Elena Giorgi: Tuesday Two Cents' Worth

Welcome to Tuesday 2 Cents' Worth, where authors and writers answer one question: If you could share one piece of writing advice with other writers, what would it be?

I'm pleased to introduce you to the talented Elena Giorgi who has kindly agreed to share her two cents today.


Take it away, Elena!

"Lately the one question I'm asked a lot is: should I self-publish? I'm happy that people are asking because up until a few years ago you were immediately deemed unworthy just for posing such a question. But today writers have a choice, and I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I've seen too many writer friends mistreated and intellectually abused by publishers, editors and agents. Of course, that doesn't mean that self-publishing is the perfect alternative. Nothing's perfect and no matter what route writers choose, they have to do a lot of work. The job doesn't end when you write "The End" on the last page of your manuscript. In fact, that's when the job really start. And yes, the first question should be: should I self-publish? And my answer usually is: it depends.
     What kind of writer are you? Are you part of a writing community, do you do a lot of online networking, do you write fast and plan on publishing many books and/or a series? If so, go for self-publishing. It will take longer to build your readership (and start making money) but if you can promise many books to come and are patient with letting that readership grow, you will be rewarded in the end.
     On the other hand, if you are the kind of writer who can produce one book per year, and likely the literary kind, you are probably better off trying the traditional route, unless you have really good networking connections. Of course, I do know writers who've become extremely successful by self-publishing one book only (there are always exceptions, right?), but it's rare.
     No matter what you decide: get on-line and talk to writers from both sides. Set some goals, ask questions, and find out for yourself what works best for you and your career."

 E.E. Giorgi grew up in Tuscany, in a house on a hill that she shared with two dogs, two cats, 5 chickens, and the occasional batches of stick insects, newts and toads her dad would bring home from the lab. Today, E.E. Giorgi is a scientist and an award winning author and photographer. She spends her days analyzing genetic data, her evenings chasing sunsets, and her nights pretending she's somebody else. On her blog, E.E. discusses science for the inquiring mind, especially the kind that sparks fantastic premises and engaging stories. Her debut novel CHIMERAS, a medical mystery, is a 2014 Readers' Favorite International Book Award winner.

 

Links:

Blog: http://chimerasthebooks.blogspot.com/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/E.E.-Giorgi/e/B00J4900R6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chimeras/166368693451952
 
Elena, thanks so much for sharing your writing advice!

A to Z F is for Form

Form... as in good form, bad form.

Self-publishing has opened a lot of opportunities for writers, along with creating a tough challenge. Back in the day, when the big six called the shots in the publishing world, there was a biggie they took care of--book promotion. And that is one thing that all self-pubbed authors now must do for themselves.

That involves building a platform. A "launch platform". A social media presence. Recognition. Networking. The best platforms are in place before a book is launched. And that seems to make sense. But, even if you're starting to build late, there' still time.

There are a lot of ways to promote a book: a blog, facebook, and twitter to name just a few. But your own platform isn't enough. You need help. And since we don't have big promotion budgets, we need help from friends.There's more to the puzzle, though. Familiarity and recognition alone aren't enough to sell books. Ask yourself, why do you buy a book? Reviews? Word of mouth recommendations? Lots of people talking it up?

Face it. Most of us aren't in the big leagues. So we rely on others to get the word around that our books are good.

To be effective, you should build your platform with some things in mind. It takes repeated viewings of your name, the title of your book, what you write,  before it becomes recognizable, even familiar to those viewing it. One way of getting your name out there is via multiple sites. Another is to have a network of supporters who will share facebook posts, retweet your news--and write tweets of their own promoting your book, do blog posts about you, blog tours, interviews, reviews...etc.

Here is where we come into good form/bad form. And this can be relative to any aspect of anything we do. But for this post, it's about trying to get your book noticed.  In my opinion (which means that you might find no value at all in this) good form goes a long way toward good will and being received well. Acknowledge others. Yes, when someone tweets you, comments on your blog or your facebook wall, reply. Simple, huh? But I see it everyday. The rockstar behavior. Don't do it. It's a turn off. Oh, there's so much more...

Be genuine in your interactions. It's time consuming, but people see past phony. Besides, being genuine makes worthwhile your time spent on platform building. Don't be a complainer or a whiner. Viewers will *click* and you're gone. Don't mess politics with your author pages and accounts. Serious. You're not Hollywood, and will likely turn off way more people than you'll ever sway to your political bent.

Always try to reciprocate a good deed. I can't stress this enough. Use lists on Twitter so you can initiate good deeds with the people who routinely shout out your writing prowess. Offer to read and review for others.

