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mary rosenblum
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Hello all!
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mary rosenblum
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Welcome to our Friday After
Hours!
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you've all had a great
week. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And I hope you've had a chance
to check out our New Beginnings Anthology.
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mary rosenblum
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I was really impressed with
the overall quality of the submissions...it was hard to narrow it down to a
select group.
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mary rosenblum
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And I enjoyed reading all of
them, even if I wasn't able to include yours among the finalists.
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mary rosenblum
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I'll do another one...I think
we need at least one a year. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. We're talking about making
writing time. I've published seven novels (number eight will be out next
year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any
questions you have. If you're new here, remember that you need to click on
the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question
mark at the top of the screen in order to ask a question. Your regular
'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your question into
the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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mary rosenblum
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I also had a bit of very nice
news this week...
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mary rosenblum
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ONe of my SF stories, Search
Engine, has been chosen for inclusion into two different 'Best of the Year'
anthologies from two different publishers!
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mary rosenblum
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This is why you don't want to
sell all rights!
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jyinxy
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we were all talking this
afternoon and decided that lrwg needs to have a writers conferance with the
instructors. what do you think?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, jyinxy, I think it would
be a lot of fun, but I'm not sure you could get many instructors to attend
unless...
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mary rosenblum
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you paid them. And I'm not
sure that's in LR's budget! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Writers conferences are part
of work...you go there because you, the author, get paid in various ways...
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mary rosenblum
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by exposure to new
readers...by the con committee who often picks up the tab..
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mary rosenblum
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for part or all of your
expenses...and by exposure for award votes.
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mary rosenblum
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It is expensive and it's time
away from writing. I would network among yourselves..
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mary rosenblum
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and try to all meet at a
writers conference.
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mary rosenblum
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That's much easier and much
less expensive than putting one on.
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mary rosenblum
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You can share rooms to save
money and network together. I used to do that with four or five other
novice SF writers...
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mary rosenblum
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when I started. We slept all
five in one hotel room and worked those cons HARD
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xana
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Can you suggest one that is not
too expensive?
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dwkav
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Are there any conferences you
recommend for newbies?
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mary rosenblum
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Check shawguides.com and see
what you can find that's close. Travel expenses are your biggest bill.
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mary rosenblum
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If you can share a hotel room
with say, three other people, you'll probably pay only about 25 bucks per
night each or less.
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mary rosenblum
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And Dwkav, all conferences are
good for newbies. :-) That's what they're for. The really HUGE ones like
SF's WorldCon or mystery's Bouchercon can be intimidating...
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mary rosenblum
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but if you're not the easily
intimidating type and don't mind wading through a couple thousand people
you'll find more of your big name authors there.
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mary rosenblum
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Small, local cons are more
intimate.
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firn
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simultanous submissions- do
editors dislike it?
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mary rosenblum
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The guidelines for each
magazine will tell you if the magazine accepts 'em or not, firn. Lots of
people DO it. If you get caught you tick off an editor, which is not
particularly good, since that editor liked your work enough to buy it.
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mary rosenblum
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But then again...response
times ARE very slow.
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mary rosenblum
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If one editor accepts your
story and you have sneaked a sim sub into the mail, you can send that
second mag a letter and withdraw the story...
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mary rosenblum
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from consideration.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. We're talking about making
writing time. I've published seven novels (number eight will be out next
year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any
questions you have. If you're new here, remember that you need to click on
the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question
mark at the top of the screen in order to ask a question. Your regular
'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your question into
the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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mephistopheles
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Mary I didn't get around to
asking this in time as we ran out of time yesterday but would a querry
letter be similar to a prologue, just enough to wet the appetite and want
them begging for more?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends, meph. If you're
writing a query to an agent for a fiction ms, then no, yes, you can 'tease'
and not include the end. You want him/her to ask for the whole thing!
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mary rosenblum
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If you get told to send in a
synopsis, that MUST include the ending. It is not a query.
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mary rosenblum
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In nonfiction, hold nothing
back in your query. Your editor must know exactly what you are offering...
