Robert Raymer's Blog, page 27
February 13, 2011
My Copy of Spirit of Malaysia Has Arrived with an Added Surprise!
Spirit of Malaysia (Editions Didier Millet, 2011) just arrived at my house in Borneo! Finally I get to see all of those 150 stunning photos in color in book form. While working on the project, I had them available on the computer so I could describe them for the photo captions. My two mock copies that I worked from, one with pseudo Latin text for layout and spacing purposes, and the final version to edit were both in black and white (no color printer at home). I had forgotten how great those photos were. Again, I can't take credit for them—the photo credits are all listed on the last page. For a sneak peek, see the link below! The photos were chosen by Editions Didier Millet even before I was brought on board to write the text. I was just glad for the opportunity to help out, though initially a challenge for me to relearn Malaysia after 25 years of living here—so much has changed, so many news things to discover!
Deadlines and a signed contract, by the way, are powerful motivators. Without them, many books would never get written!
Introduction:
To think of the spirit of Malaysia is to conjure up images of celebration and festivity, a sweeping panorama of kampongs to longhouses, temples and mosques, sleepy provincial towns and modern cities. A fascinating fusion of tradition and modernity is set amidst a tropical backdrop of lush rainforest, languid rivers and stunning beaches. Here too are to be found an alluring mix of peoples, religions, customs, architecture and experiences—with Malays, Chinese, Indian, European, Arab, Thai, and indigenous influences blending to create a truly unique nation, rich in culture and heritage.
Table of Contents
Indroduction History and heritage People and cultures Food glorious food Geography and economy Getty Around
Kuala LumpurLangkawi and PenangMalaccaJohor and Negri SembilanNorthwest MainlandPahangEast CoastSabah and Sarawak
And for the added surprise, a cool sampling of the photos and turning those pages check this out. If you've never done this before, put your cursor at the bottom right corner to turn the pages and drag it from right to left. After a few tries you'll get the hang of it. This was a first for me, too. My first entry into the e-book world. Now I see what the fuss is all about – how they're making it more like a real book.
To be honest, I still prefer the book I just got in the mail today. This is something I can sink my teeth into! Then there's that new book smell.[image error]
February 12, 2011
Writers in Borneo Attracting Success
In late November, with nothing official on the horizon in terms of writing assignments coming in or anything being published, I made a subtle change to the title of my blog by adding two more words to the name Borneo Expat Writer: Attracting Success. Within a week I got an offer to write about some hotels for a guidebook and a nibble from a French publisher that turned into something big. Coincidence? Maybe? I don't think so. More importantly, I quickly acted on both to make sure they came through by taking immediate action and following through.
Then last month Han, a poet from KL, was coming to Kuching to visit friends and wanted to meet with some other writers, preferably poets. Someone suggested me, and although I'm not a poet, I agreed to meet him and invited a few other writers, most of who could not come because of the extremely short notice. But another American writer who I had recently met did agree to come. Not knowing how familiar Han or his friends were of Kuching, I suggested Khatulistiwa Restaurant, which has a strategic location at the Kuching waterfront.
Altogether it was an enjoyable evening meeting some new people, none of us hardly knew each other. Conversations were disjointed, too. Dominic, who I had invited along because I was critiquing his book about Bidayuhs (and briefly met at one of my writing workshops and who actually writes poetry), spoke mostly with Tom on one side of the table, while I smoke with Han, and Han's two female friends who sat at the end spoke to each other in Chinese. Then Tom joined our conversation and Dominic pretty much kept to himself, no doubt digesting some of the comments and suggestions I had made about his book just prior to the others arrival.
After Han had to leave to catch his flight home and Dominic returned home, Tom and I started talking, American to American, writer to writer, and stayed another two hours brainstorming ideas about our writing. We agreed to meet again the following month at the same place. Although I had a feeling we were on to something big, a regular gathering of writers in Kuching, something I've been wanting for about four years now, I wanted to start this slowly, adding one or two other writers at a time and then see if we can forge something that would be useful to all of us and gradually grow. Tom thought of another writer who has written several books that we both were familiar with but had never met. As it turned out, she was out of the country. I invited Annie who had published some articles, writes a blog, and had written a memoir.
My intention was to keep the meeting focused on us, how we could help one another in our writing in a positive, productive way. What I didn't want was the typical writers get together to gripe about how hard it is to be a writer because of ____. Fill in the blank. Instead what I wanted for us to ask the how questions. How can we achieve our writing goals? How can we improve as a writer? How can we get our blogs better known? How can be attract more success in our writing? How can we publish more books? No easy answers, but the right questions will put you on the correct path.
