tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48752642116595057022024-03-12T20:18:38.125-07:00Mama Needs A Book ContractUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-21210309051385640982009-08-21T20:06:00.000-07:002009-08-21T20:17:13.883-07:00The Eve of Ramadan: Aug. 21, 2009It is confirmed. Ramadan will officially begin Saturday in the U.S. and most in countries that celebrate Ramadan. Like my sister said, "It seems like the majority of Muslims are starting on the same day." I agreed with her. I heard only two countries that began Ramadan on Friday. Could be a good sign.<br /><br />I will once again journaling my days during Ramadan. Can't promise you if it will be exciting or adventurous. However, I can promise you that you will see a beautiful experience that occurs during Ramadan.<br /><br />Just to clarify Ramadan is a month (about 29 or 30 days) when able-bodied Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Muslims are exempt from eating, drinking, smoking, sexual intercourse, and as well as working on building excellent character. Once it sunsets, Muslims come together and break their fast with either a sip of water or some dates. After the fifth prayer of the day, Salatul Isha, Salatul Taraweeh takes place in mosques around the world. In Salatul Taraweeh, the Imam (religious or spiritual leader) will begin up prayers and begin with first Surah, Chapter in the Quran. He will recite so many Chapters per night, thus reciting the entire Quran in about 29 or 30 days. (There is 114 Chapters).<br /><br />I invite you my dear readers to come back everyday and also to comment and post questions. For those that will fast during Ramadan: Have a Happy and Blessed Ramadan!FAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08776794771019972647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-88629317709651001482009-08-01T09:24:00.001-07:002009-08-01T09:40:42.632-07:00Birthin' a Book & Lessons LearnedA few weeks ago Kai and I were discussing "having a baby" and "writing/publishing a book". She asked about why I made the analogy about birthing a baby and a book. So here is a little more discussion on that topic.<br /><br />Let's see how we make a baby. (Sorry, no videos for this one!)<br /><br />Girl meets Boy & They Fall In Love<br />There's a proposal.<br />They Get Married (hey, its my analogy so we're going down the traditional path! )<br />They have a honeymoon and love each other A LOT.<br />They work hard at their marriage, realizing it's not like the movies.<br />They Get Pregnant.<br />For nine months she's a little crazy.<br />For nine months he's a little afraid.<br />They prepare, they read books, they ask other people.<br />They get lots and lots of unsolicited advice and everyone contradicts each other.<br />Labour begins and they realize they couldn't have prepared for this.<br />Baby enters the world.<br />They realize that there's a lot more work AFTER baby arrives than BEFORE!<br /><br /><br />So how do we make a book?<br /><br />Writer gets a great idea and loves it a lot.<br />There's a proposal. The writer writes it. No rings involved.<br />Writer finds an agent and signs with her.<br />They like each other a lot.<br />Writer gets an offer from a traditional publisher. (Hey, again, it's my analogy!)<br />They sign the contract! Nine months until delivery!<br />For nine months the writer is a little crazy.<br />For nine months the writer's family is a little afraid.<br />Writer does lots of research, writer interviews a lot of people. Some people contradict others.<br />It's down to the wire and there are bits to review and edits to make.<br />Deadlines within deadlines come hard and fast.<br />The book arrives.<br />The writer realizes that there's a lot of work after the book arrives. Marketing, writing, interviewing, obsessively checking Amazon stats, wondering when it will ship, holding contests, getting press.....<br /><br />Now, neither of these represents a complaint about the process. I loved being pregnant (if I had my druthers...) and I loved getting a contract and writing my book. But they were both learning experiences, especially the first ones!<br /><br />I learned:<br /><br />1) Plan ahead to be done all tasks before your deadline/delivery date.<br />2) Don't think you know it all.<br />3) Research like crazy.<br />4) Asking for advice will result in better info than receiving unsolicited advice.<br />5) There are people around you whose job it is to help you. Accept their help.<br /><br />(Cross-posted at <a href="http://thewritingmother.blogspot.com/">The Writing Mother</a>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-22240601932536146582009-07-21T05:24:00.000-07:002009-07-21T05:48:07.257-07:00Growing into my very geeky jobWhen this blog first started I'd *just* been accepted into a University course in Creative writing and Criminology. I dropped the 'criminology' part, and focussed, instead, on Psychology for the five 'spare slots' that I had. That was just under two years ago - and last year, around this time, I finally worked out what I wanted to do when I graduated.<br />It's been a long path this year - because soon after I researched and discovered the fun that is my new carreer (and it's FUN with several invisible exclamation points after :D) I was quite badly injured - something I haven't - really - recovered from. But this week I finally, perfectly, married my love of writing with my love of psychology and crime, in a not unexpected (for me) way. And I'm hoping over the next couple of months that I can share it with you guys and other writers.<br /><br />And that's why I'm so geeked out right now. I can do this - and I can teach it, and write about it, and talk about it passionately. It's growing, with my interest, and it's just about boundless.<br />And that's where I am. Training to be a forensic linguist 'by day', via a degree in Creative Writing and Psychology, and a postgrad diploma, and working on this 'by night'. I'll get to geek about it properly very soon, but until then I'm just delighted to get to take a run at it. Till then it's kinda hush hush, cause the platform is probably a 'one off' and I want to be fully ready to do it. But yay!<br /><br />How's your summer looking?Kaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17853616928543610517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-27434517821333171142009-07-02T18:45:00.000-07:002009-07-02T18:48:17.284-07:00It's Here! It's Here!<div style="text-align: center;">Finally, finally, finally.... I'm holding it in my hand.... my first <s>baby</s> book!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTXGUfuQaXezkzHigmG1YogWIFrninEeZhBx3BmElxj84FoNrGMhuw__Q-e9u-GURuVglV6TBZP-2_AQDAx9dBljtXje5kmb2pp1zZl05JLypLShZ6x0vIREUI1-Y6bcSvzCYzuP9dGY/s1600-h/GREENGUIDE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTXGUfuQaXezkzHigmG1YogWIFrninEeZhBx3BmElxj84FoNrGMhuw__Q-e9u-GURuVglV6TBZP-2_AQDAx9dBljtXje5kmb2pp1zZl05JLypLShZ6x0vIREUI1-Y6bcSvzCYzuP9dGY/s400/GREENGUIDE.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354044165188435714" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">In case you are wondering. I sold this book in October 2007.<br /><br />That's a 20 month gestation period.<br /><br />:)<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-74754975982179858252009-06-22T02:10:00.000-07:002009-06-22T02:37:16.020-07:00An analogy that fits<p>Since my head injury I've found there are times that I can't sit at my computer, and I need to think about writing, but not in that active, 'I'm brainstorming' way.<br />So I took up knitting again, and have discovered the addictiveness of actually completing something that's small and useful.<br />I remember feeling that way, in the start about articles and content that was being crafted especially for clients. I'd make a made to order set of articles, each word carefully locked into place and each concept made stronger by it's surrounding ones. Dishcloths might be shorter articles, but blankets are whole chapters of books.<br />So instead of sitting and mindlessly staring at the TV all day, I knit. I think about stories and I let things just cascade into place.</p> <p>It's an analogy that might just fit for most of us - we craft something out of the other materials - and taking it right back, most of us 'spin' our wool from the words that are fed in, before <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">repurposing</span> it to something else. I get the feeling that it's going to be very difficult to work this summer on much, writing wise, but I can knit whenever I've got a spare few minutes.