Blog Chain - You Sure About That? Look It Up!

Ha Ha!  I tricked you all, doing TWO blog posts today instead of my usual one.   Okay, truth be told, I was supposed to get this one up yesterday.  Unfortunately, a bad sunburn from my motorcycle ride on the 4th and re-injuring the ligaments near my elbows made typing an impossibility.  I'm mostly recovered though, so this is a catch-up blog chain post.


The ever-awesome Michelle McLean has asked us an interesting question:

There are so many things we have to include in our storyworlds...characters, world details, settings, etc. No matter what genre you write, your stories are full of tiny details that help create your storyworld. I know that for me, at least, finding or creating all these details can sometimes be a bit tough.

Where do you go for help? And what types of things are you more likely to research/search for as opposed to making up on your own? Do you have any favorite resource sites? Share links if you have them!!

Research is one area of writing that I both love and hate.  I get to learn some really cool stuff, but it can be agonizing and time-consuming.  I haven't had tons of experience with researching for creative writing, but I've found it really necessary for the last couple things I've started.

On one of my WiPs, I am creating a post-apocalyptic world so I have to do research about all kinds of things from how much pollution people create by breathing in and out to what the effect is on a population when they are contained in a bubble.  The story also heavily involves genetics, so I'm hoping to take an actual tour of a genetics lab and get a look at the equipment.  For this story, so far I've been using the Internet.  I realize though, that later on I'll need to do some direct research like the tour.

I have another story that involves mythological characters, so for that one I reached out to a fellow writer.  Xixi had mentioned an interest in studying Greek mythology, and she was really helpful.  I had some questions regarding the Fates and she was able to clear up how they have historically been depicted.  This was useful, because now I know how far I can twist them so that they're uniquely depicted but still recognizable.

I can't say I have any favorite sites to share, but I will say that if you're looking for information on Sci-fi stuff, read fellow blog-chainer Sandra's blog.  She is a wealth of scientific information, and she shares interesting tidbits with us all the time.

Where do you look for research as you write?  I'm the last on the chain this time around and we're all taking a short break until August or so (from blog chain entries, anyway).  Make sure you stop by Michelle McLean's blog so you can follow the chain and read everyone's answers.  

Blog Chain - I Be Cursed!

I was actually on break when this question came out, but it is a fabulous question (and Christine has already peer-pressured me into it by answering also) so here goes.  The question was originally posed by that talented blog-chainer Kate, who asks:

Curses, you've been cursed! You can write no longer. The story well has run dry, and you can't even remember how to type. Now what do you do? Where do you channel your creative energies? And to what lengths would you go to break the curse?


OMG!  You mean I can't sit at my desk and stare at the blank screen begging for inspiration and wit to arrive?  This curse assumes that writing is all about the typing and creation, but the dry wells are part of the writing process as well.  Not knowing how to type would be a hindrance for sure though, especially since my day job requires it LOL.


I'd love to say that I would die an agonizing death, my fingers curling up into poisonous claws and my body withering to nothing but bones and sinew.  Unfortunately, I have not yet had "the call", where my mind thinks of nothing but writing day and night.  If anything, this is the aspect of writing I agonize over - that I am not as entrenched in the writing world as I should be.  I agonize right now because I can't seem to live and breathe this stuff yet.


I do admit however, that since I do dream of being a real writer some day (kind of like Pinocchio but with no strings or rapidly growing nose), what the curse would cause me to wail about is the destruction of this dream.  Right now, I strive towards this goal, hoping that one day I will awake with a furious need to write.  If I didn't have that, what would I do with all my spare time (that stuff that I seem to lack but everyone else seems to have tons of).  To break the curse, I'd probably have to go rent a cabin in the mountains, hire some ancient looking medicine man, and dance around the bonfire howling at the moon.  Then if that didn't work, maybe I'd go stalk Jamie Ford until he made a blood pact with me, which would surely kick start the creative juices (or get me thrown in jail, where I could write a memoir detailing the experience).


Now it's your turn.  What would you do if something this horrendous happened to you?  Oh, and I strongly advise you start at Kate's blog and read through everyone else's responses.  There's some great stuff there.

My Absence Has Been Longer Than Expected...But I'm Back!

Okay, I was gone from Da Muse a bit longer than I had planned.  The vacation was nice though, there were ups and downs, and everyone in the family had a great time.  I even got to hang out with Tigger (kind of ironic that I'm wearing a California shirt while visiting Florida, huh?).  Mickey Mouse may be cool, but Tigger is one of a kind (his song even says so).

