Let's Get Published FEATURES
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Let's Get Published FEATURES |
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Index |
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Chocolate is bad For You - Or Is It? by member 'sandy' |
You're Having A Laugh by member 'sandy' |
Spelling Chequer by member 'makemyday' |
Nick Daws - An Introduction by member 'sandy' |
The Gratitude Journal by member 'letsgonow' |
So You Want To Be A Writer, huh...! by member 'mrbonx' |
Writing Synopses by member 'NickDaws' |
Procrastination by member 'FrancesLynn' |
What Is Inspiration? by member 'Sally_Woolfe' |
My First Fledgling Writing Attempts by member 'sydbhee' |
The Wall Of Inspiration by member 'Bones' |
Believe In Yourself by member 'FrancesLynn' |
My Writing Day by member '_nidhi' |
Inspired by member 'Lindsey' |
My First Publication by member 'Nice_Nancy' |
Publish SF - A New Direction by member 'HaruWindsong' |
Why Don's We All Get Published? by member 'Admin' |
5 Best and Worst Christmas Gifts by member 'danettemscott' |
I Have A Legal Issue by member 'Siamese' |
Politics is a Hairy Business by member 'John Hartnell' |
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Politics is a Hairy BusinessSteve Rushin wrote, in the 22nd October 2007 edition of Time,
“Americans will elect a woman before they will elect a bald man.”
Then, the forthcoming presidential candidates were thought likely to be
Hilary Clinton and the follically challenged Rudolph Guliani. Rushin
backed up his assertion by pointing out that the last time a bald US
President was elected was in 1956, when Dwight Eisenhower ran,
successfully, for the second consecutive time, against Adlai Stevenson,
who was also bald. It seems that, before Ike, the last President who was
both bald and elected (so you can forget Gerald Ford) was Martin van Buren
– and that was in 1836! Fast forward 10 months and in the left corner we have Barack Obama (good
hair) and Joe Biden (relocated hair) while, in the right corner, are John
McCain (marginal hair) supported by Sarah Palin (great hair, but a
worryingly beehive-like hairstyle). OK, we can accuse Americans of being overly influenced by image – the
superficial being more important than the substance – but what of us
Brits? Why, do you suppose, Boris Johnson was able to defeat Ken
Livingstone in the recent London Mayoral elections? John Major, the last Tory Prime Minister to date, had luxurious locks. He
was defeated in the General Election of May 1997 by Tony Blair, who equaled
him in the hair department, but was thought to better him
personality-wise. From then until December 2005, the Conservative Party
chose three leaders, William Hague, Ian Duncan Smith and Michael Howard,
who were all baldies and who presided over a period of wilderness years.
It has only been in the last two years that Labour’s hold on power has
been seriously threatened by the Tories. Could it be coincidence that
David Cameron, their current leader and most of his Shadow Cabinet are
fully fledged, the major exception being William Hague. The Shadow Foreign
Secretary and senior baldy, Hague holds his post simply because he is a
very clever guy, a formidably skilful politician and he can’t upstage
David Cameron’s hair-do. Naturally the French are different. Since the institution of the 5th
Republic, in 1958, only one of the six Presidents has sported a full head
of hair and that one is the current President, Nicolas Sarkozy.
“President Bling-Bling”, as he has become known in certain parts of
the French press, is fiercely ambitious. He fought his election mainly on
the ground hitherto occupied by the far, unelectable, right wing of the
French political spectrum, thus creating something of a racy reputation
– a reputation that was enhanced when he took a beautiful model turned
musician for his third wife. Sarkozy’s predecessors, with the exception of Charles de Gaulle, the
founder of the 5th Republic were all touched by scandal of one
sort or another. Georges Pompidou’s wife was involved in a sex scandal.
Valérie Giscard d’Estaing is alleged to have accepted gifts of
diamonds, looted from the Central African Republic by his friend Emperor
Bokassa, who’s other interests included snacking on bits of his deceased
enemies, which he stored in his fridge. François Mitterand had several
mistresses and a secret daughter and last, but by no means least, Jaques
Chirac, President of France till May 2007, remains under investigation,
suspected of indulging in several episodes of financial irregularity. The French, it seems, like their leaders to be real,
warts-baldness-and-all people and, if they get rumbled, “tant pis!”
– too bad! Now here’s the rub. Having decided that there are factors other than
political policies that effect the way we choose our publicly elected
leaders, who do we follow, which of the following choices do we adopt?
Whatever the political parties choose to claim, elections are all about
personalities, about the personal appeal of leaders – so do we: a)
choose to go the
American way and elect the most cosmetically appealing leader, who we
follow, for better or for worse, imbuing him or her with the reverence
with which we treat our country, until, after two terms, we start the
whole beauty contest again and turn ourselves over to the other side? b)
or do we continue to
do it the British way and elect the most cosmetically appealing leader,
about whom we start complaining as soon as we see him or her without
make-up and, once an equally or more appealing alternative appears, at the
legally appointed time, turn ourselves over to the other side? c)
or do we pick our
leader in the French way and turn ourselves over to the most entertaining
personality – the edgy one, the one who says the outrageous things that
other, more mealy-mouthed politicians are afraid to say and forgive him or
her whatever trespasses he or she may commit on the way? There is no method that is flawless. In the USA many millions of dollars
are spent on and by individuals who fight for their place at the trough of
candidacy. In the USA and the United Kingdom, much time, energy and money
is spent by parties in seeking to destroy the chances of their
opponent’s candidate. In France, the political parties, in trying to
agree on which candidate to put forward, often destroy themselves by
imploding into internecine warfare. Why should this continue to be so? Here’s an idea. Why not
run the whole system as a TV reality show, with an installment every week,
at prime time and with a representative sample of no more than a dozen
members of the public as the jury? The viewing figures would be
staggering. Advertisers would offer any price to buy time. It would have to have a snappy title. Why not call it The X Factor? By member 'John Hartnell' |
I Have A Legal IssueTen years in the Valley and I can't figure out why people put on breaks to make a lane change in the middle
of rush hour traffic. My husband and I made a mutual plan to move from the fast pace life we shared, slow down
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The 5 Best And Worst Christmas Gifts To Get Someone
It is not unusual to be a little “stuck” when trying to decide
what gift to give each of your friends or loved ones during the holiday
season. There are so many choices and everyone your giving a gift to is
different in taste, age, economic background and interests. This makes a
difficult job all the more harder. When plagued by indecision about gift
buying, give consideration to these 5 gifts which are sure to be used by
who ever you give them to.
