If you were listening really hard this morning, you would have heard me give a loud whoop! We are excited at our house this morning! Henry got an email notifying him that his YA novel, "Lighter than Air" had WON the Golden Duck Eleanor Cameron Award for Middle Grades. The Golden Duck awards are designed to encourage science fiction literature for children. It will be presented at this year's WorldCon in Montreal.
Henry is getting us signed up to go to Montreal in August!
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Letter to the Editor
My first published Letter to the Editor!
The Editorial that prompted the letter
My Letter
I'm long winded - I sent half of what I wrote for that. But I was so pleased that it made the paper today!
The Editorial that prompted the letter
My Letter
I'm long winded - I sent half of what I wrote for that. But I was so pleased that it made the paper today!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Archon31 - The Editor and Agent Panel
There were several ways I could go with this blog - my first thought had been to combine thoughts from this panel with at least two other presentations I've been to over the last few years. But I've decided that longer discourse needs to wait for a different blog. I am adding my own thinking about some of these topics - things that either went through my head during the panel discussion or insight about the issue that has surfaced in my brain as I've had a few days to mull over these issues.
Several things have remained in my mind from hearing this panel. For one thing, there was a lot of talk about reading patterns of the generation coming up behind the "boomers"- Generation y:
They seem to be reading more than ever - but not books - instead they read blogs, online fan fiction, games.
They tend to create their own entertainment
They are bypassing the commercial print entertainment
This makes it difficult to find a format to get materials out there in a way that can make a profit - A major issue is that so much of the content online is free. As the internet becomes a place for reading, people begin to believe there is no reason to pay to read fiction. Apparently there are people who believe that every work of fiction should be available online for free.
Think about the music industry - Napster broke new ground when it allowed people to share music - and in the process avoid paying for it. Fortunately for the music industry that was shut down. For listeners the IPOD and the Itunes Store has made it possible to obtain many classic pieces of music - and provide some revenue for the musicians.
But then think about newspapers. Several years back I discontinued all newspaper subscriptions - I was tired of all the physical paper that was coming into my house. I did not want to throw them away - I wanted to recycle. But we live in an area (out in the country) where we don't have curb side recycling. So newspapers just stacked up until I got around to loading them in my car and driving 10 miles (or more) to find a place that would accept them for recycling. I have found that almost any paper I want to read has an online version. But think about this from a profit making point of view. Almost all of these newspapers are free when you are reading current news. Some of them have a fee to read archived information. But think about the economics of newspaper publishing. Subcriptions have never paid the cost of publishing a newspaper - advertising has always been the dominant source of revenue. And yes, people are still buying newspapers. But . . . more and more people are reading their news online. And the online versions of the papers have only a few ads on each page. One of the online papers I read occasionally has annoying ads that flutter and float along the page, obscuring the article I'm trying to read. Now do I remember what products were in those ads . . . no. And apparently, newspapers are increasingly being bought up by big nationwide companies. Could we see a day when you buy an Austin paper and see NO local news - all national news that is being printed in all the papers everywhere? I have a hard time picturing that because I go to the Austin paper to read about Austin news, the Hutto paper to read local Hutto news. But if the economics changes . . . who is going to pay the writers to write the news and opinion pieces. And even scarier will our sources for news become so limited that we no longer get to see the different view points on current issues?
As far as books - there are many issues driving book sales - the vast majority of books sold are sold at Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, etc. Shelf life there is SHORT. While I really enjoy going into Barnes & Nobles and Borders, they can keep an inventory of more books at a cheaper wholesale cost than can a small local bookseller. And there are fewer chain book stores in the malls today for those impulsive book buyers. Think about this: most stores sold Harry Potter with a very slim profit margin - hoping that the additional purchases people made would be their profit makers. They were also hoping you would buy it from them rather than one of the discount stores. And the success of Harry Potter is amazing - but is it a new trend or a "dying gasp"?
And then there was a lot of discussion about the difference between Proctor and Gamble marketing soap and the selling of books. Think branding here. Think how much effort goes into making you choose one shampoo or detergent from another. And if you really like the product you're going to buy it again. But trying to market books like you market soap is NOT going to work. Think about it . . . You don't buy a book because it is published by Tor, Baen books or DAW (Although BAEN and DAW have successfully mained their brand image for loyal science fiction and fantasy readers.) You buy a book because you've read the author's work before, the cover art attracts your attention, or the title catches your eye. Each author is really a "brand." Think how many authors are represented in one book store alone. To go back to the soap analogy. Soap sellers sell four or five diferent kinds of soap every week, year end and year out. Publishers are selling 10 new and different brands each and every month! It is a new brand for each author, sometimes even for each book. I guess you could say that with series books the series itself is a brand. Another analogy - cherrios - simple decision - regular or honey nut. You can see for book selling it is a much more complicated equation. And if a big comglomerate publisher gets a new MBA marketing manager who was trained in marketing consumer items . . . .
Back to Generation Y:
The good news is that young people are reading more than ever, the bad news is that they are not necessarily reading books. My first thought when thinking about my children is that I raised one reader and one non reader. But then I thought again, my son does not devour books like his sister, however, he reads news articles avidly on the internet. He is well versed on current events, current politics, and business news.
Another interesting thing, there were two diferent view points on how generation y tackes a reading project. One study seemed to indicate that they don't read books linearly - from front to back. Rather they talk to their friends and read the favorite passages. It is a little like how most of us read a magazine - we pick out the articles we are interested in and read them in the order of our interest rather than from cover to cover. However, another study indicated that this same group of people will rent the DVD's of television series and watch the episodes in chronological order back to back. One implication of this iks that they may not be as interested in series fiction until all the series is completed. Since book publishers base their acquisition of books upon the number of books the first book in a series sells . . . you can see the contradiction or conflict here for marketing books. RIght now we don't have the things in place to put out a ten book series all at once so that pattern can transfer. I do read a lot of series fiction. It takes a year to two years between books. My memory is such that I have to go back and reread previous books to get back into the story line.
A young person in Generation Y seems to have up to five other intimate friends. They may rather read something written by one of their friends than go out and back the best novel out this week.
This panel definitely gave us different perspectives of good news/bad news. Some were optimistic, believing that publishing will find new ways to take advantage of these changing trends. Others were pessimistic, because the changes in technology and some social structures will impact how books and other intellectual material reach their audience.
Thought provoking panel . . . don't your think?
Several things have remained in my mind from hearing this panel. For one thing, there was a lot of talk about reading patterns of the generation coming up behind the "boomers"- Generation y:
They seem to be reading more than ever - but not books - instead they read blogs, online fan fiction, games.
They tend to create their own entertainment
They are bypassing the commercial print entertainment
This makes it difficult to find a format to get materials out there in a way that can make a profit - A major issue is that so much of the content online is free. As the internet becomes a place for reading, people begin to believe there is no reason to pay to read fiction. Apparently there are people who believe that every work of fiction should be available online for free.
