Sunday Selfie: Mountains, Chemistry and Publishing

No I do not take selfies! I generally don’t like pictures of myself that others take so why would I take one of myself. But I have begun sharing on Sundays a piece of my life and thoughts, so instead of Jumping Back In (if you’ve followed those posts) I am re-titling these musings as Selfie Sunday.

I just finished watching Neil Gaiman’s 2012 Commencement Address at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. If you have never watched it… do it right after you finish reading this blog (link at the end). If you’ve watched it before..watch it again.   His advice about when life gets complicated at the end it funny and priceless.

He says in the beginning that he never had a career, just a ride. People with careers have a plan know the rules and therefore what is possible and impossible. If you are along for the ride, improvising you are less likely to be held back because some rule says it’s impossible. You have your mountain and you're going to climb it and do things that take you one step closer to the mountaintop. 

That resonates with me, I have had jobs but never a career in the sense that my parents’ generation and others since then have viewed it. But it is a ride. I have been on Wall Street, banking, a teacher, owned a gourmet shop, and unemployed. I have been a deal maker, an administrative assistant, and now a CEO (shhh secret project underway). Not a career but a journey, each step along the way has brought me to where I am now.

A journey like this is not understood by everyone, but it’s not supposed to be. They have their own journey or career, however they choose to view it.

Journeys are exciting and scary. They often take on the attributes of chemical or nuclear reactions. In some chemical reactions, titration is required because after 99 drops of a reagent the 100^th drop, a mere drop, will trigger the ultimate reaction creating the end products. (For geeks like me, watch this video. You can fast forward to about the 2 minute mark). Chloride Titration

The difference between this chemical reaction and life is that the dramatic moment in the reaction is called an endpoint. In life I call that a beginning. In nuclear reactions there is critical mass, where once the right amount of a material is it goes from nothing to KABOOM and massive amounts of energy are created.

My dating journey is still early days. The last two week have been busy ones for Sean at work and more importantly with the final journey and passing of one of his sisters after a long battle. During these events, we have maintained contact even if it has been smiley faces and quick notes and hellos throughout the day and evening. Like titration, we are looking adding drop by drop to the process.

The momentum is building on the writing and publishing side, things are moving even faster than I could have imagined. One of my dreams from three years ago, is on the verge of exploding into reality. Watch for more news on this in the coming months. However if you are an editor, formatter, cover artist, copy editor or author get in touch and stay in touch.

Gaiman talks about the mountain. Publishing is that mountain for me. Not only to publish my own work, but that of others. If you know me, you know that I am a mentor and supporter at heart, particularly of the arts. I derive pleasure from the success of others especially if I think I played some small part in it.

And as he so wisely says enjoy the ride and make good art.

Oh and here's that link... Neil Gaiman Address 2012 

Jumping Back In: Confidence, Auras, Law of Attraction in Dating and More

So Sean and I continue to see each other, dinners, concerts, and quiet evenings on a porch or deck. It’s fun and neither of us seem to be in any rush to make it serious. What is interesting is how that fun and relaxation seems to impact the universe. People I know well keep telling me how great I look when nothing has physically changed about me, including that 20 pounds that HAS TO GO!

I’m no cover model but I’m attractive enough that I’ve gotten sufficient attention from men. But as I said in the first of this series, I hadn’t met anyone that I really wanted to spend time with that was available and not a hot mess. Since then, I’ve had several overtures from other men. One is a musician, who actually has a real paying job and is available…the hot mess question remains unanswered and he lives too far away. Another is a writer friend, who only half joking, invited me to move to Western Canada and marry him. I think he wants me for my passport. He is available and may be a hot mess and is definitely too far away. There are others but I want to keep this brief.

So why the sudden attention? I am a believer in the Law of Attraction and, if you’ve read Dark Dealings  (look to your right), in auras. I think that what YOU believe changes your aura and so changes what you attract. The vast majority of people cannot see auras, but they sense them at a very primitive level. It is why, I can meet so many people who will be just friends or not even that. When I met Sean, it was not love at first sight, but there was an instant comfort level that made many things feel easy and familiar for both of us. Perhaps our auras are compatible, perhaps we knew each other in a past life.  That is a discussion for a later post.

I had made a decision when I joined the online dating site, to open myself up (cautiously) to the possibility. Once I was open to that, others seemed to pick up on that and a received more compliments, flirtations, and it extends to my professional life.

I have been asked to be a member of a panel on women’s empowerment, invited to return to my role or more in an annual conference for 2015. My goal of launching my LLC as a full-fledged publishing company is gaining momentum daily. The day job continues to go well, but that is there to pay the bills until the rest of this can replace it. Is everyday glorious…HELL NO. It’s life and it has its bumps small and large.  I look forward to this October panel and am using it as a deadline to see how many of my other goals I can advance by then.

Oh and Sean is a smoker. I don’t smoke and know that is a personal decision. However, he smokes on my front porch and has been informed that if we are still seeing each other come winter, snow or no snow, it’s still the porch. He’s finding out, bit by bit, that I am who I am. I am more comfortable in my own skin than I have ever been. The proviso to that is I will not give up my goals and dreams to suit another.  It’s a package deal. And a pretty great package too, at least I think so. Nor would I ask another to change their dreams and goals for me. The trick is to find a partner who will grow alongside you.

