So, a Vicky, a fellow blogger published a list of self-published sales. Some authors have done really well, others...not so much. I'm just surprised at how varied the sales numbers can be.
I've always figured that after 50 rejections, I'd self-publish, and I can't say this list encourages or discourages such an idea. But it's decently interesting to look at.
May 30, 2011
World Steam Expo
It's past midnight, but I just recently got home and am so high on ideas. This weekend is the World Steam Expo and while I couldn't afford the whole weekend, I could afford to attend today. Some of you are probably like "Steampunk, what's that?" (Victorian era alternate history science fiction) and some of you probably don't care (in which case, shame on you).
But the real interesting thing about this convention is that it's not like those centered on comics or anime/manga - it's all world based. And most of the crowd is older than my fresh college grad age. See, steampunk has very little as far as media texts go (especially compared to other genres), maybe 50 titles and a few movies. Granted, it has only been around since the 80s. But that means when you dress up (and you have to dress up!) you're dressing as a character you've made up and are role playing as.
There were panels on how to create a character, how to design a costume that reflects that character, how to fight with fists/dirty tricks/swords/guns, the history of the era, hypothesizing how airships would actually fight (since they never did in real life), on the philosophy of genre, how it fits into modern culture, and how to escape from zombies.
So now, in addition to now having a more elaborate character and needing to flesh out my costume to match, I have so many characters and plot ideas swimming in my head. I have a servant on a luxury Zepplin who is actually a Spanish spy whose task it is is to eavesdrop on the passengers. I have a plot about an airship warping though time to the modern day. I now know how to block fights and have an itch to write such a scene. And then there's the plump fortune teller sashaying in the back of my mind yelling about the dangers of traveling with a vaudeville circus and the effort to keep Roma out of the show. And then there's that little Civil War tidbit I learned, where part of Texas succeeded because it agreed with Union ideals, didn't pay state taxes, and created it's one militia to attack other parts of the state. I'd love a story based on that.
I have so many ideas, I don't know how I'll sleep.
But the real interesting thing about this convention is that it's not like those centered on comics or anime/manga - it's all world based. And most of the crowd is older than my fresh college grad age. See, steampunk has very little as far as media texts go (especially compared to other genres), maybe 50 titles and a few movies. Granted, it has only been around since the 80s. But that means when you dress up (and you have to dress up!) you're dressing as a character you've made up and are role playing as.
There were panels on how to create a character, how to design a costume that reflects that character, how to fight with fists/dirty tricks/swords/guns, the history of the era, hypothesizing how airships would actually fight (since they never did in real life), on the philosophy of genre, how it fits into modern culture, and how to escape from zombies.
So now, in addition to now having a more elaborate character and needing to flesh out my costume to match, I have so many characters and plot ideas swimming in my head. I have a servant on a luxury Zepplin who is actually a Spanish spy whose task it is is to eavesdrop on the passengers. I have a plot about an airship warping though time to the modern day. I now know how to block fights and have an itch to write such a scene. And then there's the plump fortune teller sashaying in the back of my mind yelling about the dangers of traveling with a vaudeville circus and the effort to keep Roma out of the show. And then there's that little Civil War tidbit I learned, where part of Texas succeeded because it agreed with Union ideals, didn't pay state taxes, and created it's one militia to attack other parts of the state. I'd love a story based on that.
I have so many ideas, I don't know how I'll sleep.
May 27, 2011
Book Meme
I noticed a book meme floating around and figured I'd jump on it. ^_~
Can you name…
1. A book you threw across the room in anger
2. A book in which you underlined nearly every sentence.
3. A book you were surprised to love.
4. A book you can’t wait to read.
~~~
1) Well, I've never thrown a book across the room. But I have read plenty of books I couldn't force myself to finish (Star Maker by Stapledon) and have read other books where I squirmed in embarrassment for the character because they were being stupid (the 5th Harry Potter).
2) Hmmm, no. But as for books that have stayed with me after I've read them, the most recent would have to be Free by Chris Anderson.
3) I really don't like canon lit, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading the Count of Monte Cristo.
4) Um, most books I buy XD I mean, I'm buying them for a reason after all.
Can you name…
1. A book you threw across the room in anger
2. A book in which you underlined nearly every sentence.
3. A book you were surprised to love.
4. A book you can’t wait to read.
~~~
1) Well, I've never thrown a book across the room. But I have read plenty of books I couldn't force myself to finish (Star Maker by Stapledon) and have read other books where I squirmed in embarrassment for the character because they were being stupid (the 5th Harry Potter).
2) Hmmm, no. But as for books that have stayed with me after I've read them, the most recent would have to be Free by Chris Anderson.
3) I really don't like canon lit, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading the Count of Monte Cristo.