1. gift cards2. all expense paid trip to a local attraction3. prepaid cell phone with minutes4. restaurant gift certificates5.
cash
Gifts that are not a good idea to give to anyone for Christmas are:
1. pets-unless specifically requested2. cell phone with a 2 year service agreement-unless your paying for it3. age inappropriate gifts4. memberships in clubs or associations they may already have5.
clothes-unless your absolutely sure they'd like it and you know
their size
Gift cards and gift certificates everyone can and does use. They
can also choose what items they would like for a gift. There is a problem
with this type of gift being a little impersonal. Prepaid cell phones with
minutes make great gifts for people who do not already own a cell phone
and do not want to get stuck with a two year service agreement or
contract. Even people who already own a cell phone can use this extra
throw away phone for emergencies or a second number. Cash is always useful
especially to people who are financially strapped during the holidays.
Giving
a pet for Christmas like a puppy or a kitten can be a real disaster. There
are so many animals in shelters that were not wanted or expected by their
owners after they were given as gifts on a holiday. The only exception to
this may be if the animal was planned for and wanted by the recipient.
Animals can be frightened or act out during the excitement in the home
during the holidays. Please give special
consideration to this before giving someone a pet at Christmas time.
Cell phones with a two year service contract may not be received
well by someone who does not wish to be burdened financially with this
type of cell phone plan. If you give this type of gift ensure a head of
time that the individual can either pay for the service themselves, if you
are not going to or that they already have service.
Do not give gifts meant for an older child or adult which was meant
for someone younger. People can be insulted by this. Ensure that you don't
give a gift to a younger adult or child to an older adult or child.
Be thoughtful when gift giving and try to investigate the intended recipient of your gift's interest ahead of time.By member 'danettemscott' (Danette) |
Why Don't We All Get Published?Why don’t we all get
published? It’s a powerful question. In the whole world there must be
millions of people who believe they have a story to tell, or a factual
book to write. Of those millions, at least half never even get started,
owing to pressures of time (work/family), lack of self-belief, even an
inability to write; literacy (or lack of it) is still a very real issue in
many countries.
Of the remainder who do make a start, three-quarters will not get beyond
the first paragraph/page/chapter. Something stops them from continuing,
and again it could be any of the reasons mentioned above. It could also be
that they suddenly realise that settling down to complete a book is not
the simple process of letting the words flow that many people think it is.
They become disheartened, even overawed, as the scale of their undertaking
becomes evident. 50,000 words? 100,000? How on earth am I going to write
that much?
Yet some persevere, and actually manage to construct a document, be it a
pamphlet on the best way to cook a mongoose, or a learned treatise on the
effects of global warming (to be topical), or short story, or a novel, or
an epic poem… I wonder just how many do make it that far? However many
it is, there are by comparison a mere handful of publishers and literary
agencies. I’m sure you can imagine the scale, and therefore the problem
these agencies face when it comes to deciding who to represent, and who
not.
The upshot is, of course, that only a very small proportion of writers
ever make it into commercial print through the conventional process. Why
is this?
Well, for one thing, with such a huge selection box to pick from, the
agencies can be extremely choosey. Many (perhaps the majority?) of
submissions they receive are just poorly written. It’s a fact of life in
many fields, that a lot of people just aren’t as good at something as
they like to think. Take any aspect of DIY, for instance. Knock up a
bookcase dear? Certainly, no problem, I’ll get right on to it. Then,
oh-oh!… the resulting piece of furniture might be functionally very
sound, but when compared to the precisely finished item you can buy from
the local store, it just doesn’t match up.
For these writers, who still have the drive and potential in them to
succeed, there are courses and study-packs on ‘How To Be An Author’
readily available (for instance, the estimable Nick Daws (http://www.nickdaws.co.uk/
) provides an excellent selection of courses). They can learn
to overcome their technical and literary shortcomings, if they so wish.
Yet an inability to write cannot
be the reason why so many
rejection slips are issued. It cannot be that in every case the reason for
one writer being chosen over another is because they ‘write better’.
So what else could be the problem? I believe it is mostly timing and
preference.
Timing comes into play when the genre you are writing is not seen as
being commercially in vogue. Perhaps the current requirement is for
factual books and celebrity revelations. What chance the science-fiction
writer then?
Preference, in this instance, is whether or not the reviewing literary
agent happens to like your style of writing. Such a thing must be
subjective by its’ very nature. For example, you’ve written your novel
in the first person, but the agent far prefers the third person. Oh dear.
Maybe you’ve written your novel without a single chapter heading, but
the agent prefers the more traditional approach. Whoops! (This has
happened. Ask Terry Pratchett!) Or perhaps it’s just that you aren’t
already famous, and therefore can’t possibly be of interest to anyone.
Ouch!
Now none of the above are the sole reasons for failure, but I believe
they account for many writers being left by the wayside. It’s not that
these authors are no good, or that they can’t write for toffee (that’s
a nice old expression you don’t seem to hear these days), it’s just
that their literary face doesn’t fit. Their work doesn’t match the
current commercial climate. Their style isn’t in keeping with their
contemporaries. Here, have a rejection slip by way of compensation.
How can such writers even get the chance
to show their worth?
One answer is simply to do it themselves.
POD (publish on demand) is a way to do this, but it does require a deal
of effort (and some outlay) on the part of the author; but if you must see
your book in hard print then there may not be much alternative (unless you
are rich enough to subsidise the whole printing process, and go down the
vanity route).
My preferred alternative is e-publishing.
E-books are growing in popularity. There are quite a number of internet
websites offering the opportunity to sell the e-book you have written.
Some will charge commissions large and small. Some will advertise your
work widely, while others are more restrictive, perhaps only promoting
within a select membership.
Ok, here’s the thrust of it. LGP is going to offer to sell its’
members work in E-book format. Read on.
