Loss of a Dear Friend and Quantum Physics

  

I've been in and out of many writing groups in my life. Years ago a new Barnes & Noble opened in our town and a Woman's Writing Group formed. I was one of the first members and remember sitting in a circle, nervous, unsure of what we would do, where this little group would take us.  Another member was Bernice Roberts. A sweet woman, older than me but with the most inquisitive mind I've ever been blessed to encounter. Bernice would read everything. She shared books on everything from writing to Quantum Physics. She was enthusiastic about life and learning.

One day she came in and told us had she read that to accomplish anything in life you had to "Put your ego in the back seat." Meaning if you let the ego, the thing that worries about what others think, rule your life, you'll never get anywhere. Now, years later and with the passing of my good friend Bernice, I realize it's those words that gave me the power to go Indie. When I worry about looking like a fool or not being good enough, I think of Bernice's advice, "Put your ego in the back seat."
Don't let a worrisome ego be the barometer of your goals. I think the "ego" statement says it all. Don't let "ego" be your copilot, throw the damn thing in the backseat and put your foot on the gas.

Thank you, Bernice Roberts. You taught us many things and your time here on earth will always be cherished by those you left behind.

Now I'd like to encourage everyone to read a book on Quantum Physics in memory of Bernice.

The Missing Ingredient in Your Writing

I was just over at Blogging on the Side (whom I found on Pinterest) and realized something that made me feel stupid.
I love writing.
No, that's not what made me feel dumb.
I have several blogs, some more active, some neglected. A few that I have great ideas for but for some reason, never execute any. And then Blogging on the Side posts this one; How to hit 1,000,000 in a year of Blogging.  The biggest thing I learned from this article is discipline. Something my piano teacher once said, "We must learn to discipline our talents."  I believe this is especially true for writers.

Writers usually have a project they're working on. Whether its a book, articles for work, or other writing, actually getting the words on paper, cutting out that time slot, is the hardest part. I can write. So why don't I?

I can ask myself the same thing about dieting. It's not that I don't know how to lose weight, it's that I don't know why I don't do it. (Hic!) I almost said "I'm not stupid."  (see first paragraph;)~

Discipline. I wonder how many people decide to tattoo that somewhere? Its an often forgotten element to any work from home/self-employed career where we have to find the motivation within. The day job is easy; go to work, do what you need to do or get fired. Simple.
Writing? Not so simple. If I don't go to work I'm stagnant. I don't move forward, but I'm not going backwards.

So where's your discipline?

It's NANO time!

This NaNo season my daughter and I are exchanging character sketches. The sketch we get has to be the main character of the story. A simple challenge.
I gave her a woman about the same age as she is, who is a celebrity photog. Meaning she chases celebrities for the best shot. Have fun with that! :)
I think I'm so smart.
So what does she give me?
A 12 year old girl genius. The kids a college student. A 12 year old college student!
Oy!
Its going to be a long NaNo...

So tell me? Do you NaNo and what's your biggest writing challenge?

Happy Endings, Closure, & Cliff Hangers...

I like happy endings in a book. I want the hero to come out on top and the bad guy to find justice. (or Karma...that's sometimes as good as justice) I also want closure in a book. Tie up the loose ends and finish all parts of the story. I try to do this in my stories and I hope my readers think so.

I also like to leave them looking for the next book. Just a little whisper in the last page that lets them know part of the story lives on. Not in the way a serial would do it, but more like one or two of the characters coming together to form the a totally separate story.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm torturing the reader by doing this, but maybe its just the writer wondering...what if?

In Betrayed by an Angel, one of the angels is reminded by the higher ups that his work isn't quite finished and the last page is that scene. The the book ends. I've started that next story but haven't finished it. Will my readers get mad if I'm slow to the gate with that next book? I'm not sure. I haven't really given enough information to explain the next book, but just a little tease.

Do you make sure all story lines within your story are closed? Do you always have a happy ending? Or do you end with a teaser?

