8
Feb
Well, okay. Maybe not all. Every story needs some supporting characters, but if (like me) you find yourself having ten dozen of them… well.
Give 'em the chop.
I've recently cut a supporting character out of a book. I didn't want to. I like him. My readers liked him.
He had to go. He didn't contribute anything. Originally he was the reason for discovery, he was a quirky kid who made the best of a bad situation.
Did I mention I really liked him?
Yeah.
I cut him dead, instead. Chopped him right out of the story and saved about 2k words, an entire chapter, and (hopefully) speeded up the pace.
So is poor Jack going to be dead and forgotten? Did I give him a tombstone? No.
He's safe. Safe in a file, alive and well in another story where he plays more of an integral part. He is part of the plot there, where in this story he was an afterthought, a filler.
Sometimes it is necessary to cut a character out of a story, even if it's a great character.
It's about word economy and flow. It's about continuance. It's about being ruthless.
Sometimes you just have to kill them.
What did I do to get around the plot part Jack played?
I had another character in there already (yes, another one), so he got some of Jack's plot parts instead. It still works.
There was a part where I had to rejig a lot of the story to make it fit, to have a different way of creating the conflict Jack had created, but again — all it took was a little reworking and it fitted nicely. (Okay, not as nicely as I'd have liked, but I'm working on it.)
Ask yourself if you need a character who only shows up occasionally with some pithy lines, but who essentially doesn't add anything to the story.
Do you really need them?
Can someone else come up with those lines?
Do they advance the plot?
Can someone else (already existing) advance the plot instead?
If you can cut them out, don't bury them. Save everything in a file, because that character won't just go away. (If it was a well developed character, they shouldn't, anyway.) He/She might fit as a more integral character in another story, play a bigger, more pivotal role.
Save their background, their traits and weaknesses. Save everything you can, preserve story/plot parts as intact as you are able, because you never know when you might go back to it.
Whether you keep a physical file for those chopped characters, or a digital one — keep it safe.
Just because he's not part of this story, doesn't mean your effort in creating him/her was wasted.
Like Arnie — he'll be back. 
So don't sweat it. If you need to cut words in a novel, take a good hard look at the supporting cast and cut with a hatchet, rather than lose a word here and there while you preserve a character that doesn't add anything to the story.
6
Feb
It's up to you.
I don't like being overly snarky, though sometimes I might be.
I don't want to go and offend anyone, but I also have my own opinions. If others don't agree with them – fine. Live and let die. Or something in that vein.
The topic of this post is content, and what your content says about you, the author.
Believe it or not, it says a lot.
The topics you choose tell your readers where your mind goes to wander, where it tiptoes through fields of daisies, or tapdances through minefields. (The latter is to be avoided, you tend to end up minus some limbs.)
Personally, I prefer to tiptoe through minefields, but hey… that's me.
The crux of the matter is this: What you post is out there for all to see. Once it's out there, you can't take it back. Even if you delete it, some search engine probably already archived it someplace you can't demolish — even if you want to.
And don't for one second think no one will see your unfortunate outburst. When you query an agent or a publisher, if they consider to take you on — they will research you. They'll see all that dirty laundry you hung out, rummage through your virtual drawers and navigate around your Pr0n collection. (I call 'em hunks, my other half calls it my dirty little secret. HA! What does he know…)
Anyway, what I'm saying is, people see what you write and they judge you by those posts. They'll form an opinion about what you're like. How well they may get on with you, or work with you.
If you post stuff you wouldn't want your boss to see — then don't post it.
Don't deceive yourself – any publisher / editor / agent out there is pretty much a potential boss.
They look at it with a far more critical eye than any employer ever would, because while you might never set foot out of an office - having a book out there is rather different.
There is marketing to consider. Image.
Your image can be ruined before you even get noticed, and rebuilding it is a tricky business.
And Image is important. Sure, you can pretend to be nicey-nice and all that, but that just makes you a bit bland in my opinion.
You can have opinions, we all do, but if you post it, then be rational about it, and don't jump on people if they comment and disagree with you.
Some things (and I've seen stuff like this) are just a total no-no.
For instance, if you query a sweet historical with a publisher, yet on your blog you rant and scream about how the genre sucks, and is only read by imbeciles — you think they want to work with someone who doesn't believe in their own book? Or who insults their entire readership? Them?