Law of Attraction includes knowing the difference between confidence and arrogance. Confidence is knowing your value; Arrogance is thinking you are more valuable than others and that they should believe it, too. Confidence is knowing you aren't perfect, no one is but you like you for all that you are. You are on your journey and it's towards a more authentic you. I'm on my journey, too.

Dating or anywhere else in your life know your value and you will attract people of value who will recognize a kindred spirit.

More updates next week on Sean and other topics.

If you missed the previous entries, feel free to scroll through prior posts to catch up.

No Blizzards and Other Goals

                This blog quietly passed its one year anniversary. If you go back through the archive, you’ll see that I fulfilled a New Year’s resolution early due to the Christmas Blizzard of 2010 in the Northeast United States. We had over three feet of snow as evidenced by pictures posted with that first blog and the follow-up post. So, being stuck in the house, I jumpstarted StoryTeller’s Grove.

                The reason the blog anniversary was not acknowledged until today was the lack of snow. A good thing! This meant that the Christmas festivities at my house were not postponed and over 30 adults and children filled the house Christmas Day. It was fun to see everyone, but exhausting as well. 

        December 26, I was at work, not stuck indoors, and recuperating from the crowd the day before.

         Today, I paused and looked back on 2011 and all the changes that I have seen.  This has been a year where I changed day jobs, focused on publishing Dark Dealings through traditional methods and learned tons about the exploding Indie e-book market.  For writers with the time, expertise and support network of editors, cover designers, and others, it is an increasingly viable alternative. I will agree with Bob Mayer in his recent post on his predictions for 2012, we are indies not self-published. Those of us who recognize our own strengths and, more importantly, our weaknesses, delegate to other talented people and recognize that this delegation is an investment in our business. We can not do it by ourselves.

                So I find myself in the same place as many others: Goals for 2012. A blog is a wonderful and scary place because it gives you an opportunity to share thoughts and ideas with others and in the process paint a big red target on yourself.

                But I’m a glutton for punishment, as most writers are. So here goes:

Writing and Publishing

1)      Form LLC to be focus of all “writerly” activities this year and in the future.

2)      Publish Dark Dealings and at least two other novels by year end.

3)      Attend a minimum of three writing conferences.

4)      Read 20 books, of which 8 will be purely for fun or enrichment and not review. Guess that means 1 book review on average per month, Hope to exceed this goal, but it also does not included books I help edit and the time spent there.

5)      Finish three new works and partial on fourth by year-end. This goes to goal #2 and pipeline for 2013.

6)      Get better at outlining in a manner that works for me. This impacts goals #2 and #5

Personal

7)      Lose the last 15 pounds of stress weight from old job

8)      Find a new job that better accommodates the writer’s life

9)      In connection with #7, gym or outside exercise (run, walk, bike) three times a week

10)   Healthier eating, which of course does not mean totally doing away with caffeine, chocolate and adult beverages---maybe moderation---maybe.

 

How about you? I’ve listed 10 things. What 2 things will you commit to in the comments below?

NaNoWriMo and the Uncomfortable Zone

Earlier this week I talked about risk taking. Today I am talking about NaNoWriMo as a form of risk.  If you have not heard, every November hundreds of thousands of writers (200,500 in 2010) step up to the challenge of writing a 50,000 word first draft of a novel in thirty days. There are regional groups around the world that organize write-ins, launch parties and after-parties. So what’s the risk here and why take it?

NaNoWriMo is really about stepping out of your comfort zone. You may have “thought” about writing that novel. But as my father always says “And we know what thought did, right?” Trick question. Thought does not do anything.  But moving from thought to action can mean taking risk.

So the part of your brain that likes the word “no” says “What if you don’t finish 50,000 words? What if my first draft is shitty (with a nod to Anne Lamott)? 50,000 words! You’ve never written anything longer than a grocery list.  You don’t have the time. Why bother writing no one will like it.”

So why bother?  If you a writer, if the bug has bitten you, then you know you have no choice. The story must be heard, the characters demand attention.

So you’ve never written anything longer than a grocery list. There is only one way to know if you’ve got 50,000 words in you. Start.

What if the first draft is shitty? That’s why we edit and edit and then edit again. Sometimes referred to as rinse and repeat.

But no one will read it. Most likely no one except you will read the first draft. But after an edit or two you will call on some of the other writers you’ve met along the way to form a critique group (sounds formal but it’s often not.). They will become your beta readers and help you make the additional cuts and changes to begin polishing your novel.

Remember what I said in the earlier post. No sane person takes a risk with preparation. So how do you prepare when NaNoWriMo is a little more than 11 days away. First, don’t panic. Second go to the NaNoWriMo site, if you haven’t already, and sign up.

Then you need to do some preliminary activities:

1)      Decide if you are a paper or electronic writer. I write on my laptop because I have no patience for re-typing it later. For those who know me, I am a terrible typist when going direct to electronic. Factor in my handwriting and the scratch outs and arrow I’d have to follow.  A nightmare worthy of Stephen King.