The intent of Let’s Get Published has been, is, and will continue to
be, to promote its’ members work directly to literary agencies and
publishers. We don’t offer guarantees in this, since in the final
analysis it is the quality of work that its’ members present that
determines the level of an individuals’ success. However, we have been
learning as the site and our community has grown, and we will soon be
making some radical changes, not only to the website from a presentational
aspect, but also in the services we offer. Let me outline a few of the
changes that are forthcoming.
It will become a much more open system. We plan to hand a deal of control
of the site over to you, the members. For instance, instead of sending
submissions to me by e-mail, or submitting them for manual uploading via
the web-form, you will be able to load your submissions directly onto the
website yourselves. You will be able to select from a wider range of
genres and categories, and how much of your work you choose to display
will be entirely down to you (though we will offer guidelines, and there
will be one or two rules to follow, particularly concerning adult
content).
We will be introducing a review facility, where you can comment on and
rate each others work.
The forum will be much more accessible, and I look forward to topic
suggestions from yourselves.
We plan to open a Library. This will consist of complete submissions
(stories/poems/articles) from members. The submissions must be entire
(whole) and not part-works, and will be available for free to everyone on
the internet. You may ask: ‘doesn’t that mean giving my work away?’,
and you would be correct; but we see this as a very powerful promotional
feature for showcasing your talent, your writing skills. Not only will you
be able to present your ‘work-in-progress’, and/or your major
completed work, in the usual way, but you will also be able to show a
rounded sample of the quality work you can produce. I would like everyone
to contribute just one (more, if you wish) short story/poem/article to the
library. I will of course be contributing something of my own. We have
plans to grow the Let’s Get Published visitor base, and this is one very
good way of doing so. As the number of visitors increases, so will the
visibility of all our members, and that can only be a good thing.
Finally, we will be setting up an E-books shop, to sell the work of any
member who wishes it in electronic format. If you have struggled to find
an agent or publisher, and you don’t want to go down the vanity route,
then E-books may be a good alternative. At the very least it will be yet
another way of promoting your name and work, and what is more, there will
be no up-front cost. LGP will ask a commission on each sale, but, as with
everything else you write, ownership and all rights will remain with you.
Well, that’s about it. I hope you found all this of interest, and that
you will approve the changes we are making.
Best Wishes, and Keep Writing!
By member 'Admin' (LGP Admin) |
PUBLISH SF - A NEW DIRECTIONOver the years the Science Fiction/Fantasy market
has begun to suffer from falling sales.
I’ve watched and wondered, and arrived at a tiered theory.
At the top of the list are the readers who appear
to be driving most of the market. In
the 1960s, 70s and early 80s, teenagers had little money to spend and the
primary reading audience consisted of adults over nineteen years of age.
By the late 1980s and early 1990s teenagers as young as fourteen
were holding down part-time jobs throughout the winter as well as over the
summer months. Now they had
money and began spending it lavishly.
With raging hormones governing their interests it
was only natural that most of them would gravitate towards Dungeons and
Dragons. It factored into
their reading as well, spawning the gaming based fantasy novels and a
plethora of slash books.
By the time these teenagers matured, and their
reading appetites along with it, the market was aimed primarily at the
pre-pubescent and barely pubescent mentality.
Older readers found themselves, for the most part, heading more and
more into second-hand book stores to pick up the works of Asimov, Clarke,
Heinlein, Moore and Norton. Unfortunately,
behind these maturing readers was another generation of pre-pubescent
spenders. And so the market
has become self-perpetuating. This
has left most of the mature audience, mid-twenties and up, starved for
descent reading material.
True, we have Turtledove, Moon, and smattering of
others, but for the most part, satisfactory novels are few and far
between. And so we haunt the
second-hand stores, picking over old favourites.
Editors with whom I’ve discussed this problem
generally shrug it off. They
tell me the industry is no longer looking for authors producing “good
reading”, but rather “wow” or potential prize winning works.
And so the industry suffers.
There is a potential alternative to this.
The industry scoffs at POD publishing; however, there is a way high
end publishers can make the best of both worlds.
It is possible for companies like Tor and Del Rey
to bolster the sagging industry. Consider:
they maintain their high end publishing as now.
On the side they set up a POD division.
For this division a group of readers are selected who consider a
wider range of submissions. Potential
authors are offered the opportunity to publish through this POD division,
paying one or two thousand dollars up-front.
After novels are edited, set up and prepared for
print, a small run could be done and distributed to a limited number of
stores in selected cities in North America.
Major SF conventions could also be targeted to promote these new
publications. Should the POD
books receive a sufficiently high readership within eight months to a year
(six months is too short), the publishing company could then offer the
author a contract.
Additionally, publishers might consider also
providing a side-bar of e-novels. Many
readers balk at paying eight or nine dollars for a paperback they might
not enjoy. Invariably,
however, they think little or nothing of purchasing an e-book for three to
five dollars.
From discussions I’ve been having with the general public in bookstores and at SF conventions, this seems to be what they are looking for. To survive in this high-tech age where more and more teenagers are glued to their computers, this may well be the solution to the survival of the SF publishing industry.
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MY FIRST PUBLICATIONThat was 24 years ago! A University student then studying
Sociology & Literature, my first newspaper article was published as a
freelance contributor to a local Kenyan daily. This first venture into
writing started in a rather interesting way. I was going back to campus
from visiting my auntie when I saw an
overwhelming scenery opposite the bus stop just as I was preparing
to cross over to pick my bus. A barber was also selling flowers and the
smart way he had arranged his wares attracted me. My curiosity got me
thinking. I went close and had a chat with the barber. His love for
flowers had led him to combining the two trades. He saw it as a good way
to occupy himself when he didn’t have a customer for either side. The
flowers added to the beauty too. As I walked away from there, I knew that
it would be nice if people read about this man who was not only cutting
people’s hair but putting some colour into his world too. Once in the
bus, I started contemplating what to do and by the time I reached campus,
I had made up my mind that I would visit one of the newspapers’ offices
to sell my idea.
The next day, I made my journey to the offices of my
newspaper I had chosen to approach. After the receptionist listened to my
story, she directed me to the right desk. As I sat at the editor’s desk
waiting for him to finish with a telephone call, I had no doubts in my
mind whatsoever about the possibility. I must have been so convincing with
my story because the editor only asked me a few questions and then told me
what to do, that is, to get the story back to him typed double spaced
within a week. I was overjoyed! I felt like it was already in the papers!
