For the past few years I have eagerly awaited the start of November because it is the month when I participate in Nanowrimo or NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth. We as writers come together both online and in person to write, sharing our struggles and victories while we push toward the goal of writing fifty thousand word in just thirty days. I began participating because I thought that the approaching deadline would force me to simply sit down and finish a book I had been fighting with for over eight years.
Never Give Up waited patiently in the back of my mind and when I finally sat down and let it come out I began to learn so much. I learned about my characters, the setting and my true love of creating the story. I learned that I really did have the ability to do it if I was motivated and made myself stay determined. I also learned that my fear of only having one story inside and never being able to come up with anything else to share was completely unfounded.
I took the year following Never Give Up off but in 2013 I decided to try again. I was already on November 9th when I searched my files for anything to inspire me and I came across a short story I had written the previous year and decided to see if I could expand it into a full length novel. I made my word count and sent it in for verification a day before the deadline making it my second attempt and successful win. It sparked the desire to keep writing every year.
In 2013 I wrote Breathe which was another tremendous learning experience. It demonstrated to me that I may be the writer but the characters will do what they want and I will eventually bend to their will if I want the book to flow correctly. It taught me how to really listen to those in the story in order to share it properly. It was the skill I gained in listening that led to the 2014 writing of Welcome to Syn. That project started in June when I was driving home from a camping trip and a character possessed my mind telling me her entire story with such graphic and determined tone I had no choice but to sit down and write down the outline the moment I got home.
Last year in 2015 I had two different ideas I was tossing around for Nano but I settled on book one of a trilogy instead of writing the second book in the Syn series. I figured that this year I would just write book two of one series during the year and the other book two for Nano but as I sat down to look through my isn of projects I realized how much I needed to research for either choice and that there was a great deal of research that needed to be done on a dozen others. I separated those files and made lists of what I needed to look up for each book which is when it happened. All of the characters from all of those stories began speaking to me and presenting their case as to why I should tell their story this year. At the moment I have eight books speaking louder than the others and I must decide between all of them. This should be fun!
Monday, September 12, 2016
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Positive Reinforcement
This morning I went to a meeting with a few other women from the Indies in Las Vegas group on Facebook. There are thousands of groups out there and I can honestly say I am a member of more then two hundred between hobbies, support and educational desires but I am truly active with a few dozen. This group formed recently and I wanted to check it out because it is made up of people close to me that were going through the same trials and experiences that I am. I have seen a couple of posts by members talking about getting together for drinks or dinner but for one reason or another I was unable to attend. This morning was different, I am off today so I had the availability to go.
When I arrived at Starbucks I was later than I had planned to be and I knew from online comments that at least one person had already arrived. I get severe anxiety in attending these types of meetings as a symptom of my PTSD and so I sat in my car shaking from nerves while simultaneously thinking of excuses as to why I couldn't show up and then just drive away. After fifteen minutes of arguing with myself I got out of my car with my computer bag and walked inside. I had decided that if I was unable to talk to these women I could at least try to get some writing work done.
I saw them sitting at a table as I entered but I made a beeline for the counter to get some coffee instead of going right over to them. As I was waiting I watched a third member join the group and decided to announce myself, online. I went to the chat on Facebook where we had all posted our interest in attending and simply said I had arrived. I must have stood out like a sore thumb because they picked me out right away but said I and made me feel welcome. From the moment I sat down the conversation was inclusive and helpful.
We all shared stories, both writing related and not, discussing what had ben going on recently and different aspects of our work. We quickly discovered that we had all been at a signing together a few months back but for the most part didn't know each other. I had been sitting next to two of them and across the aisle from the third but I had no clue who they were or that they were Las Vegans like me. It was so wonderful to talk about all the things we have been going through, cry about bad reviews and share victories together that I forgot all about my previous apprehensions. It was like a little author support group and something I truly needed. After struggling recently I can honestly say they helped put the wind back in my sails and restored my confidence to keep pushing on, thank you ladies!
When I arrived at Starbucks I was later than I had planned to be and I knew from online comments that at least one person had already arrived. I get severe anxiety in attending these types of meetings as a symptom of my PTSD and so I sat in my car shaking from nerves while simultaneously thinking of excuses as to why I couldn't show up and then just drive away. After fifteen minutes of arguing with myself I got out of my car with my computer bag and walked inside. I had decided that if I was unable to talk to these women I could at least try to get some writing work done.
