Oh How I’ve Missed You…

Dear Writing,

I’ve missed you greatly. I went to a local SCBWI “I Love To Write” mini-workshop focused on you, writing (spurring on ideas, thoughts, getting it down on paper). Familiar faces showed up, followed by friendly warm hugs, and new acquaintances were made.

How often I forget that you, writing, is where I can explore, grow, challenge, and feel confident and proud. The creativity which I find and love in life comes out in you, my…writing.

So thanks for staying in my back pocket when my life is crazy and remembering that I haven’t forgotten you.

Sincerely,

Karin

TMIS Syndrome

I recently discovered I am not alone in my out of control thinking as a writer. THANK GOODNESS!!! I thought possibly that something might be wrong with me…

Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant wrote a helpful piece back in 2009 for Writer’s Digest, about overcoming Too Many Ideas Syndrome (TMIS) for writers, it may even be useful to non-writers with TMIS.

9 Ways to Overcome Too Many Ideas Syndrome by Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant.

What I have done to help with my TMIS is write down the stories I am working on now, my top ones, ones in which I feel the strongest about or are complete, go on an index card. My goal is to only work on the stories on the index cards…if my mind wonders to a new idea, then it goes into a folder.

I am finding, because of this TMIS, that I am spreading myself too thin when it comes to working on a story. It is adding in a less quality manuscript.

What do you do to control your TMIS?

De-Cluttering/Re-Organizing/Purging of Writing

I do believe, at times that I might have certain  OCD among others when it comes to my organization. For me, if I am organized inside of drawers, file cabinets, bookcase shelves, then my mind is, in a sense, organized as well. Which hopefully will lead to me getting more sleep at night.

My life…my drawers, folders, file cabinets had become a bit unorganized, for me at least. The folders were labeled and nothing was thrown about, yet it was still a complete disaster to me.

I am one to think of ideas for stories I have yet to write and those that I have and write them down on anything I can find, then shove them into the correct folder. Well, I have been doing this for years, often times never remembering that I had a folder of notes that I didn’t ever think about again to link up to the stories on my computer.

Alas…I spent an hour going through folders and files…de-cluttering, re-organizing, and purging. And I feel better! Of course I also feel overwhelmed because I discovered about 30 pages of a novel I had started written in long hand!! That is just one of the overwhelming file folder discoveries.

Yet besides my new discovers, and removal of things that I no longer felt worked or realized “What was I think!?!?” I feel better, a clear focus ahead. I think maybe I discovered I was trying to start too many stories, when I had yet to finish the twenty-eight I had originally started.

So what do you do to manage and organize your writing lifestyle?

Lucky Me! My Interview with Deborah Coonts

There I was sitting with the novel, Wanna Get Lucky, my fingers between the pages of Ms. Coonts’s words, reading as Lucky O’ Toole, head of Customer Relations a.k.a chief problem solver at Babylon in Vegas, searches for answers the the horrid incident which takes place at the start of the novel.

From my wonderful lucky self, and to my wonderful lucky blog readers and wonderful lucky new visitors, I share with you my interview with Ms. Coonts here on Karin Won’t Stop Talking.

First off, what got you started in writing?

Author Deborah Coonts

As my mother will tell you, I was a storyteller from a very young age. ( I spent a lot of time in ‘time out’ because of it.  Had I only known someday I could make a living at it, boy, life would sure have been different!) And I was a voracious reader long before I started “embellishing.”  While most adults in my purview wanted me to focus on schoolbooks, I loved fiction.  There was a bookstore a few miles from my house and when I was nine or so, I used to ride my bike there.  Frustrated, and probably fearing for my safety, my mother told me I could no longer pedal my way to the story purveyors.  That was okay with me–I rode my bike to grandmother’s house then I rode my pony to the bookstore.  Hey, it was Texas back before the earth was cool–certainly a different time and place. But, such was my love for stories.  And yes, I was destined to be a lawyer…

However it took me about twenty years from that point to work up the courage to try to write one.  Had I know how much I had to learn, how daunting the task would be, I might have bailed.  Thankfully, I was blissfully ignorant.  And today, playing with words is my passion.  I can’t imagine doing anything else.  And I would do it even if no one paid me to–which, come to think of it, I did for a long time.