I went back again to the site and this time seriously interviewed the
barber. The interview went very well because he was very excited at the
thought of appearing in the newspaper.
After that, I handwrote the story neatly and took it to auntie Esther, who was then working somewhere as a secretary and asked her to type the story for me. I was back to the editor before the week was over. He asked for a sketch map to the site and promised to send a photographer there. He also advised me to thereafter check the newspaper for the article and go for my money once it appeared. That happened in the next three weeks and voila! I was a published freelance writer! It was a most joyful moment for me and auntie Esther, who had the honour of typing several of my stories after that. Since then, I have written in more newspapers, journals, digests and had a book WHAT SHALL I DO NOW? QUESTIONS TEENAGERS ASK…AND ANSWERS THAT WORK! Published.~ Authored by member 'Nice_Nancy' (Nancy) |
InspiredYes, my husband does inspire me, because he believes in me, however, he would believe in no matter what I said I wanted to do because his mantra is ( I CAN Do IT BECAUSE NO ONE EVER SAID I COULDN'T.) and this is true for him because he never tries to do ANYTHING, he just does it. I, myself have never had this type of confidence.Being a firm believer in "Everything happens for a reason" I decided to find some kind of little online course to test my ability in creative thinking and writing, and if I found something that I was comfortable with, I would try it and maybe take the next step.Well, I am here to tell you that I stumbled upon an online writing course by Nick Dawes and I thought that I really didn't have much to lose. The course was not expensive, and if I failed at it, no one would really know except me. I guess my self esteem was pretty low.Now for some strange reason, the name of the book that I intended to write had already appeared to me, even before I found Nick Dawes online course, and before I even finished his course, I was writing my book. "Awakening Nicholas." I wrote every day, and never had a block. Good, bad or indifferent, I didn't care, I just wrote what came into my thoughts, and by the time I had reached the halfway point in my novel, We received news that Hurricane Katrina was headed our way, and since we lived on the water, and had so many pine trees in our yard, we decided to evacuate.I never really thought that there would be much damage to our house with the exception of a few pine trees on it, still, I copied my book onto a disk and threw it into my purse. That is all I took with me beside enough clothes for a couple of days in a local hotel. Three months later, we were still in the hotel, but that's another story.Naturally my computer was destroyed in hurricane Katrina, along with everything else we owned, so I ordered a laptop, popped the disk of my first novel into the computer, and just picked up where I left off.I was still never without a thought, as if it was being given to me by the universe, and by the time we finally had our home rebuilt and moved back in, I had my book published.Now I know that this book is not the best book I have ever written, because it is the only book I have ever written, and I do expect to become better and better and better. After all, isn't that what life is all about? Learning, growing, falling down, getting up, learning , growing, falling down.... well, you get the picture.I'm still inspired, and I can't ever see that changing.~ Authored by member 'Lindsey' (Linda) |
My writing day is not really the day at all! I write at night. I am a mother of two young and highly energetic children who need to go to school ve-r-r-r-ry early in the day... at seven in the morning they have already found their places in the class and begun another day's 'grind'! i sometimes do feel sorry for them! imagine, however, the mental and the physical state of the mother who wakes them up at six, ensures their tiffins are packed and then starts packing these two lovely , innocent, impossible to pack brutes who pack quite a punch! The schools, in their eternal wisdom (sigh!) decide that the uniforms MUST be white. That means the uniforms MUST be washed and cleaned thoroughly every single day or else they will progressively become grey to dark brown to black within the short span of a month. That translates into a well defined role cut out for the mother when the children come back home from school. Thank God! The house help can at least wash the soaked clothes... Well... that is just the beginning of the day!I am a practising ENT Surgeon in a medium sized hospital that works 8-6! Welcome to the real world! Is this a place that writers inhabit?! This is a place for the rats. They race through the same mazes everyday. They eat the same cheese everyday. They sit on the same chairs everyday. They do the same things everyday- day after day- till they are ready to drop dead or exhausted. The exhaustion may simply be physical- the body is unable to cope with the constant running without refuelling. More often, it is spiritual. We eat to nourish our body... we forget about the Soul. Sometimes I feel trapped in a system that stifles creativity. But I write! I write for my profession. I write for my leisure. I write for my soul. I am fortunate. I am not a rat. I do not wish to increase the weight of my CVs into kilos of paper no one is going to read. I am not running the race! I am an observer- this race track gives me the opportunity to observe rats! It gives me the opportunity to create real characters for my work. A little exaggeration here or a little quirk added there is just the correct recipe for the next great epic!I write when my family is in Slumberland. I write when my 'responsibilities' for the day are done... being a mother- forget about good or bad; being a wife- forget about reciprocation; being a good doctor- forget about getting paid for that! I write when the world sleeps! I am an owl. The wise bird. The keen observer with the big eyes that penetrate to the very core of every living thing they lay upon. I write everyday. I write to keep my head and my heart healthy. I write because I love to read. The joy of writing is in having written the word- the success would probably be in having it published so it can be read. In that sense I am a writer full of joy... but I haven't tasted success! YET.When we were children, I used to often wonder what my parents trip in life really was! I used to feel that we as children had so much to do that the adults simply have no idea! The adults just have to wake up and go to what they call work! What do they do when they go to work! Look at a child. (S)he has to wake up at an inhuman hour and be ready for an inhuman experience at school. The child, then has to find the time to play, read and do everything that needs to be done... Adults? They do not have the foggiest idea what a child's day is like! This was when I was a child. Now I have children of my own. I am quite sure they think similarly. SO I do not let my job or my love interfere with my parenting. When I am with them, I am a hundred percent with them. I will not multitask with parenting. Mothering is mothering is only mothering. So my writing "day" can start only at night when they have gone to sleep...~ Authored by member '_nidhi' (Nidhi) |
Believe
In Yourself
I started writing
FRANTIC, my first novel decades ago and have been 'driven' to re-write it
several times over the years, since my libellous first draft. On the other
hand, I wrote CRUSHED, my illustrated Young Adult novel in a couple of
months. A top London literary agent immediately offered to represent me,
but unfortunately he retired before he had a chance to send it round to
all the publishers.