I also thought it's a good idea to start each meeting with talking about our writing success since our last meeting. What have we written, sold, published? To attract success you must focus on your success—every day, every week, every month. The more conscious you are about your successes, the more you'll attract even more successes into your life. Success breeds more success. Even with a little success, achieving a personal goal with your writing, can get you all fired up, even inspired. You start to see the possibilities. And that's something I'm starting to see while meeting other writers in Kuching.
I've also just today, attracted my 10,000th view for my blog, 1,733 just in the last month. Let's make that 100,000 by the end of this year. In order to get where you want to be, you need to know where you are. That was something that came out of our first two meetings, discussing where we are exactly. Prior to that, I never checked my stats. Didn't have a clue. Now I know exactly where I'm at. I'm an expat writer in Borneo @ Borneo Expat Writer: Attracting Success.[image error]
Then last month Han, a poet from KL, was coming to Kuching to visit friends and wanted to meet with some other writers, preferably poets. Someone suggested me, and although I'm not a poet, I agreed to meet him and invited a few other writers, most of who could not come because of the extremely short notice. But another American writer who I had recently met did agree to come. Not knowing how familiar Han or his friends were of Kuching, I suggested Khatulistiwa Restaurant, which has a strategic location at the Kuching waterfront.
Altogether it was an enjoyable evening meeting some new people, none of us hardly knew each other. Conversations were disjointed, too. Dominic, who I had invited along because I was critiquing his book about Bidayuhs (and briefly met at one of my writing workshops and who actually writes poetry), spoke mostly with Tom on one side of the table, while I smoke with Han, and Han's two female friends who sat at the end spoke to each other in Chinese. Then Tom joined our conversation and Dominic pretty much kept to himself, no doubt digesting some of the comments and suggestions I had made about his book just prior to the others arrival.
After Han had to leave to catch his flight home and Dominic returned home, Tom and I started talking, American to American, writer to writer, and stayed another two hours brainstorming ideas about our writing. We agreed to meet again the following month at the same place. Although I had a feeling we were on to something big, a regular gathering of writers in Kuching, something I've been wanting for about four years now, I wanted to start this slowly, adding one or two other writers at a time and then see if we can forge something that would be useful to all of us and gradually grow. Tom thought of another writer who has written several books that we both were familiar with but had never met. As it turned out, she was out of the country. I invited Annie who had published some articles, writes a blog, and had written a memoir.
My intention was to keep the meeting focused on us, how we could help one another in our writing in a positive, productive way. What I didn't want was the typical writers get together to gripe about how hard it is to be a writer because of ____. Fill in the blank. Instead what I wanted for us to ask the how questions. How can we achieve our writing goals? How can we improve as a writer? How can we get our blogs better known? How can be attract more success in our writing? How can we publish more books? No easy answers, but the right questions will put you on the correct path.
I also thought it's a good idea to start each meeting with talking about our writing success since our last meeting. What have we written, sold, published? To attract success you must focus on your success—every day, every week, every month. The more conscious you are about your successes, the more you'll attract even more successes into your life. Success breeds more success. Even with a little success, achieving a personal goal with your writing, can get you all fired up, even inspired. You start to see the possibilities. And that's something I'm starting to see while meeting other writers in Kuching.
I've also just today, attracted my 10,000th view for my blog, 1,733 just in the last month. Let's make that 100,000 by the end of this year. In order to get where you want to be, you need to know where you are. That was something that came out of our first two meetings, discussing where we are exactly. Prior to that, I never checked my stats. Didn't have a clue. Now I know exactly where I'm at. I'm an expat writer in Borneo @ Borneo Expat Writer: Attracting Success.[image error]
February 9, 2011
Lovers and Strangers Revisited is Being Translated into French -- it's Official!
It's official—the contract has been signed—Lovers and Strangers Revisited is going to be translated into French by Éditions GOPE, who specialize in Southeast Asia. The French version will be sold mainly in France, but also in Hong Kong, Thailand and Cambodia and marginally in Switzerland and Belgium.Although they'll be using the same cover, the French title will be "Trois autres Malaisie" which literally translates as "Three Other Malaysia". As Éditions GOPE explains it, it's a short way to say "let's discover three faces of Malaysia, the Malay, the Chinese and the Indian". (Living in Sarawak, I'm aware that is not true, but it is for most of Peninsular Malaysia.)
The main reason for the title change is because the book will be a part of a series of three books. Trois autres Thaïlande by Etienne Rosse is the first book, already published, mine will be the second book, and the third will be about the Philippines. What these books have in common is that they're collections of short stories that are mainly portraits of the people in the countries where they are set.
[image error] As you can see, when you compare the Thai book to mine, there's even a one eye motif on the two covers. Éditions GOPE will also be setting up a website/blog for Trois autres Malaisie similar to what they've done for the Thai book.
