IWSG Post: Uncertainty in Revision

I have had so may insecurities the past few years, and a few successes.  The Insecure Writers' Support Group is the place to vent them, to read others' opinions, feelings, successes, insecurities, and to just generally share in the ups and downs of writing and publishing.  Participants post...

Becoming a Writer Part 3: A Different Approach--All in My Head

All right, I know the "freedom" I feel is all in my head.  It's been there all along, there are likely even agents and editors that might like what I'm doing.  But I certainly feel more stressed when I think I need to impress others.  I'm just not good at it.  I can be friendly, and I have even enjoyed customer service jobs for the interaction with people. I know I often leave...

Becoming a Writer Part 2: Rough Drafts

The challenge of Nanowrimo has helped me immensely.  The deadline helped me to finally and effectively manage my time in July, for Camp Nano.  I finished a rough draft and then read through it and then... let it sit. The next challenge will be to revise what I have, but before then, I am launching into Nanowrimo. I have a new/old project.  That is, since I've been progressively re-approaching...

Becoming a Writer in the 21st Century: Part 1

Over the years of bumbling through this or that rough draft, participating in writing communities, and puzzling through the process and business of writing my focus has skittered about.  At the center of this is was the idea: “Where to start?” Originally, the idea was with a rough draft.  But after the first few were shelved, or overhauled, I worried what the next step would be when...

The Educating of Myself Part 2: The Working World

Then I got a job--after three years in pursuit of a paycheck--at a bookstore.  Love my job.  But it has given me much greater insight to the changed nature, not only of selling books, but also consumer behavior in buying books.  On top of that, there is a major gap between customer expectation of a bookstore and what a bookstore *actually* has the resources to provide.  Which,...

The Educating of Myself: Part 1: My Academic Journey

I chose to major in anthropology because I wanted to soak up knowledge of cultures and history for the construction of my fantasy worlds. Life, as always, has different plans. What I learned from spending eight years to obtain a four-year-degree can (somewhat) be boiled down to these vague ideas: 1) Culture defines us and our individual identity on such an innate level that we cannot witness...

The Growing-Up of Drea

I started out just writing--like we all do.  Then I started researching the business, and at that point in time it was all about traditional publishing because you absolutely had to have your books in bookstores to sell, and you have to sell (of course) to make it as a writer.  So it was about queries and synopsis and having the first three chapters of your novel so polished that they...

IWSG: Being an Aspiring Writer and a Bookstore Employee

Hello all!  Here's another IWSG post--where we talk about our achievements and insecurities on the first Wed of every month!  I want to thank Alex J. Cavanaugh and her co-hosts for managing this most amazing (and inspiring group)-- you all kept me writing at least a post a month when writing...

Dreamer Issues

I'm a dreamer.  I'm a writer--so this is no surprise.  But one of the things that I seem to do well is come up with ideas for things outside of writing.  I always seem to have a project that I want to engage in. This I know, is a bit of a distraction.  It is hard, sometimes, to maintain focus.  Why? Because all I really want to do is write, I end trying to plan my perfect...

Writing Books-- Perception and Reality

Last weekend I had an interesting discussion with a musician wherein I admitted that my personality was to be quite open, and to basically be just as I am--just as I seem. To which this man replied: "We all are, it is something about being an artist." Being an artist.  Writing is an art that marries the creative and the analytical in an odd mixture of things most artists would not assume...

News!

Last month I got to meet authors from the State Fair Booth, who came in from various parts of the state and had booths at my workplace. I took pictures for facebook, blogged at the AvidReaderTower.blogspot.com to generate traffic and interest for the store and our author-guersts. In the course of this event, I had the pleasure of chatting with Deborah Cota, author of the Dante Series.  After...

IWSG: Achievements and New Angst

It's time to share insecurities, achievements, and court the support of the like-minded. Or, well, it's time for another Insecure Writers' Support Group, that amazing once-monthly internet gathering of writers sharing their trials and successes in an effort to let us all know that we aren't alone....

Looking for Events in Sacramento?

So... what's been up with me?  Camp nano--over halfway through my project.  That feels really good, by the way.  And... just in case anyone is in Sacramento this month, I thought I'd mention some of the events that will be going down at my work. The California State Fair is kicking off, and we will be working with the group running the authors' booth. This is really exciting for me. ...

