The Writers Vineyard

Just a Brief Thought This Month

2013-05-21T01:00:00.000-04:00

I guess this entry is more therapeutic this month and just the ramblings of an average writer. Just recently I’ve begun to wonder why I started writing and what motivates me to do so. A lot of people jump to the conclusion that because you have books published you’re suddenly rich and only do it for the money. I always laugh and reply that earning lots of money from writing would be nice but it’s not necessarily true. In fact, I explain that should anyone manage to secure a publishing contract for their work they have done extremely well, such is the competitiveness of the industry. If you factor the growing popularity of self-publishing and throw that in to the mix, any work published traditionally is a great success.

When I first started writing, I wanted to create my own stories that were interesting to me. That was my goal. I wrote shorts just for the sheer enjoyment of writing. I never showed my work to anyone, it was all just my own project stored away on a floppy disk (back in the early 00’s we go). It wasn’t until 2010 when a brief surge of creativity and motivation spurred me to write my first novel, which ended as The Dark Army. That was the one work that I actually felt would get published out of everything I had written previously. Since then I have worked on books which, hopefully, most of my reading audience will enjoy.

I always think back to why, though. Why did I write? Why not pick up a paint brush or an instrument and become creative with a different form? For me it was freedom. I can create whatever my mind can imagine with a keyboard and a blank screen. I have always been a great fan of the artist Bob Ross. Those of you who are familiar with his work will know that his painting style often caused great debate amongst his fellow artists. He created a simple but effective way to paint a stunning landscape scene using a different type of paint that other traditional artists did not use. His work was fantastic and I admire him greatly for breaking the rules of his trade, so to speak. One thing he always used to say, though, remains with me during my own written projects; “In your world, you can move mountains.” And he was right. If I take that line of thinking with me to my literary work I know that I can create whatever I want and bend it to my own will. I can create an army of animals fighting for peace within their homeland in Tales of Averon. I can create a haunted island and a handful of survivors in Haunted.

Writing is the chosen release for all these stories that float within my mind. They may not be of interest to anyone else but to me they are taking place in my own world and need to be noticed. Another motivation to continue writing is my own characters. If I stop mid-way through a story or novel I will always return to it at a later stage without a doubt. I always think to myself, ‘those characters die unless their story finishes.’

I write firstly because I enjoy it. I write because I enjoy bonding with my characters and taking them on a journey where I can make them or break them. I love creating against the odds situations and allowing my characters and their personalities to decide how to deal with them. But most of all, I enjoy creating my own worlds where anything is possible.

I would love to hear why other writers chose to pick up the pen and their motivations for continuing. Am I the only one who writes to move mountains?

Who will tell your story?

2013-05-20T01:00:00.000-04:00

In my current WIP I ran into a snag. My ideal reader warned me, “You have to get away from Aaron’s overwhelming POV.”

My main character is self-judgmental. I needed a tempering agent. What were his character flaws, his weaknesses, and whom did he go to for support to share his thoughts even if they were wrong. Who might he respect, even envy?

Hard to believe in rural Georgia in 1963 with the Civil Rights movement just starting to be felt in this southern saga, Aaron’s best friend from childhood is a black boy named Skillet. With him he finds a place to rest his weary, over adult cautions and just be the seven year-old boy he starts out to be when the book opens in 1958.

The boys’ family portraits are reversed. Aaron comes from a fractured family. Skillet has a happy, functional two-parent home. His family is surviving together despite the winds of change that came late to buffet the South.

The excerpt:

Aaron slipped through the hedge to the old depot entrance and sat down, making himself as small as possible.
Skillet circled the building until he found him. “Wondered how you were doin’ since you got back, Aaron?”
“I couldn’t get away any sooner, Gram watches me.”
“We got a phone now. I’ll give you the number.”
“That would be great.”
“You looked messed-with; what happened this time, another crisis? I thought you couldn’t wait to get back in the States.”
“Skillet, I’ve got grandparents—”
“Ah know…what about ‘em?”
“Remember the ones that were dead?”
“No way! They ain’t dead?”
“Dead to us, Mom says.”
Skillet shook his head. “That’s one messed up family you got, Aaron.”
“Tell me about it. I talked to them, the Frasers, on the phone. They’re real, Daddy’s folks. They live in Florida.”
“Guess they’re real old?”
“Daddy’s over forty, he’s old, too.”
“What’s gonna happen?”
“Nuthin’ I guess. You know Mom and Gram, nothing happens in their world they don’t want to happen.”
Skillet nodded. “Then that’s the way of it. Sometimes I’m glad I’m black.”
“Yeah, sometimes I wish I was you. Your life is so…so simple.”
“Don’t ever say that, man. My family is simple, but my life is very different. You’s lucky you white. You just gotta figure out how to take advantage of that.”
“I guess.”
“Sorry they messed with your head again.”
“Thanks. I’ll call you, and let you know if anything comes of it. Mama was awful mad; I thought she was gonna stroke out. And Gram…she was speechless.”
Skillet chuckled. “That’ll be the day.”
They got to their feet and left separately. Aaron stuffed the phone number in his jeans.

It fell to Skillet to introduce Aaron’s story and be the omniscient unseen voice of the novel. Yet, Skillet would leave the small southern town and not return until nearly the end of their story. So who will show us what Aaron is developing into? It had to be Aaron. Skillet frames the story and is present through Aaron’s difficult times in high school. Skillet can’t see what happens to Aaron when they are apart, but it is his voice that guides the observation with his more compassionate judgment of our hero’s journey taking over for Aaron until he mellows. Skillet is the voice pleading with Aaron to lighten up, and “…let go and let God.”

Julie Eberhart Painter, is the Champagne Books author of Mortal Coil, Tangled Web, and the 2011 Book of the Year, Kill Fee and the sequel, Medium Rare. Daughters of the Sea, new this year is a paranormal from http://www.MuseItUp Publishing.com

Visit Julie’s Web site at www.books-jepainter.com

Getting Re-Acquainted

2013-05-19T01:00:00.000-04:00

What a whirlwind the last six weeks have been, since the release of An Alien’s Guide to World Domination on April 1. Two release parties with readings, with over 130 people attending; interviews on book review web sites and fellow author blogs; and all the questions from wonderful friends-and-family-readers: “Is Jack really so-and-so?” “I know who Sergio is! Am I right?” “I remember when you and I were at that meeting – that’s the one you wrote about in Chapter 6, isn’t it?”

It’s all fiction, I remind them, and revel in the fact that people are reading this story.

Now it’s time to get re-acquainted with writing. I will attend two writers’ conferences, one this weekend and one in July, and I need to have another manuscript ready to “pitch.” That means I need to re-read, and re-write.

I decided to work on my first attempt at a tale for young people, using the work I did in last November’s National Novel Writing Month as the foundation. So this week I pulled the manuscript for The Law of Immediate Forgiveness out of the dusty file drawer (or the digital equivalent thereof) where it’s rested since December 1. And started reading it again.

And I met up (again) with main character Amy June Pilgrim, the eleven and a half year old girl who longs to prove she’s no longer a little kid, and to experience a real adventure. She does both. I met up (again) with her Grandpa Marq, who is the leader of a team of misfit math and computer geeks on the verge of finishing the formula for the Law of Immediate Forgiveness, which will free the world of war, strife, violence, and suffering. I met up (again) with Professor Fogarty, who might be helping them or might be trying to stop them at any cost. And of course with Licky, the black Labrador whose ability to fart helps Amy June escape her kidnapper and reunite with her family.

How much fun, to become reacquainted with all these interesting, silly, brave, and sometimes scary characters, and to re-read their tale, and to make it ready to find other readers who will love them as much as I do, I hope. It's one of the great joys of writing, isn't it?

