Breaking News!
RWA has announced changes to the RITA that will allow E-published authors to submit their work. From the July 2009 RWA Hot Sheet:
"Beginning with the 2010 RITA Contest year, books published by any non-Vanity/non-Subsidy publisher may be entered in the RITA....Beginning with the 2010 RITA Contest, entries must have an original copyright date of the year preceding the contest year. However, during the 2010 transitional contest year only, those books with BOTH a 2008 original copyright date AND a 2009 North American printing date OR a 2009 first printing date may be entered so that members who had waited to enter in this contest year are not penalized by the change in policy."
This means that even if you don't get that $1000 advance, or advance-plus-royalties, you are eligible if you your book meets the word count. For further information and the full report, visit RWA's website.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Slippery Slope of A Foodie
The day job was slow last week, so I got to leave early. Yay! I spent a lovely hour at Panera Bread eating the best panini sandwich ever, and followed it up with a pecan braid that was so good it ought to be a crime. Mmm.
I've been paying a lot more attention to food lately, because the heroine in my next book, WATER, is a chef. A few weeks ago, I stayed at a B-&-B that served olive tapenade (a minced-olive spread) on artisan bread for an appetizer. I like savory dishes, so this salty little offering was right up my alley. I have successfully learned to reproduce the tapenade, and made it for a Fourth of July family gathering. It went like hotcakes. I think my mother was one step from fanning herself with relief that I can, in fact, prepare some sort of food dish. There's hope for me yet, Mom.
But I still can't replicate her meatballs, no matter how hard I try. :)
I've been paying a lot more attention to food lately, because the heroine in my next book, WATER, is a chef. A few weeks ago, I stayed at a B-&-B that served olive tapenade (a minced-olive spread) on artisan bread for an appetizer. I like savory dishes, so this salty little offering was right up my alley. I have successfully learned to reproduce the tapenade, and made it for a Fourth of July family gathering. It went like hotcakes. I think my mother was one step from fanning herself with relief that I can, in fact, prepare some sort of food dish. There's hope for me yet, Mom.
But I still can't replicate her meatballs, no matter how hard I try. :)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Never Say Die
I've been slogging through a bout of the "my writing sucks" blues this week. Yesterday I held my little pity party, but today, guess what? I sent out four queries.
Even experienced writers have moments of doubt about their work. The important thing is to persevere through that until the words come again without effort. If you want it bad enough, it will happen. Wanting it bad enough may mean years of hard work at your craft, but if that's what it takes to see your books in print, it's worth it, right?
Don't give up. Send out queries. Write something. Write anything. Just keep doing it. :)
Even experienced writers have moments of doubt about their work. The important thing is to persevere through that until the words come again without effort. If you want it bad enough, it will happen. Wanting it bad enough may mean years of hard work at your craft, but if that's what it takes to see your books in print, it's worth it, right?
Don't give up. Send out queries. Write something. Write anything. Just keep doing it. :)
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Objectivity in Art and Authorship
In my spare (Spare???) time, I like to draw. Portraits mostly. Sometimes wildlife too. I learned somewhere that after I think I'm done with a piece, I need to turn it 180 degrees and finish it upside-down.
What this does is fool your brain into re-looking at what you've drawn as the series of pencil lines it is, rather than a representation of something which your brain will "fix" into the intended image. The brain is an amazing thing. It will "fix" a thing, or fill in the blanks, without conscious effort so that you see what is meant to be, rather than what is. That's why a lot of us writers miss misspelled words without spellcheck. It's also why we have such a hard time editing our own work. Because we know what's meant to be there.
In the course of my work, I have found that it's much easier to critique others than to edit my own material. When you write a story, you're too close to see its flaws. Regaining objectivity is an important step in editing your own work. Sometimes you need to toss that manuscript in a drawer for a month. Sometimes you need to hand it over to your critique partners and let them have at it. Sometimes you just need to forget you're the one who wrote it.