Writers Need Writers

Its a fact; I'm definitely more productive when I'm around other writers. Its like when you have a good friend who always makes the healthy choices on the menu, you follow. Or if you're with the one who eats ice cream...you tend to eat more ice cream. When I'm around other writers talking writing, exchanging ideas, asking questions, finding answers, I become more writing centered.

I'm loving the writing sites I've found on Facebook! Writer's Around the World is a great group just there to talk about writing. Nirvana. They also have rules about what can be posted on which day and that helps keep the group on track. Well done, WAW. You guys rock!

Indie Author Group is another good one dedicated to Indie authors. No promo just exchanges with other authors talking shop. I love it.

I've found a few others and most seem great. The ones with promo rules are best. As writers wanting to shamelessly promote our books, we need a little restraint!

There are also reader-author sites to connect with readers and share you work. I do a little of that too.

Not that I didn't enjoy Facebook to a degree, but I have to admit seeing what people ate for dinner or discussing medical issues didn't keep my interest. IMHO; foot fungus reports don't belong on Facebook. Eeesshhh! But now I'm with my peeps, the writing peeps and I'm in heaven.

So tell me??? What's your fav writing site? Link us!

Updating Book Cover

After reading a few articles about book covers and how people interested in certain genres look for certain types of art on the cover I thought it was time for a change.
On my first cover for Betrayed by an Angel I couldn't find a decent angel photo that hadn't already been used or didn't look goofey, so I went with a photo of a sunset that I took in Key West.
After reading about the importance of book covers I found a cover designer who changed the look of my cover.

From this:

 To this:

I told her there was a scene in the book where the they were on the beach and there was lightening and a few other things and this is what she sent back to me.

I think it works. Kissing couple = romance and beach and lightening maybe give a hint of a threat? Either way I'm happy. 

Now I'm curious to see if it makes any difference in sales....

Book Covers & Money

I haven't made much money on my books. I haven't marketed and only have 2 and a half up on Amazon and a couple of shorts up on Inkbok. My third book will be out in August (if all goes well) so I started looking at options for the cover. My last two I did myself (and covers for the shorts on Inkbok) and I think it shows.

Since I couldn't find a good angel man to represent one of the main characters or at least one that hadn't already been used on other books when I searched angel books on Amazon, I used this sunset I shot in Key West. Eh.
For Soul Mates I just put paws across a sky to represent the heaven reincarnation  aspect of the book. Not great but, hey! It was my first book so I didn't have $$$ to spend on anything.

Now I'm working on final edits for No Apologies and I found a cover artist. She sent me a sample of what she'd like to do for me and I'm tingling with excitement! The book is Romantic Suspense and I think she nailed the mood of the book. After seeing her work I know its worth the money. She took my critique of the first two ideas she had and her third one gave me what I wanted. She's working on the final and I'll post it as soon as I get it.

I never knew cover art could get me so excited!

Marketing the Indy Author

Marketing is the hardest part of going Indy.
What should the budget be?
Where should I advertise?
What kind of ad?

It's time. I've been slacking in the marketing department for ~ like~ ever.
I've done a facebook ad. Very easy to do, you can set a budget and say what kind of people you want to see your ad. However, I didn't see any great return on it. But I know this is something I have to do if I ever want to make a living at this writing stuff.

Thinking of places like these:

Indie Author News

Kboards

BookBub

Google Adsense

Yahoo Ads

I'm not sure which would be more productive. I think I need to go find a book about this stuff.

I did get a book recommended by Hugh Howey on Facebook. It talked about creating an email list so you can update your fans, but at my level, with my 3.5 measly little books, I wonder if it would be worth it?

Any recommendations on marketing or a book on marketing for the Indy would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Writing!

Oh wait! This is my new foster pup. He's thin as sticks and was found as a stray in Cliffwood, New Jersey. We're looking for his owners but he must have been out on his own for a long time because he's very skinny.

And he's collecting all the dog toys in the house.