DisneyWorld is both good and bad.  It's a unique experience everyone should take at least once, but once you've been there, the shine (at least for me) tends to dull.  You start noticing how many shops there are, how many times the Disney machine tries to get your coin rather than providing you with entertainment, and you get really tired feet from walking everywhere.  To say Disney World is spread out is an understatement big time.

Epcot however, is a completely different story.  For one thing, it seemed like there were a lot less crowds.  The entertainment is also geared towards a more adult crowd, which appeals to me more as well.  Since I don't have little ones (mine are growing up faster than I want them to), all the cutesy little kid stuff isn't as much fun.  I could go back to Epcot multiple times, while I'd be fine with skipping all the other Disney theme parks ever again.

Since returning home, I've had to scramble to get back to work and back into the mode of doing homework (and it hasn't been easy).  Suffice it to say that after 2 weeks of vacation, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with "normal life".  And as for writing...well, I'm fitting it in wherever I can get a spare moment.

On the good side, I found an awesome deal for a motorcycle (a divorcee getting rid of her ex's bike that she doesn't ride), so now I'm riding again.  Check out this beautiful bike:

As part of celebrating Independence Day here in the Good Ole USA, I went on a nice motorcycle ride with the members of my wife's family who are also bikers.  In fact, my brother-in-law gave me some really nice saddle bags he had sitting in his garage, so now I don't have to buy those.  I don't have new pics of how the bike looks with them on, but trust me - it's B-E-A-UTIFUL!

For those of you in America, I hope your 4th of July celebrations are safe and full of fun.  I'm not a big fireworks person myself, mostly because I grew up in a household with a firefighter dad.  I like watching them though, so we may go outside this evening and see what we can see.  And for those of you who are military or related to them, thank you for continuing to honor and work for the ideals we're celebrating today.

Contest Results And A Brief Hiatus

The results are in and I'm assuming by the lack of entrants that everyone else already has a copy of Beth Revis' awesome book Across The Universe.  There were a few people who commented however, so they were lucky enough to be in the drawing.  Without further ado, the winner is:

Davin Malasarn

Congrats Davin.  Send me an email with the details so I can get this wonderful book out to you asap.  For those unfamiliar with Davin (aka Domey), he is one of three incredibly talented writers over at The Literary Lab.  Davin's book The Wild Grass is newly available on Amazon and I highly recommend everyone get a copy of it today.

I also want to let everyone know that Da Muse will be going dark for a couple weeks while I go on vacation.  I'm hopping on a jet with family in tow to sunny Florida where we will indulge in some deep sea fishing, a jaunt to Kennedy Space Center, and many fun-filled days in Disneyworld.  Oh, and did I mention the best part of this trip?  I actually have the opportunity to meet one of my fellow blog chainers, the awesome Shaun Hutchinson.  That's right, Shaun lives down there and hopefully we'll get to meet up for lunch or whatever.  While hanging out with Mickey is great and all, I have to admit that finally meeting Shaun in the flesh is probably going to be the highlight of my trip.  I'm a HUGE fan of his book The Deathday Letter (so is my son, actually), and Shaun is an awesome guy.

I probably will still lurk around various blogs while I'm on vacation (because I do enjoy reading everyone's stuff), but I won't be posting anything new until I get back on the 22nd.  Don't abandon ship on me, I promise I will return - unless I win the multi-million dollar Lotto or something.

For anyone who's been to Disneyworld recently (or Orlando for that matter), any tips or sights I should know about?  Take care everyone.  I'll see you when I get back.

Blog Chain - Rules? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rules!

Instead of a Ten Word Tuesday, it's time for another round on the blog chain.  Today's question comes from the incredibly talented Abby, who asks:


There are SO many writing rules, but sometimes we have to break one or two, just to keep things interesting. Is there a writing rule you've broken on purpose? Why did you choose to break it? And if you want to post a snippet of your writing as an example, even better!


For once, the question at hand is an easy one for me.  Why do I consider this one easy?  Because this question assumes that I know what the writing rules are and that I go ahead and break them on purpose.  Forget it, Abby.  I'm lucky if I can even recognize when I'm breaking a rule, let alone do it on purpose.


I'm being slightly facetious of course, but the truth is that I write more by feel than by technique.  If a turn of phrase doesn't sound right to me, I alter it.  I do pay attention to the basics, such as not writing in a passive voice for example.  But I don't have any sort of educational background in writing and so I'm just learning as I go.  I will say that I'm a fan of certain broken rules, such as writing short spasms rather than complete sentences.  In the right moment, that one can have a lot of impact.