I saw them sitting at a table as I entered but I made a beeline for the counter to get some coffee instead of going right over to them. As I was waiting I watched a third member join the group and decided to announce myself, online. I went to the chat on Facebook where we had all posted our interest in attending and simply said I had arrived. I must have stood out like a sore thumb because they picked me out right away but said I and made me feel welcome. From the moment I sat down the conversation was inclusive and helpful.
We all shared stories, both writing related and not, discussing what had ben going on recently and different aspects of our work. We quickly discovered that we had all been at a signing together a few months back but for the most part didn't know each other. I had been sitting next to two of them and across the aisle from the third but I had no clue who they were or that they were Las Vegans like me. It was so wonderful to talk about all the things we have been going through, cry about bad reviews and share victories together that I forgot all about my previous apprehensions. It was like a little author support group and something I truly needed. After struggling recently I can honestly say they helped put the wind back in my sails and restored my confidence to keep pushing on, thank you ladies!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Writer's Groups
I belong to two different types of writer's groups, online and in person. There are a far greater number of the online ones though I am truly active in only a handful at most. It is easier to get a wide variety of people online because we can come together from anywhere in the world to share our ideas, suggestions and questions. There is a good chance someone will know how to answer almost anything you ask there because there are numerous skill levels, backgrounds and areas of interest within any particular group.
While my groups I attend locally do have the varying skill levels and backgrounds I have noticed that a large number of the members tend to be of a certain age group and because we all reside in one area, many for decades now, it can color the answers to the questions with a particular bias. I do enjoy getting to go and listen to a speaker, learn from others and the things they have been working on as well as share my own victories and struggles.
Either type of group can be a tremendous help when it comes to learning to promote yourself and your work. I tend to use each group as a place to ask questions pertaining to the type of promotion they are already a part of, i.e. online groups for online promotions, live groups for in person events. There are a couple cross over groups I am a member of as well including the Indies of Las Vegas group that I lurk around in online but also, when possible, will go get coffee and discuss local events or get suggestions.
It can be very intimidating to actively participate in groups especially when you are just starting out. I have been a member of many of these groups for over two years and I still struggle to come up with things to say or ways to become better known. I watch from a distance, commenting occasionally and when I am feeling particularly daring, posting something of my own. The important thing to know is that while there are a few members here and there that are not as helpful, most of us in these groups want to help each other and see as many people succeed as possible. We are all learning, practicing and together as a team we can make many writers successful.
While my groups I attend locally do have the varying skill levels and backgrounds I have noticed that a large number of the members tend to be of a certain age group and because we all reside in one area, many for decades now, it can color the answers to the questions with a particular bias. I do enjoy getting to go and listen to a speaker, learn from others and the things they have been working on as well as share my own victories and struggles.
Either type of group can be a tremendous help when it comes to learning to promote yourself and your work. I tend to use each group as a place to ask questions pertaining to the type of promotion they are already a part of, i.e. online groups for online promotions, live groups for in person events. There are a couple cross over groups I am a member of as well including the Indies of Las Vegas group that I lurk around in online but also, when possible, will go get coffee and discuss local events or get suggestions.
It can be very intimidating to actively participate in groups especially when you are just starting out. I have been a member of many of these groups for over two years and I still struggle to come up with things to say or ways to become better known. I watch from a distance, commenting occasionally and when I am feeling particularly daring, posting something of my own. The important thing to know is that while there are a few members here and there that are not as helpful, most of us in these groups want to help each other and see as many people succeed as possible. We are all learning, practicing and together as a team we can make many writers successful.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Anthologies
I speak with people at all of the shows I attend as well as anytime I mention I am an author about different aspects of the writing process. There are a range if types that come to me from readers (possibly one of my favorite groups), indie publishers, editors and of course other writers. Just like when I was beginning, though I am still a novice in most respects, I have had several writers ask me about ways to get my work out there for people to read.
There are far more ways to get your work in front of readers than I even know about but I would like to share a few of the ones I have been able to take advantage of; giveaways, sales, social media teasers and ads, writers groups, attending shows and cross-promotions with other authors. I am going to share one or two in each of the next few posts in order to look a little more in depth at what I have learned. This one is all about cross-promoting with a focus on the first way I was shown to join additional writers, anthologies.
