S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 71
January 1, 2015
December 31, 2014
Best of PBW 2014
It's the last day of the year, when I traditionally sort through the archives to see how things went, what I accomplished (or didn't) and get some ideas on ways in which to improve things with PBW and my writing life.
I don't think I ever officially picked a theme for 2014 (or if I did, I can't find the post), although I did work on finishing a lot of things I'd left undone. I also made my first public appearance as an author and attended my first convention since 2003, and scared the bejesus out of Shiloh Walker by crashing one of her booksignings.
While I had no fun dealing with a cyberattack on the blog this month, the scariest time this year was when my vision began rapidly deteriorating, a fact I kept from nearly everyone until after I had back-to-back eye surgeries. Despite all the stress involved (like the fact that I was completely conscious during operation #2) they not only restored my vision but made it better than it's ever been. I am so grateful to my doc and his crew, my family and friends who looked after me, and for the support from all my online pals. I can assure you I will also be be thankful every time I open my eyes for the rest of my life.
Although there has been plenty more to complain about, I find it very difficult to focus on the negative aspects of my 2014. I saw a wonderful writer and colleague find success on her own terms with a book I absolutely loved. Over the summer I took the road trip of a lifetime with my kid and finally made it all the way to Maine. With my writing I revisited an old favorite and I kept writing in a universe I love. After being unemployed for half the year I found new work opportunities that are interesting and fun.
In the wake of so many heartbreaking losses and tragedies that came along with 2014 I think the writing community needs to remember to be kind to each other, and that everything hurtful, petty and negative can be combatted with laughter and the work. Outside of family and friends those two may be the most important elements in any writer's life.
Here's a look back at what I think were the best posts of 2014:
January: Didn't Got Build, Perfection, You Like Me, You Really Like Me! For £50
February: Argh Ten, Split Seconds, Unlikely Inspiration,
March: Quilt Show Ten, Blast from the Past: Novelworld, Con Ten
April: New Cover Art, Will Write for Kittens, Spark My Story
May: Catching Threads, Floating Comma Hidden SPAM, Dreaming Up Story
June: LJ's Ten, The Art of Journals, By the Book
July: What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Sorry, No Fairy Dust, Blog No-Nos
August: Water? Glass? Both?
September: Job Gen, Crew No-Nos
October: NaNo Ten, Say It Ten, Such a Character
November: NaNoisms Ten, Bonsaing Inspiration, The 29
December: Gift No-Nos, Knock-Off No-Nos, Ten Things I Hate About Your Holiday Story
Welcome 2015. Take it easy on us, will you?
I don't think I ever officially picked a theme for 2014 (or if I did, I can't find the post), although I did work on finishing a lot of things I'd left undone. I also made my first public appearance as an author and attended my first convention since 2003, and scared the bejesus out of Shiloh Walker by crashing one of her booksignings.
While I had no fun dealing with a cyberattack on the blog this month, the scariest time this year was when my vision began rapidly deteriorating, a fact I kept from nearly everyone until after I had back-to-back eye surgeries. Despite all the stress involved (like the fact that I was completely conscious during operation #2) they not only restored my vision but made it better than it's ever been. I am so grateful to my doc and his crew, my family and friends who looked after me, and for the support from all my online pals. I can assure you I will also be be thankful every time I open my eyes for the rest of my life.
Although there has been plenty more to complain about, I find it very difficult to focus on the negative aspects of my 2014. I saw a wonderful writer and colleague find success on her own terms with a book I absolutely loved. Over the summer I took the road trip of a lifetime with my kid and finally made it all the way to Maine. With my writing I revisited an old favorite and I kept writing in a universe I love. After being unemployed for half the year I found new work opportunities that are interesting and fun.
In the wake of so many heartbreaking losses and tragedies that came along with 2014 I think the writing community needs to remember to be kind to each other, and that everything hurtful, petty and negative can be combatted with laughter and the work. Outside of family and friends those two may be the most important elements in any writer's life.
Here's a look back at what I think were the best posts of 2014:
January: Didn't Got Build, Perfection, You Like Me, You Really Like Me! For £50
February: Argh Ten, Split Seconds, Unlikely Inspiration,
March: Quilt Show Ten, Blast from the Past: Novelworld, Con Ten
April: New Cover Art, Will Write for Kittens, Spark My Story
May: Catching Threads, Floating Comma Hidden SPAM, Dreaming Up Story
June: LJ's Ten, The Art of Journals, By the Book
July: What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Sorry, No Fairy Dust, Blog No-Nos
August: Water? Glass? Both?
