). I have a graphic design company with a great track record. I can do marketing and promotion. I don’t love it, but I can do it. Whatever way we choose to publish, most of the marketing falls to the author, anyway. Promotional work from publishers is not an ongoing project. It’s a short burst of activity followed by a sink-or-swim mentality. The one thing traditional publishers excel at that I can’t do easily or widely is distribute to bookstores.

What if we tried something different? Instead of getting the publisher to do all the things I can do, let’s let everyone max out in their major, not muddle in their minor. I package the book: writing, editing, cover. If the publisher likes the package on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, they add it to their catalog and get their sales force selling to bookstores.

The terms of such an agreement might sound complicated, but wouldn’t be as hard as colonizing Mars or getting a politician to tell the truth. The traditional boilerplate contract would be set aside. The split and rights would be negotiated through an IP lawyer. I’m taking care of all the editorial side, so the publisher’s work and expense are greatly reduced.

I’m proposing a model for publishing books with less back and forth and endless logistics. You want it? You do what you do best and my editor and I will do what we do best. I’d get the autonomy I crave, and you get a product to sell with less investment, less risk, and at greater speed to readers. Don’t think it can’t be done? I’m not reinventing the cheese slicer. Book packagers have been around for years. This is just taking out the middleman between publishers and the artist.

What do you think?

And, hey! If you’re a savvy publisher who is not trapped in inertia, reach out to me at expartepress@gmail.com.

~ I am Robert Chazz Chute. A former newspaper journalist, I worked in trad publishing for several years before doing a bunch of other things, from healthcare to speech writing and working as a freelancer and magazine columnist. Now all I do is write crime thrillers and apocalyptic epics, read, ride my bike, and think about how much better the world could be if we got out of our own way.

To see all that’s wrong with my author site at the moment, go to AllThatChazz.com.

Filed under: publishing, Amazon, book packagers, book packaging, book proposals, books, distributing to bookstores, new models for traditional publishing, publishers, publishing, Robert Chazz Chute, self-publishing, writing

05/02/2024 • 11:52 AM 6

Writers Fighting With Themselves, Part Infinity

Pain is a distraction. Pleasure is a distraction. Social media algorithms have trained us to have the attention span of cocaine-fueled gnats. It’s grim, and the entertainment market is so fragmented! If you’re still a writer, it’s a wonder. Congratulations! You are a beast working on the dream of writing books. Many people attempt the summit, but few make the journey all the way to publication. That’s the happy congratulations part. Stay tuned. I’m about to tell you something you won’t like. Somebody’s gotta do it, so here I am! Captain Meanie Chazz Buzzkill!

Last night, I unsubscribed from three streaming services, but not before I went down a rabbit hole checking out all their pretty terrible offerings. (FYI: MGM is the king of Sequels Nobody Wanted.) More to the point, how many times have you perused everything Netflix has to offer before turning off the TV? You never got around to watching a movie. Maybe you added a few possibilities to your watch list. But will you really get to them? Often, we browse just long enough to decide it’s time to do the dishes and go to bed. It’s kind of the same with readers. We browse and browse and maybe buy a book, but then it goes to the TBR pile, possibly to go unread forever.

Yesterday, I caught a TikTok where someone offered sage advice. If you are traditionally published, as an author you will often find yourself at odds with the marketing department. Long titles are apparently out. Titles with “Girl” in the title have finally fallen out of favour. The marketing department has lots of good ideas you’ll hate. But are they really good ideas?

To which I reply, “Only maybe.”

You will definitely be at odds with your editor on some points. As a trad pubbed author, you’ll often have far less say about your cover art than you might have imagined. The “Authors art and publishers business” model is often true, but it ain’t necessarily so.

I used to work in the marketing departments of several publishers. The lame joke was always, “What’s the market research for this novel’s commercial prospects?” Answer: “Market research? In publishing, that’s what we call the first print run.”