I'm not going to add a snippet, just because as I've said, I am not sure I'd know which snippet is a good example of a broken rule.  I'm not trying to avoid the situation, but I am aware of when I'm in over my head.  And at least for right now, recognizing all the right rules is an area where I'm in over my head.  On the other side of this coin though, I do try and learn about the rules all the time.  I pay attention to what all my fellow writers say and read blog posts by my favorite authors/agents/writers on the subject.  So who knows, maybe someday later I will be able to proudly say I do break a couple rules on purpose - and even know which rule I am breaking.


That's all I have to say on this subject.  I hope this will count for my bloghop post, even though I haven't really identified a broken rule LOL.  If you haven't had the chance to read Michelle McLean's awesome answer from yesterday, get on over there.  Tomorrow we can look forward to something truly revealing from that writing wizard we all know as Margie.  Oh, and if you haven't entered my contest for the free copy of Across The Universe by Beth Revis, make sure you do.  The contest ends tomorrow!


Which rules have you broken on purpose?  And why did you choose to do so?

Monday Discussions - Parental Obligations

My friend Shaun Hutchinson has launched an interesting discussion today, based on an article in the Wall Street Journal.  Before I launch into my take on the subject (or rather my offshoot discussion on the subject), I'll give you time to go check out the article itself as well as Shaun's post.

Cue Jeopardy music

Okay, everyone caught up now?  If you decided not to burden yourself with reading the article, I'll quickly summarize.  The author of the article is lamenting about the more dark nature of YA books these days and Shaun's post is a rebuttal (kind of).  As you can see from my comment on Shaun's post, I tend to agree with his thoughts on the subject.

But this post is kind of an off-shoot discussion.  From my perspective (as a parent AND a writer), the problem of whether YA books are too dark or not is irrelevant.  The idea itself can be argued both ways, and there are understandable reasons for why (cultural and societal changes, acceptability of profanity as a norm by many, etc).  What is more important to me is the discussion of parental responsibility.

See, I'm one of those people who feel parents are completely responsible for everything their child is involved with (to the age of 18 anyway).  Even when the parent isn't aware of a particular situation (i.e.  a kid making pipe bombs in the basement), the parent is still responsible.  It's part of being a parent, whether we like it or not.  It behooves us then to be deeply involved with whatever our child is doing, even when being that way might seem intrusive at times.  I don't care if my sons are mad that I ask what they're reading every time they pick up a book.  There is no expected right to privacy in my household (even though I do grant them a level of privacy all the time).

When it comes to what books my sons are reading, I know because I talk to them about their book choices.  I ask them their thoughts on a given story.   In other words, my kids and I communicate all the time.  Strange concept these days maybe, but I believe in it whole-heartedly.  And though it's possible they could be reading something I'm not aware of, I find it doubtful.  You see, my kids actually like that I show interest in what they read and what their opinions are, so I don't believe they mind when I intrude on their choices.

I guess my point is that instead of bemoaning the dark nature of YA literature these days, we should be helping to guide parents towards being more actively involved with their kids.  Authors will write whatever they want to write and publishers will continue to publish it, but if it's unacceptable reading for your kids and you have guided them away from it, it becomes a non-issue.

And speaking of Shaun, I am going to be actually meeting him in person (hopefully) when my family travels down to Florida next week.  Yep, I'm going to be basking in the Florida sunshine starting next Sunday, and sometime during our 10 day visit (at Disneyworld, no less) I may be lucky enough to meet the incredibly talented Mr. Hutchinson.  Maybe some of his awesome skills will rub off on me, huh?  I don't know what I'm more excited about, getting to see Mickey with my kids or being able to introduce them to Shaun.

I'm hoping for a lively discussion of the topic at hand though, so feel free to step up on a soapbox in the comments.  Even if you disagree with me, feel free to say so.  I don't take anything personally.  Oh, and if you haven't entered my contest for a free copy of Across The Universe, get over there and do so.  Time is running out.

Celebrating Possession

If you haven't heard yet, Elana Johnson's book Possession will be coming out in just a few days (June 7th).  You can also pre-order the book now if you so desire.  And since I owe Elana way more than I can ever repay (whether she knows she has been a huge influence on my writing or not), I just had to make today's post about this book.  Besides, I know what an awesome writer (and mentor and just all around supercool ninja) she is and so I am compelled to spread word of her magnificence throughout the world.

So what is Possession?  Rather than explain in my own meager way, here's a quote from the book's site itself:


Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.