September: Job Gen, Crew No-Nos
October: NaNo Ten, Say It Ten, Such a Character
November: NaNoisms Ten, Bonsaing Inspiration, The 29
December: Gift No-Nos, Knock-Off No-Nos, Ten Things I Hate About Your Holiday Story
Welcome 2015. Take it easy on us, will you?
December 30, 2014
?Writer
While I'm wrapping up 2014 I thought I'd finally address the white elephant that has been sitting on the blog since May -- the fact that I have no new releases and I haven't sold anything (that you can know is my work, anyway).
I've had my ups and downs with Publishing, and sure, this year could be called something of a downer. The series it took me four years to sell and two years to promote was cancelled one month after publication of the second book -- not what anyone would call uplifting. I consider this series the best thing I've written in years, however, so I'm happy I got the shot, and grateful to everyone who supported it. I will probably write a couple more stories set in the Toriana universe for fun, and post them online as free e-books, but that's likely all that will happen with Kit and the crew.
Of course I could go indie and begin self-publishing some new books on my own, because that's what almost everyone does now when their publisher says adieu or traditional publishing isn't working for them. Some authors are doing both indie and traditional, while others are bypassing publishers entirely and just moving ahead entirely on their own. I have immense respect for all authors who go this route; I think they're the most courageous writers out there.
I have been self-publishing for fifteen years by posting free stories online (yes, everyone forgets that.) I do need to make a living, however, and while self-publishing for profit is tempting, I've found something better.
Since October I've been freelancing as a copywriter and writer-for-hire, which is the better something. I was fortunate to land a couple of terrific ghost writing gigs, and I just accepted one client's third contract offer in as many months. Every project has been fast and fun, with extremely reasonable deadlines, and the pay is comparable to what I was making publishing my own works (I'm also paid for my work on the same day I turn it in, which never happens with traditional publishers.) One of my recent ghost projects became a bestseller* two weeks after it was released, so that was a nice confidence booster, too.
I can't tell anyone what I'm writing, which I admit sucks, but such is the nature of ghosting. It's a trade-off for all the other things I don't have to do, such as selling it, negotiating a fair contract, dealing with editors (good bad or indifferent), being on-call for the publisher 24/7, proofing and usually rewriting the copy, fighting for decent cover art, correcting bookseller listings, writing bios, dodging bio photo requests, sending it out for review, promoting it on the blog, and imposing on other bloggers to help me promote it, waiting months or sometimes years for payment, etc.
If I opted to self-publish, I'd have to do all of the above and more on my own, and to turn out a professional-level book I'd also have to hire an editor, a cover artist, a technical person to help me with all the technical details, and possibly some sort of publicity service. Which as all indie authors can tell you can get very, very expensive. Once I paid for all that (assuming I could even afford to), I'd put my self-pubbed book out there and hope enough people want to read it that I can make a profit -- out there with all the other hundreds of thousands of self-pubbed books -- all while praying the self-publishing host doesn't change their terms, demand a bigger percentage, mishandle my listing, etc.
This is another reason why I admire indie authors -- just thinking about dealing with all they have to do freaks me out. So while I respect indie publishing, and I am happy for everyone for whom it works, it's simply not a good choice for me.
Ghost writing costs me nothing. I write, I get paid, and I'm done. I'm valued and treated with respect by my clients as well, which is very nice. I don't know if I'll keep ghosting forever -- I'd love to work with Adam Wilson over at Pocket again, as I think he's pretty close to the perfect editor -- but for now I'm enjoying the freedom and the complete lack of hassle involved in my writer-for-hire work. More importantly it pays the bills, the IRS, my medical insurance premiums, my kid's college tuition and so forth, all of which I know isn't your problem, but I need to deal with most of these things for the next fourteen years until I can officially retire.
I'm also considering putting up a writer-for-hire section on the blog, which if I do will just be a page on the sidebar that lists my services and rates. I don't really want to use the blog in this way, but again I have to be practical, and it wouldn't be in anyone's face like ads or buy buttons.
I became a writer first by using longhand on a legal pad and then tapping out my stories on a manual typewriter. I spent ten years getting rejections in the mail every week before I landed my first contract offer. I've never been scared of hard work, putting in the extra hours, and taking the road less traveled. I'm also not afraid of change. The changes I've made this year have contributed significantly to making my writing life less stressful and more productive.