I had such a romantic idea of the publishing world. Then I worked in it. Whoo, boy! Was that different! At the Banff Publishing Workshop years ago, I met titans of the Canadian publishing industry. Lots of great stories there, but the key takeaways were three:

Connections help.
Book marketing is so much art and so little science that expertise mostly comes down to personal preferences and speaking with the outrageous confidence of a maniac who never got spanked.
No one knows which book will be a hit, so, as William Goldman said of the movie industry, “Nobody knows anything.”

What does this mean for you and me?

Sadly, there’s no magic bullet. The few successes pay for the many failures. Visibility and invisibility, pay to play advertising, flooding the zone with AI, timing, genre choice, endorsements, platform and presence, and a thousand other variables come into play if a book (and your writing career) is to have a chance of getting noticed, chosen, bought, read, and reviewed by a fan base larger than can be found at your mom’s house.

Here’s what’s hard for some of us to swallow

Your commercial success hinges on throwing more spaghetti against the wall. I haven’t published since the fall of 2021. (As regular readers know, I’ve had health issues that put a crimp in my creativity straw.) But, if you can, write more faster.

I know, I know! Some of you can’t or won’t even consider this strategy for reasons, many of them completely understandable, a few whiny, and a couple downright snooty.

Apply an old George Carlin joke about driving to writing: “Anyone going slower than me is an idiot, and anyone going faster is a maniac!” Save it. I’m not talking to the “I can only write slowly” crowd. I’m talking to those who dream the nigh-impossible dream of making enough money to vacation in Fiji next year (or just pay the rent with scribble money).

But how do I write faster, Captain Meanie Chazz Buzzkill?

My strategy is to schedule my writing time and defend it with small-arms fire. Planning ahead (what some call pre-writing) for me takes the form of making notes on my phone at any random moment when genius strikes. Scraps of dialogue appear. Plot twists and cleverness abound, especially at inconvenient times, like when I’m trying to sleep.

In addition to scheduled writing times, I squeeze in short bursts of writing, Set a timer for twenty minutes and go to it. Do not wait until the time is perfect and the vibe is right. Go hunt down that muse and tie that fickle thing down in the chair beside you. Inspiration hits at the keyboard. Don’t wait for it elsewhere.

This is the same strategy I use for all the exercise and physio I have to include in my day as part of my rehab. Yes, it feels like having two full-time jobs that do not pay (beyond the satisfaction of creativity, advancing goals, and of course, being able to perambulate like a human being).

More output = more shots on goal decreases the odds of a total shut-out. (There’s a shit-out joke here, but a respectful jape escapes me at the moment.)

Producing more books does not guarantee success, of course. There are so many variables, and production is but one. But it ain’t nothin’, neither. In the end, it’s the oldest saw there is: publish or perish. And yes, I’m taking my own advice. The muse is handcuffed beside me as I write this. Bionic hips be damned, I’m back in the game.

~ I am Robert Chazz Chute. I write apocalyptic epics with heart and killer crime thrillers with heat. See links to all my books at AllThatChazz.com.

Filed under: publishing, books, fiction, publishing, Robert Chazz Chute, self-publishing, writing

04/05/2024 • 8:30 AM 1

Betrayed

I checked in on my Amazon dashboard and got a shock. This post will serve as your reminder that you cannot set it and forget it. I guess you really can’t set and forget anything.

Changes I had made previously apparently were not saved or didn’t stick, or something. I don’t know what happened. My main problem was that I was eligible for three categories but only two were on record. Thus began my odyssey. I need to add categories for all versions, hardcover, paperback, and ebook. When more than three categories are appropriate, this is actually a marketing opportunity since you can use the different media to add more categories and widen your net.

So maybe it’s a good thing this happened

I (eventually) decided to look upon this as an opportunity to revise descriptions and revamp keywords and prices. If you haven’t checked into your Amazon dashboard for a long while, there’s also a yes or no question about whether you used AI in the production of your work.