Anthologies are a collection of stories contributed by a number of different authors. I am the founder of Rescue Me - Animal Anthology which is a gathering of poems and short stories that follow the theme of animal rescue and adoption. I have already published volume one and am preparing to publish the second book, our feline edition, later this year. All of the contributing authors have the option to receive a free ebook copy or a paperback for a nominal fee while also getting credit as a contributing author. It is not how I began but I have taken part in many and continue to do so in attempts to widen my audience.
You can find out about different anthologies looking for submissions by simply googling them or by using some of the other suggestions like writers groups or social media writing organizations. There are books that will accept anyone that submits as long as the submission fits the theme like Rescue Me or Rock & Roll Saved My Soul as well as ones that you submit to but then you may or may not be accepted into. One of my local writers groups has an anthology that has a group of judges that goes through all of the submissions picking out the ones they feel are best to be published under their name. Then there are anthologies like Chicken Soup for the Soul that only accepts select contributions but pays the authors for the ones they use.
Once your work has been accepted and gets published in an anthology you can help share the book and promoted yourself as a contributing author while also having the other writers push the books as well. By combining the reach of every person that has a piece in the book your work can be seen by a significantly larger group than if you were to just publish a short story yourself. It can be a great deal of work to write, edit and submit to all of the anthologies that interest you but the learning experiences and promotional opportunities can far exceed the efforts to be included. What are some anthologies you have participated in if any?
There are far more ways to get your work in front of readers than I even know about but I would like to share a few of the ones I have been able to take advantage of; giveaways, sales, social media teasers and ads, writers groups, attending shows and cross-promotions with other authors. I am going to share one or two in each of the next few posts in order to look a little more in depth at what I have learned. This one is all about cross-promoting with a focus on the first way I was shown to join additional writers, anthologies.
Anthologies are a collection of stories contributed by a number of different authors. I am the founder of Rescue Me - Animal Anthology which is a gathering of poems and short stories that follow the theme of animal rescue and adoption. I have already published volume one and am preparing to publish the second book, our feline edition, later this year. All of the contributing authors have the option to receive a free ebook copy or a paperback for a nominal fee while also getting credit as a contributing author. It is not how I began but I have taken part in many and continue to do so in attempts to widen my audience.
You can find out about different anthologies looking for submissions by simply googling them or by using some of the other suggestions like writers groups or social media writing organizations. There are books that will accept anyone that submits as long as the submission fits the theme like Rescue Me or Rock & Roll Saved My Soul as well as ones that you submit to but then you may or may not be accepted into. One of my local writers groups has an anthology that has a group of judges that goes through all of the submissions picking out the ones they feel are best to be published under their name. Then there are anthologies like Chicken Soup for the Soul that only accepts select contributions but pays the authors for the ones they use.
Once your work has been accepted and gets published in an anthology you can help share the book and promoted yourself as a contributing author while also having the other writers push the books as well. By combining the reach of every person that has a piece in the book your work can be seen by a significantly larger group than if you were to just publish a short story yourself. It can be a great deal of work to write, edit and submit to all of the anthologies that interest you but the learning experiences and promotional opportunities can far exceed the efforts to be included. What are some anthologies you have participated in if any?
Working On A Convention
Several months ago a good friend of mine stopped by while on a trip to visit her children in California. She stayed overnight in my guest room and we had the chance to catch up and talk for hours about all things writing as well as just the goings on in our lives. After chatting for awhile about her wedding I had attended about a year prior we turned our attention to writing events we wanted to attend.
She has a start-up company called Indimagination and as the representative of her company she has the desire to go to different conferences and conventions. There are a number of book festivals, writers conferences and conventions all around the world but as we have discovered, there are significantly fewer that are either Indie Author friendly or focused. We decided that it would be great to have one here on the west coast and if we couldn't find one then we would just have to put one on ourselves.
Following the moderate success of the Survivor launch last year and the fact that I live in one of the biggest convention cities in the world we settled on the idea of doing at least the first one right here in Las Vegas. I took a chance and traveled up to Washington to see her and meet some of my other writer friends, most of whom I hope will be able to attend the Con here, earlier this year. It was fun as well as an eye opening experience.
I am undeniably new to the con scene and have a lot to learn but as the "boots on the ground" role for the group I feel comfortable in my role. I will be the main local contact and will handle the media most likely, partially because I have connections with them already as well as being the local planner. I will also hopefully be helping with welcoming any special guests, doing announcements and working to coordinate some of our charity efforts.