Stop Me From Ranting

I was planning a blog on commas...vexation of my mind....but all this Amazon / Indy hate has sidetracked me. I was just over at Konrath's Blog and felt the need to speak out against the authors who are giving the negative to Indies and Amazon. all I can think of is....who cares?
If you want to go Indy...have at it. Indy lets you say what you want to say without censure. Be yourself, post your book...but beware. . .

Indies aren't resting on their laurels...or books...they work hard at marketing. I should know, I suck at marketing. I start, stop, start, stop...never knowing where to invest my marketing dollars.
Indies are in editing hell from day one, yet they push on for the love of the story.
Indies have to deflect that question; Have I read anything you wrote? (Okay, I always answer this with a wide-eyed stare, "You can read???")
Indies have questions, problems,life and everything else that the legacy authors have,but they have built their empires alone. There are lots of Indies who made it big, who had stories to tell that people loved.

So what's with Patterson and the rest of the (almost always an older and popular) authors who give a f**K about how others are publishing? Why should they care? My life, my book, none of their business.

In my book, Betrayed by an Angel, a publisher once told me it couldn't be accepted because the hero doesn't enter the picture until the second chapter. Like there's a rule that the heroine and hero have to meet in the first five-ten pages. My main man is a runaway angel and the set up is when the heroine discovers she was supposed to die, but her guardian saved her and was banished to earth. Now she has to hunt him down. Could I have changed it and had him appear on page five? Probably. But I liked my book as it was written. It flowed and made sense. So I put it up on Amazon. Go read it and tell me what you think? (Insert shameless plug here.)

My book, my decisions. Why is this a problem to other authors? Please! Someone explain it to me!

The Indies are out there and they're ready to give you a wonderful read. Go find them and when you do, leave a review to make them smile and keep them writing.

The Amazon Hate Game

I've been over at Konrath's blog and reading about all those who are mad at Amazon for offering thousands of writers a chance at their dreams. Konrath (love this guy) has it right. Go check it out.

He sites a few articles that are bashing Amazon including Patterson's attempt to come to the aid of his publishing house. Wait, I thought I read somewhere that Patterson had a team of ghosts and didn't even write his own books anymore? (Hey Jim! It shows!) I have to wonder; what's the point? Why wouldn't an author want to control his own work? Is Patterson so rich that it doesn't matter anymore?

I went Indy a few years ago and don't have half the stuff up that I should have by this time. I worry too much about the polishing and I'm always working on my next book. There are too many books to write and too little time. There are several reasons I went Indy and none had to do with money. Don't get me wrong, any money would always be nice, but that didn't push my decision. I went Indy because I just want to write. There is where the joy lives.

If I were with a publishing house and scored the contract as a romance writer, I doubt they'd like it if book two of three were a mystery or a zombie book, or that vampire idea I've been cooking. If I had a contract I'm sure I'd lose a bit of control. My work would be a shared decision with someone in an office that makes decisions, not on my work alone, but on several factors. Climate of the industry, length of the book, what's hot, and their own personal preferences.

Bah!

How many ditched the the Harry Potter book for some of those reasons? Why did they make that decision? The quality of the book was probably not the issue, yet they still rejected it.

One of the criticisms of Indy books is the quality of the book, but that doesn't really fly, does it? I've seen books come from the big publishing houses that had typos and grammatical errors. I've read lots of traditionally published crap. Sometimes my hand itches for that red pen! Then I've read Indies who are outstanding and some with problems. There's really not a big difference in quality between traditional and Indy.

So why go Indy? Or better yet, why not?

Control is an awesome thing when it comes to your own work. 

The Balancing Act

One of the hardest things in writing is everything else in life. The day job, the kids, hubby or wife, extended family, doctor visits, and on and on...

So how does a writer find the time to write? It's always hard to clear the head enough to get the words flowing. Is this more of a problem for women? Traditionally, women are the care givers and are constantly thinking about others. Do the kids have what they need? Laundry done? What to cook for dinner? Carpool? Take care of that fiverr gig. (Check out my fiverr in the right column!) Oh yeah, write the book!

I started a new job which, so far, I'm loving. The people are great and I get to write stuff for their website. I do a lot of other things too but I'm most excited about the writing. Like all jobs there's a learning curve and between that and finals, my book has fallen to the way side. I haven't touched it in three weeks.