Never, never, never friend someone on goodreads, within a day message them to ask them to review your book, and include the link to the book's Amazon page where they can BUY your book so they can review it. Ha! You ask, why would she include that? :/ Yep. Someone did. I won't name names. But he lost all kinds of credibility with me when he did that. If you are asing for a review, provide a copy.

It's nice to support fellow writers, too. I buy books all the time to read and review. And authors rarely fail to thank me once they notice the review.

And while we're on that train of thought, I'll add, it was a good example of the reason to have a platform and a network of genuine followers/friends online. Sometimes you have to get the tweet out there to let your online friends know what you need help with, But if you have to keep calling attention to your book all by yourself, it's kind of like "Hey!! Look at this! Look at what I wrote! It's good because I think it's good Buy it here! Only .99!"  It's helps when another person says, "I really liked name of book. The author can really pen a fast-paced tale! Five stars!"  See what I mean?

One last thing. The master of platform building on Twitter, Claude Bouchard is the best example I can think of of how well this works.  He has amassed 472,000 twitter followers. And he does use Twitter to promote his books. The thing about Claude that is striking is that he responds to individuals who tweet him and friend request him on facebook. A post about how he grew his followers is here--Coming Clean About my Twitter Success  Being nice has paid off for Claude Bouchard.

Most of it comes to down to what your mama taught you. Use manners. Be kind. Watch talking about religion and politics. And keep plugging away at that building your platform.

Visit other April Blogging from A to Z Challenge by clicking here. 

A to Z: E is for editing

From a writer's POV. Editing--a hot topic since the advent of self-publishing. First, I think doing whatever it takes to keep from publishing a book with glaring mistakes is of the utmost importance. Your name on that book will be associated with everything about it--from the cover... to the ending. If you put something substandard out there, the reviews will reflect it. You don't want to start out a writing career being associated with a bad book.

That having been said, it's fair to say that not everyone can afford a professional editor. So, can you edit your book yourself? Well, it' not advisable. For the most part, it's nearly impossible to do.

By the time you've written your book, you've likely reread it multiple times. That causes a problem. Your brain will read the words that aren't there--if you've missed putting in a word. You're brain will not register incorrect or clunky syntax.  Missed punctuation marks, or the dreaded free-ranging comma will get right by. Your brain will see what you want it to see. You have essentially become blind to your own writing. It's not uncommon, and it's very real.

In lieu of an editor, at the very least, you should sign on with a crit partner, or a site that is basically a crit exchange. You crit the work of others and they in turn will crit yours. One I've read great things about is Scribophile

Whether you choose to hire an editor or not, there are some things you can do to help get over your blindness to your own work.

The best approach is to try to trick your brain out of stasis and preconcieved ideas of what's written in your story. One way to do this, and I've found it to work amazingly well, is to read your work out loud. You don't have to read it to anyone else, but you do need to speak the words. It gets a different part of the brain involved. Mistakes will jump out at you.

Another good way to trip up the brain is to change appearance of your manuscript. If it's in a doc. file, do a save as PDF or vice-versa. Or, change the font. Change it to bold, enlarge it, or highlight it.

Another time-proven way is to set the manuscript down and leave it alone for a couple of weeks. A couple of months is even better if you can stay away from it that long. It allows the brain time to forget what it thinks is there, word for word. You'll see it with new eyes.

Work on it in small sections. Join a group like (shameless plug here) Weekend Writing Warriorswhere you share 8 sentences at a time. It helps to teach you to be critical of writing--your own and that of others writers. There's a lot of help out there for free. And in the process of reaching out, you'll discover an amazing online writing community willing to generously help others. Weekly sign ups. Free. No long term commitments.

Visit other April Blogging from A to Z Challenge by clicking here.

Writing: The Pep-talk

Walking down the trail today, I was absorbed in the world. The creek gurgled next to the trail.  Blue Jays scolded, and squirrels complained at my approach.

 

There's a smell in the air on such days in Western Pennsylvania.  It's sweet and musky, and it makes me think of patchouli, never failing to take me back in time.  I'm made acutely aware of just how many autumns have stacked up behind me.

 

The fine, damp, packed gravel was not so hard packed under my feet.  I left little tracks where it lifted--flung from the soles of my shoes with each step  I took.  The sky was gray--not steel gray, but full of dimensions and features.

 

Beside me, a stream ran very low.  There's been little rainfall for months... and the world is glowing golden yellow.  I stop to watch the stream. 

