Writers write, right?

Retired... mostly, kind of

So… as of December 31, 2014 I have what many folks would refer to as “retired,” meaning I no longer receive compensation for, nor am I accepting jobs as, a copywriter as such. I am focusing on my writing – fiction and nonfiction. Some will be essays, book or movie reviews, opinion pieces, articles about this and that, travel articles... you get the gist. A little of this and a little of that. These will be posted on my Write On blog and will appear as the mood strikes me, which could be 10 times a month, or one time in 10 months. Who knows? Not me. I’m also continuing to write in my Joy in the Morning blog, with about the same dedication… or lack thereof. The point is I’m focusing on writing.

Emphasis will be on finishing one novel that’s been hanging fire for about two years, give or take a year, collecting Joy in the Morning posts into a book of inspiration, and getting around to writing a book about what there is to do NOW in Las Vegas and San Miguel County. There have been a number of history books written about the area, and since I’m no historian, it makes more sense to skim the cream off the top of this lovely area and put it into a handy guide. Not a visitors’ guide; there will be no advertising, just a collection of interesting activities, events and sites. Is there enough to put into a book? Good question. I’ll keep you posted.

It has become clear to me that the older I get the more I want to write and the less I want to put it off until later. I’ve been listening to webinars and reading books about writing and publishing.. Every single one of them point out the following:

• Serious writers write
• Traditionally published authors work as hard at getting an agent as they do at writing books
• Serious writers write
•  Indie and traditionally published authors learn how to promote their own books with confidence
•   Serious writers write
• Author platforms are crucial
• Serious writers write 
• Authors read nearly as much as the write 
•  Serious writers write

I’m sure you get the overarching theme here. Write and write some more.

I will very much appreciate you following my journey, as bumpy as it may be, by subscribing to this blog. That way when I post something new, you will be notified by e-mail. Just type your e-mail address in the Follow by E-mail box at the top in the right hand column.

I will continue my volunteer work as a Deacon in my church, as a member of the Alta Vista Regional Hospital Advisory Board, and as chair of the Las Vegas-San Miguel Economic Development Corp.

And then of course there is that business of being part of a family. My ever-patient husband has been my biggest supporter and kindest critic (as in being no critic at all). He is not my editor. According to him everything I write is “fine.” Yikes. The worst word on the planet for a writer. “Fine.” A writer wants to be “thought provoking,” “hilarious,” “a thorn in someone’s side,” “extraordinary,” any and all of the superlatives you can imagine. “Fine,” I didn’t think, quite cut it. And then I looked at synonyms for fine:

• excellent
• first-class
• great
• outstanding
• quality
• superior
• prime
• supreme
• wonderful

 

So I guess I’ll take “fine” from my husband, who really, when I think about it, is a discerning and highly intelligent man.

Thanks for reading this, and don’t forget to sign up to follow Write On. And if you haven’t read “Finding Family,” you can get it in e-book and paperback from online retailers and locally in Las Vegas at Tome on the Range or WarDancer Designs and Gallery.

If you find Write On interesting, please like, comment, tweet and share. I will very much appreciate it.

Writing

Help! Writers Come to the Rescue
I read this wonderful post today by blogger Robert Lee Brewer entitled 25 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic. It was written back in January but it was linked to his latest post, Tech-Empowered Writers: How to Use Blogs and Social Media to Find Success. Justifiably for two years in a row his blog, My Name Is Not Bob, was listed as one of the 101 best blogs for writers by Writer's Digest.

My blogging bump-in-the-road is being consistent, especially since my interests shoot all over the place. I spent two days this week giving my website a makeover, and working at giving my blogs a similar look. Branding for a writer, or for any entrepreneur, is a way of setting yourself apart from the crowd. Being able to identify for yourself what does set you apart is the biggest, and perhaps the most difficult, step.

The competition for people’s eyes is staggering. In 2009 (the latest numbers I could find) more than 280,000 books were published in the US. That doesn’t take into account e-books, blogs and information websites looking for readers. Creating your unique brand is all the more important. Some refer to this as building a platform based on experience, publication credits and contacts. I confess to not being quite there yet.

Confidence is crucial. Writers must have monumental belief that what they’ve written is the best thing ever put to page, and then be willing to get out there and sell it. Whether you have a relationship with a traditional publisher or go out on your own and self-publish the first person you must convince that the work is exceptional is yourself. I’m not there yet. I look at my self-published books and think of all the ways they could have been better. I want to fix them, which takes up a lot of time and energy. I fret and stew when I should be creating new work or optimizing my blogging experience.

I read again Stephen King’s essay on the writing life, which appeared in the Washington Post in 2006. Now here is a fellow whose brand is easily identified. I wonder in the early years of his career if it was so evident? What struggles did he undergo to reach a level of acceptance so he didn’t have to constantly prove his worth? If you are a fan of the genre, you know that Stephen King is, well… king of horror and suspense. There are contenders but he continues to be a phenomenon. Now that’s branding. Of course it helps that he's one heck of a good writer.