I
was seriously contemplating wallpapering my office walls with both
manuscripts, when Eiworth Publishing saved my sanity by offering to
publish both novels. I was so relieved I didn't have two dead novels in my
closet, that I felt inspired to write yet another fresh draft of DISGUISE,
my new novel,
I've
'only' been working on Disguise for four years now, and I'm still
not happy with it. I originally had a different idea for the book, but
when I stupidly told a writer friend the premise, he easily persuaded me
it would be too ambitious and difficult for me to write. I should have
believed in myself. Like an idiot, I listened to him and was stupid enough
to allow him to help edit my book, even though he wasn't a professional
editor.
After
I finished each chapter, I gave it to him to read and (don't ask me why),
agreed with his ideas on how to re-work it. At the time, it was quite
inspirational knowing I wasn't writing in a vacuum. It was also exciting
having him 'edit' my book during it's work-in-progress, because he was so
enthusiastic. When I (thought I had) finally finished the novel, I wasn't
surprised he'd been so complimentary, for I realised the book wasn't mine,
but due to his input, was his.
I
impulsively tore up the four hundred odd pages and started Disguise
again from scratch, returning to my original idea. I'm confident I shall
be writing for the rest of my life, for (besides my other projects) I
would ideally like to write the novel's sequels and prequels, 'Star War's'
style, if I ever finish the book that is.
I should have learnt my
lesson about not listening to people. A few years previously, I wrote a
play called Roopie Poopie, which had a staged reading at the late
Man in the Moon, a 'prestigious' fringe theatre in Chelsea's World's End.
A casting director friend
offered to cast it, and it seemed that every actor in London turned up to
audition, some of them were well known too. There was so much positive
response to the staged reading, that the Artistic Director of the Man in
the Moon, a Marxist student type offered me a second reading. She advised
me how to re-write the play and I was stupid enough to listen to her. I
re-wrote it in a week.
There
had been so much publicity by the time of Roopie Poopie's second
staged reading (a tabloid showbiz editor friend got carried away and wrote
in his column, that Robert de Niro had optioned to make a movie of it),
there was standing room only.
Another friend who had adored my first version offered to host an after
play party at his house. Unfortunately, he and everyone else who had
appreciated the first staged reading were horrified how I had ruined my
play. And, all because I didn't believe in my work.
Frances Lynn’s
novels, "Frantic" and "Crushed" are published by
Eiworth Publishing at http://yourbookstore.eiworth.se/.
Her Crushed Diaries blog is at http://crusheddiaries.blogspot.com/.
Her Seventies Nostalgia blog is http://seventiesnostalgia.blogspot.com/.
Her personal website is http://franceslynn.org
~ Authored and copyrighted by member 'FrancesLynn' (Frances) |
The Wall of Inspiration
Inspiration is the writers’ driving force to getting their
creative minds churning out great ideas into chunks of prolific text.
These moments of brilliance can come from the birth of a child to standing
atop a snow capped mountain summit, looking down upon the world covered in
its great white blanket. These can be regarded as inspirational. But how
can a stone wall alongside a busy main street in Cardiff City Centre be
such an inspiration to many Welsh writers?
The Animal Wall is a feature outside Cardiff Castle that has been
delighting and sometimes frightening passers by for years. It is a low
crenellated stone wall with ornately carved animals sitting atop the
battlements watching out over the city like silent sentinels.
The Victorian architect William Burges is responsible for creating
the Animal Wall as well as many features within Cardiff Castle and its
sister keep, Castell Coch. But even the wall’s creator had a vision of
inspiration to build it back within the 18th century.
The Animal Wall arose when William Burges was commissioned by the 3rd
Marquis of Bute to restore the south part of Cardiff Castle.
The Marquis of Bute was at the time, one of the richest men in
Europe producing coal from the region, which was also termed ‘Black
Gold’ for the money it earned.
William Burges was quite a wealthy man himself and could afford to
work for pleasure if he chose. William’s inspirational designs came from
travelling around Europe and following his interest for medieval
architecture. This is what gave him his great influence over all his
restoration and designs and especially the Animal Wall.
Construction to the Animal Wall started in 1880, but William passed
away before it was completed and never got to see his creation of work to
fruition. Luckily, the wall
was finished by his assistant architect.
William probably never thought that his creative work would have any
influence on the public. But the Animal Wall has been a big inspiration
for Welsh writers.
Dorothy Howard Rowlands was the first writer to be inspired by the
wall. She highlighted the Animal Wall in a series of wonderful
children’s stories that featured in the South Wales Echo in 1933. The
series ran in the newspaper for 138 issues. She was so fascinated and
inspired by it that she featured and named all the animals atop the wall.
The lions were called Remus and Romulus, who had to be asked for their
permission to leave the wall by the other animals. There was also: Oscar
the little monkey; Martha the Baboon; Priscilla the Pelican; Larry the
Lynx; Ursula the Bear; Odo the Vulture; Buddy the Beaver; Polly the Puma;
Kolsky the Wolf; Howler the Hyena; and Arthur the Anteater.
The other writers to be inspired were Jenny Nimmo, a prolific Welsh
writer who created the Griffin’s Gate. It is a story about a young girl
who moved to a big house with her mother where stone animals sat atop a
wall surrounding the house and she imagined that they came to life and
befriended her.
And finally the poet Gillian Clarke, who wrote an enchanting poem,
entitled The Animal Wall. The poem was about the stone animals befriending
a street urchin and exploring Cardiff’s main buildings one snowy
evening.
So for all you writers out there waiting and looking to find your
piece of inspiration within something exotic or far away, take heart;
inspiration can come when you least expect it and from the most unusual of
sources. If a wall, created from inspiration, can influence others just
think what’s out there waiting to give your inspiration the driving
force to a prolific writing career.
~ Authored by member 'Bones' (Nigel B.) |
My
First Fledgling Writing Attempts
I
always prided myself in my writing ability - after all I had won many
awards at school. Thus I was quite confident that when I ventured into
commercial writing, I would be an instant hit. After all, writing was just
a matter of re-arranging words wasn’t it?
Well somewhat yes and mostly no. I later learnt that it took more
than re-arranging words to succeed. Being blessed with an active
imagination I naturally gravitated to fiction and poetry.