 

Like so many people, I lose myself in my thoughts, around water.  

 

It was the summer of 1987. We took the boat downriver to a place I'd never been.  Everyone around the docks had, but I was a relative newcomer  at the river.  I was a small stream kind of girl :-) but the river was growing on me--somehow getting into my soul.  And I suspected that, at times, it coursed through my veins.

 

We pulled in close to the shoreline and dropped anchor.  There it was-- the rope swing.

 

I jumped out of the boat and swam for shore, taking in the scene before me. I was hesitant... it looked dangerous. There were huge rocks, limestone, the size of small cars. The railroad had dumped them there to fortify the riverbank.

 

There was a crowd on the bank, climbing up over the rocks...and more waiting to climb the rocks...all in line for that one rope.  

 

I watched a teenage boy stand on top of the tallest rock and then push off.  He yelled as he let go, swinging like a pendulum out over the water. 

 

His body was briefly suspended in mid-air, just before plummeting toward the river. There was a splash, followed by silent seconds hanging in time before he surfaced, mouth wide open with laughter. Hoots and hollers followed.  

 

Just as soon as he'd cleared the ultimate landing zone in the water, there was another person, the pendulum swung... and then plummeting, splashing and laughing.

 

My heart was in my throat. Such a cautious soul, I didn't know if I had it in me...I weighed the risks. Well, if my hands slipped on the rope, I'd fall onto the rocks.  If I got too scared to let go of the rope and tried to swing back, I'd crash into the rocks...

 

I could get really hurt.

 

Or I could just sit out there on the river bank, high and dry, and watch them laughing and having the time of their lives.

 

 

I was drawn from my thoughts back to the trail. It's not crowded today, but I do see two people approaching me.  Bright clothing seems to shine as they draw near on their bikes, a blur of high speed peddling.

 

The two young men smile as they pass me...they are enjoying their day, no-doubt. I think...don't we all want to do more than just exist?  More than just live until we die? Don't we all have something to do that evokes a passion in each of us?

 

I continue south on the trail... my steady footfalls have lulled me back into my thoughts...

 

On the riverbank, I watched, with heart pounding each time I thought I might actually do it.  I took a step, summoning the moxie to move toward the rope, and wordlessly announced my turn in line.  Time was flying.  Before I could even chicken out, I was holding the rope in my hand. :-)

 

I heard hoots coming from the boat now.  I took as many steps backward as I could, trying to gain the most height at the end of my outward swing... and then I jumped, grabbed, and curled up my legs to clear the rocks.  There wasn't time to be afraid.  The rush washed over me as I reached the end.  It was almost instinctive; I let go. I felt that split second when I wasn't going up, nor going down.  The butterflies in my stomach fluttered, and then I headed toward the water.

 

For a split second, I saw it, my reflection on the water's surface.  I shut my eyes.  The shadow of a soul approaching... and then I cannon-balled down into the murky Allegheny River.  I bobbed to the surface, full of laughter and exhilaration, and swam to shore...   Then I climbed back up the rocks to wait in line...

 

Life is a lot like that...letting go of the rope... and just falling... a shadow on the water's surface...

 

Another bicyclist zoomed past me, bright yellow, techie looking clothing.  Other than the three cyclists, I've been alone with my thoughts for this walk. 

 

I glanced at the stream, watching a yellow leaf drift lazily down, a brief moment of reflection, then land on the water. I turned back north; time to head home.

 

Life is short, and the days grow even shorter. The years go by.  And if we aren't careful, they take so many of the best chances with them. 

 

Writing is a lot like that, too.  You can stand on the riverbank your whole life, watching everyone else let go.

 

Best thing I can think is to grab that figurative rope and jump, tuck legs, and swing.  And when the time is right... we'll know...and let go of the rope! :-)

Bad Bedfellows

Which of these three does not belong in the group?

1. Author promotion. (Facebook, twitter etc. Developing online contacts, making friends, becoming visible as a writer, author, blogger = Potential seller of books.)

2.Social media. (You know :-) facebook, blogging, twitter, Goodreads, Amazon forums etc.)

3.Politics

****

Unless you're building an audience while claiming your 15 minutes as an armchair pundit--or you have an online presence/ branding associated with politics?  Guess what? Politics is the choice that does not belong.

I've recently noticed that a lot of my publishing industry contacts, followers...people, are getting political.

It's everyone's right, of course. And while I understand the passionate feelings behind.political posts, diatribe, and rants... this is not a good idea.