THREE WEEKS! Yikes! I can't believe that. Its so sad. I have such high hopes for this book. No Apologies was fun to write. It came from writer's block and to break through I just let myself write badly. As I read through my pages I found I liked the book. It has tension, some funny parts, and a little romance.

I need to find balance. Carve out that writing time and stick to a new schedule to get this book edited and off my desk. I think every change in our lives calls for a new writing schedule.

What's your schedule? When do you write? Has change ever knocked you off your book?

Harmland Dark Tales - A Review

I picked up this book a while ago, but just got around to reading it. My only question is: Why did I wait so long? Harmland is definitely a 5 STAR read!

Harmland by Charles Allen Gramlich is a great collection of short and creepy tales that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Each story brings out both psychological and supernatural elements that will keep you guessing till the end.

If you've ever watched the Twilight Zone or enjoyed an Alfred Hitchcock movie then Harmland is definitely your kind of book. Hitchcock stories had you guessing till the end and would then slap you with a major twist, Gramlich hits you just as hard. His use of language and description had me jealous of his ability to paint vivid pictures with his words.

The parrot still haunts me.....go read Harmland and you'll be haunted, too.

Left Brain Right Brain Insane

I wish for a life where I can write and/or paint all day. This tree was a housewarming gift for a friend. It took me four hours and I'm pretty okay with how it turned out. 

I think all writers are artists and all artists are writers. Even if they don't know it, I believe it comes from the same side of the brain. The theory goes; left-brain people are more organized and systematic. Right-brain people are more creative and intuitive. I think art takes organization and is systematic so I don't understand this theory. To make a tree I have to stare at trees, absorb tree structure...then sketch it and outline it and on and on...

Writing is the same. Even if we start with random writing and just pushing forward without knowing where we're going to end up, writing -   good writing- has structure. It takes the systematic placement of elements in a story to create direction and plot for the story. Then we throw in all that creativity and we've got one best selling novel. (at least that's what I've heard. . . I haven't hit best seller yet.) 

So right brain, left brain doesn't make sense. I'm thinking those who invested the research into this theory might have missed something. But just to be sure...I'm going to go take the test. 

Below is the tree I painted Sunday for a friend. The right brain sketched it out, the left brain filled it in...wait, maybe that was left to sketch and right to fill...or ....

Inkbok Launches!

I came across Inkbok a few months ago and thought it was an interesting concept. Writers put their books and short stories up, Inkbok charges for the read (check out their very reasonable fees here) and writers make money. I know there must be other places like this, but one of the things that drew me in was that a percentage goes to charity. I like the thought that here at Inkbok, it's not all about the money. Something good is here, too.

(Inkbok, if you happen to read this...I volunteer for a non-profit animal rescue...they would love to be on your charity list; Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue)

Today Inkbok goes live! So if you're looking for a good read with a very wide range of genres and subjects in both fiction and non-fiction check out Inkbok!

While you're there you can read my short stories; No Redemption and Escaping Pigwell. Warning! They're darker than my usual writing, but I'm glad they found a home on Inkbok.

Writer; What and Who you are

Wandering through the job search sites I see lots of interesting things. I apply for this or that and see things I know I can do. I've done lots of various jobs and succeeded at all of them. Not because I'm a genius or anything, but because I'm driven. Every job or assignment is a challenge. I love a challenge.

I don't get challenges from writing. When writing I go into a different place. Writing is almost like reading a good book, (of course it's good, it's mine! or yours!) and stopping writing is like being pulled back into reality from an alternate universe.

In hunting for jobs I question the universe. Is there a job out there where I could write? I've done Demand Studios, but I feel there's more. Something better. More creative.

If you go to Mark Terry's site he has some great info on freelancing. I've registered at Demand Studios again to write, but haven's started yet. I will. It takes a quiet room, a little research and putting words together. Not really that hard.

I'm thinking of contacting a couple of editors I know and seeing if I can cover some local stuff. I like wandering around and finding unique things about the community. Writing that stuff could be fun.