From the first sentence to the bookshelf, how long did the process for, Wanna Get Lucky, your debut novel, actually take? Can you explain some of the highs and lows of the process?

I like to say it took me fifteen years and six months to write LUCKY–and that’s pretty much the truth.  A long time to learn my craft–LUCKY was my third full-length manuscript–several years to find my story and then six months to write it.

The funny thing about LUCKY is that I had the first sentence about five years before I had the story. When I started to once again noodle a Vegas story, I had to go back to an old computer to find that lead-in. In those intervening years, I despaired of ever finding MY story (you see, I thought I wanted to be Sandra Brown or Nora Roberts–I mean, who wouldn’t?  But, alas, it turns out I have way too much hambone…).  So I accepted a challenge to write a humor column for a national magazine. It was there I learned how to write tight, write sharp, and I got a short lesson in what folks thought was funny, and perhaps more importantly, what they didn’t. These were tools that made all the difference when I sat down, threw all the rules out the window, and turned Lucky O’Toole loose.

Low points:  To be honest, writing for me is a get-to not a have-to, so there really aren’t any low points–well, other than when Lucky and my other imaginary friends wake me up at night, get me out of the shower, and otherwise disrupt what I had previously considered to be my life.  My SO is a psychologist and he tells me many of his colleagues would consider me and my ‘friends’ to be an annuity. I can live with that.  Thankfully, he can as well.

High points: I was giving a talk recently to a group of writers and one lady asked me how long it would be before she saw any payoff from all her hard work at the computer.  I asked her to define payoff.  She said, “You know, awards, accolades…money.” I laughed and said, “I have no idea.  When you find out let me know.”  Then I really answered the question:  The high-points–the payoff–comes everyday for me.  Sometimes it’s a witty bon mot.  Other times it a paragraph that sings and flows as I want. Or it could be coming up with a great plot twist or interesting character development.  I told the lady that if she didn’t bring that kind of passion to her work and didn’t get that kind of satisfaction from it, she needed to find something else to do.

Wanna Get Lucky seems to have such accuracy with regards to behind the scenes of Vegas. How extensive was your research?

I live in Vegas and have numerous friends in the industry.  Of course, when you move here, they make you sign an agreement that you will personally help keep the magic going.  Kidding of course, but this is a one-industry town, and all of us are invested in our visitors having a good time.  As a result, there is a ton of info floating around that this writer can mine.  That being said, all of that is great for firing the imagination, but for me, good writing comes from experience. Sooo, all the real places I put in my books?  Been there. And the swinger’s party?  What?  You really expect me to admit to that?  And the sex toy show?  Okay, yup, been there.  My cohort-in-crime and I had a contest to try and figure out what all the ‘toys’ were for.  Laughed myself silly.   And as for that scene at the male strip club?  I plead the Fifth.

As a current Vegas resident, have you found a large support group of writers there?

Now you want to get me in trouble, right? The Las Vegas Writers Group is a wonderful organization, but there aren’t very many members who are doing what I’m doing.  A few, and they are treasured friends.  Lost one of them in December to brain cancer.  Still reeling a bit.

Wanna Get Lucky arrives to bookshelves in paperback, today, February 1^st. How does this compare to when it was released in hardcover?

Having a book published in any format is a huge dream come true. Of course I was excited about the hardcover, but I think for most of us, hardcovers are out of reach in this economy–simply too pricey.  So, I’m very excited about the paperback–and the fact that Target is going to carry it (a HUGE feather in my cap).  The publisher, Forge Books, has been very supportive and they have priced the paperback at 5.99, which, I think, will allow a lot more readers to find Lucky.  THIS is exciting for me.

How is writing a novel differ from your career in law and owning a business?

I write funny in a not-so-funny world.  My goal as a writer is to make people laugh, to lighten their load.  Being a tax lawyer, well I could help lighten their load, but make them laugh?  Tell me, do YOU find anything funny about the IRS?  Yeah, me neither.