I am also a member of a number of local writer groups and will be attending as many meetings as possible with them and our independent book stores and libraries, perhaps even the schools here in Clark County to help drum up support and awareness. This is a dream for me to be a part of an event that could help create exposure for so many talented authors as well as continue to grow as an author and event coordinator myself. I am very excited!
She has a start-up company called Indimagination and as the representative of her company she has the desire to go to different conferences and conventions. There are a number of book festivals, writers conferences and conventions all around the world but as we have discovered, there are significantly fewer that are either Indie Author friendly or focused. We decided that it would be great to have one here on the west coast and if we couldn't find one then we would just have to put one on ourselves.
Following the moderate success of the Survivor launch last year and the fact that I live in one of the biggest convention cities in the world we settled on the idea of doing at least the first one right here in Las Vegas. I took a chance and traveled up to Washington to see her and meet some of my other writer friends, most of whom I hope will be able to attend the Con here, earlier this year. It was fun as well as an eye opening experience.
I am undeniably new to the con scene and have a lot to learn but as the "boots on the ground" role for the group I feel comfortable in my role. I will be the main local contact and will handle the media most likely, partially because I have connections with them already as well as being the local planner. I will also hopefully be helping with welcoming any special guests, doing announcements and working to coordinate some of our charity efforts.
I am also a member of a number of local writer groups and will be attending as many meetings as possible with them and our independent book stores and libraries, perhaps even the schools here in Clark County to help drum up support and awareness. This is a dream for me to be a part of an event that could help create exposure for so many talented authors as well as continue to grow as an author and event coordinator myself. I am very excited!
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Fun With Technology
This morning I got up much earlier than my body believes in possible in order to go get some work done on my car. I grabbed my complimentary cup of coffee and set up my computer in order to try and get some writing done. I have always been stuck in the waiting area of the dealership service department for several hours when I went to have things done so I expected today to be the same. Shockingly within an hour of dropping off the car, my service tech came in to tell me that everything and gone smoothly and I was ready to leave.
I loaded up my computer and checked out preparing to go home and try to accomplish my ever growing to do list. There were a few non-writing chores on the list so I did those quickly then sat down to get to work. I opened up Word on my computer and minimized all of the documents I planned to work on in one way or another today. There were about half a dozen of them. I then made another document that was my running to do list which I had open in the background. I quickly enjoyed erasing a few things as I did them and then set to work on the editing, formatting and emailing of the next book in my Rescue Me series Feline Edition - Purrfect Companions.
I was just two short stories from the end when my computer decided it was time for an update. Without warning it shut down and restarted without giving me a chance to save anything I had been working on. Both my to do list and the entire layout of the book was gone. I immediately started working on it again, saving my work with every change I made but it took forever to get through. Then just as I was saving for the last time, Word closed itself down with an error message apologizing for any inconvenience. Thankfully I had been saving my work so I only had a small amount to redo but it still was driving me crazy.
I have done every update possible now and did some edits on paper while I was waiting but technology has not been my friend today. I have several books on kindle I am supposed to be doing reviews for but my iPad has decided to go on hiatus as well leaving me with my preferred paperbacks but significantly less ability to review the books I have promised to do so for. My DVR stopped working while I was recording shows that I use for research and I am starting to believe that going to the library to research and work old school may be the best bet for me today. Have you ever found that you are struggling to make technology cooperate with you?
I loaded up my computer and checked out preparing to go home and try to accomplish my ever growing to do list. There were a few non-writing chores on the list so I did those quickly then sat down to get to work. I opened up Word on my computer and minimized all of the documents I planned to work on in one way or another today. There were about half a dozen of them. I then made another document that was my running to do list which I had open in the background. I quickly enjoyed erasing a few things as I did them and then set to work on the editing, formatting and emailing of the next book in my Rescue Me series Feline Edition - Purrfect Companions.
I was just two short stories from the end when my computer decided it was time for an update. Without warning it shut down and restarted without giving me a chance to save anything I had been working on. Both my to do list and the entire layout of the book was gone. I immediately started working on it again, saving my work with every change I made but it took forever to get through. Then just as I was saving for the last time, Word closed itself down with an error message apologizing for any inconvenience. Thankfully I had been saving my work so I only had a small amount to redo but it still was driving me crazy.