Think about the music industry - Napster broke new ground when it allowed people to share music - and in the process avoid paying for it. Fortunately for the music industry that was shut down. For listeners the IPOD and the Itunes Store has made it possible to obtain many classic pieces of music - and provide some revenue for the musicians.
But then think about newspapers. Several years back I discontinued all newspaper subscriptions - I was tired of all the physical paper that was coming into my house. I did not want to throw them away - I wanted to recycle. But we live in an area (out in the country) where we don't have curb side recycling. So newspapers just stacked up until I got around to loading them in my car and driving 10 miles (or more) to find a place that would accept them for recycling. I have found that almost any paper I want to read has an online version. But think about this from a profit making point of view. Almost all of these newspapers are free when you are reading current news. Some of them have a fee to read archived information. But think about the economics of newspaper publishing. Subcriptions have never paid the cost of publishing a newspaper - advertising has always been the dominant source of revenue. And yes, people are still buying newspapers. But . . . more and more people are reading their news online. And the online versions of the papers have only a few ads on each page. One of the online papers I read occasionally has annoying ads that flutter and float along the page, obscuring the article I'm trying to read. Now do I remember what products were in those ads . . . no. And apparently, newspapers are increasingly being bought up by big nationwide companies. Could we see a day when you buy an Austin paper and see NO local news - all national news that is being printed in all the papers everywhere? I have a hard time picturing that because I go to the Austin paper to read about Austin news, the Hutto paper to read local Hutto news. But if the economics changes . . . who is going to pay the writers to write the news and opinion pieces. And even scarier will our sources for news become so limited that we no longer get to see the different view points on current issues?
As far as books - there are many issues driving book sales - the vast majority of books sold are sold at Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, etc. Shelf life there is SHORT. While I really enjoy going into Barnes & Nobles and Borders, they can keep an inventory of more books at a cheaper wholesale cost than can a small local bookseller. And there are fewer chain book stores in the malls today for those impulsive book buyers. Think about this: most stores sold Harry Potter with a very slim profit margin - hoping that the additional purchases people made would be their profit makers. They were also hoping you would buy it from them rather than one of the discount stores. And the success of Harry Potter is amazing - but is it a new trend or a "dying gasp"?
And then there was a lot of discussion about the difference between Proctor and Gamble marketing soap and the selling of books. Think branding here. Think how much effort goes into making you choose one shampoo or detergent from another. And if you really like the product you're going to buy it again. But trying to market books like you market soap is NOT going to work. Think about it . . . You don't buy a book because it is published by Tor, Baen books or DAW (Although BAEN and DAW have successfully mained their brand image for loyal science fiction and fantasy readers.) You buy a book because you've read the author's work before, the cover art attracts your attention, or the title catches your eye. Each author is really a "brand." Think how many authors are represented in one book store alone. To go back to the soap analogy. Soap sellers sell four or five diferent kinds of soap every week, year end and year out. Publishers are selling 10 new and different brands each and every month! It is a new brand for each author, sometimes even for each book. I guess you could say that with series books the series itself is a brand. Another analogy - cherrios - simple decision - regular or honey nut. You can see for book selling it is a much more complicated equation. And if a big comglomerate publisher gets a new MBA marketing manager who was trained in marketing consumer items . . . .
Back to Generation Y:
The good news is that young people are reading more than ever, the bad news is that they are not necessarily reading books. My first thought when thinking about my children is that I raised one reader and one non reader. But then I thought again, my son does not devour books like his sister, however, he reads news articles avidly on the internet. He is well versed on current events, current politics, and business news.
Another interesting thing, there were two diferent view points on how generation y tackes a reading project. One study seemed to indicate that they don't read books linearly - from front to back. Rather they talk to their friends and read the favorite passages. It is a little like how most of us read a magazine - we pick out the articles we are interested in and read them in the order of our interest rather than from cover to cover. However, another study indicated that this same group of people will rent the DVD's of television series and watch the episodes in chronological order back to back. One implication of this iks that they may not be as interested in series fiction until all the series is completed. Since book publishers base their acquisition of books upon the number of books the first book in a series sells . . . you can see the contradiction or conflict here for marketing books. RIght now we don't have the things in place to put out a ten book series all at once so that pattern can transfer. I do read a lot of series fiction. It takes a year to two years between books. My memory is such that I have to go back and reread previous books to get back into the story line.
A young person in Generation Y seems to have up to five other intimate friends. They may rather read something written by one of their friends than go out and back the best novel out this week.
This panel definitely gave us different perspectives of good news/bad news. Some were optimistic, believing that publishing will find new ways to take advantage of these changing trends. Others were pessimistic, because the changes in technology and some social structures will impact how books and other intellectual material reach their audience.
Thought provoking panel . . . don't your think?
Monday, August 06, 2007
Archon -Promoting Your Book
People who are trying to make a living with their creative work are always going to have to find a way for people to find out about them. If you are writing books, people need to know the book exists . . . people outside your immediate circle of family and friends. For nature photographers, I've been told that you need to have many sources of revenue for your photography - prints, magazine sales, photography books, photo tours, teaching classes, etc. For anyone to want to go on a photography tour you might want to lead, they've got to know something about your skills and credentials as a photographer. I have long term goals of being a retreat speaker to encourage other Christian women. Getting my Christian books published is part of that goal. To be successful, they will need to be promoted. Even if your book comes out with a major publisher, it is still up to the author to promote their work. The publishing house may help you . . . and then again, maybe not. And, if your first book does not sell well, it may be impossible to get the next one published.
So when I saw the panel: "Promoting Your Book" I figured that some of this information presented for science fiction writers would carry over into the Christian writing I'm trying to do and with my photography.
Amazingly enough, having a web presence - a website and perhaps a blog was one of the first things mentioned. And not just any old webpage - you need to have a good web page with your own domain name. People who meet you at conventions and other events will want to go check out who you are. I'm finding that I want to change the photo on the front page of my website so that people who visit regularly have a reason to come back. I also try to have links to my newest work - so that repeat visitors can see new things. And your blog needs to be interesting. One piece of advice: Only write when you have something to say. Better to blog only occasionally but have it worthwhile. I disagree with that a little bit. I find that if I don't keep putting up new posts, my readership falls away. But . . . I have to find things people are interested in reading about. I check my Google Analytics regularly to see whether I am getting new readers and what kind of return visits I'm getting. One caution is real - you can spend all your time on your blog and not get your "real" work done - writing your books, processing your photos, and producing new work.
I learned a new phrase: ego surfing. It is simple: Google your own name. See who's talking about you or linking to you. Having Google Analytics set up for your website will also help see how people are finding you. Thanking people for mentioning you on their website or on a podcast or radio program also creates good will. Whether you call it ego surfing or research, it is important. You may also find copyright violations that way . . . unauthorized use of your work.