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mary rosenblum
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or she'll say no.
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jyinxy
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i recently talked to a priest
about getting some reasearch info. from him. we decided it would work
better to communiate via mail because he has to look some things up for me.
would it be good to give him a synopis of the story?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh it sure would, jyinxy.
I"ve gotten some great inspiration from my interviewees when I told
them what the book was about.
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info
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a little off subject for
tonights forum but, regarding the novel course , if a student have a
general theme but no real specific idea on what the novel will be, does the
student have time to figure it out or does the instructor help process the
idea?
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mary rosenblum
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(And then I promise we'll talk
about writing time!)
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, info, your instructor
will give you suggestions if you only have a vague idea. No problem.
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mary rosenblum
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You're not expected to begin
with a plot summary! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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So let's talk about writing
time. I would say that more than half of my students complain about how
they don't have time to write.
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mary rosenblum
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And it's a reality.
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mary rosenblum
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Who sits around and stares at
the walls for three hours a day?
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mary rosenblum
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We always fill our days with
stuff. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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If you want to write
regularly, you may have to kick something else off the schedule.
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janecj333
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this is off topic, too...Octavia
Butler, the sf author, died last week. I saw nothing in the news. Very sad.
She was kind to me.
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mary rosenblum
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Alas, yes, Jane, I mentioned
it Tuesday here...I heard Monday.
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mary rosenblum
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I was very saddened. She was
one of the writers who impelled me into writing.
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mary rosenblum
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Actually it has been in the
news quite a bit...you may have missed it.
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mary rosenblum
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I listened to a half hour
interview with various SF writers discussing her work and contribution. It
took place at the Seattle SF museum...
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mary rosenblum
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and was picked up by quite a
few news stations, I gather. I was very pleased.
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jyinxy
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a bit off topic - but how does
long ridge pair you up with your instructor? does it depend on whos
available or on how you write or what you write, etc, etc, etc,..?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends on what you want to
write, jyinxy. :-0
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mary rosenblum
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-)
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mary rosenblum
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They try to match you to an
instructor in your preferred genre.
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xana
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I find time to write when I'm in
a writers' group - not too large a group. How do you find a suitable (at
your level or above) group?
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mary rosenblum
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Many ways, xana. If you want
an 'in person' group...
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mary rosenblum
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try checking bulletin boards
at libraries and independant bookstores...sometimes groups advertise there.
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mary rosenblum
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Put up a note on those same
bulleting boards and say you're looking for a writers group...
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mary rosenblum
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go to a local writers
conference if possible and ask other writers like yourself...
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mary rosenblum
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if they are in groups.
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mary rosenblum
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Or start one.
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mary rosenblum
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Advertise on those bulletin
boards.
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mary rosenblum
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Writers groups that impose
deadlines can be very useful if you need a little 'push' to get those words
out.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. We're talking about making
writing time. I've published seven novels (number eight will be out next
year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any
questions you have. If you're new here, remember that you need to click on
the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question
mark at the top of the screen in order to ask a question. Your regular
'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your question into
the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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paminnapa
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so how do you find time to
balance your family....kids...housework with writing --i keep a notebook
everywhere..but cant duct tape the kids down
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mary rosenblum
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It is HARD Pam. My kids were
five and eight when I started writing full time and I was a single mom.
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mary rosenblum
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The note pad helps and then
you just don't DO things.
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mary rosenblum
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I put the kids first and the
writing second. The minute they went to bed, I sat down at that computer
and I didn't get up until...
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mary rosenblum
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I fell asleep. Too bad if the
dishes weren't done or the house needed vacuuming. I'd get that done when I
could!
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janecj333
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I'm the opposite...when I have
to produce something to share in wkshp., I freeze up. I barely write
anything more than just those pages required.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, it really varies from
person to person.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to manage your
writing life in a way that works for you.
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mary rosenblum
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Fortunately, it's quite easy
to avoid deadlines in the fiction universe, most of the time. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You do live with 'em in the
nonfiction universe.
