Pat Bertram's Blog, page 326
June 11, 2009
Where Do We Go From Here?
I’m sure it won’t come as any surprise to those of you who follow my blog and my comments, but I am at a crossroads in my life. I’ve spent most of the past eight years learning to write, writing my four novels, studying the publishing industry, sending out query letters, dealing with hundreds of rejections, finally finding a publisher, preparing the books for publication, and then waiting for their release. Two of my novels have already been published and the other two will be published later th
June 10, 2009
Not Whining About “No Whine, Just Champagne”
Well, maybe I am whining a bit. I run a live chat group on Gather.com called No Whine, Just Champagne. We meet every Thursday at 9:00 pm ET for a live chat about writing. I have a few die hard members, but most of the original group has moved on to other activities. Some are still writing, but they don’t seem to have any interest in talking about it. Not that I blame them. I mean, after a while, what is there to say? You write or don’t. You try to better your craft or not. Either way, in the end
June 9, 2009
Stream of Consciousness Blogging
I’ve often used this blog as a form of stream of consciousness writing, trying to work through story problems, trying to figure out who I am as a writer, basically just letting my mind wander onto the page, but now that I’m getting more than a few readers, I feel a bit embarrassed about it. People are kind, and they feel a need to respond to what comes across as an appeal, when it is mostly just me working things out. (I know that is gramatically incorrect, but it is correct in the context. It i
June 7, 2009
30% of More Deaths Than One — Free at Smashwords
Both of my novels, More Deaths Than One and A Spark of Heavenly Fire are available at Smashwords. Smashwords is a self-publishing platform and online bookstore for indepedent ebook authors, publishers and readers. They offer multi-format, DRM-free ebooks, ready for immediate sampling and purchase, and readable on any e-reading device. (Kindle, Sony, Palm, Stanza, etc.) Many publishers (including Second Wind) are starting to use their services, which allows them to offer their books in all the eb
June 5, 2009
When Did the Realization “I Am a Writer” Hit?
The title of this bloggery is the topic of a discussion on Facebook hosted by Christine Husom, a fellow Second Wind author. My response was:
The realization that I am a writer hasn’t hit, and I’m not sure it will. I’m very involved with writing — I belong to various groups; I talk a lot about writing; and even when I’m not writing creatively, I’m writing: blogs and articles, comments and emails. But I don’t define myself as a writer. When you consider all that being a published writer entails — p
June 4, 2009
No More Secrets
Ken Coffman, a friend from an online writing group left a comment on the thread: Okay, Pat B, let me throw out a challenge. They say your work environment reflects the inner mind. So, let’s have a picture of your writing area, unedited. I thought it was funny that his book was sitting on my makeshift desk by the computer, so I took the photo and posted it to the group. His response: Okay, now we’re peering deep into your mind…yes, it’s all becoming clear. Few in the way of distractions. The des
June 3, 2009
A Whiff of a Treat and a Bit of a Cheat
One benefit of being published by a new, small independent press, is that you get to wear many hats. Second Wind Publishing is preparing an anthology of mystery/crime short stories to be released in September, and as a pinch-hitting copy editor, I get first look. I enjoyed Lazarus Barnhill’s novels, The Medicine People and Lacey Took a Holiday, so last night I printed out Barnhill’s story, “A Whiff of Murder” for a treat.
It’s been a very long time since I considered reading a treat. I still read
June 1, 2009
Becoming Pat Bertram
I finally understand why books about writing suggest writing the first draft of a novel as quickly as possible, to forget the mechanics and just get the story on paper or in the computer. I’ve never been able to do that — the words come hard to me (or perhaps I enjoy the search for the right word too much). Either way, it takes me a long time to write a book. I also write longhand, which limits the number of words I can write at a sitting. Still, my work-in-progress has been taking longer than n
Tips For Writing a Short Story
Second Wind Publishing is putting together an anthology of mystery/crime stories, and my publisher told me that my fans expect a story from me. My fans? All two of them? I doubt they’d care. Still, I considered writing a handful of 100-word stories, but to be honest, it’s hard to write a mystery in so few words. By the time I kill someone off, drop some clues, create a dectective to figure out who did the dastardly deed and why, I’ll have used up 100 words several times over.
Thinking perhaps it’
May 26, 2009
Pat Bertram And Lazarus Barnhill Discuss Writing as Destiny
Lazarus: The other day I was marveling at the uncanny string of events—starting with a writing contest on Gather.com—that brought me many wonderful new friends, saw the publication of my first two novels and empowered me to express my artistic vision in ways that I never imagined. When I read Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, I began to wonder if in fact what I saw as a lucky string of chance events was really a matter of listening to a still, small voice that has always intended better fo