Haley Elizabeth Garwood set up a road trip for her aging mom and contacted libraries, bookstores to set up talks and book signings. In 5 1/2 weeks, she managed to do 55 presentations or events.
As always, thinking outside the box - one of the authors - I think it was Haley ghost wrote a book that is being marketed in the hair salon business all over the country! Another one had an opportunity to do a book signing in an antique store. One of the writers got her book included in a catalogue of swords!
And, of course, don't forget your local newspapers - they are eager for interesting stories about local people.
When you have a book coming out, get started on your promotional contacts about 3 months before it is scheduled to come out. If you are working with a big publisher, find out which publicist is assigned to your book. Make contact, show interest.
And you may have some fortuitous things happen. One cruise line wanted books as part of their turn down service. They bought books for every room on the ship! What great publicity was that!
Above all, be nice. Whether an author or a photographer, once you start competing - somebody is going to be a loser. When you are nice to the people that are coming up behind you, it helps promote your work. If you are ugly and mean spirited, it will have an impact on your book sales and your future as a writer.
So when I saw the panel: "Promoting Your Book" I figured that some of this information presented for science fiction writers would carry over into the Christian writing I'm trying to do and with my photography.
Amazingly enough, having a web presence - a website and perhaps a blog was one of the first things mentioned. And not just any old webpage - you need to have a good web page with your own domain name. People who meet you at conventions and other events will want to go check out who you are. I'm finding that I want to change the photo on the front page of my website so that people who visit regularly have a reason to come back. I also try to have links to my newest work - so that repeat visitors can see new things. And your blog needs to be interesting. One piece of advice: Only write when you have something to say. Better to blog only occasionally but have it worthwhile. I disagree with that a little bit. I find that if I don't keep putting up new posts, my readership falls away. But . . . I have to find things people are interested in reading about. I check my Google Analytics regularly to see whether I am getting new readers and what kind of return visits I'm getting. One caution is real - you can spend all your time on your blog and not get your "real" work done - writing your books, processing your photos, and producing new work.
I learned a new phrase: ego surfing. It is simple: Google your own name. See who's talking about you or linking to you. Having Google Analytics set up for your website will also help see how people are finding you. Thanking people for mentioning you on their website or on a podcast or radio program also creates good will. Whether you call it ego surfing or research, it is important. You may also find copyright violations that way . . . unauthorized use of your work.
Haley Elizabeth Garwood set up a road trip for her aging mom and contacted libraries, bookstores to set up talks and book signings. In 5 1/2 weeks, she managed to do 55 presentations or events.
As always, thinking outside the box - one of the authors - I think it was Haley ghost wrote a book that is being marketed in the hair salon business all over the country! Another one had an opportunity to do a book signing in an antique store. One of the writers got her book included in a catalogue of swords!
And, of course, don't forget your local newspapers - they are eager for interesting stories about local people.
When you have a book coming out, get started on your promotional contacts about 3 months before it is scheduled to come out. If you are working with a big publisher, find out which publicist is assigned to your book. Make contact, show interest.
And you may have some fortuitous things happen. One cruise line wanted books as part of their turn down service. They bought books for every room on the ship! What great publicity was that!
Above all, be nice. Whether an author or a photographer, once you start competing - somebody is going to be a loser. When you are nice to the people that are coming up behind you, it helps promote your work. If you are ugly and mean spirited, it will have an impact on your book sales and your future as a writer.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
From Archon . . . Blunders New Writers Make
When you go to a science fiction convention, it is amazing how many people want to be writers. Most of the attendees are readers, but a large number of them really want to create stories and books that other people will want to read. But out of all the people that want to be writers, only a small percentage will actually get their work published in a magazine or book. A few more will get their work into fanzines (but I don't know how many fanzines are still out there.)
I'm not trying to write science fiction, but I am trying to write Christian books and publish photographs and articles in nature magazines. So I thought this panel would probably have some information I would find useful.
First and foremost . . . Did you follow the submission guidelines? This is going to be true no matter what genre you are involved with. Photography magazines, stock photography agencies, book editors all have their own way of wanting material presented to them. If you have ignored the submission guidelines, that is a strike against you from the word go. For photography, file size, amount of post processing, image quality, subject, etc are going to be listed. And I discovered that I needed to recheck guidelines. The technology is changing fast. One magazine changed its guidelines in between submisions I made. I was lucky, the editor patiently pointed me in the direction of upgrading my software and workflow. Some of the Christian book publishers want to meet you at a Christian Writer's Conference. Science fiction book editors seem to prefer that you have an agent. And, of course, there is a standard manuscript format. Ignore that, and they probably won't even look at your work.
If you are going to get your work out there, it is going to be rejected. Each market will have a different time frame in which they get back to you. If you try to rush this, they'll just send your work back. Read the rejection letters. Some of them are going to be very impersonal and obviously mass produced. But some are going to be written personally to you. Take note o those personal rejections. Many times you can make small changes and resubmit. But if the editor has suggested specific changes - don't change everything else and leave what was recommended unchanged . . . Don't laugh . . . it happened.
While sometimes a change an editor wants may go against your creative muse, the editor has the final say. If you are a new writer, you won't have the clout to get away with not making the change. On the other hand, you also probably don't have the experience either. The editor KNOWS his readership - what they like and what they don't like. It is to your benefit to get your work out there rather than having it sit lonely on your computer or in your file drawer.
Another mistake was one that really struck home for me: Finish your work! One of the panelists said, "Perfect is the enemy of good enough." I certainly made that mistake with my first book. I had it written for 3 years before I put it out where editors could see it. And then I waited another year before actually getting it into editors hands. I have more books to write. It is more important to get them started, written, finished, and SUBMITTED. I'm fighting that with my photography as well. It is more important to get those images submitted than to fret that they are not "good enough" and leave them wasting away on the hard drives.
On the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website there is a lot of information for beginning writers. If you surf this website, there is much information that is available for anyone to read. One of the panelists mentioned The Saga of Myrtle the Manuscript. It takes awhile to read, but it certainly shows what can happen to a manuscript as it goes through the submission process. My own story - one of my first photographic submissions I sent with the DVD and the contact prints in a large brown envelope - no cardboard stiffener. When I got it back, I was appalled, with no reinforcement, the dvd case had bent up the contact prints. Now I got off on this trip without my cardboard inserts, so I did send a submission without as good a protection, but I did find a way to separate that hard DVD case from the prints.
Living with a writer all these years, I know how hard it is to receive rejection letters. But the panel ended by talking about how much people learn from what at first looks like a failure.
