First Love, Once Removed

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I have gone over to the dark side – or the light or bright side, depending on your publishing perspective.

Much to my delight, my sons actually do listen to me – it’s not all selective hearing.  Truly, I was not planting subtle hints but after hearing a few tentative, “I’m considering buying a…” they seized the day and bought me a Kindle Touch for Mother’s Day.

I’m still immersed in the User’s Guide, experimenting & playing with my new toy and, as yet, have downloaded only three books.  (I actually considered downloading my own e-book but concluded that would be counter-intuitive in terms of money spent/earned.)

Although I’ve finally embraced this new technology, some things never change.  The day after receiving my Kindle, I just happened to be in the neighbourhood of my favourite used book store and purchased two hold-in-both-hands print books.  I will never lose that love, that addiction.

And while on the topic of print publications, I recently received my contributor’s copy of the magazine containing my short story.  Never mind that I know exactly what the story is all about, seeing and holding a magazine or journal containing my work never fails to thrill me.  The remuneration is rather nice, too.

Why a Kindle?  I know many writers who have gone or are going the Amazon Kindle e-publishing route – best (only?) way to read their work.

photo credit: google images

At Long Last...

 (I always write in longhand first)

The drought is over.

I finally had a short story accepted for publication!

Some of you may remember that years ago I switched from writing “literary” stories to writing romance stories – a far more lucrative endeavour.  Complimentary copies of literary journals are lovely to receive, but I prefer cold hard cash – or cheques.

However, writing for the romance genre is lucrative only if you write regularly and submit!  These past few years my submissions have been few and far between.  I’ve received two honourable mentions (nice, but…), a “not suitable for our needs at this time but please submit further work,” (I didn’t) and a few basic rejections.  (Ouch.)  There are far more started-but-stopped attempts in my writing folder than submissions.

Why this failure to complete and submit stories when I love to write?  I can come up with a number of excuses (all boring and self-serving) but there is one that strikes me as quite plausible.  I had lost the ability to write the HEA (happily-ever-after) scenarios demanded by this genre.  A failure of imagination on my part.

Apparently, this impediment is gone – although I still don’t believe in HEA.  I never really did but at least I could imagine it… 

(As an aside, I do know of a few notable exceptions.  Still, I don’t think HEA is the norm.  Yes, I am a cynic.)

This recent acceptance has done wonders for my ego – has restored my confidence in my writing ability.  It’s time to dig out those incomplete stories and/or begin new ones.  While I may not be convinced as to happily-ever-after when it comes to love, the expression just might be applicable when it comes to my writing.

photo credit: http://www.sldozier.com/biog.html

Wordy

Submission Guidelines: Word Count – 2000
Beth’s word count: 2526

Submission Guidelines: Word Count – 800
Beth’s word count: 972


Yes, I am wordy.  And, yes, I have to do a great deal of editing.  Not on blog posts, although I probably should.  And I’m sure there are certain people who wish I was forced to adhere to a minimum word count in my emails.  As for Twitter?  I’m not yet ready to subject myself to the challenge of sticking to 140 characters.

One minor way to reduce my word count is to delete the word “that” whenever I’ve used it unnecessarily.  Which I do. 

Rule of thumb: If you read over your sentence and it makes sense without the word “that” – remove it.*

Example:
(I thought this was a good example because it uses “that” twice.)

I never knew that he felt that way.  (Get rid of the first “that.”)

I never knew he felt that way.  (The sentence makes sense minus the first “that” but the second “that” remains because it would NOT make sense if it read: “I never knew he felt way.”)

Are you still with me?

I don’t remember who gave me this advice but I’ve been using it ever since.  AND IT DRIVES ME CRAZY.  Instead of waiting for the editing process, I’m forever pausing to check my use of “that.”

Why am I sharing this with you?  Well, I thought it an interesting tidbit to pass along.  I’m also wondering if anyone else will now become as obsessive in regard to using the word “that.” 

Let me know.   ;)


*For a proper grammatical explanation re: the use of “that” – don’t rely on me – check elsewhere...read all about pronouns, clauses, etc.