4) Um, most books I buy XD I mean, I'm buying them for a reason after all.
May 25, 2011
Writing Group Accountability
One of the things that keeps me writing consistently on a project, and not flitting between different ones or reading or doing other stuff, is my writing group.
I absolutely love them.
There's usually about nine or so of us that show up every week, but the group is so large that there are meetings twice a week to fit schedules and not everyone shows up every week either. I think the mailing list has about 30 names. But the great thing about meeting with them every week, or one of the great things, is I feel bad if I don't bring in a couple of pages to read.
Many of us are actively working on projects, and part of the enjoyment of group is to get the next part of the story. Not having that to offer people makes me feel bad, and rather lazy for not churning out a few pages in a week (and having won NaNo for the two past years, I know I can do it). And so a story I might have only picked at on occasions is given regular Jenny time and keeps growing. I'm up to thirty pages now, 8K I think, on Cows and I wouldn't have come this far without my group.
I mean, yeah, members help improve my writing, but the basics of writing is just sitting your butt down and typing. You can't improve if you don't create, and I love the accountability my group has over me. Or at least that I mentally assign it to have over me.
Plus, I'm just tickled that two people at the meeting today who haven't heard the first 25 or so pages of my story asked me to send it to them. I highly admire the fellow authors in this group, and to get such a request made me happy-high my entire time at work. And will most likely continue to do so tomorrow.
I absolutely love them.
There's usually about nine or so of us that show up every week, but the group is so large that there are meetings twice a week to fit schedules and not everyone shows up every week either. I think the mailing list has about 30 names. But the great thing about meeting with them every week, or one of the great things, is I feel bad if I don't bring in a couple of pages to read.
Many of us are actively working on projects, and part of the enjoyment of group is to get the next part of the story. Not having that to offer people makes me feel bad, and rather lazy for not churning out a few pages in a week (and having won NaNo for the two past years, I know I can do it). And so a story I might have only picked at on occasions is given regular Jenny time and keeps growing. I'm up to thirty pages now, 8K I think, on Cows and I wouldn't have come this far without my group.
I mean, yeah, members help improve my writing, but the basics of writing is just sitting your butt down and typing. You can't improve if you don't create, and I love the accountability my group has over me. Or at least that I mentally assign it to have over me.
Plus, I'm just tickled that two people at the meeting today who haven't heard the first 25 or so pages of my story asked me to send it to them. I highly admire the fellow authors in this group, and to get such a request made me happy-high my entire time at work. And will most likely continue to do so tomorrow.
Opening a Door
I've been reading for years.
When I was younger, my parents didn't allow my siblings or I to watch television during school days. Come summer, we were only allowed to watch after we had read a chapter from a book - and we had to present proof to our sitter. But as you would expect, I always read more than the single required chapter.
I was a speed reader and spent most of my free time churning with books; I carried one everywhere so I could read a page while even waiting in the car while Mom pumped gas. When clocking reading hours in elementary school, I would have the most. When taking comprehension tests, in later elementary school and middle school, I would purposefully go for that harder books. I started reading the encyclopedia in fourth grade, but stopped when I reach 'baby'.
All that reading made me develope a love of words.
I can remember in third grade we were told to write a story, and while everyone else in the class had finished in a day I kept going. I have 10 pages front and back (or as I told everyone, twenty) while they had maybe two or three. My story just kept growing and growing, and now that I think about it, I don't think I ever finished though I spent a full five days of class writing time on it. My teacher forced me to move on, and my lovely tale of shoe cobblers and elves was forced to be put aside. I wonder where that story is now.
I used to role play on forums, but while I had fun doing it there was always a member who just tried to take over control of the game. Even if they didn't start it. And I constantly found myself thinking up plot points and character interactions, only to have other RPers do something that didn't fit with my plans and having to change things constantly. I wanted control, to manipulate situations and force characters to do what I wanted them to do, but realized I couldn't do that on the forums.
So I started writing seriously. And discovered that you cannot force characters to do things. They surprise you and decided to turn suicidal. Or they just show up, a character whose name slips out of the mouth of another and suddenly they're an important of the story and they're so angry because you didn't think of them straight off the bat. Sometimes they even take over you, your body just skin and bones and it's their spirit controlling your fingers.
I've always dreamed of writing a novel. Getting published. And I'm serious enough to take the steps needed.
But because I'm serious, I know how hard it is. How it can take years to find an agent. Not that I'm there yet. While I would love to have a novel under my belt, most of my stories are shorter works and agents are required for those.
So step one towards making my dream become a reality was to get published period.
It's been a year since then.
That's not to say I've given up. In that year I've only received a few rejections (the Writers of the Future contest has a long wait period), and my plan is to at least receive 50 before I try to change things.
But I have developed a secondary dream as a result. I want to get paid for writing.