</p> <p>What craft analogy can you find for writing and the craft of your choice?</p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">(xposted to <a href="http://exceptionalmundane.com/2009/06/an-analogy-that-fits/">exceptionalmundane</a>)</span><br /></p>Kaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17853616928543610517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-75982532785282948812009-06-15T19:46:00.000-07:002009-06-15T19:47:50.742-07:00Interview: Christina KatzToday I'm featuring a Guest Post by author Christina Katz. I have been inspired and encouraged by Christina's writing for many years now and love her writing! So enjoy...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Bio:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXV5sEk5W0S1PhDOM_2cLIEYH3J5vr4Co67GVYfF9Bt7N2P0Pr-P8wRMUG76z0fWJruly1H_Zoaj1rbn53WlK1yGZC1uDkzJ3q4BftpNH2tzrSD9ka42pUN3El5_ytlR-f2LCicI4dLc/s1600-h/CMK08Away.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXV5sEk5W0S1PhDOM_2cLIEYH3J5vr4Co67GVYfF9Bt7N2P0Pr-P8wRMUG76z0fWJruly1H_Zoaj1rbn53WlK1yGZC1uDkzJ3q4BftpNH2tzrSD9ka42pUN3El5_ytlR-f2LCicI4dLc/s320/CMK08Away.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347749892305083218" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://christinakatz.com/">Christina Katz</a> is the author of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform </span>(Writer’s Digest Books). She started her platform “for fun” seven years ago and ended up on “Good Morning America.” Christina teaches <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/katzcreative/comm/classes.htm">e-courses</a> on <a href="http://getknownbeforethebookdeal.com/">platform developmen</a>t and <a href="http://thewritermama.com/">writing nonfiction for publication</a>. Her students are published in national magazines and land agents and book deals. Christina has been encouraging reluctant platform builders via <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/katzcreative/comm/christinakatzhome.htm">her e-zines</a> for five years, has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. A popular <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/katzcreative/comm/eventplanners.htm">speaker</a> at writing conferences, writing programs, libraries, and bookstores, she hosts the Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon. She is also the author of<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids </span>(Writer’s Digest Books).<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: What is a platform?</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4prOJRMRFuFiFhUOCYEkZ42YEjbeFC9INe0dI4slSgSDiaB-BZZddtxQi0OJ2qDj8PNdYppZ5uk7Ib9Wo0IPskWXLfnM1mNSv4GUsgXTZkT763nBibBsVyhEryowmh2Y0JtYFqdDhik/s1600-h/Get-Known-Before-the-Book-D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4prOJRMRFuFiFhUOCYEkZ42YEjbeFC9INe0dI4slSgSDiaB-BZZddtxQi0OJ2qDj8PNdYppZ5uk7Ib9Wo0IPskWXLfnM1mNSv4GUsgXTZkT763nBibBsVyhEryowmh2Y0JtYFqdDhik/s320/Get-Known-Before-the-Book-D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347749894431334098" border="0" /></a><br />CK: Long story short: Your platform communicates your expertise to others, and it works all the time so you don’t have to. Your platform includes your Web presence, any public speaking you do, the classes you teach, the media contacts you’ve established, the articles you’ve published, and any other means you currently have for making your name and your future books known to a viable readership. If others already recognize your expertise on a given topic or for a specific audience or both, then that is your platform.<br /><br />A platform-strong writer is a writer with influence. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Known</span> explains in plain English, without buzzwords, how any writer can stand out from the crowd of other writers and get the book deal. The book clears an easy-to-follow path through a formerly confusing forest of ideas so any writer can do the necessary platform development they need to do.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: Why is platform development important for writers today?</span><br /><br />CK: Learning about and working on a solid platform plan gives writers an edge. Agents and editors have known this for years and have been looking for platform-strong writers and getting them book deals. But from the writer’s point-of-view, there has not been enough information on platform development to help unprepared writers put their best platform forward.<br /><br />Now suddenly, there is a flood of information on platform, not all necessarily comprehensive, useful or well organized for folks who don’t have a platform yet. Writers can promote themselves in a gradual, grounded manner without feeling like they are selling out. I do it, I teach other writers to do it, I write about it on an ongoing basis, and I encourage all writers to heed the trend. And hopefully, I communicate how in a practical, step-by-step manner that can serve any writer. Because ultimately, before you actively begin promoting yourself, platform development is an inside job requiring concentration, thoughtfulness and a consideration of personal values.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: How did you come to write Get Known Before the Book Deal?</span><br /><br />CK: I already had a lot of momentum going when I got the deal for a very specific audience. I wrote a column on the topic for the Willamette Writer’s newsletter. Then I started speaking on platform. When I gave my presentation, “Get Known Before the Book Deal,” at the Writer’s Digest/BEA Writer’s Conference in May 2007, Phil Sexton, one of my publisher’s sales guys, saw it and suggested making the concept into a book. Coincidentally, I was trying to come up with an idea for my second book at that time and had just struck out with what I thought were my three best ideas. My editor, Jane Friedman agreed with Phil. That was two votes from people sitting on the pub board. They converted the others with the help of my proposal, and Get Known got the green light.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: Why was a book on platform development needed?</span><br /><br />CK: Writers often underestimate how important platform is and they often don’t leverage the platform they already have enough. At every conference I presented, I took polls and found that about 50 percent of attendees expressed a desire for a clearer understanding of platform. Some were completely in the dark about it, even though they were attending a conference in hopes of landing a book deal. Since book deals are granted based largely on the impressiveness of a writer’s platform, I noticed a communication gap that needed to be addressed.<br /><br />My intention was that <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Known </span>would be the book every writer would want to read before attending a writer’s conference, and that it would increase any writer’s chances of landing a book deal whether they pitched in-person or by query. As I wrote the book, I saw online how this type of information was being offered as “insider secrets” at outrageous prices. No one should have to pay thousands of dollars for the information they can find in my book for the price of a paperback! Seriously. You can even ask your library to order it and read it for free.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: What is the key idea behind Get Known Before the Book Deal?</span><br /><br />CK: Getting known doesn’t take a lot of money, but it does take an in-depth understanding of platform, and then the investment of time, skills and consistent effort to build one. Marketing experience and technological expertise are also not necessary. I show how to avoid the biggest time and money-waster, which is not understanding who your platform is for and why – and hopefully save writers from the confusion and inertia that can result from either information overload or not taking the big picture into account before they jump into writing for traditional publication.