Temporarily (?) Stalled

In response to a query as to how his day had gone, Jon (a writer) replies:

“….it was a plodding day. A fits-and-starts day. I did manage to establish an especially brilliant place for a semicolon.”

~ Stephanie Kallos - Sing Them Home

Jon’s words made me smile. It’s certainly progress of some sort when at the very least, there’s a place for a semicolon to go.

Alas, although I am managing to achieve many “starts” they are far outnumbered by the “fits.”

Real life has a way of interfering, of distracting me.

I need focus and discipline.

Hey – there's a big old fat fly buzzing at the window, the phone’s ringing, I need more coffee…



photo credit: http://family.moultriecreek.us/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/once-upon-a-time.jpg

How to Write

Write from the heart.

If I did that, you’d all be running scared.

Write from a place of truth.

See above. Ditto.

Write from passion.

If it’s lost – find it. If it’s buried – grab a shovel and start digging.

Write from strength.

Still and always strong, but sometimes tired.

Write from compassion.

I suspect I’m suffering from a surfeit of compassion – if that’s possible. The well is by no means running dry – I just have to direct some of that compassion toward myself.

Write from and with humour.

My sense of humour remains intact – it just doesn’t seem to be emerging in any of my writing or if it is, it’s a struggle.

Write about what you know.

I know I have limits. I know when I’m reaching those limits.

Although I am wise, witty & wonderful – oh, yes, indeed, I am – these w-words seem to have taken a hike lately. I think my plate is a little full.

It’s time to practice some portion control - starting with the main course. Me.

I’ve been down this path before. How and why do I keep ending up in the same damn place?



photo credit: http://www.fusedmagazine.com/2009/07/30/once-upon-a-time/

This Is Not A Plug

Okay, the above image is of a plug but the post itself isn’t one. My publisher would tear his (their) hair out to know I wasn’t promoting my own work but the truth is, I haven’t done any promoting for years – with the exception of providing a link on this blog.

The purpose of this post is to share my delight (warranted or not) in discovering that my e-book A Limited Partnership is listed on Amazon. I have no idea when it first appeared, but it’s there now!



The cover is courtesy of author and illustrator Patricia Storms. I can’t remember exactly how I found Patricia to do this work but once we met, it was the beginning of our friendship. I told her what I had in mind – no bodice ripping for me! – and she delivered. I love what she did.

If you check out the link, you might note the date of publication is 1996. I have not written a romance novel since. I wrote A Limited Partnership on a dare when informed there was a formula to writing romance. If a formula exists, it’s a challenging one. While I’ve written short story romance for magazines since then, I’ve never felt the urge or inclination to tackle another romance novel. I’ve made money on this book – the royalties have trickled in – but apparently the key to greater financial success in this genre is to keep churning them out – establish name recognition. I’ve done neither. My choice.

But, hey, it’s still a kick to see that book on Amazon.

I wonder how long it will remain up?


Note to Patricia – Check out the link on the publisher’s site for the Contemporary Romance selections – “our” book occupies the #1 spot. I think it’s because of the unique cover!

Heartfelt & Shameless...

(& thrilled to do it)…promotion for my talented, witty and beautiful friend - author and illustrator Patricia Storms!






Do check out Patricia’s blog re: the following events:


A book giveaway for her new book “The Pirate and the Penguin.” If you have a child or know of a child (you must know at least one) they would love this delightful story. Although I’m not a child (okay, sometimes maybe I am…) I love it and I own two copies. One will be given away as a Christmas gift and the other is mine to keep. Yes, I am the proud owner of an autographed copy.

Photo credit: Debbie Ohi

And for those of you living in Toronto or nearby, Patricia and her husband will be performing a skit based on the book Sunday, October 18 in Don Mills. Click on this link for details as to time, location, etc. I guarantee the skit will be great – and I oughta know. I’ve spent time with this woman. She possesses a talent for being funny & silly as well as for writing and illustrating.

Possible added bonus – you might just see me there! ;)


And just so you know, I wouldn’t promote anyone’s work if I didn’t love it.