I have done every update possible now and did some edits on paper while I was waiting but technology has not been my friend today. I have several books on kindle I am supposed to be doing reviews for but my iPad has decided to go on hiatus as well leaving me with my preferred paperbacks but significantly less ability to review the books I have promised to do so for. My DVR stopped working while I was recording shows that I use for research and I am starting to believe that going to the library to research and work old school may be the best bet for me today. Have you ever found that you are struggling to make technology cooperate with you?
Monday, August 29, 2016
Common Courtesy
I have watched posts from several of my fellow authors regarding people acting unprofessionally while out at different events. I also noticed issues over the weekend and feel that it is not just a writer thing but a society thing that needs to be addressed. We as a culture, simply as people, seem to have lost the ability to show common curtesy to those around us and act in a way that is respectful making it difficult to ever respond or react in a positive way.
Starting with my observations since they are more general than writing related, I was extremely frustrated on two levels this past weekend. The first was more personal. I, along with my boyfriend, took some friends with us down to San Diego to enjoy the weather, sights and on Sunday morning the bike ride around San Diego Bay as well. They were excited to go, talking about how they had never been to California and had never seen the Pacific Ocean however almost everywhere we went they did nothing but play games on their phones. From sitting in the vehicle, to being in the room and everywhere in between is was almost a complete waste of time for us to take them anywhere.
The only time they were otherwise occupied was when they were riding with us around the bay. This is where my second concern happened. When bike riding, especially with a large group of people, it is not only courteous but also in many cases more safe to use sayings and hand signals to let others know what is happening around them. The paths we rode on were narrow in many places making it difficult to be more than two wide but people constantly refused to announce their intentions to pass then would get an attitude if another rider pulled out ahead of them. It is well known that you announce "On your left" or "On your right" when passing to allow the rider ahead of you time to let you by. Do not get cranky if you are planning to pass me but do not tell me so I announce myself to the rider in front of me and pull out in your way. It is like the turn signal or the cycling world.
The same goes for those in the writing world. Use some common sense when talking with people at events. Writers should never cut off another writer, photographer, model or reader in order to say something to someone else but in the same respect none of those previously mentioned should interrupt the writer while in a discussion either. If I was at a signing and speaking with a reader but a photographer wanted to talk to me I would hope they would have the decency to wave for my attention and hand me a business card or leave it with someone helping at my table so that I could finish my conversation. I would in turn acknowledge them and then return to show the respect I had for the person who already was with me. I know this has been a ranting post but it is a topic that means a lot to me. I think a little class and professionalism can go a long way in all aspects of society.
Starting with my observations since they are more general than writing related, I was extremely frustrated on two levels this past weekend. The first was more personal. I, along with my boyfriend, took some friends with us down to San Diego to enjoy the weather, sights and on Sunday morning the bike ride around San Diego Bay as well. They were excited to go, talking about how they had never been to California and had never seen the Pacific Ocean however almost everywhere we went they did nothing but play games on their phones. From sitting in the vehicle, to being in the room and everywhere in between is was almost a complete waste of time for us to take them anywhere.
The only time they were otherwise occupied was when they were riding with us around the bay. This is where my second concern happened. When bike riding, especially with a large group of people, it is not only courteous but also in many cases more safe to use sayings and hand signals to let others know what is happening around them. The paths we rode on were narrow in many places making it difficult to be more than two wide but people constantly refused to announce their intentions to pass then would get an attitude if another rider pulled out ahead of them. It is well known that you announce "On your left" or "On your right" when passing to allow the rider ahead of you time to let you by. Do not get cranky if you are planning to pass me but do not tell me so I announce myself to the rider in front of me and pull out in your way. It is like the turn signal or the cycling world.
The same goes for those in the writing world. Use some common sense when talking with people at events. Writers should never cut off another writer, photographer, model or reader in order to say something to someone else but in the same respect none of those previously mentioned should interrupt the writer while in a discussion either. If I was at a signing and speaking with a reader but a photographer wanted to talk to me I would hope they would have the decency to wave for my attention and hand me a business card or leave it with someone helping at my table so that I could finish my conversation. I would in turn acknowledge them and then return to show the respect I had for the person who already was with me. I know this has been a ranting post but it is a topic that means a lot to me. I think a little class and professionalism can go a long way in all aspects of society.
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