Emma Larkins - Writing Life

Loss and Life

2012-01-18T14:48:00.002-05:00

A shining star was extinguished this year on January 1st.

I don't really want to go into details on such a public forum, but the loss has required many changes, and a delay in posting.

I am hoping to get back into writing more for this blog in the New Year, but for the time being, bear with me!

Interview with Brendan P. Frye on Community Fridays

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

Looking Forward to the New Year: Writing in 2012

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have to say, I'm really excited looking towards the next year. I know, I know, it's really just an arbitrary date change, but like many people I find it useful at some point during the year to take stock, and this is as good a time as any.

A lot of changes have happened in 2011, both writing related and otherwise. They include a move, career exploration, and a huge shift in the ways that I've managed to leverage my freelance writing. Despite all of the changes, a lot of the year (like many years before) felt like a set-up for things to come in the future. I hope 2012 will be the year the wheels actually start turning.

There's mixed opinion out there as to whether it's better to share your goals or keep them to yourself (I probably mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating). Derek Sivers of TED talk fame says not to share; a host of others, among them The Change Blog and Goalmigo, have the opposite opinion. I've found both techniques to be equally useful (or useless, as the case may be), though certainly writing them down for personal use is better than leaving them to rattle around untethered in your head.

So I've decided to describe the coming year as a seer might, putting out ideas rather than hard-and-fast goals. Mmm, yes, the crystal ball is showing me something... I can see clearly now... There is another move in the near future. Writing, lots of writing. More fiction. More blogging. More connecting with writers and helping to showcase their work. More opportunities. And something else, it's not quite certain, but I'll be doing something next year that's unlike anything I've done to date.

Okay, so maybe the crystal ball was a bit of a bust. Anyway, the point is I'm excited to be going forward, and I hope that all of you are, too!

Interview with R. S. Guthrie on Community Fridays

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

The time to publication. In this market, unless you are well-known, you might as well be an indie. The uphill marketing battle is nearly the same (and requires nearly as much work on your part). That said, getting more books out there is pretty important. If you have to wait a year and a half for your book to be released, you could be falling behind.
You likely lose some, if not all, rights to your work. This means your publisher can demand changes, controls price and distribution, and takes a cut. You can't just sign up for a promotion or drop the price of your book for Christmas. Not unless you obtain the permission of your publisher.

If your work is good enough for the traditional route, it may be worth it to go through the time and heartache to have it published by a known publishing house. I certainly wouldn't go through all that for a no-name publisher. Both options mean a ton of marketing work for the unestablished author. I think more and more the self-publishing route is becoming the better option, but showcasing your needle in a nearly indefinite stack of needles is a huge challenge.

On your blog, you talk about the difficulty of finding good books based purely on ratings. What do you think is a better way for readers to discover good, new authors?

I think ratings are the real issue. If the accompanying review is well-written, it can still have a great value (and help decipher the rating). But in the end? You need to download a sample. I rarely find a Kindle book (or other digital format) that doesn't offer up the first chapter or so as a free sample read. I would be unlikely to buy any indie book (or other author whose work is unknown to me) through review reading only. I think a sampling of the writer's work is essential (which is why indie authors need to offer up their writing--blogs, short stories, excerpts---whenever they can).

Everyone loves the idea of a good contest. You’re giving away a Kindle Fire to promote the sale of Black Beast: A Clan of MacAulay Novel and the upcoming L O S T. Any tips or tricks you’ve learned about the process?

Hmm. Another great question. As with the writing, it's all about getting the word out. I mean who wouldn't pay 99 cents for an ebook if it gets them a chance at a brand new Kindle Fire, right? I think that's essentially true---just as it's true that a well-written, well-plotted, great read ought to earn its author a living. But unless you can figure out how to reach the masses, you aren't much better than a wonderful treat buried in the middle of a dark forest. The challenge is (and will always be) reaching your audience. Self-published, traditional---doesn't matter. Your product, message, or contest needs to reach the people who might be interested. And that takes two common elements in my experience: hard work, and TIME.

Another technique you’ve used for gaining publicity is submitting a chapter from an unpublished novel to an online publication. What are the pros and cons of this method?

I think this is a great option. It somewhat crosses the barrier between self-published and published for hire. (Also it can earn you a little money on the side.). The challenge is again reaching your audience. The chapter I submitted for publication is from my epic western novel. The online magazine is New West, and focuses on western authors and western themes. The hope is to reach the types of readers who would be interested in your full work. I think the downside is, again, you are submitting and waiting for acceptance. And rejection. The editor of New West had seen my book, and I knew he liked it a lot. But traditional submission normally means some number of rejections. This is neither good nor bad---just part of the industry---but it can be time consuming.

You donate proceeds from your book to a very special, personal cause. I think it adds another dimension to you as a writer. What made you decide to do this?

Our son was born on Christmas Day, 2007. He was healthy, happy, and perfect. Then two months later he died of SIDS. Nothing can prepare you for that. Had it not been for Colorado SIDS (now Angel Eyes), I don't know what we would have done. Their mission is to help families who are in the midst of unfathomable loss. We started fundraising for them. When my book came out, I wanted to do something more personal...more tangible. Some friends have a wonderful little boy who has autism and Down Syndrome. The school he now attends in Denver is a remarkable place and has helped him immensely. It costs a lot, though. I thought it would be really cool to donate a portion of the proceeds toward his tuition. I just want to make a difference.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor, publisher, etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

Author Elise Stokes and her husband David are working diligently to put the finishing touches on their brainchild: Artesian Books. Artesian will be inviting strong, established indie authors to join up and become part of a site, storefront, and community dedicated to showcasing independent authors and publishers. Their concept is not only innovative and brilliant but is exactly what talented indie authors need right now: a storefront that works for THEM and allows cross-promotion between authors. Artesian is scheduled to go live after the New Year. The dedication of these two individuals to the independent author is truly inspiring.

Any other projects you'd like to mention?

My other site is called Read a Book, Make a Difference (RABMAD). Earlier I talked about the concept of giving back from the proceeds of my book. I decided to expand on that concept, inviting other authors to do the same thing. The RABMAD site simply promotes authors who are giving back to their cause(s) of choice. We currently have over 40 authors participating. Click the link above to check it out and to sign up if you're interested.

To learn more about R. S. Guthrie, check him out on Twitter, or take a look at his personal website and blog, Rob on Writing.

How To Write a Draft... and How Many Drafts it Takes

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

How does one write a draft? And how many drafts does it take until a story, blog post, or article is complete? There are plenty of people out there searching for the answers to those questions.

As a freelancer, I have a lot of different projects going on at one time. Not all of them are computer-based, so I don't always sit in front of my computer for long spans of time, nor do I always have the luxury of spending my computer time focused on a single piece of work. This can be very frustrating if I'm trying to achieve a certain goal in one sitting - such as, say, "finishing a first draft." I'm sure the same is true for many people who live and work in the writing world. Whether it's kids, pets, other jobs, or something else that takes your mind away from the draft, it can be hard when you don't know when it's time to "move on to the next stage."

Now that I've been thinking more about drafts in general, and how to get my work done more quickly specifically, I think that the problem is with the carved-in-stone definition of "draft." For example, when I write an article for a site online (such as Trail's Edge Blog), I used to try and force myself through to my desired word count on the first pass. That led to me either staring at the screen angrily when I was halfway through and coming up blank, or just procrastinating until I had that perfect slot of time available. Which never happened, by the way.

My new strategy involves giving myself a break. Why does a draft necessarily have to be a certain count of words, or else it won't count? The key is to break the idea of "draft" down into even smaller chunks. Instead of telling myself I have to write X number of words, I'll allow myself to just take a crack at it, and see what comes out. Every time I try this, the words just seem to flow. I'll stop when my inspiration runs out, work on something else for a while, then come back and tidy up a bit. Before I know it, the piece in question is done, and me and my editors are happy campers.

Of course, this isn't to say that there won't still be times you need to push yourself, or that this technique will work for everyone. But I find the practice or nibbling away bit by bit to be more productive (and less scary) than worrying about which "draft" I'm on, and how many more "drafts" I need to do before I'm done.

Plus, as writers we know that a piece of writing is never truly finished. There's no such thing as a "final draft." There's the version that you turn in, that you've finished to the best of your abilities, which is the important part. And if you want to make it there, you need to stop worrying about drafts and start thinking about the whole process as an organic thing living out its life over time.

Image by psyberartist on Flickr.

Interview with Gord McLeod on Community Fridays

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Community Fridays! During this weekly event, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Gord McLeod, tech blogger, fiction writer in the steampunk genre, and owner of the new site Fiction Improbable.

In the comments section on a post on your blog, we had a little mini-brawl over whether it was better to write the first draft quickly or slowly. Just kidding; it was all very civil. Honestly, I'm still on the fence on this one. What, in your opinion, are the benefits of taking your time on a first draft?

The big benefit that comes to mind first is that when you take your time on a first draft you have the time to plan it out well and make sure you’re not missing any vital pieces of the story. Rushing carries the risk that your draft will have giant holes. The potential problem is the same thing though—you have the time to cover ground. A lot of ground. So much ground that you risk not finishing at all, of getting caught up in an unending cycle of editing that leaves you unable to write and make progress.

How did your participation in my favorite writing activity - NaNoWriMo - affect your perception of the quality vs. quantity conundrum? Is it possible to have both? How does writing speed affect the editing process farther down the line?

NaNoWriMo brought with it a fundamental shift in my thinking of how to write, and that’s because it showed me that you absolutely CAN have both quality and quantity. What you do, or at least what I plan to do, is shoot for quantity first. Just get it all out and written, so that you have your first draft as a starting place. That’s your quantity. It doesn’t matter if it’s terrible, just get a lot written fast.Once you have that done you can worry about quality, take your time, go over it, chip away at it, whittle it down and refine it so that the rough kernels of goodness within the original draft are brought out to shine.

I wrote a blog post about this not long ago in which I compare writing to sculpting. Michaelangelo described his sculpting as the process of bringing forth the sculptures that were always within his marble block. Writers do that too, except that we have to create our blocks first. Our blocks are our first drafts.

Like myself, you have your hand stirring a lot of pots at the same time - fiction writing, tech blogging, photography. I've often worried that my own "multi-focus" would prevent me from really succeeding at any one activity. How has doing different things helped or hindered your success? Examples?

Much like the previous issue of quantity vs. quality, it’s a matter of tradeoffs. Doing different things opens you to different modes of thinking. It can change the way you think about and work at what you’re doing, but each type of project eats up at your time, and sadly time is finite. You can only fit so much in.Fiction writing and tech blogging—I’ll use those as examples because I really haven’t done photography in a long time—are fairly complementary in my mind, for my situation. I started blogging for GeekBeat.TV because it was a very different style of writing than what I’d been doing in my day job as a game designer. It brought a lot of mental clarity and refreshment to me as a way of getting out of a rut.

Now that I’m moving more into fiction writing, I find it still has that effect, but in addition it’s a rich source of ideas that I can mine when I’m working on science fiction concepts, and probably other genres as well if I’m a little looser in my interpretation of the ideas.

I predict that our roles as online content providers will evolve in the future to involve new media - building of websites, production of videos, designing of games and other interactive art forms - more and more. Do you think there will always be a place for people who "just" write, or will it be necessary to pick up some new skills?

I think it’s going to get harder and harder to live in a pure world of “just” writing, but I don’t think it’ll be impossible. I certainly don’t live in that world. I’m building out my own site right now, Fiction Improbable, as my writing home base, and I think you’re absolutely correct on the new media front as well. I’ve been giving some thought to starting a netcast of audio readings of my work once I have enough of it all edited and complete, which will be a very new thing for me. I’ve never done anything of the sort before.

Those who absolutely insist they want to do nothing but write will have options, but I think the route they’ll take to maintain that choice will have to involve outsourcing the parts they don’t want to do—creating sites, doing book cover art, editing manuscripts, etc, so that they can focus just on the writing side.

What advice would you give to people who want to "make it" as bloggers (as opposed to blogging only for your own benefit)?

Stay informed on whatever subject it is you want to blog about. I know it sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many people out there just have this vague notion that “It’d be cool to blog about X, Y or Z” but they aren’t keeping up to speed on what’s happening in those fields. I have Google Reader set up with many hundreds of feeds that keep me informed on just about everything I’m interested in, and it’s in invaluable resource.

I’m not saying you have to go crazy on RSS like I have, but however you do it, keep up to date!

What's up with elves and lightsabers?

Star Wars was the worst thing that ever happened to the traditional North Pole manufacturing labor industry. All it took was a few years of making light sabers for children world-wide to put ideas in the elves’ minds and before you knew it, the old workshop system fell to a rebellion the likes of which Santa had never seen.Nowadays the elves have a lot more to say about what goes on up there, and even have free time to pursue other interests of their own. Lately there’s been a number of elves getting into showbiz out in LA; maybe too many. Fights have been breaking out over casting opportunities, and some of them get ugly.

If you want to know more about that, there’s a short (har har) documentary called Elf Sabers you should really check out. I can speak for its accuracy, as my friend Casey McKinnon fell to the violent battle it depicts. Last I heard she was thinking about writing a series of elf help books; I’m confident that after she writes them, they’ll bring a new hope to embattled elves everywhere.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one writer, editor, publisher, etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

My current writing hero is Scott Sigler who, along with Cory Doctorow, was one of the pioneers of the writing path I’m heading down. He was one of the earliest podcasters, and the first person to publish a book as an exclusive audio-only work. He made those book podcasts available for free, which encouraged people to take a chance on his work. That’s how he built a loyal and devoted fan base early on. Doctorow did something similar with free PDF versions of his books.

That’s what I hope to do, with a little influence from Jonathan Mann, the Song-a-Day guy—I write every day, whether it’s a post for my own blog, or a section of a story I’m working on, and I post it on my site. When I finish a story, I collect the pieces and post it as a whole. Anyone can read it free. In time, when I have enough finished, I’ll be releasing ebooks which I’m thinking will be free and also on Amazon and other paid eBook marketplaces. Sigler and Doctorow are great examples to follow, and fantastic writers even if you aren’t heading down their paths.

To learn more about Gord McLeod, connect with him on Google+ or Twitter (@GordMcLeod).

Writing a Book Is Just Capturing a Moment

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

My feelings about getting a book published have never been stable. When I was younger, I thought it would be cool to see my name printed on the pages of a novel, but I never got much farther than that. Now, with 4.5 finished first drafts under my belt (and yes, the 0.5 one is finished because I don't intend to take it any further), I can't say that I'm feeling any more certain about the prospect of being published.

It's never been a question of confidence. I know that, with enough perseverance, I have just as much chance at getting published as anyone else. And, barring that, I've explored self-publishing and know that I could easily take that road if I found myself with a project I cared about that didn't fit into the traditional publishing framework.

No, the real problem has been uncertainty over whether my work can meet the high standards I've set for myself. I've read some excellent books in my life, books by Tamora Pierce and J. R. R. Tolkien and Charles Dickens and others that have changed the way that I view the world. How can I hope to make a mark in an environment that already has so much great literature in it?

My ambivalence had the staying power to remain intact forever. But then, the other day, a thought came out of nowhere and gave me any entirely new perspective on the process. Most people don't write a book because they have some sort of Earth-shattering insight that will change the minds of every person it comes in contact with. There's no need for a person's first or even fiftieth work of fiction to be the "Next Great American Novel." There's no one waiting with bated breath to be impressed. All a writer needs to do is realistically capture a moment in time. And if you're capable of doing that in a way that's engaging, then really, you should be sharing that talent, not hiding it behind a wall of doubt.

I like the way that Dianna Gunn put it in last week's interview: "...what you really want is something that will tie into people's memories. Stories which face issues that are close to all of our hearts." That's it. Not stories that are "mindblowing" or "illuminating" or "incomparable." Just something that is capable of touching one person's emotions for one moment, and leaving a mark, no matter how inconsequential or fleeting.

Okay, so this is starting to get a little sappy. The point is, you don't have to do anything remarkably unique or different to make it as a writer. All you have to do is capture a moment in your own style. And if you can do that, you've got most of the rest of the writing world beat.

Interview with Dianna Gunn on Community Fridays

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm thrilled to be bringing Community Fridays back to my blog!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Dianna Gunn, an intern at the speculative fiction emagazine Penumbra, and also a writer and blogger. Stay tuned for promotion ideas for writers and tips about getting published in e-magazines.

You're working as an intern at Penumbra eMagazine, which publishes speculative fiction. Tell us a little about the magazine's focus, and how it's different than some of the others available.

First off, Penumbra is an eMagazine. Running everything online means we have a pretty low overhead compared to other magazines in the same genre, so we can afford to sell Penumbra for less without sacrificing the authors' pay. Second off, we pay our authors the professional rate of five cents per word. There are only a handful of other magazines that pay the professional rate for stories. So when you buy from us, you know you're not just supporting Penumbra--you're supporting the authors you love.

I would have loved to have an internship at a speculative fiction magazine as a student! For people interested in the same thing, how did you get the internship? What are your duties? What do you suggest to others who want to follow the same path?

Well, I happened upon the Penumbra site while looking for markets.Unfortunately, the story I was trying to market is too long for Penumbra at the moment, but I sent an email to Celina Summers, our editorial director, asking for an internship. I think it was really just about sending the right email at the right time, but I also made a point of including a link to my blog and checking my spelling very thoroughly.

As for my duties, there are lots of them. I started out reading submissions for Musa, our parent house, and then in October, the interns from all the departments of Musa were made into a team and given the job of putting the December issue of Penumbra together. We were given a raw story file and it was up to us to make all the decisions. We decided what our colour scheme was going to be, what order the stories were going to go in and where to put the ads. We were also given a challenge to get 500 subscribers for the eMagazine by January first, and we created the subscription offer--the first two issues free with all one year subscriptions.

Other than putting the eMagazine together, I've been working on marketing Penumbra by looking for blogs willing to write articles about us or who might interview me or Celina, our Editorial Director. I've also taken over the Penumbra blog, and that consists mostly of emailing authors for guest posts.

For anyone who wants to do what I do, just look at the employment page of every publisher you visit. If they don't have one, they don't want you. If they do, they're probably looking for interns. Write up a friendly email, try to find the name of the person your email will end up with, and include a link to your blog. Show your excitement and interest. I think as long as they can tell that you're genuinely interested, you've got a good shot.

Part of your work includes promoting Penumbra online. What have you learned from your experiences in this realm? Do you have a couple of tips that can help writers promote their own work?

