Publishing

Last night, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend one of Kenosha Writer's Guild's workshops on publishing and met Nate Kuiper of Compass Book Printing and Publishing, a local publisher in Pleasant Prairie. Nate is taking the middle man out of publishing and while it is essentially self publishing, he works with smaller presses and can get good deals with printing smaller runs. He also insists that the author is 100% committed to the sucess of the book and while that often means putting alot of research and marketing into it, he and I are beginning talks about a contract based marketing service that I would be willing to offer to authors in the local area (need to use that degree of mine somehow right?) So next week, he and I are going to get together for lunch or something and start hashing out some ideas and see where it leads us. But if you are in the Southeast Wisconsin area and are looking to Self Publish, check him out.

Steampunk romance?

My dear husband bought me a new novel for Valentine's day - Steamed by Katie MacAlister. I haven't finished it yet, but I do believe that Ms. MacAlister is on to something. I am sure that there have been a few books like hers out there before, but this is the first true "steampunk" romance I have come across. What is steampunk? It's a subgenre of writing, art, and even culture it seems, kinda like goth has become. The feel is very Victorian and the focus is on fantasy creations based on steam technology. Some books take place in the 1800's while others like, Steamed, is present day, just a different dimension. Some even are in the future.

I have decided to take a stab at this genre. I decided it is going to take a bit of work, research and such. There can be quite a bit of terminology and accepted attire/language. I am going to dabble in a short story, flash fiction I think, to start with and see how it goes from there.

New Year New Resolutions?

Ok, so it's the new year. What does that mean to me? To be honest. Not a whole lot. I made my resolution a few months ago. I am going to sit down and write. I have decided that writing should not be a reward for accomplishing the day to day things I have to. I used to say to myself, "If I get the laundry done now, I can devote a few hours to writing." Not anymore. Now it is I'll do an hour of writing and then do the laundry. It is amazing how much I get done, both writing and around the house. So my advice to all you writers or artists or anyone who has a passion is to make time to do what you love and let the rest be for everything else.

I am in the process of writing another book. I finished Beauty and the Beast. It is sitting aside right now. I am giving it some time to settle. I'll go back and edit it and then get my confidence in it built up and go back to the agent search yet again. So wish me luck, though I am pretty proud of it. At least right now.

The great search

Krisina and I are on a mission. We are looking for ideas for ways to describe a character. My big thing is the face...I am tired of the chiseled jaw and the heartshape face. so I am in search of some new ideas. How to describe...how to describe. So we have spent hours typing in searches on google and other search engines, searching for the right words to use to find the right words to use when describing something...kinda ironic if you think about, needing to find the right words to find the right words. So I am off to search some more. At this rate, I am going to be up until 2 am like Kristina every day until I find that perfect website or book out there.

MIA back in action

Ok, so it has been a long time since I wrote, both here and for any of my works in progress. But I got a reminder this morning from a fellow writer who follows this blog and lives right down the street. So here I am. I actually had a brain storm for a new novel...that makes four wip, but hey, I have so many voices going I am eager for any of them to talk. I hit a dry spell after I recieved the rejection letter of all times for me. I had sent out the first three chapters to an agent who had requested it and waited four months to hear from her. When I recieved the chapters back with the rejection letter, I was pissed. Not because I was rejected, but because there was no evidence of the agent even turning the pages and the rejection letter appeared to be a form letter! Perhaps this is standard now, but from what I have heard many agents at least used to make a few notes and state what they thought was wrong. Not just "your voice didn't speak to me as I had hoped."....As I hoped? Doubt it. So I am a bit bitter about agents right now and have set my first manuscript aside. I have changed my writing a lot since I finished that novel and perhaps will someday go back to it and get it published after I published every other novel I finish! Isn't that what a lot of authors do?

This new friend who I don't know much about also trains horses, so Kristina - thanks for getting me off my butt and back in the saddle!

Robin

GMC

GMC - no not the car finance company. Goal, Motivation and Conflict - I'm working on Pru's right now. Not that I don't really know it, but trying to bundle it up and put it in one sentence. her overall goal is to change her life, but what unsatisfied person doesn't want that? so she has lots of little goals - get a new job, get a social life (which doesn't necessarily mean meeting Mr. Right), and some unknown sense of satisfaction...she is not sure where to find it, but thinks if she can meet the other goals, maybe she will find it - guess that is her motivation right there. I am not going to go into the conflict - that is the book, without conflict - no book.

now, Belle - I know her goal - survive christmas with the family...I am stuck on the motivation...what makes you want to survive with family??? Now there is a question. I have the conflict for that one too...lots of it! Of course she is talking to me right now....so off I go to write.

Kenosha writers group

Well, I just came from my first meeting of a writers' group. It was a local one that you can check out the work - I am not on there yet, but will be shortly - just have to get my butt in gear and write a bio. The link is http://kenoshawritersgroup.com . What is really cool is we are working on a collection - 365 Mondays - while the work in progress will be posted on line at the site, when it is all done, it will be in book form via www.lulu.com I have a meeting with the Wisc RWA on Saturday and will fill you in after that too. Kenosha was very diverse - all kinds of ages and all kinds of writing. Several people read. It was at this cute little coffee shop downtown Kenosha. Any writers in the area should really check it out.