Elizabeth Fountain's Author Blog

Elizabeth Fountain's Facebook Author Page

The Future Readers Market

2013-05-18T01:00:00.000-04:00

The studies and statistics are out there proving Americans are reading less. Just take a look at Lynn Neary’s November 19, 2007 program on NPR “Reading Study Shows a Remarkable Decline in US.” Don't think think have improved. Are our children more interested in video games than a reading a story? Really? All the time? Why?? I know I've preached this topic here before, and that I am preaching to the choir, but this is so important we all need to spread the word.

Illiteracy has plagued our society for ever. A certain percentage of the population's doesn't speak English at home, so few read in English. Another percentage is so put off by reading that, although functionally literate, they never read other than the required minimum once they graduate high school; and our high school graduations rates are what? I can assure you far from 100%. (good news – bad news from Reuters, 2013) A certain percentage of adults have poor reading skills due to inadequate education or undiagnosed reading problems such as dyslexia – STILL, even though these problems have been known for decades.

As a parent and a grandparent, I know the blame cannot be placed solely on the schools, although right now the public schools' funding, where most of our disadvantaged students dwell, is under insidious attack. Parents are the bulwark, the instigators, and promoters of reading for both pleasure and knowledge in our children. If we set the example, our children will follow.

I watched a program recently where moms and dads complained they couldn’t get their children to stay in bed and sleep. While not a confirmed cure, I thought: grab a book and lay in bed reading to those tots. Show them your enjoy the experience. Reading can be calming and cathartic while still engaging. One of my fondest memories is my dad reading a book to my mom and me in our living room over a weekend – during broad daylight! It was quiet except for his voice. We shared a story, laughter at some scenes, and time together – and I was fifteen!

If we want another generation to read our books we must encourage readers, i.e. market growth, in every way possible. Reading stimulates the brain, increases intellect, and takes us out of ourselves. If you give a child a present – make it a book. For hints check out this article 20 Ways Parents Can Encourage Reading.

From Champagne Books

Rhobin Lee Courtright

Choke

2013-05-17T01:37:00.000-04:00

Michael W. Davis

Davisstories.com

What is it that makes us choke? I don’t mean like we swallowed a bone. I’m referring to the strange reaction that most struggle with when their heart strings are drawn tight. Could be the birth of a child, watching someone suffer through cancer, any of a dozen events we experience in our life that causes an invisible fist to reach down and squeeze off our air supply. The really weird thing is the reaction occurs not just with those we are connected to, but even strangers. How many have watched on TV when a father returns from overseas and surprises their child. Don’t know about you but that one especially rips my resistance apart.

Does it surprise ya that macho non metro guys would tear up, be moved beyond words. Here’s a shocker for ya. In private, away from curious eyes, I’ve had adult male buds choke when they talk about their deceased wife, a loss grandchild, even when they discovered their mate had violated their vows. Men do have emotions; we just erect walls, compartments to drive the outer expression away. That is, until we hit the big 5 by 5. Our testosterone sinks so far into the pits we no longer have the unfaltering foundation to hold back. Makes it rough, down right painful to suddenly release sentiments you were able to tank up your entire life. We don’t like it, we hate it, just have to live with it. Gets so bad, lot of guys flip the channel when a story comes on dealing with kids going through turmoil. That’s the worst for me. Dealing with a suffering child.

What I can’t figure is why our species has evolved that characteristic. Must be correlated to some purpose for survival. Or, maybe the real big guy upstairs tried to do us a favor, provide a reminder to what our time here is really all about; each other. Sad so many allow themselves to get wrapped in hate, in the the anger of progressive politics, the 99% demonization of the 1%. Oh well, perhaps some day they’ll simply wake up, right? Probably not.

Stepping Up to the Plate

2013-05-16T07:19:00.000-04:00

I’m deep in revisions right now, for a book I didn’t expect to write until this fall. I pitched the idea to my agent, who loved it, and wanted to see something immediately. I took two weeks to put together a detailed proposal, including the first three chapters, and the outline. She loved it -- and needed the full manuscript within a couple of months (not in the fall, as originally planned) in order to take it with her to an event where she could sell it -- and possibly the whole series.

I was in the middle of directing a mission-specific play I wrote, a comic mystery, to benefit the National Marine Life Center.

I had to do it anyway.

The play took center stage (in every sense of the word), while I worked slowly (but daily) on the book. As soon as the play was done, I ramped up the writing to do at least one, often two, chapters per day.

I prefer to put away the first draft of a novel for two months before I start revisions, so I can approach it with fresh eyes, as though someone else wrote it.

In this case, I had three days.

In those three days, to clear my creative palate, I worked intensely on another project. When I came back to this one, I’d achieved separation. I could read it objectively. I could tear apart what didn’t work, strengthen subplots, layer in sensory description and red herrings, change the ending to make it more pro-active and satisfying for my heroine.

I did my ever-loving multi-colored draft, where I use three different colored highlighters to mark each use of passive, adverb, and qualifier. My over-use of qualifiers appalls me, and the most over-used word in this draft are “lovely” and “vaguely.” If they didn’t glare at me in color, I might not have changed enough of them. I tightened language, I realized I put too much emphasis on something that isn’t important to the story (although it will come up again later in the series). I still wonder if I should rewrite the whole thing again in the first person instead of the third. I’m putting together a packet of unique extras, to take interested readers deeper into some of the material.

It goes out tomorrow.

Will it find a home? Who knows? It’s always a crap shoot. If that group of potential markets doesn’t work out, I’ve got a suggested list beyond it. It WILL find the right home.

But the opportunity was there. I had to try. If I’d made excuses about “not having time”, I would have lost the opportunity and regretted it. Not only was I able to work more quickly than I usually do (my usual pace is 1000-1500 words/day -- this book required 2500+ on most days), I was able to achieve and maintain a quality in which I feel confident. WHILE juggling my freelance work to pay the bills. There were nights I was so tired and sore, I could barely see. I worked through stomach issues, migraines, work commitments, family needs, garden demands. I shut up and did the work.

I feel good about the book. I feel good about the potential of the series. I look forward to working with a strong editor who’s excited about it and brings fresh eyes and ideas to it.

I rose to the challenge, even though I wasn’t sure I could. I didn’t make excuses. I didn’t whine -- much -- and then, only to a specific circle.

I put my head down, butt in chair, and did the work.

I am a stronger writer, on many fronts, for it.

--Annabel Aidan is a full-time writer publishing under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction. Her paranormal romantic suspense novel for Champagne is ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT, combining witchcraft, theatre, and politics. Website:
http://www.devonellingtonwork.com/annabelaidan.html.

Don't Give Up!

2013-05-15T03:04:00.001-04:00

We’ve all heard it before.

“Dear Hannah,

Thank you for your query, but we will have to pass on your project. “

Or:

“Dear Ms. Lokos,

Thank you for considering [So and So] publishing. Your story sounds interesting but we feel that it wouldn't be a good fit for our publishing audience.”

Or even:

“Thank you for submitting to [Such and Such]. We have reviewed your piece and unfortunately we are unable to use your work… Please submit again in the future.”

We all know the feeling. We spend weeks or months—years, even—polishing our pieces to perfection. We agonize over where to submit before finally sending them off. And then we wait.

And we wait

And we wait some more.

And then, finally, the letter comes. And we stand there and we hold it—and our breath—and we pray really, really hard. Then, we rip it open. Our eyes devour the words. And we find we’ve been rejected. Again.

More often than any of us would like, being a writer means being rejected. Just a couple months ago, I was engaged in the publishing battle. I had submitted to over thirty publishers, and I had been rejected over thirty times.