Camp Nano

So, I seem to remember my blog for this event every month.  Working on building up other posts as well.  What is this event? It is the Insecure Writer's Support Group, hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. All posts can be found here.  We share our goals and insecurities once a month,...

What do we have against nice guys?

Nice guys: the ones that care for the people around them and do everything they can to help in tough situations.  The ones who have their heart in the right place. Currently rewatching a bit of Stargate Universe and, yes, I'm a geek.  So Eli is mt favorite character.  And his dismissal into the "friend zone" with Chloe, and then the death of Gin pissed me off.  And I think it...

Growing Phase and Accompanying Pains

It's the first Wednesday of the month!  Time to share goals, progress and insecurities about writing as part of Insecure Writer's Support Group. There's a lot of really awesome and inspiring entries, so go check out the list at Alex Cavanaugh's blog here. So what's getting me this month?...

End of the Woods

For anyone following my blog, I have been pretty up-front about the hardship I've faced the last few years.  Now, I've been working for about six months, and I feel that I am way down the road to recovery. The hardest thing has been the psychological effects. On this road to recovery, I have been really revamping my lifestyle.  It's something that, looking back, has been a recurring...

Google IO

It's another day in this geeky abode and yes, we're livestreaming Google IO again this year. I love the discussion of new technology, and it always leaves me with increased curiosity about exactly the direction our future is headed.  This year, Google has not premiered crazy futuristic technology like the Glass they demoed last year.  But they are streamlining and updating everything...

IWSG: Brevity *sobs* & Date Scenes *shudder*

It's time again!  Be sure to stop by the list and check out all the other awesome IWSG posts for May at Alex J. Cavenaugh's blog, here. So what have I been insecure about this month?  Well, despite being sick twice in the past month and suffering from crazy allergies, I've been doing...

Genderizing Kids Books

One of my pet peeves, working in a bookstore, is that modern kids' literature is so gender-segregated.  Perhaps it was this way when I was a child, before the advent of YA, but I honestly don't remember it being so. This is really concerning to me because--and I'm fairly certain I've written about this in earlier posts--strong female characters (aka positive role-models...

IWSG Post

It's that time again, IWSG, where we share success and insecurities about writing. Last month I made great headway on my WIP.  I separated all of my characters and am writing each of their stories up to the climax, and then I'll tie everything together. I found that when I do it...

Describe it, with Emotion

As soon as Teffi walked into the room, she smelled the stench of ale spilled and the accomaning illness of patrons who had imbibed too much.  The cook banged pots and pans, the clanging echoed into the empty main room.  Hollow.  Perhaps the cook wanted to fill the silence, to drive off the lingering ghosts of last night's ruccous. But it didn't. The whole room stood before her,...

Out of Place

Kasai didn't know what to make of the tall brick wall ringing the city, much less the noise and bustle beyond it, through the great bronze doors. She couldn't imagine anyone in her family living in the cramped apartments crowding the narrow cobbled streets. But her mother's cousin did, and that's why she was here, dodging piles of horse manure and women in bright silks that looked down...

Writing Prompts

In order to get myself to post more, I'm giving myself assignments!  I'm choosing prompts with I will post the first week of each month and will be writing to them over the course of the month.  As today is the 7th, I'm starting at the tail end of the week, but hey--it's a start. Why prompts?  I love writing exercises. They push me a little bit, get me out of my standard train...

Focussing On One Thing: IWSG

One month later... and another IWSG post where we share insecurities and successes, month by month.  See what it's all about and all the awesome people who participate over at Alex J. Cavenaugh's site here. Last month I talked about finishing things and posting more on my blog.  Well,...

All Moved! So What's on the table?

The boxes are being unpacked and I am somehow beginning to make sense of chaos.  I am enjoying my job, but now that the holidays are over it is turning into a very part-time position.  Which is okay, of course.  It just means I need more work *sobs.* I am working on Silver Mask, again.  but I'm backtracking a touch and developing characters that I thought I had a handle on but...

IWSG: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Here's another edition of IWSG: where we post our insecurities about writing and our goals. and this year, at least, I think my year is started off right! While, yes, I will be moving yet again, and my laptop officially died, I achieved some pretty notable things in...