Outlining a New Book - AAARGH!

I've started working on a new project - working title: "The Omega Notebook Project" - and so far I'm following my usual approach...

1. I have a germ of an idea, share it with my family, and they say "Meh."
2. I write down the germ, still convinced it has promise.  I assume I just wasn't able to communicate how cool the idea was to my family.  Plus, they are notoriously hard to impress.
3. I leave the written-down germ in a notebook for an indefinite period of time (in this case, about a year).
4. I get inspired one day to write the first page (more on this below).
5. I file the first page away for an indefinite period of time (in this case, about six months).
6. I find the first page while I'm looking for something else and decide it's really worth working up.
7. I start outlining, get halfway through and say "Meh."

Which is where I am now with this project.  I think it sounds like a really fun story, but the outline makes it seem boring and predictable.  On the other hand, if I just start from the first page and go freestyle, who knows if I'll end up where I need to at the end?!?

About the first page thing...
The way it works is I get and idea for a story and an environment and characters and whatnot, and then, all of a sudden, one day I'll get a flash and write an introductory page that sets the voice and tone and character for the whole piece.  It actually works pretty well - I've got four or five sitting around now, just waiting for me to grit my teeth and finish an outline...

More to come, 
Cheers!

Red Raiders available at Amazon.com

"The Book" is now available on Amazon through their self-publishing service.  It's $0.99 because that was the minimum.  I couldn't figure out how to make it free.  Maybe I'm dumb or maybe Amazon doesn't want to give away free stuff for free.  Likely both...

I just discovered the "Post Title" window up there!  I'm such a cool, professional like blogger and web presence and stuff!  It only took a few weeks for me to figure out I could put a title on my blog posts!  I can't wait to see how it looks...

Red Raiders has passed review at Smashwords and will soon be available via most major ebook retailers!  I will have to figure out Amazon separately, however...

For the time being, the book will remain available for free, because, really, what have I got to lose?

Peace

I'm waiting patiently for Red Raiders to pass review at Smashwords, at which point they will begin distributing it to other retailers, and at which point I will unleash the full furor of my marketing powers. 

Actually, what you see here is about the extent of my marketing power...we shall see...

In the meantime, as is my wont, I am juggling a bunch of ideas trying to decide what project to work on next.  I tend to have many things cooking, but focus on just a couple at a time.  The next self-publishing venture will be The Armoire Pirate, a middle-grade chapter book about middle-grad kids and pirates.  It's currently with an illustrator, and when it comes back, BANG!  On to Smashwords it goes!

But as far as writing goes, I want to focus on one thing for kids and one for adults over the winter.  I've outlined a sequel to Red Raiders, and would like to have that done by next summer.  For grownups, I'm not sure...  I just finished a short story and am working on submitting it to literary quarterlies.  I can't share it here, because any on-line exposure invalidates the 'unpublished' criterion.  But if you're interested in that side of my writing, I recently published a story in The Bitter Oleander (Vol. 18, #1).  You can check out the magazine here > www.bitteroleander.com  I don't think you can see my story from their site, but I'll try to figure out a way to get it posted somewhere.

Stand by...

Red Raiders published on Smashwords

I have successfully published Red Raiders on Smashwords - available here >>> https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/352543

It's currently FREE as part of my Friends-and-Family Beta Launch

Here's the official description...
Torus and his friends Chello and Nevi are three young rats, living with their clan in the walls and floors of a run-down apartment building. Life is hard for a young rat. They have to deal with all the pressures of coming of age, and they must also manage the perils of an urban rat’s life: avoiding the humans that share their building, dogs, cats, poison, and traps, not to mention finding enough food to eat.
When an aggressive flock of pigeons begins to invade their main source of food – a dumpster in the park across the street – the clan is faced with a choice. Should they resist the birds? Or cooperate and try to live in peace with them? When the leaders decide to try to work with the pigeons, most of the clan goes along. Torus and his friends go along grudgingly as well, after all, as pups, they don’t have much influence.
As winter progresses, however, things go from bad to worse. The clan begins to starve, the pigeons take more and more control, and the leaders seem powerless to stop them. Finally, when the pigeons begin moving into the building itself, Torus, Chello, and Nevi decide to take matters into their own hands.
With help from Mr. Nile, a wise old rebellious rat, and some other unlikely friends, they make a secret plan to resist the invading birds and protect their home and families. Will the pigeons take over the building completely, or will the Red Raiders save the clan?

Pretty exciting stuff, non?