From Writing to Painting....

I'm almost thinking I should change this blog to AimlessPainter as I'm painting more than writing right now. Or (see Pic) burning. That piece of wood was etched with a wood burner and when I'm done burning it I'll paint around the burn marks. I like this stuff but almost asphyxiate myself with the smoke while working. This piece is about 8 feet long and I'm going to use it as a valance in the front living room. I'll post a pic when it's done and up. I'm still editing my Soul Mates novella and it's coming along. What I can't believe is that after three full edits I still find something.

I have a reader who is helping and we're passing the story back and forth as we edit. I was hoping to have it up on Amazon by Sept, then November...now I'm seeing the reality is that it might be up by Christmas because I'm sick of looking at it and ready to work on something else. I think painting and wood burning is keeping me sane during this process. Instead of just editing I still get to create something. Next project under the paintbrush will be a three canvas beach scene. So? What do you do when writing just isn't enough?

Copyrights and Ebooks

For anyone who has an ebook on Amazon or B&N: Do you have a copyright on your books? Did you do the whole register with the copyright office or a poor man's copyright? (Where you mail yourself a copy and not open it)
How does this work? Do we need it? If you publish on Amazon does that kind of save your rights in any way?
I'm almost ready. Now just ironing out the details.
That's a picture of Hemmingway's desk. I take inspiration from it.

Procrastination & Fear

I don't know why but for some reason I fear getting my work out there into the world. I've been calling it procrastination but, if I'm honest, it's fear. And I'm not generally a shy person.
My daddy once gave me the best advice I ever got: Keep your ears open and your mouth shut. (I wonder if he told me this because he saw my true nature lurking even when I was very young)
But its true. If you're ears are open you hear all kinds of things you don't hear when your mouth is going. This advice has gotten me through lots of tense situations. However, my rising sign sits on the cusp of Scorpio and Libra. I can hang back, take it in and then...and then...well, Scorpio's sting. Quick and lethal. I'm not real fearful of people or situations. My Scorpio takes over if pushed too far and SMACK! (literally or figuratively-whichever is necessary)
So why am I so fearful of this? My feet drag, I know I should get back to polishing my novella, Soul Mates, but I stall.
I think it's like opening a door and not knowing what's on the other side. Is it a fear of failure? Reviews? Critiques? Friends and Relatives seeing the inside of my mind? (Scary sometimes, although, Soul Mates is not one of the scary ones)
I have a friend who has a book out. It has a great premise but got really terrible reviews. I know she's a good writer, I've read other work she wrote. Then I read this and I have to agree with the reviewers. I feel awful. And I know she's written better stuff. So why was this so bad?
Ebooks put me here. Now I don't need any of the big 6 or little dozens to take my work. I can ebook it on Amazon. So there are no gatekeepers between my audience and my writing any more. If I put it out there it either flies on its own or sinks. My choice, my chance.
Then I think what if I have blinders on for my own work? Am I getting enough editing help? Should I join another editing group? Or will the mixed messages you sometimes get in these groups just confuse me?
Or should I take the plunge.
Anyone else so boggled down with ebook fear?

Used To Be...

It used to be fear of that almighty rejection letter. Those envelopes would come in the mail and I'd try to push down the hope because...well, I'd had enough of them to know it's probably another rejection.
Then it got worse...email rejections. Those come fairly quick and hit you in the face as soon as you open your email box. Like ripping off a band aid you get that sharp sting-quick but still just as painful.
The times change...publishing rolls on...
And out comes Amazon for Indies.
We can put our books out there. Do it yourself publishing.
I admit I'm a coward, but this comes from years of jumping into the fire without thinking. Sometimes I wonder how I made it this far still unscathed. But I'm here. Older, hopefully wiser and looking at all the Indie authors. I've been reading their blogs for years, watching what and how they figured it out.
And now I'm ready. My book will be out there soon. Thrust into the world of Amazon looking for a chance.
So now without the fear of the rejection letter looming over my head I have a new fear or two.
Am I edited enough?
Is my book clean enough?
Does it flow?
Should I do something more?
I don't worry about going indie any more than I worry about the way I sell my art by walking it store to store. Its just another form of art.
If you're an indie...do you have fears?
The pup is Marley, up from a high kill shelter in Tennessee with her five puppies. She's looking for a home with lots of love.

