The Constitution of America only guarantees pursuit of happiness-you have to catch up with it yourself. Fortunately, happiness is something that depends not on position but on disposition, and life is what you make it.
-Gill Robb Wilson
From Forbes.com
Wednesday Writing Exercise
Write a short spoof (<300 words) on what happens when you catch up with happiness.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Social Networking: How do you do it?
Today, I don't want to talk. I want you to talk.
Tell me what forms of social networking you use, which is your current favorite, and which you find the most helpful.
For example:
I use Google+, Facebook, and run this blog. No Twitter for me - not yet, anyway. The rest of my social networking is through non-technological sources (you know, actually going out and meeting people. Scary, huh?)
Right now, I'm loving the huge writers' network I've found on Google+. Other writers post all the time about the things they're going through, and it's usually things I've been through, too. It kicks me in the rear and keeps me writing. Oh, and I keep answering questions for people I don't actually know - Look, I'm smart! Really! (Just don't look too closely...) I've made a couple of new writing acquaintances that way.
Most of my close friends are still on FB, though. We usually organize there. My close-to-home writers' group has a FB page, too, so I can keep up with their lives and meetings. On the whole, I probably get more effective use out of FB. Even if my spellcheck doesn't actually recognize 'Facebook' as a word...
Okay, your turn!
Tell me what forms of social networking you use, which is your current favorite, and which you find the most helpful.
For example:
I use Google+, Facebook, and run this blog. No Twitter for me - not yet, anyway. The rest of my social networking is through non-technological sources (you know, actually going out and meeting people. Scary, huh?)
Right now, I'm loving the huge writers' network I've found on Google+. Other writers post all the time about the things they're going through, and it's usually things I've been through, too. It kicks me in the rear and keeps me writing. Oh, and I keep answering questions for people I don't actually know - Look, I'm smart! Really! (Just don't look too closely...) I've made a couple of new writing acquaintances that way.
Most of my close friends are still on FB, though. We usually organize there. My close-to-home writers' group has a FB page, too, so I can keep up with their lives and meetings. On the whole, I probably get more effective use out of FB. Even if my spellcheck doesn't actually recognize 'Facebook' as a word...
Okay, your turn!
Friday, November 11, 2011
NaNoWriMo or Not?
I'm doing NaNoWriMo, but I'm not officially on NaNoWriMo. Why? Because NaNoWriMo is all about writing - but writing isn't.
Besides which, I've got a full-time job that I love and want to keep, and I can't just drop my other manuscripts.
What do I do? I assign 'word count' values to related tasks such as editing, querying, and critiquing my critique partners' works, based on time spent compared to the time it takes me to write.
Example: it takes me about 2 continuous hours, on average, to write 1.667K (the average word count if you divide 50K words by 30 days). So if I spend 1 hour on revisions, I've 'written' about 800 words. This way, I'm never overwhelmed with an insurmountable amount of work for a single day, and thus I don't face getting burnt out in the career I'd like to one day retire from.
I do not count social-media activities such as blogging or posting as writing word counts, because that is what I consider publicity-related business. I need to know what portion of my time those will take on their own, because that's a time investment of its own and I would like to see what the return is per time invested. Nor do I count extra-curricular writing on projects I have no intention of publishing.
The downside is that I always feel like I'd be cheating to add that to an official NaNoWriMo wordcount, so I don't sign up. Yet to me, NaNoWriMo is about encouraging productivity, creating good writing habits, and cheering other writers on. That's why I still say I'm doing NaNoWriMo, just not officially - because I really support the NaNoWriMo spirit.
What about you? How do you deal with revisions and editing during your NaNoWriMo?
Besides which, I've got a full-time job that I love and want to keep, and I can't just drop my other manuscripts.
What do I do? I assign 'word count' values to related tasks such as editing, querying, and critiquing my critique partners' works, based on time spent compared to the time it takes me to write.
Example: it takes me about 2 continuous hours, on average, to write 1.667K (the average word count if you divide 50K words by 30 days). So if I spend 1 hour on revisions, I've 'written' about 800 words. This way, I'm never overwhelmed with an insurmountable amount of work for a single day, and thus I don't face getting burnt out in the career I'd like to one day retire from.