While there were other things worth mention- especially for fiction writers - like point of view, showing rather than telling, the importance of the opening sentence, etc, I'm going to end this blog here. Science fiction conventions often have panels like this. New writers are well advised to attend conferences like this to learn from other people's mistakes. Plus, experienced writers leave all psyched up to go out and write some more.
I'm not trying to write science fiction, but I am trying to write Christian books and publish photographs and articles in nature magazines. So I thought this panel would probably have some information I would find useful.
First and foremost . . . Did you follow the submission guidelines? This is going to be true no matter what genre you are involved with. Photography magazines, stock photography agencies, book editors all have their own way of wanting material presented to them. If you have ignored the submission guidelines, that is a strike against you from the word go. For photography, file size, amount of post processing, image quality, subject, etc are going to be listed. And I discovered that I needed to recheck guidelines. The technology is changing fast. One magazine changed its guidelines in between submisions I made. I was lucky, the editor patiently pointed me in the direction of upgrading my software and workflow. Some of the Christian book publishers want to meet you at a Christian Writer's Conference. Science fiction book editors seem to prefer that you have an agent. And, of course, there is a standard manuscript format. Ignore that, and they probably won't even look at your work.
If you are going to get your work out there, it is going to be rejected. Each market will have a different time frame in which they get back to you. If you try to rush this, they'll just send your work back. Read the rejection letters. Some of them are going to be very impersonal and obviously mass produced. But some are going to be written personally to you. Take note o those personal rejections. Many times you can make small changes and resubmit. But if the editor has suggested specific changes - don't change everything else and leave what was recommended unchanged . . . Don't laugh . . . it happened.
While sometimes a change an editor wants may go against your creative muse, the editor has the final say. If you are a new writer, you won't have the clout to get away with not making the change. On the other hand, you also probably don't have the experience either. The editor KNOWS his readership - what they like and what they don't like. It is to your benefit to get your work out there rather than having it sit lonely on your computer or in your file drawer.
Another mistake was one that really struck home for me: Finish your work! One of the panelists said, "Perfect is the enemy of good enough." I certainly made that mistake with my first book. I had it written for 3 years before I put it out where editors could see it. And then I waited another year before actually getting it into editors hands. I have more books to write. It is more important to get them started, written, finished, and SUBMITTED. I'm fighting that with my photography as well. It is more important to get those images submitted than to fret that they are not "good enough" and leave them wasting away on the hard drives.
On the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website there is a lot of information for beginning writers. If you surf this website, there is much information that is available for anyone to read. One of the panelists mentioned The Saga of Myrtle the Manuscript. It takes awhile to read, but it certainly shows what can happen to a manuscript as it goes through the submission process. My own story - one of my first photographic submissions I sent with the DVD and the contact prints in a large brown envelope - no cardboard stiffener. When I got it back, I was appalled, with no reinforcement, the dvd case had bent up the contact prints. Now I got off on this trip without my cardboard inserts, so I did send a submission without as good a protection, but I did find a way to separate that hard DVD case from the prints.
Living with a writer all these years, I know how hard it is to receive rejection letters. But the panel ended by talking about how much people learn from what at first looks like a failure.
While there were other things worth mention- especially for fiction writers - like point of view, showing rather than telling, the importance of the opening sentence, etc, I'm going to end this blog here. Science fiction conventions often have panels like this. New writers are well advised to attend conferences like this to learn from other people's mistakes. Plus, experienced writers leave all psyched up to go out and write some more.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Henry at Amazon
Emperor Dad is now available at Amazon books.
And yes, we're excited. Henry is already working on getting the artwork for the next book.
We'll be at ArmadilloCon in Austin next weekend.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Archon 31 - St. Louis
For a total change of pace from what I've been blogging, we're now at a science fiction convention. I've been trying to blog this kind of event as we attend them, so . . . .
While Archon 31 which is also this year's NASFIC (North American Science Fiction Convention) started yesterday, today was the first day I went over there. I have a photo submission due early next week that I must get out. So I spent yesterday at the RV working on it. While I continued working on that submission today, I did it at one of the tables at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Illinois - a suburb of St. Louis.
As we drove up, I noted to myself: "yep, people in costumes and fanciful artistic SF t-shirts - yep we're at a con!" One of the first things I do at a con is to take the pocket program book and start marking it up. As I go through it, I mark panel titles that look interesting, I mark writers and panelists that I either know or whose books I read, and I check the Kaffeklatsch list. Now you may be thinking, "What in the world is a Kaffeklatsch?" (And one of the workers at the convention gave me a funny look when I asked where the sign-up was for the Kaffeklatsch's.) A Kaffeklatsch is time spent with an author around a table (coffee can be part of the picture) talking informally. You have an hour of time to get to know your favorite author with you and perhaps 6 or 7 other people. You can ask questions, you can listen, you can tell them what you like about their work. I signed up for one today - with Sheila Finch. We met her a number of years back at one of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Banquets. I have found her to be an interesting person - so I try to attend some of the her events at the cons I attend. I also picked up her new book The Guild of Xenolinguists.
Even though I did not attend many panels because I knew I needed to get my work done, I really enjoyed looking up from my computer and watching the people pass by. I called out to a few friends as they went by.
I did go to three panels today:
Is there room in an SF universe for God?
From the Other Side of the Text - editors and agents give insights into publishing
Steel Magic
I have been pleased to see that many of the science fiction cons now have a "religion" track - including worship services on Sunday morning. The panel, " Is there room in an SF universe for God?" was made up of a fairly typical cross section of Science Fiction people - from an atheist, a Catholic, a Christian Taoist (I think I got that one right), and anthropologist, and a couple of others that I think were Christian but I don't remember the details of their introductory statements. Sheila Finch was the moderator. Her first question was whether humans have an innate need for religion. That one sparked a great debate that covered all the bases. However, one thing that came up was the discovery Google "gene study transcendence" and you will find several links. The Brain Chemistry of the Buddha was the first one I opened. I need to study the article, but this is definitely what was mentioned on the panel.
The other two panels deserve their own blog. So. . . . I'll close for tonight.
While Archon 31 which is also this year's NASFIC (North American Science Fiction Convention) started yesterday, today was the first day I went over there. I have a photo submission due early next week that I must get out. So I spent yesterday at the RV working on it. While I continued working on that submission today, I did it at one of the tables at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Illinois - a suburb of St. Louis.
As we drove up, I noted to myself: "yep, people in costumes and fanciful artistic SF t-shirts - yep we're at a con!" One of the first things I do at a con is to take the pocket program book and start marking it up. As I go through it, I mark panel titles that look interesting, I mark writers and panelists that I either know or whose books I read, and I check the Kaffeklatsch list. Now you may be thinking, "What in the world is a Kaffeklatsch?" (And one of the workers at the convention gave me a funny look when I asked where the sign-up was for the Kaffeklatsch's.) A Kaffeklatsch is time spent with an author around a table (coffee can be part of the picture) talking informally. You have an hour of time to get to know your favorite author with you and perhaps 6 or 7 other people. You can ask questions, you can listen, you can tell them what you like about their work. I signed up for one today - with Sheila Finch. We met her a number of years back at one of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Banquets. I have found her to be an interesting person - so I try to attend some of the her events at the cons I attend. I also picked up her new book The Guild of Xenolinguists.
