Author's Note

It never fails.  Whenever I’m in the same space with another writer for any length of time, we always start to talk shop.  Just this past weekend, I was at a party and there were some other writer friends of mine there, and of course we started talking about writing as we hung out in the pool and dodged sugar-hyped kids.  We talked about our current projects, we talked about upcoming conventions, and we talked about the process of writing – in particular, when/how often do you write? 

The leading wisdom these days is get your butt into the chair every. single. day.  Don’t take a day off, or else you’re a naughty writer.  Bad writer, no cookie (or publishing contract).  Immediately one of my writer friends said, “Ooff, I just can’t do that!”  And this brought nods from our little circle.  I certainly understand her point. 

Like many writers, I’m struggling to balance a day job, trying to keep my creative career going and grow it, being a homeowner and being a wife.  I have to appease my boss at the day job since the creative writing career hasn’t grown enough to cover the bills.  Laundry and dishes won’t wash themselves (stupid, lazy socks and cereal bowls), and really, there’s only so much of the burden I can ask my husband to shoulder.  He signed on to be my mate, not my maid.  And then what about having a life outside of work?  Where do you get the grist for your writing mill if you don’t read, interact with people, experience things, and just get out there and live?

But if you’re not applying butt to seat – then when does the writing get done?  Words won’t type themselves (much like the socks that refuse to haul themselves over to the washer.  bastards). 

If you don’t hold yourself to writing every day, what’s the other plan?  Some writers swear by settling down for a large block of time all at once.  And if you think about it, this can be very effective.  Camping in front of the laptop for 8-10 hours on a Sunday gets you more writing time than putting aside an hour an every day of the week (7 hours) like the every day writing gurus advise.  But can you really do that?  I know I’m not the only writer trying to juggle all the aforementioned tasks.  When was the last time you had 8-10 hours uninterrupted? 

Personally, I don’t think any advice can be applied across the board.  You wouldn’t ask a sprinter to run a marathon or ask a marathoner to run a sprint and expect him/her to perform up to his/her top potential, so why expect all writers to follow the same writing rules and perform at the top of their games? 

Whether a writer is a sprinter (daily writing) or a marathoner (large block), all that really matters is that the work gets done.  Pick your pace, pick your schedule, but make a plan and stick to it.  Words don’t write themselves.

It is the eternal conflict of the writer – one must be sure of one’s talent and skill, but not arrogant.  This came to me last night as I was working on a new anthology submission for Soylent Publications. 

When I get close to the end of the story, it’s common for me to be assailed with self-doubt.  I hope and I pray that I will be so deeply immersed in the story creation that I’ll type “The End” before this happens, but sadly, it’s not often the case.  Instead, I’ll be typing along, following the mental sign posts in my head (turn left for plot twist, emotional dip ahead), when the all important “The End Is Near” sign shows up.  And self-doubt creeps in with ninja-like stealth.  I start to think that maybe this is going in the wrong direction entirely, maybe I need to go back to the beginning, oh here’s some recurring symbols I should have been sprinkling in all along.  Let me go and do that.  Then the siren song of delaying the inevitable begins in the form of laundry/dishes/cat box. 

Self-doubt tells me the story isn’t good enough, so why even finish it in the first place?  Why set myself up for inevitable rejection by finishing the sucker, then starting the rounds of magazine and publisher submissions.  I could be kibitzing on Facebook, you know…

And here is where the writer must find that well of confidence in his/her soul and forge on ahead.  If I did not find that confidence, then my hard drive would be littered with the half-finished remains of stories that never quite finished the birthing process.  Sure, I have a few like that, but the number that I’ve seen it through with outnumbers the ones that have fallen by the wayside, half-finished.  But once that reserve of confidence is breeched, a writer has to be careful not to go too far in the other direction, because an arrogant writer does not believe that there is anything else to learn and that his/her prose is always perfect. 

But no one, not even the greatest luminaries of the literary constellations, is perfect.  It is the dichotomy of the writer – confident enough to send stories out into the world believing someone will want to read them, and full of enough self-doubt to constantly strive to be a better writer.