I know the fact that I'm focusing now on writer-for-hire work will disappoint some of my readers. I'm sorry about that, too. After putting so much work into the last series only to see it cancelled, I feel just as disappointed, but I need to be realistic. I also don't want to drag out hopes for another series revival for years and years, as I did with StarDoc and Darkyn. I don't think that's fair to you or me.
I'm still making a living doing what I love, and no matter what form that takes, for me it will always be a privilege and a joy. I also love this blog, and the people who visit here, and you have to know that's not going to change. So: let's move ahead, not worry about the future, and see what happens as it happens.
*I am not the ghost writer who penned the book for that Youtube chick Zoe whatever, just in case someone is assuming that.
I've had my ups and downs with Publishing, and sure, this year could be called something of a downer. The series it took me four years to sell and two years to promote was cancelled one month after publication of the second book -- not what anyone would call uplifting. I consider this series the best thing I've written in years, however, so I'm happy I got the shot, and grateful to everyone who supported it. I will probably write a couple more stories set in the Toriana universe for fun, and post them online as free e-books, but that's likely all that will happen with Kit and the crew.
Of course I could go indie and begin self-publishing some new books on my own, because that's what almost everyone does now when their publisher says adieu or traditional publishing isn't working for them. Some authors are doing both indie and traditional, while others are bypassing publishers entirely and just moving ahead entirely on their own. I have immense respect for all authors who go this route; I think they're the most courageous writers out there.
I have been self-publishing for fifteen years by posting free stories online (yes, everyone forgets that.) I do need to make a living, however, and while self-publishing for profit is tempting, I've found something better.
Since October I've been freelancing as a copywriter and writer-for-hire, which is the better something. I was fortunate to land a couple of terrific ghost writing gigs, and I just accepted one client's third contract offer in as many months. Every project has been fast and fun, with extremely reasonable deadlines, and the pay is comparable to what I was making publishing my own works (I'm also paid for my work on the same day I turn it in, which never happens with traditional publishers.) One of my recent ghost projects became a bestseller* two weeks after it was released, so that was a nice confidence booster, too.
I can't tell anyone what I'm writing, which I admit sucks, but such is the nature of ghosting. It's a trade-off for all the other things I don't have to do, such as selling it, negotiating a fair contract, dealing with editors (good bad or indifferent), being on-call for the publisher 24/7, proofing and usually rewriting the copy, fighting for decent cover art, correcting bookseller listings, writing bios, dodging bio photo requests, sending it out for review, promoting it on the blog, and imposing on other bloggers to help me promote it, waiting months or sometimes years for payment, etc.
If I opted to self-publish, I'd have to do all of the above and more on my own, and to turn out a professional-level book I'd also have to hire an editor, a cover artist, a technical person to help me with all the technical details, and possibly some sort of publicity service. Which as all indie authors can tell you can get very, very expensive. Once I paid for all that (assuming I could even afford to), I'd put my self-pubbed book out there and hope enough people want to read it that I can make a profit -- out there with all the other hundreds of thousands of self-pubbed books -- all while praying the self-publishing host doesn't change their terms, demand a bigger percentage, mishandle my listing, etc.
This is another reason why I admire indie authors -- just thinking about dealing with all they have to do freaks me out. So while I respect indie publishing, and I am happy for everyone for whom it works, it's simply not a good choice for me.
Ghost writing costs me nothing. I write, I get paid, and I'm done. I'm valued and treated with respect by my clients as well, which is very nice. I don't know if I'll keep ghosting forever -- I'd love to work with Adam Wilson over at Pocket again, as I think he's pretty close to the perfect editor -- but for now I'm enjoying the freedom and the complete lack of hassle involved in my writer-for-hire work. More importantly it pays the bills, the IRS, my medical insurance premiums, my kid's college tuition and so forth, all of which I know isn't your problem, but I need to deal with most of these things for the next fourteen years until I can officially retire.
I'm also considering putting up a writer-for-hire section on the blog, which if I do will just be a page on the sidebar that lists my services and rates. I don't really want to use the blog in this way, but again I have to be practical, and it wouldn't be in anyone's face like ads or buy buttons.