I've learned that marketing is exhausting. No, seriously. I've sent out at least thirty emails and gotten responses to four or five, and I feel like that's pretty typical. Marketing a magazine is in some ways harder than marketing a book, too--most places won't review it. But I think the biggest thing I've learned is that it really is important to make the connections before you have the product. Most of the responses I've gotten from people who actually want to promote us are from authors I've interviewed on my blog in the past or otherwise communicated with.

The lesson? Make friends. Spend time online. Interview authors on your blog. The connections will serve you well when you actually have a book or magazine to market.

Speaking of tips, any insider tips on what makes a magazine interested in a writer's stories? Are there any ways in which submitting to a speculative fiction genre magazine is different than submitting for different genres?

Well, I haven't had too much to do with the submissions at Penumbra--as I mentioned earlier, I did some slush reading for Musa, but I've only seen stories that were either finalists or already selected for Penumbra-- but I can tell you that what you really want is something that will tie into people's memories. Stories which face issues that are close to all of our hearts like death and marriage are more likely to be remembered. You don't need to have a really shocking ending to be memorable, it just has to fit and work with the theme.

Any personal projects that you'd like to share?

Well, I blog about writing at Dianna's Writing Den. I've got one short story out on submission right now and I'm working on two different novels in very different stages. None of my fiction is published yet, but I hope you will follow my blog so that you can find out when it is.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor, publisher, etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

Um... we are! No, seriously. Musa is absolutely fantastic because we involve our authors in every part of the publishing process and we're very transparent about everything. We even allow them to access their own royalty statements without any fudging of numbers.

Another great company is MuseItUp, which is a Canadian ebook company--I've got some Canadian pride--and it's run by Lea Schizas, who also runs the Muse Online Writer's Conference. It's by a writer for writers, and I think that's really cool.

Thanks for having me!

Freelance Writer Vs. Online Entrepreneur: What's the Difference?

2011-11-08T13:52:00.001-05:00

Source: Emma Larkins

I often describe myself as both a freelance writer and an online entrepreneur. In some ways, the difference between these two types of employment are greater than you might think; in other ways, they're actually pretty similar, and involve a lot of related skills, techniques, and abilities. If you're interested in trying either one, it helps to know exactly what they each entail.

Freelance Writing

The main identifying factors when it comes to being a freelance writer are writing for other people and (almost) always getting paid a set amount. In general, you work for one or more clients. The clients specify the type of work they are looking for, and the amount of money they're willing to pay (although sometimes there is negotiating involved). The writer provides this work, and in return receives the agreed-upon payment. In order to increase income, freelance writers search for new clients and new writing markets.

There are a variety of different ways you can get paid as a freelance writer. You can write articles for online or offline newspapers and magazines, either as one-shot deals or as a regular contributor (at some point you might end up becoming a staff writer). You can write copy for marketing purposes, to be included in advertisements, brochures, websites, or other mediums. You can ghostwrite fiction or non-fiction pieces.

One thing remains the same: you are guaranteed to receive payment for your work, and that amount is almost always agreed upon before the work is completed.

Online Entrepreneurship

The main identifying factors when it comes to being an online entrepreneur are writing for yourself, not always getting paid, and potential for for higher income.

Of course, when I say that you're writing for yourself, I mean that in general you get to pick the topics you write about. That doesn't mean that you can write about anything in the world: if you want to receive money from your writing, you have to either adjust it to the needs of the current market or else create new markets of your own.

Online entrepreneurship involves many skills beyond just the ability to write. Because you need to take care of the marketing as well as the content production, you need to learn a bit about image procurement (taking pictures or finding ones with the proper usage rights), design, basic CSS and HTML, SEO, and social media.

There are many ways to become an online entrepreneur. Some people start with sites that provide tools and community in return for part of the profits from sales and advertising (see my Best Kinect Fighting Games article on Squidoo for an example). Some people create their own blogs or websites, and explore affiliate marketing. Some people do a combination of all of these things to form successful online businesses, often focusing on niches of specific products or areas of expertise.

You are not guaranteed income as an online entrepreneur, and usually the up-front payments you get from freelance writing are greater than what you get starting out creating your own content online. However, there is the potential to create income streams this way that will support you with fewer hours of work in the future (also known as residual income).

Takeaway

Personally, I'm a huge fan of online entrepreneurship because I enjoy the related activities (such as learning about design and HTML) and because I like retaining ownership of my content. At the same time, it can take years of working nonstop to build a successful online business, and freelance writing is a great way to fill in the gaps, along with making new contacts in the industry and exploring new niches that you wouldn't have otherwise considered.

Questions? Thoughts? Feel free to share in the comments section below!

Working On Niches: Backyard Weddings and Homemade Costumes

2011-10-20T14:29:00.000-04:00

Phew, I've been busy lately! No, I didn't have a wedding; but my sister did, and I was there to plan, assist, and document every step of the way. Which is a good thing, because I was working so hard that I didn't even have a chance to think, and I can't even remember parts of it due to all the stress!

I learned so much during the process of planning and executing this backyard wedding that I just had to share. For example, I never knew there was quite so much involved in making nice-looking table settings, or that decorating wedding cupcakes isn't quite as easy as it looks. We tried some things that were decidedly non-traditional, such as growing our own wedding flowers; we were also happy to give some non-traditional things like having your dog at the wedding a miss. Finally, working out the wedding budget was a big part of making sure that we kept things affordable.

You can find a complete list of all my thoughts, hints, tips and suggestions here: How to Plan a Backyard Wedding.

Creating all of these mini-sites on Squidoo has meant that I've moved firmly into the backyard wedding niche. I'm excited to explore this are in the future, and see what else I can contribute.

As for an older niche - homemade costumes - working on the wedding stuff has meant less time for that. However, I'm really happy to add How To Make a Punk Costume and Nerd Halloween Costume Ideas to my existing list (which already includes such wildly popular items as How To Make a Viking Costume and Homemade Rockstar Costume Ideas).

I'll get more into building niches and working as an online entrepreneur (which has a lot of overlap with freelance writing) in a future post. For now, hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor, and please let me know if you have any questions!

September Writing Updates for YOU

2011-09-22T01:33:00.000-04:00

I've been pretty busy writing over the past month, and I've got some great stuff to share.

First up is The Smoking Jacket. Five Tips for Determining If Your Girlfriend Is A Spy is a great piece about finding out whether your girlfriend is really just good at learning languages, or whether she's actually got something to hide. Then there's Five Ways to Afford Beer On a Budget, which provides some excellent tips, including bartering any useful skills you might have for some refreshing brew.

Over at Trail's Edge Blog, there's a lot about flirting with your fellow outdoor enthusiasts. For example, you always want to be prepared for romance when you're roughing it (you never know when you'll run into your future mate!) That's why you should check out Guys: 5 Tips For Staying Sexy in the Wild and Girls: 5 Tips For Staying Sexy in the Wild. No less important is knowing the right gear to have on hand with you at all times. If you've read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you won't be surprised where I'm going with this: 5 Uses For the Towel.

And don't forget, Halloween is just around the corner. Which means I've been busy updating my awesome site about Viking cosutmes, discussing tasty Worms in Mud dessert recipes, and asking people what their favorite Halloween monsters are.

All in all, a very productive month!

Article Rundown: Combat, Camping, and Nerds

2011-08-06T18:27:00.004-04:00

I've been pretty good about updating my list of published articles over on my humor blog, You Amuse Me, but I thought I'd do an update here as well for anyone who is interested.

First of all, I'm pleased to be writing for a new humor market called The Smoking Jacket. It's a subsidiary of The Playboy Network (gasp!) but it's been described as "surprisingly safe for work." I've recently published A Guide to Leveraging Your Nerd Cred into Dates there, in which I talk about how you don't have to be a generic "stud" to woo members of your preferred sex. I've also created a handy list of Five Occasions When Going to Hooters is a Bad Choice. Hint: you might want to consider ix-naying the popular chain during first dates and family vacations.

My writing for Trail's Edge Blog is still going strong. Check out this list of Things To Watch Out For When Beach Camping if you're going to be enjoying the beach overnight for the first time. And although the last thing I'd want to do would be to scare people off of camping, I still think you should read about 5 Makeshift Weapons For Defending Your Camp in case of emergency.

To round out the list, here's an article from my old standby site, Weird Worm. If you think that all action movies are the same, then you obviously haven't watched the movies that contain these 8 Ridiculous Close Combat Fight Scenes.

Hope you enjoy!

NaNoWriMo Gets a TED Shoutout!

2011-07-17T12:51:00.000-04:00

Saw this interesting video today (thanks to Karl from the Startup Daily for sharing).

If you've never seen a TED talk before, you're in for a treat. The tagline is "ideas worth spreading," and I've found this to be true for all of the videos I've seen there so far. Whether you've got Bill Gates releasing mosquitoes into the audience or two scantily-clad dancers from the group Pilobolus performing an acrobatic, interpretive dance while bathed in blue light, you'll find your mind being blown in ways you never expected.

The premise of this video is great for what it is. I'm a huge believer in the idea that small changes are more likely to stick. And I'm interested in becoming more formal about 30-day challenges. But most of all, I love that Matt Cutts gives a shoutout to something near and dear to my heart - NaNoWriMo!

Never heard of NaNo before? Gasp! Well, in short, it's a challenge that charges writers with writing 50,000 words during the month of November. Click here to read more about last year's NaNo.

Looking for Guest Humor Bloggers on You Amuse Me

2011-07-12T22:02:00.001-04:00

Interested in bringing more attention to your humor writing? Then you should definitely write a guest post for my humor blog, You Amuse Me!

What we're looking for: Anything funny and original. List-based humor tends to be pretty popular. Funny pictures are also welcome. We're always open to new format ideas.

What you get: Kudos, endless love and devotion, your work in front of a quickly growing audience, a link to your website/blog/Facebook Page/Twitter account/smoke signal generator.

How to apply: Send an email to emma (at) youamuseme (dot) com with a link to some of your humor blog, a humor writing article, and/or a short sample (at least 250 words) of your writing.

FAQs

Why are you looking for guest bloggers? Because blog love is what makes the world (or at least, the Internet) go around. Because I'd like to discover and share more humor writers. And because variety is fun!

What kind of content are you looking for? Humor can be subjective, but we're pretty open. Try and keep it from being too vulgar; we're okay if you wouldn't let your mom read it, but try and make it appropriate for the cool older sister who bought you your first beer. A good grasp of the English language is important.

Will my article be edited? We want to make sure that we present awesome stuff to our readers, so we may edit your article for clarity, spelling, grammar, etc.

Can I repost my article elsewhere? You Amuse Me isn't going to claim any rights to your article; however, Google hates copycats, and posting the exact same text in multiple places will suck the Google love out of all of them. Trust that we'll promote the hell out of it and give you all the views your heart desires, and provide links instead of reposting.

Do I need to provide images? If you can find Creative Commons licensed pictures (hint: do a Google search for images, go to Advanced search, and select "labeled for reuse" under Usage Rights), send me the link to the image URL (like this one of an adorable kitten), AND the link to the source (like this). If you have your own images, upload them to a site like Flickr, set the appropriate usage rights, and send me the links.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below!

Image by Dan4th on Flickr.

Thoughts on Setting Writing Goals and July 2011 Update

2011-07-09T00:24:00.001-04:00

I was thinking earlier about the writing goals that I set for myself in June. I was frustrated that I hadn't done as well as I'd hoped, and I was trying to figure out why I was having trouble. Although I did manage to write all my Trail's Edge blog posts, and I blogged even more than I said I would over at You Amuse Me, I fell short with Weird Worm articles (seven instead of eighteen), didn't start my mystery blog, and didn't read The Happiness Project. Out of all of them, the Weird Worm goal bugged me the most.

Later in the day, I went for a swim (trust me, this is an important part of the story). My goal was to swim for at least fifteen minutes.I didn't have much more time than that to spend, because I had to get back to work. So why was it that I felt so frustrated after a fourteen minute swim? It was surely close enough to my goal to make the difference not matter. It bothered me that after all the work of getting ready to swim, going to the pool, and actually doing the deed, I still didn't feel like I'd done a good enough job.

On the way back home, it hit me. Sure, I'd said that my goal was to swim for fifteen minutes. It was the amount that I had consciously stated to myself. But subconsciously, what I had really wanted was to squeeze an hour's worth of swim time into that fifteen minute slot that was available to me.

As far as swimming goes, I need to think more positive, and realize that I am getting plenty of exercise. However, this realization has far-reaching repercussions in regard to my writing (see, I told you it would connect!) The reason that I was having trouble reaching my writing goals was that I'd chosen goals that I didn't really, truly want to achieve. Which doesn't matter as much if you're just a warm body to fill a position; but if you need to get the machinery of creative thinking to work, it needs to be for something that's worth it.

With that being said, I think I need to cut back on setting arbitrary goals for myself. I will still be writing the required number of articles for Trail's Edge, Weird Worm, You Amuse Me, and a new market I've recently started working for. But the main thing I want to achieve is finding out what parts of this writing lifestyle are really working for me, and focusing on those above and beyond the others. Because really, what is the point of slogging through the stress and struggle of a writer's life unless sometime, somehow, it makes you happy?

Image by nicole.pierce.photography on Flickr.

I Don't Always Love To Write

2011-06-18T21:23:00.000-04:00

I don't always like it, even. And to tell the truth, it makes me feel kind of guilty. Once upon a time I figured that when I found my "passion in life," it would be something that I'd want to do every second of every minute of every day, and that it would never, ever be too hard or bore me. So how could writing possibly be my passion, if it's just so darn frustrating 90% of the time?

Well, it turns out that I'm not alone. I was flipping through The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and I came across this passage: "Well, I don't actually love writing, but then practically no writer actually loves the writing part." I was stunned, and had to re-read her words several times to make sure I'd gotten it right. Writers don't like writing? But what about the colorful image I have in my head of truly great writers happily chaining themselves to their desks for hours on end, joyfully slaving over their computers, typewriters, or sheaves of paper, giddily conjugating verbs and delighting in finding just the right balance of descriptive nouns and adjectives? After all, writing isn't something that tends to be hugely profitable, or gain you a lot of glory, unless you work really, really hard at it for a really, really long time. And sometimes not even then. So why on earth would so many people do it if they didn't actually like it?

It's hard for me, personally, to answer the question of "why I write." I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that I'm putting things out into the world, and leaving my mark in some small way. I like influencing people, and seeing their reactions to the things I do. I like the fact that the harder I work, the more I get rewarded. And I like continually learning new things. Although Gretchen's words didn't make me understand why I'm subjecting myself to this writing thing, they made me feel much, much better about how I feel about writing. It's so good to know that I'm not alone in not liking writing all the time.

What do you think? Do you have times when you don't like to write? Leave your lovely comments below!

June 2011 Goals

2011-06-08T00:28:00.009-04:00

A little late to the game, but I wanted to make sure that I wrote these down to hold myself accountable...

Write 18 15 Weird Worm articles. I'm not cutting myself slack just because I had trouble reaching my goal last month! I've written three so far, so I've got a bit of catching up to do.
Write 8 Trail's Edge Blog posts. I'm liking this gig a lot. Stay tuned for more info! If you're interested in checking out my most recent article, it's here: Best Outdoors Activities for Father’s Day.
Four posts per week on You Amuse Me. I've got a formula set up, so this one should be pretty straightforward. Blogging takes less time than writing articles!
Keep up with social media/promotions. A little more work with the new Facebook page and Twitter account, but still doable.
Launch my new mystery blog. This will also require more scheduling of posts, but I'm really excited about the new niche. We'll see how the timing goes with everything else that's going on.
Exercise. I'm going to start going to Ultimate one day a week, and running twice a week. I ran a mile last Sunday and my legs are still sore - that simply won't do!
Reduce the number of exclamation points I use! At least, in my articles. It's been pointed out to me that I sometimes use them to excess. I can't help that I sometimes want to convey my excitement about things!
Read The Happiness Project. My mom enjoyed it, so I figure it's worth a go.

Yay! I'm pumped up for June!

May 2011 Goals Recap

2011-06-07T00:01:00.022-04:00

Wow, May was intense... more productive than I'd hoped in some ways, and less productive in others.

Write at least 17 Weird Worm articles. Phew, only managed to do eight. Then again, moving totally threw me off. I'm going to have to recommit for next month!
Continue to exercise. Well, I've been spending more time outside, but not exactly "exercising" very much.
Work on writing four hours per day. Again, the move made me lose focus.
Fully explore niche online markets. The Best Kinect Games niche isn't doing quite as well as I'd hoped. I might do a little more work here in the coming months.
Explore new article markets. This actually worked out surprisingly well for me! Sticking with the writing has paid off, as I've been approached by a new market called Trail's Edge Blog. My first article for them is called 5 Tips For Buying Your First Running Shoes, and you should check it out because it's funny and informative and sweet (if I do say so myself).
~~Move~~. At least this went pretty smoothly. I got to drive one of those enormous U-Haul trucks for three hundred miles, which was quite an adventure. And now I'm prepared for the next stage in my life journey! If "being prepared" is the same as having all of you stuff in boxes and not being able to find any of it, that is...

Stay tuned for June's goals (I know, time to get cracking!)

You Amuse Me Now on Blogger

2011-05-30T15:28:00.000-04:00

Not much to mention today, except for the fact that I've switched You Amuse Me over to a Blogger platform.

I was hosting it with Weebly before the switch. I really like Weebly, and I'm still hosting my personal website there. However, I wanted the main part of You Amuse me to be a blog that I'd update on a regular basis, and Blogger is just a better platform for blogging (not surprisingly).

If you haven't checked it out yet, give it a look. Tons of fun and entertaining stuff to see and do. Let me know what you think!

You Amuse Me: New Humor Writing Site

2011-05-17T17:42:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how fast things can happen online when you've had a little bit of practice!

Yesterday, I had the brilliant idea to set up a niche for my funny and weird writing. I've written a bunch of articles for Weird Worm, and I'm getting back into pitching for Cracked now that I have more experience understanding the kinds of things they're looking for.

Why did I decide to set up a new site specifically for my humorous writing? Well, when it comes to doing well on the Internet (driving traffic, getting followers and views, etc.), the more "niche" you are, the better. I love the focus that having a new site and blog brings. I know exactly the kinds of things I am going to write and promote there, and other people know what they can expect by visiting.