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dwkav
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I get the guilts because when
I'm writing well, the housework doesn't get done. So, I take a day to clean
house, and I'm off track again.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, it's hard. You have to
really have the ability to say 'my writing comes first'.
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mary rosenblum
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That is very hard when you
don't have publications to justify that statement, I know that well.
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dwkav
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If I don't write every day, I
don't write.
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mary rosenblum
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Then you really have to say to
yourself... the housework can wait.
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janecj333
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The truth is that everyone wants
a piece of your time, and no matter how professional you are, someone will
resent you for writing instead of entertaining them, cooking for them or
driving them to their friends' houses.
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mary rosenblum
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That is a VERY true statement,
Jane. Alas, I lost some friends who just couldn't get past my saying, I'm
sorry I can't do that with you today, I need to write.
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mary rosenblum
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So oh well.
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dwkav
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and then there's my husband ...
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mary rosenblum
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That is indeed a big stumbling
block for a lot of writers. It was for me, sigh.
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mary rosenblum
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I was given the option of
being married or writing. Needless to say, that's how I ended up a single
mom.
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mary rosenblum
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But that's an extreme case. Hopefully.
]
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mary rosenblum
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You might sit down with your
partner and talk about what you are trying to do...
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mary rosenblum
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Writing is a job. It pays
money. But it's a job that, like many, requires an apprenticeship period...
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mary rosenblum
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where you don't earn money.
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dwkav
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well, we've only been married
three years and there's no way I'm giving him up. :o) my problem is not
being able to say "no" when he wants to go fishing, or just hang
out.
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes you have to make
compromises with yourself, dwkav...your relationship is important, but
maybe you don't have to go EVERY time. :-) Or maybe the writing...
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mary rosenblum
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is just going to have to come
later.
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shelli
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I've been working third shift
and there is no consistency in my life...ever!
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mary rosenblum
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Well, when my kids were little
there wasn't a whole lot to mine either, shelli.
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mary rosenblum
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I wrote most of my second
novel on scraps of paper. I kid you not...
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mary rosenblum
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I typed them up about once a
week. I just tossed 'em...
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mary rosenblum
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into a shoebox all week.
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mary rosenblum
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The novel got written...and
that one WAS on deadline!
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mary rosenblum
|
This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. We're talking about making
writing time. I've published seven novels (number eight will be out next
year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any
questions you have. If you're new here, remember that you need to click on
the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question
mark at the top of the screen in order to ask a question. Your regular
'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your question into
the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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mary rosenblum
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Breaking into the publishing
world requires hard work.
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mary rosenblum
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It's not a matter of polishing
one story, sending it out, and the world beats a path to your door.
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mary rosenblum
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You write LOTS of stuff, you
send it out, it gets rejected, you write LOTS more, and you keep learning
and...
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mary rosenblum
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getting better and...(and you
don't know this part!)...editors are keeping an eye on you...
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mary rosenblum
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deciding that yep, she's a
serious one all right.
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mary rosenblum
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And then they start buying.
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codeblue
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Hard work?? What about a lot of
passion??
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mary rosenblum
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Well obviously you have
passion, code! Why ELSE would you be trying to break into this underpaid
business! If I wanted money, I'd be a plumber!
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megger
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Passion makes the work easy! At
least that's my experience.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, easier than digging
ditches. :-) But there is a work aspect that gets done whether you're
passionate today or not. :-)
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jyinxy
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is that what some editors and
oublishers are loking for? consincesty?
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mary rosenblum
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they're looking for growth
jyinxy. They're watching you get better. :-)
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xana
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I tend to start a lot of
projects - writing and others - and not finish some of them - especially
the writing. How do you get over that stumbling block?
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mary rosenblum
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It's hard to finish and for a
lot of different reasons. A new project always seems so much more inviting
when you're slogging through a tough spot!
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mary rosenblum
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Or...if you don't finish, you
can't send it out and maybe get rejected.
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mary rosenblum
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I work three projects at once.
When one flags, I work on another, and when that flags, I move to the next,
and when...