I already had several promising plots, like that shadow chasing
game we used to play as kids. And the vacuum powered space craft - that
would make a great sci-fi plot!
There
are certain similarities in writing in general; an obvious common rule
being the need for proper construction. On the other hand there are also
vast differences. Thus when it came to start I was baffled by the
diversity of genres. Even within fiction, my supposed forte the
opportunities at first appeared daunting.
One
main lesson I learnt was that in commercial writing one should understand
the reader. In other words write for him/her not yourself. For example
quite often I have written what I believed were humorous pieces, freely
laughing at my own wit in the process. Yet on presentation to my
friends/family etc they would be left stone cold! An example best
illustrates what I’m talking about.
I
once collected a list of wise sayings from Africa, with explanations of
what they meant, the context used etc. I then added my own possible
explanations with a humorous twist and prepared to let loose this master
piece to an unsuspecting world. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I first
showed my sister, a nurse and avid reader. I even told her that upon
release of this Nobel level works, I would not forget to mention her as
one of the reviewers. Well, Agathar was kind enough not to talk to me in
person. However I soon understood why when I received her comments! I
prefer no to go through the same torture again, suffice it to say that her
comments woke me up!
My
second attempt was a poetry contest, run by an international association
of poets. I submitted my piece, titled “The Wonderful Forgiving
Earth.” To my delight and surprise my poem was short listed for a prize
and publication in an anthology! Though
I did not win a prize, the poem was published in the anthology.
So
there it is, as long as you love writing- which should be the main
consideration surely, just go ahead and write- prizes, in whatever form
will definitely come.
By
the way let me end with a quotation from my collection of African wise
sayings:
“Do
not use too many spikes to stretch a squirrel skin as that would destroy
it.”
In
simple words, do not overdo things - and to take my own advice I end here!
~ Authored by member 'sydbhee' (Sidney) April 2007
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What is
Inspiration?
In my experiences, small though
they have been, inspiration can happen at any time and come in many forms.
It can take shape in the way of
thoughts that appear in your head during dreaming time at night, which can
sometimes wake you up. If you are alert enough, you can write them down so
that in the cold light of day you are in no danger in forgetting what they
were!
If not, like me, most of the time, you
wake up, knowing that you want to remember something important, but what
was it…..? Another thought lost in sleep!
You can take inspiration from
incidents that happen in your daily life. Things that make you think. Some
can be simple, some can be complicated. For instance, a queue of people at
a bus stop may instigate thoughts about the character of each person. What
they do for a living? Would they be interesting to write about?
On further thought the complication
starts. “What ifs?” come into play. What if? The lady with the red hat
was in love with the guy in the blue jacket and he didn’t know. How
would that, “bus stop relationship”, take place and grow? Do they have
a secret past? Was he an axe murderer in hiding? And so it goes on as your
imagination goes wild.
Alternatively, actions can bring
inspiration to the fore. A heroic deed by someone can inspire you to write
about either that person, in a factual article, or a fictional piece
brought about by that persons action.
Similarly, a very small thing can
cause inspiration too. A simple cloud formation can inspire you to day
dream, and from that day dream comes an idea.
To “be inspired” is a wonderful
feeling for me. It is the push that I need to be creative. It wakes up my
brain, and shakes my imagination into action.
In my opinion, inspiration is the
spark that starts the fire. An excited feeling when I am enthusiastic and
energetic. It is the beginning of an adventure.
~ Authored by member 'Sally_Woolfe'
(Sally) April 2007
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Procrastination
Like
most writers I know, I find the hardest thing about writing is sitting
down to write. Even though I turn my computer on the moment I wake up, I
don’t immediately chain myself to it in order to churn out a few
thousand words. Far from it! I'm compelled to reply to my new e-mails
before even thinking of doing anything else. (Long gone were the
inspirational days when I sat down first thing at my screen, too immersed
in my work to change out of my dressing gown for the rest of the day).
Even though I always intend to routinely sit down at my desk daily at 9
a.m. I shall do anything to put off the evil hour of having to write.
First,
I convince myself how messy my office is, even though I tidied it
yesterday. I persuade myself I can’t work in a tip, and find myself
compulsively spring-cleaning my room, even resorting to fanatically taking
my books off the shelf, and carefully dusting each one. After I've
finished my polishing and cleaning, I realise my desk looks like a bomb
has hit it. A dishevelled pile of printed out A 4 sized paper is
desecrating my printer's out-tray. I meant to throw them away yesterday,
but anal-retentive 'intuition' stopped me. Even though I’ve got my work
saved on my computer and my external hard drive, I carefully read through
each page, so that I can focus on it afresh, knowing that my work looks
different on the page. Who knows? I might get inspired.
I
then congratulate myself for being creative, for reading through the
printed out pages which I was supposed to destroy yesterday, gives me
fragmented ideas. I laboriously jot them down with my new pen in my
pristine new notebook for a future project I have been thinking about for
years.
Once
I have managed to bin all the loose paper on my newly polished desk, I
sharpen and neatly arrange all my pencils. Then, after I have finished
wiping clean my printer, my scanner and most important of all, my
keyboard, I am ready for work. There is nothing to stop me now.
I
open my document on the screen and before I even look at it, I suddenly
remember I have to make some ‘important’ phone calls and
simultaneously send out some more e-mails. After I finish my multi-task, I
realise with a heavy heart, there is nothing to stop me from writing now,
but silly me! I haven’t concealed the Dock on my screen, which means I
can see all my new incoming e-mails (replies to mine), which I’m
compelled to respond to straightaway. If I leave them, I shall have to
make a mental note to respond to them later. And, that wouldn’t be good
for my thought process. I need a clear head to 'create'.
Finally,
I really am ready to write, but first, I’m compelled to re-edit my
document on the screen before I can progress. By now, it’s lunch-time
and although I have cancelled all my appointments for the entire week so
that I can comfortably meet my deadline, I remind myself I need some fresh
air, and sustenance.
After
my break, I persuade myself I don't do my best work in the afternoon, so
lounge around reading yesterday’s newspaper and replying to posts on my
favourite computer mailing list. (Thankfully, I'm not hooked on surfing
the web like some of my peers). By this time, the entire day has gone.