Translating it into French will add about 20% to the length, so two stories may have to be dropped. For now we're considering "Waiting" and "Dark Blue Thread" (since it deals with issues that are similar to "Only in Malaysia", one of the two stories added to the MPH 2008 edition).
Yes, I will be re-editing the stories again; several have already been done in my on-going efforts to publish more of the stories in the US market. No, I won't be translating my story-behind-the-story blog series into French. Then again, who knows? For an extra Malaysian touch, the French translator, Jerome Bouchaud has written a guidebook on Malaysia "Malaisie - Modernité et Traditions en Asie du Sud-Est", and is based here in Langkawi.
I'm hoping all of this will lead to the English version of LSR to finally break away from Malaysia/Singapore to a much wider audience, as have many of the individual stories. Éditions GOPE has expressed an interest to help promote the MPH version in Thailand, since he's already selling to the major book distributor AsiaBooks and possibly elsewhere (maybe Hong Kong, where "On Fridays" was recently published in Cha one of the two stories that initially attracted their attention.) So the legacy of the original collection, Lovers and Strangers, published way back in 1993 by Heinemann Asia for their "Writing in Asia Series" continues to grow. . . .As of now, the collection has been published three times in English, and the 17 short stories set in Malaysia have been published 78 times in 11 countries, taught in SPM literature, several universities and private colleges, and the MPH edition even won the 2009 Popular-The Star Readers Choice Awards. Not too bad, and now it's getting translated and going to France!
So it looks like Mrs. Koh from "Neighbors" will soon be gossiping and bad-mouthing people in French! There goes the neighborhood. [image error]
Being Organized is Half the Battle
I did not spend today as planned. This often happens even when I do have a vague plan and a list of things to do. In fact, I have lists everywhere, some dating back a couple of months (neglected while rewriting my novels for Amazon contest) and that's part of the problem. Well today is part of the solution. Unable to sleep I got up at 4:55am and although I planned to do some editing, I saw those lists and decided enough is enough! I needed to get on top of things, so I grabbed all of them, and all the other notes buried under other stuff, and other notes that probably have grandchildren by now, and I started to go through them and began creating a new list for today, for the rest of February, for February and March (the last two months of the first quarter – January is long gone!), and for the rest of the year.
I wrote down my goals, my Big Rock projects that need to be scheduled first thing in the morning or they'll never get done, and then broke those and others down into different categories, like those related to writing—books, articles, work for hire projects, networking/publicity—then those under personal & family.
I thought this might take me a good hour, but I kept finding other lists, and other notes, and thought, while I was at it . . . . Then I kept finding stuff that got me excited about the possibilities and I ended up making more notes about these and trying to find a place on the schedule to fit them in, this quarter or next quarter (yes, I've already started on April-June, and even added some reminders for July-September). It ended up taking me all morning, but I felt so relieved. All this clutter was on the verge of burying me! Finally I felt caught up, back in control of my writing life!
Of course being organized is half the battle. The other half is actually completing those tasks and crossing them off my lists, or advancing them in the right direction. Otherwise it's so easy to lose sight of the direction you're heading. It's so easy to get caught up on the sideshows of writing and missing the main events. For me, that means completing projects that will end up as a book or at least put food on the table (and pay for our house might help, too…)
As the old saying goes, If You Fail to Plan, You're Planning to Fail. Corny, but oh so true! If you're in the business of writing, and writing is a business, why shoot yourself in the foot, assuming you can find it amid all those notes and lists cluttering your office. If you don't plan ahead several weeks, several months, several years in advance, those weeks, months and years will go by pretty quickly, and at some point you've look back at all those wasted years and scratch your head and ask where did it all go?
What happened to that novel you were planning to, someday, write? By the way, or so I've heard, the highway to hell is paved with good intentions. We all have them; we have regrets, too. Personally I want to minimize those regrets, and get a lot of stuff done and see a lot of books get written, but that won't happen if I'm totally disorganized. Then again, if you spend all your time organizing nothing will get done. You got to find that right balance between chaos and efficiency. Because it's that other half of the battle that really matters, taking action of your writing life and charging forward to victory! [image error]
I wrote down my goals, my Big Rock projects that need to be scheduled first thing in the morning or they'll never get done, and then broke those and others down into different categories, like those related to writing—books, articles, work for hire projects, networking/publicity—then those under personal & family.
I thought this might take me a good hour, but I kept finding other lists, and other notes, and thought, while I was at it . . . . Then I kept finding stuff that got me excited about the possibilities and I ended up making more notes about these and trying to find a place on the schedule to fit them in, this quarter or next quarter (yes, I've already started on April-June, and even added some reminders for July-September). It ended up taking me all morning, but I felt so relieved. All this clutter was on the verge of burying me! Finally I felt caught up, back in control of my writing life!