Use lists. Separate "professional" contacts from others.  And please don't expose the professional contacts to your political ideology. Especially if once you get started, it is scathing, laced with profanity, and  lacks any semblance to the facts. In either case, it really is best left private re: professional associates.

I don't have any data to back this up. It's all conjecture.  But, I think you will alienate potential support people if you mix politics with publishing/writing.blogging/facebooking/tweeting.

These are my facts: I have begun to "unsubscribe" from professional contacts who insist on politicizing their posts and-- via comment,  the posts of others.  I might resubscribe after November--to some of them. Who cares? I know I'm just one person. It might not be a big loss to lose me as a subscriber or follower.  But, I don't think I'm ringing the outer edge of the bell curve on this point.

~sigh~

Friends, dreamers, creative musketeers. I adore you all.  But that doesn't mean I adore your politics

The Sock Puppeteers

What are writers to do?  It is tough enough out there, without competing against the sock puppeteers.

You ask, what the heck are sock puppeteers, anyway?

There is an eye opening article here: RJ Ellory, Author, Caught Writing Fake Amazon Reviews For Books

Sock puppeteers are the people who put up fake reviews. It can be done by opening accounts in other names and putting up great reviews of your own work--to bolster ratings. Or, a puppeteer can tear down another author's rating by leaving bad reviews and bad ratings. 

From the article:

"One of the United Kingdom's most successful thriller writers, Stephen Leather, also admitted to sock-puppeting and claimed the practice is commonplace.

“I’ll go on to several forums … and post there, under my own name and under various other names and various other characters," Leather disclosed at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, according to the Telelgraph. "You build this whole network of characters who talk about your books and sometimes have conversations with yourself … I have friends who are sockpuppets … One person on their own, difficult to create a buzz. If you’ve got ten friends, and they’ve got friends, and you can get them all as one creating a buzz, then hopefully you’ll be all right."

Uh oh. How many lines are being crossed?  I've seen Twitter accounts that I know are all owned by one person.  At first I didn't catch on. I was amazed that an author could have such devout fans.

In the article, it states that perhaps this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I don't want to sound like the naive idiot who will never sell a book due to a stringent code of ethics..but this does beg the question:  How much are we willing to compromise for the sake of selling books? 

Obviously, trashing another author's work is wrong on all accounts.  And I would not have even thought about the rest had it not been for Stephen Leather's admission.  He's talking forums--not Amazon reviews. And I've seen the Twitter accounts in action.  I actually think that the Twitter accounts are a good marketing approach.  But, even there, perhaps lines are being crossed...

I think the sock puppeteering  on Amazon is wrong.  And "shill reviews" as I call them, are never a good idea. 

On forums...as Leather did, wrong when you are misrepresenting identity as being different individuals. If it is disclosed as a marketing ploy, it's just advertising from then on. 

With the practice so widespread, how do you feel about multiple accounts for the sake of publicity?  Regarding the practice, what are your ideas of right and wrong?

Leave me a comment. I don't bite. Heck...I don't even yell. :-)

A to Z "B" Books: Publishing--The Evolution

Books: One of my true loves.

If we have been fortunate, a parent or another caring adult introduced us to books when we very young, and in the process, formed a lifelong love.  In my case, it was my mom, and I recall receiving my own copy of, "Heidi, the Mountain Child".  That book set my imagination on fire.   Books have always been part of my life.

But, until recent years, I rarely gave thought to what life must have been like before books were commonplace and easily acquired.

There was once a time when stone tablets sufficed, and  animal skin pages, and papyrus scrolls, after paper production had become somewhat refined--all of these things.  But before the invention of the printing press, all books were handcrafted. That is, a painfully slow process, page by page, books were copied by hand.

Each scribe (copyist) used his own style, and they weren't all done in print; there was cursive in use, with varying flourishes and embellishments added. Occasionally, a scribe took issue with a book he was copying, and included his own thoughts on the pages.  At worst, scribes were sometimes held in as high regard as the original authors.

This handcrafting was expensive to do, too, and it had its limits.  One limitation was that the number of people who were literate--capable of copying, was rather small.  But, that worked out alright because the number of people who could read the finished books was actually quite small, too.

In this production method, most  book owners were churches, governing bodies, and the very wealthy.

When the printing press was first invented, the wealthy rejected the idea of machine printed books.  They felt there was something more refined, respectable, and worthy of ownership in a handcrafted book.  So, it was  left to the lower classes of people to see through the mass production of books.

And see it through they did.  The Bible became obtainable for working class people.  They started to become commonplace in homes.  This was an affront to church hierarchy who held power by denying the holy book to anyone but clergy.