Not bloody likely.
(I'm being very nasty and harsh above, that isn't reflecting how I feel about sweet historicals or it's readers, it's just an example — before someone comes and hits me over the head with a brick, or something!)
Or hey, go all political! It's not like anyone cares, right? Then add religion into the mix and you've found an almost guaranteed way to offend half the population. (While the other half likely agrees with you.)
As I said, I prefer to tiptoe around in my minefields. I have my own opinion, obviously, and it may (or may not) mesh with other people's opinions. But why take the chance? I don't need to ram it down their throats, they don't need to know what I think about how well a president or prime minister is doing, or whether I do or don't like the church. Keep that stuff private, or among friends. Not out there, for all to see (and judge). There are plenty of neutral topics, blog about those instead.
Keep it light and informative. Research anything you present as fact – or else it will likely come back to bite you in the ass.
If you have a writing blog, treat it as such. Stick to topics about writing, or writing life. If you mix business and pleasure, don't go into too much detail. In both cases, be aware of your audience and consider your topics carefully.
Your content is your marketing tool. If it would impact negatively on your career – then don't put it out there.
Ah. Now look what I've done.
I've put my opinion out there, for all to see!
(I tend to avoid writing about any of my real hotbuttons though…)
Obviously you don't have to take this advice, especially since I'm not always sticking to it either, but maybe it'll give you some food for thought.
There are many blogs out there where the authors rant about every topic imaginable. It gets kind of boring, you know? And they aren't doing themselves any favors, either.
I mean, if you were a publisher — would you want to work with someone who explodes on the page every two seconds?
I know I wouldn't.
So consider what you post, before you hit that publish button.
4
Feb
One of the most asked questions in my critique group (and most other places where writers linger and mingle) is "Should I have a website?"
The answer isn't as simple as you might think.
It isn't a simple yes or no.
In fact, it's not the right question to ask.
The real question is: Should you have a web presence.
Then the answer is a resounding "Yes"
Confused?
Isn't a website the same as a web presence?
What if I have a blog? Is it also a website?
It may be confusing terminology, but it is really very straightforward.
A blog, a website, a facebook page, a myspace place, Livejournal… any of those is a web presence. I don't count Twitter among those, btw.
A website is a static entity. Most "websites" you find are what web developers and savvy internet users refer to as "Cobwebs".
A cobweb refers to an unchanging, dead site. It goes up, and never gets modified. It's static. It's… dead.
Why should your visitors return? What is the point of having a page that never changes? (Or gets only minimal updates, maybe once a year.)
Most writers are far better served by having a blog. Blogs, while they can also be static if you never post anything, allow visitors to interact with the blog owner. (There are also tons of abandoned blogs out there. It's by no means a surefire way of being on the cusp of technology.)
Most blogs allow you to have a fixed page, or articles. Use those for static content, like book listings, useful link collections, biographies etc.
Use your actual blog posts to update your readers. Be that a new book release, a sale, an agent who signed you, an appearance, a contest, or maybe just what you had for breakfast this morning.
Keep it lively. Think of topics that might interest your readers. Maybe post a snippet of a WIP sometimes. That kind of thing.
Keep it interesting and you'll have people coming back. That's what you want. Build up a following.
Static webpages are a thing of the past, the web has evolved way beyond those, so really you don't want a webpage – you want a place where you can interact.
There are other considerations that go hand in hand with building a web presence.
Should you have your own domain?
The domain is the bit after the http://, in case you're confused.
Yes, you can certainly have a web address of iamagreatauthor.blogspot.com. Nothing wrong with that.
There are cost considerations too. A domain needs to be paid for. (About $10/pa for a .com). That's not a hell of a lot, now is it?
Then you need to consider your image. Do you mind if your "free" host (where your blog lives) puts adverts on your pages? (Most do, and they won't ask what they can put on your page, they just slap it on there.) What if that free host goes bust? It happens. Are you prepared to lose all your hard work and words of wisdom and find a new place for it? (Which you then have to set up and configure.)
If you write under the name Joan Smith – would you prefer if your readers found you via joansmith.com?
Another thing about those free hosts…
I am betting NONE of the writers who host their blogs on wordpress.com or blogspot.com / blogger.com ever read the terms of service.