This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.


This story will be nothing short of spectacular, of that I'm sure.  Elana is a masterful storyteller and I cannot wait to pick up my copy.  I will probably do a more thorough review of it later too.   This is one of my most anticipated reads, particularly since I have always been impressed by Elana's knowledge of craft and her ability to spin an entertaining yarn - regardless of the topic.  Her blog is a must-read every day.

Also, if you haven't had a chance to enter the contest I'm running for a free copy of Beth Revis' book Across The Universe, make sure you get over there right now.  Time is running out and that's another book everyone absolutely must read.

Finally, here's a funny video to keep you laughing on a Friday.  After all, Friday should be about fun.  And what's more fun that laughing along with Weird Al.  That dude is awesome! Have a nice weekend everyone.

Unintentional Isolation...And A Contest!

One thing I've noticed is that I have a really bad habit of withdrawing from the world and just existing within my own tiny sphere at home.  It's not that I don't enjoy all of you or that I don't value the friends I have made through this writing journey;  I am just more reclusive than I am social, to my own detriment.  And I've had to make apologies to friends, with promises to try to overcome my own bad habits.

My mom and I were discussing this trait we both share.  Although we can exist just fine in a crowded room, we're much happier by ourselves.  The problem is that I do actually enjoy the stimulating conversations and things I learn from friends.  Withdrawing into seclusion makes me miss out on all this fun stuff.  Needless to say, I am aware of the problem and am going to be taking steps to make sure I don't do this too often.

On another note, I am in possession of an extra copy of Beth Revis' awesome book Across The Universe.  How did this happen, you ask?  Well, I purchased a copy when it came out (because I was incredibly anxious to read it).  I also helped chat up Beth's book whenever I could help get the word out, and unexpectedly in the mail, I received a SIGNED copy of her book from Beth and/or the publisher.  This means I have opportunity to hold a contest and give my other copy away to some lucky recipient (sorry, I'm not giving away my signed copy.   I cherish it way too much).

And although it might be difficult to find someone out there who hasn't purchased this awesome book already, I'm willing to try.  If you have a copy already, enter the contest anyway and give this one away to someone else. Let's pass this awesome book on to as many people as we possibly can.

The contest is going to go like this.  I'll hold the contest for a week (ending on June 8th) and send the book out to a random winner.  Unfortunately, this is only for people in the US.  Sorry, but I can't afford to send this overseas.   But hey, if you're near Beth or find her near your town sometime, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to sign it for you.  She's cool like that.  You can also earn extra entries:

Comment here - +1
Long time follower - +2
New follower - +1
Post about the contest - +1
Facebook about the contest - +1
Tweet about the contest - +1
Tally the total for me - +1

Those who know me well might wonder why I'm adding in the Facebook and Twitter stuff, since I don't currently use those social tools.  I'm all about getting the word out and getting this book to a new loving owner though, so I'm embracing those tools too.  I'll depend on the honor system.  If you say you've done it, I'm just going to take you at your word.  I personally haven't seen any writers lie about something like that, so I feel pretty safe.

Lastly, do you ever feel isolated from things here on the Interwebs?  If this is just me, feel free to say so.  If not, what do you do to stay a part of these social connections (aside from FB or Twitter)?

Ten Word Tuesday - Waiting For Vacation

Kids have "days until summer",



Adults have "days until vacation".

Ten Word Tuesday - Muppets

Never too old for the Muppets.  Here they come again!

Please Watch This Clip

Normally I don't do this type of thing, but because I'm a veteran, I feel bound to share this with all of you.  When you get a chance, please go to this link and watch an important video.  There's nothing to buy, no expenditure on your part other than your time.  But for those of us who are Americans (or know the type of people showcased in this video), I think you'll agree that the few minutes it takes is worth the effort.

Thank you and God bless.

The Power Of Success

Success is an interesting thing.  We can have days, weeks, or even months of failure and feel completely useless and alone.  Then along comes a single instance of success, and we're catapulted to the highest heights.  If we're lucky, we can ride that wave for a long time too.

I fully admit to being in a funk for a while now.  Part of it I do attribute to feeling a lack of success in lots of areas (not just writing).  But after Saturday's results, my heart has been lighter, the load I carry doesn't seem as heavy, and I am invigorated with energy.  I even got outside yesterday afternoon and did some reorganization in the garage (the beautiful weather helped motivate me too).