Even though I did not attend many panels because I knew I needed to get my work done, I really enjoyed looking up from my computer and watching the people pass by. I called out to a few friends as they went by.
I did go to three panels today:
Is there room in an SF universe for God?
From the Other Side of the Text - editors and agents give insights into publishing
Steel Magic
I have been pleased to see that many of the science fiction cons now have a "religion" track - including worship services on Sunday morning. The panel, " Is there room in an SF universe for God?" was made up of a fairly typical cross section of Science Fiction people - from an atheist, a Catholic, a Christian Taoist (I think I got that one right), and anthropologist, and a couple of others that I think were Christian but I don't remember the details of their introductory statements. Sheila Finch was the moderator. Her first question was whether humans have an innate need for religion. That one sparked a great debate that covered all the bases. However, one thing that came up was the discovery Google "gene study transcendence" and you will find several links. The Brain Chemistry of the Buddha was the first one I opened. I need to study the article, but this is definitely what was mentioned on the panel.
The other two panels deserve their own blog. So. . . . I'll close for tonight.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Henry's Book, Emperor Dad
It's official, Henry's book, Emperor Dad, is a reality. We have our intial copies to take to the North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFIC) in St. Louis this week.
Needless to say, we're very excited.
For those of you that may want a copy, the link above takes you to one of several places it can be ordered.
If you live in the Austin area, we will have copies available for purchase as well.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Colorado Christian Writer's Conference
I'm sitting on the porch of my room at the YMCA of the Rockies. The sky is blue, a soft blue. The birds are singing. I watch them flit from one perch to another sometimes doing aerial acrobatics as they chase each other through the sky. The mountains are beautiful this morning-the rich greens of the pines and the rugged snow capped peaks.
I tend to wake early and this is the first morning that I've had to spend quietly on the porch. The other mornings I had a devotional with other writers that started the day as part of the conference. The lessons were wonderful and inspiring. But today is MINE. I'm getting to reflect on my last three days and I am so grateful to God. I've had the opportunity to learn more about pitching my writing work to editors. I've actually talked with editors about my work. And thanks be to God, I found them receptive.
For any of these opportunities to bear fruit, I must follow through and finish the tasks. I've got to look over my manuscript one last time. While I thought I had all the little details (spelling, grammar, etc) taken care of, my last reading found some new things. I want to listen to the CD I purchased of the session about what a proposal should look like. I have a proposal, but I want it to be the best I can make it.
I have an opportunity to submit an e-book about a subject I am well qualified to write. My brain has already been active and my notes are ready to start.
And I have an opportunity to write a short article to submit to Pray magazine. I talked with the editor and my article is not one that has been done before in their magazine.
The morning is quiet . . . People are beginning to stir - heading for breakfast, loading their cars. We'll head over to the campground. I don't have to leave the mountains yet. Over the next week, I'll get up early for my photography and then spend my afternoon following through, finishing the tasks set before me, and then finishing my day back in nature with my camera.
I tend to wake early and this is the first morning that I've had to spend quietly on the porch. The other mornings I had a devotional with other writers that started the day as part of the conference. The lessons were wonderful and inspiring. But today is MINE. I'm getting to reflect on my last three days and I am so grateful to God. I've had the opportunity to learn more about pitching my writing work to editors. I've actually talked with editors about my work. And thanks be to God, I found them receptive.
For any of these opportunities to bear fruit, I must follow through and finish the tasks. I've got to look over my manuscript one last time. While I thought I had all the little details (spelling, grammar, etc) taken care of, my last reading found some new things. I want to listen to the CD I purchased of the session about what a proposal should look like. I have a proposal, but I want it to be the best I can make it.
I have an opportunity to submit an e-book about a subject I am well qualified to write. My brain has already been active and my notes are ready to start.
And I have an opportunity to write a short article to submit to Pray magazine. I talked with the editor and my article is not one that has been done before in their magazine.
The morning is quiet . . . People are beginning to stir - heading for breakfast, loading their cars. We'll head over to the campground. I don't have to leave the mountains yet. Over the next week, I'll get up early for my photography and then spend my afternoon following through, finishing the tasks set before me, and then finishing my day back in nature with my camera.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Marketing Yourself
I will try to post more about the great continuing sessions on the art of promoting yourself. In many ways I think this is the most difficult part of being a successful writer. Publishing is a business. While Christian publishing houses exist to produce books and magazines that will help people grow closer to the Lord, they also must follow market economics in order to have the money to stay in business. If you are fortunate enough to get a book published, a first time writer is going to have to be active in marketing the book.
Part of that will be fun. It has been a long time ambition for me to become a Christian motivational or retreat speaker. One reason that I started writing the book was that I believed that getting a book out would give me exposure to people who might (just might) want to hear me. I've always tried to give God the credit - so many of my Bible lessons had new thoughts come through my brain and out my lips that were not part of my original preparation.
I went to a class that was media preparation - what to do when you get the opportunity to do a TV or radio interview. Instead of the fifteen minutes I had with the editor and the agent, the assignment was to do your pitch for yourself and your book in three minutes. Now those of you that know me well know that I am notoriously long winded. Since I still have friends, I guess they think I'm worth it. But . . . with the exhiliarating exhaustion of all the events, the preparation for the actual pitch's my practice TV interview did not get my best efforts. Yup, I bombed that exercise. I was thrown by one of the questions (and a reasonable one it was) and then found it hard to get the interview back on MY track for it. Since I'd had two appointments that I was pleased with . . . I can't feel too bad. But . . . if I do get a book published, I will HAVE to get more training in these quick "soundbites."
I can see another potential spiritual pitfall. And my scripture reading tonight was so appropriate. To get a book or magazine article published, you have to have confidence in your work, you have to write it, you have to be brave enough to submit it, you must be willing to face rejection, you must present yourself as an "expert" on your subject. If you get published, hopefully you will have people that like your work, praise you, and give you the credit for your talent and your efforts. I can see a lot of ways that pride can enter the equation. I think that God wants us to be happy with who we are - his creation. And I think a small amount of pride in our accomplishments is good. But the temptation arises when we lose track of who gave us the opportunties and talents.
My first verse in my Bible reading tonight:
Psalm 115:1
" Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."
My prayer: Lord if I should be fortunate enough to get my books and work published, let me NEVER forget who made it all possible. Let me never get puffed up with pride. Let me keep my focus on God and his agenda.