And then there's fiction. And a screen play I'd like to sell. (how do you sell a screen play?) And writing....always writing....

So, where do you write? Any interesting writing sites on your radar?

Relationships in Romance Novels and Beyond

Once, in a writer's group I read the first half chapter of one of my WIPs. The man said my writing was always about relationships. I replied that everything in life is about relationships. A relationship doesn't have to be about love or sex or romance. The group we were sitting in was a combination of relationships. When we go to the grocery store we have some sort of relationship with every person we interact with. By reading this, my fellow blogsters are engaged in a relationship. Relationships happen on a daily basis whether we realize it or not. Some are limited, some vanish as quickly as they came, some might grow, some might kill.

The chapter that was read in group eventually led to a murder investigation and wasn't going in the romantic way that the group might have suspected. It was only half a chapter so they really didn't get the whole story.

In romances the relationship has to go somewhere. Maybe a good place where they fall in love, in bed, into a happily every after or maybe just a hint at what was coming next for our characters.

What makes up these relationships? Eye contact/looks, verbal exchange, physical exchange, and even information exchanged by a 3rd party. In some stories we can use all of these to build characters. We hear their thoughts when eye contact is made, watch the verbal exchange and reactions, or sometimes we're in the character's head while they work out questions.

Kinds of relationships?

Norman Bates and his mother
Prez Obama and Speaker of the House Boehner
Teachers and students
Coworkers
Doctors and patients
Bus drivers and riders
Stewardess and passengers
Cops and victims and criminals

Relationships are everywhere!

I was a little surprised I had to explain that everything in life is a relationship of some sort. I think some limit that word to romance, but its so much more and important in every single thing we write.

So what kind of a relationship is building in what you're writing? What techniques do you use to build it?

One Week - Too Many Excuses to Write

I plan, I plot, I think out my writing schedule and still can't get that WIP opened up and rolling. True, there is still that darkness lurking, but things there are changing and maybe for the better. Do we see a light at the edges of the evil? It's looking like the accused was actually set up by a darker force. Its what I thought in the beginning, but everyone argued against it, telling me I was just not facing it. Back to writers and investigations... Writer's need to plot. For a plot to work it means things have to line up. They have to make sense even in fiction. We can only separate from reality for just so much, before we lose our reader. Even in sci-fi, there has to be a believably factor.  In that dark place there were too many things that didn't add up for me. I seemed to be the only one who questioned things and that had me doubting myself. However, law enforcement didn't take things at face value. They investigated, are still investigating, but hopefully heading in the right direction now.

So you'd think this would free up my emboggled (<~~Look a new word! Okay, maybe not...) mind to get back to work, but it hasn't, not yet. So, now I need to plan this writing week. Write everyday between 9 and 5? Or maybe a slower start? write 9 to noon, get other stuff done, write 2 to 4? Believe it or not I once had a great schedule and stuck to it like religion. I need to get that back. I need to believe this is where I need to be and shuck off the outside forces that seek to knock me down.

The other day a friend told me when she was unemployed she wanted something to show for it. She didn't want all that time to pass and have nothing to show for it. Then she wrote enough songs for her first album. She just did it, got it done. Told herself it was what she needed to do and did it.  Inspiring.

Stephen King once said he writes like 10 pages a day. Sometimes he's done by noon, other time's he's still there late into the night. Not sure if that's true or something he had to say when pressed for answers in an interview but it sounds like a plan.

So what's your writing schedule? If you're ever knocked off balance, how do you get it back?

Bad Things, Concentration, Writing.

Bad things happen. Sometimes people you know go bad. Or maybe they were always bad and you just never knew. Sometimes when you meet someone you get that "creeper vibe" right away and you know instantly that they are not to be trusted. Maybe you can't put your finger on it, but you know.

Sometimes the bad is so close to you, you never see it. It hides its darkness and you never see the evil until it jumps out and scares the hell out of everyone around it.

