Getting Published and Interesting Info'

How You Can Get Published

What everyone wants to know, right?

Well, since I seem to hang out with a bunch of writers a lot, that’s what’s underlying our hard work.  I won’t mention what hard work it is complaining, and whining, about what hard work writing is.   Ahem :::clears throat:::

And since not all of you come to Writers Wednesday, James River Writers casual get together once a month, guess I’ll just have to post it here.

Oh, some of the solutions - not the whining.   Although I won’t promise that I’m above whining either.  [Since you aren’t close enough to slap me here. :::Sticks tongue out::::]

Okay, on to being a grown up now.  Mostly.

For those in the Richmond, Virginia area, James River Writers just so happens to be talking about this very thing on This Thursday night, June 28.

Many Paths to Publication: What Avenue is Right for You?

For those outside of the Richmond, VA, area, you can check this out —

Indie Author News ‏@IndieAuthorNews

5 MUST READ Blogs for Indie Authors ► http://ow.ly/9z5Wf ◄ on #writing, #amwriting, #selfpub, and #indie book sales.Read more!

I already introduced you all to one of the Great blogs that is listed here earlier in some of my blog posts so you know there’s some great info’ here.   Right?   :::Grin::::

So even if you are here in the Richmond area, and even if you are going to the JRW Writing Show, you should still check out the list of those great blogs.   I mean, especially since we already agree at least one of them is Great.  

A Haunting

" I’m often haunted by the question, "What if I hadn’t tried again?"


Yet, Another reason to stay persistent and moving forward with your writing.
And striving onward.

Don't want this to happen to you.
If you want to read more about this, where this quote came from, and writers talking about how they got their agents go here.

Keep Writing. Keep moving forward.

Keep coming to James River Writers events and mingling and networking with other writers.
Like at the JRW Writing Show - Tonight.

After all, all the writers stories talk about how important all that mingling was, and is.
Just thought I'd mention.

Contest over at Book Lady's Blog

There's a great contest going on over on Book Lady's Blog -

http://www.thebookladysblog.com/2011/01/26/win-it-before-you-can-buy-it-margaret-mitchells-gone-with-the-wind-a-bestsellers-odyssey-from-atlanta-to-hollywood/

Win It Before You Can Buy It: Margaret Mitchell’s GONE WITH THE WIND: A Bestseller’s Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood

2011 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky

And yes one of these days I will learn how to do this linking stuff correctly.

Especially since the Book Lady herself also has a business of teaching people how to use such things as social media. Which for those that don't have a clue -- hey, I do so have a general idea.

Okay let's forget the fact that we just bought simple cell phones not too awfully long ago. And that we are considered rather stone age by our hip with-it nieces and nephew....

But from what I understand it means doing blogging -- from the looks of Book Lady's blog, it means snazzy blogging. Yeah, this ain't it either. Know what it is from looking at it, I mean, I've referenced Maggie Stiefvater's blog enough.

It also means Tweeting - no, not anything to do with Tweety Bird, or that cat either, I'm pretty sure.

And Facebook, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I'm just not ready for yet. Time. Time!

Yeah, it is a changin' but it sure isn't multiplying itself to get more done in the same amount of time.

Maybe I need to get a price list from Rebecca. Oh, and if you are interested in that too - here's her business site - http://www.socialmediu.com/

well, her One business site, since she's Very Well Known as The Book Lady. [there are worse things to be noted for believe me]

But on her Book Lady blog site she is running a contest for Ellen Brown's new book -

Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller’s Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood

that hasn't even hit stores quite yet!

I got a peek at the book tonight at the James River Writers Writing Show, and it's Very classy looking!

Not to mention I've heard Ellen talk about it -- at last year's JRW Conference. And it sounds like a very interesting and amazing book.

See what you miss by not coming to these JRW things? Not to mention it was a great panel and very interesting Writing Show as well.

Here's the link to the contest at the Book Lady's blog -

http://www.thebookladysblog.com/2011/01/26/win-it-before-you-can-buy-it-margaret-mitchells-gone-with-the-wind-a-bestsellers-odyssey-from-atlanta-to-hollywood/

Yeah yeah, so it's not pretty. Complain to Rebecca and maybe she'll take pity on you all and help me fix such travesties.

Complain to me and maybe I will.

You gotta complain first.

And if you don't enter the contest more chances for me?

But at least I told ya about it so you can't complain about that!

Uh Oh NaNo

Uh oh -- and No I'm not talking about the Mork from Ork 'nanoo'

It's Nano.

And it's NaNo time.

Officially it's NaNoWriMo. And officially it's that time again.

So fellow writers and novelists. Or wanna be novelists. If you want to write a novel, this is your time.