Multiple genres

As I approach getting ready to Kindle my book I wonder about a pen name. I write in several different genres so I worry about a person who reads my angel books, being upset about the darker books.
When I read Charlaine Harris I expect vampires and shape shifters. When I read Constance O'Day Connor I look for romance.
So, here's my question? How do you pick a pen name? I once read that if you write like King and Koontz you should pick a name that begins with K. Or if you're writing sci-fi pick the same initial as someone who's big in that genre.
Sounds like too much thinking. . . then there's Konrath.
King
Koontz
Hmmmmm, gotta think on this some more.
Do you have a pen name? Where did it come from?

P R O C R A S T I N A T I O N

The biggest waste I have is time. I have so much to do and so little time to do it in, but for some strange reason I procrastinate. I drift from thing to thing, knowing I should be working on my WIP but not quite getting there.

I finished another edit (on paper) of the book I’m thinking of putting up on Amazon and now have to enter these changes in the computer. Then I have someone who will edit it for me a final time. When it passes that, then it goes up.

I think.

No, I know.

Yes, I think this will be a good thing.

It’s an experiment.

It’s a hope.

I guess.

So my plan today is to go home, let the dogs out, feed them, and sit down and get started.

Good plan, right?

Wanna take bets if it will actually happen?

Procrastination is an ugly word. It sits heavy on my shoulders and presses down when I’m trying to get up.

Maybe I’ll pick up some iced coffee first. A little caffeine goes a long way.

Verbal People

I like verbal people. The ones that speak in pictures. Their general talk paints vivid images as they speak. My cousin is from the south and speaks in pictures. "If dirt were dumb, he'd be a mile." "His mouth just overloaded his butt."
See the dirt? Man standing in the middle of a mile long dirt field? The mouth/butt thing...scary visual, but I'm not sure what it means.
I think this is more common in the south. Jersey girls don't speak in pictures, they speak in staccato bursts. "Do it." "Wassup?" "Yo, bitch."
What do you see? Ummm...nothing.
But I like when people speak in pictures better. Or maybe its because I don't hear it that often and, try as I might, I can't think quick enough to do it on the fly.
My cos also uses "bless his heart" a lot too. Its like a disclaimer. You can say anything and you're cool if you end it with "bless his heart".
Right now I'm listening to an audio book for my 40 min ride to hell...oops...I mean work (bless it's heart). Charlaine Harris, Dead as a Doornail. A Sookie Stackhouse vampire story. I'm not a big vamp reader overall but some of them grab me. I'm also reading Amanda Hocking's 4th book and one of the Lee Child, Reacher stories.
Anyway, Sookie Stackhouse has the verbal/picture/words down pat. I think I love the words more than the story. (Although it is an excellent book---just ask HBO)
Sometimes in writing it comes easier. On a good day the words flow and little sayings actually make it onto the page. But I think to give the picture words the right delivery you have to be specially trained or something.
Do you speak like this? Write?

What the F***

I was just browsing Yahoo news (while I should have been writing) and came across a man ejected for using the F word. When sitting on the airplane, the flight was delayed without explanation so he said, "What the F-word is taking so long?"
A flight attendant sitting behind him, had him removed from the plane. To that I say, "What the fuck?"
It's just a word. A very popular word at that, so what's the problem? Did this flight attendant never hear the word before? Were his virgin ears so offended he couldn't just ask the guy not to use that word? Or was his ego so big he had to bully this guy off the plane?
And who decided that the word fuck would be the bad word but intercourse could fly under the radar? And what about shit? How come we can say "Oh, poopie" and not get the same glare as to when we say shit?
It's a word, for crying out loud! Its just a word and it's not going to hurt anyone. If everyone just pretended it was just another word, no one would even notice it's existence.
So when is it okay to use the word fuck in writing? Does a tough character use the word? An angry teen? A woman? In what instance would it be okay for a woman to just say fuck it?
And if you know who decided the word fuck was to be the bad word, please let me know. I want to know why his word is law.

