Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to attend a webinar. Of course, the topic wasn’t too exciting and had to do with converting a fleet from traditional fuels to gaseous fuels — oh the life of a journalist, you are constantly picking up bits of information that you never thought you would need to know. But the whole experience was just fun. You are connected to an expert who speaks on his topic while you and people from all over the country, all over the world, listen. At the end of his presentation, those tuned in could send questions to the proctor for screening before they handed them off to the speaker.
While I don’t see myself wanting to sit in on many more fleet-related webinars, unless duty calls, I would love to “attend” some writing-based webinars. And they do exist. Some are extremely pricey (occasionally, there are discounts) while on other occasions you can find free webinars. Writer’s Digest, in particular, offers several opportunities for pay-to-attend webinars (they are also prone to offer sales on webinars) and free ones like the link I’ve posted below.
Topics range from the business of writing, making a living as a freelance, finding and keeping agents, crafting query letters and much more. There are several I personally would love to participate in if not for money. But it is definitely a goal for the future since writers should constantly seek out avenues to polish up their skills, whether that avenue is a good book, classes, group critique sessions in a writing group, a webinar, blog or writer’s conference — something else I have on my writer bucket list. Until finances are firmly on even ground, I plan to take advantage of free avenues to polish up my skills.
So has anyone participated in writing webinars before? What were your experiences? If you have yet to attend one, try out the one posted below:
There is nothing like working as copy editor in an area of writing with strict guidelines to make you appreciate creative writing. Because in the world of journalism and house rules, creativity is often put on a sacrificial altar — well, if you haven’t earned the right to use “I” — to meet strict viewpoints of proper grammar.
Often times, personal style choices just aren’t recognized; instead, they are viewed as mistakes in very black and white terms. Take for instance “however.” Technically, it can start a sentence, but in some offices, heaven forbid that be the case. After all, a semicolon should always come in front of it.
There are several instances where certain punctuation or omissions are a style choice in creative writing, but they are all removed in strict office environments, becoming uniformed. So that is why when I edit copy, I am constantly grateful for creative writing. In creative writing, you can break the rules and shine in your uniqueness — you can bend the rules to your will, and it’s fine! You can omit the “and” in a series. You can have incomplete sentences. You can experiment all you like as long as the end results make sense and fit your story.Continue reading “Why I love creative writing”
It’s amazing what you find when you’re moving. While going through my binder collections, I found some old concept art that I had completely forgotten about from a now defunct book. Well technically, it’s not completely discarded since several of the characters still exist in the overall continuity of the world and important components of the plot are being cannibalized to fit the retooling that has happened in my fantasy world’s history. But besides, those parts that are crossing over, as it were, that book is going to be a complete rewrite with several new faces, some faces erased from the pages, a new way in which the plot unfolds, plus a new title.
Sometimes it’s just amazing how much a book or series can evolve, and I just find it fun to look back at remnants of past incarnations like these drawings. There were more, but they are of characters that are completely erased.
This character is getting a new name, ironically her aunt’s. Her appearance and expression just fit her aunt so much better; and not only is her aunt taking over her appearance, she is also taking over the lead for the book while she will just be an infant.This character is one that spans several books within the world. The only real change to the character is the armor; I don’t think she will wear any, but who knows!This character is another that spans over the many series in the world, but so far it is looking like her role will be reduced.
Was very happy to see it before falling promptly ill.
Last week I was excited to receive my copy of the “2015 Writer’s Market: Deluxe Edition,” though a bit peeved that after I ordered it — talking within a couple of days — they proceeded to drop the price by $9. But that’s just my luck: I have none. At least, this year I got my copy. Last year, you see, I had ordered one, but after a week or two, the vendor canceled the order, and I never got around to getting another one since at that time I figured just wait for 2015. So here it is!
I will admit that I have not had much time to go through it yet; I became pretty sick after receiving it, plus work has been beyond hectic since we are severely understaffed at the moment (let’s say, shit hit the fan really good). But I’ve taken the time to really thumb through it today, and eventually, as I use it more, I will post a full book review that includes my experiences using WritersMarket.com; hopefully answering the question: Is it worth purchasing the Deluxe Edition to get free access to this website?Continue reading “It’s here! My copy of the ‘2015 Writer’s Market’”
Today I’m sharing a short story written by fellow writer Jon Brierley that sprung from a writing prompt I posted last week — writing prompt #9. Jon, who lives in the North of England, is voracious reader who mainly writes comic fantasy and parodies. He describes himself as mostly unpublished and very much unpaid, leading him to have a day job. Offers of drink are always acceptable. Dreadful puns are at no extra charge.
Jon’s current WIP is a series of interlinked fantasy stories featuring his character, Aiella, and her companion, Dartea, who also features in this short story.
Jon’s blog can be found at sloopjon1960.wordpress.com. Be sure to check it out since bits of his writing may appear there. Book reviews, Jon’s love of history, his writing experiences also make appearances.