One day, after one particularly discouraging letter, I asked my mom if she thought the rejection letters would ever stop coming. She thought a moment, and chuckled, and said, “When you stop submitting, you won’t be rejected anymore.”

While this was true, it wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. I wanted to be published; I had wanted to be a writer since I was five years old. So, my parents encouraged me to hang in there and wait for the day when the rejection letters ceased.

Then, on March 27, 2013, I got my first letter of acceptance. It was from Champagne Book Group; they wanted to publish my novel, tentatively titled “Labyrinth of Lies.” It's a smallish novel of historical fiction with a bit of romance and conspiracy theory thrown in for flavor--nothing huge. Still, I won’t ever forget that moment. I started to read the email, holding my breath as I anticipated the “Thank you, but’s” all over again. But this time, they didn’t come. This time, it was a contract offer. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I literally ran out of the college library in which I had been studying and called my mom to let her know that I wasn’t rejected anymore.

Rejection is discouraging, and sometimes, it can be tempting to just stop submitting. True, if we don’t submit, we won’t be rejected anymore, but we won’t ever be accepted either. Getting published can be a heck of a fight, but it is a good fight, and it will be worth it. There is hope. I was nearing the verge of despair, but now my book is slotted for release December 2, 2013. So take heart. The rejection rate may be high, and there is a veritable ocean of failed attempts. Yet, we cannot forget that there are success stories also. We cannot forget why we write. We write because we love it, because we love the way it feels as words form in our minds, fill our hearts till bursting, then course through our veins, spill out our fingers, and splatter all over the page. We love it, and therefore, we cannot stop. So we will brace ourselves and face the rejection letters, and know that one day they will end.

Hannah Lokos was an unusual child. She has been writing since she was five. At fourteen, she wrote her first novel. At seventeen, she interned as a ghost writer. At eighteen, she won Scholastic’s Art and Writing Award. She has recently received her very first book contract.

Follow her on Twitter, https://twitter.com/hannahlokos, or like her on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hannah-Lokos/358739397569904. Her official website is still under works, but feel free to shoot her an email at hannahlokos.writer@gmail.com. Seriously, she would love to hear from you.

What Burpees Taught Me About Writing

2013-05-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

I recently completed a month of boot camp at the local gym. It was HARD! It's actually the second hardest gym class I've ever done, but because it was three times a week rather than one, it deserves the title of "hardest class ever."

I'm not the most fit guy. I'm kinda skinny, with a few spare bicycle tires around the middle (not a full spare tire -- a little smaller). But I don't do manly sports. I don't do gyms. I don't do burpees.

People know this about me and so they sometimes ask why I do something so hard. I describe the workouts and how I couldn't do them all, and they sometimes ask why I don't switch to a class I can handle.

Years ago, out of the blue, I decided I wanted to take a kickboxing class. I had spent four years as a couch potato, so to go from that to kickboxing had people wondering if (a) I was out of my mind, or, (b) if someone was threatening me. I wanted to do it because I thought it was fun. I couldn't do everything in the class, though, and I was sore all week until the next class.

So why do something I can't fully do?

What I've learned is that those physical limits my body has are really psychological. When I think I can't push any further, my instructor shouts at me and suddenly I'm pushing harder. When I'm ready to give up, my instructor challenges to me to go just a little longer, and I do it.

I do the extreme classes because I've found I love pushing my limits. I love reaching the edges of what I think I'm capable of and then pushing just a little further. It's when I'm in that uncertain territory, beyond my comfort zone, pushing with all my might, that I find what I'm truly capable of. It's there that I learn how strong I am.

So, as of writing this, I'm in the midst of setting up a meeting with a trainer at the gym to figure out if the next step for me should be another month of boot camp or a month of once-weekly personal training. I want to challenge myself and venture further into that unknown zone.

That unknown zone is where true transformation occurs.

As I was walking home from my last boot camp class, I got to thinking about how this physical journey (filled with those never-ending gawdawful burpees) is a metaphor for writing.

As writers, we all believe we have limitations. We admire other writers and wish we could write like them, knowing we will never be able to.

That's all false. Those are psychological barriers that have no basis in reality. If you push past those barriers, if you enter that zone of uncertainty and transformation, then you'll find that's where your true creative energy lies. You will immerse yourself in possibilities and potentials.

If people tell you that you can't do it, that you will never measure up -- don't listen to them! Find that person that will tell you to push harder, dig deeper, and write stronger. With the right motivation, internal or external, you can enter realms you never thought possible and take journeys you never imagined.

Like with the gym, it will hurt and it will be painful -- thankfully, there are no burpees -- but it will reward you. You will grow, you will discover, and you will learn that there are no limits to your creative potential.

Cameron D James is a writer of m/m erotic romance. His first eBook, Autumn Fire, will be published by Carnal Passions in July.

Mother's Day

2013-05-12T01:00:00.000-04:00

Mother’s Day

Do you have a theme that runs through your writing? I didn’t think I had. Recently I explained my four books, two published and two about to be, to a writing group. To my surprise, I found I was describing a thematic thread common to all. Prior to these four, I had written five other books that did not work to my satisfaction. They never made it to the query process because I never felt they were whole, nothing describable, just not right. It seems, once a theme appeared in my writing, I was able to complete the stories successfully.

I wrote The Prince of Keegan Bay (Champagne Books) on a whim, for NANOWRIMO. When you write a novel in a month, you do not spend a lot of time working on themes, plot or character development. You write the story in your head as it spews out day after unedited day. In the end, I found I liked my characters, the plot, the setting and so I spent three months editing it and sent it off to a competition where it won a first prize for humor. I call it a humorous thriller.

The theme in the book is about a young widow who sacrifices herself in order to save her baby’s life. The baby is threatened with death before it reaches six months old because it is a crown prince of a Middle Eastern country. A group of senior citizens help protect the baby from the terrorists. The baby is the focal point of the story. In this case, his loving mother is willing to accept death in order to save him. Fortunately, the story does not end that way.

The next accepted book, Elena – the Girl with the Piano (Double Edge Press) features a young girl who, with her family walks through the front lines of Leningrad during WWII into the arms of the Germans. Elena’s mother, a former nursery school teacher in the Soviet Union, resents her responsibilities for Elena. During their good years, grandparents and a housekeeper took care of the girl. Once the stress of dealing with the enemy takes hold, Elena’s mother turns on her. Elena is left to survive by her own devices.

Then I wrote The Reluctant Daughters (Double Edge Press – to be released August 2013) where I wove together three generations of women and complications with parenthood. The protagonist, Elizabeth Ackert is raped and gives birth to a daughter. Her father, being wealthy, arranges for her to travel to Europe. She marries an invalid who is happy to have her as a wife and accept her daughter. Unfortunately, he dies leaving Elizabeth with an unwanted child. She sends the girl off to boarding schools in Switzerland. The daughter, Mary Ellen, also is a survivor who marries young, has two daughters, Barbara and Lillian, by two different men and winds up in opium dens instead of caring for her girls. Grandmother Elizabeth, now the head of a lumber empire in the age of railroads, takes on the care of the two young girls. Because of her own daughter’s lack of discipline, Barbara and Lillian live a Spartan life until Barbara realizes her grandmother is ill and goes in search of their mother. There are many plot twists and turns in this one. Grandmother starts the action by deciding to destroy the man who fathered Mary Ellen, a man who is running for president in 1900.