Ebooks Rock!

I always thought I'd never come to love the Kindle as much as I love paper books but owning one has made me realize I love the words more than the format. I have books all over my house. To pare down my husband has to wretch them from my death grip before I'll give one up. Even then I have to reason with him as to why I should keep each one. He's an ex-Marine. They are trained to live out of a duffel bag and not to form attachments to material things. Even a so called "ex" Marine is still a Marine. The training and brainwashing they go through stays with them forever. Once a Marine always a Marine. It's what I love about him, its the exact opposite of me and that's a good thing. I'm an artist and happiest when covered in paint creating something or spinning stories on my laptop. I need the Marine's discipline. Otherwise every room in the house would have sunflowers and puppies painted on the walls and there would be books stacked everywhere. My Marine keeps me in balance.
Back to the subject...
Books are my magic. It like having thousands of little brains retaining information for me. I keep the fiction I absolutely love or whose writing I find amazing. I keep non-fiction where the information is something I want to come back to for reference.
And now I Kindle. I have this little device that brings stories to my fingertips with just a click. It's amazing. And addictive. When you can get a book zipped into your hands so quickly it's easy to load up. So now I have all these books on my Kindle and I should really stop until I read them all. Really.
I should.
But Amazon calls me.
What about you? Do you Kindle?

To Be or Not To Be

There is a woman at work and I'm kind of coaching her on some freelancing basics. Demand Studios, Constant Content and writing for the Trues. Today we got into a discussion about admitting we are writers.
Long ago I thought I couldn't say I was a writer until I was published. It wasn't until I joined critique groups and Romance Writers of America that I discovered it wasn't a bad thing to admit I was a writer even if I hadn't been paid for it yet.
Being a writer is something you are because of what you do. Finances had nothing to do with it. Of course it would be better if we had money coming in from writing but that doesn't make us any less a writer.
The leap to answer questions about your career choices by saying, "I'm a writer." can be a big one. Big and scary.
Today I told my friend that she is a writer. She sold! I could see the realization dawning in her eyes. Like, Oh yeah-I am a writer!
In becoming a writer I think there are many hurdles. Stating you're a writer is one of the biggest steps. It puts you out there, face to the world, declaring what you are.
Scary at first. Then oh so satisfying.

Going Indie

Self publishing used to be called Vanity publishing because is was deemed more about ego than skill. Some self pubs were good, most were not.
Now with Amazon's ebook program anyone can self publish and they no longer call them self published, now, they're Indies. Independent publishing. And now that I have my Kindle I'm reading some and so far they're all good. The Indies have come a long way. I think they're better educated writers who understand the importance of critique and editing. Some have writer friends who help with the editing process, others pay for a professional to edit for them. Either way I think the Indies are a new breed in the industry and they're paving the way for a big change in publishing.
I write constantly. It's what I love to do. To get paid to do this would be a dream and not just to be "published" but to be able to keep writing while I paid some bills.
So I'm going Indie. As I've said before I'm working on rewriting something I've submitted in the past and had some good comments on from an agent and editor. I like this story. It's a paranormal romance about angels. I'd like to have it up sometime this summer.
Now I feel weird facing my gaggle of friends who traditionally publish. One of them an agent, other multi-published authors. Some are locked in the "self-pub bad" mode from years ago and aren't ready to face the new Indie revolution. I think some agents may feel threatened by the Indies. Others unbelieving that an Indie could do anything worth reading. I wonder if some are surfing the ebooks to offer representation?
I think publishing is in the middle of a revolution and there's no telling which way it will go. (Well, I think I know)
All I want to do is get paid so I can write more. I want to tell my stories, that's all. I don't want to go to book signings, do the dog and pony shows, or care if anyone knows who I am. I just want people to enjoy my stories.
What's wrong with that? If Amazon lets me do this with the chance of making some money then I'm ready to give it a try.
Anyone else going Indie? How do you feel about this?

Could this be about Critics?

Once in a golden hour
I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
The people said, a weed.

To and fro they went
Thro' my garden-bower,
And muttering discontent
Cursed me and my flower.

Then it grew so tall
It wore a crown of light,
But thieves from o'er the wall
Stole the seed by night.