I became a writer first by using longhand on a legal pad and then tapping out my stories on a manual typewriter. I spent ten years getting rejections in the mail every week before I landed my first contract offer. I've never been scared of hard work, putting in the extra hours, and taking the road less traveled. I'm also not afraid of change. The changes I've made this year have contributed significantly to making my writing life less stressful and more productive.
I know the fact that I'm focusing now on writer-for-hire work will disappoint some of my readers. I'm sorry about that, too. After putting so much work into the last series only to see it cancelled, I feel just as disappointed, but I need to be realistic. I also don't want to drag out hopes for another series revival for years and years, as I did with StarDoc and Darkyn. I don't think that's fair to you or me.
I'm still making a living doing what I love, and no matter what form that takes, for me it will always be a privilege and a joy. I also love this blog, and the people who visit here, and you have to know that's not going to change. So: let's move ahead, not worry about the future, and see what happens as it happens.
*I am not the ghost writer who penned the book for that Youtube chick Zoe whatever, just in case someone is assuming that.
December 29, 2014
The Final Monday Ten
After ten years of writing lists of ten things practically every week, I've decided to wrap up the Monday ten things feature and do something else in 2015. I'm sure I'll still write ten lists, but from here on out they'll pop up at random versus every Monday.
Since this will be the last of the feature lists, I've put together:
Ten Things About PBW's Ten Things Lists
How Many? According to Blogger and my tags I've written 460 ten lists in ten years. Or, counting this one, 461.
More Than Words: Not all the ten lists were made of words and links; here's one I made with an airshow photo slideshow.
Most Popular: The most-viewed ten things list is 2006's Ten Things About Web Site Design and Management.
Most Surprising: Probably my Back Again ten list when I finally told everyone about the eye issues.
Most Unpopular: Oddly enough the prize for the list that generated the largest number of angry e-mails goes to Ten Things I Hate About Your WorldBuilding; in particular the cracks I made about royal ladies and bathrooms in stories, which I have been repeatedly told were unforgiveable (and for this reason I have not apologized to all the fantasy writers and fans who consider the inbred and the restroom as sacred and untouchable topics; you guys are never going to forgive me anyway.)
Most Unusual: If I had to pick I'd say probably 2010's Ten Things I've Never Told Anyone About StarDoc, as I hardly ever divulge that sort of behind-the-scenes stuff.
My Favs: I try not to play favorites, but I've always thought Ten Things I've Resolved to Do and Ten Signs that You May Be Writing a Literary McNovel were my funniest lists.
My Other Fav: My ten things slideshow from my trip to Savannah is my favorite picture list, probably because it was the first time I was able to show my guy the one city in America I most adore.
Premiere: The first Monday Ten list appeared on PBW waaaaaaay back on November 8th, 2004.
Recorded, Not Written While recovering from my first eye surgery I was basically blind for a couple of weeks, so I dictated Ten Things About How to Pronounce Those Odd Names & Words I Write into a recorder and my friend Jilly typed it up for me.
Since this will be the last of the feature lists, I've put together:
Ten Things About PBW's Ten Things Lists
How Many? According to Blogger and my tags I've written 460 ten lists in ten years. Or, counting this one, 461.
More Than Words: Not all the ten lists were made of words and links; here's one I made with an airshow photo slideshow.
Most Popular: The most-viewed ten things list is 2006's Ten Things About Web Site Design and Management.
Most Surprising: Probably my Back Again ten list when I finally told everyone about the eye issues.
Most Unpopular: Oddly enough the prize for the list that generated the largest number of angry e-mails goes to Ten Things I Hate About Your WorldBuilding; in particular the cracks I made about royal ladies and bathrooms in stories, which I have been repeatedly told were unforgiveable (and for this reason I have not apologized to all the fantasy writers and fans who consider the inbred and the restroom as sacred and untouchable topics; you guys are never going to forgive me anyway.)
Most Unusual: If I had to pick I'd say probably 2010's Ten Things I've Never Told Anyone About StarDoc, as I hardly ever divulge that sort of behind-the-scenes stuff.
My Favs: I try not to play favorites, but I've always thought Ten Things I've Resolved to Do and Ten Signs that You May Be Writing a Literary McNovel were my funniest lists.
My Other Fav: My ten things slideshow from my trip to Savannah is my favorite picture list, probably because it was the first time I was able to show my guy the one city in America I most adore.
Premiere: The first Monday Ten list appeared on PBW waaaaaaay back on November 8th, 2004.