<br /><br /><br />Often writers with weak platforms are over-confident that they can impress agents and editors, while others with decent platforms are under-confident or aren’t stressing their platform-strength enough. Writers have to wear so many hats these days, we can use all the help we can get. Platform development is a muscle, and the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Anyone can do it, but most don’t or won’t because they either don’t understand what is being asked for, or they haven’t overcome their own resistance to the idea. Get Known offers a concrete plan that can help any writer make gains in the rapidly changing and increasingly competitive publishing landscape.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: What is the structure of the book and why did you choose it?</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDEdBvIu0dYCnyYPB19o-LkwilNJkT6_4Mj_5p3TO6ilmXSXbI0YB9LOVxRclvHuEvNPISl7UAAFwYZ-phd_5_Zvt-gof2Ix8ApU6DG4NgcR_Uax7z2L4vbal7hGNEUVeM4Y95nW_EKI/s1600-h/WriterMamaCover.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDEdBvIu0dYCnyYPB19o-LkwilNJkT6_4Mj_5p3TO6ilmXSXbI0YB9LOVxRclvHuEvNPISl7UAAFwYZ-phd_5_Zvt-gof2Ix8ApU6DG4NgcR_Uax7z2L4vbal7hGNEUVeM4Y95nW_EKI/s320/WriterMamaCover.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347749897581217506" border="0" /></a><br />CK: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Writer Mama</span> was written in small, easy-to-digest chunks so busy new moms could stick it in a diaper bag and read it in the nooks and crannies of the day. Get Known is a bit more prosaic, especially in the early chapters. Most of the platform books already out there were only for authors, not writers or aspiring authors. To make platform evolution easy to comprehend, I had to dial the concepts back to the beginning and talk about what it’s like to try and find your place in the world as an author way before you’ve signed a contract, even before you’ve written a book proposal. No one had done that before in a book for writers. I felt writers needed a context in which to chart a course towards platform development that would not be completely overwhelming.<br /><br /><br />Introducing platform concepts to writers gives them the key information they need to succeed at pitching an agent either via query or in-person, making this a good book for a writer to read before writing a book proposal. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Known</span> has three sections: section one is mostly stories and cautionary tales, section two has a lot of to-do lists any writer should be able to use, and section three is how to articulate your platform clearly and concisely so you won’t waste a single minute wondering if you are on the right track.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: At the front of Get Known, you discuss four phases of the authoring process. What are they?</span><br /><br />CK: First comes the platform development and building phase. Second comes the book proposal development phase (or if you are writing fiction, the book-writing phase). Third, comes the actual writing of the book (for fiction writers this is likely the re-writing of the book). And finally, once the book is published, comes the book marketing and promoting phase.<br /><br /><br />Many first-time authors scramble once they get a book deal if they haven’t done a thorough job on the platform development phase. Writers who already have a platform have influence with a fan base, and they can leverage that influence no matter what kind of book they write. Writing a book is a lot easier if you are not struggling to find readers for the book at the same time. Again, agents and editors have known this for a long time.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: What are some common platform mistakes writers make?</span><br /><br />CK: Here are a few:<br /><br /><ul><li>They don’t spend time clarifying who they are to others.</li><li>They don’t zoom in specifically on what they offer.</li><li>They confuse socializing with platform development.</li><li>They think about themselves too much and their audience not enough.</li><li>They don’t precisely articulate all they offer so others get it immediately.</li><li>They don’t create a plan before they jump online.</li><li>They undervalue the platform they already have.</li><li>They are overconfident and think they have a solid platform when they have only made a beginning.</li><li>They become exhausted from trying to figure out platform as they go.</li><li>They pay for “insider secrets” instead of trusting their own instincts.</li><li>They blog like crazy for six months and then look at their bank accounts and abandon the process as going nowhere.<br /></li></ul><br /><br />I’ll stop there. Suffice it to say that many writers promise publishers they have the ability to make readers seek out and purchase their book. But when it comes time to demonstrate this ability, they can’t deliver.<br /><br /><br />My mission is to empower writers to be 100 percent responsible for their writing career success and stop looking to others to do their promotional work for them. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Known</span> shows writers of every stripe how to become the writer who can not only land a book deal, but also influence future readers to plunk down ten or twenty bucks to purchase their book. It all starts with a little preparation and planning. The rest unfolds from there.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: Couldn’t any author have written this book? Why you?</span><br /><br />CK: I have built a career over the past decade empowering writers. I’ve developed and built my own platform as a writing-for-traditional-publication specialist, and I’ve worked with others as a writing and platform-development instructor. Many of the people I’ve been working with are landing book deals and while the other hundred-or-so writers I work with a year are developing their skills, I notice patterns of behavior—what leads to success, where writers get stuck, and how I can be helpful in these rapidly changing times in the industry.<br /><br /><br />I’ve witnessed too many writers, who were off to a great start, hopping online and quickly becoming very lost. I started to write about platform in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids</span>, but I quickly noticed that more details on platform development were desperately needed. My platform is based on helping others. I have a vested interest in seeing the people I work with—and those who read my book—succeed. Writers are my tribe.<br /><br />Thanks Christina! (Cross-posted at <a href="http://www.thewritingmother.blogspot.com">The Writing Mother.</a>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-90387828515925646782009-06-11T00:04:00.000-07:002009-06-11T00:10:06.487-07:00Mama has her contract (kinda)!I'm sorry I've been missing lately - it's been mad around here with end of year work for Uni, a photog shoot that just wouldn't line up with everyone that wanted to be there (and I can't post my part in it because it's 'ghostcamera' work - a bit like ghostwriting, just I loaned body pieces (my back specifically, because of my biohazard tattoo) and other fun stuff.<br /><br />BUT - got my grades back this week and found out I got 3 B's and 2 D's (where the 2 D's are appealable because you can see where I was coping with my head injury (badly), or at least explainable), giving me a high 2:2 (C) for the year overall. Worse than 1st year, but in 1st year, I didn't have memory problems and serious trauma based writers 'block'.<br /><br />And then, the week before we went off for the year, I wrote a book proposal, based on some of the stuff I'm studying right now (linguistics, forensics and some other stuff) and discovered I'd hit onto a great idea.<br />This morning I got my partial request back - with a note saying that they would want to see the rest once they'd evaluated this part unless my query didn't live up to the reality.<br />Contract for me!<br />And I'm back to blog. So...how have you been?Kaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17853616928543610517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-49886710181377025652009-05-18T12:50:00.001-07:002009-05-18T12:50:42.753-07:00procrastwitterLet it be known that I'm the first to use this word. :)<br /><br /><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">procrastwitter<br />verb: the act of procrastinating via twitter<br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-34704466117773936672009-05-10T22:16:00.000-07:002009-05-10T22:17:42.178-07:00OptimismJust finished watching a documentary with Michael J Fox and his take on optimism. It was quite inspiring because he's simply an uplifting, beautiful person. I'm sure he has his dark moments, but overall, this is a guy who has taken what many might see as a death sentence and turn it into something to work towards.