Of course being organized is half the battle. The other half is actually completing those tasks and crossing them off my lists, or advancing them in the right direction. Otherwise it's so easy to lose sight of the direction you're heading. It's so easy to get caught up on the sideshows of writing and missing the main events. For me, that means completing projects that will end up as a book or at least put food on the table (and pay for our house might help, too…)
As the old saying goes, If You Fail to Plan, You're Planning to Fail. Corny, but oh so true! If you're in the business of writing, and writing is a business, why shoot yourself in the foot, assuming you can find it amid all those notes and lists cluttering your office. If you don't plan ahead several weeks, several months, several years in advance, those weeks, months and years will go by pretty quickly, and at some point you've look back at all those wasted years and scratch your head and ask where did it all go?
What happened to that novel you were planning to, someday, write? By the way, or so I've heard, the highway to hell is paved with good intentions. We all have them; we have regrets, too. Personally I want to minimize those regrets, and get a lot of stuff done and see a lot of books get written, but that won't happen if I'm totally disorganized. Then again, if you spend all your time organizing nothing will get done. You got to find that right balance between chaos and efficiency. Because it's that other half of the battle that really matters, taking action of your writing life and charging forward to victory! [image error]
February 7, 2011
Spirit of Malaysia - advance information. In bookstores soon!
978-981-4477-35-6RM49.90
December 2010Readership: General and tourists
80 pp
260 mm x 220 mm (portrait)Soft cover
Description Malaysia – the multi-faceted tropical nation at the heart of Southeast Asia – has a spirit of its own. A melting-pot of Malay, Chinese, Indian, colonial and indigenous influences has created a stunning array of landscapes, architecture, culture and festivals. Spirit of Malaysia takes the reader on a whirlwind tour – from the bustling metropolises of Kuala Lumpur and George Town to the tranquil padi fields of Kedah and from the rainforests of Sarawak to the idyllic beach resorts of myriad tropical islands. Packed with up-to-date photographs of the country's varied treasures this fascinating visual feast is the ultimate souvenir for visitors wanting to capture the true spirit of Malaysia.HighlightsContemporary design Visually driven layouts containing more than 160 stunning photographsMaps of Peninsular Malaysia, East Malaysia and Kuala LumpurIntroduction covering Malaysia's history, geography, economy, people, culture, arts and travel networkAuthorRobert Raymer has lived in Malaysia for more than 20 years, and is now based in Kuching, Sarawak. He taught creative writing at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and prior to that was at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang. Hundreds of his articles and short stories have appeared in dozens of publications including The Literary Review, Thema, London Magazine, My Weekly, Silver Kris, Going Places, The Writer, and Readers Digest. He is the author of the books Lovers and Strangers Revisited (MPH: 2008), a heavily revised and expanded version of Lovers and Strangers (Heinemann Asia: 1993), and Tropical Affairs: Episodes from an Expat's Life in Malaysia (MPH: 2009). # # # Above is the advance info sheet sent to bookstores from Editions Didier Millet for Spirit of Malaysia (though I messed up the graphics) soon to reach the book stores. Here are a couple of links to photographers whose pictures are in side for a sneak peak. Most of them have already received their copy. My copy is on the way. Always an exciting moment for the writer, and for everyone involved in this project. A better moment is seeing it in the bookstores. And in someone's hand! While they are reading it. Caught in the act. This has only happened to me once outside of a bookstore, at the Kuching airport. Hey, that's my book! [image error]
February 4, 2011
We Are Who We Choose to Be
This is a powerful Will Smith interview whereby he talks about the Law of Attraction, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and getting ahead in life by choosing who you want to be. This is from a guy who has done some amazing things in his life starting as a hit-making, song-writing teenager, to a star in of a hit TV program, to a string of iconic movies. And yes, he still sings.
What he says also applies to writing, choosing who you want to be and out hustling others to get the deals you want and that means beating out those who are more talented, more smarter than you. When it comes to writing, talent is a given, but it's not enough. It often comes down to, how how hard are you willing to work, and how bad do you really want it.
For example the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, I know some talented, unpublished writers, who are thinking about entering, but who probably won't get around to it, or others who will try on the last day and find themselves closed out and will make excuses, blaming everyone but themselves.
Meanwhile, I'm working around the clock rewriting novels, redoing the excerpts, and going over those pitches until I'm sick of them, but that's what it takes. I may not win, I may not even get to round two, but right now, like everyone else who has entered, I have a chance, and I'm taking that chance given to all of us. It comes down to what choices are you choosing to make? It comes down to pushing yourself just a little harder to get where you want to be.