Many, many feathers were ruffled, and that Gutenberg press truly changed the landscape of the "publishing" world.

                                                         "Guttenberg Press" 

Along with increased book production, literacy grew.  All from a change in the way books were made and then distributed.

Great changes have come many times in the production of books.

The modern-day great change is the e-book.  Any guesses to what history will record of the ebook's advent?

Reading With Which Eye?

The right eye? The left?

Nah. Not what I meant at all, even though the blog title produces just such a visual.

I refer to a writer's eye, or a reader's eye.

Just this morning, I had a conversation with my son and his girlfriend; it produced the question.  And, thank heaven, they don't run when the conversation turns to writing, reading and the ever-changing publishing landscape. They patiently listen and then offer their own thoughts and ideas.  Thank heaven--because I so enjoy and appreciate gaining a glimpse through a reader's eye.

My daughter, Zigzee, who does some writing, has a degree in English.  When she first began to read my work, she commented to me that she had a tough time shutting off her "writer's eye".  The grammar and punctuation mistakes were glaring to her.

I didn't understand, at first.  But after nearly a decade of studying the craft, and writing, writing, writing, I too have developed the "writer's eye".  But, thankfully, my writer's eye is not so dominant that I can't still see out of my reader's eye. I think that helps me to read work that has been less than professionally edited.

Online, I interact with a lot of writers and authors, sharing opinions, ideas, and views.  But to me, this personal interaction--like this morning, is even more telling--and arguably even more important: the view of readers. And when you get readers to talk with you--people who look at books using their "reader's" eye, you hear opinions that are rather different than having someone share their thoughts while looking through their writer's eye. After all, the readers are the end users of a writer's product. And if they aren't happy with the product, then they aren't buying it.


When this morning's conversation got to specifics, it turned to bad ebooks.  And we proceeded to dissect just what makes an ebook (or any book for that matter), a disappointment, or a "would never recommend" book.  What makes us decide that it is not very good?

My son's girlfriend, Bobbi--who reads tons and tons of books, told me that it is the sense of story that she values most. It is not punctuation errors that influence her opinion--with the exception of books that contain so many that they become a distraction.  She said that if a story is good, she will read it. But she does read excerpts--to check the nuts and bolts of the writing.

Then my son added that he reads excerpts of books when deciding whether to buy, too.  But, he is looking for a story. Not looking to see if mistakes were made in the writing.

POV...unless it is blatant head-hopping with shallowly developed characters, it does not bother Bobbi, either.

Then the discussion delved into punctuation, mostly.

I shared my experience of interacting with frustrated authors who aren't sure how to find their way out of the ebook glut--many written to a lower standard.  This was specific to grammar and punctuation, by the way.

During the course of discussing different books that we liked or didn't like, we had to admit that some of them included less than stellar punctuation, and a few even had misspelled words.

But, it came back to the story. Did it grip us?  Did the characters resonate with us?  Punctuation be damned (to an extent) <smiling> , we would even buy sequels by the same author.

Even so, for the errors to not become distracting, we both said that we required the author  to have a certain  level of proficiency in written English.

But...just what is that "certain" level?

A conundrum?

Perhaps.

Perhaps not.

Our conclusion was this: writers who are well-educated in proper grammar usage, proper punctuation, and all other elements of our written language, are the most likely to hold in disdain, writing of lesser proficiency.  And we wondered if a side effect of that education and then increased practice of the craft, created a "writer's eye"?

Disclaimer: I don't write this with any kind of judgement of those writers.  How could I judge them?  I learn from them all and am quite grateful for that. I bow to their knowledge--and the hard work it took for them to acquire it.

Nor do I judge any writer--I like to think that we all write to the best of our ability.  And if we are lacking, we constantly strive to educate ourselves...to enable ourselves to produce better and better writing. There is always an audience to be found. The karma is this: the size of that audience is likely determined by just how well we write.  But, it seems that "how well we write" might be judged just as much by the story itself, as it is by the vocabulary, sentence structure, and punctuation.

Above, I freely admitted that I don't buy books or read books containing so many errors that they are distracting to me.  And to those who hone their writing craft to perfection, perhaps, while viewing with a writer's eye-- the work of other writers, they are just as distracted by the mistake that writers such as myself-- and other less proficient writers, make.

The answer we came up with this morning is this: we rarely notice the mistakes of those more proficient than we are.  We aren't educated to a comprehension of when a mistake is even a mistake.  I really don't mean for this to sound like a tongue-twister.  To be thorough, The mistakes of those less proficient in proper writing... jump out at us. We see them because we comprehend them.