Part of that will be fun. It has been a long time ambition for me to become a Christian motivational or retreat speaker. One reason that I started writing the book was that I believed that getting a book out would give me exposure to people who might (just might) want to hear me. I've always tried to give God the credit - so many of my Bible lessons had new thoughts come through my brain and out my lips that were not part of my original preparation.
I went to a class that was media preparation - what to do when you get the opportunity to do a TV or radio interview. Instead of the fifteen minutes I had with the editor and the agent, the assignment was to do your pitch for yourself and your book in three minutes. Now those of you that know me well know that I am notoriously long winded. Since I still have friends, I guess they think I'm worth it. But . . . with the exhiliarating exhaustion of all the events, the preparation for the actual pitch's my practice TV interview did not get my best efforts. Yup, I bombed that exercise. I was thrown by one of the questions (and a reasonable one it was) and then found it hard to get the interview back on MY track for it. Since I'd had two appointments that I was pleased with . . . I can't feel too bad. But . . . if I do get a book published, I will HAVE to get more training in these quick "soundbites."
I can see another potential spiritual pitfall. And my scripture reading tonight was so appropriate. To get a book or magazine article published, you have to have confidence in your work, you have to write it, you have to be brave enough to submit it, you must be willing to face rejection, you must present yourself as an "expert" on your subject. If you get published, hopefully you will have people that like your work, praise you, and give you the credit for your talent and your efforts. I can see a lot of ways that pride can enter the equation. I think that God wants us to be happy with who we are - his creation. And I think a small amount of pride in our accomplishments is good. But the temptation arises when we lose track of who gave us the opportunties and talents.
My first verse in my Bible reading tonight:
Psalm 115:1
" Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."
My prayer: Lord if I should be fortunate enough to get my books and work published, let me NEVER forget who made it all possible. Let me never get puffed up with pride. Let me keep my focus on God and his agenda.
Colorado Christian Writer's Conference - Pitching my Work
Ordinarily when I go to big events, I try to stop each evening and post the highlights of the day. I like to pass on a few of the things that have been the most helpful. I'm finding that there has been so much good information and inspiration that I am having trouble trying to condense it into a reasonable sized blog. So I think I'll just post the things that have been the most important to me.
One of the early bird workshops that was very beneficial to me was Kathryn Mackel's, "Practice Your Pitch." She taught us what a pitch to an editor or agent should look like and let us practice. I found that invaluable when I actually did my interviews.
In the one on one appointments, you have 15 minutes to "pitch" your idea or book to an editor or agent. I confess that in the couple of days before the conference, I had gotten a little nervous. While I've done photo portfolio reviews, that is a little different. In a portfolio review, you are actually showing potential buyers or editors your work. An book editor or agent can't read your book in fifteen minutes.
The parts of a pitch look something like this:
Greeting, introduction, small talk, title of your book, what genre, summary of your book ( 3 or 4 sentences).
In my practice pitch, I forgot to give the title of my book (those stupid nerves.) But it was so good to actually walk through it with someone to firm up in my own mind what I needed to say.
From some of the other meetings, I learned the importance of your "Platform." There is a "Catch 22" here. It is beneficial to have a platform to get published . . . Getting published helps build your platform. While my platform is still a little small, I do have a history of teaching ladies' Bible classes using my own curriculim, , planning and speaking at women's retreats, and my training adults in Girl Scouts. With my photography, I have been building platflorm, buy building a reputation with my participation on the online contests, the museum exhibits, and my two publications in Texas Highways. Plus I'm working hard to enter the major photographic contests and submit my photos to magazines and photographic agencies.
I need to write and submit some smaller pieces for Christian magazines to help build my reputation as a writer.
Yes . . . I'm at the bottom rung of this ladder. But I am very pleased to report that when I actually did my one-on-one appointments, I was pleased. Yes, I was nervous, but I was able to make a creditable pitch. God has given me some opportunities. I am grateful.
One of the early bird workshops that was very beneficial to me was Kathryn Mackel's, "Practice Your Pitch." She taught us what a pitch to an editor or agent should look like and let us practice. I found that invaluable when I actually did my interviews.
In the one on one appointments, you have 15 minutes to "pitch" your idea or book to an editor or agent. I confess that in the couple of days before the conference, I had gotten a little nervous. While I've done photo portfolio reviews, that is a little different. In a portfolio review, you are actually showing potential buyers or editors your work. An book editor or agent can't read your book in fifteen minutes.
The parts of a pitch look something like this:
Greeting, introduction, small talk, title of your book, what genre, summary of your book ( 3 or 4 sentences).
In my practice pitch, I forgot to give the title of my book (those stupid nerves.) But it was so good to actually walk through it with someone to firm up in my own mind what I needed to say.
From some of the other meetings, I learned the importance of your "Platform." There is a "Catch 22" here. It is beneficial to have a platform to get published . . . Getting published helps build your platform. While my platform is still a little small, I do have a history of teaching ladies' Bible classes using my own curriculim, , planning and speaking at women's retreats, and my training adults in Girl Scouts. With my photography, I have been building platflorm, buy building a reputation with my participation on the online contests, the museum exhibits, and my two publications in Texas Highways. Plus I'm working hard to enter the major photographic contests and submit my photos to magazines and photographic agencies.
I need to write and submit some smaller pieces for Christian magazines to help build my reputation as a writer.
Yes . . . I'm at the bottom rung of this ladder. But I am very pleased to report that when I actually did my one-on-one appointments, I was pleased. Yes, I was nervous, but I was able to make a creditable pitch. God has given me some opportunities. I am grateful.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Colorado Christian Writer's Conference
As some of you may know, I wrote a Christian woman's 13 week Bible study several years ago. I sent it to several of my friends for them to give me feedback and catch obvious errors. But in the meantime, the photography interest was also growing . . . so my attention was divided. Knowing I had neglected my book, I submitted it to a Christian Manuscript Service last summer (see my "The Difficult First Step" and my "Mission Accomplished Blog." )
Several things have brought this back to my attention. I was asked to be part of a committee at church to help select curriculum for women. Henry is working at self-publishing one of his books. I have received a few emails from the Christian Manuscript Service posting from companies that do self publishing for Christian books. And while I was at the NANPA Summit, this book came up in one of my portfolio interviews. The concept of self publishing has some appeal - I could go ahead and get the book out there, but there is a lot of upfront cost. Plus, you still have to make sure it gets into distribution channels so it will make it to the shelves at the Christian bookstores.
So . . . after my meditation time this morning, I got on my computer. Henry had evaluated the two emails I had gotten. He thought one of them looked OK, but he did not like the look of the other one. In my heart, I knew that I had not done all of the things on my side that should be done before self publishing - primarily submitting books directly to the publishing houses. So I started looking up the publishers that I was familiar with, hoping to find the submission guidelines. And, yes, an inner part of me is going, "You're crazy . . . you're only home a short period of time, and you're adding another major project????"
