Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Writing Jobs and Nokbok?

In searching the web for writing jobs I found Nokbok, a site where people put their books/stories and take a 60% cut each time someone reads their work. Pretty good cut but how much will they sell for? And in this world of Kindle and Nook how many will pay for this? Are the books downloadable? Or read online?
Not sure how I feel about this. . . I need to research more. Could be a possibility.
How is this different from Amazon?
Would it be a good place to put those shorter stories that I'm not sure will fly on Amazon?

Then there's Amazon's KDP. I've been on it and I've been off it. I don't sell a lot of books anyway so I'm no judge of the program. Do you KDP? Was it worth it?

I see a lot of freelance jobs floating around and hesitate right now due to unemployment. New Jersey has weird unemployment rules and its real easy to lose it. If I apply for a freelance job getting paid is always the hard part. I've done some of it and have seen #$%*&% people punk out on payment. Like in painting works of art the money is great one day and not so good the next. Its hard to count on it. Is it worth chancing losing unemployment for? I mean, there are bills to be paid and NJ has some of the highest unemployment in the country. Scary high right now.

I'm pushing through the nano and part two of Blood Aversionsnow named Blood Conflicts. The nano isn't exciting me yet so I guess I need to let something shocking happen. Murder, mayhem, angels and demons.....here they come.

See you in the pages...

Monday, November 11, 2013

Life Unexpected

Still trying to Nano and keep up with other writing. Attempting to find a place to sell my artwork and thinking about an Esty shop for that stuff. (Anyone have any luck with Esty?) And then there's life stuff that totally sends my brain into the nowhere-zone. A place where the thought processes are stalled and creativity won't flow.
:(
My brother passed away two weeks ago. Although he had been sick for awhile, we thought he was moving toward recovery and then bam! A downhill spiral and he's gone. Just like that, sudden but not really so sudden. Just unexpected.

Some people channel their hurt and pain into their art and writing and produce great stuff. I think Poe did this in his poetry. His pain is musical in Annabel Lee and we feel the sorrow in his soul. I'm having trouble doing that. I think it's some strange magical gift that you can push your pain out in your art. Me? I hide in pain.
. I think it's something I have to let work itself out. I write best in happiness. I paint in frustration.

Pushing though Nano is hard, but is it worth it? Will something good come of it?

I think the soul knows when it's going to leave. I believe its planned out before we come and can be changed at any time. I mean, we are our souls after all, right? Did this soul come, do what needed to be done and then by some other-worldly knowledge know it was time to move on?

My Nano is based on a writer who wrote a book about a curse. When a man shows up at her door asking for her help because he's a victim of the curse she's frightened. The curse was just something she made up so she knows she can't help this man. Is he really a victim of a curse or just some crazy fan?

Oh great spirit of the Nano....where are you when I need you?

What do you do when you can't write?

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Nano November Challenge

Everyone loves a good challenge! Especially at that time of year when the holidays are approaching and life is getting busier. I mean what's a little more stress in a stressful season?

So what do I do???

Accept the challenge, of course!  I'm taking a fiction writing course in hopes of improving my skills and the professor issued the challenge. Instead of turning in whatever the assignment of the week is, we can turn in a few pages of our Nano. Sounded like a good deal to me.

To make it even more fun I'm going to take the Hero's Journey the prof gave us and outline the story right there on the papers.

I've heard that Faulkner sometimes outlined his work on the walls of his home. I so want to do that! To see all your notes all over the walls would be inspiring. Of course, my dh doesn't understand these needs. He's patient enough with the mural of Diamond Head and parrots I painted on the wall in the spare room and that tiger I painted on the wall in one of the bedrooms. I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't push my luck.

So? Are you Nano-ing? Have you ever? If so, how did it go? Great American novel or another 500 page paperweight for the edge of your desk?







Unfinished...do not judge. Perhaps I needs a Nano for painting...




Last Day of NANOWRIMO --- Oh No!

 Where did the month go?  Certainly not on the page. I have an outline, some character sketches but mostly I have a lot of research notes.  ...