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mary rosenblum
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that flags, the first one is
suddenly REAL interesting again. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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That won't work for everyone,
but it does for me.
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dwkav
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Great idea! I have about 30
notebooks lying around with bits and pieces written in them. Was wondering
how to organize that mess.
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mary rosenblum
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there you go. :-)
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shelli
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I always finish a project, but
it takes FOREVER and I can never get my assignments on time
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mary rosenblum
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You just may be a slow writer,
shelli. My good friend takes years to finish a novel. Literally.
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mary rosenblum
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They're gorgeous, but they
simply take years to write.
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dwkav
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What about depression? Who am I
kidding? This piece stinks. They all stink. Blah, blah, blah.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, you'll hear that
forever...the tune just changes after you start selling. It's part of
writing. You have to learn that it's a shoulder vulture...
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mary rosenblum
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not the truth and just close
your ears. DO that lalalala I'm not listening thing.
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xana
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Yes, I'm something of a
perfectionist and my writing is less than perfect
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codeblue
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I want everything I do to be
good, how do you get past that?
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mary rosenblum
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Realize that you are your own
worst critiques. You will NEVER be totally objective about your writing!
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mary rosenblum
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I'm MUCH more objective than I
was when I started, and I'm still not totally here.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to let readers tell
you whether your work is good or not.
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mary rosenblum
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What is your goal?
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mary rosenblum
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Define that for yourself.
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mary rosenblum
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Being perfect is not a goal.
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mary rosenblum
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There IS no perfect because
perfect requires a standard of comparison...and there is no standard in
fiction...
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mary rosenblum
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and not really one in NF
either.
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mary rosenblum
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What is 'perfect' to one
editor is not so to another.
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mary rosenblum
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I suggest that every new
writer needs to ask 'what do I want to do with my writing?"
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mary rosenblum
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If it is just 'get
published'...piece of cake.
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mary rosenblum
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Switch to NF and you'll be
published in a year. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But is that ALL you want?
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mary rosenblum
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Define it for yourselves.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. We're talking about making
writing time. I've published seven novels (number eight will be out next
year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any
questions you have. If you're new here, remember that you need to click on
the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question
mark at the top of the screen in order to ask a question. Your regular
'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your question into
the regular send bar if that works better for you..
|
|
megger
|
I figured by trying to stick to
the dates you give me for assignment, it would be like meeting a deadline.
I thought I was organized enough to work full-time, perform (I'm an oboist
- so that means making reeds), and write. Now I'm moving next week, too.
Where's that Calgon?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, poor megger! Hey, I won't
be annoyed if you're late. :-) Don't forget to give LR your new address.
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mary rosenblum
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But sometimes life DOES get in
the way. As in a move, or a death in the family. Or a hurricane!
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jyinxy
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what i hate is when sometimes
they're supportive and then the next week, well lets just say you are
coming up with new and inventive ways to murder someone!
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mary rosenblum
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Well, let's face it, many
murder mysteries have their sources in marital disharmony, jyinxy!
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mary rosenblum
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Remind him there's money in it
when you sell. Maybe that will help.
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shelli
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So this is pretty much about
discipline
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mary rosenblum
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Shelli, it really is.
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mary rosenblum
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Nobody will MAKE you write.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to think about why
you're not getting it done, and then figure out a way to get around that.
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jyinxy
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do you ever compare your writing
to anothers?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, goodness, don't we all?
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mary rosenblum
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I will tell you though, that
once you have had your work in the public eye and you begin to get...
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mary rosenblum
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feedback from fans and you
realize that you ARE doing what you are trying to do...
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mary rosenblum
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you compare your work to
others in a different way.
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mary rosenblum
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But I am always looking at
writers whose work impresses me for new ways to work. :-)
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xana
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I tend to compare my writing to
the authors i read
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mary rosenblum
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But again...you are far too
subjective to do that well.
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mary rosenblum
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I can look at your work, say,
and a major author, and I can point out ways in which your story...
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mary rosenblum
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might be equally strong. But
maybe your craft isn't as polished.