Back when I had been checking things several years ago, I had seen references to the benefits of attending Christian Writer's Conferences. I had even gone so far as to check out the websites. But we were busy doing other things at the time, schedules were already busy. But as I was checking out the publishing websites and looking at the submission information, one of the ways to submit your work is at Christian Writer Conferences. Being a web junky, (er . . um . . web researcher), I found several. There was one in Marshall, Texas, but it did not have the events I was looking for. Hum . . . there's one in Colorado, Colorado Christian Writer's Conference. One of my favorite places . . . let's check that one out. The date was convenient. Location: Estes Park-great, but the first thing that caught my eye: four free one-on-one appointments for full time attendees. I've done this kind of thing at the North American Nature Photographer's Summit three times now. I looked at who would be attending. YES! The publishers that I am interested in will be there as well as literary agents that specialize in Christian books. I'll get an email with a form of some sort to list my choices and they included wonderful instructions to be in prayer as to which ones to choose. Best of all, you get an hour with each one - much easier than the 10 minute pitch Henry made a year or so ago.
Needless to say, I could not sign up fast enough. I've chosen workshops that match the kind of Christian writing that I want to do:
Writing for a Woman's Heart - Linda Evans Shepherd
Practice Your Pitch - Kathy Pickel
Writing for the Women's Ministry Market - Amy Nappa
Great Expectations (how to create a professional proposal) - Bill Jensen
Marketing Your Speaking Ministry (one of my goals is to be a motivational Christian speaker - this one looks right on
target) - Linda Evans Shepherd
First Impressions Count - Greg Johnson
Ready (or Not) - How to know when you are ready for an agent? Judy Mikalonis
Heart to Heart Writing - Susan Osborn - will be a continuing session meeting 5 times.
As I got my photography work started with the NANPA summits and other training I attended, I was amazed and humbled how God seemed to lead me to the events at the right time and in the right order. Each event seemed to build on what I had already learned to move me to the next level on the road to being a professional nature photographer. I have all along believed that my book "Life Lessons from the Desert" was God's. If he wanted it published, then it would be . . . in His time.
I've already had some practice presenting my work to professionals in the photography world. This will be my chance to present my work to professionals in the writing field. I have the advantage of having been around the science fiction world. My husband is a published writer. I know how hard it is to break in and get a book published. But I also know a little bit about ways to present my writing work professionally. And, I do have a history of working in Women's Ministries at our congregation.
I would ask my blog readers to join me in prayer . . . I want my life and my work to glorify God. I would like to ask God's blessing and guidance on this new effort on my part to serve him as a Christian writer and photographer.
Several things have brought this back to my attention. I was asked to be part of a committee at church to help select curriculum for women. Henry is working at self-publishing one of his books. I have received a few emails from the Christian Manuscript Service posting from companies that do self publishing for Christian books. And while I was at the NANPA Summit, this book came up in one of my portfolio interviews. The concept of self publishing has some appeal - I could go ahead and get the book out there, but there is a lot of upfront cost. Plus, you still have to make sure it gets into distribution channels so it will make it to the shelves at the Christian bookstores.
So . . . after my meditation time this morning, I got on my computer. Henry had evaluated the two emails I had gotten. He thought one of them looked OK, but he did not like the look of the other one. In my heart, I knew that I had not done all of the things on my side that should be done before self publishing - primarily submitting books directly to the publishing houses. So I started looking up the publishers that I was familiar with, hoping to find the submission guidelines. And, yes, an inner part of me is going, "You're crazy . . . you're only home a short period of time, and you're adding another major project????"
Back when I had been checking things several years ago, I had seen references to the benefits of attending Christian Writer's Conferences. I had even gone so far as to check out the websites. But we were busy doing other things at the time, schedules were already busy. But as I was checking out the publishing websites and looking at the submission information, one of the ways to submit your work is at Christian Writer Conferences. Being a web junky, (er . . um . . web researcher), I found several. There was one in Marshall, Texas, but it did not have the events I was looking for. Hum . . . there's one in Colorado, Colorado Christian Writer's Conference. One of my favorite places . . . let's check that one out. The date was convenient. Location: Estes Park-great, but the first thing that caught my eye: four free one-on-one appointments for full time attendees. I've done this kind of thing at the North American Nature Photographer's Summit three times now. I looked at who would be attending. YES! The publishers that I am interested in will be there as well as literary agents that specialize in Christian books. I'll get an email with a form of some sort to list my choices and they included wonderful instructions to be in prayer as to which ones to choose. Best of all, you get an hour with each one - much easier than the 10 minute pitch Henry made a year or so ago.
Needless to say, I could not sign up fast enough. I've chosen workshops that match the kind of Christian writing that I want to do:
Writing for a Woman's Heart - Linda Evans Shepherd
Practice Your Pitch - Kathy Pickel
Writing for the Women's Ministry Market - Amy Nappa
Great Expectations (how to create a professional proposal) - Bill Jensen
Marketing Your Speaking Ministry (one of my goals is to be a motivational Christian speaker - this one looks right on
target) - Linda Evans Shepherd
First Impressions Count - Greg Johnson
Ready (or Not) - How to know when you are ready for an agent? Judy Mikalonis
Heart to Heart Writing - Susan Osborn - will be a continuing session meeting 5 times.
As I got my photography work started with the NANPA summits and other training I attended, I was amazed and humbled how God seemed to lead me to the events at the right time and in the right order. Each event seemed to build on what I had already learned to move me to the next level on the road to being a professional nature photographer. I have all along believed that my book "Life Lessons from the Desert" was God's. If he wanted it published, then it would be . . . in His time.
I've already had some practice presenting my work to professionals in the photography world. This will be my chance to present my work to professionals in the writing field. I have the advantage of having been around the science fiction world. My husband is a published writer. I know how hard it is to break in and get a book published. But I also know a little bit about ways to present my writing work professionally. And, I do have a history of working in Women's Ministries at our congregation.
I would ask my blog readers to join me in prayer . . . I want my life and my work to glorify God. I would like to ask God's blessing and guidance on this new effort on my part to serve him as a Christian writer and photographer.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Today . . . . .
Let me say upfront, I am not usually good with things that require daily disciplines - I am too easily distracted and usually have many things or projects going on in my life. But a practice that I try to keep going, however irregularly, is a "quiet" time with God. As part of that time, I have a journal. When I browse through the pages and realize how irratic it is . . . . I grimace inwardly.