I have so many books that this task is very time-consuming. However, revisiting old descriptions and pumping them up with the benefit of more experience and a fresh perspective will be worth it. If you do nothing else, I would suggest you check your dashboard to make sure everything is as you want it.

Of all the variables authors are least likely to change, pricing is probably where we feel least flexible. However, if you haven’t given yourself a dollar raise since 2011, consider why your self-esteem is so low while you examine the pricing pages of all your hard work.

I know this last suggestion can be hard, but you can do hard things. You already accomplished the hardest part. You wrote a book.

Filed under: Amazon, publishing, Amazon dashboard, books, pricing books, publishing, Robert Chazz Chute, writing

03/18/2024 • 11:29 AM 3

Imagine you are a book marketing guru

Recently, I saw a personal trainer talk about how nice people are scammed into questionable (and expensive) nutritional courses. Then I made the connection to publishing, and I’m sad now.

So here’s how you do it. (Hint: Don’t do this)

Let’s play the bad guy for a minute. You were an author first, but now you make much more money selling shovels and pickaxes than you ever would panning for gold. Writing books is for suckers. Marketing courses to aspiring authors is where the money is.

You claim to have all the answers to getting books flying off digital shelves, right? Your first strategy is to suck in the rubes and noobs. You go all over social media to promote your courses. You’re on every podcast when you make the big push. You pat yourself on the back so hard, you’re in serious danger of injuring your shoulder. Hundreds of desperate authors, maybe thousands over time, sign up to learn how to finally make Facebook, Google, TikTok, X, or Amazon ads work for them. They’re all just one click away from living at a resort in Fiji, or so you say.

Authors: When the pitch to boost your book income homes in on your inability to buy expensive Christmas presents and go on exotic vacations, watch out! They’re using cheap tactics to push your pain points to make the sale.

But here comes the bigger con:

Of all those new students the guru hauls up in his net, a few outliers will get positive results. Those few outliers will promote the next course and sing all the praises. Rinse and repeat, and each course gets bigger and more expensive. Huzzah! You’re a marketing genius! You’re the captain everyone looks to in hopes you can steer their ship past the rocks.

Except, uh-oh! For most authors, it won’t work. Don’t just focus on the outliers claiming staggering results.

This phenomenon is not unique to book marketing. Forbes will ballyhoo the latest investment guru on their cover each year because that’s how math works. One hedge fund manager will make the most each year, sure. But will you ever see that person on the top of the pile again? There is only one Warren Buffet per thousands of pretenders to his throne.

Some, but not all, reasons for book marketing failures:

Put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig. Great marketing for the wrong book can, at best, spread the word fast that a lousy book is lousy.
The cover art is wrong for its genre.
The cover art is plain bad.
Your blurb sucks.
Your blurb doesn’t hit the expected tropes for its genre.
Your book is fine, but its niche is too small, and you have too few reviews.
Your book could sell well, but it can take an immense amount of experimentation to make the marketing stars align. In this case, the guru didn’t necessarily fail. You didn’t do the thing, or didn’t do it enough, or didn’t listen in class.
You don’t have the budget to move that needle.
Your chosen genre is cold, or just not hot enough to move the needle to justify the ad cost.
What worked for ads in the past isn’t working now.
Some successes don’t look so good on further examination. An outlier may proudly proclaim the gross, but never hint what the appearance of success cost them. Folks with huge ad spends can look great on social media, but a spreadsheet would tell the true tale: The ad spend was so heavy, their net is far, far less than their gross.
Your book marketing guru is full of shit and uses the tactics noted above to build his Empire of Shit.

Solutions?