It's partly from a desire that most of my jobs have involved writing copy for various blogs, prompting me to think of a career in copywriting, and to prove to my father that yes- writing can be profitable. While it's hard to say my parents have been supportive in my writing, my mom at least understands it's something I do and does not try to inhibit me. Dad on the other hand scoffed when I mentioned I sent off a manuscript last April.
And so, I now have two websites/blogs I own and write for and I also create content for a collective website similar, but smaller, than about.com in an effort to make money (no luck so far :/ ). Succeeding in these have become wrapped up in my dream of being published and seeing my name on a book in a store because they both represent me being successful in writing.
And who doesn't want to be successful in something that is slowly taking over their soul?
Because writing is doing that. I find myself writing stories and blog posts, even though I should be looking for a job to help me pay my rent this Summer or a career job for this Fall. Plots and ideas twist and turn around my heart, my mind, and I find if I don't unravel them by writing I can't function in normal life. A plot bunny will bounce around in my head for days, following me to class, work, on my runs, and into my dreams. I need to write, not just want to, and each day it becomes a larger part of my life.
So today I'm opening a door to the outside world, so this passion I have for writing will no longer be cooped up in my chest. I want to join my fellow writers as we follow parallel paths to getting what we want - fulfilled dreams.
When I was younger, my parents didn't allow my siblings or I to watch television during school days. Come summer, we were only allowed to watch after we had read a chapter from a book - and we had to present proof to our sitter. But as you would expect, I always read more than the single required chapter.
I was a speed reader and spent most of my free time churning with books; I carried one everywhere so I could read a page while even waiting in the car while Mom pumped gas. When clocking reading hours in elementary school, I would have the most. When taking comprehension tests, in later elementary school and middle school, I would purposefully go for that harder books. I started reading the encyclopedia in fourth grade, but stopped when I reach 'baby'.
All that reading made me develope a love of words.
I can remember in third grade we were told to write a story, and while everyone else in the class had finished in a day I kept going. I have 10 pages front and back (or as I told everyone, twenty) while they had maybe two or three. My story just kept growing and growing, and now that I think about it, I don't think I ever finished though I spent a full five days of class writing time on it. My teacher forced me to move on, and my lovely tale of shoe cobblers and elves was forced to be put aside. I wonder where that story is now.
I used to role play on forums, but while I had fun doing it there was always a member who just tried to take over control of the game. Even if they didn't start it. And I constantly found myself thinking up plot points and character interactions, only to have other RPers do something that didn't fit with my plans and having to change things constantly. I wanted control, to manipulate situations and force characters to do what I wanted them to do, but realized I couldn't do that on the forums.
So I started writing seriously. And discovered that you cannot force characters to do things. They surprise you and decided to turn suicidal. Or they just show up, a character whose name slips out of the mouth of another and suddenly they're an important of the story and they're so angry because you didn't think of them straight off the bat. Sometimes they even take over you, your body just skin and bones and it's their spirit controlling your fingers.
I've always dreamed of writing a novel. Getting published. And I'm serious enough to take the steps needed.
But because I'm serious, I know how hard it is. How it can take years to find an agent. Not that I'm there yet. While I would love to have a novel under my belt, most of my stories are shorter works and agents are required for those.
So step one towards making my dream become a reality was to get published period.
It's been a year since then.
That's not to say I've given up. In that year I've only received a few rejections (the Writers of the Future contest has a long wait period), and my plan is to at least receive 50 before I try to change things.
But I have developed a secondary dream as a result. I want to get paid for writing.
It's partly from a desire that most of my jobs have involved writing copy for various blogs, prompting me to think of a career in copywriting, and to prove to my father that yes- writing can be profitable. While it's hard to say my parents have been supportive in my writing, my mom at least understands it's something I do and does not try to inhibit me. Dad on the other hand scoffed when I mentioned I sent off a manuscript last April.
And so, I now have two websites/blogs I own and write for and I also create content for a collective website similar, but smaller, than about.com in an effort to make money (no luck so far :/ ). Succeeding in these have become wrapped up in my dream of being published and seeing my name on a book in a store because they both represent me being successful in writing.
And who doesn't want to be successful in something that is slowly taking over their soul?
Because writing is doing that. I find myself writing stories and blog posts, even though I should be looking for a job to help me pay my rent this Summer or a career job for this Fall. Plots and ideas twist and turn around my heart, my mind, and I find if I don't unravel them by writing I can't function in normal life. A plot bunny will bounce around in my head for days, following me to class, work, on my runs, and into my dreams. I need to write, not just want to, and each day it becomes a larger part of my life.
So today I'm opening a door to the outside world, so this passion I have for writing will no longer be cooped up in my chest. I want to join my fellow writers as we follow parallel paths to getting what we want - fulfilled dreams.
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