Sarah Ettritch's Blog, page 29
July 30, 2010
Lesbian Fiction and eBook Piracy
Earlier this week, Karin Kallmaker, a popular lesbian romance writer, posted on her blog about eBook piracy and how it has affected her. I don't agree with everything in her post, but it's an interesting read, regardless of what genres you enjoy.
As Karin says, since the lesbian fiction market is so small, it doesn't take many lost sales to potentially close down a lesbian fiction publisher or have a writer wondering if she should quit.
Anyway, pop over to Karin's post about eBook piracy. It's ...
July 23, 2010
Fantasy Story: Next Step
It's almost time to send the fantasy story to my editor, so I'm giving it one last look. I was pleased with the feedback from my beta reader. She enjoyed the story, and when I asked her if she thought I should publish it, she responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes, definitely!" She seemed to get the story and the characters, so that's encouraging.
It will take my editor 4-6 weeks to edit the story, so I won't know until sometime in September whether I'll publish it. I've taken a leap of faith...
July 9, 2010
Two Books, But No Reviews
What a week! In my corner of the world, we've been enduring a sweltering heat wave, though it's pouring now, so perhaps we'll finally get some relief from the humidity.
I've read a couple of books, but will refrain from reviewing either. One was a lesbian fiction novel. I don't review fiction for the following reasons:
Beyond spelling and basic grammar, any review is subjective. The same could be said of non-fiction, but at least you can give some idea of the credibility of the author and the...June 25, 2010
Review: Oprah by Kitty Kelley
I'm not an Oprah fan, in the sense that I haven't watched her show in years, but she's one of those celebrities you can't help hearing about unless you live in a backyard bomb shelter that only has ham radio. Even then, I bet someone would mention her. Since I like reading biographies and the publicity around Oprah: A Biography by Kitty Kelley intrigued me, I bought the book.
The book is a hefty 445 pages (not counting the front and back matter) and covers Oprah's life up to Obama's election w...
June 18, 2010
Another Take on Winging It
A while back I posted about outlining vs. winging it. Here's another article related to the topic: In praise of seat-of-the-pants storytelling. The author seems to be asserting that winging it results in better stories. I disagree. The quality of a story depends on the writer, not on the writing method. And, of course, quality is always subjective.
I've noticed that some folks use the term "pantser" to describe those who wing it. I guess it's derived from "seat of the pants." For some reason, ...
June 11, 2010
Review: Working Identity
Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career by Herminia Ibarra is a study of how people undergo a significant career transition. It isn't your usual "What should I do with my life?" book, because it turns the conventional process on its ear.
At some point in your life, you probably took a test to determine your personality type (e.g. Myers-Briggs) and received a list of suitable careers based on the test results. Ibarra throws this method out the window. She...
June 4, 2010
Rymellan Fiction: Closing Ranks
I've just posted the latest story to Rymellan Fiction, called Closing Ranks. It picks up where Besieged left off. If you haven't been following along, I'd recommend that you start with The Dance.
I've already started to write the Rymellan September story, and that's what the progress meter on the homepage is now tracking. I'm also editing the fantasy story.
Later.
May 28, 2010
Now the Fun Part: Editing!
Yesterday I finished the first draft of the fantasy story. It came in at 93,631 words, so my revised goal of 93,000 words was pretty close to the actual word count.
Normally I feel a sense of relief, and certainly a sense of accomplishment, when I finish a first draft. But this time, I felt sad. I like the fantasy characters very much, so I'll miss our daily time together. Editing the story won't be the same. It'll be akin to watching videos of people, rather than being with them.
I like the...
May 21, 2010
The End is in Sight!
I've just updated the fantasy progress meter, including the estimated total word count. I'm so close to finishing the first draft that I've scheduled the story for editing! At the beginning of the year, I said I hoped to finish it by December 31st. Then I said August 31st. Then June 30th. Now I expect to finish it within a week or two. Forcing myself to sit and write for a couple of hours every day, even when I really, really, really didn't feel like it, has paid off.
May 7, 2010
Interview, Fantasy, GCLS
A few short things to report:
First: A short interview with me has been posted at SellingBooks.com.
Second: A couple of months ago, I said that if I hoped to finish the first draft of the fantasy story by the end of August, I'd have to pick up the pace. I've since made a determined effort to stick to my goal of at least 500 words/day. As a result, I'm now confident that, barring illness or a plague of locusts in my neighbourhood, I'll finish the first draft by the end of June.
I just updated...