Well, I’ve managed to grease the wheels toward getting a more local group of NaNo-ers set up, and it will be interesting to see how well things come together, as far as participation goes. I’ve been spurred to take this approach since there is no region that really covers my area — and to be quite honest I have no desire or money to drive up to South Bend after work once a week. When I first joined NaNoWriMo, there would be write-ins in Nappanee and Goshen, and let me tell you, those were terrific. Not only did you get to meet fellow writer, but the whole experience really helps you focus on getting writing done.
However, and even I admit these events weren’t very well attended (maybe because of the methods used to promote them), time passed and all write-ins began to be solely hosted in South Bend. So this year, I’m hoping by enlisting a couple of local libraries maybe a sound group of writers will come together here in Kosciusko County, eventually formulating an official NaNoWriMo region for the county and potentially neighboring ones like Elkhart County. I’ve already contacted one of the libraries, I intend to enlist this first year and will be making contact with the second one yet this week.
So far, I’m a little optimistic. We’ll see how it goes.
In other news, I was glad to receive my “2015 Writer’s Market” in the mail today. Definitely going to try and enter as many pieces as I can in 2015 and hopefully recoup the cost of purchasing the book. Hey, a person can dream.
We’ve all had this happen at least once in our lifetime: transportation failure. Your car refuses to start when you have an appointment to meet. You’re cruising down the highway when your tire blows out. Your flying your airplane when bam! one of your engines goes out. Well, you get the point. And when these moments occur, we are normally assaulted with a variety of emotions, depending on the severity of the situation — anger, fear, terror, sorrow, annoyance, stress, etc. Once those emotions are past or have changed, we then have to react to the fallout of suddenly being stranded.
For this prompt, you are going to have your character or characters experience a transportation failure, be it Humvee, tank, spaceship, horse or even yak. Start with the moment of the failure and then follow through to the consequences of the failure. How does your character — or character(s) — react to being stranded (you get to pick the location for better or for worse).
If you post a response to this prompt, share it in the comments! I will share any responses that I see on my blog (complete with a short bio of the writer and blurb about their blog) and on twitter.
Sometimes every little bit is needed to help spark the writing juices, from spicing up the routine to creating healthy additions. Here are seven tips to do just that and even improve your writing routine — some of these you might already do, but with luck a few of these might be of use to you. They are in no particular order.
Tip One: Carry A Notepad/Notebook
A concept art for my one fantasy novel located in one of my favorite sketchbooks. I use it to write down ideas in addition to sketching concept art. (Copyright Sarah Wright 2014: Do not redistribute)
Now this is something that every writer should do, and most probably already do. I know I have tons of notebooks littered across my house and in several different bags. I use mine for quickly jotting down ideas, sketching concept art, outlining, or even writing out short scenes.
Put notepads in areas where you need them: on your night table, in your purse/briefcase/backpack/messenger bag, on your desk, or even by your porcelain throne. No matter where you place it, or whether it’s a lined notepad or a sketchpad, use your multiple notepads to jot down ideas on the fly or write short scenes as they come to you.
Not high-tech enough for you? Use a tape recorder or an app on your smartphone to record your thoughts: It’s the new notepad.
Before I start, I feel like I have to warn you, I’m a major lover of tea — if you hadn’t already gathered from the blog. I drink it everyday unsweetened, and for a while, I was only drinking tea, water, and lemonade — I’ve since fallen off that wagon … unfortunately.
Speaking as a fellow writer, who is constantly sitting while at work and at home, it is important to seek out healthier options than the normal can of pop or coffee/coffee drink that is laden with sugar, high corn fructose syrup, and other fattening additives. Tea, as long as you don’t doctor it up too much and get organic or loose leaf options, is extremely healthy; it can really clear up your mind and some types of tea actually have more caffeine than coffee. Of course, there are other healthy options out there; I’m just partial to tea! Do you have another favorite writing drink? Share it in the comment section!Continue reading “Seven things every writer needs to do”
When you work as a staff writer in an area where the population doubles in the warmer months, summers are a hectic time filled with festivals, special tabs or assignments for special events, and just hectic deadlines that seem impossible to meet — yet somehow you manage them. We are just entering the last hurrah with the last of the special tabs — fall farm tab and marching band — being due next week. The next stressful deadlines won’t be until around Christmas tab time. So while I love summer, I’m finding myself looking forward to its wrap-up so that I no longer feel like a rat on a sinking ship, barely keeping its head above the icy water.
This fall and winter I hope to put together a structured schedule for my writing. One day designated for work on SciFi novel — Katya and her crew continue to etch out a living on the lam — another day to begin work on Passage‘s sequel, Order, where an terrorist-like group threatens the stability of two kingdoms. Finally, a day for work on short stories, because I really want to build up my creative writing resume, and possibly earn enough money to go toward a new printer — mine is printing words with shadows behind them — and a larger monitor screen to make it easier to compare main documents to critiques. And of course, a few days would be set up for free write to work on whatever project I need or want to focus on at that time.