There might have been something bad that we never knew of, so close to us, that we were blindsided. Was it always here, growing beside us, and we never saw it? Is that possible? Something so ugly and evil was hiding so close in someone we loved, how could we never have seen it?

And I still don't believe it. Not yet, not now.

I think writers are investigators. We look beyond face value because we know this is how stories are woven. Nothing is ever how it seems and there are many stories within a story. Sitcoms are routinely written with three story lines. The major line we're concentrating on, then a secondary line that we can see if we look, and the third which is almost a start of another story. Yes, three stories in every sitcom. It's how the great ones are created.

Now the bad has shown up and I'm in a state of disbelief, shock, and a sorrow so deep I can't stop praying it isn't true. That there is more to this story that someone, hopefully the investigators, who should know better than to take something at face value, will discover and send this bad from our lives. I keep repeating, "I don't believe it." and "It can't be true." I feel something is missing from this story that we don't know about and they're not asking the right questions.

It's hard to concentrate. Some things consume your thoughts. I wish the weather was warmer and I could take the dogs for a walk to clear my head. I have small dogs, they freeze quicker than big dogs (because they're closer to the ground?) and they don't like walking in sub-zero weather.

Say a prayer this bad will go away, that its all a terrible mistake and we'll wake up and the nightmare will just go away.

Writer's Block and Freakfly February

Excuses are ugly. I know that, you know that, every writer worth their salt knows that. Yet, we wander the house, office or wherever it is you write, walk the dog, talk to the dog, maybe clean something, play with games (worst thing I ever did was download Scrabble on Kindle...I'm addicted), or maybe sit in front of the TV not writing.

I've done it all and everything was just an excuse not to write.

Writer's block? Maybe. Does it really need a name? Whatever you call it, nothing is getting down on paper. So maybe its time to write badly.

Giving yourself permission not to write the great American Novel is the best cure for writer's block. I believe this gives a person a chance to spew all the crap that's blocking out of your head so the good stuff can flow. Writing bad is cleansing and once in a while something really good might come of it. Maybe whatever is blocking is actually a story simmering and just looking for release. Whether it's in your claimed genre or not, it just might be a best seller.

Instead of Nano or Jano, maybe we need Write Bad month? Something to free writer's to just blow off some steam? Maybe we can have Writer's Freakfly February to clear the senses and open us up for some awesome writing!

So go forth and write badly. Let your freak fly and see what comes out of your little blocked head. I'm off to write the worst story ever! Mwahahahaha!

Writing, Word Count, and Series Writing

I usually never give a negative review. If I don't like a book, I simply move on. (this came from my mother who always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.") However, the book I've got on my ipod is a bit of a crazy maker.

It's Evanovich's latest Stephanie Plum novel, Takedown Twenty. For those not familiar its about a woman bounty hunter who is in a love triangle between a cop and another bounty hunter. That's the short version. But that "Twenty" in the title stands for the 20th book in the series. Whew! That's not only a lot of books but a lot of work to make each one different and unique. In the beginning these books were very entertaining, funny, and fast paced. Everything I like in a good book. I love the page-turner, keep-me-up-all-night book. This book ain't it. :(

I think one of the main problems in the 20 books is that somewhere along the line the main character, Stephanie Plum, stops growing. She's stuck in this emotional vacuum of tracking bad guys, falling down stairs, getting food/trash thrown at her and bouncing between the two boyfriends. This happens over and over and over in all twenty books. Nothing new, everything predictable. Sadly I can't even bring myself to pay for these books and usually just download them from the library. In the beginning I used to run right out and buy two hardcovers as soon as they came out. One for me and one for my mother in law.

Now I'm in book 20 and really have to wonder if the writer was just trying to make a word count. A few chapters in, the main character stops at a store and then the writer lists about 20 items that she bought including napkins, vegetables, two magazines, blah, blah, blah... As a writer, all I'm thinking is; was she trying to make a word count???  Why does the shopping list need to be in the story? Since it's written in the first person it makes me think of that annoying person you meet who dumps every tiny detail of her life into every conversation.  I want to scream; is there a point to all this blather?