This is the best time, since now is when all the creative words are going to be swirling around all over the atmosphere and ether-sphere, and perhaps even blog-o-sphere, cause November starts National Novel Writing Month. Where crazed writers everywhere will start their first word of their new novel on November 1st and call up LOTS and Lots of words, or demand, cry, or curse words up, as they barrel down the NaNo highway directly to the end of November, with a finished work dripping from their fingers.... along with whatever else they have used to keep themselves revived during this mad dash of words to the finish line. Not making judgements or anything, just saying there will probably be a run on chocolate. My and ain't it convenient that the Halloween chocolate candy will be on sale. Just sayin'

AND to give you incentive for that mad-long dash of words. To get / keep you Really motivated - just so happens that the James River Writers last Writing Show of the year is coming up Thursday night. With an Agent!

So you might just want to come check it out. Just in case. And it's pretty cheap. Much Much cheaper than trying to fly to New York to check out an agent - if you can get in. Just something you might want to think about.

Something else to think about, since you're going to be really working hard all November on your novel, is JRWs Best Unpublished Novel contest. Okay, so you probably won't be able to submit your NaNo novel that comes dripping off your fingers at the end of November to it. But if you happen to have one you've completed and edited that's been standing by, then why not take a look. Just a thought.

And since I know you're going to want to -

To join fellow crazed writers for the month of November crazy brilliance that is NaNo -

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

For more info' on the coming Writing Show - don't forget, Last one of year!

And while you're on the JRW site, go ahead and check out the B.U.N. contest.

http://www.jamesriverwriters.org/

And let me know how you're doing on NaNo. NaNo NaNo

Making Your Writing Life

As mentioned in previous blog post about the book, Making a Literary Life, Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers, by Carolyn See, where she says ‘don’t write what you know, write what you care about.” Which as I mentioned in my post, I’m not sure I, or a lot of writers I know, agree with.

But she does talk about writing 1,000 words a day, every day, 5 days a week, which she says is about 4 pages a day, which is achievable for most people, and pretty easy. So she says. She does caveat that with a few other thoughts, but I’ll leave that to you to read the book. She also talks about writing notes To people too, but you’ll need to read the book and decide on your things yourself.

Basically it’s just getting in the habit of writing. Turning off the awful critic in your head and going with the words that are churning around in there. And probably everywhere else in you if you’re like a lot of writers I know.

Here, Maggie does a great post on it here - http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/172898.html

“ It doesn’t matter what the routine is, just that you make the decision to write, and you do. And then keep it up, even after the flush of that first passion wears off and other insanely better ideas begin waving and offering you skittles. And remember…”

I don’t really like skittles all that much but Maggie does make a great point in what she’s trying to say.

There aren’t too many writers I know that haven’t at some point been lured away from their current amore that they are hard at work writing on, or hopefully hard at work on, to dabble with a new idea or story line. Thinking that this new love is very possibly The one that we should be working on. Instead of that very familiar, possibly stale, one we’ve been living with for awhile, and probably what seems like ages. I think most of us will tell you, don’t fall for it. Don’t fall for the stranger, no matter what candy he’s holding out to you. Maggie’s skittles or not. Didn’t your momma even tell you that?

What seems to work with most of us, again, hopefully, is to jot down that lovely new idea and character thoughts, and then give them a deep meaningful stare and quick kiss, and get back to your long-time, and probably neglected love, hopefully before they know you’ve been gone for any length of time. You’ll be better for it. Perhaps even your story will. And at the very least you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to do when your current love affair with what you are currently writing comes to its inevitable ‘The End’…. You’ll be ready to pick up a new one with that lovely dish that is just waiting in the wings. The waiting makes you both grow stronger you know. Since I know you’ve added thoughts to that file here and there along the way, when you’ve slipped out away from your current. That’s okay as long as you don’t abandon your current for a fling that ends up coming to nothing. Most writers have more than their share of woes there. Stay the course. Finish what you’ve begun. You’ll be glad. Especially since I’m going to give a couple of other things I did like from the book.

Here’s couple of other quotes from the book that I liked - …’Australian Aboriginals say if you don’t “sing your world into being,” no one else will’…. ‘No one else has your information.’

But my favorite from the book – “Roger Simon, a fine mystery writer, once gave a wonderful speech, in which he said: The success of any of your friends is a genuine cause for rejoicing, because it brings you closer to the charmed circle of people who are doing their best work and having a good time.”

That sounds like a good reason for everyone to come and hang out and support all the great people that are James River Writers, doesn’t it?

And if you make plans to do it this Thursday night, August 26^th, at the Children’s Museum of Richmond, you can also learn about how to reach out and touch people on the internet as well. Not a bad way to spend an evening, eh?

