The Writer's Chatroom

ETA I just got more news. The Salal Review just rejected "Possession is nine/tenths of the law"....I actually received a letter in the mail for this submission. On a positive note they did say they hope I will submit again next year. Form rejections...you just can't help but love them....

Writeboard is an online Word Processor. It saves it to the net on a password-encrypted website. You can even invite other people to collaborate as it saves copies and lets you compare them to previous versions for review. Its quite a useful thing if you're doing group projects, actually. Ad-free as well, so it moves quickly.

I use it while I'm on the job...because I don't have access to Microsoft Word on the day when I get the most time to write anyway. I was using Word Pad, but then I had to figure out some way to get to myself. Can't save it on the company computer, we've got a no download rule. Can't print it out...that's stealing company resources (especially if you're writing 15+ pages a day...yeesh). Can't e-mail it yo myself, because outside e-mail sources are blocked.

Writeboard saves itself and I can get to it both from home and from work, no problems. I just had to write down the complicated url and keep it in my wallet so that I can get to the site whenever I need to.

I don't know what Liquid Story Binder is, all I know is that Writeboard is free, it accomplishes the task I need it to (getting me a functional word processor at work), and it can seamlessly export to Microsoft Word in a variety of fashions, once you experient a bit to find the perfect system.

Liquid Story Binder is a functional text editor too. It isn't free, sadly enough, but I liked it enough and caught it on sale. You can install the program on a flash drive and take your writing with you. The program then will open on any computer and you can write. I just love the capabilities for me. It too will export to word, because it saves as a rich text format or .rtf file. Everybody has their thing, and this is just mine...

Just keep in mind if you're going to sell this, you will want to keep it to the 80,000-100,000 mark. After that, it gets harder to find a publisher.

I think I'm past the deadwood now--yes, I had bland scenes, too, but this was a NaNo manuscript--so I think the majority of the cutting is done. I sliced abut 10,000 words in all, I think and added about 4,000. Actually, it does not concern me. I'm very good at slicing.

However, most of the week has been focused in Magic, Mensa and Mayhem. I finished the book trailer and put it up (http://fabianspace.blogspot.com/2009/03 ... -here.html), worked on the book tour, arranged signings, had a TV interview, and updated my websites.

I've done some work on Discovery--at this point, I've divided the manuscript into scenes and am figuring out transitions. I also wrote an article. I've run into a snag with ISIG II, but am waiting to see what comes of it before I make any decisions.

Off to do more marketing.

Sigh. Weeks are getting ahead of me, and it seems like one thing after another is coming between me and Discovery. Even worse, I now have three publishers interested in seeing it once it's done. But first, I must chauffeur my gimpy man (broke his leg), write two Catholic planners, and finish the MM&M book tour. All were on my to-do list (except the driver task), but I had thought Discovery would be done by now. So, no pressure!

Anyway. this week:

More publicity stunts for MM&M. I'm planning a Tweet Tour for the book in April as well. I'll give you a free e-book copy if you tweet about it 5 times on April 19. That's my birthday, so it's my present to me. Launch party went well.

Started the Marketing Basics class. It's a slow start and I still have people who can't even figure out how to get on the forum! (I sent them all a How-To document with pictures and everything! thud thud thud. Love computers. Really, I do.)

Finished chapter for Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal. Sent it to Kim--who sweetly informed me it was about half the size they needed. Spent the week scrambling to beef it up. It's going off today, as soon as I follow my own advice and edit it thoroughly.

Wrote one month for the Catholic student planners I'm contracted to do. I have 2 planners--22 months to do. I found all my quotes, and a liturgical calendar, so the tough part is just coming up with 250-word stories based on events in Catholic history and told with teen characters. (They rejected my original idea, which was to do a storyline about a new girl in school going through chemotherapy and how her friends learn the virtues that year from her. They decided the stories were too edgy for some of their customers (parents more than kids, I think) So now I have a great storyline and some cool ideas and nowhere to send it.)

I've had a nasty bug I've been ignoring all week. Been nauseous and tired, mostly. (No, not preggers, though it feels like it.) So this was supposed to be nap week to try to kick it, but kids got sick and hubby broke leg, and so I got half-naps. Still nauseous, too.