I do not count social-media activities such as blogging or posting as writing word counts, because that is what I consider publicity-related business. I need to know what portion of my time those will take on their own, because that's a time investment of its own and I would like to see what the return is per time invested. Nor do I count extra-curricular writing on projects I have no intention of publishing.
The downside is that I always feel like I'd be cheating to add that to an official NaNoWriMo wordcount, so I don't sign up. Yet to me, NaNoWriMo is about encouraging productivity, creating good writing habits, and cheering other writers on. That's why I still say I'm doing NaNoWriMo, just not officially - because I really support the NaNoWriMo spirit.
What about you? How do you deal with revisions and editing during your NaNoWriMo?
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Quote of the Week: George Bernard Shaw, on Happiness
We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.
-George Bernard Shaw
From Forbes.com
Wednesday Writing Exercise
Give a short summary (<300 words) of a modern-day example of this concept: either producing more than consuming, or consuming more than producing.
-George Bernard Shaw
From Forbes.com
Wednesday Writing Exercise
Give a short summary (<300 words) of a modern-day example of this concept: either producing more than consuming, or consuming more than producing.
Monday, November 7, 2011
NaNoWriMo: An exercise in endurance
Are you doing NaNoWriMo?
Still writing?
It's Day 7. Almost everyone I know will, by this point, have had at least one day of not making her or his word count. There will have been panic, freaking out, heart attacks, furious writing, and relief as the word count is made up.
But what is NaNoWriMo? It's an exercise in writing 50,000 words by the end of November. I would like to point out that most published works are longer than 50K. Which means that, if you intend your novel for traditional publication, you'll probably extend NaNoWriMo into December and perhaps even January, depending on the story and the genre. And then, you'll begin the editing.
Writing is an endurance sport. If you don't make count today, don't freak - you can catch up. But if you miss tomorrow, and the next day, because grandma insists you drive out to Hicksville where there's no electricity to power your laptop for Thanksgiving - still don't freak. Maybe you won't be able to officially make 50K in November. Don't burn yourself out trying to make up for it. Just keep writing.
If you have to, subtract the total from your goal (3 days of the standard 1.67K is about 5K words), and make that your new goal. Can't make 50,000? No prob. Your goal is 45,000 anyway. You can do that. No excuses.
Think of NaNoWriMo as endurance training. It's not the marathon - it's the preparation. Because if you're serious about writing, it's something you'll do every single day for the rest of your publishing life. As soon as you finish one book, you need to start on another. (Yes, there will be days spent just editing and planning. That's part of writing.) The joy of NaNoWriMo is that, by forcing yourself to have a goal, you force yourself to keep writing. You make a habit. And you keep that habit.
So it's Day 7 of NaNoWriMo. Still writing? Good. Don't stop. In fact, instead of commenting, just paste the last sentence you wrote as a comment.
Now drop and give me 500 (new words).
Still writing?
It's Day 7. Almost everyone I know will, by this point, have had at least one day of not making her or his word count. There will have been panic, freaking out, heart attacks, furious writing, and relief as the word count is made up.
But what is NaNoWriMo? It's an exercise in writing 50,000 words by the end of November. I would like to point out that most published works are longer than 50K. Which means that, if you intend your novel for traditional publication, you'll probably extend NaNoWriMo into December and perhaps even January, depending on the story and the genre. And then, you'll begin the editing.
Writing is an endurance sport. If you don't make count today, don't freak - you can catch up. But if you miss tomorrow, and the next day, because grandma insists you drive out to Hicksville where there's no electricity to power your laptop for Thanksgiving - still don't freak. Maybe you won't be able to officially make 50K in November. Don't burn yourself out trying to make up for it. Just keep writing.
If you have to, subtract the total from your goal (3 days of the standard 1.67K is about 5K words), and make that your new goal. Can't make 50,000? No prob. Your goal is 45,000 anyway. You can do that. No excuses.