And so, I present You Amuse Me, a site meant to enlighten and entertain. I was so thrilled to get the "youamuseme" domain name, and I think that's what really spurred me to set up the website, associated You Amuse Me Facebook page, and a You Amuse Me Twitter account. And, late last night, to draw a fun little doodle to use as a logo, then bring it into Photoshop and clean it up a little.

In short, if you want to learn more about my funny articles, check out You Amuse Me!

Exploring Niche Markets In Online Business: Best Kinect Games

2011-05-05T18:00:00.000-04:00

In my post about my May goals, I mentioned that one of my goals was to explore online niche markets such as the niche of the best kinect games.

To do this, I'm creating a bunch of mini-websites on a couple of different publishing platforms, then linking them together to form a network of related sites. For example, here are some of the Squidoo sites (aka "lenses") that I've created:

Games Compatible With Kinect
Best Kinect Fitness Games
Best Kinect Dancing Games

And here are some of the HubPages sites (aka "hubs") that I've created:

Should I Get a Kinect?
Xbox Motion Sensor Controller
Xbox Kinect Requirements

The two sites are slightly different, so I use them to target slightly different types of keyword phrases. For example, HubPages is more article-based, so I use it to create sites that require mostly text. Squidoo is more module-based, so I use it to create sites in which I want to spotlight various items.

Going forward, I will continue to create sites on both Squidoo and HubPages, and perhaps branch out to other platforms. And I hope to see a return on my investment of time!

May 2011 Goals

2011-05-04T13:47:00.001-04:00

May is here, so it's time for a new crop of goals!

Write at least 17 Weird Worm articles. My goal last month was to write twenty, and I managed to write thirteen. I figure seventeen articles should be a good goal this month.
Continue to exercise. Last month I did about twelve miles per week. I'm going to try and stick with that this month. And also, get better running shoes and stretch so I avoid IT band problems.
Work on writing four hours per day. This was my goal towards the end of last month, and it went okay. I'm finding that increasing things slowly over time works better than trying to take huge leaps.
Fully explore niche online markets. I've been working on the Best Kinect Games niche market using Squidoo and HubPages. This isn't exactly freelance writing, although it does use a lot of the same skills. Ideally, I'd fully realize a niche market with a blog that I can keyword optimize. The tricky part about this is finding a niche that's both a.) profitable and b.) something I'm interested enough in to keep up with.
Explore new article markets? I've been toying with this goal on and off for a while. Again, this involves finding new markets that I really want to write for; After all, I'm supposedly doing this job because I enjoy it, and if I'm going to do things I don't enjoy there are plenty of more stable and better paying opportunities out there. I'm learning that, as a freelance writer, I don't need a ton of different markets; I just need a few that I really enjoy writing for, that pay enough money to make them worth my while. I'm interested in writing for health, cooking, fitness, and travel markets: I'm also worried that the competition in these market might be fierce. I guess I just need to keep chipping away!
Move. My lease is up this month, so I'll be moving to a temporary location while I figure out where my next step will take me. So I'll be spending time packing, getting rid of junk, hiring a moving truck, and all of that fun stuff.

That should be enough to keep me busy for the month. If not, I'll add to the list!

April 2011 Goals Recap

2011-05-02T22:53:00.001-04:00

April has just come to an end. Time to see how I did on those goals!

Decide on where I want to go with writing fiction. Well... so far I've taken a break from fiction this month. I need to make sure that the passion is there before I throw myself into another project, or spend more time working on my old ones.
Write Weird Worm articles. I want to get at least 20 13 7 done this month. I managed to do a total of 13, which isn't too bad.
Plan for travel. I haven't made too much progress on this. My mom is trying to drum up support from the relatives.
~~Keep up with exercising~~. I want to average 10 miles per week by the end of April. I did great with this goal! 51 miles of running/walking/biking, a personal best.
Start a cooking blog? This has fallen by the wayside as I realize that at this point, it will be hard for me to optimize keywords for this type of blog, and there probably won't be a lot of potential for income. I've noticed that people who look up recipes usually aren't looking to buy things. As long as I'm trying to increase my income, I need to focus on moneymakers.
Keep improving traffic to my online articles. My Squidoo traffic is increasing slowly but surely. Still looking for the best niche markets to explore, which will help this.

One thing I did this month that I hadn't planned was to submit my first travel writing article. Still waiting for a response, but it's a pretty cool step no matter what happens!

Bored? Funny, Interesting Articles on Weird Worm

2011-04-19T00:31:00.000-04:00

I figured it's been a while since I've posted my Weird Worm articles, so here are some of my most recent ones.

6 Movies About Love and Babysitting

7 Types of Super Bowl Commercials

Good, Bad and Morally Ambigous: The Low-Down on 9 Movie Dragons

6 Reasons We’re Loving Community

Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for plenty more Weird Worm to come!

Decide on Writing Fiction and Other April 2011 Goals

2011-04-12T14:15:00.000-04:00

I've been too busy doing the things on this list to make this list, which is an improvement over being too busy slacking off! Here are my April goals:

Decide on where I want to go with writing fiction. I'm starting to come to the realization that my heart just hasn't been in the fiction novels I've written. It's a hard thing to come to terms with, because I want to be a fiction writer. I'm just not sure how much I want to write fiction. Or maybe I just haven't come across something that I'm passionate enough about yet. My goal as far as this goes is to gauge my enjoyment of this activity, and see if it's worth it.
Write Weird Worm articles. My Weird Worm articles didn't get written last month. But now that I'm used to writing 3,000 words a day, it should be a breeze. I want to get at least 20 13 done this month (7 done already!). And that will give me enough money to buy the digital camera I'm eyeing!
Plan for travel. I have an ambitious plan to visit my granddad in England and then my relatives in Norway in May once my lease is up. I also want to leverage this into a travel writing opportunity. I plan on tackling a bit of my huge to-do list each day. I've already started contacting travel mags and writing sample articles.
Keep up with exercising. I've been averaging 6.5 miles a week of jogging/walking/biking/hiking, and I want to average 10 by the end of April. So far I'm good with 20 miles this month.
Start a cooking blog? I'm playing with the idea of starting a cooking blog. I love to cook, I do it regularly, I love to take photos of food, and I love to blog. However, I'll have to see if I can swing it with everything else that's going on.
Keep improving traffic to my online articles. So far, the work I've put into my online content isn't really paying enough for the amount of time I've spent. I want to make sure that I'm using my energy in a productive manner.

That should be more than enough to keep me busy until May!

Recap of March 2011 Goals

2011-04-07T13:13:00.001-04:00

Here's a quick recap of how my March 2011 goals went:

~~Get the plan for my next novel into reasonably good shape (due March 5).~~ Finished this on time! Whoo hoo!
~~Write 50,000 words~~. Actually ended being about 82,000, as my mentor upped my goal!
Write 12 articles for Weird Worm. Woefully failed at this one :(
Approach 2 new markets. I think I need to decide exactly what I want to write before I do this.
Publish about once a day on writing site Squidoo. I've made another important discovery, that I've written a lot that just isn't earning. To that end, I spent more time editing and deleting lenses than creating new ones.
~~Do taxes~~. This, thankfully, I finished without too much trouble!
Run 3 miles in 28 minutes. My time hasn't improved greatly, but I think it's better to focus just on getting my total number of miles per week up.

In the next few days, I'll post my updated April goals! Yay!

Tracking Novel Word Counts With Handy Excel Graphs

2011-03-11T23:10:00.003-05:00

I'm happy to say that, with only a minor amount of frustration, I've remembered my Excel skills enough to create a chart of my daily word count goals and achievements!

As you can see, I'm a little bit behind from where I'd ideally like to be at this point. I'm heading for a total novel length of 87,000 words in a little under a month, which makes for about 3,000 words a day.

I just broke 12,000 words, and I'm actually feeling pretty motivated today compared to the past few days. I have at least one more fifteen minute sprint left in me.

Why is it so necessary that I write a novel in a month? Is it important for you as a novel writer to attempt the same? Well, for one thing, I've got a mentor who is quite insistent that I do things this way. I don't want to risk his wrath if I fail to follow through on the challenge. And personally, I've tried writing a novel over weeks or months, and I've tried writing one in under thirty days, and doing the latter always makes it more likely that I'll finish. I suggest that you try out both, and see which works best for you.

If you're interested on writing a novel in a month as well, check out this handy list of novel writing months.

Another Day of Word Count Tracking: Writing a Novel in March

2011-03-10T00:34:00.003-05:00

It's getting late again, and again I really want to get a few more words in before bed. I've been busy with non-writing activities over the last few days, and I know that I can catch up on writing once I get some more solid blocks of time, but I'm worried about falling too far behind right in the beginning of my challenge.

So. It is now 12:34 a.m., and my word count is 4,828. I'll be back to record my word count in fifteen minutes!

15 minutes is up! My word count is 5,279, for a total of 451 words. I think I'll do one more spurt, and then finish for the night.

And done again. 5,776, for a total of 497. I think it's time to sleep, though I might try to break 6,000 words first. To all those people out there writing on a deadline too, I wish you luck!

Staying Motivated To Write My Novel in March

2011-03-09T01:49:00.001-05:00

I've been falling behind in my word counts, so I figured some accountability was in order. Here's my word count as of 1:49 a.m.:

3090

I'm going to come back in 15 minutes and post what I get. Wish me luck!

Edit: 3634. Woot!

Starting a New Novel and March 2011 Goals

2011-03-06T00:46:00.002-05:00

So it's that time again - time to post my goals for the month!

Here they are, in all of their March-y glory.

~~Get the plan for my next novel into reasonably good shape (due March 5).~~ Finished this on time! Whoo hoo!
Write 50,000 words. Just signed up for MarNoWriMo (March Novel Writing Month) to help that along! I've also just started on the first draft today, boldly plunging ahead even thought I'm definitely scared to be writing in a completely new genre and finally with the intention of seeing this manuscript through to publication.
Write 12 articles for Weird Worm. So far, I've done three this month, just have to be careful not to fall behind.
Approach 2 new markets.
Publish about once a day on writing site Squidoo lens per day (aiming for 20 this month).
Do taxes
Run 3 miles in 28 minutes. My best time so far has been 30 minutes.

I'm also keeping track of my 2011 goals on Squidoo, if anyone is interested in following my progress and encouraging me/yelling at me when I fall behind :)

Guest Post on Attending Writer's Conferences at Fractured Fiction

2011-02-27T22:31:00.001-05:00

I've got a guest post up on the Fractured Fiction blog: Tips For Attending Your First Writer’s Conference.

Thanks to fellow writer Lady Lovelace for having me! She's got tons of great stuff to say about all things writing - craft, publicity and promotion, what to do after you've finally perfected your draft, and even some free fiction. Make sure to check her out!

Wow, I also just realized that I recently passed my three-year anniversary for blogging! True, I haven't always blogged on a regular basis, but it's pretty cool that I'm still here. In those three years, I've written more than 400,000 words, won NaNoWriMo two years in a row, finished the first drafts for three and a half novels, published a bunch of articles on online markets, and more. Life's not too shabby :)

Working To Finish My February Goals - Writing and Other!

2011-02-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

Well, the end of February is just around the corner! Here's a look at how my goals are coming:

~~Finishing my editing assignment.~~ Already mentioned this, but it's extra fun with the strikethrough!
Finish starting my new book. The current plan is that I turn in the character sketches and an idea of what the book will be about by Saturday. I'm on schedule, but still a little nervous about whether my plan will work!
~~Ten~~ four articles for Weird Worm. I've written six so far, and started on the seventh. Really hope I can get around to finishing the one article and brainstorming two new ideas today, but I don't wanna! :p
~~Approach one new market.~~ Well, I approached a market, but it turned out to be not exactly what I'm looking for. Sigh. Why is finding new markets so hard? I'll keep my eyes open, but right now I don't know if looking for new markets will be as effective as maximizing the income from my current markets.
Run three miles in 30 minutes. I managed 32 minutes today. I've been sick, so I don't know if I'll make the goal by the end of February. We'll see!

Still got a ways to go to get all of my goals done. Here's to coming in just at the deadline!

Finish-Up Friday: Articles, Market Research, and New Project

2011-02-11T15:11:00.000-05:00

It's the end of the week, and time to finish up all the loose ends!

So far, I've written three of my ten articles for the month, and part of a fourth. If I can finish another article tonight and send in my next pitch, I'll be super happy!

I've gotten a bit stumped while looking for new markets to write for. I like writing for Weird Worm because I can pitch pretty much anything. Which means that I don't have to take a chance on writing an article that may or may not get accepted. I know I'm being a bit picky, but what can I say? Finding new markets is hard!

Luckily (?) I'll be starting a new fiction project soon, and that will take up enough of my time that I'll probably be happy not to have lots of article markets to write for!

And finally, here's a picture of flowers to make it seem like spring really isn't all that far off. Enjoy!

Grand Editing Goal #1 of the Year: Complete!

2011-02-08T18:35:00.000-05:00

I just finished editing my very first novel-length piece. Granted, it was just for practice, but it was very good practice.

It's funny, when you're right in the middle of it, going over word after word and page after page, it seems like it will never end. Editing a manuscript is not my favorite part of the novel writing process. It's time consuming, thankless, and it forces you to question everything that you know is fact. In fact, you might find yourself starting to question the fundamental truths about spelling and grammar. Time and again, you laugh at the silly notions you held that this would be the best thing you've ever done, and it's hard to keep going when you can't know whether or not it will amount to anything.

But the thing is, just making sure you keep going keeps you going. It turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once you've gotten into it, it becomes worse to stop than to go on. You don't want to waste your effort, after all.

So to all those who are struggling to edit a novel, I say this: don't give up! You can do it! And here are a couple of tips that might help:

Give Yourself a Deadline. I'll admit, my deadline was set by my mentor, which gave me a little added responsibility; so you might want to share your deadline with a trusted friend or two who will keep you on your toes. I received two months to edit an 86,000 word rough draft. I won't say there aren't successful novels out there that have taken years to edit, but that kind of time span won't fly if you're writing fiction commercially.
Break It Into Small Steps. My FlyLady timer is my best friend. When I simply feel like I can't force myself to work, I set it for fifteen minutes during which I can't do anything except work. You'd be amazed at how much you get done when you have no other option.
Fill Your Life. This is one I still need to work on. I'm one of those people who 'quit her day job' to become a writer, which means I have plenty of time to stare at the computer screen. Too much time, in some cases. Writing is time consuming, but at least for me, it's not something you can do 10+ hours a day. You need to bring other things into your life or else you'll end up going crazy inside your own head.

Now I get a short break, and then it's back to writing a first draft!

Have thoughts or questions on editing manuscripts or writing in general? Share them here!

New Year, New Writing Goals

2011-01-26T12:11:00.002-05:00

I suppose it's a little past the time for making New Year's resolutions, but these aren't exactly resolutions... they're goals. Things that I have solid plans in place for how to achieve them, that I'm reasonably certain I can stick to. Writing goals include:

Finishing my editing assignment. I'm working on editing an 86,000 word document as an assignment for my mentor/author friend. It's not something that's going to be published, but at least I'll know that I can edit a full length manuscript over the course of a couple of months. Deadline for this is in two weeks.
Writing the first draft of the first book in a series that my mentor and I are working out the details for. This will probably be done sometime in March.
Roughing out the plans for the rest of the books in the series, to be done by mid-April.
Editing the first book in the series, to be done by the end of June.
Submitting the book to editors and/or agents and working on sequels for the rest of the year.
Keeping up with writing articles for Weird Worm.
Possibly searching for new paying markets, depending on whether I decide to focus my free time on article writing.

At this time, I don't have plans to edit and submit Mechalarum. I'm happy that I wrote it, and I may come back to it someday, but right now I have bigger fish to fry!

Work Continues on My NaNoWriMo Novel Mechalarum

2010-11-24T17:30:00.001-05:00

Phew! I've passed by goal of writing 50,000 words in 14 days, and thus officially won NaNoWriMo! However, I've been given a new goal: to finish my entire novel in 28 days! It's a little tricky: I'm not sure exactly how long the novel is going to be when I'm done with it, so it's harder to set a desired word count per day.

Because of this, I've had a few days of pretty low word count - just a couple hundred words per day! Still, I'm intent on meeting this goal, even if it means squeezing in a lot of high word-count days towards the end of November! So, here's to days of many words!

Hope that all of my fellow NaNoWriMos are doing well in their quests. Leave a note to let us all know what you think of the challenge!

For continued updated on my NaNoWriMo novel, check out Mechalarum: A NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) Novel.

NaNoWriMo 2010: Mechalarum Synopsis and More

2010-11-02T01:15:00.000-04:00

The season is upon us! NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is here, and it's time to polish off your laptop, tablet, typewriter, or pad of paper, and get to writing 50,000 words in the month of November!

My novel for this NaNoWriMo is called Mechalarum. It's basically about a young woman struggling to save people who aren't entirely willing to accept her help, and trying to find her own identity at the same time. For more information and a full synopsis, check out Mechalarum: A NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) Novel.

Want to follow my progress, or be my NaNoWriMo writing buddy? You'll find all you need and more on my NaNoWriMo profile page.

Not ready to take on the challenge this month? Click on the link to learn about other novel writing months.

The Ladder Down by Joanne Galbraith - Halloween Writing Contest Winner!

2010-10-23T23:59:00.000-04:00

Justin hadn't heard the stories about old Mrs. Klein. Darkness swelled as he trooped along the path toward her black house, sweating in his Yoda costume. He swallowed hard, gazing at the gnarled bushes and slanted stair that led to her door.

"Good evening, young one." The gravely voice startled a peep from him. "You must be new to Crossroads. Most others are afraid."

"A- afraid of what, ma'am?" Justin backed away.

"Why, me of course." She cackled a laugh.

He flinched when she offered a shining apple.

"You are in luck, for I am feeling generous on this beautiful Samhain. Eat the flesh and plant the seeds in a place rich with moonlight. You will find what you have lost."

With wide eyes, Justin snatched the apple, cradling it gently in his hand as he bolted down the path. At home, he found his father passed out, stinking of whiskey. Nothing new. Justin didn't believe in fairy tales, but he'd lost so much he wanted to believe. He closed his eyes and bit into the apple, praying to whatever spirit may be listening.

After finishing the last bite, he moved into the back yard and dug a hole where the moonlight shone. He planted the core, lay down on the damp grass and waited, tears wetting his cheeks.

A sweet voice woke him hours later. A ladder poked out of a narrow hole in the ground beside him. As he scrambled down the rungs, he shouted, "Mom?"

Congratulations to Joanne Galbraith for winning the writing contest!