Now, to extrapolate from that,  it might help us when we are frustrated--to consider our audience.  The vast majority of readers, book consumers, and those who determine the popularity of any given book or author, are not holding degrees in English.

Thus, the difference in the eye one reads with.  Writers who read, readers who write, and flat-out readers with their wonderful reading eyes might all see things differently.

I know it hurts to accept that with the changing market due to ebooks surging, a lesser quality of writing (speaking of grammar and punctuation) might become the new norm.  But ultimately, the consumer drives the market.  Your thoughts?

Book Reviews: Better Than a Rating System?

Disclaimer:  This post pertains to fiction ebooks. Names of books and authors have not been included--thereby protecting the innocent (and the guilty).  And, since I am not yet published,  I write this wearing a reader's hat. Okay, it has a matching writer's scarf.  I do love the craft...

I start this post with a heavy sigh, even while knowing you will be tempted to click the back button on your browser.  But, questions that seem unanswerable do tend to make me sigh.Where to begin? Where to begin...

While spending a great deal of time alone today at work, I did a lot of thinking.  My job is often like that--solitary.  And as they often do, my thoughts drifted in and out of the writing world. Today, it was not so much my own little writing corner, but more about the writing world at large.

Let me back up and tell you what started my thought train. I downloaded an eBook yesterday evening and immediately started to read it. Wow! I was turning those digital pages as quickly as I could read the words. As I was being reeled in by the action and the terror of this dystopian world, it occurred to me that the author was changing point of view quite often.

Hmm...it was a self-published book. Is this part of the crap that I so often read about on writer's blogs? Nah...not a book this engaging.  Today, out of curiosity, I went back to Amazon to double-check the reviews before I wrote this post. Over 200-- and standing at four and a half stars.  Nobody has THAT many friends and relatives ready to put up a shill review.

It was just the tip of the iceberg for me in this whole, enormous, reading/writing/publishing journey I have undertaken.

And, I must confess, just when I start to think I know something about this r/w/p world, I realize I know next to nothing.  I could go on confessing...there again, nah. Perhaps another day :-)

During the last year, my writing journey has intensified greatly.  It was one year ago that I entered ABNA for the first time. I didn't enter this year, because this year I understand that I really have nothing ready to go.  Last year, I was too ignorant of good writing to realize it.  And now, it is painfully obvious to me when a writer publishes their work--at a quality level of which they are too ignorant to comprehend--just like me a long year ago.

But, no regrets...ABNA was a wonderful experience that propelled me forward into the online writing community. And it nudged me to explore the writing world at large.

I began reading blogs--even created my own, and put myself in sponge mode--to absorb every little drop of meaningful advice that was offered.  The writing community is a generous one.  And there was not a better time to have begun to spread my wings, readying to fly with my writing.  But I had to fly fast--like everyone else who was trying to keep up with the near-daily changes. The landscape is shifting so quickly in the publishing industry that no one is sure where we all will be when the dust settles.

In my travels from blog to blog, when I read a post, I also read the comments that follow.  And there has been a recurring question asked, and then opined upon...over and over again.  "What to do about the crap that is being self-published?  The stuff that is clogging up Amazon and other sites that sell ebooks?  The real writers can't find their way out to stand at the top--to be noticed."

I understand what they are saying; I have read excerpts that made me feel bad for the authors. Have they no idea?  Then I remind myself that everyone has a story--some of them (us) have many that they (we) just can't help but share. :-)


But, I am not here to pick arguments, and I am not here to take sides.  And on some blogs I have visited, it is apparent that sides are forming.

I have read suggestions that there be some type of rating body, or a system that books are rated on, bearing some sort of mark of quality.  Hmm?  Are we trying to put up another gate to replace the one that the big six have had for years and years? The one through which only a minute number of writers ever made it?

I don't mean to diminish the enormity of their success--just making it through was magnificent--and a testament to their work, their dedication, their expertise...their education...

But, is there something more?  How do we define good and bad writing?  How do we define what is good and what is crap?  How do we define a person's sense of story?

It seems there is a huge disconnect between readers-- and the writers who cross every "t" and dot every "i".  It appears that understanding the correct way--the taught way to write, is not as important to many readers as it is to the writers who are clamoring for a way to rate books.  A system that will allow the stellar to stand in front of the not so stellar.