Think of NaNoWriMo as endurance training. It's not the marathon - it's the preparation. Because if you're serious about writing, it's something you'll do every single day for the rest of your publishing life. As soon as you finish one book, you need to start on another. (Yes, there will be days spent just editing and planning. That's part of writing.) The joy of NaNoWriMo is that, by forcing yourself to have a goal, you force yourself to keep writing. You make a habit. And you keep that habit.
So it's Day 7 of NaNoWriMo. Still writing? Good. Don't stop. In fact, instead of commenting, just paste the last sentence you wrote as a comment.
Now drop and give me 500 (new words).
Friday, November 4, 2011
Publishing News
Publishing news for the past couple of weeks! There's a bunch of noteworthy links this week, so be prepared for a lot of reading (or, you know, just read the ones most pertinent to you, or read a couple and then come back tomorrow and Sunday and Monday for the rest, or make the go-fer read it all and give you a brief book report. Whichever floats your boat.) To make it easier, I've broken the types of news down into three sections: Major News, Being in the Business, and Improving Your Craft.
Major News:
Breaking news over the past few days, HarperCollins acquires Thomas Nelson, combining the number one and number two publishers of the religious-themed works. If you're trying to publish inspirational fiction or nonfiction, keep a close eye on this merger - that's the two largest publishers of your market, which may very well have an effect on bidding for advances.
Berkley Publishing group will be launching an e-book imprint called InterMix. That means, a line of books exclusively for e-sales ('Imprints' are books released under the same line name. Publishers frequently have several imprints, or line names, to appeal to different audiences; in this case, the line consists of numerous re-releases of old books and some new books, all done as mass-market for a price of about $6.99).
Publishers Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Hachette Book Group are all launching websites to allow authors to directly access sales figures. This is a big step, and addresses the losses traditional publishers took when Amazon began giving that information to authors through Neilsen BookScan (which tracks 75% of print sales). Of course, the publishers state that their decision is a response to author requests for direct access to sales figures, and not a reply to Amazon.
After Google's failed settlement about the digitization of orphan works (works whose authors cannot be found), Congress is taking an in-depth look at copyright law for publishing as it applies to modern technology. Some of the things under priority discussion are "orphan works, preservation for libraries, mass digitization, and fighting digital piracy."
Being in the Business:
The Wall Street Journal weighs in on the advantages of self-publishing... and the differences in sales trends based on duration of sales.
Sara D. talks about the benefits of being labeled 'controversial,' since being banned frequently turns into free advertising. She encourages writers to write what they want - if it's controversial, well, that will just get readers talking.
Are you a novelist? Rachelle Gardner points out that branding is for nonfiction, not fiction. Your brand is your name and your genre. And no, writing isn't going to get easier. It's not just you - writing is tough, and everyone goes through that.
Jessica Faust, over at Bookends, LLC, tells us that as authors, we are responsible for paying our own taxes - our agents don't take the taxes out for us. Save up a portion of your advance to pay taxes on it! Also, save your receipts and find out what's a tax write-off and what's not. You can probably bank a lot more than you expect.
Nathan Bransford has his This Week in the News posted as well, covering a few weeks' worth of news and including some links I missed.
Improving Your Craft:
Querying nonfiction? Agent Janet Reid reminds you to Google your subject. She also points out the importance of communication and explanation - also, the importance of not implying that the agent you are querying is stupid. If you think you've already answered her question, ask her for clarification instead, because you're probably not understanding the question.
Lisa Jordan prepares writers for NaNoWriMo by encouraging them to find time for writing - even if it's just a few minutes a day.
Rachelle Gardner also suggests educating yourself on how to be a published author by networking with other authors, keeping up with industry news, and reading up about publishing life. And if you're having doubts about your agent, she offers advice on when and how to end your contract and go looking for a new agent.
Jessica Faust also shares the uses (not how to use, but why to use) Facebook and Twitter, and how the two platforms serve different audiences. Twitter is good for making yourself known to new readers; Facebook is for connecting with those who are already your fans.
Suzie Townsend has taken many pitches at conferences, and she suggests having comparison titles ready for your pitch.
And Querytracker offers several different forms of rhetoric for use in writing - including a brief mention of when to use them.
Emlyn Chand, novelist, shares the 10 things she wished she knew before she began writing and publishing.