I believe, if you put your self out there, if you give yourself a fighting chance, magic will happen. At the very least, you can tell yourself, you did your best, and you went down fighting. And who knows, your dreams might even come true. Will Smith is living proof of that.[image error]
What he says also applies to writing, choosing who you want to be and out hustling others to get the deals you want and that means beating out those who are more talented, more smarter than you. When it comes to writing, talent is a given, but it's not enough. It often comes down to, how how hard are you willing to work, and how bad do you really want it.
For example the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, I know some talented, unpublished writers, who are thinking about entering, but who probably won't get around to it, or others who will try on the last day and find themselves closed out and will make excuses, blaming everyone but themselves.
Meanwhile, I'm working around the clock rewriting novels, redoing the excerpts, and going over those pitches until I'm sick of them, but that's what it takes. I may not win, I may not even get to round two, but right now, like everyone else who has entered, I have a chance, and I'm taking that chance given to all of us. It comes down to what choices are you choosing to make? It comes down to pushing yourself just a little harder to get where you want to be.
I believe, if you put your self out there, if you give yourself a fighting chance, magic will happen. At the very least, you can tell yourself, you did your best, and you went down fighting. And who knows, your dreams might even come true. Will Smith is living proof of that.[image error]
January 30, 2011
Getting Started with Pre-Writing Techniques - Quill Annual 2011
This is a revised, expanded version of last year's article in The Writer. Note for Illustration 1, circles should be used, not squares.
[image error]
[image error]
January 27, 2011
Early Mornings and Borneo Blackouts
Now that my six year old is in primary one, I have to wake up at 5:45 each morning to help my wife to get the two boys ready for school, so she can leave by 6:15, especially during the monsoon season when torrential downpours back up traffic. For her it's extra driving into town and then back out to the Free Trade Zone. For me, since I'm wide awake now, I stroll into my office, turn on my computer and get to work. Luckily I have a two minute commute.
Getting up early used to be a big problem for me as I wrote in "Much Ado about Sleep" in Tropical Affairs. But when your children are schooling you don't have much choice, and that can be a good thing.
Since the school year started on January 3rd, my logged-in working hours has taken a significant jump. This is why I've been able to revise my novel so often. Although this does lead to burnout, when I continue to work in the evenings, after reading to the boys and putting them to bed, especially if I stay up past 11, which I've done every day this week. One night last week, pushing a deadline, I was up until 4am, having started at 6:15am, so I worked nearly around the clock. "Are you crazy?" my wife asked. "No, just sleepy." So last night with my novel out to Amazon, and also needing to catch up on some sleep, I was relieved there was a lightning storm, common this time of the year. I was in the midst of doing the dishes, and I dropped everything to save the blog I was working on since I hadn't given it a file name, and shut everything down, and unplugged the computer. Having heard one too many stories about someone losing their computer (and every file in it) from lightning, I'm now quick to react. As soon as I got back to the dishes, lightning struck again and we had a blackout. The boys panic since it's pitch black in our house, while Jenny and I scramble to get some candles lit, using the stove for our fire source. Only then can we see the batteries to load into our flashlights. Batteries rot fast around here; maybe since it's the tropics.
By eight, with work officially done courtesy of the blackout, we get the boys upstairs where they brush their teeth and change into their pajamas by candle light. They refuse, however, to sleep in their own rooms without a night light, so we all settle into our bed and after reading them a candle-lit story, get a good night's sleep. In theory, anyways. Getting to the boys to quit poking and kicking each other is another matter. When the power comes back on at 9:30, after moving the boys to their own beds, and with Jenny falling asleep, I sneak back downstairs to post yesterday's blog, doubly glad I had followed my instincts and saved it.
By the way, do you know how far away the lightning is from you? Since light travels faster than sound, as soon as you see a lightning flash count one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. If you hear the sound, it's three miles away. If you hear the lightning even before you get to one thousand and one, it's pretty darn close. One recent afternoon I saw this huge flash that looked as if it was just outside by backdoor, and the sound was immediate. My house and computer got lucky that day, but my modem was destroyed. Early mornings and blackouts in Borneo. It's all a part of my writing routine.
-Robert Raymer, Borneo Expat Writer[image error]
Getting up early used to be a big problem for me as I wrote in "Much Ado about Sleep" in Tropical Affairs. But when your children are schooling you don't have much choice, and that can be a good thing.
Since the school year started on January 3rd, my logged-in working hours has taken a significant jump. This is why I've been able to revise my novel so often. Although this does lead to burnout, when I continue to work in the evenings, after reading to the boys and putting them to bed, especially if I stay up past 11, which I've done every day this week. One night last week, pushing a deadline, I was up until 4am, having started at 6:15am, so I worked nearly around the clock. "Are you crazy?" my wife asked. "No, just sleepy." So last night with my novel out to Amazon, and also needing to catch up on some sleep, I was relieved there was a lightning storm, common this time of the year. I was in the midst of doing the dishes, and I dropped everything to save the blog I was working on since I hadn't given it a file name, and shut everything down, and unplugged the computer. Having heard one too many stories about someone losing their computer (and every file in it) from lightning, I'm now quick to react. As soon as I got back to the dishes, lightning struck again and we had a blackout. The boys panic since it's pitch black in our house, while Jenny and I scramble to get some candles lit, using the stove for our fire source. Only then can we see the batteries to load into our flashlights. Batteries rot fast around here; maybe since it's the tropics.