<br /><br />(I recently purchased his book, Always Looking Up, but I haven't had the chance to read it just yet.)<br /><br />In the documentary, they spoke about Bhutan, a country that focuses quite a bit of energy on their Gross National Happiness. While it has a lot to do with Buddhist values, I can still appreciate the value of choosing happiness and optimism above the alternative. I don't know if I'm a pessimist or optimist, I am hopeful, but at the same time, I always need to know what the Worst Possible Outcome is so that I can be prepared.<br /><br />But it did get me thinking about the choices we make in our life and how they might define if we are optimists or pessimists.<br /><br />Take freelance writers. We work at a career that is not guaranteed to leave us rolling in the dough. Quite contrary... most freelancers are earning below the poverty line in North America. But we still do it.<br /><br />Or look at the 36,000 jobs that were added to the Canadian economy last month. A pessimist might say "oh yeah, but they were self employed jobs..." an optimist might say "these people choose to go start their own businesses rather than sit on social assistance".<br /><br />I think that it might be our choices in life that reveal how we think. Do you keep writing query letters despite the rejections? Do we keep pitching book proposals despite the lack of response? Do we push the limits of what we can do, trusting that we will have the resources to finish what we start?<br /><br />(x-posted at <a href="http://www.thewritingmother.blogspot.com">The Writing Mother</a>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-9978963355658670492009-05-02T12:40:00.000-07:002009-05-02T12:41:38.369-07:00My own brand of crazy...The other day my husband and I were having a "discussion" about my writing. Normally I don't post anything about our "discussions". (If you're reading those air quotes correctly, you'll know I mean "argument".)<br /><br />He says I'm a bear to live with when I'm on deadline. I say that they only time I can convince him to watch the kids so I can write is when I'm on deadline. When the deadline is farther away (wait... further?) there's no NEED to write. Just the want. And we don't ask our husbands to watch the kids so we can go off and do something we want. Right? Right?<br /><br />Maybe it's just me.<br /><br />This was a tough argument because he felt that writing has an "emotional withdrawal" from our family bank account with less "emotional deposits".<br /><br />And this is because the emotional deposit goes only into MY emotional bank, he says. I tried the "when mama ain't happy, ain't no one happy" bit. And there's some truth to that, I am happier when I'm more fulfilled. But how much does the family need to give for my happiness?<br /><br />But wait, how much are they actually giving?<br /><br />Yes, I'm a bear when I'm on deadline and I'm insistent upon getting time to write whether it's downstairs in our basement, out at a coffee shop.... wherever. Is me not being there THAT much of a drain?<br /><br />He says "the woman's traditional role is to nurture".<br /><br />After I took off my corset and burned my bra, I asked him what the traditional man's role is... and why *I* was doing that too. You know, out earning money in the workforce.<br /><br />No answer.<br /><br />I love winning "discussions".<br /><br />What are your thoughts?<br /><br />(Cross posted at <a href="http://www.thewritingmother.blogspot.com">The Writing Mother</a>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-54012695219463565252009-04-16T07:02:00.000-07:002009-04-16T07:16:55.018-07:00Two things - a contract and rebranding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZS1f9mYSYf6Wckhu_MR4c-q7hQ6ZouBov-d2iTFvxN-lmK8_VvEYgahRlGRt1Ms_bZ88QjIo9ucUUXcwQLnlhuElSE-3_eceRzoJL5djjEf0DebdKNxI4tvhIKFLp9RV9hATA5Ug8Et1T/s1600-h/deadworlds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZS1f9mYSYf6Wckhu_MR4c-q7hQ6ZouBov-d2iTFvxN-lmK8_VvEYgahRlGRt1Ms_bZ88QjIo9ucUUXcwQLnlhuElSE-3_eceRzoJL5djjEf0DebdKNxI4tvhIKFLp9RV9hATA5Ug8Et1T/s320/deadworlds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325290651091278290" border="0" /></a><br />First up.<br />Not only do I have a contract (anthology) signed, sealed, and delivered, but I also have our book cover to show off! I'll announce again when the book is actually *out* but Footnotes to a Lesson, described as my 'thinking man's zombie' story is appearing in the 'Dead Worlds' Anthology, eta July 2009.<br /><br />The story, which was the first one I waved at my new tutor after xmas has been highly praised but really *really* hard to place, because the protagonist isn't a traditional inhabitant of a zombie tale - and to be completely honest, I do some fairly gross, and unexpected things to her.<br /><br />But it's in this anthology - under my pen name 'Sabrann Curach' (I hope!) which is really cool. Mama got a book contract ;)<br /><br />And onto point two - I'm in the process of a massive shakeup of all of my 'stuff'. As I have stupid amounts of 'stuff' scattered all over the web (I am the proverbial spoiled child in a candy store because I can write, code and design quite readily - in other words I've got no barriers to creation - just upkeep!) it's taking me a while, but it got me thinking about rebranding.<br />As a starter, before I start sharing links and stuff, cause this will be a topic I'll be on for a while, do you have a brand? Are you at a point where you could start bringing stuff together and create a solid concept brand or are you scattered like me?<br />Is there anything YOU need ideas to get to or brainstorming? Stick em in the comments and we'll see what we can do ;)Kaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17853616928543610517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-50568894663513155962009-04-13T05:20:00.001-07:002009-04-13T05:42:18.029-07:00Forget Celebrating Strunk & WhiteApril 16 is the 50th anniversary of that little grammar guide, Strunk & White's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Elements of Style</span>, but should writers celebrate?<br /><br />One writer and professor, Geoffrey K. Pullum<i>,</i> says he won't celebrate in an article published recently in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Pullum ends his argument by stating, "I've spent too much of my scholarly life studying English grammar in a serious way. English syntax is a deep and interesting subject. It is much too important to be reduced to a bunch of trivial don't-do-this prescriptions by a pair of idiosyncratic bumblers who can't even tell when they've broken their own misbegotten rules."<br /><br />Basically, Pullum argues that Strunk and White didn't understand or follow many of the grammatical rules the pair touted. Pullum also notes that some of the original text written by Strunk was later revised by White including additions and deletions that didn't exist in the original nor did those additions or deletions make sense.<br /><br />The Chronicle of Higher Ed's web site is a subscription-based site, but here is the link to Pullum's article titled, "<a href="http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i32/32b01501.htm">50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice</a>."<br /><br />And here is an article that doesn't mention the bad quality of the advice but does talk about the anniversary published in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--goldenstrunkampwhit0320mar20,0,4092190.story">Newsday</a>.<br /><br />And supporting Pullum's more recent article is an article published in 2005, <a href="http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/%7Emyl/languagelog/archives/002583.html">which Pullum applauded</a>, by Jan Freeman titled, "<a href="http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2005/10/23/frankenstrunk/">Frankenstrunk.</a>"Linda Sherwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407345514446665322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-60639925066872593152009-04-04T12:55:00.000-07:002009-04-04T12:56:27.540-07:00Amazon Deleting Reviews OnlineRecently, I was forwarded an email from <a href="http://www.cherylktardif.com/">Cheryl Kaye Tardiff</a>, <a href="http://www.cherylktardif.com/">Author</a> and <a href="http://www.shamelessbookpromoter.com/">Book Marketing Coach</a>. It seems that she started to notice some of her reviews were being deleted. Not just ones for her books, but reviews for other books.