Random Observations About Writing

About poetic language vs realism

I notice that the sunrise this morning is not really pink — maybe more of a salmon color, but that’s not poetic, is it? “The salmon-colored dawn.” No. Just no.

“Rosy”, on the other hand, is poetic. And everyone who reads the poem or prose takes the same poetic leap and accepts the dawn as rosy.

Photo by Sebastian Voortman on Pexels.com

About writers and coffee

I’m in a writer’s group on Discord, and the caffeine addiction there is real. To the point where we talk about how we make coffee and what blend we use. And heaven forbid we skip our coffee in the morning.

I haven’t met any tea drinkers, but it could be a small sample size. Do you drink tea?

About that self-doubt

The same group of writers admitted that they too have self-doubt.

About romance categories

There are many, many romance categories. Superhero, bad boy, playboy, alien. Sweet, steamy, hot, erotica. Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, boy next door, strangers to lovers. Science fiction, fantasy, contemporary, historical.

And because of my self-doubt, I don’t know if I belong to any of these.

Marketing

Right now, I feel like most of my writing time is spent in marketing, and I don’t even have anything on imminent publication. I’m using The Kringle Conspiracy as my hook for newsletter subscribers, so that’s out. This is all a very strange journey and I don’t know how things are going to work this fall when I’m back to work.

What about you?

Do you have any observations about yourself as a writer, or if you aren’t a writer, other writers? I’d love to see you drop these in the comments!

The Beginning of a Writing Journey

Seven years ago today

Seven years ago yesterday, I finished my first novel. To be exact, I finished the first draft of my first novel, which was then revised so many times over the years that it’s not the book I originally wrote. Coincidentally, it’s the book I hope to self-publish by the end of the summer, Gaia’s Hands.

After that first novel

I thought I’d quit writing after I wrote that novel, because I had fulfilled one of those Big Audacious Goals that I thought I’d never fulfill, being a short-story person by nature. But I wrote six and a half more novels — the half novel being 50k of a book that needs another half.

So far, only one book, The Kringle Conspiracy, has been published. My family likes it and it’s helped me get quite a few newsletter readers in the past few weeks. That book was almost 40 years in the making, coming from a vignette I wrote in a high school creative writing class.

There will be (hopefully) two other books to be (self-) published soon: the aforementioned Gaia’s Hands and the second Kringle book, Kringle in the Night.

Where to from here?

Obviously, I’m probably going to keep writing, although I haven’t written a novel since — checks watch — last November. I’d like to start writing a new novel soon, even though I’ve been advised to stick with short stories for a while. Getting things published is also important to me right now.

For you

Do you have ideas for a novel? Dreams of writing a novel? Write them here!

What I Want Out of Writing

I’m still writing

After yesterday’s revelations, I’m still writing.

I will not be able to quit my day job, and at best I might enhance our income by $6 to $20k. But there’s value in writing, whether it is to express my thoughts and emotions, to explore skill-building, or to fantasize about making it big.

Time plus money = ?

I need to get value from my writing equivalent to the time (lots) and the money (considerably less) that I have put into my writing.

However, whenever we fulfill a goal, value comes from two outcomes: changes (usually gains) in resources and satisfaction. Gains in resources don’t have to be monetary — they can be in terms of knowledge and experience. Satisfaction comes from completing goals, and the feeling of that satisfaction differs by where it comes from. The deepest satisfaction comes from satisfying higher-order goals, goals that come from higher values like beauty, truth, and accomplishment.

Looking at my time and money spent writing, I see that I have increased greatly in both experience and knowledge about writing. I have written several pieces, both short and long, and that represents another gain in resources. And, having satisfied the higher-level goals of accomplishment and knowledge, I feel this satisfaction very deeply.

(Note: The discussion on the outputs from fulfilling goals, or the value-creating activities, comes from family resource management theory, which I taught for close to 20 years. For a summary of resource management theories, read here.)

What I want out of writing

I, of course, have been analyzing this question of what I want out of writing to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth, as it were. This is the list I came up with:

To learn about writing
To get people to read my work
To enjoy my time writing
To be able to call myself an author
To improve in my writing
To enjoy a hobby

I think there are good enough reasons here to keep me writing.

How about you?

What is a goal of yours and what does it give you?

Giving Up Cherished Dreams

Dreams of being an author

I went into this thought of being an author figuring I would find an agent, then a publisher, and get a five-figure advance and royalties. My ex-boyfriends (all geeks) would see my name in the science fiction section of the bookstore and be forced to have some respect for me. I could quit my day job.

The sobering reality

The truth of the matter is that the scenario for writers is far less rosy. According to the Authors Guild 2018 poll:

Median income for all authors (full vs part, traditional vs self-published) was $6080 in 2017
Median income for full-time authors for all writing-related activities, however, was $20,300
Self-published authors earned less than traditionally published authors
Publishers are paying lower advances to authors who are not celebrity or leading authors

And then there’s the part where Amazon has pretty much taken over the bookselling and publishing market, likely pushing all these trends. And the fact that the typical self-publisher will sell only 250 books.