Whatever method you use, if you do it right that "switch" goes back off in your brain and the work becomes what it is: a series of words on your computer screen or paper. And if you play it right, you pay attention to how the words flow. You notice how this work will affect your audience, and not what the words mean to you. And then you can edit with objectivity, sacrificing words or whole chapters for pacing if it's needed, or adding words to deepen or strengthen the story. Tough stuff. Never let it be said that writers aren't a brave lot.
I just wish I could turn a whole story 180 degrees and edit it upside-down.
What this does is fool your brain into re-looking at what you've drawn as the series of pencil lines it is, rather than a representation of something which your brain will "fix" into the intended image. The brain is an amazing thing. It will "fix" a thing, or fill in the blanks, without conscious effort so that you see what is meant to be, rather than what is. That's why a lot of us writers miss misspelled words without spellcheck. It's also why we have such a hard time editing our own work. Because we know what's meant to be there.
In the course of my work, I have found that it's much easier to critique others than to edit my own material. When you write a story, you're too close to see its flaws. Regaining objectivity is an important step in editing your own work. Sometimes you need to toss that manuscript in a drawer for a month. Sometimes you need to hand it over to your critique partners and let them have at it. Sometimes you just need to forget you're the one who wrote it.
Whatever method you use, if you do it right that "switch" goes back off in your brain and the work becomes what it is: a series of words on your computer screen or paper. And if you play it right, you pay attention to how the words flow. You notice how this work will affect your audience, and not what the words mean to you. And then you can edit with objectivity, sacrificing words or whole chapters for pacing if it's needed, or adding words to deepen or strengthen the story. Tough stuff. Never let it be said that writers aren't a brave lot.
I just wish I could turn a whole story 180 degrees and edit it upside-down.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Happy Fourth Of July
Just taking a moment to wish all Americans a safe and happy Fourth of July. Here in NY, it's threatening rain, but my family is home and we all get to celebrate a nice day together. That's enough for me!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Who Loves Hulu? I Do! Do You?
Sorry, couldn't resist the Seuss-ism. :)
I have, over the past week, grown quite attached to Hulu, a website where you can watch selected TV shows and movies for free. Yes, free. There are periodic, short "commercial" interruptions, but the entire movie or show is intact (whole seasons of TV shows, in fact). Since I am too cheap/busy to pay for cable (not wanting to shell out $60.00/month for a hundred channels I won't watch anyway), Hulu is my new entertainment best friend.
I can now watch some of my favorite episodes of "Buffy" and "Angel" again (sold off my DVDs after not watching them for so long), and feed my new obsession, "Burn Notice." Not to mention catching up on "House." "NCIS," I can watch on CBS.com, if I miss it on TV. "NCIS," I would watch in a hole in the earth and fed on stale bread and muddy water. (Michael Weatherly ... Sorry, where was I?)
The drawback, of course, is having to use my computer for writing. Oh, technology, you slippery slope of entertainment goodness. Guess I better go. And write. Really, I swear.
I have, over the past week, grown quite attached to Hulu, a website where you can watch selected TV shows and movies for free. Yes, free. There are periodic, short "commercial" interruptions, but the entire movie or show is intact (whole seasons of TV shows, in fact). Since I am too cheap/busy to pay for cable (not wanting to shell out $60.00/month for a hundred channels I won't watch anyway), Hulu is my new entertainment best friend.
I can now watch some of my favorite episodes of "Buffy" and "Angel" again (sold off my DVDs after not watching them for so long), and feed my new obsession, "Burn Notice." Not to mention catching up on "House." "NCIS," I can watch on CBS.com, if I miss it on TV. "NCIS," I would watch in a hole in the earth and fed on stale bread and muddy water. (Michael Weatherly ... Sorry, where was I?)
The drawback, of course, is having to use my computer for writing. Oh, technology, you slippery slope of entertainment goodness. Guess I better go. And write. Really, I swear.
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