<br /><br /><blockquote>I am sending this to ALL writing associations I belong to because I really want you to have this information before Amazon deletes all your reviews.<br /><br />A week ago I found that all 85 of the reviews I've written for other books had been deleted. It has been a very difficult and stressful week dealing with Amazon. They are not very accessible and I was given at least 3 different reasons for why my reviews had been deleted. After numerous emails, this is what it's come down to:<br /><br />Their final ruling: "Please know that our participation guidelines don't allow customers to promote their own titles in their reviews."<br /><br />If you sign your review with anything other than your name, your reviews could be deleted. If any of you are in the habit of signing your reviews with something like ".., author of Whale Song", which has been common practice for years, Amazon has deemed this as "inappropriate" and will be deleting them. It seems they're on a campaign to go through reviews posted. They recently made changes to the Amazon Connect program and all our blogs were temporarily gone too. Most are back up.<br /><br />They also will delete your reviews if you have added the book link (that they supply) and directed it to your own book title's Amazon page. Many authors have used that in their signature line. It can lead to deleteion and suspension, according to Amazon's latest email.<br /><br />I argued the fact that thousands of authors sign their reviews like this, and that it's common practice in our inductry. I was told by my last publisher to sign my reviews like this; he even wanted us to include the ISBN, which I only did a couple of times then stopped. It made no difference to Amazon that this is what my publisher wanted me to do; they aren't accepting signatures with titles.<br /><br />Amazon is starting to take note of such practices and you'll get no notice; they'll just pull all the reviews you have written. That's what they did with me, even though many of my older reviews were signed with just my name.<br /><br />So to clarify, according to Amazon, when posting a review, you are not allowed to have a signature of anything more than your name, and NO links to or mention of your books whatsoever in the review or sig line. I am giving you the heads-up now so you can go in and edit your reviews if you choose. That's what I'd do, to be honest, because fighting with Amazon is not easy. There is no one who will talk to you by phone, and waiting for their response is not easy. This rule also applies to any comments you leave on a book review. Amazon does not want authors to mention their own books anywhere on the reviewpages.<br /><br />I haven't heard from Amazon.ca yet, but I expect this will be funneled over to all the Amazons, so I'll be working on editing my reviews there next week.<br /><br />Please forward this on to all authors you know and any writing organizations or associations you belong to.</blockquote><br /><br />Thanks for letting us know, Cheryl! <a href="http://www.cherylktardif.com/">By the way, you can find out more about her latest book, Whale Song, over at her web site</a>!<br /><br />(Cross-posted at <a href="http://www.thewritingmother.blogspot.com/">The Writing Mother</a>.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-60220793960666652762009-04-01T19:10:00.000-07:002009-04-01T19:36:43.276-07:00Help! I have a fiction idea and I give up!Truthfully I have always wanted to be a fiction writer. And yet here I am, with the non fiction. And I like to read non fiction, but I LOVE fiction. It's the dessert and the non fiction is the steak. So I live vicariously through other writers:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.joshilynjackson.com/mt/">Joshilyn Jackson</a><br /><a href="http://shirleyjump.blogspot.com/">Shirley Jump</a><br /><a href="http://sheilacurran.typepad.com/falling_down_the_blog/">Sheila Curran</a><br /><a href="http://www.jenniferoconnell.com/newsite/jensblog.html">Jennifer O'Connell</a><br /><a href="http://shanna-s.livejournal.com/">Shanna Swendson</a><br /><a href="http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/">Jennifer Weiner</a><br /><br />The problem is that whenever I come up with a great idea, I immediately thing, "oh yeah, that's a great idea because I heard it... wherever". Either it spikes in my brain for about 1.5 minutes and then I realize what a tired idea it was... or it doesn't even become fully formed before I shoot it down.<br /><br />Except earlier this week I was thinking about one of my customers and something he said... and it spawned an idea, which spawned an idea and soon I thought "this is a REALLY good idea!" and it's stuck for the last week. <br /><br />Except! I'm almost scared to put words onto page... I know my process for writing non fiction, but I'm afraid if I put my idea onto page... I might somehow wreck it. Weird, huh?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-43332926999935701072009-03-02T12:40:00.000-08:002009-03-02T13:06:21.498-08:00Touch Typing Typical?I am a touch typist, which means I can type without looking at the keyboard. It has been years since my typing skills have been timed, but I suspect that I am well over 100 words per minute for typing, and pretty close to that when I compose as well.<br /><br />I learned to type when I was a freshman in high school. I had one semester of typing, and we were typing on very old, very stiff manual typewriters. It was when writing was loud work (I love my silent computer keyboard, but even my silent version is a bit noisy.) Although I didn't know it then, that class was one of the most valuable classes I took in high school. Being able to type saved me a lot of time in the future. I can't imagine working with a deadline and not being a fast touch typist.<br /><br />But I wonder if I am the norm among writers? Are most writers touch typists? Or am I strange?<br /><br />And am I *really* a touch typist? I have the alphabet completely memorized, and I can type words without any hesitation what so ever, but I need to sneak a peak on the those rare occasions when I have to hit keys I don't normally use -- like most of the F keys and some of the less used shift options on the number keys like ^ which is what you get when you hit shift AND the 6 key. Confession: When it comes to touch typing numbers, I prefer the number key pad to the numbers spread out above the letters. Alas, my laptop does not have the number key pad.<br /><br />And when it comes to all of the variables available on a computer keyboard like the function key and the windows key and the page up, down, etc., I have no idea. I don't use them often, and if I do, I have to look. But keys I use frequently, like the "CTRL, ALT, DELETE" combo, I figure out even though placement tends to vary from keyboard to keyboard.<br /><br />I know it wasn't that long ago that I read a post by <a href="http://www.arghink.com">Jenny Crusie</a> that she was buying a keyboard that was completely blank, and I knew as I looked at a picture of the black blank keyboard that I am not that good nor would I ever be that good. I can get by with the keys that I have worn so much that you can no longer see the letter, but I can't go completely blank on a computerized keyboard. I have been using my current laptop since May, and the N key is starting to get stabbing marks on it from my fingernails and the "N" is slowly disappearing. I suspect it will be completely gone sometime this summer.<br /><br />I know that for me, I have to be a touch typist. I'd never be able to do the writing work that I do without the ability to touch type. But I realize that there is more than one way to be a writer. I've never tried options like the voice to text options, but I've heard good things about them. Plus once, long ago, I used to write by hand and then type things up on a electric typewriter with the aid of a lot of Wite-out and patience. So there are other options to knowing how to touch type.<br /><br />I once tried to sell my electric typewriter in a yard sale, but my mom bought it. And for a while, I was collecting very old manual typewriters, but they take up a lot of space and are very happy. I now only own one Underwood, which is a very old manual. I've never really typed on it, but I like having it in my office.