Back to the main plot. Is this twenty something woman ever going to grow up? Change? Don't we all change and grow? Doesn't she want to get better at her job or improve her life in any way? She's an inept bounty hunter, which lends to the comedy aspect, but if she never improves or learns the skills of her job then how is this book any different than the 19 before it? She strings two guys along and they follow like puppies...for 20 books?

I think in every book we look for what happens next. Like in the Hero's Journey we need challenges met and the return of the golden chalice. Without that, what's the point? In Takedown Twenty I felt like I'd already read it. Nineteen times.
Too bad. Evanovich is an awesome writer but somewhere along the line...we lost the fact that its a journey, not a scene.

Writing, Time, Excuses and Writer's Block

Blame Writer's Block, procrastination, or maybe even fear.
Getting back to writing after vacations, holidays, or any other thing that blips your writer's radar can be hard. In the past four months I've had many blips and can't seem to get back on schedule.

Writer's block?
Not sure this is really my problem. To blast past writer's block I believe a person simply has to give themselves permission to just write. Write bad, write crap, write out of your normal genre or just blast out some fan fiction. But just keep writing without ego and without care. Write.

Vacation?
Yeah, two weeks in Florida and driving there and back kind of depleted my energy. It was a great vacation, but totally knocked me off schedule. On vacation there is no schedule. You do things because you want to go and see and you do things because you're there with others and you want to spend time with them. The better the vacation, the harder it is to get back to work.

Holidays?
Always a schedule breaker. Instead of spending days working, you're now rushing around trying to get things done, shopping, cooking (okay, maybe I lied about cooking), cleaning. Writing is the first thing to take a backseat.

Emo blips?
I lost my brother in October. He was the sweetest, most gentlest soul you would ever meet. He was kind to everyone, determined and dedicated to family and friends. He was sick for a while but when he went it was still a surprise. We thought he was getting better and then -suddenly- CRASH! And he was gone too soon. :( It still seems unreal. Like a bad dream you hope isn't real. You see something and think, "I gotta share this with Mike." But Mike is gone. I still talk to him, hoping his spirit hears me and knows I care and miss him. This also slowed the writing and determination to finish things to a halt. I think it just needs time. Five stages and all that.

Another blip?
Unemployment ran out. :( And I live in NJ. A place with the highest unemployment in the land and no real jobs program. If you look to the State for help they offer classes to help you get employed. Too bad their classes are decades behind what employers are looking for in today's computer age. Even the people I spoke to at Unemployment know this, but are powerless to help. So every morning I send out resumes and then think about writing. I need to be more of a producer. Get things written and put them out there. I know this. What I don't know is why I can't.

School?
Last semester an HTML/CSS/XHTML class kicked my *ss. I would spend days working on assignments and often had to go to the computer lab for help. I scored a B- in that class and almost fell off my chair when I read that grade.

So does any of this excuse not writing? No, of course not. I have to nail down a schedule and stick to it. Help! What's your schedule and how do you stick to it? Any advice?

Short Story Sales

Investigating short story venues and finding a lot of places to submit these babies, too. However, in reading about the volume of submissions they get, I  have to wonder if collecting these stories and publishing them as a book of shorts on Amazon would be more lucrative.

I'm seeing some writers who sell them on other websites that specialize in shorts and considering submitting to them, too. Nokblok is a new one, (the editor responded to one of my posts here) there's a Sci-fi one that sends me emails with a new story every week. I'm sure there's more that I'm just not thinking of right now.

I crashed on Constant Content this week. :(
Over two years ago I sold a few articles there and did okay. Had one rejected.  Then got a new job and stopped using them. Last month I resubmitted my rewritten rejection and it was rejected again. Then submitted two and both were accepted. Yay! Both those were on cooking. My next submission was a How-to art project. It was rejected so fast I don't think the editor had time to actually read it. The reason for rejection was grammar/punctuation. A blanket response I've seen other's complain about on the CC forum. Its like the editor's lazy response for "I found a mistake/don't like the subject/its 1 a.m. and I'm tired" excuse. That doesn't sound like "editing" to me. It really upset me at first because I work hard on these articles. Then I went into the forum and found a lot of questioning about the editor's responses. Mostly it seemed they just had cut and paste responses that they tossed out haphazardly. Some even questioned if there was a new editor on staff that wielded a reckless sword even on writer's who had 100's of accepted articles. After the third rejection in over two years they suspended my account. Three strikes you're out. Blah.