I haven’t quite determined how much time I will spend on writing on these days, perhaps an hour to an hour and a half. But one thing is certain I want to have a lot of writing going on with many projects being submitted to various platforms.
I’ve also decided, after a two-year gap, I believe, to commit to NaNoWriMo 2014, which will be an odd month of balancing Heritage Lost, aka Sci-Fi Novel, and Order, plus maybe a few other writing projects. The goal is for November to be a writing binge, hopefully filled with fun and excitement of that first year I competed in NaNoWriMo. I’m even kind of hoping to get local NaNoWriMo-ers, who don’t want to drive all the way to South Bend, to have the opportunity to meet in Kosciusko County. We’ll see how that goes, but I’m hoping to maybe get fellow novelists to my local library or to area coffee shops.
Also participating in NaNoWriMo? Reach out to me at nanowrimo.org! My username is Pans-Pen. Pan is not to be confused with Peter Pan; it is actually the diminutive form of one of my character’s name, which is Pantheras, an old Roman name. He is one of my favorites, even though I’m kind of exceptionally cruel to him in the books, but perhaps that is why I connect to him very closely.
I really encourage those interested in NaNoWriMo a try; after all, you have nothing to loss and words to be gained! I wish all luck who want to participate.
Also be sure to wish me luck: this weekend I send out Before I Rest, a short fantasy tale, to another literary magazine.
Back to the grind, though I usually don’t go back to it as happy as this kitty. (wifflegif.com)
Whew, made it through a full week of work post-vacation! Though I got to say, it was painful getting up at 6 a.m. again. But, I need money to feed myself and the kitties, so back to the grind it is. As is the norm, I come back to assignments that didn’t belong to me, but surprise! They are mine now. At least, it’s job security, even though it’s going to be challenging to get them done on top of my regular assignments and copy editing schedule… and we haven’t even received our special tab assignments yet.
I do have to say getting up getting up at 6 a.m. and reintegrating into the office was very inspiring, because it really made me want to get my creative writing out to hopefully earn enough money that I could at least go part time, which a couple of my coworkers have done recently for varying reasons. They have just made the whole part-time route look like so much fun!
During my vacation, I did start considering strategies to achieve such a feat, by looking at what I have. I have one completed novel, “Passage,” which I haven’t queried since my move, other books in its series in varying states of completion, several short stories lying around and a SciFi Novel halfway done, not to mention odd bits and pieces of writing projects. This is too much writing sitting around and not doing anything!
Can completely appreciate Snoopy’s struggles.
Now that I am largely stationary in my home (still got stuff at my dad’s house though), I cannot justify having so much writing not moving as it were. I started to pick up the momentum during vacation and submitted another short story to a literary magazine for speculative fiction … it got rejected, which seems to be a reoccurring theme no matter what I’m peddling. But I’m not allowing it to get me down; I intend to submit it to another similar magazine that takes shorts of the same genre and who knows maybe they will be the right fit.
If anything, the experience is making me angry, only angry in a good way. It’s building a fire that is intent to break through the doors of the publishing world. The experience is also further highlighting knowledge that I have stuffed in the back corners of my mind: It is hard for a first-time writer to get anything published, even their short stories.
But that is alright, because I’m intent to make it happen; however, I’m doing a bit of a game change, especially the more I learn about the approaches other writers have taken and observe the changes that are happening in the publishing industry.
When I began the querying process for “Passage,” I started by querying agents. However, when I resume querying, it won’t be to agents. I’ve decided to take another route: I will do my own homework and, hopefully yet this month, start querying a few of the larger publishing companies that still take unsolicited manuscripts. I will also begin looking at smaller presses that might make a good fit for my book.
Self-publishing is also emerging as a strong possibility. It’s no longer the dirty word of the publishing industry and has a real strong movement of indie writers publishing their own works. I do admit there is something very appealing about having complete control of my works. So while I’m putting together packets for publishers and presses, I’m also beginning to put my manuscript together in preparation of self-publishing it. I’m quite fortunate to have skill sets that will save me money when it comes to self-publishing, such as having the graphic design skills and programs necessary to make a professional cover. In fact, I’ve already begun piecing it together, and so far, I think it looks swell.
On top of getting “Passage” moving again, I’m going to work on building up my resume, which means getting short stories out and, hopefully, picked up by various literary magazines. It’s a tall order, but it’s something I have to do to get where I want to go. I will also be tackling the remaining books in The Mortal Wars series in case I do go the self-publishing route with “Passage,” because I will want sequels out every year or every year and a half. The SciFi Novel is also going to get a lot of effort put into it because I can see it being particularly marketable at this time to agents and publishers, but then again, I could be wrong on that front, lol.
I’m certain I will receive several more rejection notifications, but hopefully they will only serve to kindle the fire. In meantime, I’m going to take inspiration from Larry Correia’s experiences selling his book, which was rejected numerous times but, through cunning marketing practices, was picked up by a major publisher after he self-published it.
Cheers everyone and hoping your own writing projects are also going swimmingly.
Blood & Ink 