Honestly assess your book’s marketability (or consult other authors with experience about its marketability).
Save up for that ad budget.
Focus on one ad platform at a time.
Invest the time to learn from free resources (YouTube, TikTok, or near-free from books). That’ll save some cash and allow you to better judge the offerings from potential gurus in the future. (Not all book marketers are bad.)
Be social with other authors and get recommendations for further guidance from trusted sources.
Stalk your guru to see if his values align with yours. If he sounds like a dick, don’t sign up!
Listen carefully to their answers for obfuscation. I asked a guru a test question. His answer was, “That’s a good question! (Condescending tone) That’s where you have to get creative. Next question…” Um…what? Thanks for the non-answer, douche canoe.*
Check to see if your guru sells a lot of his or her own books.
Be skeptical. If it sounds too good to be true, punch ’em in the spleen. Y’know…metaphorically.

*That’s douchebag in Canadian.

Filed under: book marketing, publishing, books, Marketing, publishing, Robert Chazz Chute, self-publishing, selling books, writer, writing

03/03/2024 • 5:16 PM 5

What To Do When Your Dad Dies

My dad died this week. Naturally, my thoughts have turned to longevity and morbidity. Due to the sedentary and solitary nature of writing, as a group, writers can be especially vulnerable to the wages of Time. I have some thoughts about getting healthier, happier, and staying that way. This is a smorgasbord. Take what you tastes right for you.

Get up from your desk at least once an hour, preferably twice. Move more. Walk more, even if you, like me, would prefer nature to be paved. Despite all the gross bugs, the tree huggers and grass touchers are on to something.
Wear sunscreen, even if it’s cloudy. If traveling by plane, follow the example of your flight attendants and wear more sunscreen. Radiation is higher up there.
Cook at home more. The dirty dishes are worth the trouble. I’ve recently become obsessed with the Mediterranean diet. It’s not just about calorie deficits, looking good, or losing weight. It’s good for your brain, too. Consider the MIND diet and the Dash diets. Healthy food doesn’t have to taste like shit.
For your muscles and your bones, lift weights.
Work on your balance. Falls kill.
Strengthen your core because that helps immensely with #5.
Work on your VO2 Max because breathing is good. Google kettlebell ladders and VO2 Max and you’ll get the details.
Eat fewer processed foods and cut down on sugar. In the past, we focused too much on low-fat, high carb diets. That didn’t work. Managing insulin and glucose blood levels is key.
Get regular medical checkups. Be your most charming with your doctors so they put the care in healthcare.
Join a community or build one. Could be a book club. Could be all about collecting something or other. Doesn’t matter as long as you interact with others. We are social animals. (This one is the most difficult for me, especially since the pandemic.)
Ask for help. Allow others to help you instead of being embarrassed. You’re frustrating your helpers.
Offer help. It feels good.
Take the risk of loving someone and being loved. I have often turned away from love because it meant trusting another person. That gives them power, sure, but it’s worth the risk.
Don’t live so damn small! Live bigger in any way you can. Take that hike in the woods. Enjoy that nap. Feel the dawn’s sunlight on your face. Take in the view. Kiss. Do cool shit. Make fun memories.
Stay in the moment, and savor the good ones. I’d tell you to forgive and forget, too, but I don’t know how to do that.
Hope, even when it’s stupid.
Be kinder to yourself, especially in the ways you talk to yourself.
Don’t waste your time and breath on those determined to be shitty to you. It’s not your job to fix anybody else. That’s their responsibility.
Have somewhere to be that’s good and safe. Humans need nests, too.
Unclutter your life and space. Free yourself of the things that own you.
Value experiences over stuff you have to dust.
Keep learning cool things. Don’t focus on things you’re not good at. Bad at math? Who cares? You would have been a miserable accountant or astrophysicist, anyway.
Don’t be too attached to your ideas. That should keep you out of cults.
Consider advice, but your experience is your own. Heeding advice is up to you.
You will need more than second chances. That is expected. It’s okay. We all need more chances.
Hate those who deserve it, but don’t make hating someone your entire personality.
If you’re going to be mean, be funny. It’s more effective.
Laugh more. It’s going to help you get through a lot, even the worst things.
Stop trying so fucking hard to be perfect. Settle for attempting excellence.
Take breaks. Keeping your accelerator to the floor all the time makes your engine explode.
Indulge your curiosity. Dare to have conversations with interesting people.
Take deep abdominal breaths to remind your nervous system you are (probably) not running from a bear. You’re just sitting at a red light freaking out.
Leave earlier and you won’t have road rage. Stop rushing to the scene of your next accident.
You’re worried about the wrong things, so you may as well stop that shit now, right?
Take the prescribed medication. Stop trying to heal your crippling anxiety with kale and vibes alone.
There are things you are going to have to accept. Accept that. May as well.
Cry as necessary. It’s a pressure release valve. No shame in that, and releasing that pressure might save your life (or your enemy’s life).
Complain less to the public.
Have at least one confidant to whom you can complain as much as you need.
Time is much more important than money.
Givers and people pleasers beware: Don’t set yourself on fire so some asshole can feel warm.
Stop apologizing for existing. You’re alive, so take up space.
Choose the lesser of two evils. It’s literally the moral imperative.
Protect your peace.
Don’t shame yourself for treating yourself. What’s being alive for if you can’t enjoy it?
Be open to the possibility of fun. (I have a hard time with this, but I know it’s a good idea.)
Dance.
Listen for nuance.
Watch videos of babies laughing. It will lift your spirits and help you remember what you were like before you worried about paying taxes.
Sex. (This should have been much higher in this list.)