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mary rosenblum
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You can't really see your
strengths and weaknesses clearly yet, most of you. That takes a lot of
practice...
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mary rosenblum
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and more objectivity than I,
at least, had at this stage.
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xana
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That reminds me. Off topic but
of interest: there is a short story contest - top prize around Go to
http://www.writecorner.com This is serious fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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Thanks, xana...I'll go look
and post it in New Market Updates.
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merrilar
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My day begins at 4am. Best time
to schedule writing?
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mary rosenblum
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Ouch you work a hard shift,
merri. I don't get up until 6!
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mary rosenblum
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Well, you'd have to look at
your day. Do you have a break that might give you a half hour?
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mary rosenblum
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A writer friend of mine did
most of his writing on his breaks at work.
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mary rosenblum
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He got quite a bit done that
way.
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shelli
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I read alot about spirituality
and I'm on a journey myself. I want to share that, but that doesn't seem to
be a LRWG focus
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mary rosenblum
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I think you'd be surprised,
shelli.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll find a lot of spiritual
awareness mags out there...
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mary rosenblum
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and there's always the self
publishing houses like iUniverse, if what you are doing...
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mary rosenblum
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doesn't fit easily into a
market niche.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. We're talking about making
writing time. I've published seven novels (number eight will be out next
year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any
questions you have. If you're new here, remember that you need to click on
the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question
mark at the top of the screen in order to ask a question. Your regular
'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your question into
the regular send bar if that works better for you..
|
|
xana
|
Suppose it is: want to be
admired by writers I admire?
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mary rosenblum
|
That's a doable goal, xana.
You simply have to write well.
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mary rosenblum
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We are all impressed with good
writing. :-)
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xana
|
And the only way to polish is to
keep writing! ;-)
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mary rosenblum
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Yep!
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mary rosenblum
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And keep pushing the envelope.
Analyze others' work. Why does this work? What are the mechanics behind
this strong scene...
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mary rosenblum
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and then try to do it, too.
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mary rosenblum
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That's how you get better.
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jyinxy
|
didn't clancy do that? in
writer's voice?
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jyinxy
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meaning writing on his work
breaks?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, probably. Many writers
have done that. :-)
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janecj333
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Xana, when you think you're not
good enough, pick up a copy of a magazine. You'll read stuff, esp. fiction,
that you would never publish if you were the editor.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, but beware!
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mary rosenblum
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It can get very frustrating
when you read something and think 'I"m better' but you aren't
published.
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mary rosenblum
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Alas, quality is not the only
factor affecting what gets published.
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mary rosenblum
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You're better off trying to be
the best you can be.
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megger
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My job, in Fundraising Services,
allows me to actually write thank-you letters for our donor. I'm surprised
how hard it is to find new and gracious ways to say "thank you."
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mary rosenblum
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Ha...just wait until someone
brings you a stack of five different books and stories and you have...
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mary rosenblum
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to personalize each one. My
mind goes BLANK.
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xana
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About what percent of what you
write do you throw out?
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mary rosenblum
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Gosh, Xana...it's hard to say.
I do a love of revision, but that's not really throwing out, that's
changing.
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mary rosenblum
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I never throw anything out.
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mary rosenblum
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I picked up a story I wrote
ten years ago...could NOT make the end work...
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mary rosenblum
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before I was a third of the
way into it, I realized how it had to end...rewrote it with the appropriate
end...
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mary rosenblum
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and I think I got paid 1300
bucks for it. :-) Something like that.
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mary rosenblum
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I couldn't have sold it ten
years ago.
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mary rosenblum
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It didn't have a good end.
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codeblue
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I was told by a professor I was
good but need to polish
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mary rosenblum
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well of course! Nobody is born
writing polished prose!
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mary rosenblum
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The 'talent' part of fiction
is how easily you tell a story.
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mary rosenblum
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In nonfiction, it's much more
about polished craft.