By eight, with work officially done courtesy of the blackout, we get the boys upstairs where they brush their teeth and change into their pajamas by candle light. They refuse, however, to sleep in their own rooms without a night light, so we all settle into our bed and after reading them a candle-lit story, get a good night's sleep. In theory, anyways. Getting to the boys to quit poking and kicking each other is another matter. When the power comes back on at 9:30, after moving the boys to their own beds, and with Jenny falling asleep, I sneak back downstairs to post yesterday's blog, doubly glad I had followed my instincts and saved it.
By the way, do you know how far away the lightning is from you? Since light travels faster than sound, as soon as you see a lightning flash count one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. If you hear the sound, it's three miles away. If you hear the lightning even before you get to one thousand and one, it's pretty darn close. One recent afternoon I saw this huge flash that looked as if it was just outside by backdoor, and the sound was immediate. My house and computer got lucky that day, but my modem was destroyed. Early mornings and blackouts in Borneo. It's all a part of my writing routine.
-Robert Raymer, Borneo Expat Writer[image error]
January 26, 2011
Put Your Writing First and the Rest of Your Life Will Follow
My wife visited the Indonesia border market at Serikin, Sarawak and picked up a nice rattan mat. I'm always amazed how a new piece of furniture, even if it's just a mat, can set off a chain reaction of shifting furniture, cleaning, and revamping the whole downstairs if not the entire house.
This applies to taking a fresh look at your novel. I thought I was done with The Boy Who Shot Santa and ready to enter it into the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, but then I innocently thought I'll just have a quick look at the first page to confirm it's ready to go. I shifted a word here and there, added a phrase, and since I liked the changes I was making, I thought maybe I should have a fresh look at the entire excerpt (between 3000-5000 words), and then I thought, why not the first fifty pages for James Jones First Novel Fellowship coming up in March. Then I thought, what if I spend a couple more days on this and just go through the whole novel one more time, just in case, then I can sent it out on Monday with a clear conscience.
It's thoughts like these that can wreck the next three days of your life, not to mention losing sleep to meet the opening deadline, thus putting everything else I had planned for those days on hold. But then I remind myself, this novel is one of those Big Rock projects that if you don't do first, you'll never make time for later. There aren't that many unpublished novel contests out there that I'm qualified to enter and the three or four that I know are bunched up at the beginning of the year, so this is the time. Not later, when you have more time, but now!
I also believe that if you put your writing first, the rest of your life will follow, something I've been putting into practice for some time now, whether writing first thing in the morning, or first thing in the evening or whenever you choose to write.
So last night around midnight (Tuesday evening in Borneo), I finally got the novel sent off to Amazon. Ok, it's day late, but in better shape! Those who procrastinate too long, risk not getting it in on time (there's a two week window of opportunity—maybe); or risk getting closed out (that's the maybe, part). Since they accept the first 5000 manuscripts in two categories from around the world, and anyone with a semblance of a novel, even those rushed, hatchet jobs pumped out in November for NaNoWriMo qualify. Then there are all those self-published novels, and e-novels…it seems every writer in the world has at least one novel stashed away somewhere, so why not dust it off and sent it in. In other words, those 5000 places can go by fast.
Whether the novel is polished or off-the-top of your head, spit-it-out-fast-before-you-lose-it-affair, it still comes down to that 300-word pitch. (And beginning writers often get their published friends to write their pitches for them, agents lament. This becomes obvious when they request to see the full manuscript.) Since the pitch is the key that opens round two for the Amazon (or an agent's interest in the real world), can you blame them? Just means the rest of us have to make darn sure that our pitches are even better than merely good. They have to be great.