TLDR: I titled this “What To Do When Your Dad Dies” but obviously no one should wait for such a nasty wake-up call. Live as if your actions and inactions have consequences. You matter, goddamn it!

BONUS:

Purpose. Have one.

My father wrote a book. It gave him focus. When he was done, his days devolved. I won’t say aimlessness killed him. Cancer of the everything did that. However, I think being without purpose contributed to his spiral of depression.

Even then, jokes helped. (See #28.) He became hard to understand on the phone, but shortly before they took him out behind the barn, with sudden articulation, he told me emphatically, “I want to die!”

I calmly replied, “Shall I dispatch my assassins?”

That was the last time I made my father laugh.

~ My author website is AllThatChazz.com. I’d appreciate it if you bought my books, and you’d get a lot out of it, too.

Set in NYC at the end of the world, Endemic is a compelling story about how we change and how we don’t. This novel won the Literary Titan Award, first place in science fiction at the Hollywood and New York Book Festivals, and first place in genre from the prestigious North Street Book Prize. You’re going to love Ovid Fairweather as she rises from a lowly book nerd to become a queen in the apocalypse.

Filed under: Do Cool Shit, getting it done, robert chazz chute, Blog, coping, death, grieving, life, Love, mental health, Robert Chazz Chute, writing

11/29/2023 • 6:33 PM 1

What I Learned from The Practice

While recovering from hip surgery, I have had the opportunity to unearth a gem I missed when it aired: The Practice. David E. Kelley’s work for television is genius.

Steve Bochco dominated TV in the ’80s, but I had no idea how prolific Kelley was. Until recently, the only TV writer who sprang to my mind was Aaron Sorkin. However, Kelley has been steadily writing and producing for a very long time.

Consider David E. Kelley’s TV history:

Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Legal (my favorite), The Lincoln Lawyer, Big Little Lies, Picket Fences, Boston Public, Goliath, Chicago Hope, Mr. Mercedes, among many others. All these, plus multiple film credits? The man is a powerhouse of productivity. And he’s married to Michelle Pfieffer. Winner.

I’d seen James Spader in plenty of movies, but his performance in The Practice and Boston Legal made me a fan. He is uniquely talented, capable of delivering deep monologues with utter eloquence and passion. His character is a self-destructive good guy who often acts like a bad guy.

From Boston Legal: What kind of lawyer are you, anyway?”

“The damaged, but fun kind.”