Define Junk

When in a quiet, contemplative mood, don’t ever attempt to go through that drawer or box full of old diaries, journals and scraps of paper with scribbled thoughts and poetry from your childhood and youth with the thought of tossing them.

You will simply end up reading over all those things and it will break your heart – just a little bit – to visit that young girl you once were.

And so you’ll put it all back for another time – a time when you’re feeling tougher, a little more ruthless, more inclined to let go.

I wonder when that time will ever be?


I am in the process of purging throughout the house. My definition of what constitutes junk is impeding this process.


photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1196831

First Folder - Tenth Photo

Cid of Blog Like No One is Reading tagged me for a game of photo tag called First Folder - Tenth Photo. From the first folder of photos you created on your computer, you post the tenth photo.

I cheated. The tenth photo* was a goofy one of me. So, instead I’ve posted the eleventh photo. I’m also to do a brief write-up as to the story behind said photo, so here goes…

Before BooksEtc. came into being I’d started to create a blog to promote my writing. I scrapped the idea. However, I still have the folder of pictures and images I was going to use on that aborted blog. The above photo is one of them.

Yes, I have written for some of the various True Magazines - those legendary romance rags. These particular stories of mine do not represent my finest literary efforts but they’re not as easy to write as one might assume and the competition is fierce. The money is excellent – certainly better than the little or no monies received for publication in literary journals.

My story A Fairytale Prince & All That Jazz made it on the cover of this particular magazine. It was actually quite a thrill at the time. When you write for these magazines you don’t receive any credit – i.e. your name is not used. That’s okay with me - again, the money makes it all worthwhile .

This was an interesting tag in that it prompted me to write about something I’ve never mentioned before on this blog. And although I cheated with the photo, I did use that First Folder.

If you’re interested in participating, consider yourself tagged.

Sherry? Bee? The Bodhi Chicklet? Oreneta? Cip? Guy? Reeny? Deidre? Laughingwolf? Cheryl? Zhu? AMC?

Anyone??? Come on, play with me.


* Can’t believe I ever considered using that goofy picture on that blog…yikes…

Communicating

“I had never learned how to talk like a girl, the way Rae could…my natural language was all private. What came out when I spoke was only a hacked-up version of the thoughts that lay graceful and complete in my brain.”

Rich In Love – Josephine Humphreys


I can relate to this quotation - both the talking like a girl part and the hidden private language bit. Perhaps it explains one of the reasons I love to write, communicate via the written word. When I speak, my words seem jumbled to me. The sense of them, the meaning – all that I truly want to say – never seem just right. If I’m unable to articulate all those graceful thoughts, at least I can attempt to express them on paper.

I wonder if this brain to mouth malfunction is the reason I was never very good at flirting? I’m still not.

And just in case that first quotation wasn’t perfectly clear, here’s an even better one to explain the (my) dilemma.

"When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it."

A. A. Milne

Drought Over

I finally did it. I started, completed and submitted a piece of writing.

This is a very big deal for me. It’s been far too long. No excuses.

“If the desire to write is not accompanied by actual writing, then the desire must be not to write.” Hugh Prather

Well, the desire was there but the actual doing had hit a major snag. And although I’ve previously mentioned suffering from writer’s block, there is really no such thing. If you consider yourself a writer, you sit your ass down at the computer and YOU WRITE.

Which I did. I was just never able to finish anything. And the more I fretted over this, the more frustrated I became and would just walk away from the precious few pages I had produced.

I was suffering from writer’s stall. The engine finally sputtered into drive.

It will be months before I hear whether the piece is accepted for publication and I’ve long since learned to live with the possibility of rejection. But this time, acceptance or rejection was not my ultimate goal (although an acceptance would be nice). Nor is the money (although that too would be nice). The goal was to create a beginning, middle and end – to complete something I am proud of.

Which I did. And when I hit that “Send” button I experienced such an enormous sense of satisfaction and relief.

(So, stop writing about what you did, Beth, and start doing it again…)

Oops

When I write for my blog:

I dangle participles.