Wish me luck on my pitch and my novel, too, and I wish you—all of you who are thinking about entering or are submitting to agents—luck too. For me, this is the year to just go for it. And cleaning your house now and then doesn't hurt. A by-product of the chain reaction of the Serikin-mat buying and house revamping was that I ended up with a nice rocking chair in my office, where it's finally getting some use by everyone in my family except me. I've been too busy writing to rock. But oh, it does look tempting…[image error]
This applies to taking a fresh look at your novel. I thought I was done with The Boy Who Shot Santa and ready to enter it into the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, but then I innocently thought I'll just have a quick look at the first page to confirm it's ready to go. I shifted a word here and there, added a phrase, and since I liked the changes I was making, I thought maybe I should have a fresh look at the entire excerpt (between 3000-5000 words), and then I thought, why not the first fifty pages for James Jones First Novel Fellowship coming up in March. Then I thought, what if I spend a couple more days on this and just go through the whole novel one more time, just in case, then I can sent it out on Monday with a clear conscience.It's thoughts like these that can wreck the next three days of your life, not to mention losing sleep to meet the opening deadline, thus putting everything else I had planned for those days on hold. But then I remind myself, this novel is one of those Big Rock projects that if you don't do first, you'll never make time for later. There aren't that many unpublished novel contests out there that I'm qualified to enter and the three or four that I know are bunched up at the beginning of the year, so this is the time. Not later, when you have more time, but now!
I also believe that if you put your writing first, the rest of your life will follow, something I've been putting into practice for some time now, whether writing first thing in the morning, or first thing in the evening or whenever you choose to write.
So last night around midnight (Tuesday evening in Borneo), I finally got the novel sent off to Amazon. Ok, it's day late, but in better shape! Those who procrastinate too long, risk not getting it in on time (there's a two week window of opportunity—maybe); or risk getting closed out (that's the maybe, part). Since they accept the first 5000 manuscripts in two categories from around the world, and anyone with a semblance of a novel, even those rushed, hatchet jobs pumped out in November for NaNoWriMo qualify. Then there are all those self-published novels, and e-novels…it seems every writer in the world has at least one novel stashed away somewhere, so why not dust it off and sent it in. In other words, those 5000 places can go by fast.
Whether the novel is polished or off-the-top of your head, spit-it-out-fast-before-you-lose-it-affair, it still comes down to that 300-word pitch. (And beginning writers often get their published friends to write their pitches for them, agents lament. This becomes obvious when they request to see the full manuscript.) Since the pitch is the key that opens round two for the Amazon (or an agent's interest in the real world), can you blame them? Just means the rest of us have to make darn sure that our pitches are even better than merely good. They have to be great.
Wish me luck on my pitch and my novel, too, and I wish you—all of you who are thinking about entering or are submitting to agents—luck too. For me, this is the year to just go for it. And cleaning your house now and then doesn't hurt. A by-product of the chain reaction of the Serikin-mat buying and house revamping was that I ended up with a nice rocking chair in my office, where it's finally getting some use by everyone in my family except me. I've been too busy writing to rock. But oh, it does look tempting…[image error]
January 19, 2011
Spiders and Scorpions and Applying What You've Learned
There's nothing like starting the writing morning with a large spider under your computer. It's not a tarantula, but I'm sure, if it wanted to, it could do some damage to my toes. One morning, while frantically marking exam papers at home, I kept hearing this clicking, scratching sound beneath my desk. Finally, I had a look. It was a scorpion. This is an area where my children sometimes play with their toys. I figured I had one crack at this. I grabbed a board and I knew that if I didn't kill it, it would find plenty of places to hide in my cluttered office and haunt me for the rest of my writing life, or until I moved. I smashed the scorpion and one of my knuckles in the process.
In life you got to apply what you've learned. Living in Borneo, I've learned to always check my shoes and moccasins before I put them on. In writing, I'm applying what I learned from Joel Roberts, the media guru, from his three-day media event in Singapore. The three big lessons for me were, don't run away from your credentials, create impact with your words, and pay attention to the media. The first two I began applying right away when writing to editors and agents or during interviews because I'm selling myself and my writing. If I can't say good things about me (without bragging), who will?
For the media, Roberts' mantra was that you have to find ways to connect yourself, or the products you sell, to what's happening in the news, and you have to react fast because yesterday's story can get old in light of news-breaking events. It's all about timing. So when the story broke about Representative Gabrielle Giffords being shot and a little girl was killed in Tucson, coupled with yet another school shooting in Omaha, it clicked. The novel that I've been pitching to agents The Boy Who Shot Santa is about that very issue, so I added the following to my query letters:
Due to the tragic shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and recent school shootings in Omaha and LA (kids/teens with guns, and kids being shot—the 9-year old girl in Tucson), I feel that my novel, THE BOY WHO SHOT SANTA, is as timely as ever. Rachel Layton is a voice of reason against guns. This gun issue in America is definitely coming to a head; politically, it's huge in more ways than one. About time, too, before there's another assassination attempt…or another child/teen is involved as a shooter or as a victim.
Then I go into my pitch. Is it working? Too soon to tell. Agents are inundated with query letters from writers and they often take weeks and months to get back to you, plus even more time once they've requested your work, but in order to stand out, having your book tied to a national or international story can't hurt. Suddenly you and your work have become relevant; they can visualize a target market for your book, too (anti-gun crusaders, concerned mothers about the safely of their children at school). To make sure they don't miss the tie in, I stick it in the subject line of the email: Query: The Boy Who Shot Santa—tie in to tragic Arizona shooting.