<br /><br />And it seems I am not alone in hanging onto old typewriters. NPR promoted the love of typewriters with QWERTY Love. Read it at <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100900163">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100900163</a><br /><br />What about you? Are you a touch typist? Do you have a typewriter lurking in your house? Has the computer changed the way you write?Linda Sherwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407345514446665322noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-88506860967910804752009-02-21T13:51:00.000-08:002009-02-21T13:55:09.225-08:00The writer in all of usBear with me on this one, it's a biggie.<br />We've been talking about how to give you guys, our faithful readers, *more* from our shared blog, and there's been a lot of back and forth about what MNaBC actually is. And the question boiled down to, at one point, ‘are we all really looking for contracts? ‘<br />My answer to that was no...well...yes. No. I should be. I’m not, but I am. Errr...<br />And it occurred to me that this, of all the things I’ve been thinking about lately, might actually be something important to share.<br />What does a contract – or contracts mean to me? (and the ‘me that is a writer’ in all of us)<br /><br />The writer in me<br />A contract, for me, would be validation that I’ve not wasted my *life to date* that didn’t involve raising the kids, being a good friend, supporting other writers, learning my way as a bipolar and all of the other personality quirks I have and the myriad of adventures I’ve undergone because of the subtle blend of that list, which isn’t exhaustive.<br />It would be a reason to actually continue to finish, because I don’t do well with finishing and letting go. I can handle crits, but that’s because I get to go back and polish some more. I can handle writing, because I can always circumlocute the end of the story, or bury it somewhere so that I’m into the next book without noticing.<br />I’d be able to stop faking my joy at being unpublished, and I might – finally –get over my fear of success. I’m actually scared of being a success. I’m scared of the attention that writing might bring down on my family. I’m scared that people will think I’m just like my characters, and wonder how in the world I come up with such dark stuff without any real world experience. I’m scared I’ll discover that I don’t fit where I thought and be cast adrift again.<br />A contract, for me, doesn’t equal money or freedom, though I don’t doubt that they would bring some of that. And it’s true – had I chosen to deal with my fears before now, we might not be quite in *this* situation right now. We’d have been in another one, probably just as hard to work through. And I’d never be free – none of my books are singles ;).<br /><br />The writer in all of us<br /><br />Contracts, from what I can tell, are validation and a ‘get out of jail’ pass for those of us with people that don’t understand what it is to be a writer. It makes our work as real to others as it is to us, but at the same time, it makes the next one just as hard to get. There’s no such thing as an ‘established’ author until you have a huge following. Sure, you can show your publisher and agent that you can ‘do deadlines’, but no publisher will gamble on you – again – unless your sales have been something to write home about.<br />Contracts aren’t a badge that we’ve made it – instead, they’re a responsibility to do it right, and not let others in our band – fraternity – down. Because heaven forbid any of us give credence to people like James Frey – contracts ARE NOT tickets to fame.<br />Contracts aren’t what we are – though we go from writer, to author after publishing. Contracts might afford us that, but they aren’t what bring us there.<br />Our writing is.<br />Our writing is what should sustain us – should be what brings us our heart’s desire, and should be the all consuming passion that we thrive on. And even in our darkest times, contracts shouldn’t be our guiding light – writing should be.<br />So this mama says – ‘contracts are nice, but give me my writing, any day!’<br /><br />(xposted to <a href="http://workbacktonow.com/">Work, back to...now</a>?)Kaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17853616928543610517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-40278256791874128312009-02-18T12:08:00.000-08:002009-02-18T12:23:58.236-08:00Wasn't I a Writer?I've been working on my taxes this week, and I can't believe the changes this last year. The biggest change was on that line that identifies my job. For as long as I can remember, the answer has always been "journalist." Until 2008, and my new job description is "teacher." Out of all the money I made in 2008, only $500, earned during the first two weeks of the year, was from writing.<br /><br />I can't complain. It turns out that my jump from journalism to teaching came at the perfect time. My friends still working at the local newspapers report that their hours have been cut back to 35 hours (or less) a week. When I worked as a full-time reporter, I routinely worked well over 40 hours a week. A cut to even 35 hours, would have meant a loss of a good chunk of my income.<br /><br />Another thing doing my taxes made me realize -- I haven't had any of my writing professionally published for over a year. This is unheard of. I began writing professionally when I was still in high school. When I was still an undergraduate, I landed a job at a local newspaper. For most of the last 20 years, I have had a byline on an average of 7 articles a week plus I did freelancing and other writing work. In 2008, except for those first two weeks, I didn't write a single thing for publication other than blogging here (which was few and far between) and on my own site.<br /><br />Could I still claim to be a writer if all I'd written were comments about other peoples' writing?<br /><br />And then today, I went to my post office, and I found a check. It was from BlogHer, and it was my first advertising revenue from my blog. It wasn't a direct payment for my writing, but it suddenly renewed my pledge for 2009. I am going to write again.<br /><br />This semester ends May 2, and I will have a bit of last minute things to finish up, but I also have plans. I have that research paper about plagiarism that I want to submit for consideration in an academic journal. And I have my memoir, with approximately 30,000 polished words, waiting for another 40,000 or so.<br /><br />I am a writer, and I have been sidetracked the last few years with teaching, and I know I no longer want to be a journalist, but I am a writer, and I need to remember writers write, but I am a writer who writes for an audience, and I can't let my audience down.Linda Sherwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407345514446665322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-84501196137051976642009-02-14T09:12:00.000-08:002009-02-14T09:46:25.962-08:00Doing Your ResearchHow do you research an article or a book? Do you research before or after you write the proposal? Do you know your 'stuff' inside and out?<br /><br />With my second book, the one on Green Horsekeeping, I admit, I did not know the topic inside and out. I knew quite a bit, but during my research, I learned A LOT.<br /><br />The first part of the book talks about the history of horses on the planet. This can be a tough subject to navigate when you're a creationist, believe you me. But being a "creationist" does not necessarily mean I don't believe in natural selection and some forms of evolution. I don't believe that there's one camp or the other and that you have to plant your flag in your chosen belief camp forever.<br /><br />So I did some research. I'm curious, for those who believe in evolution, have you ever ACTUALLY READ Darwin's Origin of the Species? I mean cover to cover. <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/charles-darwin-on-the-origin-of-species/original.pdf">You can download it here</a>. It's a fascinating read and even starts off quite good. He references God in the early quotations and says, paraphrasing, that man should be as knowledgable about God's book as he is about God's works. I like that.