In a funny sort of way, writing is a lot like owning a business except now I produce the product in addition to doing everything else.  In days of old, an author could sequester herself in a garret on the Left Bank, torture herself over her deathless prose, then send the whole thing off to the publisher and….start on another novel.  The publisher would take it from there.  Not so in today’s publishing world.  A writer now has to not only write a 100,000 word, perfectly paced, brilliantly plotted, story with compelling characters and sharp prose that will make you laugh and cry (preferable on the same page) but she now has to market, sell, edit, tweet, Facebook, and in all manner shamelessly self-promote.  All while writing the next 100,00 word,, perfectly paced brilliantly….well, you get my drift.  So now, being a writer is like being a business owner only harder.  And better.  After all, I write when I want, where I want, usually accompanied by the beverage of my choice, and dressed as I see fit. I get to hang all day with people I like in places I find fascinating.   All-in-all writing is truly the perfect job.

Wanna Get Lucky is the first in a series…Lucky Stiff, is the second, which comes out in hardcover on February 15^th. How was writing Lucky Stiff different than Wanna Get Lucky?

You mean besides the fact that now other people had expectations?  That now I wasn’t just playing at being a published novelist?  People had actually paid me money to write which changed the whole game.  WANNA GET LUCKY? was a labor of love.  Could I do it again? Would I suffer the sophomore slump?  Only one way to find out.  I pushed all the doubts and concerns out of my mind–yes, sometimes that took copious amounts of weird and wonderful healing waters–and dove into the next novel. Taking everything I had learned while writing LUCKY, I tried to make LUCKY STIFF even better.  And, if you believe the reviews, I’ve done that.  Personally, I welcome any and all opinions.  I love to know what my readers think–so fire away.

To learn more about Ms. Coonts, her work, and connect with her:

Website is www.deborahcoonts.com. Twitter is @deborahcoonts.  Facebook is Deborah Buell Coonts.

Thanks to my wonderful publisher, my books are sold through all the normal channels–brick-and-mortar stores and on line.  They also are in MP3, CD, and all the major e-book formats.

Wanna Get Lucky – Paperback release February 1, 2011

Lucky Stiff – Hardcover release February 15, 2011

New Hat

I find it hard to discuss my writing, or what I am writing…the craft of writing so to speak. And if you visit my blog frequently you will know I really don’t discuss much about my writing. Even I can find it a bore.

Yet today, an idea come about…so I ran with it.

I wore a “new hat” in my writing…that of non-fiction/essay. (And all my writer friends rejoice! LOL) And while this blog is all essay and non-fiction (expect for my 5-minute fiction), I rarely write and submit non-fiction works to magazines. Why? Well, I do not hold the confidence, or at least that is what I learned today.

But as any person will tell you, wearing a “new hat” can really be beneficial in writing and in life.

Have you ever stepped outside your box, outside your “hat” and had negative effect? Has life ever demanded you return to your “old hat?” Or have you learned something about yourself?

The Current Confusion in the Writing/Publishing World

While I was curious to read through my Sept/Oct. bulletin from the SCBWI, once I started reading I noticed that my curiosity turned to questions and the pure fact that the writing world is not only confused, but a scary place for us all right now.

From the inspiring summary from the 39^th Annual SCBWI Summer Conference in LA to the confusing stories that non-fiction is no longer popular to the review on the outdated, The Giblin Guide to Writing Children’s Books (2005), my mind spun!

I am not even sure where to begin or what to say…confusion!!

Do I start with the fact that The Giblin Guide states that authors should write non-fiction because it’s easier to break into the publishing world and gain space on a shelf? Or should I start with the contradicting article many pages later that speaks about non-fiction as an ever shrinking book category….

Or should I dive into the fact that the Summer Conference had one of the largest conference of its time (I thought the economy was dead? Where are writers getting this money from?) and that there were speakers that told it’s attendees that the readers market is alive and kicking! If that is the case then why are publishing companies shutting down? Why is the Publisher’s Corner of the bulletin growing smaller and smaller and having fewer places every issue that accepts submissions? How in a time of publishing downfalls are more people writing? The competition is hard enough and now there are fewer places to submit to…to me this doesn’t seem like a lively publishing world…

Yes the technology in the world has changed how books are published and read, but it has changed other factors too. How do we keep ignoring the simple facts without sugar-coating them in glossy texts?

 

Past and Present Tense

I’m not one to stray in my writing style and form. What you see is what I feel or understand or think about.

I write mostly in first person, and seldom in third person, but never in second person.

And I always write in past tense, never present tense.

Why? Because I’m too afraid!