Even
though I know that staying up all night isn’t good for me, I'm forced to
become nocturnal. I’m resigned to settling in for the long night ahead
and actually sit down at my desk in order to write. I’m so relieved that
I am finally focussing on my work, I just have to Skype a writer friend
who I see is On Line. I ecstatically inform him I’m working. We then
fall into a lengthy, philosophical discussion about the perils of writing,
before we both click off, insisting we must concentrate.
I
now have run out of excuses. By this time, it’s the early hours and
after replying to a few desperados on my mailing list, I now know I have
no alternative, but to work. My deadline is for tomorrow morning and with
relief, I proceed to write solidly without further procrastination.
I
am so elated when I finally finish my deadline, I delude myself that I
love writing, conveniently forgetting I shall no doubt, have to re-write
and polish the new draft again and again and again.
http://www.franceslynn.org
~ Authored and copyrighted by member 'FrancesLynn'
(Frances) April 2007
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Writing
Synopses
Got a
great idea for a book? Then two roads are open to you. One is to spend six
months or longer writing your book, then send it to a publisher and cross
your fingers. The other is to sell the idea first with the aid of a
synopsis. There are at least four advantages to the second method.
(1) It
will save you a lot of hard work and disappointment if it turns out no-one
is interested in publishing a book on your chosen subject (and you can
then try another topic instead).
(2) If
the publisher likes the idea of the book, he may have some suggestions on
how it should be written.
(3) If
the publisher is very keen on your idea, he may offer you a contract which
guarantees publication if the manuscript meets the required standard. You
will also, in most cases, receive an advance on royalties.
(4) If
you have a contract, or at least an expression of interest, from a
publisher, it will help motivate you to finish the book – especially if
the publisher has also set you a deadline!
So what
is a synopsis? It is basically a summary of what your book is (or will be)
about. In the case of non-fiction books, a synopsis is normally submitted
to a publisher as part of a proposal, along with a covering letter and one
or two sample chapters. If the publisher likes the proposal, he will
hopefully commission you to write the book itself.
The
first requirement of a synopsis is that it should be concise: no longer
than two pages, and preferably just one. The style is probably best
explained with an example, so here is the synopsis I submitted for my
first published book, How to Find Your Ideal Partner (published by
Imperia).
This
book is aimed at unattached adults, for whom it will provide a practical
guide to finding a partner in life and love. Although written for all age
groups, it is envisaged that it will be particularly relevant to
second-time-singles in their thirties and forties, for whom meeting a
partner can present particular problems.
The
first part of the book, Take It From Here, looks at the individual
him/herself. It makes the point that, to find a compatible partner, you
first need to ‘find’ yourself. Through a series of exercises, readers
are guided to a greater understanding of themselves and the partner they
are seeking.
The
second part of the book, The Great Pursuit, examines the many methods that
exist for meeting a partner – from nightclubs to introduction agencies,
parties to personal advertisements. Finally, part three of the book,
Getting It All Together, takes readers from that all-important first date
to building a long-term relationship.
The
book concludes with an ‘Ideal Partner Action Plan’ to help the reader
create his or her own strategy for finding a partner. An Appendix gives
details of singles clubs and organizations, introduction agencies,
magazines publishing personal ads, singles holidays, and so on.
Case
studies are included throughout the book. These are based on real-life
couples, explaining how they met, and illustrating the points made in the
text. The total length is around 70,000 words, divided into sixteen
chapters.
There are no hard-and-fast rules about the style in which synopses should be written. Here are a few personal recommendations, however...(the rest of this article is in the Members area) ~ Authored by member 'NickDaws' (Nick) April 2007 |
So you want to
be a writer, huh…!
What does it
take?
Will I ever be
published?
Every day
thousands of people jot down notes on pad, scribble frantically on empty
cigarette packets, or sit at their computers through the night pouring out
their inner most thoughts…
Now that’s a
writer.
Not all of it is
good, most in fact is no more than just their thoughts put on paper (
screen )!
What really gets
the reading public going is the honesty and depth of the words, and a very
deep love of the chosen subject matter.
Most
books/publications are drawn from a person’s knowledge of themselves,
which they then mould in a story. The characters can be based on friends
or colleagues, business associates or family.
Remember when you
were a kid, and graveyards were places that were ‘spooky’: they are
only pieces of land with bits of stone in them…. But when we are young
our imagination explodes into allsorts of scary pictures.
So when you’re
writing anything, think like a child. That old stone wall, when you’re a
kid it had so much texture, there were tiny insects scurrying all over it,
falling of but rushing back, oblivious of time. Mosses and lichens clung
in every crevice. As adults we just say
‘Yeah,
it’s just a wall’
To
a young mind its hours of fun!
I always try to
use this scenario when creating a character.
The man with the
big nose.
The woman with
wonky eyes.
All this
information is still there, but as we pass through life it gets buried,
shoved to the back… even lost.