But, to be fair, there are storytellers among us who just don't know very much about grammar and punctuation.  There are people who are passionate about their stories--but the last English class they sat in was in high school. There are people typing away (right now, I bet), who have never once sat in a creative writing class.  Maybe they have never read The Elements of Style, never heard of The Chicago Manual of Style .  Maybe they hated English, but love to read--and their mind can't stop creating stories.

And it is prudent to consider the written standard--that nearly everything has.  It is the reference, the thing we come back to when we need to analyze, to double-check, to see if we are slipping away from the right way to do things. I understand the importance of a written standard.

Yet, in visual art, we can be taught a certain way to do things, a "method".  But our finished product is much less often judged on, and defined by, the written standard from which the artist was taught.  There is an acceptance for crude expression form.

And music.  I smile--there are some pretty successful artists out there producing something which I cringe to call music.  And I am awfully sure that those artists never sat in a music theory class.  But their work sells.  And it sells because it entertains someone.


I don't know what the answer is, but it worries me that anyone would presume a design for standardized rating of books-- based upon content quality, could be done in a fair manner. Such arbitrary judgement begs the question... who among us is worthy to judge?  Who among us is worthy to set the specs--the standards that must be met to earn a certain rating?  Who will provide the screening of the books' quality?  Who will pay for it all?

Having said all that, I am sensitive to the frustrations of  the many who are mired in a sea of ebook mediocrity. And there is mediocrity in abundance--along with  worse. And how can authors with exceptional books be noticed in an already over-saturated ebook market?

That last question exists for all ebook authors, too.  Even the ones who write "crap", yearn to be read.

The book I began to read last night (and will return to as soon as I post this blog) is a fine example of someone who did not follow the rules. Yet, I say without reservation, even if they don't know the term or the definition for it--are quite capable of motivating people to "suspend their disbelief".

I have read traditionally published books that, although, every letter and symbol was exactly where it should have been,  put me to sleep. I have, for years, read traditionally published books written by authors who I think might have been resting on their laurels.  Where was the story? 

What to do? As long as there is a buck to be made, companies will provide a means for writers to self-publish.  Demanding anything more or less--to me, smacks of censorship. "Just sayin..."

And I think that ultimately, any type of rating has to come from the reviews--from the people who read the books--or start to read them--then don't finish.

I don't know about you guys, but I read the reviews before I buy a book.  And if they aren't shining reviews, I probably won't buy it.  But, in all honesty...if I read a review that told me the story was excellent but the grammar or punctuation needed some work, I'd likely still read the excerpt to see if it was actually distracting. If it wasn't? For a good story, I'd still buy the book.

As  a writer, I encourage others, rather than discourage.  And I hope that my honest criticisms of their work would serve to motivate them to improve...to reach for a higher place.


In the same line of thinking, I add that just tonight, my son's girlfriend and I were talking about books. We recommend good reads to each other, and warn each other away from bad ones. I told her about the book I started reading last night. Then she told me that she has found so many bad ebooks, it makes her mad to waste her time.  She had just read the beginning of another one and was disgusted--and will not continue reading it.


I asked her if she wrote a review.  And then, as a good member of the writing community, <smile> told her that there are guidlines available online for writing a review--since she has never written one and seemed sort of shy. Ha! I act like the grand master of reviews. I have written four--but will write many more now that the importance has become tantamount to how to sort out the wheat from the chaff.

Then I talked a little bit about writing reviews, being your own person and sharing your honest opinion, not insulting other reviewers when you disagree with them,  explaining why you liked or didn't like the book.  And the big one: never get personal about the author. <big smile>

Any thoughts out there?

The Writing Journey: Introspection

Another page in the journey.  Editing is such a big thing; you can get lost in it. Let me back up just a bit.  I am trying to sort out dozens of writing thoughts in my mind, and it makes me nervous. 

I read writer's blogs...many writer's blogs, gleaning tips and ideas, information, and urls of other writer's blogs.  Originally in denial of things I read, like that I would come to HATE my manuscript <laughing> and right now I do.

Trying to edit this book has turned into a challenge unlike any other I have faced.  And it has brought much introspection.  I have spent two months working over this book, and in the process have added nearly 5,000 words (originally unintended but felt were necessary). And will possibly slice out another 5,000 words before I am done.  Something about that is just plain illogical.

I have fussed and fidgeted with word order, sentence structure, sliced out "ly" words, struggled with commas (my Achilles heel), stressed over subjects, prepositions, verb tenses, pronoun confusion, transitional errors, redundancy of words, not to mention changing the names of characters...what a nightmare that is. I am now on a first name basis with Merriam Webster and the Grammar Girl.  Okay, that last line was a big lie, but I remind you--I do write fiction. <smile>  I had to fess'up. We all know that Mr. Webster is dead.  And the Grammar girl doesn't know me from Adam.