More from Joanne Galbraith: Joanne Galbraith, Aspiring Writer

Image by Patrick Hoesly on Flickr.

Halloween Is Closing In! Costumes, movies, music and more!

2010-10-19T22:37:00.001-04:00

Halloween is almost upon us, and I've been busy over on Squidoo! Feast yourself on a wealth of Halloweeny-ness.

Like Halloween costumes? Then the following sites are for you! Learn how to make homemade Viking costumes, or how to make a homemade Sarah Connor Terminator 2 costume, if that's more your style.

Looking for entertainment? Find a whole list of great Halloween movies to watch, and Halloween music to listen to. After that, you can stop by and vote for the top ten best Halloween songs. If you prefer your entertainment in literary form, there's also a list of Halloween books for you to peruse. And don't forget to choose a story to win the Halloween story contest!

You can find a good little scare while selecting your top ten favorite Halloween monsters. Just don't get too scared!

Pumpkin picture composed using images by viZZZual and Ha-Wee on Flickr.

Halloween Story Writing Contest Voting and The Lizard's Tale

2010-10-16T11:43:00.000-04:00

The deadline for my Halloween Story Writing Contest has just passed! I've received a ton of great entries, so please head over to Halloween Story Writing Contest and vote for your favorite! Voting ends next Friday.

Heres a story of mine, to whet you appetite!

***

A stranger knocked on the door to the villager's house. Helsun opened the door and peered out into the misty darkness at the shadowed form. His wife, Magrit, stood behind him.

"Can I help you?" Helsun asked.

"I'm lost," the stranger said. "May I come in?"

Helsun and Magrit agreed to accommodate the stranger, but kept a wary eye on him. He was an odd man, with a a hooded cloak that hid his face and body from view. Magrit brought out a bowl of soup and a crust of bread.

At that moment, a lizard ran out from a darkened corner of the house. Helsun cursed and tried to stomp it, but only got the lizard's tail, which broke off as the lizard scampered away.

The stranger looked at the tail. "Has that lizard done you any harm?"

"Dirty things," Helsun said, and Magrit made a sound of agreement.

The stranger finished his food and left. Helsun followed him to the door, then said to Magrit, "I don't like this. I'm going to tell the others."

Helsun strode into the darkness. The mist had turned into a thick fog, and Helsun was soon lost. He stumbled about until he felt rough bark beneath his hand.

"Dirty thing," a cold voice said behind him.

Through the fog, Helsun saw that the stranger, now uncloaked, had a reptilian face and a long tail. Helsun cowered against the tree, fear overwhelming him.

"Do your limbs grow back as well? Let's find out..."

***

Liked it? Read more at Halloween Story Writing Contest! And don't forget to vote!

Dreaming of the Muse

2010-10-08T21:55:00.000-04:00

Woke up this morning from a dream that was more than just a dream. It was the inspiration for my next novel! I'm excited, because NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is just around the corner, and I was worried that I wouldn't get inspired in time.

I don't want to jinx it by talking too much about it here, but I can say that it will be science fiction (finally!) and that it will have a heroine.

Now my only frustration is having to wait until November! I hope I don't lose the spark in the next few weeks, because I'm really feeling it right now. However, I have tons of stuff to keep me busy until then, so it's probably best this way.

Does this ever happen to you? Do your fiction ideas come from dreams? Do they just pop randomly into your head? Or do you work diligently to create and catalog your muse whisperings?

Weird Worm Update and Writing How To Articles

2010-10-04T22:45:00.001-04:00

A few months ago, I wrote an article about writing humor for Weird Worm (with links to some of my other humor articles). I've gotten back into writing articles for the site, and here are a few of my newer ones:

5 Fashion Trends That Double As Self Defense

7 Examples of Urban Entertainment That Could End In Disaster

7 Avatar Image Types Explained

7 "Comforting" Mom Sayings That Really Aren't

7 Types of Beach Personalities

To see a complete list of my articles, and to learn more about the site (and writing for it!), check out Freelance Writing for Weird Worm.

I've also just finished a how-to guide titled Learn How To Write How To Articles - useful if you're interested in writing for how-to sites such as eHow. It's really not that hard to get started, although like any type of writing it's an art that can only be perfected over time. My guide lists sites where you can inform and educate people about your own expertise - and make money online while doing it!

Halloween Story Writing Contest

2010-10-01T01:09:00.002-04:00

A wolf howls in the distance. You lock your door and place a chair under the handle, just to be safe. It is, after all, only a month until All Hallow's Eve, and who knows what sort of ghosts and ghouls are waking from the dead?

Intrigued? You should be! I'm hosting a Halloween story writing contest. Here are the details:

Subject: Anything Halloween related - ghosts, vampires, Frankenstein, the disaster at your last Halloween party. Keep it rated PG. Scary is okay, profanity is not. And try to limit the gore.

Length: This is a type of micro fiction - in this case, 250 words or less.

Date Due: October 15 at midnight.

I will post the stories on the site Halloween Story Writing Contest, along with a place to vote. I reserve the right to edit for spelling and grammar. I also reserve the right not to post a story, due to it being unsuitable (doesn't follow guidelines, too offensive, etc.) Each posted story will include a link to his or her Halloween-themed/writer-themed lens, site, or blog of choice. In addition, I will mention all entrants in a post on my blog promoting voting on the contest.

Images: To make this site more visually appealing, I might add images that I feel suit the story. You may make general suggestions, although I can't guarantee anything.

Prize! The winner of the voting will receive two customized blog posts by me here; one post in which the story is posted with links, and one "spotlight" post on the person who wins, including links of your choosing. There might also be a bonus prize, depending on the success of the contest.

Although the contest is hosted on Squidoo, you don't have to be a member of Squidoo to participate, so spread the word to all your writer friends!

Email Submission Format:

To: emma(at)emmalarkins(dot)com
Subject line: Halloween Story Writing Contest

Squidoo Lensmaster profile (if you have one)
Name or Pen Name as you'd like it to appear (I'd prefer not to attribute stories to awesomedude53)
Title of Story
Body of Story in the email (no more than 250 words)
Link you would like to promote
Your email (if not included elsewhere)

For more information, and to read an example, check out Halloween Story Writing Contest.

Happy Hauntings! And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment below!

iPad: Writer's Tool or Writer's Downfall?

2010-09-28T18:22:00.000-04:00

So, I had a chance to try out an Apple iPad the other day.

Let me preface this by saying (and this is just my own personal opinion; please don't hate me) I'm not a huge fan of Apple. I do own, and love, an iPod Nano that is several years old. However, ever since I used Macs in high school and had to use a PAPER CLIP to get the darn things to eject a disk, I've never quite recovered.

So it was with a bit of a jaded eye that I turned my attention to this new toy. And after my experimentations, I still consider it to be a toy. For one thing, I just can't quite get into the touchscreen mentality. I've touch-typed ever since I learned how in the most useful class I ever took, and I can get a fairly decent WPM going when I put my mind to it. That's how I managed to write two novels each in about a month. But touchscreens make touch-typing just about impossible - you need feedback, and those little bumps that let you know your fingers are on the home row.

Another thing is the fact that the iPad doesn't come with a stylus. You can buy a third-party iPad Stylus, and if you have an iPad, I highly recommend that you do so. The thing is, I stopped finger-painting a long time ago, and there's a reason for that: I learned how to use tools, like a pen and a pencil. Going back to writing or drawing with your finger is not an easy (or pretty) thing.

In conclusion, I could see an iPad being useful if you wanted to take down notes on the go or brainstorm away from your desk. And if you had a lump of cash sitting around with nothing else you wanted to spend it on. But I still see it as more of a procrastination device than a serious tool for writers. Just my 2 cents.

Halloween Comes But Once A Year

2010-09-24T14:30:00.000-04:00

I know it's not strictly writing-related, but I wanted to share with any fellow Halloween-lovers what I've been working on at the wonderful write-what-you-want site Squidoo. That's right, you can write anything you want on Squidoo, and if you're good, you can even get paid!

Yes, I am Emma Larkins, and I admit that I love Halloween. I love everything from the pumpkin-carving to the costume-making to the decorating. I used to love the trick-or-treating, but unfortunately I've long outgrown that stage. Now I just have to satisfy myself with awesome Halloween parties!

So here are a few sites to satisfy your cravings for all things Halloween-y:

Scary Spooky Halloween Music: What better way to get in the mood than with Michael Jackson's Thriller, Monster Mash, and Casper the Friendly Ghost?

Spooky Scary Halloween Movies: From the silly (Ernest Scared Stupid) to the terrifying (Halloween, of course) there are movies here to suit everyone's taste.

I Love Pumpkins - Carving, Patterns, Eating and More!: For those who just can't get enough of pumpkins, this site is for you!

Halloween on Squidoo: A plethora of Halloween sites, from costumes to decorating to recipes, to suit anyone's taste.

And if you're still not in the spirit, how about a Halloween classic?

Wannabe Writers Unite! (Online and In Person)

2010-09-08T16:20:00.000-04:00

One of the hardest parts of being a writer (other than actually sitting down to write... and editing once you've actually finished something... and getting someone to read what you've written...) is that it gets a bit lonely from time to time. Nothing but you and your computer screen, and often a blank computer screen at that. Not exactly socially stimulating.

Meeting other writers, both wannabes and seasoned authors, can be a huge boost to every aspect of your writing - your motivation, your dedication, your willingness to get through rough spots, your technical skills and your knowledge of the industry. Not to mention, getting connected is one of the best ways to get published.

If there's any chance whatsoever that you can get together with an actual, physical group of writers, go for it! There's no better way to boost your writing career. Check out Local Writers' Associations of America to find a group near you.

I live in Virginia, and like to write science fiction and fantasy. If you're like me, you might find Mid-Atlantic Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Conventions of interest.

Online groups are great as well. Here's a review of online writers' groups. And if you're up to the challenge of writing a novel in a month, the community aspect of national novel writing months like NaNoWriMo can't be beat.

So You've "Finished" Your Novel.... The Writing Part, At Least

2010-08-04T12:36:00.000-04:00

What's next?

There are as many philosophies about what to do when you've finished your first draft as there are writers (probably even more, as I'm sure some people could claim more than one). Here's what I've done so far, and how it's worked out for me.

When I finished the first draft of my first novel, I celebrated - I think I had a nice dinner or something. I'd never written a novel before, and it was a great feeling. It had taken me more than six months, writing fifteen minutes at a time. After the dust settled from all of the celebrating, and I let it sit for a while, I went back and read through parts - and realized that I really didn't like it very much. Life intervened.

When I finished the first draft of my second novel, I was thrilled. I'd written it during Nanowrimo (meaning that I wrote 50,000 words in one month) which I considered quite an achievement. Right away I printed off a hard copy, which I hadn't done with the first novel. That made it feel more real, and I even committed to reading the whole thing through from start to finish. It wasn't a bad story. In the meantime, I started writing the sequel to the novel. And at some point realized that the real story started halfway through my first novel, and needed to be changed radically, and so I gave that one a break as well.

The third complete novel took me a little over a month. The idea for it appeared out of nowhere, and I didn't spend a lot of time plotting how it would look. Instead, I just jumped right in and wrote the whole thing. I was glad when I finally put "END" on the bottom of the manuscript, and again I printed it out to have the physical thing in my hand, to make it a reality that I'd actually produced something that was, if not publishable, at least an admirably thick stack of paper. This time, however, I went a step further, and started giving out copies to friends and families. I'm feeling pretty good about this one, and now that I've got people reading the story, it means I have to take it as far as it will go!

So far, the best comment has been this: "You could totally get this published. There are books out there that are way worse than this. Wait, no, that sounds bad! I mean your's is better than some I've read, that have been published!"

In summary: finish your first draft. Print it off so you have something to show for it. Get people to read it. And then read it yourself!

First Draft Third Novel Finished!

2010-07-22T12:35:00.001-04:00

Yay! I just finished the first draft of my third novel! It was starting to look a bit dicey there for a few days, but I finally buckled down and did it.

Here are some stats:

Genre: YA Adventure/Fantasy
Final Word Count: 51655
Final Page Count (double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman): 155
Days From Conception to Completion: 37

I was hoping to get it in under the 30 day mark, NaNoWriMo style like I did with my last one, but I didn't quite make it. Glad I stuck with it, though.

For those of you out there who have finished a first draft of a novel, you know that this is only just the beginning. Next comes the read-through, rewriting, sending it out to anyone and everyone who is willing to read through a rough draft, more rewriting, and hopefully some workshopping. Although that shouldn't scare off any fledgling writers! You can do it if you just go one step at a time.

This is novel number 3.5 for me - I did start on a sequel to one of my earlier novels, but stopped when I realized that I needed to get rid of 50% of the first novel. I got all the way to the read through for the second one before deciding that I just wasn't happy with it and moving on. I remember being upset when people said "hardly anyone publishes the first novel they ever write" back before I wrote my first one, but I think now I understand. Each novel is better than the last, and this one might actually be good enough for me to start looking for agents. We'll see how I feel after reading through it and getting some feedback.

On A Serious Note: Door-to-Door Sales Scams

2010-06-30T18:03:00.001-04:00

I enjoy writing humor, but when I get pissed off, I can get pretty serious. Earlier this year a young woman came to my door, implying that she was "meeting people in the area." It turned out that she was actually selling magazines, and I was thisclose to falling for her sales spiel before finding out that she was actually part of a door-to-door sales scam. Now I'm spreading the word, so that you can keep your hard-earned money from falling into their hands.

Before anyone gets upset, I know that not everyone who sells door-to-door is participating in a scam. I still think that a lot of the high-pressure sales techniques often used in this setting are not cool. If I want to buy something, I'll go to the store or online. If you want to give me some information that I can mull over, I guess that's okay. But if you want to tell me you're a poor college kid trying to win scholarship money, you better hope that I don't Google the company name to find all sorts of sketchy information.

If you want to read about my experience, check out Warning: Don't Open the Door to Magazine Sellers for Unlimited Sales, Inc

You can also visit How to Identify a Door-to-Door Sales Scam for information on how to protect yourself.

Writing Humor for Weird Worm

2010-06-22T14:44:00.001-04:00

I've recently been doing some stories for Weird Worm, another online site specializing in humor, interesting facts, and general weirdness.

Below are my recent articles. The sensitive among you should note that although Weird Worm is quite a bit more restrained than, say, Cracked.com, some of the articles might still offend some people.

5 Weird Foods or Drinks to Consume on a Hot Day

5 Examples of Rural Entertainment That Could End in Disaster

Six Annoying Chores That Used To Be Much Worse

7 Movie Mentors Who Failed Miserably

If you're a writer, and interested in writing this kind of stuff, I've heard that Weird Worm might be able to use you. Of course I'll have to see some examples of your work before I can recommend you :)

And here, for your viewing pleasure, is a rundown of some of my (wonderful, obviously) recent humor articles:

Cracked: 5 Movie Romances That Won't Last (According to Science)

Regretful Morning: 5 Reasons Your Gaming System is Better than your Girlfriend

Gunaxin: Seven Types of Animal Lawn Ornaments Explained

Read about my Writing Humor for Gunaxin and my Writing Humor for Cracked.com (and Regretful Morning) for more information.

Visiting Norway

2010-05-27T15:38:00.001-04:00

Taking some time off of writing to visit family in Norway (although I have to admit - I am taking the opportunity to write notes for future stories and articles!). Hopefully I'll get a chance to post some pictures soon - the setting is absolutely breathtaking, and thought pictures don't do it justice they're better than nothing!

Writing Humor Update: EarthDate April 27, 2010

2010-04-27T13:25:00.001-04:00

Yay! My topic got featured on Cracked.com!

(The usual note: Cracked.com is an irreverent humor site, and not suitable for all audiences.)

Kirpatrick Swayzerussell: The Perfect Man

Basically, it's a breakdown of how Kurt Russell and Patrick Swayze are the same person, with a little extra info thrown in about Kurt Russell. (For those of you who know how Topics work on Cracked, the topic is about Kurt Russeel specifically.)

Interested in learning about writing topics for Cracked.com? Check out the Cracked Topic Editor Hangout Page on the Cracked Forum, or send me a note if you have specific questions about how it works.

And here, for your viewing pleasure, is a rundown of some of my (wonderful, obviously) recent humor articles:

Cracked: 5 Movie Romances That Won't Last (According to Science)

Regretful Morning: 5 Reasons Your Gaming System is Better than your Girlfriend

Gunaxin: Seven Types of Animal Lawn Ornaments Explained

Read about my Writing Humor for Gunaxin and my Writing Humor for Cracked.com (and Regretful Morning) for more information.

RavenCon 2010: SF, Fantasy, Writing and Gaming Con in Richmond, Virginia

2010-04-21T19:32:00.001-04:00

From April 9th to April 11th, I attended my first RavenCon: RavenCon 2010 in Richmond, Virginia. The con was at the Holiday Inn at the Koger Center (which, by the way, was a great venue for the event).

The main reason I decided to go to the con was to attend in the various science fiction and fantasy writing workshops and panels. I got to participate Allen Wold's excellent writer's workshop again, which I first experienced a couple of years ago at Capclave in Rockville, Maryland. Allen is a great encouragement to beginning writers, and even took some time out of his busy schedule to give me some very astute advice that I hope will greatly improve my fiction. Other panelists at the workshops and panels included Leona Wisoker, Laura J. Underwood, Peter Prellwitz, Michael Kabongo, Kalayna Price, Gray Rinehart, Laurel Anne Hill, Rachel Caine, and more to numerous to list here.

The con also featured a gaming room complete with miniature games, role-playing games, and other games that I didn't really understand, but that looked really interesting. I don't know a lot about gaming, but the players were more than happy to tell me how things worked. I'd be interested to learn more about gaming in the future, although I admit I'm a little intimidated!

There were other things as well - people in costumes ranging from favorite character homages to the simply bizarre, women from the local roller derby (River City Rollergirls), musical performances known as "filking," and a LARP (Live Action Role-Playing) game. All in all, it was a great experience, and I highly recommend the con to anyone who is interested in the production or consumption of all things fantasy and science fiction.

Want to learn more about science fiction and fantasy writers' cons and conferences in the Mid-Atlantic region? Check out Mid-Atlantic Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Conventions.

The Freelance Writer's Resume

2010-04-05T15:23:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I applied to write for one of the big online content sites. This site required that I submit a resume and a writing sample. So, I dusted off my old resume, tweaked it a bit to add my (at the time, somewhat sparse) freelance writing experience, and sent it out.

