Another e-book benefit...

Most people will agree that e-reading devices such as the Kindle and Sony 505 are somewhat cost prohibitive. Despite maintaining a four-book-a-week habit for years, I spent months debating whether it made sense to switch over to electronic purchases. Cost and comfort were huge factors that I had to consider.

It’s been just about a year since I became a Kindle junkie and I can honestly say I will never go back. For me it’s easier, more efficient, and cheaper. Here’s a secret many don’t realize. There are free e-books constantly being offered through publishers and through Amazon.

Two days ago I was scanning Amazon’s top rated Romance list and noticed a new release, According to Jane by Marilyn Brant. After reading the reviews I decided it sounded offbeat and quirky --- well suited to my Sunday afternoon mood. As I hit the download button on my Kindle I realized something else. It was free. Apparently, Kensington wanted to build buzz around this debut author so they decided to offer the electronic version free. Based on the reviews I think their strategy is working.

This story was everything the product description promised:

In Marilyn Brant's smart, wildly inventive debut, one woman in search of herself receives advice from the ultimate expert in matters of the heart. . .
It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there.

Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own.

As soon as I reached the final chapter I realized the story gave me more than just a couple hours of relaxed amusement. It also gave me a needed boost of motivation to go back to my own neglected works-in-progress.

Reading

I have found myself reading more these days, to keep up with my involvmetn in various activities. This isn't necessariliy a bad thing, the problem I have found is some of my favorite authors have let me down as a writer and as a reader. Mostly those who have written series. As a writer I understand the enormous responsibility writing takes, and the adventures that an imagination creates, but one would think even with a series that new branches and adventures can still happen.
I was so excited to finally read that latest in the series several times this summer and fall only to find myself thinking... I wouldn't do that, where is the conflict, all i see is repetitive scenes and dialogue. So my question is where is the freshness to the books? Do these authors get locked into a time frame with logistics and forget about the excitement of the new work?
It is my hope one day to be published, and if I go down the series avenue, I hope my closest to me will raise their hand and say go outside the box, I've read this same concept three books ago, branch out. Because the last thing I would want is avid readers never picking up the book because the arc now appears to be... nonexistent. Or the secondary or lesser characters have more life than that of the main characters. Can you tell I have been highly disappointed? I guess you can say I didn't get my aahhhaa moment in three book series that I have read in the last two months and now I'm complaining. Sorry for the ranting.

Writing Weaknesses

We all have them. Problems that creep up in our prose time and time again. Critique groups find them even after we've read our work five times and saw nothing amiss. So I feel comfortable sharing mine, knowing full well I'm in good company.

1) Author interjection. Sometimes I lose my character's voice. It falls away and exposes the person behind the curtain. If you'll recall, the Great and Wonderful Oz fell victim to this fate. And now the reader knows it's not a teenager speaking at all, but the author: a middle-aged mom.

2) Using superfluous writing. I always have to go back through my writing and remove "that," "the," and "just," for example. Sometimes I make my point twice in the same sentence. (Okay, not sometimes. Always. Look, I did it again!)

3) "Telling" instead of "showing." Much of the time, I love the way I've worded something. But if it isn't helping to keep my pacing, or it ceases to keep my characters in motion, it's not working.

4) Repeating words. In one sentence I'll say "She passed the salt." In the next paragraph it might say, "She passed up the high fat rolls." Maybe several sentences later I'll write "...she said in passing." It's tough to notice these, to be sure. But when I do, I get out the Thesaurus!

There are more, but these are the problems that crop up for me on a regular basis. It's good to know your weaknesses. And even better to realize it's okay to have them.

Did i miss it again?

Crap. Did I miss the deadline again?
Sorry. this living life on life's terms is getting old.
Sometimes it feels like I should unplug one or more of the many irons I have in the current fire, but they're all so much fun--when they're in the mood--that it's hard to pick. Example: why is it so difficult to master the intricacies of child car seats. I, of course, go back to the stone age when children were transported on their mother's laps or in car beds in the back seat. Not safe in the least and total chaos ensued when those little devils decided they didn't want to stay in the car bed. But this shoulder/lap/waist plug in here, release there contraption is for the birds!
When a three year-old says, "Tighter, Nana", you know it's time to throw in the towel.
too bad these seats don't come equipped with mouth gags.
Tirade over, I am yours in everlasting writing of adventures--
Kat, the grumpy grandma

What's in a Name?

Ever have a great story all mapped out in your head, just to have your fingers freeze over the keyboard because you can’t come up with a name for your characters?
Names make our characters stand out from the crowd. Typically, I like strong sounding names for my heroines. Kate, Kelly, Caroline with the hard consonants, seems to give them an edge.
Wanting to give my latest heroine some vulnerability was a bit challenging. I want my heroine to be able to brush away a tear at a sad movie, but still be able to flip off the jerk who cut her off on the expressway. I want her to have imperfect teeth, but a perfect smile. And of course, she must possess a resilient heart so she survives pain before the inevitable happy ending.
I named her Jolene.

Little Progress on My WIP....