Is it possible for a story topic to get tapped out, sucked dry?  How can you tell? 

I was set to wondering about this when I got an invitation to fan another author on Facebook.  Rather than indiscriminately hit the accept button, I popped on over to the author’s page to see what all this was about. 

It was about vampires, angsty gothic vampires.  And the snarky commentary started rolling in my head.  I can tell you right now, my inner voice might not have been kind, but it was very funny.  But I will not repeat it here, because I do endeavor to overcome my flaws and be a better person a little every day. 

But it got me to thinking – why did I internally roll my eyes and think, oh here we go again?  I’ll admit to loving Anne Rice in my late teens and early 20s, talk about your angsty vampires.  So was it an age thing?  Now that I’m past 30 I can’t enjoy a guilt-ridden blood sucker?  I don’t think so… 

In the industry parlance, the topic of vampires has been “done to death.”  If you read calls for submissions there are definitely topics that are right out – vampires, werewolves, zombies – unless they are done very well.  And that just might be the key right there. 

You don’t have to be quite as sharp with your storytelling if the topic has not been done or done only infrequently.  Novelty allows the reader to forgive some writerly sins.  But if you’re trying to tap a vein that many others have already tapped before you?  You better bring your A game, buddy.  And your A game better be awesome.

The speculative fiction world is a small one, and its publishers often operate on a razor thin margin.  Realms of Fantasy magazine was pulled back from the brink a year ago by Tir Na Nog Press when Sovreign Media decided to shutter it.  In the year since, they’ve done wonderful work, but now it seems that the economy has hit subscribers a bit hard.  Subscription renewals are down, but newstand sales and advertising are trending up.  If Realms of Fantasy can just hold on a little bit longer, the future looks bright indeed. 

So, give thier website a look.  If you like what you see, and your budget will allow, subscribe.  Let’s not let another SpecFic magazine go under, folks, especially not one this good. 

The magazine website:

http://www.rofmag.com/

I’ve been interviewed by another blog author on the topic of story/book names.  Check it out!

http://book-mark-it.com/

When the last post appeared, our daring heroine was nervously awaiting her first public reading….  Did she chew her fingernails to the nub?  Was she pelted by rotten tomatoes by an angry audience?  Or did get everything go well?  We tune in now to find out the answer….

 I arrived at Balticon in plenty of time to get ready for the reading, but the preparation didn’t make me feel any less nervous.  But even with my nerves, everything went just fine.  To our great relief, the audience members outnumbered us.  They were attentive and applauded nicely after each piece.  Vonnie Winslow Crist read an enchanting tale, and Katie Hartlove read beautifully.  I am so proud of my fellow Writer Goddesses.  I even got comments later in the con about how enjoyable my part of the reading was. 

 Then, in a bonus round, the author who followed us, Leona Wisoker, asked if we wanted to stay and share reading time with her.  Bonus!  I got to hear part of what sounds like a really good novel from Leona, and I got to read my back up story, “Master Pinchpenny’s Heartaches and Cure-alls,” which I think went even better than the first reading. 

 The rest of the con was quite a whirlwind, but it was a good whirlwind.  I went to lots of panels and got some really good ideas for future stories.  I got to spend good times with good friends and pick up a new Tee Morris book I’ve been itching to read.  But best of all, I made some good publishing contacts, and if all goes well, one of the book release parties at next year’s Balticon will involve me.  To say that I’m thrilled is an understatement. 

 P.S. – All authors mentioned in this post – Vonnie Winslow Crist, Katie Hartlove, Leona Wisoker, and Tee Morris – are well worth looking up and spending some of your precious cash and reading time on.  Just sayin’…

I’m nervous.  And excited.  Friday, as in tomorrow, I get to do my very first ever public reading of my work.  I’ve stood before classes of 20-30 students and taught.  I’ve sold my work and it’s been read by more than just sympathetic family and friends – and I’ve gotten compliments on it too.  But still, the thought of standing before strangers and reading my creative work has got my mouth all dry.  Seriously, anyone got a drink of water out there? 

But I’m going to do it.  And I’m going to do my very best to rock the house.  Because I’m really hoping that this will be the first of many. 

If you happen to be at Balticon, which I really encourage since it’s an awesome con, come on by Salon D at 5 pm on Friday, 5/28.  I’ll be reading. 

P.S. – Yes, the Pocket Program says Vonnie Winslow Crist for that timeslot, but she’s my fellow Writer Goddess and she’s very generously sharing her timeslot.  Besides being a wonderful critiquer and giving friend, she’s also a wonderful writer.  So, stop by and give us a listen.

One of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, has become the political football du jour, caught in the middle of a firestorm of criticism.  What happened was this – Neil was asked to speak at a library function in a small suburban area and they offered his usual speaking fee.  He asked who was actually paying the fee and found that the library itself was not, but rather a foundation designed to pay for these types of events and, on top of that, if the money was not used soon it would go away per the structure of the foundation.  So Neil agreed to speak and promptly set it up for the entire speaking fee to be split between two needy charities.  He did the event, which by all accounts went off swimmingly, the charities got their much needed funds, and all was well, right?  Not so fast…..

There are some who seem to believe that Neil should not have taken his fee from a library/his fee could have been better spent on librarian salaries/buying books/what have you.  There are others who feel his fee is outrageous.  There are those who feel he’s a “douche” for even charging at all, that he should be giving back because he already has so much.  Let’s take on a few of these points, shall we? 

1) Neil should not have taken his fee from a library, etc. –
He didn’t.  They offered funds from a separate foundation to pay the fee.  The library’s operating funds were never touched.  The foundation money is also structured in such a way that those funds could not be used to pay librarian salaries, or buy books, or for anything other than special events, and it was about to go away.  The money had been awarded the previous year and if the library didn’t use it soon the money would be lost.  

 
2) Neil’s fee is outrageous –
Neil Gaiman’s fee is in the neighborhood of $45,000 for an engagement, which he readily admits is high.  He does to keep the volume of speaking requests at a manageable level, because  he’d rather be writing not working the lecture circuit, which makes sense given that he’s a writer.  And really, compared to other speakers, his fee is not all that high.  Many political and business speakers demand, and get, in excess of six figures.  Personally, I think Neil is worth the fee he asks for.  I’ve heard him speak and he’s brilliant. 

 3) Neil’s a “douche” for charging, needs to give back, etc. –
To begin with, Neil already gave all the money he earned from this engagement to needy charities.  I’d call that giving back.  Also, he frequently does do pro bono speaking engagements for worthy groups like libraries and schools, and in fact, earlier that week had done two pro bono engagements, one to raise funds for charity. 

 But what really gets under my skin about this whole kerfuffle is the overarching assumption that Neil should not be making those kinds of fees.  Why?  He’s a talented writer.  His imagination is amazing.  His books regularly make best seller lists all over the world, and get optioned to be made into movies (several are already done – Stardust, Coraline, et al.).  Fans wait in huge lines for hours just for the chance to have him sign something and get their picture taken with him.  In the scifi/fantasy world, the man is quite the rock star. 

 So what’s the problem with him earning a lot of money?  He’s extremely good at what he does, one of the best.  There are legions of fans eager to buy his work.  He works hard and puts out a lot of “product.”  He gives back to the community on a frequent basis (going at least part of the way to show he’s a stand up guy, and not douche-y at all).  Why shouldn’t he earn a big payday? 

 Oh, that’s right.  He’s an artist.  He’s not a movie star or an athlete or any other type of person our culture readily accepts as getting huge paychecks.  For the most part our culture seems to believe that artists should be grateful for being paid at all, especially if they are earning more than a subsistence level.  And that, my friends, is what I think there should be a kerfuffle about, not that Neil Gaiman earned a large fee and gave it to charity.

The opening page has a long list of books to click on and download and the express instructions that users cannot “borrow” more than 5 e-books in a 2 week period (violation will result in banning from the site) and that after the user is finished with the e-book, he/she is on the honor system to delete the book from his/her e-reader. My first thought was that this is not so different from what I do when I buy a hard copy book and then loan or pass it on to a family member or friend who I think will enjoy it. It also follows closely to the absolutely legal brick and mortar library model. But as I cruised through the website I noticed a few things –

1) The size of the list – it’s huge. I find it really hard to believe that this man has purchased and read every single one of these books since the advent of e-readers. Not impossible, but hard to believe.

2) Throughout the website there is inflammatory rhetoric about the “thieving publishers.” All publishers are thieves? Really? While I don’t defend or condone any shady business practices on the part of any business, and publishing is a business, I don’t think that we can paint ALL publishers with such a broad brush. There are plenty of snakes in the grass out there, but there are also a lot of editors and publishers who are honestly in love with the written word and who just want to get good books into the hands of eager readers.

This was all starting reek of scam, not someone who was just trying to share the joy of reading. Then came the part that got my hackles up…. He begs for donations to keep the website up, citing having to pay for bandwidth because of all the downloads and also spending so much time sourcing the e-books. And then he lists different donation amounts and what extra perks come with those amounts, which pretty much amounts to buying a membership in the site – And for 90 euros you can receive a DVD of the entire collection. WHAT?!?!?!

This now goes way over the line, my friends. A blank DVD does not cost much, and while postage (depending on where it’s going) can be more than a pittance, the cost of both of those together is not even close to the 90 euro mark. He does not write the book; nor does he participate in typesetting, editing, or proofing the book; nor does he bear any of the cost of promoting or distributing it, and yet he’s making money off it. And that, my friends, in my humble opinion, amounts to thievery.

The man is a thief and a scam artist. He’s not just magnanimously spreading the joy of reading and helping people in 3rd world countries have access to literature. I hope he gets shut down.

I’m all for making sure people have easy access to books. As a writer, it’s in my best interest to increase the reader culture, not do things that prevent it from growing. But at the same time, I want the people who are doing the work – the writing, editing, proofing, promotion, distribution, etc. – to be fairly compensated for that work. I don’t want some lazy, unethical jerk to ride on their backs and make an easy buck (or euro).

I’ve included a link to the website so you can decide for yourself. But count me among those who are angry and have their hackles up.

http://www.truly-free.org/

It’s funny where a random conversation can take you.  I’d intended today to write a blog about Virginia’s Woolf’s famous piece about a room of one’s own and how things have changed (or not) in modern times, but instead I found myself woolgathering about the subject of genre after a random hallway conversation with a work acquaintance. 

It all started with the subject of pen names and how many authors have them.  She remarked that she had been amazed to find out that some authors have two or three pen names, and write different types of books under each name – like Snuggie Lovelace for romances, Jimmy Lasersight for science fiction, and L. P. Mystereo for mysteries.  My coworker thought that the writers should be proud of their versatility and have a single name that stretched across the genres.  But it’s not really a lack of pride that keeps writers from using the same name no matter what they write; there are other forces at play here. 

I rolled out the usual explanations to her.  Readers like to know what to expect when they pick up a new novel by a certain writer.  Booksellers like to know where to shelve things.  The marketing departments of publishing houses like to know where to spend their advertising dollars.  It would be awfully silly to buy advertising space for the latest fantasy blockbuster in a magazine aimed at mystery enthusiasts.  Having clear genre boundaries and everyone settled down into neat little boxes seems to make everything run a little smoother in the publishing industry.  But smoother doesn’t necessarily make for great books…. 

In fact, the really great books seem to be the ones that break past these boundaries and defy the neat, orderly boxes of categorization.  One of my favorite books, “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger, does this.  It’s a romance.  It’s science fiction.  It’s a carefully crafted literary character study.  It is a wonderful book that makes me laugh and cry every time I read it.  I think publishers should publish more books like this in spite of the shelving and categorization confusion it might cause. 

Thank goodness the Powers That Be in New York seem to be catching on.  Cross-genre seems to be latest buzz word on literati circles – Romantic Mysteries, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction Thrillers, the list goes on and on.  So perhaps one day my coworker’s vision will come true and writers will only need one name, no matter how many different kinds of books they write.