I have rewritten not just the first chapter, but the first three, trying to minimize back-story until later in the book.  I read it out loud, printed it out so I could read the words on paper in a different location. 

All the while,  feeling a sense of urgency eating at me, the need to get it done, nipping at my heels.

Everything involved with this process has come down to this:  Am I afraid to let go of it?  Afraid to discover that the story is not good, afraid to find that my characters fail to reach the reader, that the story is predictable, or feels too concocted? 

Introspection...much.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes wrote a marvelous book, "Women Who Run With the Wolves".  In it, she tells of the repression of the wild inner woman. It is an excellent write about what has happened over centuries causing women to become so repressed, our cultures, our religions, for example. 

One thing I read in her book came to me as a shout. You know that inner voice that narrates our lives, that speaks our consciences, that reads the written word to us?  My inner voice actually shouted when it read one sentence.  And it kept repeating it to me.  The gist (this is not a direct quote) is that always feeling as though our work is not good enough to show to others, not good enough to call "finished", is a symptom of the repression of the wild, creative, inner-spirit, that is--among other things, a born storyteller, a writer of tales, a maker of myths.

But...I have learned a lot about me.  I do have self-restraint.  This part of writing is "zero" fun.  But I will not allow myself to delve deeply into the creation of another story until it is done. I write notes, ideas, descriptions, but that is about it.  Other than working 40+ hours a week  and my brief nightly rounds to here (Blogger), Wordpress, Twitter, and facebook, it is all editing.

So...there is good reason to wrap it up and let go.  My family is waiting, friends are waiting...and other stories are waiting to be told...and (dang!) eventually be edited ;-)

I don't know where other writers (who might read this) are with their journeys, but I thought I would share this for anyone who has not yet experienced this filling of self-doubt, this overwhelming feeling of losing your way. It is all new, a learning experience, an opportunity, a blessing.   Just keep on keeping on.

  

Moving Forward Beyond Loss

Gosh, wish I had kept a decent blog record of my journey toward becoming a published writer.  But, alas, I did not.  So, I will just move forward.  I have been pounding out the words of my stories, and exploring publishing avenues.  There has never been a time like this in the publishing industry. The ground is shifting so rapidly beneath authors' feet that it is a challenge to dance fast enough to keep up.

I have shifted my old blogs to wordpress, a very easy two click operation offered by Microsoft, from the now-defunct livespace experiment.  I am sad that I lost so many wonderful contacts associated with that account, though. Boo, MSN once again. 

So, this site, along with several others, will be my beginning of networking all over again.

I am searching my soul for inspiration, but all that comes to me is sad and dark.  The novel I am working on right now--THE CRIMSON MAOLGURDANE-- was started a couple of years ago, before loss managed to pervade so many spaces in my life.

Grammy Buss, gone a year ago in October.  An inspiration to anyone who ever wondered if a human really can love everyone.

My job of 22 years, lost last August in-- yet again, another corporate restructuring.  There might be a blog about that later. I loved my job and losing it was a deeply painful experience.  But, it has given me the opportunity to attempt to do what I truly love to do. Write.

Our old dog, Gus, lost last August from complications of diabetes--after a nearly two year struggle with the disease.  Sweet old Gus Buss...a god among dogs.

My mother in November, after a series of events leading up to her heart attack while in the hospital, subsequent resuscitation, ICU, feeding tubes, ventilator, dialysis, and a diagnosis that her brain waves were slowing and she could no longer swallow.  Hospice-- for ten days she lived...I spent nights with her, and had a lot of time to examine my life, and to recall hers...there are no words that can describe the empty place in my heart.

Dave's best friend and best man from our wedding, in February, a dear young couple's loss of their preemie daughter in February, reminders that life has no rhyme or reason, and loss is not limited to just those over a certain age.

The pain of loss knows no boundaries, is not prejudiced, and crosses into every walk of life, every age, every economic bracket.

Last week, my old dog of 15 years, Pokey.  Now in the ground like so many.  He taught me that my belief in dog deities is not monotheistic, but polytheistic.  I now know more than one god among dogs.

I am reeling. I know it, but have taken very little time to grieve.  It will come out.  I don't know when or where. 

Perhaps in the words of a story...my pain will disentangle itself from my soul and flow onto pages to be shared?

But, like I wrote above, this is the beginning...I guess I just felt a need to acknowledge some endings before I trotted off into the future.