Randi Samuelson-Brown's Blog, page 3
November 5, 2017
Old West Pictures
On my website I have collected a lot of pictures from my travels to historical western sites:
Bannack Montana
Virginia City Nevada
Leadville, Colorado
Butte, Montana
Genoa, Nevada
Bodie, California
Old photographs of prostitutes and fortune tellers.
I find that pictures are a great inspiration for stories, and for confirming buildings and layouts for stories and novels.
www.randisamuelsonbrown.com
Bannack Montana
Virginia City Nevada
Leadville, Colorado
Butte, Montana
Genoa, Nevada
Bodie, California
Old photographs of prostitutes and fortune tellers.
I find that pictures are a great inspiration for stories, and for confirming buildings and layouts for stories and novels.
www.randisamuelsonbrown.com
October 25, 2017
Thanks for interest in The Beaten Territory!
I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to review The BEATEN TERRITORY. It means a lot!!
Randi
Randi
September 29, 2017
September 23, 2017
Historical Writers of America Conference
Right now I am enjoying the company of other authors, agents and readers at the Historical Writers of America. This is their second conference, and while it is small - it is very nicely done! Tonight George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame will be speaking.
Always a pleasure to visit the state of New Mexico!
Always a pleasure to visit the state of New Mexico!
August 25, 2017
Writing Craft posts - Etymological Dictionary
I am a self-confessed research nerd - ever since childhood I was tucked away in some corner of a library or the house, book in hand! I also must disclose that I was a History Major - both undergrad and grad. So what I'm getting to is the fact that there are still things I didn't know when I started writing the BEATEN TERRITORY (upcoming publication date October 18, 2017 - pre-order available now).
The first major discovery - and I do mean MAJOR - is use an etymological dictionary. What, pray tell, is that? That is your new best friend. Somehow in all my years of studies, I had missed that one. An etymological dictionary proves you with the origins of words and phrases. For example
For example, I was using the term “racket” to cover police graft in 1890 Denver. If I mean racketeer activities, that origin is 1928. When I read that, I could almost hear the voice of a mobster in a movie. While the dictionary goes on to give further information - such as “dishonest activity” 1785, perhaps stemming from “rack rents”. I decided my Denver folk weren’t familiar with the concept of rack rents, and decided to use “protection money” - meaning “freedom from molestation in exchange for money.” This term and usage was in existence in the United States by 1864.
Hustle - FYI - in the sense of illegal activities dates from 1963.
You see what I am getting at. But I didn’t know any of this until I sat down with a non-fiction editor at a writer’s conference - the best $40 I have ever paid. The last thing you want is to use phrases and terms that were not in existence during the period your novel is set. It will ring untrue, and will alienate your readers who are truly clued in. And you need those folks on your side.
The first major discovery - and I do mean MAJOR - is use an etymological dictionary. What, pray tell, is that? That is your new best friend. Somehow in all my years of studies, I had missed that one. An etymological dictionary proves you with the origins of words and phrases. For example
For example, I was using the term “racket” to cover police graft in 1890 Denver. If I mean racketeer activities, that origin is 1928. When I read that, I could almost hear the voice of a mobster in a movie. While the dictionary goes on to give further information - such as “dishonest activity” 1785, perhaps stemming from “rack rents”. I decided my Denver folk weren’t familiar with the concept of rack rents, and decided to use “protection money” - meaning “freedom from molestation in exchange for money.” This term and usage was in existence in the United States by 1864.
Hustle - FYI - in the sense of illegal activities dates from 1963.
You see what I am getting at. But I didn’t know any of this until I sat down with a non-fiction editor at a writer’s conference - the best $40 I have ever paid. The last thing you want is to use phrases and terms that were not in existence during the period your novel is set. It will ring untrue, and will alienate your readers who are truly clued in. And you need those folks on your side.
July 25, 2017
My Path to Publication
My first book is being released in October 2017 - a full eighteen months after the contract was signed. I thought about all the different workshops/paths I have attended and followed with the sole goal of finding and acquiring an agent. Conventional wisdom was that without an agent, a writer would never get published unless they self-published. In the mad dash to attract an agent, some things got overlooked (at least by me). Perhaps people had mentioned them all along, but I didn't hear their message because my eye was on the end prize - an agent. Since then, my ideas and focus have changed a bit. This is my path - and I hope it shows that there are other alternatives/ways to publication success.