And Marcy Kennedy & Lisa Hall-Wilson talk about how to scare your readers, for writers looking to write horror stories.
Adventures in Agentland supplies tips for marketing, including pre-sale, pre-publishing and post-publishing.
Major News:
Breaking news over the past few days, HarperCollins acquires Thomas Nelson, combining the number one and number two publishers of the religious-themed works. If you're trying to publish inspirational fiction or nonfiction, keep a close eye on this merger - that's the two largest publishers of your market, which may very well have an effect on bidding for advances.
Berkley Publishing group will be launching an e-book imprint called InterMix. That means, a line of books exclusively for e-sales ('Imprints' are books released under the same line name. Publishers frequently have several imprints, or line names, to appeal to different audiences; in this case, the line consists of numerous re-releases of old books and some new books, all done as mass-market for a price of about $6.99).
Publishers Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Hachette Book Group are all launching websites to allow authors to directly access sales figures. This is a big step, and addresses the losses traditional publishers took when Amazon began giving that information to authors through Neilsen BookScan (which tracks 75% of print sales). Of course, the publishers state that their decision is a response to author requests for direct access to sales figures, and not a reply to Amazon.
After Google's failed settlement about the digitization of orphan works (works whose authors cannot be found), Congress is taking an in-depth look at copyright law for publishing as it applies to modern technology. Some of the things under priority discussion are "orphan works, preservation for libraries, mass digitization, and fighting digital piracy."
Being in the Business:
The Wall Street Journal weighs in on the advantages of self-publishing... and the differences in sales trends based on duration of sales.
Sara D. talks about the benefits of being labeled 'controversial,' since being banned frequently turns into free advertising. She encourages writers to write what they want - if it's controversial, well, that will just get readers talking.
Are you a novelist? Rachelle Gardner points out that branding is for nonfiction, not fiction. Your brand is your name and your genre. And no, writing isn't going to get easier. It's not just you - writing is tough, and everyone goes through that.
Jessica Faust, over at Bookends, LLC, tells us that as authors, we are responsible for paying our own taxes - our agents don't take the taxes out for us. Save up a portion of your advance to pay taxes on it! Also, save your receipts and find out what's a tax write-off and what's not. You can probably bank a lot more than you expect.
Nathan Bransford has his This Week in the News posted as well, covering a few weeks' worth of news and including some links I missed.
Improving Your Craft:
Querying nonfiction? Agent Janet Reid reminds you to Google your subject. She also points out the importance of communication and explanation - also, the importance of not implying that the agent you are querying is stupid. If you think you've already answered her question, ask her for clarification instead, because you're probably not understanding the question.
Lisa Jordan prepares writers for NaNoWriMo by encouraging them to find time for writing - even if it's just a few minutes a day.
Rachelle Gardner also suggests educating yourself on how to be a published author by networking with other authors, keeping up with industry news, and reading up about publishing life. And if you're having doubts about your agent, she offers advice on when and how to end your contract and go looking for a new agent.
Jessica Faust also shares the uses (not how to use, but why to use) Facebook and Twitter, and how the two platforms serve different audiences. Twitter is good for making yourself known to new readers; Facebook is for connecting with those who are already your fans.
Suzie Townsend has taken many pitches at conferences, and she suggests having comparison titles ready for your pitch.
And Querytracker offers several different forms of rhetoric for use in writing - including a brief mention of when to use them.
Emlyn Chand, novelist, shares the 10 things she wished she knew before she began writing and publishing.
And Marcy Kennedy & Lisa Hall-Wilson talk about how to scare your readers, for writers looking to write horror stories.
Adventures in Agentland supplies tips for marketing, including pre-sale, pre-publishing and post-publishing.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Quote of the Week: Publilius Syrus, on Happiness
No man is happy unless he believes he is.
-Publilius Syrus
From Forbes.com
Wednesday Writing Exercise
Write a short scene (<300 words) introducing a character who should be happy, but obviously isn't.
-Publilius Syrus
From Forbes.com
Wednesday Writing Exercise
Write a short scene (<300 words) introducing a character who should be happy, but obviously isn't.
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