So next time you sit down to write a master piece, try looking at the world through uncluttered and tried eyes…its all out there, you have to look for it.~ Authored by member 'mrbonx' (Bonx) April 2007 |
The Gratitude JournalAmong the many talents that I possess, focussing on the negative was fast climbing to top slot. Until it got to a point where I'd zero in on that single black dot on a pristine white canvas with the unerring accuracy of a moth that finds a flame. I'd begin a brand new day feeling well-rested and fresh. And within the first half hour my negativity radar would kick into action. The morning paper was late; my little girl's snack box wasn't placed on the right shelf; our bedroom faced the wrong way; my husband's nose was way too flat; the living room upholstery was all wrong; and, the neighbor only remembered me when she ran out of sugar and curry leaves. Another glorious day would roller-skate down that slippery slope all too soon.In a rare moment of raw honesty I realised I had to right this wrong really fast, or my life would spiral completely out of control, dragging me in its wake. I had to find a way to unearth the positives in my life. I had to make a habit of digging up the rare gems from the debris of daily life. I had to learn to brush the dirt off them, shine them and preserve them so their beauty and clarity would sustain me on dark days. I needed to rescue these moments that often slipped through my fingers in the hurly-burly of life. I learnt to pick them, one by one, beautiful shells to carefully store in the dry jar of memory.I started a Gratitude Journal.As the evening sun painted the sky peach and mango, I'd sit, pen poised over paper, and go over my day in slo-mo. I'd train my mind to find five things I was truly grateful for, that day. Believe me, this takes practice, once the art is forgotten. On day one my mind froze over. The thaw was gradual, over days, then there was a trickle, and within days a joyous flood that filled me with wonderful reasons to feel alive and whole."You're the best mom in the whole world." My nine-year-old's voice fading into the distance as she rushed down the stairs to catch a schoolbus.A telephone call from my Mom to ask how I was doing.The delightful sprinkling of flaming orange and azure blue polka dots on the butterfly that flitted outside my window.An email from a total stranger, someone who wrote to tell me how much she liked my short story in an ezine.A moment when I consciously drew oxygen into my lungs and felt the peace flow through my body.When I look around me I see the many reasons I have to be thankful for. My Gratitude Journal has brought two little forgotten words back into my life: Thank You!~ Authored by member 'letsgonow' (Uma) April 2007 |
Nick Daws - An IntroductionNick Daws is the prolific author of
over 40 publications including the hugely popular: Write Any Book in Under
28 Days’. He’s also written several correspondence courses, four
multimedia tutorials and has numerous articles and short stories to his
credit. As if that’s not enough he’s involved in writing content for
web pages, e-mail newsletters, pay-per-click advertising campaigns,
information products etc. Phew! That’s it then? Well, no not quite, his
talents have extended to having a successful writer’s forum and blog.
(See below for links)
I first became acquainted with Nick
when I noticed his name cropping up as a tutor amongst the course material
I had been sent by The Writers’ Bureau. (Yes, I know, I forgot to
mention this in the introduction). Later, when I joined Kwickee: mobile
telephone communication system as an Editor I noticed he was one of my
esteemed colleagues. Nick was to prove an invaluable source of guidance
and advice as I waded through this new minefield of technology. As
Editors, we had to peruse and decide whether an article sent to us was
suitable for the Kwickee site. This meant downloading it and then
uploading it for publishing
or sending it back with comments. This was to me, a complete ‘technobabe’,
a nightmare at but Nick was always willing to help.
Unfortunately, Kwickee folded after two
years, despite wads of cash being poured in by investors – somehow the
idea of downloading short stories and articles onto mobile phones didn’t
catch on. During that time Nick, and I, had written several articles for
publication on the site ourselves and had edited hundreds of others. We
also became Associate Editors with responsibility for a particular
section: in my case it was the Medical section due to my background with
the National Health Service. Thankfully, Nick had other irons in his fire
and welded his considerable talents into developing more teaching
materials which I avidly purchased without a second thought including
‘Quick Cash Writing’ which is great if you’re stuck for ideas to
make some money. I also signed up for his very informative newsletter
which gave me lots more tips and advice. Later came his writer’s forum
which I find very addictive particularly the Limerick Writing thread. The
forum is also free of the nasty comments which seem to affect other sites
and full of people willing to help you get that novel written and
published plus lucrative job opportunities.
Nick now has a blog with lots of tasty
titbits for the serious writer and some tried and tested ways to make a
little money on the net. Thanks to Nick I now have some extra cash coming
in from filling in surveys from ‘kosher’ companies. He’s not content
with sitting on his laurels either, he’s just asked me to write a
testimonial for his new course: ‘How to Win Contests’. Nick, like me,
is an avid ‘comper’ – doing consumer competitions to win fab prizes.
We are both successful at this but he’s beaten me to it in bringing out
an e-book on devising slogans that
will knock the judges' socks off!
I don’t begrudge him for being more
industrious than me and to be fair, he did have a slogan writing section
in ‘Quick Cash Writing’. You’ve probably realised by now that Nick
Daws is ‘one of the good guys’ and I’m pleased to count him as a
friend and honoured to be asked by Nigel to write this article in praise
of his work.
Nick’s Website: http://www.nickdaws.co.uk
Forum: http://www.mywriterscircle.com
Blog: http://www.mywritingblog.com
Authored by member 'sandy' (Sandy Mather) March 2007. Freelance Writer/NLP Practitioner
http://www.writingtoinspireyou.com
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Spelling Chequer (or, Don't Trust Your Word Processor!)Eye
halve a spelling chequer
|
You’re Having A Laugh!
Research has demonstrated that humour and laughter
have positive biological and psychological effects. A 'prescription of
laughter therapy' could give your immune system a boost, lower blood
pressure, reduce pain and give you an internal workout. A good 'belly
laugh' could be a great way of exercising particularly for those who are
unable or unwilling to visit the gym. This kind of 'internal jogging'
(worth 10 minutes on a rowing machine) can stop you taking yourself too
seriously, see the bright side more often and live longer as a result.
Norman Cousins, an American journalist suffering from
a painful illness - Ankylosing Spondylitis, became depressed by hospital
routines, food and the general atmosphere of misery. He decided to lift
his spirits by watching old comedy classics such as the Marx Brothers and
Candid Camera. Cousins discovered that 15 minutes of laughter gave him 2
hours of pain-free sleep. More recent research has shown that laughter
triggers the release of endorphins, a hormone which is the body's natural
pain killer. It is this hormone, released after exercise that gives you
the 'feel-good' factor.
This is all very well but how do you start laughing in the midst of a very real crisis or whilst experiencing severe pain. Not easily it has to be admitted but laughter is a very human emotion, said to have originated as a way of demonstrating to the rest of your family group that a danger had passed and the 'fight or flight' response was no longer needed. This also shows that humour, together with tears and anger are natural ways of releasing stress. Emotions are the body's thermostat and laughter comes with no side effects - well apart from 'splitting your sides', so if you are in need of a 'giggle' try this 'Laughter First Aid Kit' virtually guaranteed to 'beat the blues'...(the rest of this article is in the Members area) ~ Authored by member 'sandy' (Sandy) March 2007 |
Chocolate is Bad for You – Or Is It
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Let's Get Published. The web portal for both published and unpublished authors of all genre, fiction and non-fiction: sci-fi, science fiction, crime, romance, poetry, westerns, children, comedy, religion, cookery, cuisine, history, health & beauty, sport & fitness, politics... whatever your area of interest, you will find a welcome here!