I end sentences with a preposition.

I screw up subordinate clauses.

I begin sentences with And or But.

I use too many dashes – (parentheses) and ellipses…

I split infinitives.

I make typos.

i lose the caps.


But (!) I am also quite capable of writing a grammatically correct sentence. (Or should that read, “I am also quite capable of writing a sentence that* is grammatically correct”?) However, there’s a certain sense of freedom and abandonment I experience when I write a blog post. There are no hard and fast rules. Or, at least, there’s no teacher or editor standing over me brandishing a ruler. My knuckles are safe.

Ain’t blogging grand?

Do I think blogging, MSN, text messaging, Twitter (or whatever…) will ultimately be responsible for the demise of the English language and proper grammar usage? Nope. Not as long as people continue to read books. Best teacher ever…

Owning The Elements of Style (Strunk and White) also helps.


* Should I have used "that" or "which"? Check with The Elements of Style.

Happiness Is...

Beth is happy about:

The arrival of spring but not the annual invasion of (big) ants.

The fact that two of her boys are home but not the fridge door being left open all night.

The increased vitality of her dog but not the daily challenge of getting him to take his RX. (It’s actually crossed my mind to tempt him with paté.)

The fact that she is finally writing again but not that she received a big fat rejection (rejections are all big and fat) from the publisher who had previously accepted prior submissions. (I’ll simply submit elsewhere – I’m still thrilled to be writing again…)

The fact that my son Ted will be home from Europe next Tuesday but – HEY, THERE ARE NO BUTS ABOUT THIS ONE!


(And J., if you are reading this, enjoy your visit with my boy. Behave yourselves!)

My Life in Six Words

Dorky Dad (sort of) tagged me to sum up my life in six words.

I say “sort of” because he used the words: “And I won’t oblige BookBeth to do this meme… but I won’t complain if I read it on her blog sometime in the near future.” It’s hard to resist such a decisive challenge.

Interesting. I’d previously posted about The Six-Word Memoir back in March 2007 inspired by Tim of Baby Got Books. I invited others to submit their creations and posted them on my blog. Some of us (myself included) also submitted our memoirs to Smith Magazine.

Last week I received an email from Smith Magazine alerting me to the fact the book Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure has been published with great success. (Is mine included? Don’t know.)

So, for Dorky Dad, I have once again summarized my life in six words and once again, I invite others to join me. Leave your memoir in the comments section and I’ll post them.

You can also submit to Smith Magazine. They’re going to publish yet another book. It’s simple to do and you could become a published writer!


My contribution(s):
(I cheated – I did three – theme – life is a game…)


Still figuring out how to play.


Penalties, off-sides
Tripping, face-offs
Shoots, scores!


skipping along
tripping along
still dancing



Come on, you guys, play with me!

Yup, It's Me

As penance for my unexplained absence, I’ve composed a special message using a lexicon I am not fond of (and that’s putting it mildly).

I tackled the modern day, unique lingo which consists of abbreviations, acronyms and expressions used in text messaging, e-mail, etc.

(Woe to the integrity of the English language!)

Do keep in mind that it drove me crazy doing this. It was a true labour of love.


2WIMC:

LTNS. SRY for being NA lately. :(

PLZ4GVME.

For you, it’s been BAU. Not so EZY for me. FWIW, I haven’t been shopN or going to a PRT or ZZZZZZZ. GMAB!

Things have been 2Ht2Hndl IRL, KWIM? Maybe YHTBT. ;-)

But now it’s GR8 and I’m F2T. ^5!

Know that I am TDTU. (TIC)

U4E,
Beth


(Brutal. I planned on making the message longer but lost my patience, stamina and will. If you need a translation, let me know.)

Tongue in Cheek?

Shari of Literally Blind-Sided tagged me to do a post about writing.

I’m late responding – my apologies, Shari.

Apparently there are no rules or regulations to this tag (or none that I could see) so I’m doing my own thing.

And my thing is this: A brief list of quotations on the subject of writing that I find humorous, inspirational and to the point.


“Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very." Your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

Mark Twain


“Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.”