The current work is Silent Autumn, a futuristic story set in 2179, when the population in the former United States is down to ten percent of its 2079 levels. A young woman, Taylor, overhears two leaders planning to remove the leader of the Western Territories and is caught, then rescued by Max, one of the president’s security guards. As the two of them travel toward the west in order to warn their leader, they come across a group of people in the western Pennsylvania mountains. A girl has an infant, unwanted by the community, which she palms off onto Taylor and Max, swearing them to care for the baby. She then commits suicide. Unfamiliar with any form of childcare, the couple take the baby with them on their journey. Taylor becomes close to the infant, learning to care for it and recognizing all that was stolen from her when she, following government doctrine, gave birth to two children in her teens. The two children, like all children in The North, were conceived through artificial insemination and taken from her immediately following birth. All children are raised in nurseries and schools to ensure they are well cared for, protected and educated without undue influence of parents. The more attached Taylor becomes to Acorn, the less she wants to risk her life to save unknown people in The Western Territories. Max begins to share her feelings.

These stories surprised me when I recognized the theme—the mother-daughter relationship in many guises. On further thought, I realize that I am still working on unresolved issues with my own mother. She gave birth to me, not wanting a second child. She abandoned me in the hospital, but was forced by her family to take me home, refusing to name me because she hoped I would die. My aunt and my father named me. Thereafter followed a life of constant humiliation, rebuke and abuse. I survived and had my own three daughters and then inherited three more when I married for the second time. When Mother’s Day comes around, I am a little surprised but always glow with pleasure when they send cards and gifts. While I still cannot remember what it feels like to be a loved and cherished child, I know that I managed to provide those feelings to my girls, each of whom I adore. Somehow I had expressed these conflicting emotions in varied stories.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and daughters out there.

Veronica Helen Hart (Ronnie) is a member of Sisters in Crime, The Florida Writers Association (Board of Directors and Regional Director), and The Ormond Writers League. She has participated in NANOWRIMO regularly since 2003, but The Prince of Keegan Bay (2008) was the first book she believed capable of being published. Web page: www.veronicahhart.com (remember to put the extra h in the middle.)

Harry Potter was a Fluke

2013-05-10T11:50:00.000-04:00

I recently had an argument with another writer. It led to several swears in a cozy cafe - all of them from him - but I wasn't about to step down.

"No," I insisted, if you want to succeed as an author, you must start as a nobody and accept that if you want that to change, you have to promote yourself."

He went on to tell me that it is the publisher's job to organize authors' promotional campaigns and to distribute their books, that the writer should only be concerned with writing and editing, and conveyed several other ideas that would might have been true ten years ago. Despite his own experience with steady rejection, he insists that submitting and waiting for an advance is the only way to do it.

All of this came about when I explained that my first title had just been released and I had spent the better part of the week busy with promotion, tirelessly putting months of planning into action - I expect to be doing this all the way through until the release day of the next title, and at that point, I'll be promoting them together. I'm very driven to succeed, not because I want so $ell, but because I want to be read. That's why I write, and it's why I work hard and take those steps one must take if they want their work to be successful.

As much as I would love to have Tor Books putting my work on the shelf and doing all the work for me, I have come to recognize that even authors who are in such a position have worked long and hard to get there. Brandon Sanderson wrote thirteen books before he finally sold the sixth one of them, and in the meantime he got his masters degree in creative writing. Robert J. Sawyer increased his popularity to science fiction readers by using well-thought-out SEO strategies. Most authors who make a sale to a New York publisher have some sort of trail of short stories and mid-list novels to account for their sales.

Many writers, however, use Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling, or similar rags-to-riches authors, to fuel their dreams that all it takes is writing that great book then riches will come. While this isn't impossible, it belongs in the realm of lottery tickets. It is very difficult to predict what a large publishing company will like, even if you try to match current trends in fiction; you can only write the best story you know how to, learn more about your craft, then get out there and get people (editors, publishers, beta readers) to engage with it. That's what promotion is. J.K. Rowling worked hard to capture her dear tale, persisted in sending it out, and became one of the lucky few who happened to have a book that was dear to her AND was liked by a publisher, but there are those countless others who receive rejection after rejection, and among them are the many who keep writing, take what opportunities they can get, and embrace promotion.

"A man makes his own luck." This is the proverb I prefer to live by. It's not about becoming a Tor Books or a Penguin Books author. It's about becoming an author who people know about, an author who has a growing fan base, and in this day and age, with the internet and eBooks and all the opportunities to reach your audience, this doesn't require a contract with one of the Conglomerates.

I am an author for Burst Books, a small and growing company, and I'm proud to be part of it. I'm happy to have a home for my prose where I know the editing and production team is as passionate about a quality book as I am about writing, and I'm glad to embrace this opportunity the house has given me to connect with my readers.

This, for me, is the writing dream, and it's what makes all the hard work rewarding, because I know that everything I'm doing is an act of obedience to the deepest passion I know. As for the writer? He left, grumbling, telling me to "Listen to someone who knows."

"I listen to people who succeed at selling books," was my quip, but I kept that one to myself.

Graeme Brown is a Winnipeg author and junior editor for Champagne Books. He writes epic fantasy, with his first story, The Pact, now available. He is a frequent blogger and a tweeter, and a full-time math student.

Getting It Done

2013-05-09T02:00:00.000-04:00

Just do it!

I suspect blog sites that focus on the writing process will, over time, begin to repeat the same practical writing tidbits. This is fine by me. Some words of wisdom bear repeating more than once, and in my case, the more the better. I guess my head is a bit thick.

One piece of advice on becoming a successful author is: Just do it. Plant your butt in the chair and write. And like magic, a rip-roaring, fully complete novel will appear before your eyes.

I wish.

I’ve had my butt in the chair for months, and I’m still working on my Amaryllis story. So what’s the problem? Why aren’t I sailing across the finish line? In my two previous posts I shared how I struggled all winter with my current WIP. My big AHA moment last month was to step away for awhile and do something more relaxing. I did this and it helped. With renewed enthusiasm, I got back to work.

The writing moved along well until I hit a time warp. My progress slowed and slowed. I became the tortoise slogging across the hot, sandy desert when I really wanted to be the hare and sprint. I sat for hours, doing it, with little to show for my effort. Then I realized something. All my attention was focused on my characters. I got so caught up in what they were thinking and doing that I overlooked an important personal element—me and my internal editor. Without realizing it, she was sitting on my shoulder, the supreme perfectionist, making judgment calls that hindered my efforts. Every word had to be the best, the dialogue pitch perfect, the texture rich and colorful and the scenes taut with emotion.

It’s true when people say writing is as much a personal journey for the writer as it for the story’s characters.

So my big realization this month, the great AHA moment is: Be aware when the internal editor pays a call. When your work slows to a crawl, you may have an unwanted visitor. To combat such negative energy, here are a few things that have since helped me.

Set a daily word count goal and stick to it.

Do not stop to research, correct spelling, fine edit previous chapters, or visit the thesaurus every five minutes.

Do not stare at the clock on your computer.

Do not play freecell, solitaire or check email ever when working.

Do not get up for a glass of water, coffee or tea every fifteen minutes.

Take big, calming breaths.

Say a positive affirmation.

Do not be afraid of the outcome. It can always be changed.

And when the day’s work is finished, be pleased with the outcome.

My goal for this month is to complete Amaryllis. Next month I’ll let you know how it all turned out. Until then, stay happy and well read.

The author planted in her chair doing it!

Joyce Proell, author of Eliza.

Coming in July – A Deadly Truth

Visit her at: http://www.joyceproell.com

Follow her at: http://www.facebook.com/JoyceProellAuthor

When the Words Won't Come

2013-05-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a bit of a struggle recently to get words out on the page. Without going into all the reasons why, suffice to say that it's been a little depressing. So, I have a list of things I've been doing to try and jump-start the writing output:

Watching Television
Watching Movies
Playing Video Games
I've also been converting my first novel, Heroes Die Young, to a screenplay format.