Well, on those two your content is safe. It still belongs to you. I haven't really checked any others (I don't use them), but it behooves you to read those terms and conditions carefully.
For instance, a while back I posted about a "Buyer beware" when it comes to terms and conditions, after I read About.com's terms — which state anything posted on their site belongs to them and their affiliates. So make sure you read carefully before you sign on the dotted line, or you could find all those articles you write, snippets you post — belong to the service who is hosting your blog / webpages.
Hosting your own isn't as hard as people think, nor is it all that expensive.
You can get started from as little at $3 a month and often the hosting company will throw in the cost of the domain. (Beware on that, too, but I'll explain in a little bit. Bear with me.)
If you want your own, and want to host a blog, but you're not comfortable with installing it yourself, then look for a host who offers something like "Fantastico" which is a script that does it for you.
If you write erotica — make sure you choose a host who doesn't mind "Adult Content". Yes, I know it's a writer's site, not a porn site, but 99% of hosts out there will class the site of an erotica writer as an adult site. All it takes is one visitor to email your host and complain — and you will be minus a web presence because you violated their terms and conditions. (The same goes for free hosting — double check! If not sure, ASK!)
On that "Free" domain thing…
Domains cost very little to register. I would always — ALWAYS — register the domain myself, not let some webhosting company register it for me.
Why?
Because it's not hard to do, but if the hosting company registers the domain in their name (instead of yours) then it's their domain (not yours) even though you might think it is. And if you don't like it there anymore, and want to move, that super domain you found and which is associated with you — might not belong to you. Then you're faced with a domain name dispute and that's messy.
What's more, if you register your domain yourself, you often get the option to add privacy on it. That's important, because any domain out there is registered with a full address, which people can look up via a "Whois" service.
(Godaddy.com offer privacy registration, their domain panel is straightforward and they are good to work with.)
So unless you have a postbox, or you don't mind every stalker knowing where you live and what your phone number is — go for private registration.
Another thing on domains: Good, short, meaningful .com domains are practically gone.
Unless you have a name like mine, you'll likely find your name is not available as a .com.
There are other extensions available, but the first one people look for is a .com, so if you can get a great one — grab it now. Even if you don't use it right now, keep it registered. Because when you are ready to use it, and possibly need that domain… it may be gone.
Yes, it's a lot to take in, a lot to consider.
But ask yourself this:
Do you want freedom, no ads, and a domain name that never changes and which you can build on? Or will you be happy with what you can get from a free provider?
It's up to you, but I hope I've given you an idea of what is out there, and that it's not as daunting as it seems if you follow a few simple rules:
- Register a domain yourself
- Protect your privacy
- Read the terms and conditions
- Be aware of what you need, and get hosting accordingly (bought or free)
That's pretty much it.
I'll harp on about the content of a blog some other time. Because that's important too.
P.S. I'm not a Godaddy affiliate, I just like their service.
P.P.S If you come across "Myhosting.com" as a registrar… don't even think about it. If I could award them a -10 for ease of use and competence, I would. I am currently in week 5 of trying to get a domain away from them. So far, it's still sitting there, over two months after registration, and I can't do anything with it. AVOID them at all costs, it's the worst experience I've ever had with a registrar — and I've used plenty of them.
2
Feb
Soo…
There was this almighty fight going on.
Macmillan – the big name publisher – insisted they want to set the prices for their Kindle releases, rather than Amazon.
Which is fine. Why shouldn't they be able to set their own price?
Well, Amazon kinda didn't see it that way. Generally books on Kindle are released at around $9.99, but Macmillan wanted to release new books at $14.99 – the same price as a hardback – on first release.
I can kind of see their point.
If they release a book in hardcover at that price, but at the same time it's available on the Kindle (and on the iPod / iPhone via an App) at $9.99, then the sales for the hardcovers will go down, as people will get it cheaper as an ebook.
So Amazon started to play hardball. For a few days, they refused to sell any Macmillan titles on the Kindle.
Apparently the fight is over — and Macmillan won.
Today Amazon relented, and released a pretty strong statement:
"We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan's terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books."
Well, I can see both points. No, I don't agree with the same price for hardcover and ebook. Definitely not. But I also don't agree that Amazon gets to set the price of a book on Kindle. It's not their release, it's the publisher's.