Sow'd it far and wide
By every town and tower,
Till all the people cried
`Splendid is the flower.'

Read my little fable:
He that runs may read.
Most can raise the flowers now,
For all have got the seed.

And some are pretty enough,
And some are poor indeed;
And now again the people
Call it but a weed.

--Lord Alfred Tennyson

A man's reach should exceed his grasp...

What does "We pay $1,000 against a 25% royalty. (The royalty enters the picture with respect to downloadable versions of the work.)" mean?

I was surfing over to Hero's and Heartbreakers and there was a call for submissions for shorts. I've sold a few to the trues so I was thinking of seeing if I have something for this one, but I don't understand what "against a 25% royalty" means.
And I thought I knew everything. :)
These publishers speak a different language. I think it could mean they pay the thou up front then 25% after that is earned out. Hey if I got the thou up front I'd be happy to let the story sit and germinate. But what if it means something else? This makes me wonder if my story could earn more if I sent it somewhere else.
And then I saw something on Amazon called Kindle Singles. I'm not sure what that is? Single stories? Are they talking novellas? It says expressed in it's natural length...hmmm. I saw one at 30 pages. Most I see are selling at 1.99. Not bad for 30 pages. If you want a quick read or have a short attention span something like this might be good. I think this section, which doesn't seem to have a lot to it yet, will grow by leaps and bounds. I wonder how long (or short) a Kindle Single can be? Either way, putting a short up on Amazon might be a better pay off in the long run.
I've seen several places that want short stories but don't pay and I wonder why would anyone want to submit? Why not put it up on your own blog if you're not going to get paid for it?
Thoughts?

Yay Kindle!

My wonderful hubby gave me a Kindle for Valentine's Day! Yay! Books beat out chocolate and flowers every time.
I've been surfing for a case for it because I'm so scared of damaging it. I'm afraid to bring it to work in case I bang it or crush it or drop it since I usually carry a backpack with my WIP (printed out), water, lunch, a book (Karen Slaughter's Broken), iPod & wire, notebook, magazines...What can I say? I'm really bored at work, I need to keep entertained.
Now I'm so excited to have a Kindle I'm surfing Amazon and scooping up some books. I'm not sure how to find the free ones yet but when books are only 2.99 my book budget is suddenly worth a lot more.
I don't think a Kindle can replace books. I still love the feel of a paperback in my hands. Something about cracking the spine of a new book and turning those pages is like comfort food. I read in bed and there's usually a book or two under my pillow. I don't think I can tuck my Kindle under my pillow. And what about the beach? Dare I take it to the beach? I worry enough about the cell phone and the sand.
:)
Later gators! I'm going to play with my Kindle!
My first purchase:

That thing in the book...

There's something in some books that bring you so far into the character and their world that you forget you're reading. When you have to put that book down all you can think about is what happens next. Some authors seem to do this easily, others...not so much. It has to be there and it has to be consistent throughout the entire book.
As I read and listen to books I try to figure out what this is. Is it the character's thoughts? Actions? Thoughts about their actions? It's something around that stuff.
In Meg Cabot's Insatiable she went into the main character's head a lot. We heard her thoughts and how she muddled through things happening to and around her. When other characters popped up it was inside the main character's head that we heard the discription.
Stephen King does this in The Dome. (Excellent book now available in paperback. I did the audio book.) We almost constantly see what's happening through the thoughts of the few main characters.
So is this the way you write? Omnipresent or inside a head? Which is better? Does one give us a more personal view of the world created?
This is my Edgar Allen Poe action figure. Every writer needs one.

When words ... show

I just finished Meg Cabot's Insatiable. Great book about a woman who doesn't believe in vampires learns they might be everywhere. This book was soooo well written I felt as if I was sucked into another worlds. The words Meg wrote gave vivid pictures, ripped the feelings from my soul and made me laugh out loud.
Now I'm reading Karin Slaughter's Broken and on the first page we get: "It wasn't so much raining as misting down a cold wetness, like walking around inside a dog's nose."
Can ya feel that? The cold dampness that sticks to your skin like a slick slime? These are words that give such an image that I can feel it. These are the words of a great writer. Someone who can conjure up a world and make me feel like I stepped right into it. Someone who can make me forget I'm reading.
I wish I could write such images. Even in the deepest end of my zone I don't think I could think to link rain to my dog's nose. Could you?
What are you reading and how well is it written?