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jyinxy
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off subject again, but,
everytime i have spoken to someone from lr they tell me what an honor it is
to get accepted in. what is the percentage of people who do not get in?
just curious need a pick me up i suppose.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't know the actual
numbers, jyinxy...I only see the ones who DO get in. But they do send a lot
of people to more 'beginner' courses .
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mary rosenblum
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You have to write well enough
that we can create two publishable ms for the BiP course .
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mary rosenblum
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So you have to have a solid
foundation in prose.
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dwkav
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Any advice for someone who's
starting out late in life? I want my writing to have an impact on my
readers. I don't expect to change lives, but to give the reader something
to think about when the book is done.
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mary rosenblum
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Just write!
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mary rosenblum
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Dorothy Lanier who wrote a few
mysteries that were VERY popular started when she was in her fifties, as I
recall...maybe older.
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codeblue
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BIP course??
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mary rosenblum
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Breaking into Print.
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dwkav
|
that seems like a lofty goal for
a 51 year old beginner.
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mary rosenblum
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Why not?
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mary rosenblum
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Hey, you have a LOT more
experience than a 22 year old, dear.
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janecj333
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You've said many times that the
'quality of writing' doesn't determine acceptance.
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mary rosenblum
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No, you misunderstand me,
Jane.
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mary rosenblum
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I have said that you can find
examples where the quality of the writing clearly was not the reason this
book got published!
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mary rosenblum
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But that is not generally the
case.
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mary rosenblum
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The quality of your writing is
VERY important.
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mary rosenblum
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There is a huge myth that if
you have a good story, an editor will 'fix it' even if the writing is bad.
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mary rosenblum
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That is so not true!
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mary rosenblum
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Ideas are a dime a dozen.
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mary rosenblum
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They are worthless without
good story.
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mary rosenblum
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Good writing in other words,
good characterization.
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xana
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dwkav, just think: you could be
around for another 30 or 40 or more years.. That's plenty of time to
develop your writing skills.
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mary rosenblum
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Yep, and you could create
characters that are much more complex and deep than one written by a
younger...
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mary rosenblum
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writer with less human
experience. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor. We're talking about making
writing time. I've published seven novels (number eight will be out next
year) , more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any
questions you have. If you're new here, remember that you need to click on
the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question
mark at the top of the screen in order to ask a question. Your regular
'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your question into
the regular send bar if that works better for you..
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mary rosenblum
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As to a busy life...take a
look at your daily routines. What can you 'trade in' for writing tiem?
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mary rosenblum
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How about that sitcom you
watch every night?
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geezer
|
My grandfather started
geneaology at 90. Had another 11.5 years.
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mary rosenblum
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That's cool, geeze.
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mary rosenblum
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hey, I've had two students in
thier 80s...when they started with me.
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mary rosenblum
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They have both published.
During the course.
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dwkav
|
Thanks xana. Thanks Mary. It's
been bugging me, but I feel better now.
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mary rosenblum
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Let me tell you, you will be
SO full of doubts, darkness, and wavering confidence as you're trying to
break in.
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mary rosenblum
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I was. Every writer I know
was.
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mary rosenblum
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Writing is SO much a part of
who we are, that we cannot be impersonal about this...
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mary rosenblum
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and it is SO easy to doubt.
Part of that comes from the fact that there ARE no standards.
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mary rosenblum
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You can't hold your story or
article up to a chart and say, 'okay, I"m 75 % of the way there...'
Only 25% more to go!
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mary rosenblum
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You just don't KNOW.
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ashton
|
Hello all! There's only one
thing I can give up....sleep. And I do.
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mary rosenblum
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Hey, ash. Yeah, that's what I
did while my kids were little! I yawned SO much...
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mary rosenblum
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and when they were both in
school at last, I thought I"d gone to heaven. Daylight writing time,
woohoo!
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xana
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Writing is a bit like going out
in public naked - and most of us don't have the bodies to do this
confidently
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mary rosenblum
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Hey, my favorite analogy,
xana!
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mary rosenblum
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It sure is!
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mary rosenblum
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More like getting up on STAGE
naked!
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mary rosenblum
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You just have to grit your
teeth and do it.