So I'm applying what I've learned, and since that story broke, I've been rewriting my novel with a vengeance in anticipation for agents wanting to see more and also for the upcoming Amazon Breakthrough Writing Awards. The Amazon contest, by the way, is a must for any would be novelist. Why? Because it forces you to fine tune your pitch down to 300 words, to concentrate on your opening chapters, the first 3000-5000 words, and also the entire novel. All three have to be perfect. If there's no impact with your pitch (Joel Roberts again), you don't advance to the next round (same with agents and editors); if your opening chapters are weak, they won't even bother with the rest of the book, despite your great, earth-shattering ending (same with agents and editors); and if the whole book doesn't hold together nicely, it shows that you're all talk (pitch) but no action (novel). Agents get that a lot at writing conferences where writers can really talk up their books, but haven't gotten around to polishing or finishing or even starting it…
So, what have you learned and have begun to apply to make 2011 your breakout year as a writer? Far too many writers, it seems, have given up hope; they've become jaded by the harsh realities of the last two years. For me, I see hope, so long as I'm learning to write better and learning new ways to make my writing relevant. Learning, by the way, is must if you ever expect to grow as a writer. Because in life (think of plants), if you're not growing, you're dying.
As for the spider, it got away. I have a feeling it'll be back when I least expect it….I'll learn from that, too. —Robert Raymer, Borneo Expat Writer
[image error]
In life you got to apply what you've learned. Living in Borneo, I've learned to always check my shoes and moccasins before I put them on. In writing, I'm applying what I learned from Joel Roberts, the media guru, from his three-day media event in Singapore. The three big lessons for me were, don't run away from your credentials, create impact with your words, and pay attention to the media. The first two I began applying right away when writing to editors and agents or during interviews because I'm selling myself and my writing. If I can't say good things about me (without bragging), who will?
For the media, Roberts' mantra was that you have to find ways to connect yourself, or the products you sell, to what's happening in the news, and you have to react fast because yesterday's story can get old in light of news-breaking events. It's all about timing. So when the story broke about Representative Gabrielle Giffords being shot and a little girl was killed in Tucson, coupled with yet another school shooting in Omaha, it clicked. The novel that I've been pitching to agents The Boy Who Shot Santa is about that very issue, so I added the following to my query letters:
Due to the tragic shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and recent school shootings in Omaha and LA (kids/teens with guns, and kids being shot—the 9-year old girl in Tucson), I feel that my novel, THE BOY WHO SHOT SANTA, is as timely as ever. Rachel Layton is a voice of reason against guns. This gun issue in America is definitely coming to a head; politically, it's huge in more ways than one. About time, too, before there's another assassination attempt…or another child/teen is involved as a shooter or as a victim.
Then I go into my pitch. Is it working? Too soon to tell. Agents are inundated with query letters from writers and they often take weeks and months to get back to you, plus even more time once they've requested your work, but in order to stand out, having your book tied to a national or international story can't hurt. Suddenly you and your work have become relevant; they can visualize a target market for your book, too (anti-gun crusaders, concerned mothers about the safely of their children at school). To make sure they don't miss the tie in, I stick it in the subject line of the email: Query: The Boy Who Shot Santa—tie in to tragic Arizona shooting.
So I'm applying what I've learned, and since that story broke, I've been rewriting my novel with a vengeance in anticipation for agents wanting to see more and also for the upcoming Amazon Breakthrough Writing Awards. The Amazon contest, by the way, is a must for any would be novelist. Why? Because it forces you to fine tune your pitch down to 300 words, to concentrate on your opening chapters, the first 3000-5000 words, and also the entire novel. All three have to be perfect. If there's no impact with your pitch (Joel Roberts again), you don't advance to the next round (same with agents and editors); if your opening chapters are weak, they won't even bother with the rest of the book, despite your great, earth-shattering ending (same with agents and editors); and if the whole book doesn't hold together nicely, it shows that you're all talk (pitch) but no action (novel). Agents get that a lot at writing conferences where writers can really talk up their books, but haven't gotten around to polishing or finishing or even starting it…
So, what have you learned and have begun to apply to make 2011 your breakout year as a writer? Far too many writers, it seems, have given up hope; they've become jaded by the harsh realities of the last two years. For me, I see hope, so long as I'm learning to write better and learning new ways to make my writing relevant. Learning, by the way, is must if you ever expect to grow as a writer. Because in life (think of plants), if you're not growing, you're dying.
As for the spider, it got away. I have a feeling it'll be back when I least expect it….I'll learn from that, too. —Robert Raymer, Borneo Expat Writer
[image error]
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