There is so much more to writing than coming up with a great idea and creating a great story. I love to write and I have no problem working at it. To get that work published I have to work at that too. I’ve been rejected by the best of them and usually on a form letter so bland it cracked my heart. I turned to self-publishing because as a person who is easily crushed by rejection, I wanted absolute control of my work, and nobody could tell me my work didn’t “fit in with their book list at this time.”  

What I didn’t take into account was that the self-publisher has one goal in mind and that is to up-sell you to the point that if you’re not careful you will never make back the money you’ve invested. I’m not saying there are no successful self-published authors out there. What I can tell you is that their success came from believing in themselves, working at their craft with diligence and persevering against the odds to get their work published.

Heart breaking as it may be, as a writer you may never find an audience.Your book may be the best tome ever written. You can have the best website on the planet and fantastic blogs. If no one ever reads them, you are up the river of desperation in a paper boat. My suggestions for getting off that boat before it sinks include finding writing helps at every level, from project development and fine tuning of your book, to building your platform or brand and getting your work into the markeplace. The list below represents some of the best writers' blogs out there. These folks share their experiences and knowledge to help others with the dream of getting published and selling their work.

My Name is Not Bob

Mystery Writing Is Murder
hiveword.com/blog
www.writersdigest.com

And here are the top ten sites selected by Write to Done, unmissable articles on writing, a website geared toward helping writers find their way.

Jeff Goins Writer
The Write Practice
Jane Friedman
Creative Penn
Bookshelf Muse
Romance University
Courage2 Create
Terrible minds
Artist’s Road
Word Play

As Stephen King points out in his 2006 essay, there is no easy way to become a successful writer. It’s work. Hard work. And perhaps the hardest part of all is selling your masterpiece once it is written. There is help out there, but ultimately, you – the writer – must put pen to pad and write, and then you – the book marketer – must get out there and work some more at selling it, either to an agent or to the public.

Is it worth? Absolutely!

Keeping up

Keeping up. Keeping UP. KEEPING UP.

Technology is advancing so quickly you hardly purchase one new device before there's a new and improved version already on the market. Keeping up is nearly impossible. Worse yet it seems to be creating a divide few think about.

The other day I heard a prominent educator in a large city commenting on the fact that all the children in his school system would now have computers. I mentally applauded that. Technology is wonderful. And then he said, "Before this (acquisition of all the computers) there were some children in the district who knew where Australia was and others who didn't."

Excuse me? Don't schools have maps? Books? Teachers who teach?

Okay, I'm old school, as well as being old...er, but there was something about this man's statement that made me stop and think. The younger generation is becoming more and more dependent on developing technology while many older folks are isolated from the worldwide web either by choice or circumstances.

In my husband's case he flat out doesn't want to learn how to use a computer and is perfectly happy devouring three newspapers every day supplemented by news magazines like the Economist, Time, Scientific American... I won't go on, but he is an information vacuum. He is better informed than I, a graying geek who gets most of her information online. I read at the shallow level and he reads in depth.

So my question is this: Does access to technology mean we are better informed or better educated?

Clearly the answer is, no. What makes us better informed is the desire to learn. Technology is a tool — not more important than books, or maps, or teachers, but certainly necessary in this ever-changing world.

It's hard to keep up without it.

Happenstance Feature Article

May 2011 Happenstance

This month's feature article is about the May Family Farm at La Liendre, or more specifically about the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program) the farm is offering. If you haven't read the article, click May Family Farm and learn about this opportunity for you to have farm fresh produce through the season. The cutoff for signing up is May 15.

Marc May also pointed out that you can get farm fresh produce through the summer by going to the Farmer's Market held each Wednesday and Saturday from 7 to noon. The farmers set up in the parking lot on 6th Street behind the IC Church events center. The CSA is a formalized method of getting your produce on a set schedule.

New this month is an introduction to the Happenstance store. You can buy my books, Kathy Allen's digital cookbook and you can become a Happenstance sponsor. 

Also in the May Happenstance:

What Now? Patrick Alarid's look at landscaping with limited water

Breakfast in Bed, Cindy Charlton's Mother's Day memory

My Mother, My Child, Claudia Charlton's beautiful poem

The Science and Art of Acupuncture, by Niki Sebastian

Mother Love? Niki looks at motherhood from a different perspective (article is a PDF download).

Featured Artist, Todd Christensen give a bird's eye view of his art

Recipes & Chat, Pamela G. Daves provides insight and fun food ideas

The Code, Maridell Monnheimer talks about her mother's lasting influence

Yesterday, by Robert Gallegos looks at Las Vegas in days gone by

Detox Dramas, Sad but True, by Connie Mack

June Submissions:

It's not too early to send in your June submissions. The zine theme is Fab Fathers, but you can write about anything of interest to you. You may also submit story ideas. Readers know that Happenstance is a collection of interesting material, including poetry, essays, ficiton, and more. 

Guidelines are available by request.

Happenstance for March

This is what the March issue looks like but you can't access it until March 7! There are great articles from previous contributors and a new feature from Connie Mack. Her mind works ninety miles an hour and she has a lifetime of accumulated wisdom to share in prose and poetry form.