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mary rosenblum
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Close your eyes and pretend
nobody is looking at you. :-)
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megger
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Musicians use it too! The
audience is naked.
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mary rosenblum
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LOL
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mary rosenblum
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YOu know the process of
getting started stops a lot of new writers who are actually very good.
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mary rosenblum
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I've known many very talented
people who simply could not tough it out and keep writing.
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mary rosenblum
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It's too bad. But the quality of
your work, your talent, is only part of the whole show.
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mary rosenblum
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You simply have to have a lot
of butt headed stubornness that will not allow you to quit.
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mary rosenblum
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I have 'quit' writing three or
four times.
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mary rosenblum
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Couldn't make it stick. Sigh.
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paminnapa
|
it is tough...the waiting...then
waiting some more......
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mary rosenblum
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It is very tough, it eats
holes in your self confidence, the rejections punch more holes into it...
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mary rosenblum
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And only later do you look
back and think, gee, why was I so upset all the time? I just had to be
patient.
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jyinxy
|
i have a friend who would tell
me to stop looking my mirror.
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mary rosenblum
|
I hope she means it
supportively, jyinxy... :-) As in, get up on that stage naked and just keep
your eyes closed if you have to.
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xana
|
A rejection is like getting an F
on a test or in a course
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mary rosenblum
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Ah....that's what YOU think,
Xana...that's what we all start out thinking...
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mary rosenblum
|
but it is far from that.
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mary rosenblum
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It might be just as good as
the story the editor bought last week.
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mary rosenblum
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But she can't use two!
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mary rosenblum
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Or you have a cat in it and
this editor just hates cats.
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mary rosenblum
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Or she's overbought and she
can't buy anything for a couple of months...
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mary rosenblum
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you simply do NOT know.
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mary rosenblum
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My stuff gets rejected.
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mary rosenblum
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I have a story in TWO best of
the year anthologies this year and I STILL get rejected!
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mary rosenblum
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This editor just doesn't love
my character. Fine. Someone else will!
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xana
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How do you handle rejection?
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mary rosenblum
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I grumble, snarl, make
comments about the editor's parentage and send it to someone else.
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codeblue
|
Have you heard of Susan
Waggoner???
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mary rosenblum
|
the name sounds vaguely
familiar but I can't place it code.
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xana
|
Gosh, that's exactly what I do
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mary rosenblum
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Well, then you're doing the
right thing!
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mary rosenblum
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Actually, when I got done with
the snarling and cursing and really feeling down, I usually got mad...
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mary rosenblum
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and sat down to write a story
to 'really show that stupid editor'. :-)
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ashton
|
Personally, I just eliminate the
R from Rejected. It's being ejected from the pile...only to land somewhere
else at a later time. (smile)
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mary rosenblum
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Smart, ash!
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codeblue
|
My step dad is his cousin...She
wrote "Better Than Chocolate
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mary rosenblum
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Cool, code.
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mary rosenblum
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Great person to ask for a
blurb when you sell a book! :-)
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mary rosenblum
|
The main thing about writing
time is that it IS a matter of self discipline. It's hard work and it's a
lot of work..
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mary rosenblum
|
and while you can do it in
many creative ways...with a tape recorder while driving...
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mary rosenblum
|
on scraps of paper, on your
breaks at work, for a half hour before the household waks (I did that on
weekends when my kids were young)...
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mary rosenblum
|
you have to DO it.
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mary rosenblum
|
And beware of setting
unrealistic goals for yourself.
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mary rosenblum
|
Three hours a day may be
totally unattainable.
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mary rosenblum
|
One sentence a day is a
wonderful goal.
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mary rosenblum
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You can ALWAYS make that one.
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paminnapa
|
my hard part is stopping when Im
on a role...so hard to jump back in and get that momentum going
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mary rosenblum
|
A good trick there, pam, is to
stop in the middle of an exciting scene or an action sequence.
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mary rosenblum
|
When you start, revise the
page or so that leads into that scene and then just keep writing.