2)      Write down your ideas and characters.  Even if NaNoWriMo on the surface appears to be an activity for pantsers, you will do better even if all you have are main character names, setting, time and four or five sentences about the plot. I recommend if you can to have some idea of beginning, middle and end.

3)      Stock up on snacks and beverages and any writing supplies you may need.

4)      Tell your friends what you are doing or, if you are not ready to come-out as a writer, tell them you have a 30-day flu and will be in quarantine. That can help handle the “enough time” problem.

What’s the benefit of taking the risk: You get the start of a novel. Make it to 50,000 words and you get a really cool certificate and bragging rights.  You meet other cool writers.

You also learn how to turn off your inner editor.  Many of us can kill a project by beating the same page to death instead of moving on. To get to the finish, you need to keep plowing ahead.  I will share a little technique that I began using. It feeds my inner editor just enough so she doesn’t whine.  I type my first draft in track changes mode.  Not to edit text, but for the nifty comment bubbles.  If I’m writing a new unplanned scene some prior information may be missing. If it stays in the next draft, it may need more set-up.  I put a note to go back and do that in the comment bubble. It helps me keep moving forward.

Maybe you are like me and want to use NaNo to experiment in a new genre. To step out of your comfort zone.  I will have a first draft done of one WIP before November1, so I’m going to try something new in November. Then, in December, after my current WIP has rested I can return to it with fresh eyes for the first round of slash and burn edits.

So are you taking the risk of creating something in November and joining me in NaNo?  Ah, you want to know what I’m experimenting with in November.  Let’s just say if it works, it will be HOT.

Taking Charge: Bob Mayer's "Write It Forward"

Just a quick post for today.

I am reading  Bob Mayer's book Write It Forward. In a changing writing and publishing environment it is a must read for those who want to take charge of their success as a writer.  Bob,(I hope I can call kim that) is a multi-pubbed author and the founder of Who Dares Wins Publishing. Perhaps more important is his military background in the Green Beret.  He learned his focus and ability to motivate himself and others there.

I have always been a person who took charge of my own future, but lately I have felt a loss of control. The economy has battered us all, publishing is shifting sands--nothing is as easy as it use to be.Bob Mayer's  Write It Forward is the shot in the arm I needed right now.  It reminded me to start with a strategic goal and build from there.  Having a goal that is specific and measurable was the piece I had lost.

I have written my strategic goal for my writing.  Have you?

Row, Row, Row your Goals. No flaking allowed.

I have been, I hope, noticeably absent from this site of late. That is because I am trying to follow the advice passed on from a Twitter follower of Laurell K. Hamilton (Urban Fantasy author extraordinaire—and then some).  The original tweet is lost on a long list of tweets, so I am unable to give the sender their props.  If you see this, please chime in so you can be thanked. But here it is:

                The @LKHamilton Way: Self-impose a deadline, give up fun activities to meet deadline, and do not fucking flake out on the deadline!

                In sticking with that theme, and since my betas hit me with their comments I have been in the cave.  On one of my less frequent visits to Twitter, I found #ROW80.  Rather than re-invent the wheel, let me post the description from their site.

A Round of Words in 80 Days is exactly what it sounds like.  It is a writing challenge that runs for 80 days.

How is it different from other writing challenges?

Well apart from being longer than most writing challenges (NaNoWriMo being the one most folks are familiar with), ROW80 allows YOU to set YOUR GOAL (You’ll wanna read this post about what constitutes an actual measurable GOAL).  We don’t presuppose that everybody has the same needs, the same level of productivity, or the same schedule.  When the challenge starts, you might be in the middle of a WIP.  Or you might be on revisions.  Everybody’s different.  You take whatever project you are working on, in whatever stage it is in, and you figure out a goal for it, share it with us in a blog post that you link to when the challenge begins, and you join our community of dedicated writers and fellow cheerleaders.  Don’t feel limited to fiction.  We’ve had non-fiction writers on here as well as one participant who was working on her dissertation!

And here’s the clincher about what makes ROW80 different from all the other writing challenges out there: We recognize that you have a life.  It’s all well and good to think that you can put your job and family and responsibilities on hold for a month or more to hammer out a book, but it’s not realistic.  Hundreds of thousands of people start NaNo and only a fraction actually SUCCEED.  Because life happens.  It gets in the way.  And real writers have to find a way to cope with it and STILL GET THE WORK DONE.  So in light of the fact that we know you have a life, ROW80 allows you to change your goal should you need to. 

And since we all want to (presumably) be writers rather than hobbyists, we need a challenge that happens more than once a year.  A Round of Words in 80 Days happens FOUR times a year.

Round 3 begins today July 4th.

So here are my ROW80 goals:

1)      Finish the polish edits on Dark Dealings, including formatting.

2)      Finish outline of Ogham Court

3)      Write an additional 50,000 words for Ogham, which should mean a completed first draft, or pretty darn close.

4)       DO NOT FLAKE OUT!

Who's with me.  If you want to jump in, you can do so on any reporting day which is Sunday and Wednesday.  See the link above for details.  I'll be checking in here and at #ROW80.