The Zone

My best writing comes from a place I call "the zone". When I find the zone I can write for hours and shut out everything around me. The writing is smooth and flows like a river. I'm in the story, inside my characters and it is wonderful. When I leave the zone it's like coming up for air. I have to blink and focus to come back out of the zone. And as the zone slips back into the nether-regions of my mind there's a pang of regret.
I love the zone.
My day job is very slow right now. We're allowed to goof off. One girl cross stitches, one finger paints on her ipad, one has a jigsaw puzzle on her desk. I go crazy. Those close to me say I can use this time for writing, but that doesn't always work. The zone is hard to find when there's a lot of chatter going on around you. I use an ipod but we're only allowed to use one head phone. Sometimes not enough to blot out the noise, but it's better than nothing.
The zone doesn't come easy at the day job. Sometimes I can grab it and other times it slips through my fingers like sands through the hourglass.
This book is going to take me forever to edit.

Amazon-ing

It's a cold day here in NJ and we're hunkered down with movies, our computers and the wood stove. That's another 14 inches of snow on top of the 4 inches from yesterday morning and the foot from last week and the 30 inches from the week after Christmas. Can someone tell me when I moved to Montana, because I can't remember.
It's nice and warm in here as we watch the squirrels and birds raiding the bird feeders in the back yard. I feel bad for them. I'm going to have to get more seed.
So I wandered over to Amazon.com to see what's new. Now I know I'm probably late to the party but I found a Kindle app for my PC. My dh has a Kindle but I haven't gotten that far yet. Sooon...very sooon.
I'm not really a fan of reading too much on the PC but the Kindle app is pretty good. The words are clear and easy to read and flipping the pages is quick. I do get the urge to scroll but that's fading.
I didn't download too much because I'm going to get a Kindle and wasn't sure how to flip it back and forth from PC to Kindle. I haven't read any of the directions. I'm sure it's in there somewhere and I think I can copy them back and forth. The one think I couldn't see how to do was print a page. I would like to do that. hmmmmm
There has to be a way.
Anyway for those of you, like me, who haven't jumped onto the Kindle bandwagon just yet this might be a great way to get started. Surprisingly, reading on the computer wasn't as bad as I envisioned, but I won't be able to take it to bed with me. I definitely need a real Kindle.
Do I really need the 3G wi-fi? Or is the regular Kindle enough? And why?

Two Books...

Right now I'm reading two books. One by James Patterson & friend and one by Lee Childs. I'm struggling with the Patterson book. The internal dialog of the characters is weirdly feminine for a NY cop and the external dialog is stilted. Then there's the tags. The main character is a hardened NYC detective. Okay, so this guy should be kool under pressure but half the time he's freakin out. He's screaming and yelling in people's faces and otherwise acting like he's never seen any action before. He's such a girl! Even the female FBI agent working with him isn't as feminine.
Now the Lee Childs book is a Jack Reacher book. This is a character that's often seen in Lee's books. I'm only a few chapters into this book and I totally forget that I'm reading. Lee Childs pulls me into the story with such skill I can feel the snow swirling around Jack as he sets the flares out on the road. I'm shivering and worrying and so far into the world Childs created that I'm late for work.
When I finally left the house I was trying to think what it was in Lee Childs book that yanked me in to his world and left me forsaking the clock, the fact that the roads are an icy mess and I intended to get an early start and the dogs who are waiting patiently for breakfast.
I know what Reacher's wearing, where he's been for the last few days and why he got on that bus. I could see it, feel it and hear it.
Lee Childs is a master. I want to write like him.
I haven't finished either of these books yet but I'll have more when I'm done with them.