I have in fact created a plot for a short story. And I've written a few sentences, and then *poof* nothing...

So, what sorts of activities do you all recommend when the words just won't come?

Biggest Fear of Creative People...

2013-05-07T05:00:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone! Hope you are all having a good day!

A fellow teacher and I were talking in the staff room just last week and the subject of creativity came up. His wife had just recently had a new baby and he was very happy about the event, but not unexpectedly, found himself very busy. Between school and being a new dad, he was exhausted most the time and wondered when he would finally get back to having time for “projects”. And more importantly, would his creativity still be there when his life resumed something that resembled normal? And that struck to the heart of the matter. Sure, we creative types can use a wee break from being creative, but what if it goes on too long. Does it go away entirely? That was his worry, that like a muscle that atrophies when you don’t use it, would his creative mojo be lost if he took too much time off.

I quickly reassured him; of course, that it would be there for him when time permitted, but in the back of my mind I was remembering the times this very worry has kept me up at nights. I can remember two very distinctive times in my life when I worried that my deep well of creativity was gone. The first was when I lost two dear brothers to cancer. At the time my creativity was expressing itself in wildlife painting. I remember the day so clearly when my first brother died: I packed up my paints and canvases, sensing that time was over. I went out into the world and got a job teaching English to high school students and it worked by giving me a new focus. The change was healthy and soon I was feeling creative again. Then the writing bug hit hard for I had wanted to write all my life and had dabbled in it before. But this time was different as I made up my mind to take it as serious as any calling I had ever had.

The second time I was hit hard was this past fall with the horrendous tragedy at Sandy Hock. I just quit being creative and lived in shock and despair that such a thing could happen. I despaired of every feeling I would write again. That all my mojo had gone away and this time for good. And then one day this past February I found myself again. And the creative juices were as alive as ever when a new idea for a series took hold. A sweeter moment did not exist except when I found my husband and true mate Don, but that is another tale.

So, my school pal, I think you will definitely come back to the light when time permits. I told him I think that are two types of people in the world: Those that create, and those that destroy. Keep up the creating fellow writers, painters, sculptors, bloggers, architects, and readers for you make our world a far, far better place. J

Best,

January Bain

STORYTELLER

Forever Man

Forever Woman

Forever Clan

www.ChampagneBooks.com

WWW.JANUARYBAIN.CA

jbain@xplornet.com

http://thewritersvineyard.com/

http://january-bain-science-fiction-musings.blogspot.ca/

http://www.humanmade.net/january-bain

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/JanuaryBain

https://www.facebook.com/january.bain

https://www.twitter.com/#?/JanuaryBain

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6437282.January_Bain

DOMAIN NAMES AND HOSTING

2013-05-06T03:18:00.000-04:00

Domain names and Hosting are the topics in the second in a series on the internet, websites and marketing. First obtain a domain name, then a professional web hosting service or package the services together.

DOMAIN NAMES. A domain name is your main address for your website and is also called a URL, for example www.myname.com. It’s the address that’s listed on the upper left corner in your browser. Choose an easy name to point visitors to your web hosting service. Is related to your website’s content. It should be relatively easy, simple to pronounce/spell, and as short as possible.

Selecting the right domain name helps achieve better rankings in the search engines. When someone searches for “author,” a website with the domain name containing those words will usually rank higher than those domains that do not.

CAUTION: From personal experience, some well-known hosting sites have a utility that says something like “see if your domain name is available.” If you type your name there and don’t buy it from the hosting site immediately, if it is available, some companies SELL recently-searched names to speculators. Those speculators will attempt to sell you your name when you try to buy your domain name.

HOSTING. The web hosting service provides the web space and other tools needed to support your website’s content, images, et al. You can register your desired domain name with the host or use one of the larger providers, like GoDaddy for a fee. In many cases it can be cheaper and easier to bundle a package with your domain name and hosting service together.

Many providers offer a free service where you are registered under their name (www . mysite @ wordpress dot com.or any otherfreeprovider.com). The downside of a free service is that they use your visitors for advertising after you’ve reached a threshold on the number of visitors. Hate the sound of that? Wordpress, for example, allows you to buy out of that for $30/year.

When selecting a web service provider, decide ahead of time if you plan on developing and maintaining the website yourself or pay someone to maintain it for you. The downside of someone maintaining your site is the cost and having to depend on someone to do the work done quickly. The upside is that a professional will provide a better product than you could produce and trying to maintain a website takes away from your writing and marketing time.

Check with friends for recommendations about utilities available and ease of use. Search the internet for sites that you like. At the bottom of the page the provider is listed. Another consideration is to select the provider that maximizes overall performance of the website, such as speed, stability, up-time. A provider that’s up 90% of the time means that you could be without internet three days/month.

Next month, Setting Up Your Webpage.

Paying It Forward

2013-05-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

I am pretty sure there’s already been a blog post about this. However, I just thought I’d add my little two cents into the mix…

Over the last few months, I’ve been approached by a few writers, established and aspiring, who have either asked me to beta their work, suggest recommendations regarding publishing houses, or just some friendly advice about the entire publishing process. Of course, I am happy to help in any way that I can. While I don’t profess to be an expert (not in the least), I can only share with them my experiences.

When I first started on my writing journey, basically, I had no one to ‘go to’ with questions and concerns and how to go about getting published. It was quite by accident that I stumbled upon places like Preditors & Editors, Absolute Writeforums, and such, where I could lurk about and research the answers to the questions I had, or, when I got brave enough, to ask timid questions. The first thing I learned was that writers are a friendly, gregarious bunch of people who seem to prefer social media interactions than real time ones (well, I think). I felt right at home. They were all eager to help out, to which I’m grateful for.

Eventually, after toiling through the process of submissions and queries, blurb and synopsis writing, and the whole mad dance writers need to learn and master, I became a published writer (I still think out of sheer luck that that has happened). Of course, like learning to drive, even though you pass the test, the real lessons come after you get your license. I’m still learning by the way, and know to expect accidents and wrong-turns and getting flagged by the traffic police. So it’s a constant check and recheck of my indicator lights, speed limit, side and rear mirrors, oil and gas, brake fluids, and making sure my windshield wipers are in proper working order. Phew! Pretty exhausting, but such is the life of a writer.

But I wouldn’t be doing any of this without the help of editors (shouting out Judy Griffith Gill, heyyy!), and advice from fellow writers from Champagne/Burst (T.M Hunter, K.M Tolan, Michael W. Davis a.k.a. Big Mike, or more commonly known as BM, and the late Jim Woods) or by simply observing what seasoned veterans do (Allison Knight, Julie Eberhart Painter, Victoria Roder, Linda LaRoque, and many more). I feel it’s also prudent that I mention those not with Champagne Book Group (JC Cassels, Cary Caffrey, Laurel Kreigler, Patrick Stutzman, Heidi Ruby Miller, to name but a few), because through their friendship and help, advice and by simply observing what they do throughout my journey has been invaluable.

I THANK YOU ALL!

So, there you have it. Without the help and advice of many, I’d still be lurking about chewing my lips and wondering what to do next. And to anyone out there who hasn’t a clue where to start, and wouldn’t mind some assistance from a post-learner/still an acolyte writer…shout me out. I’m happy to help and do my bit in paying it forward.

Cheers!

T.K. Toppin

Packer Fans Relieved by Minnesota Law

2013-05-04T01:00:00.000-04:00

The last time I reported on dumb laws still on the books, my favorite law was from Racine, Wisconsin where it is illegal to shoot missiles at parade participants. This time, my favorite law comes from Minnesota. Please leave a comment and let me know your favorite.