Unfortunately, the site turned me down, and I have to wonder whether it might have something to do with my resume. I did some research, and came across this interesting resource, written by Moira Allen at Writing-World.com: Creating a Writer's Resume

I hadn't really stopped to think that a writer's resume might be different from any other type of resume, but according to this site, it was. I thought back on what I knew about resumes, and specifically what I knew about formatting your resume when you're changing your career (which is, after all, what I'm doing). The thing is, companies hiring freelance writers want to know specifically that those writers can, well, write more than they want to know what jobs they've held over the past five, ten, or fifteen years.

Moira's suggestion to create a skills resume as opposed to a standard job history resume was enlightening. I'd done some research on resumes before, and I'd heard of the skills resume format. It's useful if you're just exiting college and don't have a long history of job experience, and also if, like me, you are switching into a new industry or entirely new career. The skills resume begins with a list of skills useful to the writing industry (such as writing, editing, business writing, technical writing, etc.), and a short description of how you have utilized each of these skills. You still include a job history section, to show that you have a history of employment, but you don't include any additional information about the duties you held at each of your jobs.

The article also mentioned that the writer could include a second page with a list of markets and publications. This was news to me, as I thought the resume could only be one page long. Including a publications page made things much easier, because at this point I have a decent number of publications to show off, and this is a great way to do it. I can send the resume as a Word document or a .pdf, and the links will be clickable, allowing potential employers to see my work.

There was some mention of including "clips" (copies of articles that you have written), but I'm not sure how important that is when e-mailing resumes with links to the articles themselves. I'll keep it in mind, though, if I send out hard-copy resumes.

Now that I've finished my freelance writer's resume, I can't wait to try it out. I'm trying again for the content site I mentioned earlier, because of a recent change with another site I write for. Wish me luck!

More about creating a skills resume from CareerBuilder: Basic Skills Resume

Writing Humor for Gunaxin

2010-04-02T14:36:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I got a little spacey, and forgot to check out Gunaxin for a couple of days... during which time my article was published!

Seven Types of Animal Lawn Ornaments Explained

I had the idea for this article while making the long trek from Virginia to Maryland, during which time I got to thinking about different types of things you see while driving. My mind eventually wandered over to pondering lawn ornaments, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Gunaxin was one of the sites I found from reading the forums over at Cracked.com. After writing my Cracked article, I applied to Gunaxin and was accepted. The Gunaxin setup is different from the setups of some of the other humor sites that I've written for. For one, you not only write the article, you also enter it into the Wordpress form on the site yourself, and find images to go along with your work. You might find this a bit tricky if you haven't done any blogging or working with .html in the past, but the people at Gunaxin are very helpful if you have any questions. It is nice having someone else do part of the work when you write an article, but frankly I liked the control of being able to set up the layout the way I wanted it.

Oh, and Gunaxin is a paying market, which is nice :)

Interested in trying Gunaxin for yourself? Check out the Gunaxin Contributors Page.

Making Money Freelance Writing For Associated Content

2010-03-28T00:10:00.012-04:00

I'm making money freelance writing for Associated Content, and man, it feels good.

Are you interested? Click on my referral link to get started. Or, read on to learn more.

I've written in the past about some of the markets I've explored. Associated Content is one of my favorites so far.

The Look

I have to say right off the bat that the layout of the site and the ease of publishing content is a big plus for me. I'm a huge fan of well-designed websites, and I've never had any problems with Associated Content. Plus it looks great, too!

The Basics

Here's the basic rundown of how Associated Content works. You sign up (no application required), and then start submitting articles. You can choose from a variety of options when submitting content that determine who keeps the rights to your article and how you get paid (upfront and performance vs. straight performance). Your writing is not edited, although if you choose to receive an upfront payment, it will be reviewed to see if it meets the requirements. There's more to it than that, but you get the idea.

The Bonuses

Here's one of my favorite parts about writing for Associated Content.

The more you publish, and the longer you're there, the more money you make. And not just in the way that you'd expect; veterans get to select from among higher-paying assignments (article ideas that you are free to write or not at your discretion), earn higher performance pay, and might even receive requests to write articles for Associated Content partners.

As long as you can keep coming up with new ideas for things to write, and make good use of SEO techniques (such as writing powerful headlines), you can make some nice money freelance writing for Associated Content.

For more information about the site, and to read tips, pros, and cons, check out my Squidoo lens Freelance Writing for Associated Content.

If you're ready to sign up, click here or on the pretty picture below. And don't hesitate me if you have any questions! Here's my Associated Content Profile in case you need it.

Want to read more about my thoughts on writing for Associated Content? Check out Exciting New Publication News.

The Freelance Writer's Business Plan

2010-03-25T23:29:00.002-04:00

If you're in the process of starting (or developing) your freelance writing career, have you given any consideration to your freelance writer's business plan?

Starting a freelance writing career is a just like starting any other business. People tend to rush headlong into freelance writing (or at least, I did) because, unlike a lot of other types of businesses, there is a relatively low barrier to entry. Basically, anyone with a computer, an internet connection, and a modicum of writing skill can start a freelance writing career.

The main reason that I started thinking about making a concrete plan for my writing is that I got a little, well, sidetracked. I had figured out the basic amount of money that I needed to make each day in order to break even (after paying business costs, living costs, taxes, etc.) and written that number proudly on my white board. Only... I wasn't making that much each day, and I had no plan to get to that daily amount from where I was. I had a vague idea of "Oh, if I can write twenty articles a week on this site, and ten on this other site, maybe..." But my plan simply wasn't concrete enough, and I got frustrated.

So I decided to start setting very concrete goals for the number of articles I would write each week, including how much I'd make and which markets they'd be for. Since I was still a little short, I included a hefty dose of "new market research" in each weekly plan.

I haven't gone through and filled out a complete freelance writer's business plan yet, although I do have an excellent template that I got from SCORE (which is an amazing resource if you're interested in starting any type of business, by the way).

Members of the Associated Content forums have been very encouraging of weekly goal-forming (this link is to an old weekly goals list; there is a new one every week).

Thanks to Kelly McClymer for the inspiration to start a freelance writer's business plan. On her site, she goes into an in-depth discussion of business plans for writers, with posts such as A Writer’s Business Plan — Finances – Cash Flow Projection.

Image courtesy of Flickr.

juhansonin / CC BY 2.0

Writing Humor for Cracked.com (and Regretful Morning)

2010-03-19T16:18:00.000-04:00

I didn't want to talk about this in detail until my piece was finally posted, but it's here now, so here we go!

Here's the article, if you haven't seen it yet: 5 Movie Romances That Won't Last (According to Science)

(Just so you know, it can get kinda crazy on Cracked, and it's not suitable for all audiences).

My original impression of Cracked (as described in detail in my article Writing for Fun and Profit) was that it was really, really hard to get a pitch accepted. My opinion hasn't changed. I worked harder on my Cracked article than I have on any article before or since. And even just getting to the stage of having a Cracked article to "work on" is like running a gauntlet through a bunch of slap-happy mimes in and of itself. I'd guess that Cracked gets hundreds of pitches every single day. Just try to find an original idea in all that craziness!

I continue to pitch ideas on the site, and you should to! Check out I want you to make comedy for Cracked for more information. Once you join the Cracked Comedy Workshop, you'll be able to pitch articles, and also get a lot of great insight from other writers and editors at Cracked.

And don't think "Oh, I could never write for Cracked." I thought the same thing for a year before I joined on a whim, and look where I am now. I will say, for those who are interested, that coming up with an intriguing and original article pitch that you can back up with information from the real world is almost as important as knowing how to write comedy.

Also, if you liked my Cracked article, I'm sure you'd be interested in 5 Reasons Your Gaming System is Better than your Girlfriend over on Regretful Morning.

Questions? Thoughts? Leave a comment!

The Ultimate Guide To Ultimate Frisbee

2010-03-13T00:08:00.000-05:00

Spring is in the air. I can feel it in my veins, struggling to explode out of my fingers and toes. My blood is finally pumping again, after long days and hours and weeks of freezing cold. I feel alive again.

And what better way to celebrate spring (and life!) than with Ultimate Frisbee?

So now you're going to tell me that you don't know what Ultimate Frisbee is (sigh). That means that you have to start at the beginning, with Ultimate Frisbee: What the Heck Is It? A.K.A. the Beginner's Guide.

After that, you might want to check out my Ultimate Frisbee how-to guide. Because, now that you know what it is, you're dying to play. Right? Of course you are.

Once you've gotten a feel for the game, you should swing by and enter your two cents in the debate of Ultimate Frisbee Vs. All Other Sports.

On a sadder note, if you're a dyed-in-the-wool Ultimate player, then you probably already know about the passing of Walter Frederick Morrison, the inventor of the Frisbee. Here are some of the reactions from the Ultimate community to the news.

Various Delectable Tidbits on Cooking and Eating

2010-03-10T22:07:00.000-05:00

I love to cook, and I love to eat. I really couldn't say which one I like more. On the one hand, you've got that warm, sizzling sound as the garlic and vegetables hit the hot frying pan. On the other hand, you've got the silky taste of the pureed butternut squash sliding over your tongue. What's not to love?

Eggs are one of my favorite things to cook. They're quick, easy, and can take on so many different forms. For the egg connoisseur, here's an article about making simple frittatas, and here's one about making simple omelettes.

Do you know what goes well with eggs? Why, bacon, of course! Nothing beats the salty, smoking smell of bacon as it cooks in its own fat. That's why you might want to check out Bacon and Other Easy to Cook Camping Foods.

How about a little international flair? Learning to cook foods from different nations is nothing short of adventure. For more information, visit Cooking and Eating World Cuisines.

And, just for fun, here's the reason why I don't make cake from scratch.

Enjoy!

Image courtesy of Flickr.

maxpower / CC BY-SA 2.0

How to Start a Freelance Writing Career

2010-03-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

I've been enjoying a bit of success as a freelance writer over the past couple of months, and I thought I'd write about my experiences. Good information about the markets I've tried and some of the things I've found useful is enclosed.

How to Start a Freelance Writing Career

In addition, I've written more specifically about my experiences with freelance writing for Associated Content and freelance writing for Made Man.

Some of the sites that I'm looking at require actual pitches for articles (Cracked.com has a well-outlined format for creating pitches, but the format varies depending on your market). So I'm brushing up on my pitching skills. Here is an article that I found useful: The Ultimate Article Pitch.

And here is some more information about pitching articles (sure, it's for print publications, but the principles are the same): How to Pitch Freelance Artircles to Print Publications.

Published Articles on MadeMan

2010-02-26T13:05:00.000-05:00

So a couple of weeks back I mentioned writing for Break Studios.

Specifically, I've been writing for the newly-launched MadeMan website. This site is a manual of sorts, with advice on all sorts of subjects from "driving a tank" to "making a viral video." Because it's just started to publish content, there is a huge opportunity for new writers to get in on the action.

Here are a couple of my articles that have just been published on MadeMan:

10 Best Places to Travel on a Budget: California

10 Easy Things To Cook While Camping

There are plenty more to come, so stay tuned!

Exciting New Publication News

2010-02-25T15:31:00.000-05:00

I'm now officially working for Associated Content, a site that publishes articles and pays upfront (if you select the option), as well as performance-based bonuses. I really like the submitting and formatting process for Associated Content, and I'm satisfied with the amount of time it takes to approve articles. If you're looking to get into writing for profit, Associated Content is a great place to start.

I'm happy to say that my first two articles have just been accepted and published. Check them out to learn about stuff and be entertained at the same time!

My first article, Get Ready for Maple Sugarin' Festivals, is about local festivals celebrating the tapping of maple trees to make maple syrup throughout the US.

My second article, The Muppets: Twenty-First Century Reboot, is about the new Muppets videos on YouTube, and the upcoming Muppets movie.

(By the way, if you love the Muppets, don't forget to check out my new Squidoo lens: The Muppets Take YouTube by Storm.)

Happy reading!

Squidoo Lens-A-Day Challenge

2010-02-19T19:08:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm getting more serious about the writing thing, I realize that the most important thing for me to do is to write. A lot. And preferably, to write things that other people will see, because that forces me to be on top of my game.

That's why I love Squidoo. Squidoo is a site that provides users with a template to easily generate content on the web. It also gives users tools to add all sorts of fun modules to their sites, or "lenses" as they're called in the Squidverse.

And the best part is, if you get really good at it, you can make money! There are two ways to earn money on Squidoo. All the ad revenue generated by the website goes into a big pot, and half of that goes directly to the writers, or "lensmasters." In addition, some of the modules (such as the Amazon module) give you cash if people follow the links and buy the products.

I've been getting more into Squidoo lately, for three reason:

1.) Constantly writing content improves my writing skills.

2.) I can use the lenses to promote my other sites and publications.

3.) Extra income is, of course, sublime.

And so, I've joined the current Lens-A-Day-Challenge, "Get Cracking" with Bonnie and Robin on Squidoo. Here are my results from the past five days of tireless work:

Challenge: Write about a personal "first."
Result: Things for your First Apartment

Challenge: Write about a local feast or fesival.
Result: Maple Sugarin' Festival: Westminster, MD

Challenge: Write about something related to Saint Patrick's Day.
Result: The Perfect Guinness

Challenge: Write about a health story.
Result: Acupuncture Frequency for Your Whole Health

Challenge: Write about a TV show from your youth.
Result: Rebooting the ReBoot Cartoon

I also made a handy place to keep track of my progress.

Definitrly check out Squidoo if you think it might be for you. And while you're there, stop by and check me out, too!

Writing for Fun and Profit

2010-02-13T23:56:00.001-05:00

So I've managed to make huge steps in the "writing for fun and profit" venture over the last couple of weeks.

I signed up for the Cracked Comedy Workshop run by the irreverent humor site Cracked.com. I immediately submitted a pitch to the workshop, and I immediately got shot down. The thing is, I had no idea all the work and intelligence that goes into a Cracked article! (Feel free to laugh, but next time you're reading one, take a closer look. You'll see what I mean.) I thought the whole thing was just making fun of movies and talking liberally about various parts of the human anatomy, but boy, was I wrong. It takes a lot of research to make an article that meets the Cracked standards, and a lot of time and effort. Which I will keep in mind as I continue to pitch in the future.

I wonder if this means that I have to start being funnier in my posts? God, I hope not. Being funny is hard work.

I also applied to and was accepted by Break Studios, which provides content for sites such as Break.com, MadeMan, Holy Taco, and others. So far, I've submitted several articles for publication on MadeMan. We'll see what happens there.

And of course, I'm still writing about anything and everything over on my Squidoo pages. Not a huge amount of profit there to date, but I'm working on it.

Overall, the cash I've earned so far from my freelance writing has yet to pay the bills, or even pay for any fancy dinners. I could perhaps scape together enough to buy a couple of fast food hamburgers out of the loose change I've made. However, the fun factor is definitely there. What other jobs could you get simply by talking about your amazing travel jobs and crazy life adventures?

Naming Characters with Baby Names

2010-01-19T23:35:00.007-05:00

Just found something interesting today that made me smile. It was an example of someone modifying a website designed for one purpose to suit another, and I thought that it was great.

I don't know about the rest of the writing population, but often when I'm stumped for character names I turn to the wonderful Baby Names website. (Heaven forbid my boyfriend catches me on the site without an explanation!) Anyway, it's a great tool that can be used many ways. For example, you can simply browse through the lists of names for inspiration. Or you can use the advanced search function, which allows you to search for names by gender, meaning, origin, and more.

So what did I notice today at the top of the advanced search page? A link to a page written specifically for writers looking to pick character names! Is that genius, or what? The tips here are useful, and the comments section provides well-written and thoughtful ideas about naming characters.

Who would have thought? Congratulations, Baby Names, for observing a trend and creating something helpful for us writers!

Nanowrimo Novel Progress... and Sequel!

2010-01-08T01:49:00.006-05:00

I didn't want to say anything before, in case I jinxed my progress. Now that I've been going strong for more than a month, I think it's about time that I talk about what I've been up to.

After I finished my Nanowrimo novel, I decided to let it 'settle' for at least a month. Okay, so let's be honest: the thought of editing terrifies me. I proved to myself writing The Hidden Land of Gre that I could write a novel-length first draft. But I've always gotten snagged when it comes to taking that tangled collection of duds and gems and spinning it into something beautiful.

My fear of editing could have easily led me to abandon the novel completely. And the internal voices telling me to just leave it, your next one will be better did not help matters. However, I decided that I would form a plan, and that I would stick with it, and that that would see me through.

And so far, it's worked. Phase one of the plan is to KEEP WRITING. Write every day, every single day, even if it's only for 15 minutes. And I've managed to keep the schedule through a major cold and the entire holiday season, so that's given me strength. Phase two of the plan is to KEEP READING. Using this mantra, I managed to read through the entire first draft of my Nanowrimo novel.

And you know what? It wasn't completely terrible. It's workable. It's doable. It will take a lot of time and effort, but I really think I can make something of it. Not only that, but the plan to keep on writing and keep on reading will keep me going on the path, no matter what happens to this particular piece. Here's to continuing in the fight!

Life Changes

2009-11-20T20:49:00.005-05:00

Greetings! Long time no see!

I felt that the time had come for an update, so here it is.

I've made a lot of huge changes in my life recently. I'm working as a consultant now, and living in my very own first personal apartment (yay!) I'm also easing myself back into fiction writing, with Nanowrimo of all things (yikes!).

Things are moving forward, and I'm very happy.

Cheers to all!

A Renaissance

2009-03-26T15:39:00.004-04:00

For those of you who are still following my blog after all this time (or, for those of you who scroll down to see the date of my last post... eek!) you'll know that I've been quiet for a while. A little too quiet. What could be percolating in that brain of hers, you might ask? What grand scheme has been a-brewing over these past few months?

Here's my story, in a nutshell:

Writing is lovely. I will always be a writer. I will always be enchanted by the variety of words available in the English language, and the multitude of ways in which they can be assembled. However, when I embarked on my journey to become a published author, I didn't realize that I was using writing as a way to escape from a life that I knew in my heart of hearts just wasn't right for me...

I'll never say that my experience with the writing and publishing world was a bad one; I've learned more than I could have imagined over the past months, and met a whole host of truly wonderful, hard-working, awe-inspiring individuals (some of who you can read about here). But at this point in time, spending hours alone in front of a computer writing fiction after spending all day alone in front of the computer writing (mostly!) non-fiction isn't a recipe for my happiness and success.