But for a story I’m currently working on, thanks to advice I received, I ventured out into the writing world and deep in the uncharted territory of my brain and tried present tense.

I wasn’t even sure I could manage it, nor figure out how to fully use present tense. But somehow I did it!

And it works, for the story, better than past tense.

I’m glad I went outside of my comfort “square” on this one project, but as for any other ones, I guess I will just have to wait and see.

rolling the ball…wanting to kick it!

That’s correct. The ball is now out of my hands…rolling along the way…

I’m struggling through my college class on law and social control, reading three textbooks in a short time frame. Yet all full of data and stats makes reading chopping. Not to mention the previous owner of the textbook had highlighted and noted 90% of the book in pencil. (I’m trying my best to erase all notes and highlights in hopes of getting more money back on the return. Although her/his hatred for former President Reagan is rather apparent with the “Thanks Reagan!” sarcastic notes next to paragraphs about his screw-ups) (Sorry to my friend who is a massive Reagan fan!!)

Next, I’ve borrowed my friend’s copy of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, which is probably gonna take me two months to read. I’m told it’s a book about discovering that life is the journey, not the end result, as I just want the end result. But so far, twenty pages in, all I gather is that this boy has nothing else to talk about but his sheep and his book-pillow. I’ve already napped during the first twenty pages.

Okay, I’m also getting back into my writing. Pushing myself to find the spare time to accomplish enough to make it worth while. I’ve been able to return to critique group, which has helped push me back in as well. Learning to have faith in myself and my writing as well as to carve out time to do it. I worry that I’ll be working on a story for years and years and it won’t be relevent by the time it’s accepted. (YAY! fears of writing)

Through all this I’m attempting to pack boxes and train Puppy (as he has become something rather out of control, I’m informed!) some more. Dog parks, dog walks, exercise, cleaning house. Managing stress should really be up on the list of daily things to do. And I’ve just recently taken on another journey, one that is bigger than me, bigger than life, at least it feels that way, one that is making me shake in my boots, just a bit.

Yet how does one get all these things done in one day, and still maintain a life, relax, enjoy everything that is right now and won’t be tomorrow?!?!

So, I’m rolling the ball, although I want to kick it, for many different reasons….

An Interview with a Book Reviewer

I’m pleased to “blog introduce” Glenda Bixler to all my visitors at Karin Won’t Stop Talking.  

Glenda Bixler

What got you started reviewing books?  

Karin, Thank you so much for inviting me to join with you on your blog–my first blog interview! LOL  

I have always been a reader, so when several friends started an online newspaper many years ago, they asked if I would contribute in some way…so I wrote book reviews that were published in Morgantown, WV, where I lived at that time. I also contributed reviews to professional journals related to my field, Facilities Planning and Management.  

I got into Publishing by offering to help my best friend, Bettie Tucker, who was the publisher of Rainbow’s End Publishing Company. I started working for her every weekend, proofreading, writing book blurbs, editing, and writing book reviews of our books, which were then submitted as part of our publicity packages. When Bettie decided to retire from publishing and I had taken early retirement from West Virginia University where I was an administrator, she started the online professional book reviewers site, Independent Professional Book Reviews and we became partners. That was about 10 years ago! I’ve been reviewing routinely since then!  

You read a wide range of books, what has changed over the years?   

I “officially” retired when I reached 65…what that has meant is that I no longer am partners on our professional site. I do reviews now without pay and essentially select what I want to read. Doing this has allowed me to provide reviews for a wide range of requestors, including publishers and online sites. But I still prefer working directly with the authors, as they seek support.  

I love mystery, suspense, action and adventure, forensic novels and will always choose to read those. But I also have several “pet” interests about which I read. These are women’s sexuality, the need for guidance, and the lack of it, in this area by the church and other women’s interests. I am also interested in job burnout and the impact of the work environment on employees.  

One publisher with whom I’ve worked for many years is Branden Books. They do mostly nonfiction, so I never know what they might send my way. Adolfo Caso, editor and publisher, and I met at the Chicago Book Fair many years ago, and he sent me one of his books, which I reviewed…and that started the relationship! I must admit though that I rarely choose nonfiction books to read these days…after all, I’m officially retired! LOL  

I believe there is more science fiction these days and more alternative history; i.e., using historical events and writing stories that include a totally different outcome, beginning, or set of characters… I think there might be more of what you might call finger-pointing books, although this could be that I just had not known about what was published previously. Self-publishing has allowed many more writers to write and speak out about personal interests and convictions. I think it’s great what is now available! Did you know that books published more than doubled? And that self-publishing is what increased the numbers?  