Considering (until June, when it can be changed) Amazon take 65% of that price, the publisher (and as such the author) makes next to nothing on a Kindle sale, but on the hardcover edition, they do.
If the book is cheaper (on release) as an ebook on first release — then hardcover sales will drop. As such, the royalties of the authors will go down as well, in favor of the (cheaper) ebook version.
As long as the ebook price goes down when the paperback is released, I have no problem with the higher price. Those who want it have the option of getting it first, either in ebook or hardcover. It's up to them what they want to get. Some of us can't afford Kindles.
What do you think?
1
Feb
We all love a good hero. The more alpha he is, the more we love him, usually.
I'm partial to them, and most (probably all) my heroes are alpha males. That doesn't mean they are identified as such from the first page. Some of them are sneaky blighters and hide that alpha streak rather well. So much so, one of my critique partners (who always try to sneak off with my heroes) told me point blank she won't be fobbed off with "the gay one".
Oh she has NO idea. He may appear very beta in the book she saw him in, but in his own… oh my. There would be no mistaking him for a beta male. Nor would anyone think he might be gay. 
(Not that there is anything wrong with a gay alpha male, but I don't write gay romance.)
My heroes always come across as strong. I have to work hard at it so they don't overpower the other males in the story, because they like to dominate too.
Oddly, there is one of them who refuses to be cowed into taking a backseat when he crops up as a supporting character. All my girls want him, every reader so far wants him and falls in love with him.
I don't know why. I just know I have to keep knocking him back, because he likes to take over.
He's a toughy, but he has a sense of humor, too.
I've given him some not-so-endearing qualities — he's a womanizer, arrogant, presumptous, pigheaded, holds a grudge like you wouldn't believe — and STILL they are all after him.
He's no mouse, that's for sure. When he's around, you know about it, you sit back and take notice.
But is it so bad to have a hero who is a mouse?
Can't there be some beta heroes?
Do women not like a beta?
We do. In fact, if those alpha males in our stories were real, we would hate them. Truly and absolutely hate them. We'd loathe every aspect of their personality and character, while the beta gets the girl.
Odd, isn't it? We fantasize about the ultimate tough guy — but if he came our way and actually noticed us (he's likely too preoccupied with himself), we'd run screaming in the other direction. Or straight into the arms of that beta we don't want in our stories.
In real life, we'd have an affair with an alpha, but we'd likely be in love with a beta.
So there's hope for all the beta guys out there. Yeah, your girl might drool over that alpha hero in her novel… but she wouldn't swap him for the real thing.
Maybe for a day.
God help any alpha male who runs into an alpha female. Their egos will most definitely clash. It'll either end in tears (his, most likely), bloodshed (his, most likely) or there will be a dead body at the end of it. (Yeah. His.).
It works well in a story, where you need conflict.
Real life?
Take it from someone who didn't put up with crap from an alpha male: Not so much.
I think he learned the concept of "I am woman, hear me roar" rather quickly — and the hard way.
It didn't last. We were both too stubborn and too set in our ways to compromise with someone so much like us.
Gimme someone I can compromise with, any day.
(I have the greatest guy already, but damn… I do miss the arguments sometimes!)
My conclusion?
Alphas make for great conflict-driven writing – but I wouldn't want to live with one.
30
Jan
Do you like Vampires? Demons? Werewolves?
I do. Well, I like the stories, not the monsters. I don't think I'd want to ever encounter a real vampire, or get bitten by a werewolf.
Kinda not my thing, the whole blood and pain deal.
Writing about it? Sure.
There is plenty of blood and gore in my books, my heroes get stabbed, shot, tortured… even killed. (Yes, I have been known to kill off the hero about 1/4 into the story…)
But it isn't always a bad guy doing the stabbing and shooting, it's not always a monster doing it, either. Sometimes it's an average Joe, who feels threatened enough to defend himself by any means possible.
When we speak of monsters, we inevitably picture Nosferatu, Frankenstein, or something like Predator. We never think of the man next door, who may be perfectly nice when we meet him in the street — but who secretly buries people alive in his back yard.
Sometimes human monsters are worse than supernatural ones.
Take Elizabeth Bathory for example.
Born in 1560 in Hungary, she managed to kill over six hundred girls in about thirty years. No one stopped her, until she made the mistake of killing noblewomen, rather than peasants.