Hope to see you there!

Writing Show Thrills

Or as somebody said ‘penguin porn?’

For the last Writing Show this year, JRW pulled out an autumnal homage to the celebration of Poe. (No, I don’t think he had anything to do with penguins or penguin porn.) Okay, so not really about Poe, more of a sort-of-nod to the thought that some think Poe created the beginnings of modern mysteries. But it was about writing modern mysteries. So close enough. (yeah, you’re just waiting for that first part now aren’t you?)

JRWs own Board Member and Secretary Emyl Jenkins moderated. She of antique sleuthing mystery fame, with two great books under her belt now, had spent the early part of the day speaking in Williamsburg to an appreciative crowd and then another two hours signing her latest book, The Big Steal, for them! Luckily she has stamina and was able to hold the microphone and bring out a fun informative ending to this last Writing show of 2009. [Be sure to keep an eye on the JRW site, www.jamesriverwriters.org/ for the new Writing Shows in 2010.]

The night of mystery included some new faces to JRW, or at least to me and some. Meredith Cole and Andy Straka were both fun and funny. As well as Donna Andrews, not a new face to JRW, having just been at the recent JRW Conference, as well as the first one, but she’s certainly smart and willing to share her knowledge to other writers.

The discussion ranged from the different sub-genres that comprise the mystery writing field today to the latest fads and how to avoid following them. And to not consider self-publishing with a mystery genre book unless you are willing to spend quite the amount of money to make it a success. And even then to reconsider.

The ooh factor of the evening came from Andy bringing out his wonderful hawk. Yep, real live, and gorgeous. Nope I am not even going to tell you the hawk’s name. I will tell you it’s a Harrier Hawk. And let you conjecture from there. (and yes, I know you’re still waiting. No, I don’t think the hawk had anything to do with the penguins. Although Andy did joke that he and Donna had both taken P.I. courses and had discussed opening an agency called Flamingos and Hawk. Get their books and you'll get it.)

The gross of the evening was the question from audience member about said hawk’s diet when Andy couldn’t take it out hunting. Yes, he takes it out to do its own hunting for food. Normally. Luckily he’d already fed it. At least it didn’t seem to be all that interested in a room full of staring oohing writers. And we didn’t have to have the rest of the gory details. Blechhhh. I’ll just say Emyl mentioned to Andy she had an old microwave in her basement if he wanted to truck it back with him.

There was quite a bit of laughter during the evening, quite a funny panel for it to be so filled with the dastardly thoughts of mystery writing and doing away with people and the ways and means of making that all plausible. Does any other writing genre – other than horror maybe? – have people looking at them a bit strangely and then begin edging slowly away?

Although the most laughter came when Donna gave a requested reading – of a penguin sex scene. Donna Andrews is noted for her humorous mysteries. She has actually written two different mystery series but has the most books [10? 11, now?] in her very popular Meg Langslow mysteries. For those that haven’t read them, you should. They are funny. And when Emyl turned to Donna and asked her to read the penguin sex scene she had written (and said she’d actually witnessed!) in one of her books, well, let’s just say things must have gotten really quiet because Emyl turned back around and said, “you all’s eyes are just bugging” …and of course it was said as only Southern-lady Emyl would say it. [yeah, see what all you missed by not coming!]

You can read it yourself in Donna’s book, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much

And it is one of my favorite books of Donna’s. So far anyway. Certainly has one of my favorite first paragraphs! You’ll just have to go buy it and see for yourself.

Won’t be the same as having Donna read it, with Emyl prodding, but that’s what you get for not getting out and joining the rest of us for the great evening.

Makes you remember favorite writers like Emyl Jenkins and Donna Andrews, and meet new ones you want to read now like Meredith Cole and Andy Straka.

And maybe have your own harrier hawk someday or write a penguin sex scene of your own, and make it as funny as Donna’s. Oh, come on, I Know you want to! And NaNoWriMo is just around the corner you know! So you can!

But if you aren’t interested in writing one at least pick up the great books by the above mentioned authors from your local independent bookstore, in this case, from cool Kelly Justice of Fountain Bookstore fame. Then come and tell us all what you got from her.

JRW Writing Show

Speaking of James River Writing Show. As I just did in previous entry.

There's another Writing Show coming up.
Uh, tonight technically, since this is the 24th, September, Thursday. Already! Can you believe it?! Egad!!

Oh, but back to the James River Writers Writing Show. If you are in the Richmond, Virginia area come by and take it in.

You can find all the information here - http://jamesriverwriters.org/jrw_programs/workshops/writing_show/index.htm


Come by and gather information about how some authors have writing groups and how they work it. And about NaNoWriMo coming up in November. Come on you don't really want to miss that do you?