Cat Litter

I have a weird cat. She won't cover anything in her litter box. I have to take the little scooper-rake and cover things up so they don't smell. To make matters worse she won't use the box again if things aren't covered. It's like a punishment for not keeping up on my job. She'll pick a throw rug or towel or piece of clothing left on the floor to use instead. Once she even peed on the dog, but I think that was more of a vengeance thing.
What does cat litter have to do with writing?
Sometimes I'm meaning to get some writing done, but something in my environment isn't perfect and I put it off. I promise myself I'll write today but then I realize the room really needs vacumning so I'll do that first. Or maybe I'll just do a load of laundry or bathe the dog (because of the cat), or after Judge Judy (because the coming attractions looked like something I just can't miss!).
Whatever! It seems like there's something in the litter box that puts me out of the game.
This is my problem.
Now how do I overcome it?
I think when a woman has been a stay-at-home mom it's more difficult. For years while the kids were younger this whole house was my job. Kids grow up, I get an outside job and still everything in the house still seems like my job. It's like having two jobs.
It's hard to overcome or let go so I can get some writing/editing done.
>sigh<

Writer Brains

Writers can be hard to live with. Even harder to watch television with.
I can often guess the plot before the show is over. I catch glitches in the story and point out why the crime scene doesn't make sense.
Hawaii 5-0 recently had a show where one of the characters is found kneeling in a parking lot or some such area, with a bomb strapped to his neck. One of the cops says, "Don't move. That's a mercury switch, if you move it will blow up."
A mercury switch depends on where the little drop of mercury is in the switch. If you lean to either side the mercury moves and completes the circuit and KABOOM!
So then the 5-0 character tells his would be rescuers that he doesn't know how he got there he was knocked out and just woke up in the parking lot.
Now remember as we come upon the scene the man is in a kneeling position. So that means, if he was knocked out, he would not have been in an upright kneeling position. He would have been laying down. Now, if it is a mercury switch, and he would have had to move up to the kneeling position, this would have set off the bomb. That's the way a mercury switch works.
Hmmmm...
I just can't let these things slide. It's bad habit. It's so apparent I just have to say something. It amazes me that others don't see this stuff.
I give away the plot and I dissect the inconsistent. I think its a writer thing.
Anyone else do this?

The Editing Process...

I had Disregarding Heaven ready to go months ago and have the rejection to prove it. The only thing the editor said when she rejected me was that my hero didn't come in soon enough. Yet I've seen books where the hero didn't enter right away and they worked just fine. So I added a preamble. I'm doing a scene where the hero shows in the woman's life two years before. Which what happened but is only referenced in the way I originally wrote the story. Let's hope it works.
One thing I'm seeing while editing this story is I'll get to a place and think "I should put X here" and I insert it. Then I read down a couple of lines and see X. So I thought of it originally and did put it in. This is slowing me down as I have to keep back tracking and re-fixing the stuff I added that was already there.
>sigh<
It just makes me want to write a new story. Which I started because I had an idea pop into my head and had to get it down.
So what's your secret to successful editing?

My story, Valentine's Day Disaster, is in the February True Romance Magazine. Yay!
It seems Dorchester revamped the True's office and the January issues went digital, but it seems February is back in print. Whew!
I think the audience for the Trues is definitely print type people. It's the kind of mag you curl up on the couch with a hot cup of tea. I was worried.
True Confessions was started in like 1922 and after it's success True Romance bounced onto the scene followed by a bunch of others. They are simple stories about how people overcome hardships to find love. Fun to write, fun to read.
:)

Adventures in ebooking

I've decided to have a go at putting an ebook up on Amazon. This is a learning curve as I don't really know what I'm doing. So here's the adventure. Step by step I'm going to post as I go along.
Step 1. Pick something already finished to put up as the ebook. I have several novels finished (rejected by agents) that I think are polished and ready to go. I'm choosing "Disregarding Heaven", a story about a woman who finds out she should have died two years ago and now has no destiny. When she finds out it's all her guardian angel's fault she goes looking for him and the show down ain't gonna be pretty.
One editor told me I introduced the hero too late and that he should have come in within the first ten pages. Hmmmmm, gotta think on that. I might have a slight change to make, but I have an idea on how to do it.
Step 2. Polish it one more time. I'm going through it again because I have this very nervous feeling that it won't be perfect and reviews will be biting.
That's where I'm at now.
All advice welcomed.