Hello and Happy Friday,
The New York Times had an article titled: Self-Publishers Flourish As Writers Pay the Tab in their January 28, 2009 issue. From the title you get the gist of the article. It was a pretty good one and for me, it made me smile and gave me a sense of well-being and determination to keep writing.
The article talked about folks like me, who aren’t in the loop for traditional publishers but are okay because we do sell books to folks who really want to read our work may it be one person or a thousand. It wasn’t like those articles I’ve read in the past about the self-publishing business where the goal seemed to be self-publishing because you can't get a traditional publisher and are dying to get one, now its more of an independent drive where the big traditionals are the past and self is the future for folks who have the drive to write and succeed no matter what. If a traditional finds you then it’s all well and good, but if they don’t, its still all good.
“Words once they are printed, have a life of their own.” Carol Burnett
If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.
Until next time, God willing,
Lori
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Hello and Happy Monday,
I usually mail on Friday but Monday had to be the day. Are you writing? Are you reading? I’m doing both though I find myself on occasion doing more reading either because what I’m reading is too good to put down or I’m just procrastinating with my writing, so I do a lot of reading. With the reading, I’ve noticed one of the things I like to do is read the introduction when I didn’t like to do this before and specifically with non-fiction and what I call "learning or craft" books like those on the writing process.
I have to read the introduction because so much information is found in those first few pages, sometimes you don’t want to go into the rest of the book because you can learn so much in the beginning. Works on writing have especially good introductions because they give you a great taste of what you’re going to find inside and sometimes tell you interesting stories of how the book came to be, who they worked with to put the work together and how it’s information or lessons can help with my own work and knowing all this before hand usually makes me eager to continue reading.
So I don’t skip many introductions; reading those lets me know if I want to venture further to the heart of the work or realize there is no heart and I might not find the work as good as I once believed. One thing I do know for sure, reading is a fundamental part of my writing and I know I can’t do one without the other—at least not well.
Do both, reading and writing as much as you can, it’s never a waste of time and I believe it makes for a better person.
If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.
Until next time, God willing,
Lori
I usually mail on Friday but Monday had to be the day. Are you writing? Are you reading? I’m doing both though I find myself on occasion doing more reading either because what I’m reading is too good to put down or I’m just procrastinating with my writing, so I do a lot of reading. With the reading, I’ve noticed one of the things I like to do is read the introduction when I didn’t like to do this before and specifically with non-fiction and what I call "learning or craft" books like those on the writing process.
I have to read the introduction because so much information is found in those first few pages, sometimes you don’t want to go into the rest of the book because you can learn so much in the beginning. Works on writing have especially good introductions because they give you a great taste of what you’re going to find inside and sometimes tell you interesting stories of how the book came to be, who they worked with to put the work together and how it’s information or lessons can help with my own work and knowing all this before hand usually makes me eager to continue reading.
So I don’t skip many introductions; reading those lets me know if I want to venture further to the heart of the work or realize there is no heart and I might not find the work as good as I once believed. One thing I do know for sure, reading is a fundamental part of my writing and I know I can’t do one without the other—at least not well.
Do both, reading and writing as much as you can, it’s never a waste of time and I believe it makes for a better person.
If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.
Until next time, God willing,
Lori
Friday, January 16, 2009
Hello and Happy Frigid Friday,
It’s cold as all get out in Ohio and every where else from what I’ve read making this great weather to stay in and write and read. I have a lot of writing to do—to finish—though I’ll probably not get too far. As you well know I’m a very, very slow writer and even though I've dead lined the second Owen Story novel by the end of February, it won’t be completed until the end of March or possibly the beginning of April.
I feel badly because I've told folks the second novel would be ready by February and it’s not going to happen though I feel I have good reasons why not. First, I want to have this novel terrifically edited as if it had a 600,000 run with Simon and Schuster; edited for every wrong word, inconsistency, continuity problem, character development issues and any other problem the writing could have that I easily missed or didn’t know how to correct. A great editing job could make a good book better; it’ll be less trial for the reader so he can concentrate on story and not stumble over irritating writing mistakes that would sink his enthusiasm for the work.