Did you know, that beer and pretzels cannot be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant in North Dakota? Yeah, I’ve heard of people getting out of control on the beer/pretzel combo, but I’m glad the law makers aren’t concerned with the beer/whiskey chaser combo.

A stupid law I wish they would enforce in Wisconsin is from the State of Maine. It is illegal to have Christmas decorations displayed after January 14th. In my rural Wisconsin area several people on my road alone keep their Santa and reindeer on the roof all year around. It is much less work for the Christmas in July parties.

Watch yourself if you’re ever in Alabama. Putting salt on a railroad track is punishable by death. In New Jersey, it is illegal to wear a bulletproof vest while committing a murder. Come on, fight fair and give the good guys a chance. My new favorite law, is that no one may cross Minnesota State lines wearing a duck on the top of their heads. Myself and thousands of other Packer fans are relieved it doesn’t say, it is illegal to cross the state line with cheese on your head!

In Action Thriller, Bolt Action from Champagne Books, Detective Leslie Bolt uses sarcasm instead of beating the crap out of stupid people. She is a smart talking, gun hording, Harley riding investigator forced to work a serial murder case with her sexy ex-lover. After a childhood of abuse suffered at the hand of her father, Leslie sleeps with a Ruger Blackhawk .357 under her pillow, has a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker rifle in her broom closet, and a Saturday Night Special stashed in her road-hog cookie jar. The body count mounts and Detective Bolt must conquer her own past, as she races to capture “The State Quarter Killer” before her sister is the next victim.

Feel free to visit me online. Victoria Roder website and blog.

FEAR OR ADVENTURE by Angelica Hart and Zi

2013-05-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

William Wordsworth wrote,
“What are fears but voices airy?
Whispering harm where harm is not.
And deluding the unwary
Till the fatal bolt is shot!”

Sit in any boneyard and look at the tombstones and you shall see a date, a dash and another date. Birth and death bridged by a simple short line; that dash. And there it is, the beginning and end of lives, two events none of us hold any control. But that dash, that unassuming dash that all important dash, the totality of individual existence, we each can direct. Yet, how many dashes are cluttered with fear? Did you fear birth? But oh so many fear death, and how is that so? During our dash of life we have learned to fear. I contend, maybe we should all unlearn or never learn that treachery.

Perception is reality. Granted we can each frame our own perceptions through choice. John Putman stated, “Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it.” So, laugh in the face of traditional fears and teach yourself that courage is the grandest way to dash between those two fixed dates in each of our lives.

These are not scary stories but odd twists of life, word colored by imagination. The images are magnified for effect. You control the fear. You control the panic. Or do we? Run and hide or marvel and enjoy. It is your choice. Choose wisely. Remember that dash of you is precious.

And a similar dash coated by fear can be found in one of our first books with Champagne Books KILLER DOLLS a contemporary romantic thriller. This is a captivating story of terror. Not the terror of the supernatural but that which is part of our world ever since terrorists brought their war to our shore. It isn’t always about the fear that is, but the fear that could be.

As each child in this story receives a handcrafted doll created by Letti Noel, you fear for that child knowing terrorists have planted ricin capsules in the doll’s core. You watch the child’s joy, and you, the reader, gulp horror.

At the same time, you experience undercover F. B. I. agent Taut Johnson’s fear, his fear of not being able to protect those children, his fear that he might lose Letti Noel, the woman who charmed his soul and captured his heart, his fear that even if he saves her, he would have to leave her. And then there is Letti’s fear, fear that her innocent creations would be death’s pawn, fear that she has found her partner of forever, but that his past would not allow him to claim that forever.

Then there is another dash, a simple line delineating the fright doused tale of our second release with Champagne Books SNAKE DANCE, a sci-fi fantasy. It chronicles the strange, provocative, and unusual planet Starling where the chickalas of wRen’s Nestling fear their very protectors, the Kin. None, though, would speak of that fear, few would defy it, and many would run from it. Still, the haunt slithers under the surface clam.

wRen stands against fear, against all the Kin proclaim to be good and right, and against the dark legends of the Asp, so as to be with VeIper, her heart, and enemy to the Kin. VeIper denies fear as he seeks to free his species from ethnic cleansing and crosses boundaries to win the awe of the beautiful and defiant wRen.

Fear, though, still embeds the dash. Mong, a slayer, has claimed wRen and vows to destroy those of VeIper's kind, beginning with VeIper. Fear for his life forces wRen to sacrifice herself to a life of submission. Meanwhile, VeIper fears he cannot overcome the impervious, hypnotic power of Mong and save wRen from that existence.

We bring you into the dash of the character’s lives. But will that dash… their lives… be long or short. You must read to find out.

****

We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at writingteamcw@yahoo.com (Write - Blog Dawn - in subject line) and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a gift and add you to any future mailings.

Angelica Hart and Zi KILLER DOLLS ~ SNAKE DANCE ~
CHASING YESTERDAY CHRISTMAS EVE...VIL ~ Christmas 2012
http://www.champagnebooks.com/

Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane STEEL EMBRACE
BOOK NOOKIE-A LIBRARIAN'S BUIDE TO THE DO-ME DECIMAL SYSTEM
http://www.carnalpassions.com/

THE FABLE OF SIN-SIN CINDERELLA Series
Angelicahartandzi.com

On Critiquing and Beta Readers

2013-05-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

One of the panels I sat on at the first annual Central Canada Lit Fest last month had to do with the topic of Beta Readers.

What is a Beta Reader? A rough definition might be: Someone independent (and not a close family member!) who reads over your manuscript before you send it off to your publisher, and who subsequently gives you feedback on the contents.

There were three authors on the panel. The other two may use several beta readers at a time, and while they wanted commentary on the plot and how the reader felt about their work, did not want any feedback on such as grammar or spelling. I use a single beta reader, and reciprocate in kind, often making comments back and forth regarding even these items.

Why a Beta Reader? Most of us belong (or once belonged) to a writer’s workshop or circle where we critique each others work. I find these quite suitable for getting feedback on a single scene or chapter, but not on the completed work. These workshops often meet only once or twice a month, and as the writers take turns, you might have to wait two or three months before your turn to read comes up again. There are also time limitations as there are often two to four readers at each meeting. Not a suitable method for getting feedback on your entire novel. The Beta Reader looks at the complete manuscript, follows the plot and gives you their impression of the overall storyline. You send the reader your polished draft, not the rough first copy. You want a review of the product that you are preparing to submit.

What to look for in a Beta reader? Ideally, you want someone who enjoys the same genre you are writing in. They can be someone who writes in that genre, or someone who is simply a fan and reader of your genre. You ask them to provide you with honest feedback. While you can allow someone close to you (spouse, parent, sibling etc.) to look at your draft, I would hesitate to use them as the primary or only reader of your unpublished manuscript. You want very honest, sometimes even uncomfortable, feedback.

The bottom line, however, when you receive that critique from your writers’ workshop, or the feedback from your Beta Reader, is that you alone are responsible for the final product. Look at what they have told you about your writing, think about it, and in the end, the final decision is yours whether to accept the wisdom of your peers, or press on regardless. Only you, the author, know what it is you are trying to say... or what plot point you plan to reveal later on, in the even more brilliant sequel!

R.J.Hore
www.ronaldhore.com
www.facebook.com/RonaldJHore

The Dark Lady - February 2012
Housetrap - December 2012
Knight’s Bridge - March 2013
The Queen’s Pawn - April 2013
Dial M for Mudder - July 2013

Finding Balance

2013-05-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

I was looking for an image of justice scales and got a pile of lizard and snake images, plus this one which I figure will do because we all wish we could just bask in the sun, don't we?

But we have to work. Even if we're writing--which honestly feels to me like basking in the sun on a lazy river--we're still working.