<br /><br />He also goes on to say in the very introduction that Origin of the Species is not a finished work. It's his abstract - his initial insights - and that the fullness of his work will take many years. In the introduction he states clearly that there are errors, that it's imperfect and that he has basicially no references to back up some of his statements. He doesn't go anywhere near human evolution except to say that we'll know more later as we learn... He was not an athiest, but more of an agnostic. He questioned God, as I believe we all do at many times in our lives. He saw God as a bit more of a programmer of laws than a creator.<br /><br />Now Darwin's research has been discussed at great length for many years, it has evolved (har har) and people use the term Darwinism without really knowing who Darwin was and what his beliefs were. That's sad, because I think he was really on to something beautiful and complex and I think that if HE could have finished his work fully without the illnesses and hear problems, Darwinism would have meant something different from what it does today.<br /><br />At the very least, it's helped me win a few arguments with my athiest friends and family members. :)<br /><br />Now where was I... oh yes, doing your research. I think that now that we have Wikipedia and Google, we forget about the vastness of what came before. We forget to actually READ Origin of Species before we start referencing it. We think we know what it's about because we read the Coles Notes version in high school. Or skimmed it. We know that the people with the fish on the back of their cars are Christians and the people with the walking fish on the back of their cars, are not.<br /><br />But I challenge you to go beyond. To not research by way of the wikis and the search engines. Actually read the books. Wade through their thick pages with their complex sentances and read what the writers before you actually said.<br /><br />You can start with <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/charles-darwin-on-the-origin-of-species/original.pdf">Origin of Species</a> if you like. It really is fascinating!<br /><br />(Crossposted at <a href="http://www.thewritingmother.blogspot.com">the Writing Mother</a>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-91044968019344648272009-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:002009-02-10T10:26:26.663-08:00WOW, Twitter and writingTalk about title stuffing huh, but that's the kind of attention span I have at the moment.<br />Anyway...<br />World of Warcraft is eeeebil. With four capital E's. For a start, I'm finding it very difficult not to stand up and scream 'Pwned' at the top of my lungs in creative writing board meetings, and for seconds, I'm trying to find a way to incorporate writing and WOWing. And it' isn't happening.<br />The thing about World of Warcraft is it's repititon on an ever increasing difficulty slider, but it's more like this buzz tooth scale, cause for a little while, at your new level, you're a 'harder' target for most mobs (non player characters, controlled by the program, that you have to kill). It's a bit like writing really - in some ways at least. You write up the scale, 'level' and then things are easier for a bit, till you tackle the next 'boss'.<br />Screaming PWNED at your manuscript won't win you points though.<br /><br />Twitter is one of those things I'm now discovering is an intregal part of my 'day'. Since I got myself a very shiny G1, it's easier to do social networking basics, like tweet, so my feed has become just as innane, but updated no matter where I am, so it's slightly more random. No Pwning (ok, I'll stop it now), but plenty of silliness abounds. The great thing about the updater I use is it does my facebook and myspace feed - the downside is 'is ' is three outta 140 characters, so I miss it off most of the time, so my Facebook looks kinda wierd.<br />I'm looking for more people to add to my feed though, so if you're there, feel free to @kaiberie me and I can add you (and you can add me, if you like ;))<br /><br />Writing on the other hand, unless you include my tweets and WOWage has gone....interestingly. I'm still halfway through my degree, and it's kinda hard to keep focus, to be honest. I'm constantly tired, and headachey, and have been coping with the snow on top of that, but lately, I'm finding that my non creative writing stuff (psychology and crime) is making me write more fiction. Poetry is intermittently sucky, depending on whether I'm focussed enough or not (usually not) and blogging is a complete non starter at the moment.<br /><br />And that's my round up. Now, I'm curious, as ever. If you had to choose three words to sum up your week, what would they be, why and what slant can you put on them?Kaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17853616928543610517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-49526238546286693582009-01-31T09:29:00.001-08:002009-01-31T09:31:18.682-08:00$ellingRecently I posted over at <a href="http://thewritingmother.blogspot.com/2009/01/side-effects.html">The Writing Mother about being a salesperson and a writer</a>. Personally, I think that you absolutely have to be a salesperson to be a successful writer. You can be a writer without a sales bone in your body, but if you want to be a success (as defined in a financial term) then you need to SELL what you write.<br /><br />I'm wondering... what do you think of that? Do you think it's hard/easy/impossible to sell your writing? What sort of objections to you encounter?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-47898644320501425682009-01-28T03:17:00.000-08:002009-01-28T03:42:04.507-08:00Words that manifest changeOk.<br />So, how have you been?<br />I can't believe that I've been MIA for a month, and I can explain...I think.<br />Actually, no, I can't. I've spent the last few weeks/months/half year dealing with what is increasingly becoming more likely that I've got 'brain damage' of some description. Not severe, I would hope, but having just been for a 'head to hip' MRI, and referred to some teams in our local hospital that deal specifically with head injuries, I'm having to face up to that.<br />Added to that, my University time table got shuffled quite interestingly, and I'm spending a lot of time at home, reading and studying and creating more work for myself.<br /><br />My new year's resolution this year was one word.<br />Start.<br />There's a logic that I explained on my blog a couple of days ago, that if we choose one key word for our year, that we can manifest far easier. It's easier for example to say 'I want to start writing' than to say 'I want to write x words a day' It's easier still to say ' I want to have completed 'x'(where x= the amount you really need to get done this year) and then divide it by 12, and then by 4 - and plan accordingly, but when you're in a position of flux, choosing one word (start, continue, care, stop) is probably the best plan.<br /><br />Words that manifest change aren't a new concept, but I don't think we use them enough - and I've had some really cool ideas how to support anyone looking to build change in their lives - something I may or may not pursue, or just document and hand off. It's hard sometimes - you get an idea, and you think it's great, and you pursue it, till another one comes along. I come up with so many ideas that I don't know what to do with myself sometimes ;).<br /><br />Now, I know that I have lots of projects on the go. That's more accurate though if you say 'had'. I still own them, but one by one, I let things slide - or, in an effort to keep up, started to streamline and never finished. I have things on my todo list from before I bumped my head that just keeps getting pushed further and further down my list.<br />So, this week, I made a fresh start. Or started to. I don't know how it'll go, but I've pledged to document it, and document it I will.<br />How are your goals looking though, nearly a month in? Are you 'winning' - are they challenging enough? Too challenging?Kaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17853616928543610517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-6344071258871644492009-01-18T20:56:00.001-08:002009-01-18T21:11:08.122-08:00Very Excited<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TNTZg6VNS1j8KCj7t6xHMMReHJYp5mb4iX-MZV34wfGKRX4ZiNbuMQ23TtFN-H5tU_6myjpHqEWp52YQM2j_-5AWffa64pT3S3Xh8AJ-YER6OwHyPdJfICOfHbi6VKWFXKTPx7nGKZw/s1600-h/51So6yC+KdL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TNTZg6VNS1j8KCj7t6xHMMReHJYp5mb4iX-MZV34wfGKRX4ZiNbuMQ23TtFN-H5tU_6myjpHqEWp52YQM2j_-5AWffa64pT3S3Xh8AJ-YER6OwHyPdJfICOfHbi6VKWFXKTPx7nGKZw/s200/51So6yC+KdL._SS500_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292866676568643586" border="0" /></a><br />Tomorrow I should be able to download the layout for my Green Horse book. My job is to go over all the text and sketches and make sure that all is kosher. I also have to add some content and have chosen to add a reader's application guide. This was my idea so that 4H groups and other horse-related groups around North America can USE the book, not just read it. But that's <span style="font-weight: bold;">so</span> intimidating to even think of... I've never created a reader's guide before. Then again, I'd never written an 85K book before and I did that without dying.