So, that begs the question: what is the recipe for my happiness and success? It's a question I'm working on, but have yet to answer. I guess only time will tell.

More Interview Recap on Community Fridays

2009-01-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

Here are some more great interviews you might have missed.

Marvin Wilson, who some would call a "spiritual rogue," opens up about writing, spirituality, and how he manages to preserve his positive outlook and generous, big-hearted nature through good times and bad.

Even if you're writing a fantasy story, you need some basis in reality to engage your readers. So it's a good thing that research is one of Resa Nelson's favorite parts of writing. In fact, she delved so deeply into research that she joined a real-life sword guild!

Curious about book signings? Jacquelyn Sylvan has some great stories, including how to survive the signing that doesn't go according to plan. She also shares her one super-secret tip to getting published.

Katie Hines talks about her soon-to-be-released middle-grade fantasy book, Guardian, and how she met her publisher.

Interview Recap on Community Fridays

2009-01-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

Missed some of the previous Community Friday interviews? Check them out today!

Edmund Schubert, author of Dreaming Creek and editor of the science fiction literary magazine Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, gives perspectives on the writing industry from both the author's side and the editor's side.

Author of the recently released The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, (in addition to a slew of other books) Mayra Calvani, shares tips on reviewing books and what it's like to work in a variety of different genres.

Jean Henry Mead, author of the mystery novel A Village Shattered, provides an interesting interview about her writing process. Sheriff Grayson, the sheriff in her novel who needs as much help as he can get, also makes an appearance.

Interview with Katie Hines on Community Fridays

2009-01-02T09:47:00.000-05:00

Interview with Jacquelyn Sylvan on Community Fridays

2008-12-26T07:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays and Guest Announcement

2008-12-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

I'll keep this short and sweet, because I'm up to my armpits in all sorts of holiday goodness. I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to open their presents on Christmas Eve, instead of Christmas Day - which I love, but which also means I have less time to get ready. Eep!

In light of recent events, I'd like to give out a special holiday wish to everyone today.

Here it is: take care of yourself. Listen to your body. Get out from that computer-trance crouch you're stuck in and give a good stretch. Have a loved one give you a back massage. Stop worrying about whether you got so and so the perfect gift. Take a moment to appreciate all that your life has to offer, even the little things that don't seem to matter. Like pretty frost patterns drawn across a window, warm sunlight on a cold morning, or the smell of your favorite hot beverage. It's so easy to get caught up in your job or your responsibilities or your to-do list and forget what it really is that keeps you going, that gets you up and out of bed every morning. Everyone says "focus on what's important in your life," but have you ever really tried to do it? How much time today did you spend reading about the depressing state of the economy, or playing computer Solitaire, or flipping through television stations because you can't be bothered to do anything else? If those things truly bring you joy, then by all means, enjoy them. But if something isn't right with the focus of your life, take care of it. Your body will thank you for it.

Okay, that's enough rant for one day. If you're interested in reading an interview with Jacquelyn Sylvan, author of Surviving Serendipity, take a break from playing with your new toys or cursing the unforgiving American work ethic and drop in to Community Fridays.

Interview with Resa Nelson on Community Fridays

2008-12-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's interview is with Resa Nelson, author of The Dragonslayer's Sword and real-life swordswoman.

You say that one of your favorite parts of writing a fantasy story is doing the research for that story. Could you tell us a little about the kinds of research you do, the processes you go through, the way you keep track of information, etc.?

Because my strengths are ideas, theme, and characterization, I do research as a way to help the story come alive through details that I’d never dream up on my own. My weakest area of knowledge is history, and my novels tend to take place in the past. I don’t have any interest in writing historical fiction, but I want to make the time and place feel as real as possible. So I often begin by reading history books about the time period in order to get a lay of the land and to give myself a framework to work within. I’m also a big fan of museums. I’m lucky to live in an area where there are plenty of museums, so I’ve had good luck finding exhibits related to the novels I write. I take lots of notes about what I’m seeing and how I’m feeling. Whenever possible, I also do physical research to help me get inside the skin of my characters. Keeping track of information boils down to keeping files of notes online (from the books I read) and piling up memo pads (with notes from museum trips and other expeditions) on a bookshelf. My “filing” method is pretty haphazard, but somehow I always manage to find what I’m looking for!

While we're at it, would you like to tell us a little about your latest novel?

The Dragonslayer’s Sword is a combination of medieval fantasy, action/adventure, mystery, and romance. It’s about a female blacksmith who makes swords for dragonslayers. Everything starts going wrong when her sweetheart, the local dragonslayer, goes missing without explanation. The people in my novel are shapeshifters, but I’m doing something different with this concept. Shapeshifting is all about how you perceive yourself and other people – in other words, what you think and feel has the power to change the appearance of you or someone else. Society dictates that you always have the right to change yourself, but you don’t have the right to change other people. Because my main character is a blacksmith, I thought, “How can I write about a blacksmith unless I get some experience?” So I took a blacksmithing course. Ironically, after I took the course, I learned that I come from a long line of blacksmiths — several of my relatives are still blacksmithing today. (I even have an ancestor whose middle name was Hammer!) I also studied historically accurate methods of using medieval weapons, because I wanted to understand as much as possible about these weapons and reading about them in books didn’t give me a deep enough understanding.

How does research change the original plan you have for your story?

Doing research — especially physical research like blacksmithing and sword work — changes me. When I change, that has an impact on my characters because I always feel very close to them. For example, in April I gave a presentation at a Medieval Forum. This was a weekend conference and I originally thought I’d only have enough time to show up and give my presentation. But then I realized that it was a great opportunity to do some research, so I attended the entire 2-day event from beginning to end. There were two presentations that blew me away and revealed information about the Middle Ages that came as a big surprise to me. For weeks, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d learned. I contacted the professors who had given these presentations, told them about my work, and asked if it would be OK for me to be influenced by their presentations. They both said yes. This was important to me because The Dragonslayer’s Sword is the first novel in a series. I’ve just started writing Book 2, called The Iron Maiden. I had a general idea of what Book 2 was going to be about, but the story of Book 2 snapped into place after I heard those two presentations at the Medieval Forum. What I learned just happened to be a perfect fit with my goals for this series. The general idea for what I want to accomplish in Book 2 is still the same, but the story changed completely.

In addition to your novels, you've also written many articles and short stories. Do you research differently for an article or short story?

Yes. When I write an article, I’ve been given an assignment by a magazine editor, and the topic is very specific. For example, the last article I wrote was a preview of the movie Watchmen, which will come out in theaters next year. I’d read Watchmen many years ago, but I re-read it to refresh my memory. Then I interviewed the director and producer and asked very specific questions. I also use the Internet to do fact checking before I deliver an article. Short stories are very different. It’s very rare that I do any research when I write a horror story. A lot of my fantasy stories are the result of “accidental” research. For example, a few years ago I was at Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport, a living history museum. There were two exhibits that I found compelling. One was an exhibit of ship figureheads, and the other was an exhibit about women and the sea. I took lots of notes because I was interested in both exhibits. Months later, I got an idea for a short story, went back to all the notes I’d taken at Mystic Seaport, did some library research, and wrote “Black Magic,” which has just been published in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress XXIII.

Not only does your research help you write your stories, it also becomes an integral part of your life. For example, after researching about swords, you joined a real-life sword guild! What are the effects you've seen of drawing your real life closer to your fantasy life, i.e. the worlds of your stories and novels?

It makes it easy to drop a bridge between the real world and the fantasy worlds I make up. It’s easier to step into those worlds and walk with my characters and experience what they experience. In The Dragonslayer’s Sword, my female blacksmith ends up in a few situations where she has to defend herself but she has no idea how to use the very weapons she makes! So my own experience helped me figure out what kinds of mistakes she’d make, what the consequences would be, and her most realistic options. Plus, doing something like joining a sword guild and working with weapons is a lot of fun and makes it easy to meet lots of very interesting people. Not to mention that it’s incredibly fun to swing a sword around and actually know what I’m doing.

Do you have any special projects going on that you'd like to tell us about? Can you give us the juicy details?

I’m currently writing Book 2 of my Dragonslayer series: The Iron Maiden. I’m pushing my main character Astrid way out of her comfort zone in this book and giving her plenty of challenges. My novels tend to be about strong women who are independent and have active lives. There’s a lot that Astrid doesn’t know about herself, and the details will unravel slowly over the course of about four or five books. I’ve also written a novel called Our Lady of the Absolute that has just been accepted for publication (due out in 2010). This is a standalone novel that is heavily influenced by ancient Egypt. I’ve been an “armchair Egyptologist” all my life, which means I love ancient Egypt and have my own mini-library of books about it. I’ve also traveled in Egypt a couple of times and love the country so much that I feel homesick whenever I think about Egypt. Our Lady of the Absolute is about a woman who realizes in Chapter 1 that she’s going to have to choose between someone she loves and the country she loves. It’s a combination of action/adventure, fantasy, and thriller.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor, publisher etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

I’m keenly impressed with the publisher of The Dragonslayer’s Sword: Mundania Press. One of my top priorities is working with people who are honest and upfront, and that has been my experience with the folks at Mundania Press. They’re also great communicators. I learn a lot from them because they share information with their authors. I’m happy that when my novel was published, it came out in two formats: trade paperback and e-book. I want readers to have that choice. Also, Mundania Press uses “print on demand” technology, which makes them a “green” company, in my opinion. Ironically, I have yet to meet a bookstore owner, manager, or employee who knows the difference between “publish on demand” (which is essentially a fancy term for “self-published”) and "print on demand" (which is a technology that makes it possible to print copies of books only when they are purchased). Bookstores order books from wholesalers like Ingram’s and Baker&Taylor, who use “POD” as an abbreviation for both terms, which really adds to the confusion. In other words, as far as I can tell, bookstores don’t understand what print-on-demand technology is or why it matters. The publishing industry is one of the most wasteful American industries when it comes to misusing resources and money. I’m horrified that the major publishing houses continue to use a distribution system that dates back to the Great Depression and don’t seem to be taking any real action to go green, at least not to my knowledge. It’s important to me to be aligned with a “green” publisher that focuses on e-books and print-on-demand technology.

Emma's Note: This is an important issue, over which there is a lot of confusion. Simply put, beware of anyone who wants you to pay to publish your book (vanity publishing) but do not fear a reputable publishing house that uses print on demand technology! Thanks, Resa, for spreading correct information about this topic.

About the Author

Resa's book The Dragonslayer's Sword has just been nominated as a finalist for Category 12 - Fantasy of the 2009 Eppie Awards!

To learn more about Resa, check out her website.

© Emma Larkins and Resa Nelson

Post Delay and This Week's Guest

2008-12-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

Hi all - long time no see. Here's what the deal is...

I've been having some health/life issues, and I'm going to need to figure out how to better balance this blogging thing with everything that's going on. I really enjoy blogging, and I've missed updating these past few days. But for now, it's better if I take it a bit easy until things settle down.

However, I do intend to keep up with one of my favorite features on this blog, Community Fridays . The upcoming guest for this Friday is Resa Nelson, a very interesting character who was referred to me by previous guest Danielle Ackley-McPhail, a fellow author of Resa's over at Mundania Press LLC.

Resa knows her stuff: her book The Dragonslayer's Sword has been nominated as a finalist for Category 12 - Fantasy of the 2009 Eppie Awards! Learn more about Resa this coming Friday!

Interview with Marvin Wilson on Community Fridays

2008-12-12T01:00:00.011-05:00

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Our guest for today is Marvin Wilson, avid blogger and author of Owen Fiddler.

It can take a lot of strength and a lot of faith to become a published author. How has spirituality helped you in your writing career?

With me, Emma, spirituality comes first. Here’s a quote from Owen Fiddler that sheds light on my spiritual life and worldviews. It’s where Kris, the savior figure in the book, says to the near-dead and in-a-coma Owen while a spirit-being in the never-world, “Understand, Owen - you are not a human being having a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being that has been having a human experience.”

God is everything. God is All. All is One. If I am to be a successful published author it is because of the One God. Destiny. God told me to start writing, back when I was recovering from a serious narcotics addiction that ruined me, took away everything I had, cast my family and loved ones into a horrid frenzy of despair and anxiety and nearly killed me. It was my way of giving thanks, my way of turning a horrible mistake into something useful and helpful to others. So I am undaunted in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds at mounting a golden years’ career as an author, coming as I have from absolute obscurity. It is supposed to happen. It will happen. No doubts, no worries. It’s a god thang. Gotta do it.

You've got a great "do unto others as you would have them do to you" mentality. This has helped you to establish a community (actually more like a family) around your writings and your blog. How do you sustain this attitude, especially in the face of all the difficulties and troubles in the world (many of which you write about on a daily basis)?

Difficulties are the way of the world, the way of life here on this plane of existence. Facing challenges, growing and learning from difficult experiences is what we do. I’m no different than any other sentient being. So I just talk and write about my difficulties as if they were normal to every one of my readers. And they are. I have arthritis. I have financial challenges. I have a mother that worries herself to an earlier than necessary death over her family and its problems. I have children and grandchildren that stress me all the time with their normal immature dubious early life decisions. I have a brother that’s in jail. He made some awful bad decisions long ago that just caught up with him. But hey – sound familiar anyone? It’s called life. I just write openly and honestly about my life, and I think people relate to that and appreciate the fact that I am transparent about my issues. Makes them comfortable with me and willing to interact with me. My readership is part of my family and in this family we share. And care.

Christmas is a holiday of giving. How does giving feature in your life? In what ways does being a writer and having a popular blog help you contribute to the community?

On a personal “day in the life of Marvin” level, I give with my time and money. Well, I don’t have a lot of money, but I give what I can, to my church and to random people I see in need. A five spot given to a single mom standing behind me at the grocery store checkout line that is stressing over what items she has to put back because she can’t afford all the food her hungry little ones need is the best five dollars I could ever spend. Bar none. And I spend my time and use my talents volunteering for outreach programs that my church does. This week I’ve been using my carpentry skills, outfitting an outbuilding in the back of the church with shelving for the free food pantry we are launching. I ain’t thirty anymore, but I still know how to swing a hammer. And I come home tired, sore, and feeling good. I just spent the afternoon making the world a better place for some folks.

As far as the writing, the books and the blog? That delves into global community. I write books and blog about spiritual matters. Stuff that is good for the soul. I can’t be in every third world country doling out food or bandaging bullet wounds, I can’t be in every city, neighborhood and block in this country or others to help where I can physically. But I can write. I can publish. I can market. I can blog. I can network. I can spread the word, spread the Love of Christ through the giving of my time and talents at the keyboard and on the internet. The world-wide web is a wonderful tool. I use it in the Christmas spirit, the spirit of giving. God gave me the gift of expression and communication through the written word. I will use it to glorify God and create peace and harmony amongst all humankind as long as I can draw the next breath and sit upright at the computer desk.

Tell us a little about your book, Owen Fiddler. What's it about? How do spirituality and the Christmas Spirit feature in the story? Did you encounter any major roadblocks in the journey to publishing Owen Fiddler, and if so, how did you overcome them?

Well, to me the true spirit of Christmas is the spirit of giving, the spreading of the love of Christ. I pains me to no end to witness the way the holiday over the last few decades has sunk to the depths of such a consumer consumption-driven materialistic event. It’s all about what am I getting and how much - rather than how much can I give. But that’s another soap-box I’ll probably step up on and blog about near or on December 25th.

As for Owen Fiddler, he is the ultimate “the world owes me” kind of guy. He likes to dance, but never pays the fiddler. Hence his name. He racks up a huge karmic debt with his selfish ways over his lifetime and in his middle ages the tab comes due, wreaking havoc on him and the lives of those around him. But in the end, the enlightened Owen Fiddler becomes the embodiment of the true spirit of Christmas. It’s not a Scrooge remake, but it does have some of the elements that that marvelous age-old fable has.

I didn’t have lot of difficulties in the quest for publishing. It took a lot longer than I wanted to find a pub house to take it on, but that’s par for the course when you are still a relatively unknown author. Lack of patience, tenacity, and perseverance will kill an aspiring author dead, as I’m sure you well know. Ironically, all the “Christian” pub houses rejected it because there are some swear words in it and a couple sex scenes. I was like, whatever – I’m a truthful, real-life, tell it like it is kind of writer. Owen is a self-serving, foul-mouthed whoremonger most of his adult life. How could I write him up as a golly gee Mr. Nice Guy? Just as ironically, most of the secular pub houses eschewed it because it was “too religious!” LOL. Go figure. But eventually the manuscript got in front of Arline Chase from Cambridge Books, and she and her board of directors voted to give the book a shot. They will also be publishing the sequel and the series.

You're currently taking Owen Fiddler on a blog book tour. Where did you go yesterday? Where will you be tomorrow? Can we have a full schedule of your tour?

Sure! Thanks for asking. Yesterday we had a great time at the Straight From Hel Blog. Helen Ginger posted her review of the book and I contributed an article on what it’s like for a novice author when you first run into an exacting and brutally candid editor. Painful and necessary to the gainful experience. Tomorrow we shoot over to the Pretty, Prosperous and Powerful Blog, where host Lacresha Hayes and I will discuss some of the more spiritual messages within the book. For a complete line-up of the tour, the dates, blog url’s post formats, and even juicy prizes and giveaways, check out the Owen Fiddler Blog Book Tour 2009 Schedule.

You have your own unique brand of spirituality, a combination of various teachings and faiths. How does this affect your celebration of 'traditional' holidays, such as Christmas? Any special traditions you'd like to share to get us in the Christmas spirit?

Well I am first and foremost a Christian. Certainly my Zen training and Taoist studies have an influence on the way I go about my spiritual practice. I still do sitting Zen meditation to clear my mind of the incessant internal dialog, allowing me to get here and now and be able to hear the voice of God clearly. And walks in the woods, observing and communing with nature is when I feel closest to God, one with everything. But I also pray, like any “normal” Christian. Most traditional Christians think I’m kind of weird, that I don’t really “get it,” but I’m comfortable with my brand of Christianity. I consider myself a non-religious, dogma free spiritualist Christian. Ever the Maverick, that’s me. I not only read the Bible, I read early Christian texts, like the Gnostic Gospels and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and some of the books that were not included in the accepted Bible we have today like the Gospel According to Thomas, the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Judas. Why not?