People knew about this, but because the girls were peasants, no one did anything.
It wouldn't surprise me if those (of her own standing) who met her saw a very different woman to the murderous monster the peasant girls got to meet.
The human race definitely has its own monsters, and sometimes they are scarier than anything we can make up.
So next time you find yourself stuck for something to write, and reach for the werewolf or the vampire — consider turning that innocent looking elderly man next door into a monster.
Then ask yourself… What if?
A book?
No. Yes. Maybe.
An mp3 player?
No. Yes. Maybe.
A picture viewer?
No. Yes. Maybe.
A video player?
No. Yes. Maybe.
Well. All of the above, in a way.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll have heard about Apple releasing information about the iPad today.
So what do we know about it so far?
We are told it has a 9.7-inch screen, weighs 1.5 pounds, has Wi-Fi with a 3G option, comes in 16gb/32gb/64gb versions.
There is all manner of hype about it, and it does look pretty cool, but I don't believe their claim of 10hrs battery life when you watch videos. Yeah, I heard that one before.
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We are told it will run "most" iPhone apps. (Oh? Which ones won't run?) There is also the thing about Flash, which Apple has problems with. (It won't run, basically. Kinda nasty, considering a lot of websites rely on flash navigation…)
Books will be available on iTunes, in Epub format. That's good news.
The bad news is the price.
The rock bottom intro level iPad will set you back a whopping $499 for the 16gb version.
Don't know about you, but frankly… that's too much.
Considering it stores images, text, music and whatnot – 16gb is a drop in the ocean. So you'll likely go for the 32gb version at $599, or the 64gb version at $699. Add to that the (optional) 3G capability and you add $130 to each.
Whoa.
Wait a minute.
If I want something that stores a half way decent amount of files, which I can browse the web on (except flash sites) and maybe use as a phone… it'll set me back $829 plus tax? Are you freaking kidding me?
I can get a decent little laptop for HALF that.
In fact, I bought my Dell Mini10V for less than half that, and I don't need "an App for that", it'll run Office just dandy, thank you very much. (Spec is 1gb RAM, 160gb HDD, WiFi, Webcam etc etc, running full XP, which means I can actually work on it. 10.4" screen and weighing about 2lbs.)
Looking at this, why on earth would I buy an iPad for double the price, with less capability than my mini laptop?
Style? Yeah, I give them that. It's a nice looking thing. It's a lot thinner than my laptop, too. A little lighter, as well.
Don't get me wrong, I like the look of it. I'd love to have one.
I'd love to have a Kindle and a Nook, too, but again — not for that price.
Add to all this that in the UK, Apple is notorious for simply just changing the currency sign instead of the price — I think not.
(We pay more per song in the UK, than the rest of Europe, or the US, if we go to iTunes. Prices in the UK are £0.99 while in Europe they are €0.99 – which works out at £0.85 – and in the US they are $0.99, which works out at £0.61 / €0.70)
They do the same with iPhones and iPods – so why should the iPad be any different?
I like it, but unless Apple changes it's tune on the pricing — and on their iTunes user agreement model — I'm not so sure the iPad will be taking off in a big way over here.
I'll keep watching.
We've been talking about writing habits, over at Passionate Critters. (My critique group)
Mostly about revision, but also writing in general. Harper did a very nice blog post about it.
There are different habits, different ways of doing things. None of us are the same, we all have our little quirks. Little things we like to do. What works for one person, might not work for another.
Personally, I'm a night owl. I do my best writing at night, way past midnight usually, slurping a tepid (or cold) cup of coffee that has sat on my desk so long, I forgot it's there. (I used to work in IT. Cold coffee is… not unusual.)
When I concentrate, when I'm in the story, I don't see or hear anything else. You could probably rob me blind while I am that deep into it, I wouldn't notice. Well, not until you tried to take my computer. I'd probably murder the burglar for interrupting the flow.
To concentrate, I often fiddle with little strips of fabric, roll it between my fingers while my mind goes into overdrive. For some odd reason the feel of the fabric helps me to focus.
I go outside, stare into the darkness while I have a cigarette (yes, filthy blah blah…) and my characters usually have a conversation in my head while I do it. If there is a particular pose I want to convey, I try it out, see how it would look or feel. My neighbors probably wonder about me. Oh well.