<br /><br />On another great note, the second half of my advance check (or cheque as we say in Canada) is making its way to me from my agent's office. And wouldn't you know it, I have something that needs buying.<br /><br />Back in November some jerk hit my car. I'm sure he's not a jerk to everyone, but he sure let me know what he thought of me. I (for once in my life) kept my mouth shut and let him babble and then drove off and filed my police report. He was at fault and his insurance company accepted full responsibility. (Note to jerk, after you hit someone, it's not usually a good idea to blame them for not "getting out of" your way.)<br /><br />Long story short, his insurance company has decided to write off my car because it's old and not worth fixing. It has a cracked quarter panel, that's it. What made me most angry was the fact that we don't get a choice in the matter. Even if I said "ok, I changed my mind, no claim, walking away... kthxbai..." I have no choice. His insurance company WILL be de-registering my car.<br /><br />I've decided to look on the bright side and say "hey, my advance check is coming and we have good credit... AND it's the best time to buy a car." We're looking at maybe even buying new, I'm thinking a Dodge Caravan, but that's because my secret plan is to have another child eventually and we need the room!<br /><br />What feels really good right now is having something to put my advance check to that benefits my family directly. Lately Major Man has had something in his craw about how much my company makes and how much I rely on our credit card to "float" my business. I just haven't gotten around to get a business credit card and I suck at accounting and bookkeeping so it's never really evident what is going where.<br /><br />I think one of the things I'd like to do in 2009 is get a good bookkeeper or accountant!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-11931554482165355262009-01-12T06:54:00.000-08:002009-01-12T07:26:00.379-08:00And This is Why I Can't be Super-WAHM Every Day...Or, "This is Why I Can't Stick to a Schedule"<br /><br />It seems like it never fails: I craft my plan for the day or the week, carefully including all the different aspects of my busy week, then something derails it. <br /><br />Some days I have monumental plans for being the ultimate writer, a model of efficiency, speeding through first drafts as if there was a fire sale on verbs. Then it happens: the interviewee is out of the office all day despite our scheduled appointment, or the school calls and I have to pick up my daughter, or the dog is sick and I have to haul out the carpet cleaner immediately or we'll have a weird green stain by the back door. (Okay, the last part was TMI maybe.)<br /><br />Other days, the homemaking side of my life is at the forefront of my plans. I'm going to wash, dry and fold 7 loads of laundry, get $300 worth of groceries for $75, and finally repot that poor, wilting houseplant. Then the washer breaks, or the email dings with a rush assignment or, as is the case today, my favorite couponing site is kaput.<br /><br />I'm not very flexible, really. Or maybe I'm just stretched so far that even ElastiGirl would snap under similar circumstances. Whenever a monkey-wrench is thrown into my plans, it takes me some time to wrap my head around this new course of events and switch over to a new groove. (<--That paragraph, my dears, is pure genius use of cliches and mixed metaphors. Not to be attempted by mere amateurs! :P )<br /><br />Not every day is like this, of course. It's just that for every day that being a work-at-home mother seems to be the ideal lifestyle, there's a day when getting up early to shower, dress and commute seems easier. <br /><br />I know it isn't true, but it's a nice little fantasy that wahm-types occasionally indulge in. It's ironic, then, that when I had an office job, I dreamt that being a writer working from home would be all rose petals and chocolate. <br /><br />This has been another installment of the ongoing whine that can be heard across the Internet. :) It's not really all that bad - it's just that my $75 might only buy me $75 worth of groceries today.Carolyn Ericksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03453503978412913878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-61788659885606609902009-01-11T21:50:00.000-08:002009-01-11T22:04:34.457-08:00This Chaps My ButtYet again, another author has been found guilty of being a <a href="http://www.writerswrite.com/wblog.php?wblog=108091">lying liar pants on fire</a>. And again, it's with Miss Oprah.<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"On December 27, 2008, Herman Rosenblat admitted to fictionalizing portions of his life story, including how he met his wife. Based on this admission, the publisher of his forthcoming memoir — <i>Angel at the Fence</i> — canceled plans to print his book." </span></span></blockquote><br /><br />I wonder why she even has her book club. Oh, I forgot, to highlight the books SHE likes. I'm still holding a grudge against her after she made a comment about there being a lack of good books being published today and that's why she was choosing older, "classic" books. Perhaps she simply reads the books and decides what will have the best STORY. To do that, of course, she has to make it about the writer.<br /><br />But most writers I know don't want it to be about them. I certainly don't want to sit and chat about me, me, me when it's about the book. The book sells the book... not the writer.<br /><br />What are your thoughts?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i></i></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-30059580664544242852008-12-31T12:30:00.000-08:002008-12-31T12:39:45.944-08:00Just keep writing, just keep writing...The end of the year is always a time for reflection. Sometimes when we reflect on our past, we don't always like what we see. Maybe we're going through a rough time or maybe we just didn't accomplish what we wanted to. This can color the future for us. It can change our rose colored glasses into dingy grey glasses.<br /><br />This is especially true for those who might be prone to depression, have seasonal affected disorder or maybe even expectations that are too high. Note I'm not talking about anyone in particular here, though I could be referencing myself. I'm not really a depressive-type of person, but I am definitely prone to some hormonally induced mood swings!<br /><br />I was looking for some uplifting material to post here at the end of 2008 when I came across a guest blogger, <a href="http://mywritingmentor.blogspot.com/2008/12/guest-bloggerjeanette-hanscome.html">Jeanette Hanscome, who was blogging at Tricia Goyer's site</a>. Jeanette has had some health issues and has had to pray and re-evaluate some of her goals.<br /><br />Her decision?<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> Just keep writing. </span>It helps if you say it like Dori would. :)<br /><br />Go ahead and click on that link above and I hope you find some encouragement there!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcwhahcONzRYK_Oq18z_575DCS1lA5MtPJp_rnMNgcpV2KFBPiS4lhTbTun_EL5iSQobazSnN7mwVcnSYw0wDfurNRksIxEUHtCtkinZAHT61NKqjOGIJhrxGk3-fGphUAMm1cjoivXI/s1600-h/Dory1.jpg896f361e-9aae-4cfd-8f76-7c803fe3ece5Large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcwhahcONzRYK_Oq18z_575DCS1lA5MtPJp_rnMNgcpV2KFBPiS4lhTbTun_EL5iSQobazSnN7mwVcnSYw0wDfurNRksIxEUHtCtkinZAHT61NKqjOGIJhrxGk3-fGphUAMm1cjoivXI/s400/Dory1.jpg896f361e-9aae-4cfd-8f76-7c803fe3ece5Large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286056509905544786" border="0" /></a><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title"><a href="http://mywritingmentor.blogspot.com/2008/12/guest-bloggerjeanette-hanscome.html"><br /></a></h3>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0