Frank M. Anderson's Writing

Category: Progress Update

The Stories Are Real Now – A Publication Update

Apr 22, 2025

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by

Videosta

in author, Blog Post, novel, Progress Update, publishing, writing

After years of writing, rewriting, and wrestling with reflection, I’m proud to say that two of my books are officially published and available on Amazon. 📘 Empire, Nevada A coming-of-age novel about the wreckage we inherit, the friendships that haunt us, and the strange grace of surviving a place that never really lets go.Available here.…
Evolution of an Idea: The AI Process I Use

Apr 16, 2025

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by

Videosta

in author, Blog Post, editing, novel, Pictures, Progress Update, publishing, Uncategorized, writing

📚 Designing the Cover of Empire, Nevada Creating the cover for Empire, Nevada was its own journey — just like the story inside. I didn’t want something generic. I wanted the cover to feel like the book — lonely, strange, nostalgic, and a little haunted. It started with a rough concept: a desert town vanishing…
Order Against the Profane (O.A.P.)Reader’s Dossier: Initiate Briefing

Apr 15, 2025

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, novel, Progress Update, Uncategorized, writing

Filed by: Agent H. M. Caldwell Authorization: Red-Cipher Access Date: April 1947 INTRODUCTION Welcome, Initiate. If this dossier has reached your hands, you are no longer an outsider to the veil. Something has seen you. And more importantly, something believes you might survive. My name is Caldwell. I’ve walked the folds between time, memory, and…
Bipolar Is My Superpower (And Sometimes My Curse)

Apr 15, 2025

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by

Videosta

in author, Blog Post, editing, novel, Progress Update, publishing, Uncategorized, writing

I live with bipolar disorder. Not in the abstract. Not as a label. Not as a quirky footnote in a conversation. I live with it. Every day. It has cost me jobs, tested relationships, and taken me to the edge more times than I care to count. But it’s also shaped the way I feel…
Welcome to Nowhere- On my process, goals, and desires.

Apr 15, 2025

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by

Videosta

in author, novel, Progress Update, publishing, Uncategorized, writing

Empire, Nevada Is Coming to KDP The Story Behind the Story I began Empire, Nevada during a summer off from teaching — one of those rare stretches of stillness where I could finally breathe again. The words came quickly at first. The story felt personal, urgent, and raw: a small-town coming-of-age tale written by someone…
When Is A Book Done?

Sep 10, 2013

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by

Videosta

in agent, author, Blog Post, novel, Progress Update, publishing, writing

I’ve been squeezing as much time as I can out of my busy day to work on Empire. The beginning is as perfect as I can make it. The rest is too. That’s not to say I’m not still tinkering. I don’t know if I could ever call a book done. I have a feeling…
Long Time, No Post!

Aug 29, 2013

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by

Videosta

in agent, author, Blog Post, editing, novel, Progress Update, publishing, publishing agent, query letter, writing

I’ve been bad. At least, I’ve been bad at updating this site. I spent every second I had this summer re-writing Empire. I’m extremely happy with it now. It’s not quite perfect, but it’s getting closer. Part of the issue I’m having is structural. I have to introduce a lot at the beginning. Not because…
Bad News and Good News in the New Year.

Dec 30, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Progress Update

Lets get the bad news over with first- Empire won’t be ready for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. The good news? I’m giving myself time to make it the quality it deserves to be! I continue to be amazed at the improvements made as I work on it. I don’t want to submit something that…
On Killing Characters.

Aug 25, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, Progress Update

There are many types of death for a character in a literary work, but by far the worst is where the cease to exist completely. I have had to provide that most depressing of deaths for a few characters over the last week. While they were all good people who I liked, they were either…
It’s quiet… Too quiet.

Aug 21, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, Progress Update

Yes, I know you haven’t seen a ton posted here lately. I just want to assure you that things are moving forward. School starts tomorrow, so I have had to wade back into my day job as a middle school teacher. I am getting ready to start editing Empire, I am just waiting for two…
Back from vacation with my first reader feedback!

Aug 5, 2012

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by

Videosta

in agent, author, beta reader, Blog Post, editing, novel, Progress Update, publishing, query letter, writing

I just returned from a week of fun and sun with my wife’s family. It was the best beach trip I have had with them, and was very restive as well. One thing I did not do, however, was work on the novel very much. I printed up a copy of it and took it…
The Trials of a Fat Guy on Vacation

Jul 27, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, college, Comic Strip, Progress Update

Well, Empire, Nevada is off being read by my beta readers, so there won’t be a lot to say until I start hearing back from them. However, I did find a few of the items I wrote in college that survived The Great Creative Writing Waste-Binning of 2005. The first I will post in a…
On beginnings.

Jul 23, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, Progress Update

I did it! The first draft of Empire is done! I printed up the first four chapters first to start editing them, and I am already extremely happy with the improvements being made. Part of me regrets even sharing what parts I did now. The book will truly be ten times better by the time…
On endings.

Jul 20, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, Progress Update

I’m about to write the last few paragraphs of my first draft. It’s got me feeling very emotional, even though I’m turning around and re-tooling the whole first five chapters next week. Despite that work looming ahead of me, I will still have a book that is readable from start to finish, even if it…
History and happiness: My writing story

Jul 16, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, Progress Update

I could have done it on Friday, but I decided to leave meeting my word count goal for today, and I just did it! I decided a few months into the school year this year to set forth writing my first novel. This is a dream I have had since I was a kid and…
85% Done!

Jul 8, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, Progress Update

42640 / 50000 words. 85% done! The story is really cruising on now. I am getting closer to having a complete tale, and I find that vastly exciting. There are sections I am hugely proud of. I know that going back to edit will be a ton of work, but I am getting more…
Updated my story on Worthy of Publishing.

Jul 5, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, Progress Update

I added to more chapters to what I posted of Empire on Worthy of Publishing. These five chapters make up the first act. The more I have realized this, the more I have also realized that I need to beef this section up. I am very happy with the end. The middle is coming out…
The first three chapters are now available!

Jul 2, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Progress Update

I’m now sharing the first three chapters of my book at Worthy of Publishing. Please take a second to read it and offer any critiques. This is still a rough version. I have to go back and do some editing, but I wanted some feedback now. Please feel free to give brutally honest opinions. I…
Progress Update

Jul 1, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Progress Update

32795 / 50000 words. 66% done!
Friday Update

Jun 29, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Blog Post, Progress Update

32009 / 50000 words. 64% done! I have finished the re-write of the end. What I had before was a non-ending. While I didn’t want to fall into the happy ending trap that nearly every book has, I just wasn’t satisfied with what I had written. It was basically a cut off after a major…
Word Count

Jun 28, 2012

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by

Videosta

in Progress Update

27229 / 50000 words. 54% done!