The Bible I use with my daily time is a One Year Bible with scriptures set up to read an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a Psalms passage, and a verse or two from Proverbs. I started in January trying to read all of them in the hope that I would make it through the entire Bible this year. I found, however, that I was just reading it - without having time to contemplate on the meaning for me, today, at this point in my life. So, I've gone back to reading the Psalm passage for a given day. If a miss a few days, I go ahead and read the passage for today's date. I start with the Psalm - and if I find meaning for my life, I may highlight or underline the verses that resonated with me. Because I've been doing this several years - coming back to a marked passage usually reinforces what had special meaning for me.
On a few rare days, the Psalms passage does not have a verse or two that jumps out at me - so I search in the other passages for the day. Generally, I find something on which to focus my thoughts. Today was a day when nothing in the daily passages really leaped out at me, leaving me searching through other back-up resources. My book on Abundance is one that I added yesterday for further enrichment. But today I was still searching . . . . I thumbed back through my journal, happy that over the last several months, I have more entries and more pages, a hint of a little more consistancy. But then I found the thoughts that resonated . . . for today. I found them in prior pages in my journal from perhaps a couple of years ago. Sometimes I note where I found what I journaled - this time I don't know whether I was writing from a source material, or if these were my own thoughts. But they were encouraging to me, and I am posting them here, because I think they might be helpful to others:
Each day is a new beginning, an unwritten page, a clean slate, unspoiled.
Nothing that happened in the past can be changed.
In God's book, it is in the past, forgiven, forgotten.
The past should not be allowed to spoil a new day.
Each day brings new opportunities.
Each day should start with joy:
"I am ALIVE!"
"I have a chance to make today beautiful!"
While there may be times when I need to bring out something ugly from the past to examine it or to understand it, for today, I will keep it in a mental "box" - so that I can enjoy the present.
Today I will look for beauty.
Today I will spend time with God
Today I will be joyful.
Today I will be optimistic - not letting little things obscure the big picture.
Today I will be courageous, trusting God to meet my needs and protect me.
The Bible I use with my daily time is a One Year Bible with scriptures set up to read an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a Psalms passage, and a verse or two from Proverbs. I started in January trying to read all of them in the hope that I would make it through the entire Bible this year. I found, however, that I was just reading it - without having time to contemplate on the meaning for me, today, at this point in my life. So, I've gone back to reading the Psalm passage for a given day. If a miss a few days, I go ahead and read the passage for today's date. I start with the Psalm - and if I find meaning for my life, I may highlight or underline the verses that resonated with me. Because I've been doing this several years - coming back to a marked passage usually reinforces what had special meaning for me.
On a few rare days, the Psalms passage does not have a verse or two that jumps out at me - so I search in the other passages for the day. Generally, I find something on which to focus my thoughts. Today was a day when nothing in the daily passages really leaped out at me, leaving me searching through other back-up resources. My book on Abundance is one that I added yesterday for further enrichment. But today I was still searching . . . . I thumbed back through my journal, happy that over the last several months, I have more entries and more pages, a hint of a little more consistancy. But then I found the thoughts that resonated . . . for today. I found them in prior pages in my journal from perhaps a couple of years ago. Sometimes I note where I found what I journaled - this time I don't know whether I was writing from a source material, or if these were my own thoughts. But they were encouraging to me, and I am posting them here, because I think they might be helpful to others:
Each day is a new beginning, an unwritten page, a clean slate, unspoiled.
Nothing that happened in the past can be changed.
In God's book, it is in the past, forgiven, forgotten.
The past should not be allowed to spoil a new day.
Each day brings new opportunities.
Each day should start with joy:
"I am ALIVE!"
"I have a chance to make today beautiful!"
While there may be times when I need to bring out something ugly from the past to examine it or to understand it, for today, I will keep it in a mental "box" - so that I can enjoy the present.
Today I will look for beauty.
Today I will spend time with God
Today I will be joyful.
Today I will be optimistic - not letting little things obscure the big picture.
Today I will be courageous, trusting God to meet my needs and protect me.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Writer's Block
One of my goals in coming home is to start getting my work out to photo editors who might buy my photographic work. What I am finding in the quest to be a professional photographer is that it is EASY to go out and get your photos. It is fun, exciting, rewarding to get out in the early morning hours, to sit and wait for wildlife, and to create beautiful photos. But it is a very different thing to get work sent out.
Step One - Figuring out which in a set of photos are the "best" ones. Which photos are going to please which editor? The self doubt - are these good enough, sharp enough, well processed enough? So the first hurdle is to choose which photos to send to a particular market. This one can be hard for me - requires a lot of intense decision making. As well as post processing the final candidates.
Step Two - To which market should a particular photo go? Should it go to Alamy as a stock image? Should my flower shots go to a card company or to stock? Should I send my Lost Maple fall shots to Texas Highways or Texas Parks and Wildlife? Which photo project should I work on and finish first?
Step Three- Writing captions or even short articles to go with the photos. On the articles, I'm finding that I have a hard time getting the words started on the computer. They are whirling around in my head, trying to come out. I remember Henry talking about this . . . . I think the answer is going to be a discipline issue - just make myself sit down at the computer and start typing. Editing it can come later. Even my blog has fallen victim . . . .
If I am going to make it as a professional photographer and writer, I've got to overcome these issues.
Step One - Figuring out which in a set of photos are the "best" ones. Which photos are going to please which editor? The self doubt - are these good enough, sharp enough, well processed enough? So the first hurdle is to choose which photos to send to a particular market. This one can be hard for me - requires a lot of intense decision making. As well as post processing the final candidates.
Step Two - To which market should a particular photo go? Should it go to Alamy as a stock image? Should my flower shots go to a card company or to stock? Should I send my Lost Maple fall shots to Texas Highways or Texas Parks and Wildlife? Which photo project should I work on and finish first?
Step Three- Writing captions or even short articles to go with the photos. On the articles, I'm finding that I have a hard time getting the words started on the computer. They are whirling around in my head, trying to come out. I remember Henry talking about this . . . . I think the answer is going to be a discipline issue - just make myself sit down at the computer and start typing. Editing it can come later. Even my blog has fallen victim . . . .
If I am going to make it as a professional photographer and writer, I've got to overcome these issues.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
My First Blog
I have not done a blog before. I have done journalling before, so perhaps it won't be that different. It is Sunday morning. I'm in California with my daughter. It is early enough that traffic is light on the PCH and I can occasionally hear the roar of the waves crashing on the beach.
We went to the sidewalk sale at Redondo Beach yesterday. I enjoyed strolling and window shopping at the booths. Several months back I had gone to the web looking for the things a photographer would need to do a booth. So I took advantage and watched how people had their booths set up with an eye for what I need to start buying if I am ever to try to sell my photography at these outdoor events.
We went to the sidewalk sale at Redondo Beach yesterday. I enjoyed strolling and window shopping at the booths. Several months back I had gone to the web looking for the things a photographer would need to do a booth. So I took advantage and watched how people had their booths set up with an eye for what I need to start buying if I am ever to try to sell my photography at these outdoor events.
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