For two or three hundred years A.D., early Christians read those texts and fashioned their spiritual practice after those teachings. I also read scriptures of other religions. The Tao Te Ching, The Dhammaphada, the Upanishads, the Qua’ran, all those and more. I think too many Christians are fearful of reading anything for spiritual direction other than the Bible. Afraid of exposing themselves to the writings of other spiritual paths – as if they might discover some amazing new truths in them and find out they were wrong for following Christianity. That’s crazy. The fact that all the major world religions have a great deal of overlap in their teachings is to me an endorsement of my faith. If there were none, if Christ’s teachings were so far removed from the teachings of all the other great avatars that have taught humanity over the millennium I would have to question whether or not Christianity was the best path for me.

As for holidays, I celebrate everything. If you’re a Buddhist and want to invite me to a Buddha’s Birthday Party, I’ll come. With bells on and incense lit. Jewish? Got a Hanukkah celebration happening? Invite me. I’ll join in on the fun, eat your kosher delicacies and drink your kosher wine. Heck, I’d celebrate Tuesdays every week if someone wanted to throw a party and have a bunch of people come over for some eats, drinks and good clean fun. We make too much out of arbitrary dates as if they have some real cosmic and sacred significance. The holiest of holy days is always today. The only time is now. Be one with God right now, in each and every moment, and your entire stay here on this earth will be one continuous holiday celebration.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor, publisher etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

First person to pop up in my mind when I read that question was Travis Thrasher. I just got introduced to this author by winning his latest book, Isolation, in a blog tour giveaway promotion. Great book. Thrasher is a Christian that, like myself, chooses to write outside of the traditional “Christian Book” genre. I relate to him a lot because he realizes that he reaches a much broader audience and readership with cross-over genre writing. His Christian messages and worldviews come through loud and clear, just because of who he is, but the reader does not feel “preached to” at all, or get that uncomfortable feeling that he or she is being admonished to convert to the faith of the author. Thrasher is a Stephen King disciple in terms of his writing style, and a darn good one. Isolation is one of the best suspense thrillers I’ve ever read and I now want to read all his books. We’ve started to e-communicate and I hope at some point in the future to do some cross-promotional stuff with him.

Hey Emma, thanks so much for having me on your wonderful blog today. Answering your queries put me to task and made me think and delve quite a bit, and that’s a good thing. And I want to thank all our readers today for reading my (admittedly long-winded) answers. LOL. Hey – I’m a writer! I can’t even introduce myself on the written page in less than 500 words.

I’ll be stopping in from time to time at your blog all day and into the early evening, so if anyone would like to discuss what I’ve written here or ask me any questions, I’ll make sure and reply in the comments section. Take care, God bless, and bye for now.

About the Author
To learn more about Marvin Wilson, check out his blog.

© Emma Larkins and Marvin Wilson

Wishing for a Fantasy Life

2008-12-10T07:45:00.003-05:00

I was daydreaming the other day, and I found myself wishing for a fantasy life. Not the life of a movie star, or a famous rock n' roller, mind you, but a true, honest to goodness fantasy existence. I'm talking The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter here. The lives of the characters who live these stories are more exciting than anything I've seen or heard of in the 'real world.'

Sadly, I probably won't be transported to a magical realm the next time I walk into a wardrobe full of fur coats or jump through a brick wall onto a train. And I doubt Gandalf is going to walk through my door anytime soon. So, I'm trying to figure out how I can make my life more like that fantasy life I dream of, without having to check out of reality completely. Besides, you never know what quest is waiting for you just around the corner...

This is what I've come up with so far, some of the key components to being a fantasy realm hero:

1.) Get Moving

How It's Done: I've yet to read a story in which the main character sits in the middle of a forest for the entire book, watching the squirrels gather seeds and nuts. The hero is always on the go, traversing the land on horseback, running through winding streets to escape an enemy, dodging spells or swords, or climbing the tallest tower despite an acute fear of heights.

What I Can Do: Now that Ultimate is done for the season, I need to find a new way to keep myself in shape. Luckily, the early darkness of winter days lends an extra air of excitement to dog-walking. I can almost pretend that I'm really making my way into Narnia or Middle Earth on these misty, moonlit nights... almost.

2.) Learn to Defend Yourself

How It's Done: Every hero has enemies, and the struggles of a hero to preserve life and limb in the face of all odds are what make stories exciting. Whether with a sword, a bow and arrow, or a disarming spell, all fantasy characters must find a way to protect what is precious to them - namely, their lives. How long do you think you'd last when faced with a Dark Horde?

What I Can Do: In the past, I've taken classes in martial arts, ranging from karate to tai chi. The YMCA offers courses in kickboxing (cardio kickboxing, that is) that might suit my needs, for the time being. Want to get really authentic? Why not check out the Historical European Martial Arts Club (a.k.a. swords!)?

3.) Specialize

How It's Done: Have you ever noticed how everyone in a fantasy novel has a speciality? Either your a rogue, a wizard, a talking lion, or that guy who doesn't do much besides crack funny jokes. The message seems to be this: have a skill, or you're out of the Fellowship. And no, knowing how to work the fax machine doesn't count.

What I Can Do: I've got a few handy skills up my sleeve. I'm pretty good at building fires, although my flint-work could do with improvement. I know enough about blacksmithing to forge a rough sword in a pinch. If all else fails, I bet I would make a decent storyteller. Every quest needs a storyteller, right?

Don't forget the corollary to this one: specialize, but don't be an expert. The expert is never the hero of the story. Instead, it's always the newbie, the person who needs to prove him or herself the most. Luckily, I know all there is to know about being a newbie.

By the way, if someone out there needs dangerous artifacts delivered or all-powerful warlocks dispatched, I'm your girl. Whenever you need me, I'll be ready. I've been practicing

Local Writers' Associations - Maryland Writers and Others

2008-12-08T07:45:00.000-05:00

Writer and book reviewer Serena from the Savvy Verse & Wit blog brought up a good question yesterday about how I learned about Edie Hemingway's writer's workshops in Frederick, MD. I thought the answer could do with repeating, so here it is - I found out through the Maryland Writers' Association email list.

I recently joined the Maryland Writers' Association, and I've received a lot of great information from my fellow members. Members also get to put their sites up on the member sites page. In addition, the discount to the annual conference just about pays for the membership, so if you're planning on going to the conference, it's more than worth it. Attention emerging authors: you ARE planning on going to a writer's conference, right?

Of course, many of the people reading this probably aren't from Maryland. For you, I have a special resource that I've been working on: my Local Writers' Associations By State site. More than two hundred writers' organizations from across the U.S. are listed here (and counting!)

You can find a lot of great information online - believe me, that's how I started. But nothing beats a local writer's association for giving you that extra insight into local conferences, conventions, workshops, readings, and more. It can be a great advantage to a new writer to join one of these organizations, or even just to stop by their site to see what's going on locally. And hey, sometimes us writers need to get out from behind the computer screen and meet with people in real life, and what better way to do this than through a local organization?

Sunday Report: Bits and Bobs for the Week of December 8

2008-12-07T11:53:00.000-05:00

Next up for the Community Fridays interview is a man who hardly needs introduction - Marvin Wilson. He'll be here discussing a little bit about writing, spirituality, and the Christmas Spirit.

I just finished the writing class I took at the Carroll County Community College with Jeffrey Roth. He's very involved in his writing process, and he has a wealth of knowledge to share when it comes to writing and reading to help you develop your skills, but I wish there had been a bit more practical application in the class. Therefore, I'm looking forward to learning more about writing workshops offered by Edie Hemingway. Edie hosts her workshops in Frederick, MD. They cover a wide range of writing-related subjects, such as point of view, finding your inner voice, and writing for children. Can't wait to find out what they're like!

One more thing before I let you go today. I've been working on a speculative fiction story about a society in which debates are resolved by dancing instead of talking. Part of the story has to do with class struggles between the Danceocracy and the Miners, who mine trash heaps for the resources necessary to continue life in the town of Sanfro. My concept artist, Konstantinos Tsiopanos, was kind enough to work me up some concept art for the vehicle used by the Miners. So here, without further ado, is the RollCrawler.

Interview with Jean Henry Mead on Community Fridays

2008-12-05T01:22:00.001-05:00

Upcoming Guests and Humble Pie

2008-12-03T07:45:00.001-05:00

Another short one today, I've been spending a lot of time poking around in one of the worlds I'm creating for a story (a futuristic city in which debates are held using dance instead of words), so not much time for blogging.

First, a heads-up on some upcoming guests. I've mentioned that Jean Henry Mead will be here this Friday for her blog book tour. And the week after that, Marvin Wilson, who you've probably seen lurking around the comments section here, will also stop by on HIS blog book tour for his spiritual novel, Owen Fiddler. Marvin is an all-around wonderful guy, fun to be around, always willing to lend an ear, and somewhat of a rogue in his field. On December 12 he'll share his thoughts on writing, spirituality, and Christmas.

And now, a bit about my big slice of humble pie. Hey emerging authors, want to get a reality check on your latest project? Get in touch with an author who has been publishing for a while, teaches workshops on writing, and holds no punches. Conferences and conventions work great for this. Then, have said author critique your work. It's completely different from doing a group critique among peers. Note: do this only if you're willing to make a complete writing overhaul. You'll realize how far you have to go, but hopefully, you'll have a clearer idea of how to get there.

Odds and Ends for the Week of December 1

2008-12-01T07:45:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update, the Community Fridays guest for this Friday will be Jean Henry Mead. She's an author and writes some of the best writing blog posts I've come across. In addition, she's currently on a blog book tour promoting her newly released book, A Village Shattered. Be sure to stop in and give her a hello if you get the chance! To find out more information about her tour, click here.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to a quiet week after the holidays. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to get to Darkover, but I did get a head start on my holiday shopping, and a chance to recover from a hectic Thanksgiving. And now hopefully I can relax a bit and make some real progress on my writing.

Advice From Editors: Conflicted?

2008-11-29T00:41:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let people know that my new post is up over at the editor co-op blog, The Blood-Red Pencil. Conflicting Advice: Emerging Authors Want To Know! is about what to do when an editor's advice conflicts with your own ideas about how a story should go, or what to do when different editors disagree about a story's construction.

And don't forget to check out Mayra Calvani's interview from yesterday. A great travel story, suggestions for writing book reviews, and advice on how to juggle several genres all rolled into one!

Interview with Mayra Calvani on Community Fridays

2008-11-28T13:06:00.002-05:00

Storytime: Trippin' on Thanksgiving Joy

2008-11-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ned strained to flap his wings in the enclosed space. Tiny white feathers went flying every which way. His eyes darted back and forth furiously as he spoke to his fellow captive, Chuck.

"Okay, so are you all ready? Are you ready? He's there, I see him, he's coming towards me in a great shining ball of fiery light. Get ready now, we'll only have one chance at this, ready, set..."

"Ned, there's no one there."

"What? But the farmer - I see him right there, heading straight towards me... each one of his sixteen arms waving an axe. You're telling me you don't see that?"

"Ned, get a grip! You've got to chill, man. We're still in the truck."

"Okay, okay, gotta chill, got it. I'll take your word for it, Chuck. Help me around so I can get some air. The walls are closing in, man, the walls are closing in."

Chuck fought through the wings, wattles, and grossly over-sized bodies to get Ned to a part of the cage facing the outside. Wind rushed in as they flashed past hills, trees, and rivers. Eventually, the pick-up truck slowed, then came to an abrupt halt. Ned stared out through the wire mesh. His face became calm and thoughtful as he looked up at something that Chuck couldn't see from his position.

"I see it, man. I finally understand..."

"Stop talking crazy. It's time, Ned. Time for our plan. The truck's stopped, and I think they're getting ready to unload. Remember what you said - the farmer lets us out, and we go for the eyes. If we can't reach the eyes, we go for the jugular. If we can't reach that, we go for the knees. Peck, peck, peck and run."

Ned shook his head.

"I can't. I know now what I have to do."

The cages started flying open, doors worked by unseen hands transferring the turkeys into their new, and final, home.

The door to Chuck and Ned's cage opened with a protesting creak. Instead of jumping out, as he had planned so long ago on that gorgeous summer night lit by three and a half blue moons, Ned simply submitted. Chuck froze in horror, and was himself dragged out of the cage before he could put up a fight. The last thing he saw as he was taken away to certain doom was a large billboard. On the billboard, a family of bright-faced, laughing children and adults, cousins, aunts and uncles, cats and dogs huddled around a perfectly roasted and stuffed golden bird. In the background, a family member opened the door to invite a scruffy-looking neighbor to the feast.

"Bring joy to your holidays with Farmer Joe's finest free-run, homegrown, organic turkeys. Best in the business," read the sign.

Chuck shook his head mournfully.

"Poor Ned. He might have tripped one too many times off those funny things that the neighbor boy dropped, but he always had the biggest heart. He'd sacrifice his own life just to bring joy to someone else. Not even death can take away the beauty of that odd but noble bird."

***

Thanks to Mike Cane for his unique suggestions that inspired this story.

Did you like my tale? Want to read more lovely Turkey-Day inspired fare? Hop over to Marvin Wilson's blog to find links to his other victims - I mean, participants.

And to the wonderful people who offered suggestions, here is your challenge, should you choose to accept it: write a Christmas story on your blog! As you can see here, it doesn't have to be at all traditional, or even sensical to work. Gayle, perhaps something about a homicidal Christmas ornament? Mike, with all of your ideas, I'm sure you could work something in. And Larry, you must have a wealth of political tales involving former presidents and the Holiday Spirit! Of course, if any of you wish, you can choose a holiday more suited to your beliefs and tastes. And I'm sure Marvin will let us all know more about this dastardly cycle of holiday stories he's stared.

And the Results for the Thanksgiving Story sre...

2008-11-26T17:37:00.000-05:00

The hippie-tripping self-sacrificing turkey! Thanks to Mike Cane, Gayle Carline, and Larry Hodges for your suggestions, and thanks to everyone who commented and/or voted!

The story will be posted on Thursday (Turkey Day!), along with a link to Marvin's site so that you can all go and check out the other stories. Stay tuned!

A Fictional Twist on Traditional Turkey Day and Community Fridays Guest

2008-11-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

Marvin over at Free Spirit is offering me and several others a challenge. Way back in the middle of October, Marvin held a contest on his site to select characters for a Halloween story. Then he tricked some of us who entered the contest into continuing the holiday tradition by writing Thanksgiving stories. However, it's been my task to figure out the format and the inspiration for the story.

So I sent out a friendly little request into the interwebs, and this is what I got back:

Mike Cane, political and technology blogger, had a few very interesting ideas, ranging from hippie tripping, self-sacrificing turkey cannibals to shape-changing aliens stuck in turkey form to Thanksgiving being a cover story for the secret war between turkeys and chickens.

Gayle Carline, author and writing blogger, suggested a fantasy story about "a small town [being] terrorized by a serial killer, who turns out to be a turkey with an axe (to grind)," or alternately a real-to-life tale "of cooking all day, having family members show up 3 hours late to dinner (and they've already eaten), and at one point, walking into the kitchen to discover the cat straddling the turkey, gnawing the breast."

Larry Hodges, an expert on political history who's currently working on a novel about the election in 2100, couldn't help but put a political swing on the Thanksgiving story. His version includes Former President Andrew Jackson, thousands of Indian ghosts, and a beheading.

All of these leave me thinking one thing: what's so bad about Thanksgiving? Does everyone really have such bad memories that all they can think about the holiday involves madness and mayhem?

Now comes your part: which story do you want me to write? Leave me a comment, and let me know! Then come by on Thursday to read the story, and stop by Marvin's blog to check out the rest of the Thanksgiving tales.

And don't forget to return for Community Fridays. This week's guest is Mayra Calvani, author of the newly released The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing.

Interview with Edmund Schubert on Community Fridays

2008-11-21T07:45:00.005-05:00

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Edmund Schubert, an editor of Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show and author of the recently released Dreaming Creek.

You recently had your first novel, Dreaming Creek, published. Could you tell us a little about it? If I were to ask you for one reason that I should buy this book over any other, what would you say?

Dreaming Creekis a bit of a mutt. I would say it’s primarily a mystery/suspense novel, where solving the current mystery also results in solving an older one. But the action is driven by a Twilight Zone kind of twist, without which none of the present-day action would have occurred. There is also humor (I think humor and drama are the perfect foils for each other), as well as some relationship issues. My two main protagonists are a couple, and they are tested both individually and as a couple.

The main reason I would cite as to why you should read this book is that I have a great pair of legs. I’m talking traffic-stopping legs here. Seriously, if you ever saw me in a miniskirt, you would say, Oh my God, I have to buy his book!

Before your first novel was published, you sold more than thirty short stories. What are the similarities and differences between writing short stories and writing books? Is it difficult switching between them? Or do you only write one style at a time?

I think the biggest difference between writing short stories and writing a novel is their scope. A true short story (under 7,000 words) has to be really focused -- almost laser-like, if I may coin a new and clever way to describe it -- and I think it’s best to stick with one (or two at the most) point-of-view characters, and deal with one or two central events. A novel, on the other hand, has a lot more room for exploring a world and several of the characters who inhabit it. It ought to have multiple plot threads that eventually tie back together, and the author can show more of the backstory.

As to their similarities, I think the most obvious similarity is the need that both have for strong characters. Whether you are writing short or long, having interesting, believable, motivated characters is vital the success of the story.

While I was writing Dreaming Creek I would often get an idea for a story and set the novel aside to write the short story. Once the short was done, it sometimes took me a little while to get back into ‘novel mode,’ but generally speaking, switching back forth was not a problem for me.

What inspires you about the genres of science fiction and fantasy? The existing stories, the creative potential, the community? Something else?

I think the creative potential is definitely the primary thing that draws me to speculative fiction. I read a lot outside of the genre, but when it comes time to write I can’t seem to help incorporating some fantastical element into my stories. Part of the reason is simply because there are enough mysteries and romances and thrillers and whatever other genre of stories you want to cite to be found in real life that making another one up isn’t usually as appealing to me (I say ‘usually’ because I have published about a half dozen of mystery short stories). But with spec fic, there are no limits and no boundaries, and I find that immensely appealing.

I generally don’t write fantasy stories about elves or dragons, nor do I generally write about far-flung futures filled with space ships and ray guns -- and even when I do, the point of the story is still to get at the heart of an individual character. To what degree I succeed or fail at that I will leave to the reader to decide, but as the writer that is always my goal.

The kinds of stories I find myself most interested in writing are stories that remind some folks of the old Twilight Zone episodes. Take ordinary people, put them in an extraordinary situation, shake vigorously, and see what happens. To me that’s just more fun, and the stories that have received the best are usually the ones I had the most fun writing.