First - Take writing classes and pay attention to craft. You probably won't get published if your writing is not up to the mark. Exchanging positive and supportive writing critiques links you into the writing community and makes you a valued contributor.
Second - Take advantage of opportunities as they arise - and they WILL arise. Enter writing contests. Success here means that you will acquire important writing credits which can be listed in query letters to agents. Writing credits provide some "street cred" which helps attract the right attention.
Third - Writers Conferences. These cost money but provide a lot of information regarding the business of writing and publishing, as well as craft seminars. Most have pitch sessions with editors and agents where you might just connect. Meeting an agent or editor at a writer's conference increases your attractiveness. Make sure when you are submitting your requested materials to one of those you have met - that you put the conference name in your email subject line. It allows you to stand out from the people who actually know nothing about the business of writing.
Fourth - Research the marketplace for smaller presses. If a company is publishing comparable books to what you are working on or have finished, they might be interested in yours! Many take unsolicited and unrepresented manuscripts.
Fifth - Make sure your project is really DONE done, before you start shopping it around. This alleviates stress on your end. No, I did not take this advice initially, and got stressed out as requests started coming in.
My path? All of the above. I entered a short story contest for Women Writing the West, and was a finalist! I was so excited! Although I didn't win, the awards were being given during their Writer's Conference, which happened to be local. Of course I signed up to go! There I met an agent (who did not end up representing me) but all of a sudden, I started becoming a person, and not just a random name. I pitched a book that wasn't even finished yet to an acquiring editor. Now that book (The Beaten Territory) is being published by Five Star Publishing and the release date is October 18 2017. And I still don't have an agent :-)
www.randisamuelsonbrown.com
First - Take writing classes and pay attention to craft. You probably won't get published if your writing is not up to the mark. Exchanging positive and supportive writing critiques links you into the writing community and makes you a valued contributor.
Second - Take advantage of opportunities as they arise - and they WILL arise. Enter writing contests. Success here means that you will acquire important writing credits which can be listed in query letters to agents. Writing credits provide some "street cred" which helps attract the right attention.
Third - Writers Conferences. These cost money but provide a lot of information regarding the business of writing and publishing, as well as craft seminars. Most have pitch sessions with editors and agents where you might just connect. Meeting an agent or editor at a writer's conference increases your attractiveness. Make sure when you are submitting your requested materials to one of those you have met - that you put the conference name in your email subject line. It allows you to stand out from the people who actually know nothing about the business of writing.
Fourth - Research the marketplace for smaller presses. If a company is publishing comparable books to what you are working on or have finished, they might be interested in yours! Many take unsolicited and unrepresented manuscripts.
Fifth - Make sure your project is really DONE done, before you start shopping it around. This alleviates stress on your end. No, I did not take this advice initially, and got stressed out as requests started coming in.
My path? All of the above. I entered a short story contest for Women Writing the West, and was a finalist! I was so excited! Although I didn't win, the awards were being given during their Writer's Conference, which happened to be local. Of course I signed up to go! There I met an agent (who did not end up representing me) but all of a sudden, I started becoming a person, and not just a random name. I pitched a book that wasn't even finished yet to an acquiring editor. Now that book (The Beaten Territory) is being published by Five Star Publishing and the release date is October 18 2017. And I still don't have an agent :-)
www.randisamuelsonbrown.com
July 19, 2017
Western and Frontier Fiction Reading List
Working on the BEATEN TERRITORY I found myself searching for good examples in the fiction genre and finding non-fiction that would provide a good feeling of the times and the subject matter of Denver in the 1890's - especially regarding vice.
I compiled two lists toward that end - Fiction and Non-Fiction. I have also included a brief review. Opinions are entirely my own.
If you have read some fiction that really impressed you and that is not on the list, please let me know and I'll check it out and possibly include it.
http://www.randisamuelsonbrown.com/we...
I compiled two lists toward that end - Fiction and Non-Fiction. I have also included a brief review. Opinions are entirely my own.
If you have read some fiction that really impressed you and that is not on the list, please let me know and I'll check it out and possibly include it.
http://www.randisamuelsonbrown.com/we...