Since I'm a fairly optimistic guy, it's safe to say that I'm not happy when I'm not happy.  I don't like confrontation, I don't like whiny people, and I do my best to find whatever silver lining there is in a given situation.  But lately I've been irritable and even downright grumpy.  I know one of the reasons why (which I won't go into here), but though I had been concentrating on being more positive, I just couldn't get back to my usual cheerful self.  I had actually been turning into one of those negative people I don't like to associate with.  Yuck.

So how do I keep from letting myself devolve into an angry, grumpy mess again?  I don't know, though I'm going to try to list a few ideas here and hope some of you have more ideas you can provide in the comments.  Here are some off-the-cuff ideas for keeping a smile on my face.

1.  Goal setting - I didn't used to be a believer in this, but recent evidence (and help from my graduation mentor) has turned me into one.  Goals are a great way to provide us with success, even if they are just minor goals like finishing a chapter.

2.  Pat on the back - Often enough, we don't acknowledge when we do something right or when we achieve a goal.  It can be something as simple as buying ourself an ice cream or writing a celebratory blog post, but it's important that we do something.

3.  Recognize the silver lining - It may sound silly, but we have to remember that things can always be worse.  Part of being positive (for me at least) is recognizing that my life isn't that bad.  Though I have just as many tough things to deal with as anyone else, I'm not that bad off in the grand scheme of things.

Okay, I could really only come up with these three so I'm putting it out to all of you to help me come up with some more.  Let's get some lively discussion going.  By the time we're done, we will have all helped each other.  We'll all be walking around with Cheshire cat faces.  So tell me, how do you invigorate your life with a little positivity?

I Passed!

This is just a quick celebratory note, but I had a tough test today and I passed!  Woohoo!

For those who don't know, I'm going for my Masters degree in Information Security and Assurance from WGU.  Today I had to pass a certification exam, which makes me a Certified Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI).  I've  been studying my butt off for this thing, so it's such a relief to pass.  Next Saturday, I have another one to do, so my studying is not over yet.  But I'll take this moment to celebrate a small victory.

I'm also going to take this opportunity to try to finish the critique I promised for my CP, Michelle Hickman.  That's right Michelle, I might actually get it back to you in this century LOL.  She's been so patient and I feel bad that I've taken this long, but hopefully whatever I give her will only help her improve the final product.  She's got an amazing book in the works, so keep your ears peeled.  She'll have an agent and a publishing contract in no time.  I'm sure of it.

Hope everyone's evening is as awesome as mine.  Take care everyone!

Contest Results - Doh, I Forgot!

I just realized I was supposed to do this on Wednesday.  Doh!

Anyway, the contest I'm talking about is for those who commented on Christine Fonseca's guest post.  So many of you missed out on this one.  There weren't that many that stopped by (which is probably an indicator of my falling popularity LOL), so those of you who did had a great chance to win.  Without further ado, the winner of Christine's new book 101 Success Secrets For Gifted Kids is:

Patricia Stoltey

Congrats Patricia.  I'll get in touch with you and work out getting Christine's book to you.  And for all those who didn't enter, you're missing out.  I got a copy of Christine's book yesterday and though I've only read a little, I can tell you it's an awesome book.  If you've ever wanted to see how to do a non-fiction book right, this is a perfect example.

Blog Chain - I'm Positive That Everything's Negative! Or Is it?

This was supposed to be post yesterday, but given the question posed by my awesome CP Michelle Hickman, there was no way I could write anything useful.  The image below was me yesterday:

Unfortunately, I was very angry (thanks to my day job) and focusing on anything positive was out of the question.  So I avoided studying, drank a beer, and spent the evening lost in a video game.  I don't know if it's just a thing with Aries people, but when I get in a mad funk, I just want to be left alone so I can get over it.  My wife thankfully, is very understanding.  And as they say, tomorrow is a new day, hence my attempt at a positive outlook this morning:

Now that I've ranted about my chaotic emotional state lately, on to the question at hand:

The question: Be positive! Name some of the positive aspects of your writing --- be it a compliment from a mentor, friend or crit partner to anything special you learned concerning your writing skills.

Hopefully you can now see why I couldn't answer this question very easily yesterday.  It was just one of those days.  And unfortunately in this biz we don't see the positive side as often as we should, so I really appreciate Michelle "forcing" us to do so.  I will give it my best shot.

1.  I recently received a surprising email from the Managing Editor at the website I write articles for (brighthub.com).  In it he commended me for the continual high performance of my articles (i.e. my articles evidently continue to get a high number of hits).

2.  Being chosen to be a CP for Michelle Hickman is a positive thing in itself.  I consider Michelle to be an exceptional writer, so being asked to help critique her work is a great honor.