This is a lot to absorb. If I’m going to be an author (I already am), I have to have honest and good reasons to do so. The biggest thing I need to do is dispel my illusions:

I will not make a lot of money doing this.
Most of my friends will not have read my work.
My work will likely not sit on a bookshelf.
I may never get picked up by an agent or be traditionally published.
No matter how much effort I put into being a published author, I may never sell more than 250 books.

This is all sobering information. If I write, I have to write for a reason other than external validation of sales and recognition, because I may not get those no matter how well I write. I will never be able to support myself this way, although it might be a nice addition to retirement income.

I have to write for myself. I have to write for the love of it. I have to write for the desire to improve my art, because I can’t count on being the shining exception to the rule.

Some of My Other Hobbies

What is there besides cats, coffee, and writing?

That’s a good question, because I write about these all the time. But there are other things that interest me, sometimes to the point of fascination.

Plants

I have a fascination with plants, especially edible ones. And poisonous ones. I can now determine between Queen Anne’s Lace (not deadly) and poison hemlock (deadly). Not that I’ll be eating either, but Queen Anne’s Lace is, in effect, a wild carrot. I don’t try to identify mushrooms, because they all look the same to me.

I like to know plant names, because to just dismiss weeds as “weeds” eliminates a world of useful plants. Everything from lamb’s quarters (as good as spinach) to jewelweed (soothes the sting of nettles). For that matter, nettles (once cooked, a nutritious soup green.

This knowledge of plants helps me write. For example, I almost killed off a character with ricin from the castor bean plant. Writers often joke about their search histories; I am no exception.

Bread baking

I guess this goes along with plants, because yeast is a plant. I was never more aware of this as when I created my own starter by capture. This method depends on wild yeasts in one’s environment and making a hospitable medium to make them flourish. I kept these going for three months last year during the lockdown, until I realized we would never make enough bread. There is no true sourdough bread recipe for the bread machine. I have my cultures dried and frozen, however, to be started back up soon.

Cooking

I don’t cook often these days, but I am an accomplished cook with some training in food science, menu planning, and nutrition. I also cooked for two years in a Thai cafeteria, and we cooked more traditional recipes for ourselves, so I learned the basics of Thai food and now can navigate around a Thai recipe with ease. I make a mean Kung Pao chicken and Thousand-Year (master) sauce. I’m teaching my half-Chinese husband how to make Asian food.

Reading

Of course, reading. My favorites are fantasy and science fiction, but occasionally I’ll read Regency romance and the JD Robb series in crime romance. I should read more, but writing and my day job keep me busy.

Bird-watching

I haven’t gotten out to a good natural setting for a while, so I haven’t seen any new birds lately. I think it was two years ago I saw one of the birds unexpectedly on my life list: A painted bunting in southeast Kansas. I’m too lackadaisical to be a great birder; I’m just excited when I see a bird I haven’t seen before.

For you

What are your favorite hobbies? Tell me about them!

My Dream Writing Spots

As a writer

When I write, I can’t write in a vacuum. I need to watch people, study people and their body language and their behavior, study surroundings, listen to background music and snippets of conversation among the murmurs.

I also need an interesting space. Neither too edgy nor too

Therefore, I dream of interesting spaces where all of the above happens, yet in a way that doesn’t intrude into my thought processes.

Dreams fulfilled

Some of these ideal writing places I have already encountered — the lobby of The Elms Hotel in Excelsior Springs, MO; the Great Hall at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL; Behind the fireplace at Lied Lodge in Nebraska City, NE; various cafe’s across the US. All these places have the intoxicating combination of vital people and intriguing space. I could go back to any of those today if I had the money and time.

Dreams that might be beyond my grasp

One place I’d love to write is in a Class-C RV at Mozingo Lake (Maryville MO) for a summer retreat. As I don’t own a camper, this might be a bit challenging. Also challenging is their spotty wi-fi, but it might be good enough to hook in now and again. A cabin for the summer might also be good, but I don’t know where one could get a hold of one for a less than prohibitive cost.

Photo by Nicolas Postiglioni on Pexels.com

Another dream would be riding/writing on Amtrak (or better, some Canadian railway) for a spell. I would have a sleeper car, I would get meals in the dining car, and I would document my trip in the observation car (west of the Mississippi) with computer in lap. Unless I can get a writer in residence through Amtrak, I would not been able to afford that. (And I’ve tried.)

Help me out here!

I’m looking for writing retreats — coffeehouses; inns and B and B’s with open spaces or lobbies; yurts for rent; cabins with scenery; known writers’ retreats. Recommend something to me!