I think--IF I can get a day of quiet--I will put all the scenes of Discovery on post-it notes and line my wall until I figure out how this novel comes together. I'm so frustrated by it because it's a great idea and some of the scenes are terrific, but it just won't knit into a coherent whole! Never had a problem like this. Tell you what, though, I will be SOOO proud of myself if I--no, WHEN I--make this work.

Last night -- right after the series finale of Battlestar -- I sent fresh stories to Asimov's, Analog, AND F&SF. Over 70 printed pages worth. (Darn postage!) I'm not sure I ever submitted to all three at the same time. Two of them had been lingering for a while, needing a quick edit first. I just kicked myself and did it. The solutions to their flaws just struck me in the last month or so. Funny how that works.

I stopped by Karina's book launch chat and, ironically, won a copy of MM&M. The host (Dindy) was a former guest of our chat, too, so it was one of those "extended extended family" moments.

New stories & articles fill my head, but it's hard to know if they will ever make it to pages. Usually, the strongest survive and the rest fade away.

KF - I'm glad you found all the quotes you need. I never did find any mention of justice anywhere, only judgment from above. I even scanned an archive of papal writings, and the word hardly ever comes up. Oddly, I ended up listening to audio lectures about Catholic topics & schisms over at trinitylectures.com -- including one about how easy it is (apparently) to hate Carl Sagan. Never hurts to be exposed to different views of things.

Get well soon!

Scott, I actually found a lot of quotes on justice, but mostly social justice, which while important wasn't quite waht I was looking for. I did find plenty for my needs, though, thanks. Now I have my history book and am getting busy writing the stories. I have to do 12, then revise them for the other planner. I finished the fourth last night.

Today, Audrey's prompt distracted me, and I have a DragonEye, PI story on the website. Question: Is this a public enough venue that I need to count it as being published? If so, I plan on dressing it up and selling it on my website.

Been sending out press releases on MM&M and getting some positive replies. Hoping that those who don't reply will use the release, anyway.

Finished content edits on Live and Let Fly. Now for copy edit rounds. Wish I knew how it was selling, but it's too early yet.

Marketing class is going very well. Got a great class with all levels of experience, so we're learning from each other.

I mapped out the rest of Discovery, so I need to get writing on it. My plan is to get the planners done, then just write Discovery in April. I want to get started on GapMan! so I can send it to Steve.

This forum is open for anyone to read, and Google does trawl here. I would say yes, it's published.

If I were you, I would go back and edit your story post. Add a blurb about the fact that you have an entire book about Vern and give a link to buy it.

Never pass up a marketing opportunity!

Audrey

Don't post your work in any forum for free, unless you intend for it to be a permanent freebie, you know, published and only good for reprints after that. It's just not worth splitting hairs over.

Even if you post in a password-protected area, there's just no real point to it. A few people might see it and comment on it. If you plan to rewrite it, maybe a comment will be helpful, and maybe not. And if there's no password needed to view the work (like her on TWC), it's published. The public can see it = published. Technically, the first electronic rights are gone, print rights remain yours; but many publishers don't care -- they want to be the first to show stories to the world.

Is it worth jeopardizing potentially thousands of people seeing the work IN PRINT later on?

Maybe you can post some teaser paragraphs, or use a scene you've chopped from a story as a teaser. Sure, we can each decide to make a story 100% free as a hook to bring in new readers. In that case it should be on your own website, where it adds value.

= scott

Well, I wrote it for fun, then decided it was good enough for sale, so I'm having Amber make a cover for it and will sell it on my website. My goal is 4 stores per year for sale there, anyway.

The MM&M tour is going well. I'm posting the schedule on the forum. Had a great live interview last night on Snarky Avenger.

In writing, my novel is once again taking the back door. I've written a priest interview, am working on the Catholic school planners and have been doing tour posts at a prodigious rate.

Came up with another funny idea for a DragonEye flash. Gonna write it up for Memorial Day or July 4 as a tribute to the troops.