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mary rosenblum
|
That's how I always try to end
when I'm at the computer.
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mary rosenblum
|
Then I can sit down and pick
right up where I left off.
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info
|
Rhyming Paul Simon wrote
Chrotocome (?) in high school for an assignment. It got him an F and years
later was an number one hit. Kind of backs up what ashton was saying.
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mary rosenblum
|
Oh and anecdotes abound about
famous books that got astronomical numbers of rejections before becoming
bestsellers or classics.
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trinky
|
what if you aren't in the mood
to write-doesn't it affect
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mary rosenblum
|
Oh, thank you trinky!
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mary rosenblum
|
This is an excellent question!
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mary rosenblum
|
If you aren't in the mood,
won't it affect the quality of your writing (I"m assuming this is what
you couldn't get in here)
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mary rosenblum
|
No!
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mary rosenblum
|
Amazing, huh?
|
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mary rosenblum
|
I forced myself to write many
times, feeling that the prose was leaden the story stupid, I was wasting my
time. Made myself do it.
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mary rosenblum
|
And you know what? They were
FINE.
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mary rosenblum
|
Some of them have ended up
award nominees.
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mary rosenblum
|
They were NO worse than my
usual stories even though I felt as if I was shoveling clay.
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mary rosenblum
|
So I no longer worry about
mood.
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mary rosenblum
|
I DO have deadlines, because I
sell books on proposal and I accept anthology contracts for unwritten work.
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mary rosenblum
|
And when it's time to write, I
WRITE even if I don't feel like it. (I usually do feel like it. :-) But not
always).
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mary rosenblum
|
And I have learned from years
of experience, that how I feel about a work when I'm working on it, does
not reflect the quality of the work. :-)
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ashton
|
Oh my...there goes my ace.
(smile) I've always put the puter away when I get in that kind of mood.
Looks like I need to keep on writing no matter how I feel.
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mary rosenblum
|
Yep.
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mary rosenblum
|
It's really surprising...you
sure don't think it's good when you're in one of those down moods...
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trinky
|
me,too. I just let 7 months slip
away without writing
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mary rosenblum
|
Oh, it's easy to do. :-)
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codeblue
|
I have let 4 yrs go by!!
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mary rosenblum
|
Oh, I've had some year plus
slumps...you just get through it, pick up, and get back to it.
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info
|
now I don't feel so bad when I
let a couple days go by without writing
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mary rosenblum
|
Ah, but are you really not
writing, info? I may not touch a keyboard for a week, but that story is
working in my mind...
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mary rosenblum
|
I'm making notes about the
character, I"m evolving that character's voice...
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mary rosenblum
|
I'm thinking about my SF
universe...
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mary rosenblum
|
I"m still working.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
Writing is not just hitting
keys.
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mary rosenblum
|
It's evolving a universe,
fleshing out characters and bringing them to life, thinking about the
underlying...
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mary rosenblum
|
motivations and themes...
|
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mary rosenblum
|
hitting those keys too quickly
may not help you. :-)
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xana
|
It can help to write short
things when you are in a slump
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mary rosenblum
|
Yes. It can help to write
something 'just for fun'.
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madhatter
|
Thanks, Mary! Just what I needed
to hear!!!!
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mary rosenblum
|
I do MUCH less rewriting now
that I allow my stories to grow to their complete maturity before I start
writing them.
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mary rosenblum
|
I make myself wait, even when
I'm eager to jump in.
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mary rosenblum
|
Well, this turned out to be a
fun discussion tonight.
|
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mary rosenblum
|
We are so much our own worst
enemy when we're starting to write!
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xana
|
Thanks, Mary. I get motivated by
these chats.
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mary rosenblum
|
I"m glad. :-) Me, too.
I"m going to go work on my Europa story. I've been making it wait
while I worked on the character...
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mary rosenblum
|
and I"m going to let
myself get back on the keyboard tonight!
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Night all!
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mary rosenblum
|
I'll post the transcript in
the usual place.
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|
mary rosenblum
|
Writing Craft: Forum
Transcript.
|