That experience got me thinking. Do I really want to write that stuff? Sure, it's money and I can find another place to sell, but really? Is that what my soul wants to write?

No.
Simply, no.

I want to write stories. Which brings me back to the short story questions. Where and how to sell.
I also thought of another idea which might be toooooo ego driven, but hear me out.
What about a blog to post these stories with a note; If you liked this story please help keep the stories flowing. Contribute $5 via paypal here.

Would something like that work? Would it make more or less than the few bucks a short story place would pay?
Pros;
I could write what I want. Any genre, any time.
Blogs are timeless. You can write something three years ago and it's still crawling around the internet today.
$5 isn't much so people might think, sure, why not.
Blogs are free...where's the risk?
Adsense could be added to this blog (not that Adsense ever made me much anyway, but hey, a nickle is still a nickle.)

Cons;
Nothing could happen. No readers, no income. Readers without income. (so what? I just take the blog down)
How do you tax this? Pay taxes?
I'm not a well established enough writer to bring in the crowd.
It's on honor system...does that ever work?
If it doesn't work and I want to sell these stories to magazines, some won't touch previously pub stories. Even on blogs.

Still thinking about this idea. I have several stories in different genres, some love stories, some mayhem, some paranormal so I'm not sure if I have enough to fit one genre collection.
And I'll probably start sending to the True's again. They pay slow but pretty good. I generally score about $150 a story there depending on word count.

Where do you sell? What do you think of the Story Blog idea? Am I crazy? (or desperate...that's understandable too. :)

Story Layout, Outlining, or Writer's Scribbling

I was in a writer's group the other day and someone asked me about how I outline my stories. I had to think about that as I'm not really an out-liner. Mostly I scribble a few notes on the first page and just take off.

Which made me wonder about other writers. In Stephen King's On Writing, he said he just takes two ideas and melds them together. Teen girl puberty + telekinesis, Haunted hotel + alcoholic with issues, Mother with broken car + Rabid dog, Nerdy teen boy + evil car.
I think he's got something there, the possibilities are endless!
Sparkley vampires + miserable teen girl, Boy wizard + strange school, Nerdy college girl + man with bondage issues.... all best sellers.

Mostly I go by the "what if's" and reach into my old Catholic issues. When I was a kid I was constantly questioning the rules of the Catholic church. This upset my Irish Catholic parents to no end. "Just believe," they'd say. "Have faith." I'd answer, "That makes no sense."
I mean if God is everywhere that means he's at my house, too, so why do I have to go to church on Sundays? At what point did Jesus say we needed to eat body and blood? It was something he did once in reference to a peek into his future. Isn't it kind of gross we mimic that? And why did he hang out with 12 guys? Okay, we won't go there. My experience in the Catholic church was not a good one. We had a bad priest who constantly screamed, yelled and embarrassed kids and adults alike. I never felt good there, just scared. Then he made my mother cry and there was no way I was going back.

So now I wonder about reincarnation. Isn't it kind of limiting that this is it? One life? One experience? Wouldn't' the grand scheme of things seem more complete if we could experience many types of lives? That got me to thinking if we do reincarnate we could come back as any gender and race. What if we can come back as animals? Then came Soul Mates. Which I would have given a different name if I had just searched that name on Amazon first.

The phrase, "A child shall lead them" got me thinking in what universe would any adult let a child lead? How old a child? A seven year old? Younger? Then came Threshold to Midnight which is not yet Amazon-ed. Coming soon.

Any of these stories began with a blurb. Just a bunch of sentences of what i wanted to write about, but no where near an outline.

So do you outline? Scribble? Or is there another way to layout a story?