Recorded, Not Written While recovering from my first eye surgery I was basically blind for a couple of weeks, so I dictated Ten Things About How to Pronounce Those Odd Names & Words I Write into a recorder and my friend Jilly typed it up for me.
December 28, 2014
Unresolved
The older I get, the less keen I am to make New Year's resolutions. It's not due to past failures -- I succeed with resolutions about 80% of the time -- but more about making positive changes when they need to happen. That's generally not on January 1st. I'm even a little reluctant to choose a theme or a word for the new year. 2011's theme of change turned out to be more of a jinx than anything.
I've also gotten to the point in life where I've made all the major health and lifestyle improvements that I need or want. I've whittled down my diet to exactly what it should be, and I've been sticking to it for so long that temptations really aren't a problem anymore -- or maybe I've just learned how to cope better with them. I've gained a bit of weight this year, primarily due to being house-bound after my surgeries, but now that I can see and go outside again I'll restart my exercise regime and work it off. Probably the biggest positive change I've made this year (aside from having my eyes fixed) is finally getting my insomnia under control, which is a huge blessing.
Creatively speaking I've already made one major change with the writing (more on that later this week) that will likely occupy me for most if not all of 2015. I've considered trying another year-long art project like the photoblog was for 2009 or the 1000K cards project in 2012. Since I seem to be on a three-year cycle with year-long art projects I'm even due for one. I'm still thinking it over, so I'll probably start off the year by making some new little quilts and cat beds for the kitties at the no-kill shelter and then after that see what comes to mind.
I suppose what I'd like most to happen in 2015 is to be open to the possibilities, so I don't miss any when they come my way. Have you made any resolutions for 2015? Or are you as unresolved as I am? Let us know in comments.
Image credit: Konstanttin
December 27, 2014
Opinions Wanted
At present I'm mulling over what to do next year on the blog; I think my primary goal will be housekeeping; I do need to tidy and update the different pages on the sidebar that have broken links or need some reworking. As for regular features, I really enjoy Just Write Thursdays and video Fridays, so I think I'll keep them going. I will be ending the weekly ten things feature on Monday, however, as I've probably listed 99% of the writer-helpful freeware out there already, and decent, no-fee-involved sub ops for writers are becoming pretty scarce. Plus there are only so many Ten Things I Hate About [insert fiction topic] lists I can write.
I'd also like to update a few more things like The Novel Notebook and some of my older freebies that are in desperate need of reformatting, and maybe redo the entire free reads library with proper cover art and short descriptions of the stories. I may also turn some of my old how-to and workshop posts into e-books (Novel Outlining 101 is still getting hundreds of hits every week.)
There is one thing I need to take care of sooner versus later: I need to find an alternative to Google Docs as a storage/hosting site for my library of freebies. If anyone has any solid recs for low-cost, dependable and easily accessible storage/hosting services I'd love to know what they are (but because they've ripped off readers in the past by charging them to access my free works Scribd.com is not a possibility for me.) I'm even open to putting them up on a commercial site like Smashwords as long as I can keep them free and accessible by anyone on the planet.
What would you like to see here on PBW in 2015? More of the same, or something new? Any specific suggestions? Let me know in comments.
Graphic credit: © Yellowj | Dreamstime.com
December 26, 2014
Santa's Downtime
Ever wonder what Santa and his crew do once the big day is done? Here's a cute inside peek (with music and narration, for those of you who were force by Scrooges to go to work):
Tis the Season from Jens & Anna on Vimeo.
December 25, 2014
December 24, 2014
UK Love
This video is for Fran K as well as my cousins and friends across the pond, and anyone who appreciates a lovely snowday:
Snowing in London from Don McVey on Vimeo.
December 23, 2014
Off to Make Merry
I'm unplugging today to visit friends and family. So your visit is not a complete waste of time, here's a slideshow of some lovely felines I met while making my Christmas donation visit to a no-kill cat shelter:
Also, one more link for you, if you're feeling brave -- Anne Frasier posted a very scary Christmas story on her blog that will make you much nicer on the phone the next time you answer a telemarketer's call.
Also, one more link for you, if you're feeling brave -- Anne Frasier posted a very scary Christmas story on her blog that will make you much nicer on the phone the next time you answer a telemarketer's call.
S.L. Viehl's Blog
- S.L. Viehl's profile
- 224 followers
S.L. Viehl isn't a Goodreads Author
(yet),
but they
do have a blog,
so here are some recent posts imported from
their feed.