3.  Thus far, every writing assignment I've turned in at school has passed with glowing remarks.  It's not creative writing of course, but I've done well at it nonetheless.

4.  My attempts at writing (and my continued efforts at it) have inspired both of my sons to write.  I have never really tried to guide my sons to follow my in my footsteps (i.e. be a writer, be a computer geek, etc), but it's nice to see them enjoy it a little anyway.

5.  Since starting to write again, I've learned a lot about myself over the last few years.  I've learned that I can take on a challenge like NaNo or the A To Z and embrace it.  I've learned countless things from every member on this chain, from how to write dialects better (thanks Michelle H) to the importance of research (Sandra, you're awesome at this) to having fun my writing (thanks to pretty much everyone on the chain).

6.  Judging from comments I've received about the various snippets I've posted here (not to mention my fellow chainers), I know that I have the ability to write creepy stuff fairly well.  I can make chills run down my reader's back when I'm really in the zone.

7.  Most importantly of all, I've learned that my fellow writers are a friendly and supportive bunch of people.  It's inevitable that whenever I'm in a funk, I read an inspirational post or get an email from a fellow writer and I suddenly feel much better.  Because writing can be so soul-crushing as we persecute ourselves for "our complete inability to write well", it's the positive outpouring of support we get from each other that helps repair the damage.  It's that overwhelming positive vibe that allows us to pick ourselves back up and get back to writing again.

Thanks again, Michelle H.  This question has forced me to find my ray of sunshine again and get my fingers back on the keyboard.  Everyone else, if you haven't stopped by to see her awesome post, head on over there.  And I believe Michelle McLean should have something up today, so you'll want to check her blog for that too.

Finally, have you sat back and thought about the positive things that you've learned or have come about through writing?  Have you acknowledged positive things you've accomplished?  What are they?

Blog Chain - Never Surrender

It's time for another round on the blog chain  and I'm freakin' late!  Dangit!  I hate when that happens.  I was supposed to have this post up yesterday, but...wait a minute...ignore the time/date stamp on this post and imagine it is yesterday.  Your eyes are deceiving you.  It is actually the 16th.  Yes, that's true.  I have perfected time travel.


The ever-awesome Laura has thrown out this challenging query:


What keeps you going (either trying to get an agent or to get published or finish that WIP that’s kicking your butt) when you know the odds are stacked way against you?


The assumption here is that I haven't given up already. Thank you for that support, Laura.  I will now put the knife down and loosen the noose.  Whew, another close call.


Seriously though, I am not sure what keeps me working at this.  I guess part of it is watching so many of my writer friends, admiring and being envious of their skill, and remaining determined to get to that level of writing skill.  Okay, I know  in the writer circles, envy is a bad word.  We're not supposed to compare ourselves to others.  I completely disagree with this thought however.


Just because I am envious does not mean I tear myself up when I fall short.  Okay, maybe I tear myself up a little bit, but I also grit my teeth, stamp my feet, and work harder at my writing.  After all, I know that I can do this.  I have managed to learn how to do a great number of things in this life, and becoming a decent writer is something I truly believe is within the realm of possibility.


As for the odds, I never think about that.  To me, thinking about the odds is like trying to imagine being Atlas holding up the planet.  It's too humongous to really imagine, too hard to concretely grasp.  The odds are so huge against us that trying to fathom them in real terms and deal with that thought is too much.  So I just don't worry about it.


I'm also a believer in some sort of twisted version of fate.  My life has worked out the way it has because that's the way it was supposed to go.  I don't always know why something happens a certain way, but later on I realize it was supposed to happen that way.  And I'm okay with that.  So I have faith that this is what I'm supposed to be doing, and until I'm shown otherwise, I'll keep doing it.  Besides, it's the most fun I've had in a long time - even given all the difficulties.


Our trip through time is almost up, so I will now let you return to the present...er, I mean the 17th...because right now is still the 16th, remember?  Anyway, if you didn't get a chance to read Michelle H.'s stupendous response, get yer butt over there.  Before you go though, tell me how you manage to keep working at this writing gig?

Guest Post - The 7 NF Tips Every Fiction Author NEEDS

Today, I have a special guest at Da Muse!  It's none other than the awesome and talented Christine Fonseca, whose new book 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids is racing out of the gate with a bang.  Without further ado, take it away Christine.

Thanks, Eric, for hosting my last stop on the tour. Eric asked me to talk about the things I’ve learned on this little journey into nonfiction publishing – things that apply to my life as a fiction author. Things every fiction author needs to know.