I write everywhere. There isn't a second of the day when I don't write — even if it's just in my head. I get incredibly annoyed when I have something I need to put on paper or screen, and I can't. Boy, do I ever!
But if you watch me — I won't write a word. Not even one. I will wait until everyone is out of the room, because I can't stand having someone watch me. It drives me nuts when someone does that.
Yep, weird.
That's me, you may well have your own habits.
So how do I revise?
Pretty much the same way. I don't have set formula. I don't do it chapter by chapter. I read my stuff many, many, times though.
Over and over. Sometimes just for pleasure. That's when I find things, when I read it as a reader, not as a writer.
I step away for at least a week before I revise. I won't open the file, won't read any of it.
Then I read it again and hopefully notice those odd bits that don't work, or the ones in the wrong place, or where the pace slows down, or… you get the idea.
I cut words. Sometimes just one, sometimes entire chapters. If I get bored reading it, then so does anyone else. Out it comes.
What I don't do is throw that stuff out. It goes into another file.
I look for duplications. I sometimes say the same thing twice, using different words. In fact, I do this a lot.
I look for repetition, words I use a lot, phrases too. Unless it's a trademark of the character, it comes out.
You could say I have a habit of culling my habits.
25
Jan
That query thing is hard.
Worse, it's putting your heart and soul out there.
I've heard so many different takes on this. Pretty much everyone told me "Be professional".
Well, duh. I am.
But the thing is, I kept sending queries that were dry and bland and just plain boring.
Yeah, they were professional, but they had no soul.
None.
My last query went out about two weeks ago. I haven't heard anything yet, but I have a better feeling about this one, than any previous ones.
When I posted it on our board, the entire crew had a good ole giggle reading it.
Hopefully the agent I sent it to will get a chuckle out of it too, and remember to read what I've submitted to her.
I figured this professional lark is all very well, but if I can't bring my personality into it, my voice, then I've already failed before the query even lands in anyone's in box.
I let you in on a little secret — writing that particular query letter was SO much easier than any I wrote before. Why?
Because I wrote it the same way I write my books. Off the cuff, making the reader grin or laugh outright. (With the odd Kleenex moment thrown in.)
Okay, no need for Kleenex when someone reads my query, that would be taking things too far.
But there are a few things anyone can do:
- Make sure your full (real) name is on the email you use, not a screen name or something.
- Make sure the email address is your own. With shared mail accounts, there is a default email. Before you hit "Send", make sure you're sending from the right account.
- The subject line should be short, and not too generic.
Query – Welcome to Hell – Juppenlatz
rather than:
Query – Paranormal Romance
I imagine they get lots of those. Make yours stand out. - Be professional, but be yourself.
That's all the advice I have. Clearly I haven't gotten anywhere with it yet, but I'm hopeful.
And if it doesn't work, then I'll just keep on going, because… I believe I can do this. I believe there is a market for my writing out there — and when I find the editor who believes this as much as I do, then things will happen.
So, my best advice is…
Put some SOUL into your query, not just into your book.
19
Jan
Seeing as I decided to blog at least once a week, I find myself stuck for topics occasionally.
I made a list, ticking off what I've blogged about.
Now, sometimes you have 20 topics in your head and you're on fire… other times you find it hard to blog about anything at all.
So… what do you do?
My suggestion is to "Blog Ahead".
What I mean by that, is to write those blogs when you're on fire – and release them when you're not.
On wordpress it's quite easy to do this. Either save it as a draft, or schedule it for a later date.
I tend to do the latter, or I forget to post the darn thing. (This one wasn't written ahead of time though.)
Not only will it keep the flow of your blog steady, it will also aid the writing process. None of us are always on fire when we want to be. It gets hard when that muse decides to take a long vacation.
"Having to" is the worst scenario I can think of. "Having to" implies force. Force never goes well with inspiration. You can't force yourself to have ideas, to feel inspired, to be on fire with your prose.
Not gonna happen.
So if, like me, you set yourself a task to keep your blog up to date — why not type up all those ideas you have, and schedule them?
Or at least put them up as a draft?
You can always slot another post in, or change the release date of one you already have, if something comes up that is time sensitive.
At least this way you have a little bit of leeway.
How do you blog?
Do you blog ahead, or write week by week, day by day?