Katherine Frances's Blog, page 251
February 23, 2016
"you have a body
you have a body
atoms in space
move out of their
way to make room
for you
you..."
you have a body
you have a body
atoms in space
move out of their
way to make room
for you
you belong,
you belong
here
- Donte Collins, note to self (via wnq-writers)
Writer Questions
I found these and felt like doing it so… viola
Where do you publish your work?
I self publish on amazon predominately, but also with b&n and a bunch of other smaller corporations. I use draft to digital, and I highly recommend because they will publish to a bunch of the smaller companies for you, and you can also do print on demand for physical copies through them as well. Also I write some fanfic on the side on Archive of Our Own.
Do you collaborate with others?
Never have, no. Not to say I wouldn’t be willing. Actually one thing that’s sort of on my bucket list is to make a graphic novel series, so I would love to work with an artist to make that happen some day, I just don’t know anyone to do it with.
What medium/application/etc. do you write in or with?
Microsoft Word. I write on basically whatever computer is available to me, so I keep all my work on a flash-drive and back it up to my home computer. That way no matter where I am, even if I don’t have my computer with me I can always write.
How much editing do you do before you publish?
Well for my self publishing I do a lot. Typically I write the first draft and simultaneously edit back. So I’ll write like a chapter or a few chapters and then go back, edit them briefly for major spelling and clunkyness, and then keep writing. Once the first draft is done I take a small break and then read over the whole thing once and edit for more major grammar stuff and continuity, flow, ect. Then I’m ready to share it, so I’ll get feedback from my peers, send it out to people who are good at editing for grammar and spelling and have them do a round. Before it’s actually published I’ll generally have gone over the whole thing a number of different times, as well as two to three other people as well.
Do you listen to music when you write?
If I’m somewhere quite, then no. If I’m somewhere noisy and I’m having trouble focusing, I have three Pandora stations that are just for writing. One of them has classical music that’s sort of action adventurey and dramatic, one classical that is just plain, calming classical music, and one electronic station. No lyrics though. That would be distracting.
How do you decide what to write about?
Well often I tend to think that I don’t decide anything, it just sort of happens. Sometimes I might set out to write something I haven’t before, like I might have some inspiration and then decide for this story I want to write a POC main character, or I want to write a character that has this trait that I’ve never dealt with before, but generally it’s just sort of whatever comes to me I write.
When do you write?
I don’t have a set schedule at all. I write whenever I feel like writing, which is a lot. I know a lot of writers have to make a schedule for themselves so they’ll write enough, but I just don’t. I’m constantly motivated to write simply because I enjoy it. Now editing is another story. A lot of times what I’ll do to motivate myself to edit is make a rule for myself like; if you edit a chapter you can write as much as you want today, and you’re not allowed to write unless you edit first. That keeps me going.
How often do you write?
Not necessarily every day, but most days. Even if it’s just for a few minutes between classes (or during class–guilty) I usually get some writing in. I’m typically a fast writer too so even small periods of writing time are valuable for me.
Do you take requests?
Um, no haha. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate idea sparks. I get inspiration from all over, sometimes from people saying ‘this would be a cool idea for a story’. But I wouldn’t really call that ‘requests’ and if someone messaged me or asked me in person ‘hey, would you write this story for me that I want to tell but don’t have the motivation to write?’ I would most likely laugh in their face.
Is there any genre or type of story you want to write but are hesitant to?
Not really. There are lots of genres I haven’t written in but that’s just because I haven’t gotten inspiration to. When I sit down to write something new, I’m also not like ‘I want to write a scifi so here I go…’ Typically I have an idea, I write it, and I’m aware that because it’s about an alien it belongs in the scifi category, but I don’t write to a specific genre.
Any inspirational quotes, videos, tricks, articles, etc. that help you stay motivated?
What keeps me motivated is just the desire to get to the end, exactly the same motivation that keeps me reading a book. Even though I’m the writer, I still want to see what’s going to happen, how everything will play out. That’s really the only motivation I ever need. It of course helps when I share my work and get compliments, or just generally people like my work, but I wouldn’t say it’s my main source of motivation.
I would tag people to do this, but I’m lazy. So if you like to write and you read this little thingy, may as well give it a go, right!
"All I want to do in this life is write. But, my past has left me with a fogged mind and thoughts..."
- chanandlerbird (via wnq-writers)
"Shake up the soil in your soul, pan the mines of your heart. There are gems in you that have been..."
- Myss (via wnq-writers)
"I started wishing on the stars in the sky instead.
I said to the sun, tell me about the Big Bang...."
I said to the sun, tell me about the Big Bang.
The sun said, ‘It hurts to become.‘”
- Andrea Gibson, “I Sing the Body Electric, Especially When My Power’s Out” (via wordsnquotes)
"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by..."
- Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum (via fyp-philosophy)
February 19, 2016
February 18, 2016
Author Question #8
ASKED BY: ladyofunderware
QUESTION:
I’m looking for a small publishing company and I am wondering who yours is? Also, how did you find the company and do you have any advice on how to know if they are legit?
ANSWER:
First off, my publishing company is World Castle Publishing.
I searched online for months. I kept running into scams but then I found a few legit companies and WCP. I looked them up and read the online preview of their contract. I would suggest now with what I know to ask on Twitter. There are so many helpful people in the writing business.
A few things to look for:
1) Do they ask for money? A legit company does not ask for any money.
2) They only get paid if your story sells.
3) Hey should do marketing for you but you are still obligated to do your own PR.
4) They should offer an editor at no cost to you.
5) They should have a contract and a way to buy your book back from them at a 100 to 200 cost value. (This covers a small company example)
February 16, 2016
"you don’t always
have to hop on a plane,
or drive off into the sunset,
to run away
sometimes
all..."
you don’t always
have to hop on a plane,
or drive off into the sunset,
to run away
sometimes
all it takes is to forget
or at least push your memories
so far back
all that is left is a hazy mind
and a sick feeling
in the pit of your stomach
- tumultuous-soul
(via wnq-writers)