There's a great article about line dancing that looks at the healthy benefits of an activity that is just plain fun! Denise McElroy is the instructor. Hilda Wales sent in a beautiful thoughtful poem about spring. Her submission is one among several featured in Spring into Being: Poetry.

Look for the new issue on Monday. There is much, Much, MUCH more in it.

On a different note, I'm working like mad on the website. My grateful thanks to Intuit who has created a Mac compatible version of their website software. It is making my life so much easier! Not easy, mind you, easier.


PDF Books for Sale

Tiger Lilly and Someone's in the Kitchen are both available in PDF format for $9.50 (p tx) each. If you want a CD version add $4 for shipping and handling (unless you plan to drop by the office to pick up your CD). E-mail fsharon@msn.com and let me know which version you want and I'll give you the exact price. Mail your check to Happenstance, PO Box 187, Las Vegas, NM 87701.

March Contributors:

Kathy Allen
Nancy Colalillo
Pamela G. Daves
Robert Gallegos
Connie Mack
Maggie Romigh
Kayt Peck
Niki Sebastian
Hilda Wales
Moi (Me)

Have a happy...

Happenstance, life happens, April 9, 2010

From the editor…

Whew! I didn’t think I was going to get this one done. I had a great time interviewing Jean Warner, Joel Scheinberg and Barbara Ewing for the article about dogs. We’ve had dogs over the years, but after the last one, Chipper, the happiest dog on earth, escaped our enclosed yard and got run over, I said, “Never again!” After talking to these dog enthusiasts I’m close to rethinking my position. There is nothing like the relationship between a pet and its human family. Even snooty cats take a down day and make it better. See Delightful Dogs on pages 4-5.

Talking to the tag team Arts & Culture District duo of Adam Caldwell and Roy Montibon had my head ringing with all the ideas out there. These two bounced comments and ideas back and forth like tennis players with a great volley going. It was like sitting in on a strategy and brainstorming session with Donald Trump and the apprentices, without the BSSS (blind silly selfishness and stupidity). It was a fun interview. See Grassroots on pages 6-7.

You get a break from my recipes this week. Check out the wonderful salad recipes by Kathy Allen, author of Someone’s in the Kitchen, a compilation of recipes she has gathered over the years. These recipes can be used as a side or as a dessert.
I’m introducing a couple of new ideas. I don’t want to run a calendar, the Chamber does a great job of that and so does the Optic, but I want to hit the high points of activities going on in town. I can’t think of a better source for that than the magical e-mail network of Karyl Lyne. See The Lyne Connection on page 10. It’s a calendar, sort of.

The Happenstance Walk About on page 12 is a new feature, a bird’s eye view of what is happening in some of the businesses around town. It is very much of a work in progress. My goal is to showcase the heroes of our town. Their heroism is at street level. They get up every morning, open the door to their stores and do everything within their power to provide a much-needed service, whether it is selling ladies’ apparel, jewelry, antiques, art, or diet Cokes. These happened to be the businesses I walked into this week. What businesses have you walked into? These stores contribute to the economy of our town in ways we don’t always recognize. We need them. For them to thrive, they need us.

Enjoy Happenstance, life happens.

Happenstance, March 19, 2010

Getting Happenstance together is fun. I meet new people and share the excitement of what is going on in their lives. This week I talked to artists who are starting a new enterprise. The future of Las Vegas and the area is based on a combination of job creation, job retention, and job expansion. The jobs created by a co-op art gallery are not the distinguishable jobs of hiring others to work in your place of business; these jobs come from the artists taking on the shared role of employee. That sets up a chain reaction, which results in more opportunities for sales for the artists which is a shot in the arm for the economy on a very basic level. I met with two of the participating artists and learned a lot about co-ops I didn’t know. I share that with you in, Artists open co-op gallery on the Plaza, on pages 6-7.

My second article was a joy to do because I am a book nut. I love to read almost as much as I love to write and I really enjoy the work of other writers. I am especially charmed by Jan Brett, a respected children's book author who literally paints a picture with everything she writes. In The Easter Egg bus is on its way, you will find out more about this talented illustrator/author who has more than thirty-four million books in print. She’s coming to town and her visit is NOT just for kids. Read the story on pages 4-5. I’ve also included reviews of a couple of her books on page 10.

Also check out The Best of the Web on page 9. This week’s review is of the site delish.com. It’s a food site, but I also found it pretty entertaining. On the

Happenstance Kitchen page I included one of my favorite recipes for a crowd.

Folks are asking how often I’m going to publish Happenstance. My hope is to do it every week, but that may require more content than I can produce. I welcome submissions from other writers. It can be poetry, short fiction, essays, articles about interesting activities, people and events, history and oddities. I want to hear from you and look forward to getting your submissions.

Distribution of this is somewhat dependent on readers. If you like Happenstance and would like to pass it on to others, please do. I also welcome your ideas. Is there something you would like to know more about? Let me know and I’ll do my best to get it in.

Enjoy this issue of Happenstance; life happens.