If you could have lunch with one author, who would it be and what would you say to them?  

Actually, I am going to do just that! Next week in fact! Now I must admit that Bettie Tucker, my best friend, is an author of a number of books…so I get to have lunch with her all the time!  

Anyway, I’m lunching with Ruby Moon-Houldson next week. I don’t know how many books she has written, but it’s well over 30…She writes Star Trek character nonfiction, but she also writes scifi and suspense. I first met her through reading her More Than Angels series. As I read, I recognize the characters in the book and I asked if I was correct in my assumption…I was–several of the characters sounded like Star Trek (Original) characters and I was the first reader who had picked up on the connection… She is also author of the Guardian series, for which I’ve provided reviews of ten books so far! I must admit that even though we’ve become friends online…it is still daunting for me to be meeting her…after all she knows and writes and works among all these Star Trek stars! And I’ve always been a Trekkie!  

For a well-known author, I think it would be Nora Roberts–but as J. D. Robb! LOL I love Robb’s books and enjoy most of Nora’s…LOL Know what I mean?  

Do you read other people’s book reviews? And if so have you ever read one that was a complete opposite of your review? And what was your reaction?  

I do whenever I have the time…which is not as often as I would like. I started a group on Facebook, Reviewers Roundup, and I’ve been trying to read as many reviews from this group as possible…but it is difficult since I normally have 5 or more books waiting for reviews at any given time.  

Regarding your question about complete opposites of my reviews…Yes, I have. Karin, what I’m about to say is only my opinion, so bear that in mind. Here are my feelings. When I read a book, I read it independent of any comparison to any other book and as a “picture” of what an author is trying to say.  Insofar as possible, I attempt to then put together a short essay, something like a synopsis, to describe that book and how that presentation was put together by the author.  Yes, I do enjoy many books much more than others–that’s my personal preferences. But, primarily, I am reviewing the book as a professional foremost, and hopefully evaluating its content from that standpoint. Therefore, I might feel that an author has done an outstanding job of creating the book, even though I didn’t Personally like the content. When a reviewer discusses and gives a review based upon only personal feelings about that book, they may really speak out against that book, contrary to my review.  

When I see that wide a difference, say on Amazon, I will sometimes go and read these reviews. Normally I have found that the book was offensive to the individual, statements like it should never have been published, etc. To me, this type of review is just not “a review.” and it can hurt an author’s ranking when that is true. I guess I would say that I believe in the old saying that I might not like everything that is written, but I support the author’s right to say it. As a professional reviewer. to me that means that I must first review the book professionally. If it has something in it that personally has offended me, I will explain that it my review, but it would only affect my ranking in extremely rare cases.  

Do you have pet peeve or a cliché that you stumble across on a constant basis within a book?  

I have to laugh at this one–I once read a book that must have included every cliche ever created. I was going to refuse to review it, but the individual requesting it asked for my comments, even if they were negative, so I wrote the review but did not publish this. I will do this on occasion, if I find and expect to give a “bad” review. This is why I like to work directly with the author. If the author wants to have my professional opinion, I often provide what I call a critical analysis (a nicer way to say a bad review) for that individual. But I never publish those. This may be perceived as discriminatory in that I don’t share that with other readers, but frankly I think it is discriminatory for readers to give personal “opinions” about books rather than being fair about their comments…  

Pet Peeve#1 Proofreading! What really bothers me is when it quickly becomes clear to me that someone, either the author or editor, has misused spell check, or even grammar check, and automatically accepts everything! This is a tool! It does not replace knowledge of spelling and grammar! Simple switches, such as were and we’re drive me up a wall, truthfully…because I automatically realize that somebody has been extremely lazy in their proofreading! 

As a book lover, regardless of your profession, have you loved a movie version of a book better than the book itself?  

This doesn’t happen very often for me because I tend to read the book… So I’ll use Harry Potter as my example. I think they are two different art forms and I enjoy both. Nothing could take the place of seeing Harry Potter fly through the air in the movie, but the books are so much more in detail.  