Second—and last—I want to make sure the story is worth reading, that on every page I give the reader a reason to turn to the next one: an exciting story, developed characters, action and adventure, an unforgettable mystery, an intricate plot worth delving into and I have to say it again—can’t say it enough-- a terrific story worth reading in one sitting possible and all this takes me so much time to do. I love the story and I’m confident it ‘ll be done in the next few months, I just need to make sure its done right and this takes time.
“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” – Walter Wellesley.
If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.
Until next time, God willing,
Lori
It’s cold as all get out in Ohio and every where else from what I’ve read making this great weather to stay in and write and read. I have a lot of writing to do—to finish—though I’ll probably not get too far. As you well know I’m a very, very slow writer and even though I've dead lined the second Owen Story novel by the end of February, it won’t be completed until the end of March or possibly the beginning of April.
I feel badly because I've told folks the second novel would be ready by February and it’s not going to happen though I feel I have good reasons why not. First, I want to have this novel terrifically edited as if it had a 600,000 run with Simon and Schuster; edited for every wrong word, inconsistency, continuity problem, character development issues and any other problem the writing could have that I easily missed or didn’t know how to correct. A great editing job could make a good book better; it’ll be less trial for the reader so he can concentrate on story and not stumble over irritating writing mistakes that would sink his enthusiasm for the work.
Second—and last—I want to make sure the story is worth reading, that on every page I give the reader a reason to turn to the next one: an exciting story, developed characters, action and adventure, an unforgettable mystery, an intricate plot worth delving into and I have to say it again—can’t say it enough-- a terrific story worth reading in one sitting possible and all this takes me so much time to do. I love the story and I’m confident it ‘ll be done in the next few months, I just need to make sure its done right and this takes time.
“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” – Walter Wellesley.
If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.
Until next time, God willing,
Lori
Friday, January 09, 2009
Hello and Happy Friday,
How are you? Someone phones me and that’s her first question every time. One day I’ll really tell her. But I’m usually fine on all fronts, specifically on the writing one because I make myself do it every day. Writing keeps me healthy, sane, for a number of reasons. I can have a bad day—though I really don’t believe in bad days, but things happen out of your control sometimes; bad things—but then I can go to a quiet place, take out my notepad and just write; it’s calming, I sit down and regroup and do it in an aura of peace. Writing takes you out of the world you’re in and drops you into that hole of writing where there is only the writing: no crying children, no deadlines (well not at that moment) dinner can wait, no traffic, just the writing and someone else’s world you’ve created and delighting in. And when your writing is going well, it’s where you really find and feel joy, a terrific sense of accomplishment and love the fact you can do this, can write and you’re thrilled by it.
When I’m writing, at those moments which may last a few minutes, a hour, half a day, true happiness is mine and I’m blessed to be one of those folks to have this in my life; a very good life.
If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.
Until next time, God willing,
Lori
How are you? Someone phones me and that’s her first question every time. One day I’ll really tell her. But I’m usually fine on all fronts, specifically on the writing one because I make myself do it every day. Writing keeps me healthy, sane, for a number of reasons. I can have a bad day—though I really don’t believe in bad days, but things happen out of your control sometimes; bad things—but then I can go to a quiet place, take out my notepad and just write; it’s calming, I sit down and regroup and do it in an aura of peace. Writing takes you out of the world you’re in and drops you into that hole of writing where there is only the writing: no crying children, no deadlines (well not at that moment) dinner can wait, no traffic, just the writing and someone else’s world you’ve created and delighting in. And when your writing is going well, it’s where you really find and feel joy, a terrific sense of accomplishment and love the fact you can do this, can write and you’re thrilled by it.
When I’m writing, at those moments which may last a few minutes, a hour, half a day, true happiness is mine and I’m blessed to be one of those folks to have this in my life; a very good life.
If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.
Until next time, God willing,
Lori
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