Wow – what I’ve learned. There are so many things I discovered on this path of publishing two nonfiction books, one geared for adults and one geared for kids. Both are niche books, both are published through a very very small publisher. One is considered an educational title, with a very limited distribution, and the other is a trade publication. And both are heavily marketed by me.

The results - The first has significantly exceeded publisher expectations. The second – well, it was just released, so time will tell on that one.

So, what did I learn throughout this experience? First, nothing replaces writing a good book! NOTHING. As new writers we spend a lot of time fretting about our platforms and marketing. Sometimes we allow this fretting to get in the way of writing – bad idea. This entire journey starts, and continues, with a good book.

That said, a good book isn’t enough to get it in the hands of readers unless you are backed by a big publisher. For the majority of us, this means we are going to have to promote our work, whether we like it or not. And that is where the lessons I learned in publishing my nonfiction books can really help all writers:

1. Know Your Market.

Before you design a promotional campaign of any form, it is important to have a clear understanding of your primary and secondary markets. With nonfiction, most authors figured this out when they wrote the “marketing” section of their proposals. Fiction authors should go through this process too. Ask yourself who the book is for – teens, children, adults? Who is the secondary market for the book? With Emotional Intensity, the primary market is parents and educators. Psychologists and other personnel involved in gifted education for a secondary market.

For 101 Success Secrets, the primary market is kids. Parents form a secondary market.

2. Know Your Comfort Zone.

As with all forms of social networking and marketing, it is important to know your own personal strengths and weaknesses. Are you comfortable speaking in person to a large group, or is Skyping or chatting more your thing? Do you like to cold call potential hosts for tours, or does the thought of that give you hives? Knowing your comfort zone is important. Don’t spent a lot of time doing things you hate – you will only make yourself crazy. Instead, spend your time promoting in ways that you are comfortable with. In today’s market, you are really only limited in terms of promotion by your own comfort level. So, get to know what works best for you and your book. Then repeat it over and over again.

3. Set Clear Goals for Promotion.

I have a background in marketing in sales (before my days as a psychologist), so the first thing I did was set clear monthly goals for promotion. I planned one major event – blog tour, book signing, speaking engagement – monthly. I’ve really tried to space out the events to keep the message from getting muddled and maintain a regularly presence. I have maintained these goals for both books

4. Blog Tours and Book Tours.

These are both fabulous ways to connect with readers. The important thing to remember – planning. With blog tours, ask people in your particular niche to host a leg. If you are targeting teens, for example, try to have a blog that is frequented by teens host a leg of the tour. The same is true with book tours – market to both chain and independent booksellers. Do your homework; know which stores are well connected with your niche. A couple of other things to keep in mind:

·         Start early – proper planning of events is really a key.

·         Know the expectations of the host. Ask questions about how they envision your visit, or what they see as their role in the blog tour.

·         Stay organized – use spreadsheets and other organization tools to keep track of the places you pitched too, the hosts of your tour, and any giveaways.

·         Send reminders to participants. We are all busy and it is easy to forget things. Take on that burden and don’t be alarmed when things get forgotten. Just be prepared.

·         Remember to follow-up with a thank you. There is no substitution for good manners! Personal thank you notes go a long way to letting your hosts know how much you appreciated working with them

5. Other Venues to Connect with Readers.

I love doing Author chats. In fact, my author chats are really the reason I have sold as well as I have. In addition to in-person events, I am involved in webinars and events on SecondLife. These are amazing ways to connect with readers and enable you to “go global”. I cannot tell you how excited I am to host a global bookchat in a few weeks.

Be willing to get creative and look for new ways to connect your message to your market. For my newest book, 101 Success Secrets, I have created all new reader-experiences to bring to my book chats. I can’t wait to see how they work out.

6. Using Social Networking sites.

Promoting your message is about creating buzz. In this day and age, it is easier than ever to create buzz on a large scale. But, how do you separate yourself from all the noise out there? That’s easy. Be creative. Do something unique and different – and then make sure EVERYONE knows about it. For my niche, the message itself is unique to the market. So my job was getting it to the right people. Utilizing niche-specific social networking venues (#gtchat on twitter, participating in gifted groups on facebook), I have been able to bring awareness to my message, and my books, directly to those most likely to read it.

This same process applies to fiction – if you are a YA writer, for example, utilize creative sites that teens frequent, and find tie-ins for your specific project. Connect with your readers – that is the key.