Recently I also had a chance to read two CSI books, comparing them to the television version. I found I enjoyed the books more…but it was because I already knew the characters so well! What I found in the books was that I learned the thoughts for characters like Grissom, for the first time…since you can’t see “thoughts” in a television show!  

Reading is my first love but I enjoy a lot of drama TV and action movies as well, especially with the new graphics that are possible!  

Have you ever not finished reading a book because it was so bad?  

Yes, I have. For multiple reasons. One was written as if it was merely typing out an interview with an individual…as she rambled on about this or that. I will admit re one of your questions above, that this book won an award. I can only assume that when a book is about a famous person, hearing the rambling of that person can be interesting for some people??? But even the publisher admitted to me that it was badly written!  

Another book was very well written, but it provided absolutely no redeeming relief as it discussed children and teens. I went back to the requester and told what my opinion would be and it was withdrawn for review.  

One book review that I did post (as requested by the publisher) was of a book that had absolutely no continuity…it was a series of events that may or may not have been related to each other, but it also strongly portrayed women as “objects.” Yes, you might say that I had a strong personal and professional response to it…it was one of the very rare bad reviews I’ve published.  

Finally, when I was working professionally, we had a policy of not reviewing books with more than 30 errors, unless it was exceptional in some way. In other words, books full of proofreading errors are rarely, if ever, reviewed. Now I will say that if an author tells me that he/she has paid for professional editing services, I will support him by giving an errata sheet…but this is on a case-by-case basis.  

Karin, thank you so much for asking me to join you on your blog. I do want to close with a final comment. When a book is published by a large publisher, that individual has the advantage of many professionals working with them…editors, proofreaders, marketing professionals, etc. I surely do enjoy reading those books, and occasionally I review them…but it is rare. Given the assistance they have been provided, I know that they will have support in their marketing activities. That is why I don’t like “rankings” of any sort. It is like comparing apples and oranges when looking at a book by a major publisher versus others.  

But those individuals who have the initiative and drive and the desire to write, but cannot find a publisher, then those individuals who decide to self-publish are taking a giant step into the unknown. They think that the biggest job was writing the book, only to find that the steps beyond that are complex and extremely time-consuming. It is those individuals that need additional support, to help tell others about their books! It is those individuals who I enjoy working with. They are self-confident and yet totally lost in a new world…the world of publishing books…I admire their courage, drive and enthusiasm…and am really amazed at the numbers of great writers out there! My best wishes to all of you! Keep Writing! 

Please visit Glenda Bixler!! 

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Writing the Greenhorn Way

Most people associate the word greenhorn with the TV show The Deadliest Catch. But for now I’m going to switch it up on all the fishermen out there and use it as it might pertain to writing.

I often feel like I’m amidst a bunch of writers who have it all going on. They have all their routines, and pencils in a line. They get the ins and outs, ups and downs, and usually have something to show for it.

They know right and wrong, front and back. But at times I feel like I’m out there all alone, slipping and falling, hammering away at the “ice” and getting picked on.

Frankly I’m often “sea sick” and want to just get off the boat. Maybe this isn’t the place for me, but yet I love it at the same time.

I thought that I knew what I was doing when I started, I sure looked like I did, but over time the doubt has crept back in like a crashing wave…it’s true I might be capsized.

Adding on top of my already weak “sea legs” I feel like I’m not doing enough…or whatever it’s called. I haven’t written anything in over two months, other than this blog. I’m feeling like the clock is ticking, as the market is changing, and surely not for the better. Even if I was to jump back in the ice-cold water, I feel I’d drowned for sure.

Much like on a fishing boat, writing has its rules, publishing has its rules. Sure you can go about it your own way, maybe it will work, but maybe it won’t.

I’m one to give up, but never quit, if that makes sense…

Has the joy left for writing, or is it just shoved under the facts of life and needs to be dug out?

People often say, “Take a break, then come back!” Ummm…well I kinda am right now, but I don’t want to be. I want to write, right now! I want to do it all, but can’t, or won’t, or don’t. I find excuses. But that nagging little girl is still there, in the back of my mind, nearly everyday…”Hello,” she says, smacking away on her candy, “write or something, you are just wasting life!”

As long as I don’t have to bite the head off a Hearing I think I will keep trying….for now…