Looking for the World of Dreams

Lately my life has been too many words.

I work with words all day, and especially here in the summer, when I don’t have much else to do. I have been working on several projects, putting the words into place and polishing them up. Short stories, novels, cover letters — all have been revised. But I am weary of words; they’re not inspired at this stage.

Words and Dreams

Inspired words have to come from somewhere. In my case, they come from dreams and daydreams. The realm that is illogical. I dip into that realm, find the inspiration, and use that thought and the energy to influence building out the dream into something readable. This is why I write fantasy instead of, say, historical fiction.

I haven’t had any of that kind of inspiration lately, and it shows. All I have been doing is revising, the brain work. No aha reactions, no warm feeling of having a scenario in my head (in my case it’s in words, not pictures, because of my aphantasia.)

A wake-me-up

A fellow writer in a writer’s group has assigned me to people watching at the cafe, listening to some good music (in my case, either ambient or singer-songwriter compilations). I think I should take notes away from the computer, preferably with my brass Kaweko Sport fountain pen. And I shouldn’t think about what I should write, but see where the inspiration hits me. Hopefully short stories and poems, because with 7 novels and one to be revised and added to, I probably have more than enough novels to consider publishing.

So that’s my plan for this afternoon.

Momentum

I feel like I’m finally moving forward.

I’ve been working hard these past few weeks on all things Gaia. It’s been a fruitful week, with 320 new friends on Tik Tok, 25 people on my mailing list, and a handful of beta-readers and ARC readers for Gaia’s Hands. This might happen — I may get a book out in August.

Is there an addiction to accomplishment?

I think I’m addicted to accomplishing something. I know this is a typical drive for people, but many people get this accomplishment by doing crossword puzzles.

Artists and writers get this sense of accomplishment by creating things. Getting them out there for people is often secondary to actually making the artwork or story, and in fact many creatives (including myself) cringe at the marketing part.

When am I going to slow down?

I will have no choice but to slow down next week. Because of the end of COVID, I finally will be able to go to one of my favorite retreats, The Elms, to have a spa vacation/writing retreat. Mostly spa vacation, because I have much of a day to get a massage and spend time in saunas, hot tubs, and steam rooms. All in all not a bad way to relax.

Am I manic yet?

I don’t think so. Every day I take an afternoon nap and I get 7 hours of sleep a night. Those are not the signs of a manic swing. I have to worry about this because mania and depression are part of my life. Things I watch for:

Lack of sleep
Elation
Horribly painful crushes on people
Irritability
Starting up a whole bunch of new projects

Don’t worry — I’m keeping an eye on me.

Slow Down, Little Doggie

I feel like I’m going too fast

I have been working 8 hour days on my book marketing and writing from 6-3 (with time for lunch), taking occasional breaks to answer student emails. This is a lot of work, and I feel productive. But I realized yesterday that I am missing necessary steps in getting this novel self-published.

It’s had a dev edit and complete revision, but it needs:

Another pass with a fine tooth comb.
A reload into Atticus (or Scrivener depending on which version I edit)
If I like what I see there — beta readers. If not, return to step 1
ARC (advanced reader copy) readers
Finally, publishing.

Reining myself in

Obviously, I need to slow down, and my book won’t be out by July barring a miracle with readers. But at least the book will be good.

Self-publishing Another Book?

Nothing for the summertime

With me publishing Christmas romances, I have nothing to attract people in the off-season (that being from January-October). I’m still dreaming about being professionally published, but I do have a fantasy romance/romantic fantasy book I could get going pretty quickly The name is Gaia’s Hands, and it’s a prequel to a three-book (or more) series I have already written.

Working with a talented artist

If I publish this on Amazon, I have to come up with a cover. Because this is a fantasy, my idea of the cover was impressionistic, and the elements it needed to have were fire, apples, and protagonists in shadow.

Luckily I have a talented artist close by — my niece Rachel. She has her own style and usually draws very goth-esque designs, but I saw one of her pictures that cemented the deal in its similarity to what I was looking for.

The picture is going to be different than most romance novel covers, although I think it’s fitting for fantasy.

I’ll show you when it’s done.

The novel blurb: First glance

Jeanne Beaumont, a plant scientist, feels uneasy about the growth rate of the vine in the corner of her research greenhouse. And then Josh, fifteen years younger, comes into her life with his mysticism and his obvious feelings for her.

Josh Young, English instructor, devotes himself to his writing, his aikido, and his practice of Shinto. And, when he sees Jeanne Beaumont in a vision standing naked in a voluptuous garden, he devotes himself to her as well, even though he feels he’s too young.

Jeanne and Josh discover Jeanne’s powers even as a malevolent force threatens her career and Jeanne’s misgivings about her age tear them apart. But the project of her lifetime throws them into the final confrontation with her shadowy adversary.