You'd think sitting in a chair wouldn't be that physically demanding, but apparently, when you put in the kind of time I do at a computer, your back starts to feel about as flexible as our friend's here.

About a month ago, when my lower back went on strike, I faced that I was not so much basking as running flat out on my log. You know how that game ends. (Bloop, splash, glug.) My body made sure I received the message by saying, No, each time I sat down at my computer. It kind of shouted at me in a really mean voice that brought tears to my eyes.

What's pathetic here is, I'm an old hand at managing burn out. So after briefly trying to ignore it, I faced that I needed to renege on some commitments. This blog was one of them, but I see today that my spot wasn't taken.

One of the reasons I overcommit is because I like writing in all its forms, even blogging. So shhh, don't tell my back, but I'm taking this opportunity to remind both of us how to achieve a decent work-writing-life balance.

Go outside. Walking is preferred, or some other form of exercise, but build 30-60 mins into your day to breathe fresh air away from electronics and other distractions. (I'll make an exception for a camera and yes, you're allowed to take photos for your blog, but go outside, rain or shine.) Bonus points if you take someone you love. Yes, your dog counts.
Find an exercise regimen you can stand. I lift weights twice a week, but also do pilates and yoga off a video. It doesn't have to be expensive. It just needs to make your body do something other than type.
Make time for your loved ones. I'm including it to remind myself as this one is really challenging for me. My husband works really weird shifts. When he finally does have time off, it's often my midweek where I'm working, running kids hither and thither, and yeah, I have books to write as well as blogs and email and oh, yeah, the banking... It's super easy to shut the door on my writing room and not interact with anyone until bedtime.
Make an Artist Date with yourself. This kind of 'me' time often turns into retail therapy for me, but we live really rural so when I take myself into a bigger centre, I don't stop at coffee and pie. These should be more about filling the well: browsing book stores and museums and other places that will provide artistic fodder.
Give yourself a specific day off. Mine is Friday night. I'm quite disciplined through the week and weekends are wall-to-wall writing for me, but Friday night is a glass of wine and a movie.

There ya go. A few thoughts on how to keep yourself from burning out. I was also going to say, 'Learn to say no,' but you can see I'm not exactly the poster-child for that one.

Did you have any great tips on keeping yourself at the top of your game? How do you spare your back (or other body parts) from all the sitting and typing?

Adventures in Writing

2013-04-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered what people think when you mention you write romance novels? Over the years, I've watched people's reactions and have made a couple of observations which I'd like to share.

The most wonderful reaction is the delighted expression followed by the question, "What's the name of some of your books?" Even better is the person who says, "I've read your books." It's enough to make you want to hug the individual.

Then there are the friends who shake their heads and claim they don't know how you do it. Often these people will ask about the latest book, and sometimes they'll even buy it. Another hugging occasion?

Of course, there are those who want to know where you get your ideas and those may or may not be that interested. No hugging there.

The reactions I hate are from those people who look like they are looking down their noses at what you do. Their comments can hurt. (Definitely no hugging!) I've seen disgust mirrored on faces, followed by comments about not reading that kind of trash, to snide remarks about anybody can write one of those silly things, to the one I hate the most. "Why don't you write a real book?"

Arguing with an individual who has already determined what you do has no merit, is worthless. They already have an opinion, and it's often set in stone. The temptation to tell them to just try and write a romance is something I battle every time I hear that kind of negative reaction. I've learned it's part of the business, and it's one an author has to accept.

But the reaction that has the steam rising is the leering comment asking if romance writers all practice the stuff in their books. I bite my tongue, because I really want to tell them to mind their own business, but I try to smile pleasantly and say, "I did tell you I write fiction, didn't I? If I write a scene where I kill off a character, that doesn't mean I've actually killed someone, does it?"

However, the one reaction a romance author, and probably most authors, get over and over is the one I have a pat answer for. When a person says, "I could write a book. In fact why don't I tell you my story and you can write it for me." That comment is usually followed by, "My life (experience, situation, whatever) is really interesting."

My answer, after hearing this comment, is " Why don't you try to write it yourself? It will sound much better coming from you.?" A couple of times people have actually asked how they might go about getting started. I'll never know if they try to write that book, but maybe my comments will someday lead to a best seller. You never know.

I'd love to hear what kind of reactions you've gotten when you say you write fiction.

Allison
Heart-warming Romance with a Sensual Touch

Pixelated Visions

2013-04-29T01:00:00.000-04:00

The world around us is continually changing, but in few areas as strikingly so as in the world of publishing. One of the issues up in the air is the definition of what it means to be a professional writer.

I've met people for whom the definition of a professional writer or artist, musician or other creative, is someone who makes his or her living through that work. The Romance Writers of America defines its Pro writers as those seriously seeking publication (querying agents and publishers qualifies.)

I know people who make their living through a day job but devote themselves whole-heartedly to writing or art or music, who have established names for themselves and identify themselves by their artistic work. Their recognition may be in a limited arena and their monetary reward small, but as far as they are concerned, this is their life's work and their contribution to human culture.

This article* came to my attention lately, telling how the Minnesota Department of Revenue is currently auditing Venus DeMars and Lynette Reini-Grandell, (subjects of the 2004 documentary “Venus of Mars,”) musicians who have achieved some recognition, tour regularly, and sell recordings. The auditors claim that these musicians are only hobbyists and their costs can't be claimed as deductions because serious professional musicians would be doing more to make a profit. For instance, they should sign with major recording studios.

Seriously? When the big name publishers of music (and books) are becoming fewer and fewer? When it is increasingly difficult for any artist, no matter how talented, to win one of the limited niches offered in these limited venues? When more and more artists are reaching audiences through the internet, through small publishers, through crowd-funding, or independent publishing? When the whole model of how artists reach their audiences is in flux and no one knows what the future will bring? When books published by the Big Five have limited shelf lives and authors with backlists can self publish and keep their works available forever? Who is to say where the most reasonable expectation of profit lies?

One of the many cool things about the internet is the opportunity it offers for all varieties of niche-interest artists (artisans, writers, musicians and creatives of all sorts) to connect with audiences who will appreciate their work.

Traditional media venues are looking for artistic products that will appeal to the widest audiences – and turn a profit despite the huge investment needed to produce and distribute hard-copy works on a national and international scale.

Major record producers will not put out albums of filk** songs. Big NY publishing houses won’t publish Brony poetry or Star Trek slash fiction. The audiences are too small, too specialized (even aside from copyright issues) – but the audiences exist, and it’s now possible to fulfill those creative inspirations and share them with the people who will appreciate the work.

As a creative-type myself, this last comes closest to my definition of what it means to be an artist. It's much more about connecting the inspiring vision to the audience than it is about making a profit. Profit is nice. We all have expenses, and all want to know our work is valued, but creative work is about much more than that.

The vision some of us grew up with – of earning a living as a creative professional – may not be in the cards for those with small or specialized audiences – but if one can earn a living by other means, sometimes it’s enough just to have the audience that 'gets it' - that recognizes the special quality of one's creative efforts.

As long as I’m doing creative work for an appreciative audience, I can be happy -- even if it means I’m earning my living working some not-too-arduous part-time day job. My experience includes many temp jobs: clerical and customer service-type positions, as well as more creative gigs. I have no problem with doing honest, useful work for which I'm suited, as long as there's room in my life for my creative work.

I don't believe the practice of the arts is meant only for those in the tip of the creative iceberg who can find ways to make their livings exclusively through their artistic work. I believe it’s important for as many people who have a creative inspiration or vision as possible to fulfill these inspirations, and to find an audience for them.

Artistic careers can take many forms. Some artists can continue growing over time in craft and in appeal to broader audiences; some may find satisfaction in much smaller spheres.