I was never a fan of Ally McBeal, but I appreciated the bold tangents into surreality. Watching the evolution of The Practice has been edifying to me as a writer. Bobby Donnel, played by Dylan McDermott, too often hit one-note. The hub of the show’s wheel, his character lacked depth. That was, I’m sure, by design. I didn’t care for that tac, but the stories carried me through. The ensemble cast usually compensated for the bang of Bobby Donnel’s triangle with a symphony of compassion, pain, and earnestly trying to do the right thing in a broken judicial system. Actor Steve Harris was especially compelling and convincing as a criminal attorney. I don’t know why we haven’t seen more of him on TV and in films.

Bingeing The Practice all at once, I found the show’s too-frequent forays into “why do we get murderers off?” a bit tiring. Watching week to week, few viewers probably noticed. There were missteps. Besides Bobby Donnel trying to death stare judges into submission, I found the writers relied on the same reactions too often. The tics of “What?” and “Excuse me?” were particularly frequent. There was also a lot of unnecessary yelling over each other. Are these lawyers or stevedores on meth? I kind of wish I was the guy in charge of making the courtroom extras mumble and rabble-rabble in shock as each verdict was announced. Or did they just record it once and leave it to sound editing?

By the time we get to the spin-off of Boston Legal, most of the kinks are ironed out, and the writing rises to its zenith. The interplay between Spader and William Shatner was charming. Even when the characters were creeps, usually a human layer underneath shone through beaming good intentions. Alan Shore’s closing arguments were unfailing erudite. That’s what really sold me.

Takeaways for Writers

Craft develops over time. Be patient.

Watch out for your writing tics.

You will likely be remembered for one work more than others, but some writers build worlds and empires from their collected creations. It’s a great ambition.

Do the work as consistently as you can.

Research, not to beat the reader over the head with facts, but to create verisimilitude.

Vary your tone. If two characters sound too much alike, you probably don’t need both.

Jokes have a place, even in serious scenes. I preferred the dramedy of Boston Legal to the relentlessness of The Practice. Perhaps that’s why I missed The Practice the first time.

Recovering from hip surgery has been made a little easier with David E. Kelley supplying the entertainment.

For more on this, head over to my author site, AllThatChazz.com.

Filed under: writing, writing tips, Boston Legal, David E. Kelley, James Spader, Robert Chazz Chute, The Practice, TV writing, writing, writing dramedy, writing tics

11/09/2023 • 12:09 PM 2

For Your Writing Journey

Writing, when it’s going well, is a lot of fun. It can even have psychological benefits for the creator. Seeking out readers and getting found is often difficult, though. Our profession faces new challenges with emerging technologies. Marketing books can be an expensive exercise compounded by futility.

So, let’s have some good news.

My friend, author Andrew Butters, has a blog called Potato Chip Math. I recommend it. Andrew is a dynamo who combines energy, ideas, and resolve.

In this post, Andrew has figured out his measure of success. Perhaps most important to you as a writer in need of information and inspiration, he goes into the steps he took to get where he is now. See more details of his journey as a writer in Connections.

Or, how about this post about getting dropped by his publisher and why that happenstance was no great misfortune? Too many fledgeling writers assume a publishing contract is the answer. It might be their answer, but beyond the terms of the contract there are plenty of variables to consider.

I expect to be more active and will publish my new novel early in the new year. I am currently recovering from receiving my second bionic implant, so go hang out with Andrew and enjoy his archives.

~ I am Robert Chazz Chute. From my blanket fort in Other London, I write apocalyptic epics with heart and killer crime thrillers with muscle. You’ll find all my books on my author site, AllThatChazz.com.

Filed under: publishing, Andrew Butters, publishing, Robert Chazz Chute, writing, writing life

06/05/2023 • 10:24 AM 2

Call it a Comeback

I am currently on two painkillers, an anti-inflammatory, and a plethora of other herbs and potions to keep me mobile. Insomnia and pain have plagued me. The hip replacement surgery was a success, but now the opposite hip is worse. Another surgery is coming, but in the meantime, here’s what I’ve learned about keeping up the habit of writing.