I think I’m suffering from computer anxiety. Sitting at the keyboard, checking email and surfing cool websites, can be a whole lot of fun. But at the end of the day I’m still stuck on page eighty-two of my work in progress. Hmmm….no surprise, right? Lately, as I flip from one industry site to another my brain starts free falling. How can I push my writing up a notch so that I can scale that next hurdle? What’s the secret because a whole slew of authors are making it happen? That’s the point where my fingers stop flying over the keyboard. My WIP stares back at me. The pressure to write something ‘good’ renders me incapable of writing anything at all. Warped? Absolutely. Common? Probably.

I doubt that there is a simple cure for this disease. Tomorrow I’m going to avoid interacting with my Dell. Maybe a little distance will bring about a reconciliation. My brain and my fingers might learn to work together again. If that fails me, I have a backup plan. The new fall schedule for television kicks in next week. I’m not a huge addict but sometimes a few episodes of NCIS or Castle (premiered last year on ABC) helps me nail down conflict and tension building.

What helps you when your writing hits a lull?

Oops.

Hi LCRW,
I thought my post was today, but it was yesterday. (Tuesday)
Sorry.

As you've written over the years, have you noticed it getting easier or harder? Have you developed techniques you didn't have in the beginning?
For example, I've found outlining to be invaluable. My first novel I didn't outline. I just wrote.
My second, about half and half.
My third, I have a complete outline and now I'm writing. However, I had a ton of scenes already written. I have about 5 incomplete novels and loads of ideas. I plan to finish all of them.
But this time, outlining was easier. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.
:)

I'm enjoying the writing. It'll be interesting to go back and read it and see if it sucks. :)
Really, its amazing how much time you can spend on writing and not get paid at all. Hoping it will pay off in the end, but knowing if it doesn't I'd still keep writing.

It's very late, and I'm writing this after work, so it's probably barely legible.
Sorry about the rambling...

Working Together

Of late, I've had the privilege to work with a number of LCRW members on two committees, as well as one to one.
Members are working together, and having some real fun while doing it, to pull off next year's conference, the first one we've had in a number of years [if count back to 2000 and before that]. We met in the middle of downtown, at a cafe on East Ave on a Friday night at 8PM. To some, this would be a scary undertaking: braving the streets of Rochester after dark, parking in a garage or open lot or on the street. It wasn't at all. And East Ave is BUSY on a Friday night. All sorts of funky cafes and shops and bars. No matter, we laughed the entire time!!
Another committee is working on the contest, not a new endeavor for us, but certainly a new format, and hopefully, a new customer base. This has been enjoyable for a number of reasons, getting to know one another and learning new skills [creating camera ready ads anyone? How about studying local colleges to determine if they offer creative or fiction writing courses?] in a number of areas.
Lastly, one by one, LCRW members are spreading the word about our doings which have generated offers for corporate sponsorship for the Andersen conference.

What a joy that is.
Thanks
Kat

Time and Time

Well, school has started this week and I am finding I have more time, but it is quickly filling up with activities I didn't previously have. Lately, the last two weeks, I have been writing for the Examiner and someone asked how do you have the time.

I don't know. Somehow, I have managed to write the articles I need, the writing I need to do and still get to the miscellaneous things done I never knew I had.

If someone would have asked me about my writing schedule a month ago, the answer would have been I don't have time to write. Now, I have to make time. In that lies the difference, I wasn't making myself accountable for my time and now I am and am finding I am more productive with the same amount of time I had when I didn't have time. So as you can see, make yourself accountable, make time work for you and just write. The more you write, the more you write.

Agents

For those who don't already know, I finally signed with a literary agent. Yay! I'm quite proud of myself, since I've been trying for over two years now.

Here is what I've learned along the way for those of you pursuing representation or considering it.

1) The query letter must be perfect. I revised my letter quite a few times before I began to get manuscript requests. Summing up a plot in one tiny paragraph is difficult. There are even classes you can take for this, it's such a difficult feat to master.

2) Do not sit on your hands and wait after an agent has requested your manuscript. You will be waiting a long time for a possible rejection. Unless the agent requests an exclusive (and never give them more than 30 days), continue to submit your query to other agents. I wasted a lot of time waiting around for responses.

3) If an agent requests your manuscript, let them know you are open to revisions (unless, of course, you aren't). This might make or break your chance if they like your writing but feel the plot needs tweaking.

4) If another agent is interested in representing you, let the other agents who have your manuscript know about this. They will get back to you even sooner on your work, at which time they may also request to represent you. You will then have your choice of who you feel is the best fit. (This is what happened to me.) Don't automatically go with the first agent who says yes until you've explored all other options. Let them know you need a week to let them know, check references, etc.

5) Do not give up. I sent my manuscript to 35 agents over a span of two years.

I will be happy to answer any other questions pertaining to agents if anyone likes. I did a lot of research on it, and of course, experience was my best learning tool. Having an agent does not guarantee that I will have my novel published, but it does help my confidence level. And it gives me a better chance of getting in with a great publishing house.