There’s a place for work with broad appeal – even a national or worldwide forum – and there’s a place for smaller, more intimate creativity of specialized appeal in village- and family-sized forums. Some artists start with the small and move into broader arenas, others remain in the niche fitting their interests.

Artists, writers, musicians are professionals if they are making the effort to reach an audience appreciative enough to offer some financial reward. If the audience is small and/or has little reward to offer that does not lessen the seriousness of the artist's effort.

Some people may believe that it doesn’t matter whether the ‘lesser’ artists ply their work, fulfill their inspirations or not. The reason I believe in its importance may sound starry –eyed and mystical – but I see the successful communication of many individuals' inner visions as something that will make us wiser and better as a species.

Think of an iceberg: ninety percent lying below the surface. The greater the number of the ninety percent of unknown artists, the higher the ten percent rises above the ocean of obscurity.

Think of those mosaic-collage images in which many disparate photos are placed side-by-side like pixels in a larger image. Looked at from a distance, they create a larger image, one that may or may not be related to the smaller images comprising it.

Consider the work of every creative artist in the human community as a pixel in some vast meta-work, revealing to us the state and nature of the larger human soul – or the human portion of the world soul.

We learn from the arts what it means to be human, what matters, what is important enough to move us to action, or to tears, or to strive beyond hope.

The more of our creative-types who fulfill their work, the higher the resolution of the meta-image, the more clearly we can see, the more clearly we can understand, and the greater our wisdom – as a species. The profit here is not one to be measured in dollars.

* http://www.minnpost.com/minnpost-asks/2013/04/talking-taxman-about-poetry-and-deductions
**filk music is music specific to science-fiction & fantasy fandom

Naomi Stone's latest release: 'Spirited!' from Champagne Books:

The Bad Mean Cruel Despicable Writer

2013-04-28T07:00:00.000-04:00


Making faces photo by Sam Fentress.

I once did a writing critique for a writer friend. I’ll call him Harry. Harry was a poet, a good one, who had a wonderful talent for putting words together. The story he wrote had a lot to recommend it. The sentences flowed beautifully. The descriptions were lovely, without a cliché in sight. The characters were well drawn and felt like real people. It would, in fact, have been a great story but for one fatal flaw.

Here’s a summary of the story line: The protagonist has been seeing a woman for a while. He asks her to go away for the weekend. She agrees to go. They go away and have a wonderful time.

Can you see the problem? There’s no conflict. None at all.

Conflict is a major ingredient in fiction. It’s the tension of conflict that keeps a reader hanging on to find out what will happen next. Without conflict, there is no story.

Harry had the first step right; he gave the protagonist something to want. In this case, the protagonist wants to go away with his new girlfriend and have a great time. So far, so good. Then comes the rub--the writer can’t actually give the protagonist what he wants. Harry is a nice guy and he loves his protagonist. The last thing he wants to do is be mean to his character. But a good writer has to be mean. The character buys the house of his dreams? The writer burns it down. The character finally gets a date with the woman he has a crush on? The writer gives him an allergy attack the afternoon before the big night. The character has a chance to win the golf tournament? The writer breaks his arm. In short, writers are bad cruel despicable meanies. We do awful things to our characters.

Harry could add discomfort, pain,, and suffering in a few places along the way to make the story work. He could make his protagonist anxious about asking his girlfriend to go away with him. He could have the new girlfriend say no. He could make the weekend a disaster. Any or all of these would keep the protagonist from getting what he wants.

Then, of course, Harry would need to find a way for his protagonist to overcome these conflicts. In the end, the writer can finally give the his character all he desires. Or some of what he desires, anyway. The ending will be all the sweeter for all the terrible things the writer made him do to prevail.

Till next time

~Ute~

UteCarbone.com

Quotes, Imagery, and Writing

2013-04-27T01:00:00.000-04:00

We've all seen inspirational posters touting "Teamwork" and "Success." But Canadian artist Ryan McArthur takes it a step farther with a minimalist technique. An article in The Huffington Post highlighted his work and triggered a thought for me: how can writers do the same?

Photo Credit: http://www.etsy.com/listing/125832444/minimalist-quotation-print-rumi?ref=shop_home_feat

Writers need to choose pithy words, full of emotion and punch. It may sound simple but it certainly isn't easy. We tend to over-extrapolate, over-explain, and over-describe--and often in passive voice.
Watch the use of was before verbs: change She was sitting on the edge of her chair to She perched on the chair's edge. Challenge yourself to condense wordage, distilling each sentence into a concentrated essence of idea.

What the artist does here with silhouette is limit distraction. It seems deceptively simple yet brilliant to juxtapose a caterpillar holding to the very tip of a branch as a butterfly rises, but how many people would have added a background of leaves, flowers, or a sun with rays streaming outward? To do so would take the eye away from the core interpretation of Rumi's quote.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be descriptive. But we should be on guard not to clutter our writing with too much. Distill and concentrate your wordage, choose richness over quantity, and entrance your readers right from the start.

~ Jude Johnson

Author

Dragon & Hawk, Out of Forgotten Ashes, Dragon's Legacy (fiction)

Champagne Books

Cactus Cymry; (nonfiction) Open Books Press

Website: Jude-johnson.com

Why I Do What I Do

2013-04-26T00:19:00.000-04:00

You’re probably (well, possibly--I may be aging myself here) familiar with the children’s poem about the old woman who lived in a shoe and had so many children, she didn’t know what to do. I just browsed the file I keep fir possible story ideas. I feel like that woman—so many ideas, I don’t know where to start. So many books to write, so little time.

I’m often asked by a reader, “Where do you get your ideas?” or “How did you ever think of that story?” Not every idea blossoms into a book or novella or even short story, and not every idea is meant to develop into anything more. But the rush that comes with the ‘what if’ question that lies at the foundation of every story can be addicting. There’s just something about creativity and the possibility of what might be.

I’ve talked to people who engage in other creative endeavors and they tell me the same thing. A woman who designs her own quilts feels that same rush when she imagines the design and then watches it come together. Someone who creates objects out of clay, kneading and shaping the raw material into something useful and beautiful. The painter who sees the image on a blank canvas, and then draws it out with each brush stroke. The sculptor who knows what lies within a block of granite and chisels away that which holds the sculpture captive.

So, why do we need to create, to write, sculpt, paint, compose, bring the images and words in our heads into being? I think it’s because we humans are innately creative. It’s part of our make-up, what feeds our spirit. Not spirit in the religious sense, but in the sense of that which gives us purpose. Why do I do what I do—write? Because I have to. Because it’s my passion. Because in writing, in telling story after story, my spirit comes to life. And we writers and artists are compelled to answer that one question: What if…?

What is your ‘what if’ question? How do you respond to that innate call to create?

Linda Rettstatt

www.lindarettstatt.com

Critique Group: Where Are You?

2013-04-24T01:00:00.000-04:00

Where do I find a critique group?

Now that we’ve thought about what we want in a group and whether we’re looking for an online group on one meeting in person, the next question is where to look for your next critique group.

I participate in two groups. The online group is a genre group of five writers on AuthorSalon.com. We are engaged in a rigorous critique process which requires literally hours of time devoted to critiquing each other’s work in detail. Definitely not for everyone. You may also find online groups associated with specific writing conferences and writing associations. In addition, look to genre specific online communities for critique group opportunities.

Face-to-Face groups can be established using online tools, such as meetup.com; posting an announcement in known writer hang outs -- bookstores, cafes, libraries; making a request through your local writer’s association and networking. My other critique group, a face-to-face group, is made up of peers I met while attending a certificate program in fiction at the University of Washington.

Where have you found your critique groups? Post a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

Next post I’ll look at the critique process.