1. At first? Don’t. Pain can be so distracting that writing is too much of a chore. It’s good to know when to rest. Resting doesn’t mean you’re giving up. You may feel useless for a while. I sure have felt like I’m done and it’s all over, but I’m working my way past that.

2. Pain management requires time and patience. I am not patient, but I know the process. Ask for help. Follow instructions. Ignore the rise-and-grind culture that insists you’re lazy if you don’t push, push, push. That doesn’t apply to you right now (and probably better if it never applies). You are a healing person, not a broken machine.

3. My writing career has taken a hit, but fighters take hits all the time and keep going. Harness the power of positive expectation. Things will get better and/or more manageable.

4. Have a support network. Visits from my son just to watch TV together have cheered me immensely. A phone call, texts, or an email from a friend provide me occasions to rise to. I will complain, but I’ll do so in an entertaining fashion. As per Patton Oswalt: Horror plus time equals comedy.

5. Find distractions and joy where you can, when you can. I’ve been watching The Man from Atlantis, and my God, the bar was way too low for TV writers in the ’70s! The scripts are awful, but Patrick Duffy is blameless, the score is stirring, and the credits are solid. (That’s right. The show is so bad that I have to find worth in the font and color of the credits).

6. Once you’re through the first part of your recovery, explore whatever will prod you back to the keyboard. For me, it’s treating myself to a coffee in the morning. One rule: Can’t have that coffee without working at the keyboard. When I follow that rule, I get writing done.

7. If you can do #6, you’re ready to set a writing schedule again.

8. BIG BUT: It’s a schedule, not a shackle. Maybe you slept poorly, or you’re going through an inflammatory phase. Whatever the variable, be gentle with yourself now. You’re still recovering, so if the pain comes and you can’t concentrate, return to points #1 and #2.

9. Engage with the world beyond disease. Initially, recovery and its troubles were all I could think about. The other day I was writing, and I realized later that I hadn’t thought about my health for almost an hour straight. Last week, the longest I could go was probably twenty minutes. Osteoarthritis is not my entire personality anymore. I can talk about other things. Pain and worry aren’t taking up all my cerebral real estate.

10. Writing is one way I engage with the world. Despite the pain, I’m at Stage 9 today. I went for a limp (not a walk) in the sunshine this morning. I took my meds and bribed myself to get back to my writing desk. My favorite coffee is steaming beside me, and I’m about to disappear into my work in progress.

Good luck with your process, too, whether you’re wrestling with your WIP, your hip, or whatever other ills the flesh is heir to.

~ Rob’s writing again. His current WIP is a tale of vengeance that turns into a lifelong campaign. Read his many books from the links on his author site, AllThatChazz.com.

Filed under: publishing, writing, writing advice, publishing, Robert Chazz Chute, self-publishing, writing

05/22/2023 • 10:11 AM 4

Hang Out With Me

I’m on a podcast! This is an instructive listen, but it was also a lot of plain old fun. Sadly, they cut out a bunch of jokes wherein I threatened the hosts. Tell somebody you wish their mother such great health that she outlives her children, and suddenly, I’m the bad guy! Come to think of it, I’m not sure Joe understood I was just joshin’. Alas.

Re-creative has an interesting premise. The hosts speak to artists of all sorts and discuss their influences. Of course, we have so many influences. I’ve got Stephen King for plotting and tone, Blake Crouch for pacing, and my ninth and tenth-grade English teachers who underestimated my dazzling powers. Darn their souls to heck and I hope their socks and shoes never fit quite right! Yes, spite counts as an influence, too.

My go-to guy for writing wisdom is William Goldman. I learned more about writing from Bill Goldman than I ever gleaned from a writing class. Allow me to explain here: