Things are looking up! I found another twist in my story to work on, so I've been writing away. Not so sure about my Oct 31 deadline I've set for myself but we'll see! In the mean time I'll be typing my fingers away and editing until my eyes water. Such is the life of a writer. Ha ha ha.
I'll consider myself a "real writer" when I've got my second book published and on Amazon. I don't know why, but that's how it is. I'm far from being "accomplished" but who cares what other people think, right? I'm writing for myself and not anyone else. Let's try to think that anyway.
I did the dumbest thing, though. I took a couple of my first books to a locally owned and operated bookstore and asked if they'd carry my book. Sure, they said, because I'm a local author. They didn't even look at my letter of introduction to tell them about myself and my book. So they're selling it on consignment. The kicker? My letter of introduction didn't have anything in it about how to contact me. Damn! That's brilliance for you. Now I have to get business cards printed just for this! And I have to go face that woman who was so...unfriendly. Ugh!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
When Is A Story Dead?
I'm trying to tie up loose ends and bring Eyes That Bind to a wonderful finish. The problem is, I don't have an ending! I'm a "pantser" i.e. I fly by the seat of my pants instead of outlining my story before I begin writing. I've tried outlining before but I ended up just writing without looking at it anyway. So what?
My story is a little complicated. It consists of military compounds, witches, and Yeti. Yes, I meant it. Yeti. But how to make the Yeti stop attacking and go home? It's a sadness I've been considering for days. I could just make it stop snowing and have them leave of their own accord because they're out of their element, but that's really lame. Crossbows to the face will kill them, but maybe the witches can get involved and do something to make them go away? Heavy sigh.
Any ideas folks? If you add a comment that has an answer to this terrible situation I'm in, I'll send you a free e-copy of the book when it's published and I'll mention your name in the Acknowledgments.
Thank you!
XOXO
Angela
My story is a little complicated. It consists of military compounds, witches, and Yeti. Yes, I meant it. Yeti. But how to make the Yeti stop attacking and go home? It's a sadness I've been considering for days. I could just make it stop snowing and have them leave of their own accord because they're out of their element, but that's really lame. Crossbows to the face will kill them, but maybe the witches can get involved and do something to make them go away? Heavy sigh.
Any ideas folks? If you add a comment that has an answer to this terrible situation I'm in, I'll send you a free e-copy of the book when it's published and I'll mention your name in the Acknowledgments.
Thank you!
XOXO
Angela
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
writing about lesbians - what's your audience?
I've heard many times that when you write you have to know your target audience. I don't really have a target audience. I write stories that are generally lesbian romances, so is my target audience lesbians? I've had quite a few people tell me that they really enjoyed my first published book and they weren't lesbians. Even my parents read and enjoyed it -- scary!
To tell the truth, I write for myself. If someone else decides that my books are worth reading - hooray! But that's really it. I don't write for lesbians and I don't write for straight people. I just write. I hope you're one of the folks who's enjoyed my book, lesbian or not. Feel free to leave me a comment below.
To tell the truth, I write for myself. If someone else decides that my books are worth reading - hooray! But that's really it. I don't write for lesbians and I don't write for straight people. I just write. I hope you're one of the folks who's enjoyed my book, lesbian or not. Feel free to leave me a comment below.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
It's Been A Long Day
Well, it was so long I didn't get around to writing this until the day after. Now I'm sleepy but I've had enough sleep. I will probably be logging into the QuitNet chat room -- it's a great way to keep quit when you've stopped smoking. I hope that everyone reading this is either a non-smoker or an ex-smoker because it is such a terrible addiction! I could list reason after reason that you should quit smoking, but I will refrain. Let me just say that I have been an ex-smoker for 278 days. Woohoo! It really is a great accomplishment and I couldn't have done it without my friends in the chat room.
Okay, down to business. Yesterday was a day from hell. Had nothing to do with quitting smoking, I'm done with that topic (ha ha ha). Yesterday I was working on my book 2 (it has a title but "book 2" is just easier to say). Anyway, I was working on book 2 from two different documents and I made a major boo boo -- I got confused about which document I was working on and had to go back to the beginning of both and re-read/edit them to get it straight. I would have been working from a printed copy and a e-copy but our printer doesn't work well enough to print all of those pages. You know how it is, I'd probably have to change the printer cartridge twice just to get through it all. So, I started from the beginning, as I said, and actually got through to chapter 15 (of 19) so that feels pretty good.
I still don't have an ending for my book, but it's coming along. I can't wait, because I've got another story already written (ending and all!) that I want to get rolling on, too. It doesn't have a title yet, but it is in the same world as the other two books. It is from a different angle though, just to keep things interesting!
Okay, I've rambled today and I apologize. Maybe I'll write more tonight. It's 7:25 am EST so my eyes are only half open. Hope you have the loveliest of days!
XOXO
Angela
Okay, down to business. Yesterday was a day from hell. Had nothing to do with quitting smoking, I'm done with that topic (ha ha ha). Yesterday I was working on my book 2 (it has a title but "book 2" is just easier to say). Anyway, I was working on book 2 from two different documents and I made a major boo boo -- I got confused about which document I was working on and had to go back to the beginning of both and re-read/edit them to get it straight. I would have been working from a printed copy and a e-copy but our printer doesn't work well enough to print all of those pages. You know how it is, I'd probably have to change the printer cartridge twice just to get through it all. So, I started from the beginning, as I said, and actually got through to chapter 15 (of 19) so that feels pretty good.
I still don't have an ending for my book, but it's coming along. I can't wait, because I've got another story already written (ending and all!) that I want to get rolling on, too. It doesn't have a title yet, but it is in the same world as the other two books. It is from a different angle though, just to keep things interesting!
Okay, I've rambled today and I apologize. Maybe I'll write more tonight. It's 7:25 am EST so my eyes are only half open. Hope you have the loveliest of days!
XOXO
Angela
Thursday, September 5, 2013
A Story That Should Be Told?
I've been editing away, and remembered that someone somewhere (or maybe quite a few someones) said that you should write as long as it's a story that needs to be told. I don't know if my stories do need to be told. I mean, I love to write, and that's about it. I've created a world that I love, and characters that I love, so they are stories I need to tell I suppose.
....
So I've finished editing Part 1 and I'm working on Part 2. The hard thing is the ending. How do I bring it in to a close with a bang, not a whimper? Going through lots of scenarios in my head, hoping that something will come to me that really makes the book worth reading. I mean, it's already worth reading, but I want the ending to make you want to read more and at the same time bring some closure.
Okay, that's all I've got for today. Tomorrow is FRIDAY so hopefully I'll have good news for you and some details about the new book covers!
XOXO
Angela
....
So I've finished editing Part 1 and I'm working on Part 2. The hard thing is the ending. How do I bring it in to a close with a bang, not a whimper? Going through lots of scenarios in my head, hoping that something will come to me that really makes the book worth reading. I mean, it's already worth reading, but I want the ending to make you want to read more and at the same time bring some closure.
Okay, that's all I've got for today. Tomorrow is FRIDAY so hopefully I'll have good news for you and some details about the new book covers!
XOXO
Angela
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Wow, this is cool!
I just got through with editing my first 12 chapters -- they are part 1 of my book. I decided to take a story I wrote a while ago and write it into part 2 my book. And guess what?! I'd forgotten what I'd written. I'm being taken on a journey that I wrote myself because I don't really remember much of what I'd written. It's quite amazing really that I wrote this part of a story and it's just clicking! Woot! Woot! Yep, I'm tooting my own horn (or no one else will).
I'm also working with a woman I met on Quitnet.com (a quitting smoking site) about marketing and getting word out there about my books. It's really great to find someone interested in becoming involved with me on my journey. I really appreciate all of your suggestions and thougts, LeeLee!
Okay, back to the book. Just wanted to say "hey" to all my readers. More later.
X0X0
Angela
I'm also working with a woman I met on Quitnet.com (a quitting smoking site) about marketing and getting word out there about my books. It's really great to find someone interested in becoming involved with me on my journey. I really appreciate all of your suggestions and thougts, LeeLee!
Okay, back to the book. Just wanted to say "hey" to all my readers. More later.
X0X0
Angela
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Just keep editing; just keep editing; just keep edit-edit-edit
Rough day today. Went to DBT Group (Dialectic Behavior Therapy) today and had some realizations that I hadn't really put into cohesive thought before.
First and most important, I'd say, is that I do self-harm because I didn't get validation for my feelings as a kid, so I started hurting myself so that I would have something to show for my pain. Interesting. I was neglected as a kid, and this combined with genetics caused me to be depressed from a very young age. I remember wanting to get away from people and just be alone as far back as kindergarten. And that's about how old I was when I remember starting to feel guilty and I have definite memories of feeling ashamed then, too. I thought for a long time that I had missed out on some mass punishment that everyone in my school got but me. So there was that hanging over my head for a long time -- obviously since I remember it so clearly.
Anyway, enough about my sad childhood. I'm through Chapter 10 in my editing process, WOO HOO! I can't wait to get together with my graphic artist and start working on book covers! It's going to be so wonderful to have a really great book cover. It's so important, and yet when I produced my first book I went about it pretty non-chalantly. Sorry I don't know how to spell that. I made up my own cover first time around with a photo that I took myself. I hope that the next printing of my first book is much more relevant and catchy.
Okay, back to the editing. I hope this post was worth reading. Especially for everyone out there that does self-harm. You're not alone. You can email me to chat about it if you like. And of course I welcome any comments you might have.
Thanks for reading!
Angela
First and most important, I'd say, is that I do self-harm because I didn't get validation for my feelings as a kid, so I started hurting myself so that I would have something to show for my pain. Interesting. I was neglected as a kid, and this combined with genetics caused me to be depressed from a very young age. I remember wanting to get away from people and just be alone as far back as kindergarten. And that's about how old I was when I remember starting to feel guilty and I have definite memories of feeling ashamed then, too. I thought for a long time that I had missed out on some mass punishment that everyone in my school got but me. So there was that hanging over my head for a long time -- obviously since I remember it so clearly.
Anyway, enough about my sad childhood. I'm through Chapter 10 in my editing process, WOO HOO! I can't wait to get together with my graphic artist and start working on book covers! It's going to be so wonderful to have a really great book cover. It's so important, and yet when I produced my first book I went about it pretty non-chalantly. Sorry I don't know how to spell that. I made up my own cover first time around with a photo that I took myself. I hope that the next printing of my first book is much more relevant and catchy.
Okay, back to the editing. I hope this post was worth reading. Especially for everyone out there that does self-harm. You're not alone. You can email me to chat about it if you like. And of course I welcome any comments you might have.
Thanks for reading!
Angela
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