7. You Are Only As Good As Your Last Book.

Finally, people have short attention spans. This means the message you have is easily replaced by the next greatest thing out there. To keep your sales up and your message heard, it is important to keep writing. Produce new content – either on a blog, or in a newsletter. Respond in fresh ways to the questions readers have. And write new books. This is how you cultivate a writing career – fresh content of the highest quality.

In fiction, this really means KEEP WRITING. If you want a career as an author, it is important to continually hone your skills and continue writing.

The bottom line – the things I’ve learned promoting my books for NF can really be applied to fiction as well.

Thank you very much Christine, for stopping by and for giving us so much good information.  And for all of you out there, there’s an extra bonus to this post – a contest.  That’s right, one lucky winner will be the recipient of Christine’s new book 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids.  All you have to do is comment on this post and your name will go into the drawing.  The last date for entries is going to be on Tuesday, May 17^th.  That gives you 5 days to get your comment in, but don’t procrastinate too long.  I’d hate for anyone to miss out on this one.

If you’d like to learn more about from the ever-awesome Christine Fonseca or her book, here are all the ways to find her:

Website

Blog

Find me on Facebook or Twitter

Order the book.

Read an excerpt here.

Oh, and if you're wondering where I am during all this fun, I'm lucky enough to be guest posting at Christine's blog.  Go check it out!

Ten Word Tuesday - Friends

Support from friends is like laughing until your sides hurt.

Monday, Monday

It's funny that this song is before my time, but it evokes such strong emotions in me.  For one thing, I absolutely love groups that can sing in harmonies.  There's just something about multiple voices singing their part (clearly no less), and yet together they make up an incredible tapestry of sound.

So it's been a week since my last post and although I didn't survive the A to Z challenge, I gave it a shot.  Sometimes I think my life is just too chaotic.  After all, anytime I try to plan anything long term, it doesn't really work out the way I'd like.  But I did have fun with the challenge anyway, even if I didn't quite make it to the end.

There's something good to be said about facing a challenge, even when we think we might fail.  This is true in just about anything we do, but especially true in writing.  The challenge of writing not just one time (i.e. first draft) but going back over and over it (and sometimes re-writing whole sections) is a daunting task.  Whenever I feel like quitting completely however, I think about something I've achieved fairly recently - graduation from college.

Even though it's been over a year since I managed to graduate, I can still feel the thrill of accomplishing it.  It's a rush of adrenaline, an overwhelming feeling of success.  And I'm still riding that wave, using it propel me forward towards more successes.  Feeling that again is worth the mountain of effort it takes to get there - in any activity I engage in.

It's kind of funny though.  Old habits die hard, and even though I embrace challenges, I experience self doubt all the time.  For example, every time I submit one of my assignments for grading, I sit there on pins and needles until I get the grade back.  So far I've been doing absolutely stellar and haven't had to revise a single assignment, so you'd think I'd be fairly confident by now.  But no, every time I submit one, I still have that gnawing doubt in the back of my mind.

This has been a post of rambles and stream of consciousness, but it's been that kind of a Monday.  Here's hoping Tuesday holds something good!

Blog Chain - Embrace The Darkness

It's blog chain time again and this round's question is brought to us by the awesome Margie (and the letter D, the number 4, and the letter K).  She asks:

How do you get in the mindset of your genre? Do you research people or facts? Do you just reach into the recesses of your mind for events that would make a good story? Something else?”

My preferred genre is suspense or horror, so that puts me into the weird (and possibly in need of direct observation) category.  Getting into the mood to write in this genre however, is sometimes difficult.  I hover on the edge of it until unexpectedly the darkness grabs me and I'm able to write some truly wild stuff.  I suppose it should bother me that the best stuff I write is when I'm truly being diabolical or psychotic or imagining things that are usually best left alone.

I probably could do research for my stories, but I've found that the best ideas I come up with are those that creep along the back of my mind, waiting for me to notice them.  When I do feel that chill down my back, I make sure I write the idea down though.  It doesn't happen all the time, so I try to grab the tiger by the tail whenever it does.

Incidentally, I often write outside of my chosen genre.  The reason for that is I'm trying to find my groove.  I'm trying to fully embrace the darkness and stay there until the writing is done.  But sometimes a story pops into my head and I just can't ignore it, even if it isn't in the genre I'd rather be known for.

If you haven't had a chance to stop by my wonderful bud Michelle H's post, get on over there.  Tomorrow Michelle M. will finish up this round with what will probably be a truly revealing answer (no pressure Michelle, heh heh).  And how do you get in the mindset of your genre?  Let me know in the comments.