Author Unknown


“Be obscure clearly.”

E.B. White


“A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one.”

Baltasar Gracián


“As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out.”

Mark Twain


The quotation below differs from the above – and speaks to me on a very personal level.

“I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”

Joan Didion


No tagging from Beth on this one – but if you’ve got a good quotation or thought to add, please do.

Call for Aspiring Writers!

My multi-talented blog buddy Patricia Storms (illustrator, artist, cartoonist, writer) of BookLust has illustrated a fabulous book entitled Good Granny Bad Granny by Mary McHugh.

And I know whereof I speak. I bought a copy. It’s a hoot – both the text and Patricia’s illustrations. It’s also become a loving, endearing keepsake of mine. (Someday, I hope to become a Granny who combines the qualities of the two.)

Patricia is currently hosting a Good Granny Bad Granny contest on her blog. Check out the contest details here.

If you have a Good Granny or Bad Granny tale to tell, give it your best shot.

Not only could you receive a prize for your efforts, but if your story is one of the winners it will be posted on BookLust.

And let me tell you, Patricia’s blog is read by many, many people in the literary world! (Great exposure.)

I’ve started my own tale for submission and have discovered it would be far easier to do if I’d had an all-round Good Granny. It’s turning out to be quite the trip down memory lane.

Take your own trip – see what you can discover. And write about it!

PDA

(And I’m referring to my Personal Disaster Area, not a Personal Digital Assistant or Public Display of Affection…)

Yes, it’s my work area – my messy desk, my refuge.

Note the number of yellow post-its stuck to my computer. Evidence of an ongoing battle with my memory.

And for someone who considers themselves to be extremely organized, the desktop of my computer is a disaster area. Must get on that.

Wow, when I actually look at the picture (rather than just plunking myself down in the chair) I’m appalled.

And that wall mounted A/C is hideous.

At least you can’t see the swarming mass of electrical cords under the desk.

Beth, get with it! It’s September - the start of a New Year. (Well, in a mother’s world and in the world of kids.)

Clear up the mess, make some room and start producing a masterpiece.

(Or, at the very least, a nice little short story you’ll get paid for.)

No News

Me? Gone fishing? Give your head a shake.

That’s one topic that’s never come up on this blog. There’s a good reason for that. I don’t fish. I don’t even do “catch and release.”

(I'm familiar with that phrase because I have a humane fisherman in the family.)

Nah, I’m just using this as a euphemism for “I haven’t got time for a (semi) decent post today.”

Imagine. Life is interfering. I don’t even have any pithy post (say that fast — three times) tucked away for emergency use.

I’ve been writing like a fiend this week because I am disgusted with my lack of writing and submissions. I managed to get a rough draft done and now I have to pick it apart. That’s hard to do when every word you put to paper is so meaningful and poignant. (Uh-huh.)

It strikes me that I could have simply not written anything on this blog today. But that is so not me.

I am a very responsible person. As in, compulsive, neurotic, addictive…

Must shut up. Back to work.

I Love Words!

The following people joined me in a “playing with words” exercise. They all created a six word memoir. (See yesterday’s post.)

Not only did I have fun creating mine, I enjoyed reading theirs.

Good sports all.

Thanks for “playing.”


Oreneta:

Change, challenge
Question, Push
Ponder, Adore.

Rebecca:

"It did not happen that way."

Msp:

"Men dogs houses love my kids"

Trish:

flirt, blush
glee, push
swaddle, dash

Princess Pointful:

“Loved, lost, and everything in between.”

Dorky Dad:

“Six words? Don't know six words.”

DJ Cayenne:

“For the real story - see wife.”

“Never chose to learn from mistakes.”

“Left home for proverbial greener pastures.”


My efforts? They don’t bear repeating. See yesterday’s post if you’re curious.


And now back to my regularly scheduled life where I’m supposed to be using words to further my freelance “career.” I have started three different pieces and hit writer’s block with each one. Not good. It’s much more fun playing.

I must employ the three D’s method of getting back on track.

Avoid Distraction.
Use Discipline.
Just DO it!