What catches your eye first when you're looking for a new author to publish in InterGalactic Medicine Show? An unusual character, an interesting plot, or perhaps a new way of using language? Or none of the above?

In the end I’m looking for two main things. The first is readability; there are a lot of people who have interesting ideas and interesting characters, but not all of them have the writing skills to make their prose so smooth that I forget I’m reading. I want to get lost in a story, and anything that jars me out of the world they’ve created is a problem. The other thing I’m looking for is the same thing you hear from editors all the time: that perfect combination of compelling characters doing compelling things in compelling situations and settings. Blah blah blah…

Frankly, the more work I do on the editing side of the equation, the more convinced I become that good stories are not about any one, big ‘ah-ha-this-is it’ kind of moment; they’re about a million little things all coming together just right. That’s why it’s so hard to quantify. The problem is that while the big picture is not that hard to see –great writing, great characters, and compelling situations -- the big picture is actually a jigsaw puzzle, made up of hundreds of unique but interlocking pieces that all have to fit together. That’s hard to describe, and even harder to do well.

Do you have any tips for an emerging author just starting on the path to publication? Either things you've learned from the editor side, or things you've learned from the author side?

1) Write, write, write
2) Read, read, read.
3) Write, write, write.
4) Lather, rinse, repeat.

I read an excellent story by you, called “Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight” I only have one question: is the 48 yard line the one close to the goal, or the one far away? (I admit, I'm a bit of a dunce when it comes to football!)

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the story.

I’m hardly an expert on football myself; when Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight was first published I got an email form a reader who pointed out that under current NFL rules, the scenario I portrayed at the end of the game in the story isn't possible. He suggested I change the team from an NFL team to a college team, because it was possible under college rules. I didn't change the team (the Washington Redskins), mainly because I am a Giants fan and don't like the Redskins; I wanted to make the ‘Skins the losing team in this story and what's the point in being a writer if you can indiscriminately punish teams you don't like...?

However, to answer your actual question (what a novel concept), there are two 48-yard lines. There are two versions of every yard line except the 50, which is right smack in the middle of the field. The yard lines are usually referred to as the Giants’ 48 or the Redskins’ 48 (or whichever teams are playing) depending on which goal the ball is closer to -- the Giants’ ‘goal’ being the one they are defending, and vice versa.

For the record, I had to re-read the story because it’s been a very long time since I wrote it, but it turns out that the 48-yard line referred to in this story is the Redskins 48, because there is a line in the story that mentions the ‘Skins having to go 52 yards to get the touchdown.

I picked “Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight" as the title because, 1) while it is technically possible that a team could find themselves in that situation, it is just about the most improbable scenario you’ll encounter on a football field, and 2) I liked the sound of the alliteration; it just rolled nicely off the tongue.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor, publisher etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

Two writers who I would say are worth watching are James Maxey and Eric James Stone.

James’ name may be familiar to some folks because he’s got three novels out now (Nobody Gets the Girl, Bitterwood, and Dragonforge: A Novel of the Dragon Age), as well as having multiple short stories in anthologies, Asimov’s and InterGalactic Medicine Show. In fact, I would say that James’ story in issue 7 of IGMS (“Silent As Dust”) may be one of the best stories we’ve ever published and deserves to be in several of the Year’s Best anthologies for 2008. He’s got a great writing style and a great sense of ‘story.’ Those two things are not commonly found in one package, but James has them both in spades.

The other writer I would be negligent in not pointing out is Eric James Stone. Eric is a Writer’s of the Future winner, has sold several short stories to Analog, several anthologies, and has sold so many stories to IGMS that some people half-jokingly say we should change the full name of the magazine from Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show to Eric James Stone’s InterGalactic Medicine Show. Eric is working on a novel right now that sounds so interesting that I told him back at DragonCon (last August) that if he needed an early reader to make comments that I would gladly do so, and to be completely honest I primarily made that offer so I wouldn’t have to wait until it was published before I could read it.

About the Author

Visit Edmund Schubert's website and his blog for more information. And don't forget to stop by InterGalactic Medicine Show, where Issue 10 has just been released!

© Emma Larkins and Edmund Schubert

Recap of Community Fridays To Date

2008-11-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

Today's post is a recap of the most recent Community Fridays interviews. This week will be the third straight month of Community Fridays posts. Yep, it really has been that long! All the authors, agents, editors, publishers etc. interviewed here have provided excellent information about writing, getting published, and everything that comes with the territory. Check out a few if you have a moment to spare!

Karen Syed, and CEO of Echelon Press, LLC., shares her wisdom about transitioning from author to editor and authors taking charge of their destiny through smart marketing techniques.

Learn more about improving your writing skills and how to be an effective part of the writing community with Jason Sanford, editor of storySouth and author.

Laurie Paulsen is in the beginning stages of her writer's journey. She talks about how technology affects the modern writer, and how working in a bookstore helped her learn more about the writing industry.

Author of the recently released The Ride, Jane Kennedy Sutton gives a fresh look at taking a book through the submissions process. Learn about volunteering in the publishing industry and how travel affects writing.

What better way to learn more about the book industry than from the readers themselves? Avid reader Katrina Larkins provides insight into the world of those who buy and read books.

Tomato Girl author Jayne Pupek started out getting published in literary and poetry magazines. Find out why this is a good first step for authors, and which writing/reader communities Jayne recommends.

Helen Ginger is a freelance editor, book consultant, writer, teacher, editor, speaker, and former mermaid. Among other things, she gives good advice regarding book consultants and public speaking.

Where to start with Elvira Woodruff's list of publications? Fearless, Small Beauties, The Ravenmaster's Secret, George Washington's Socks, the list goes on and on. Not only that, but she knows her stuff when it comes to in-depth research and surviving sticky situations involving librarians.

Andy Ross, a non-fiction literary agent, lists eleven benefits an agent can provide to an author. Not only that, his past ownership of a bookstore gives him new perspective on the writing industry.

Maryann Miller's multiple roles as author, scriptwriter, reviewer, and editorial consultant make her a wealth of knowledge. Read thoughts on how reviewers decide which books to review, and how scriptwriting is different from other types of fiction.

Get a dose of spookiness all year round! Christine Verstraete and the delightful characters in her Searching for a Starry Night stop by to educate and entertain.

Larry Hodges wastes no time in flooding your mind with useful tidbits regarding writing workshops, science fiction and fantasy magazines, and formatting a cover letter. Not to mention he's a former table tennis coach to the stars!

And most recently, here are eight tips for having a successful convention by Tomorrow's Memories author Danielle Ackley-McPhail, along with rogue marketing techniques and how to end up speaking on a panel at a conference.

Completion of the First Draft of My First Novel, The Hidden Land of Gre

2008-11-17T07:45:00.001-05:00

First, the stats:

The Hidden Land of Gre is a story about a girl and boy who go on a great adventure to save a dying race from an ancient curse.

Final length 71,467 words.
Start date: February 2008.
End date: November 2008.

Wow. I'm overwhelmed and speechless. I've just finished the first draft of my first novel.

I can't say that I've ever stuck with a big project like this (outside of "work," that is) long enough to see it through. It's an achievement, something to be proud of, and I think that everyone should take some time out to recognize their personal milestones. It's too easy to say "Phew, that's off my list, what's next?" But on the other hand, if I've learned one thing from all the wonderful people I've met over my last few months of learning the writer's ropes, it's that my work has only just begun!

Here are my next steps:

Format the novel, probably in Adobe InDesign, and print a copy or two on Lulu. It was actually my boyfriend's suggestion, and I think it's a good one. The novel still has a long way to go, but it will be fun to have a rough draft copy for posterity!

Let the novel sit. Most authors I've talked to have suggested this step. Despite the fact that it's been ten months since I've read some parts, I think it still needs to "gel."
Work on my "character bibles." My understanding is that these are documents used to get to know your characters better. I think my characters have changed and coalesced over time, so this will help when I get to the rewriting stage.

I'm toying with the idea of writing the next book in the series before rewriting the first book. I know the rewrites will be a pain, editing tends to be harder for me than writing. Perhaps I could do both at the same time?

And then, of course, rewrites, read-throughs, and edits for the foreseeable future!

Before all that, I suppose I should take some time out to celebrate... Thought it feels like a celebration just to know that I've actually done what I set out to do. Then again, watching a bit of Puppy Cam and eating chocolate is a pretty sweet, easily accessible reward!

Last but not least, I'd like to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone on Twitter and elsewhere who've offered their congratulations. And of course, thanks to all those who've buoyed me through my writer's journey!

Sunday Report: Week of November 17th Odds and Ends

2008-11-16T07:45:00.001-05:00

Here are some of the fun/informative things that are coming up for the next couple of weeks. Time to get excited!

On the next Community Friday, November 21, I will interview Edmund R. Schubert, author of the newly released Dreaming Creek and an editor of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. Issue 10 of Intergalactic Medicine Show has just been released, so I'm really lucky to get a chance to talk with Edmund. Stop by if you get a chance!

For those interested in science fiction and fantasy conventions in the mid-atlantic/northeast, Philcon will be next weekend (November 21-23) in Cherry Hill, NJ. Yeah, this year it's in New Jersey, for those who might be confused: Philcon actually stands for "Philadelphia Conference on Science Fiction and Fantasy." I won't be able to make this one, but it's a large conference that comes highly recommended. Several authors (and great sources of information!), including Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Larry Hodges, and Jonathan Maberry will be in attendance. Good times should be had by all.

Other than that, I will be attending the Washington Science Fiction Association meeting and (possibly) the Darkover convention in Baltimore, as mentioned in last Wednesday's post.

Finally, I've had an assignment to write a Thanksgiving story, to get people in the spirit of the holiday. So I'm going to be working on that. Will it involve a contest? Reader suggestions? Me making up something completely random? Time will tell.

As always, let me know if I missed anything!

Interview with Danielle Ackley-McPhail on Community Fridays

2008-11-14T07:45:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Danielle Ackley-McPhail, author and purveyor of promotional awesomeness.

You're about to release your newest novel, Tomorrow's Memories, sequel to Yesterday's Dreams, and you're an expert when it comes to creative marketing techniques. For example, at Capclave you distributed giant Pixie Stix® to promote a book about fairies. What ideas do you have for the book launch? (Unless they're secret, of course!)

The biggest plan we have is the raffle prize, which in this case will be a full-sized replica claymore donated by Griffon's Claw Armoury. The reason for the prize is that in Celtic mythology there were four artifacts the Sidhe or the Tuatha de Danaan brought to Ireland from their home land: From the city Murias, the great Cauldron of the Dagda, or caldron of plenty. From Gorias, the Spear of Lugh, from Findias, the Sword of Nuada, which always struck true and fatally; and from Falias the Lia Fail or "Stone of Destiny." In the novel, the sword plays a key part in the climatic ending, so our prize is a sword. If anyone is interested in the novel, they can click here, and if they would like to know more about the launch party, and how they might win that sword, they can visit this site.

While we're at it, would you like to tell us a little about the book?

Yesterday's Dreams and its sequel, Tomorrow's Memories are the beginning of my Eternal Cycle series, urban fantasy novels based on Irish Mythology. I am mostly Irish, but I never really knew what that meant. Most of my family history was lost in a fire and my heritage was never really passed on to me. Because of this I was always curious. The music and the legends always moved me and the brogue... anyway, I was frustrated that most of the fantasy books I picked up never really explored the Irish mythology. Mostly they just took the concept of the Sidhe, combined it with a few Gaelic words, and then made up the rest. I know it's fiction, but I like fiction that uses a foundation of what is established in the real world to add depth. I decided to write my own and in the research came across the goddess Carman and her three sons. There are so many variations that I won't mention the names, but basically they terrorized Ireland until they were finally destroyed by the Sidhe. I used that as the foundation of my story, introducing one son in the first book, returned as a possessing spirit, and then a second in Tomorrow's Memories. Each novel builds on the last, starting in New York and ending up in Ireland and Tir na nOg.20 I haven't done much work on the third book, too many other projects, but now that book two is coming out I have to get cracking!

Where do you get marketing ideas? Do you observe other people? Do you read about the subject? Do the ideas just pop into your head?

Most of my marketing ideas come from my own imagination, others do come from hearing what others I know have done. Basically, I try and think of things that apply to the subject matter of the current book, thus the prize of a violin for the Yesterday's Dreams launch and an autographed set of military-style patches as a prize for the anthology Breach the Hull, a military science fiction collection. The patches are also offered for sale, which helps to promote the books, particularly if a reader has enjoyed a particular author's story. As give-aways I always have Pixie Stix® on hand because of my anthology series, Bad-Ass Faeries... Pixie Stix® for Bad-Ass Faeries. Another thing you can do is use something that comes your way, even if it is meant for something else. We were given a bunch of pins promoting the movie Beowulf, now when we have a Bad-Ass Faeries event we give out the pins saying "The studio says B is for Beowulf, we say it's for Bad-Ass." For Breach the Hull we had another idea, that we didn't follow up on, but I still really like... we toyed with the idea of having custom dog-tags made up to distribute.

You describe yourself as an anthologist, which is a term I haven't heard before, 'someone who puts together an anthology.' Does that mean you solicit submissions, edit manuscripts, select cover art, publish the book, or some or all of the above? How does one get to be an anthologist?

Actually, I don't remember using the term, but I have heard others use it in reference to me. The description is apt, though. It isn't the normal way things are done, but in small press, particularly very small press, things can often be informal. I have taken four books through the process from idea conception to preparing the final files. Sometimes all the steps you have outlined above, sometimes only part of them. I have never published anything myself, I've always made arrangements with existing publishers when I have an idea. Mostly this is possible because of the connections I have made at various conventions, though I have been approached by publishers based on the reputation built upon what I have already done. I believe another term that exists to describe what I do is 'packager'. Someone who takes care of the details of a project for a publisher and then hands over the files at the end.

You're a convention and conference veteran, a frequent attendee as well as a panelist. What are your suggestions for a newbie just starting to attend these events?

1) Economize where you can: share rooms, bring food, don't go wild in the dealer's room.

2) If you want to be an author, go to the pro panels about writing and the business, participate from the audience if you are comfortable speaking and have something to add.

3) Meet the professionals, strike up conversations with them... it is important to make friends, not just contacts.

4) Look for opportunities you hear about at panels or in discussions and follow up on them.

5) Add your name to the mailing lists/news groups, they are opportunities to build on the friendships you started at the convention.

6) Volunteer for programming, even if you don't have any publishing credits, you have stuff to add, but be sure to prepare, at least in your head, if not with notes

7) Be respectful and professional.

8) Bathe... regularly ;)

About the panels - how are the selections made for who sits on them at a conference? Do you mention your interest, or does someone contact you about it? How do you prepare for being on open-ended panels like the ones they had at Capclave?

My first convention I attended as a guest was thanks to my publisher, as it was in the town where they were based. I didn't much know what I was doing, but I was fortunate that it was a very small, forgiving con and I never had trouble speaking in front of people. I also met people there that gave me advice on promoting myself at conventions. Most conventions you simple email the person in charge of programming and express an interest of being a participant. Mostly, that is all it takes.

Each convention has its own method of assigning panels. Some give you a list of panels, you tell them which you want to be on, they compare everyone's responses and time constraints and then attempt to populate the panels according to those constraints without double booking... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Other conventions ask your general interests and then put you on the panels according to their own decisions without telling you the actual topics. This can get dicey as an interest in a general topic doesn't mean a person will have any interest or knowledge about a specific topic that would fall under that heading. You are given, in theory, your schedule in advance so you can prepare. For myself, I have been doing this long enough that I get an idea of what I want to talk about in my head and think it through a bit, but then generally respond to what the other panelists bring up. If I can, and it's pertinent, I try and come up with a few examples if the topic calls for it. Some people work up a complete outline and a variety of questions they want to bring up, but I'm more comfortable going with the flow. I've worked in publishing so long, and I am an avid reader that I can generally hold a worthwhile conversation on most topics in that range on the fly.

What's it like to be in the dealer room of a conference or convention, selling your own books and anthologies? What suggestions do you have for people who want to do this?

This can be difficult. I don't really recommend it to anyone that is not extremely extroverted. I also don't recommend it if you only have one or two books. The best way to get started doing this, if you have an interest in it, though, is to pair up with someone else that you know (not good to do this with strangers) and that way you have several people to handle the table, as well as more to offer. Dealer's rooms can be grueling from the other side of the table. Long periods of wishing someone would stop to talk, followed by frantic moments of trying to take care of everyone at once AND keep track of all the necessary details.

Personally, I feel that when I sit down I don't sell because it puts a layer of distance between you and the customer an area of separation. You're talking up at them and not engaging one to one, that means I stand for upward of eight hours at a standard con... very rough. You have to engage the customer, draw them in. Chat, make them laugh. Show energy and enthusiasm, but without drawing them away from someone else's table. That's very important.There is a unity among dealers that you will very quickly find yourself on the wrong side of if it is felt that you are poaching another vendor's sales by drawing the customers away. If they stop at your table, or pass it in a general sense, or you see them looking at your stuff, make a connection, try and point out what you have before you. If you can make them laugh, you put them at ease. You relax, they relax, then you can start pointing out to them the finer points of your book... a brief idea of what it is about, what genre it is, any awards it has or has been nominated for, basically any relevant fact that might make it more appealing to them. From time to time, I've even offered to read them a portion. Basically... you have to be comfortable putting yourself out there, confident in your work, and enjoy talking to people. If you believe in yourself and your work, the customer picks up on that and you make them curious, make them want to know what makes you so confident.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor or publisher who's doing great things right now, and why?

Hmmm... I would have to say Jonathan Maberry. He is relatively new in the fiction industry, but he has made such strides in building his career. He knows what he wants and goes for it; he works every angle he sees and has the vision to propose some very timely projects to the proper people and get them signed. He is a business man, a deal maker, and an author all in one...a truly stunning sight to see him in action.

Now... a bit of advice not covered in the above. For any author or writer aspiring to be an author, professional organizations can be a vital tool. Find those relevant to your interests and join, they are excellent for networking, finding opportunities, and benefiting from the experience of those already established in the field. I belong to several organizations, including the Garden State Horror Writers, EPIC, and Broad Universe. All of them have been extremely valuable.

About the Author
Danielle Ackley-McPhail is the author of Yesterday's Dreams and Tomorrow's Memories. She is also the senior editor of the Bad-Ass Faeries Series. See her website for more information.

Update: Tomorrow's Memories is now available on Amazon!

© Emma Larkins and Danielle Ackley-McPhail