Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 236

Invitation To The Madhouse ~ Report On Self-Publishing

Alert : Stay turned to this channel for a special broadcast, Monday, 28 Feb.

Irina Avtsin will tell us all about the power of the word, "No!".

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{This post is almost a rant and purposefully written in a voice I rarely use…}

A madhouse is where insane persons are confined or a place exhibiting stereotypical characteristics of such a place.

This, to me, right now, is what self-publishing is.

Let me define my terms a bit more precisely:

"Sanity" has roots indicating "healthy condition" or "soundness of mind". If I temporarily constrict my argument to the term "publishing", most people who are trying to keep up with the frenetic pace of change in this arena of human experience would, I feel, tend to agree that publishing is not in a healthy condition or showing soundness of mind.

Many of those same people would go further and claim that self-publishing is the medicine needed for the sick field of publishing.

Well…

I've been involved in self-publishing for about six years now and the last year has seen me working overtime to come to terms with how to best take advantage of the opportunities that self-publishing seems to offer.

I don't have space in this post to detail the ills of the traditional publishing route but anyone interested can easily find much to ponder.

So, try to accept one point on a conditional basis: self-publishing can bring a book to market faster and supply the author with higher royalties than traditional publishing, as long as the author is not already on the bestseller lists or in the stable of a publishing house being preened to take the book-world by storm when the right marketing moment arrives.

If the above statement is true, one would think that an author would find it easier to self-publish…

My experience has been that the word "easy" needs to be carefully defined with ample attention being paid to whether said author has what it takes to build their own following and work intensely at experimenting till they find the particular combination of tasks that can assure them a sufficient platform of eager individuals waiting to render them aid on publishing day.

If you are comfortable with building relationships, if you can be honestly altruistic in those relationships, if you can multiply the number of those relationships, if you have the time to attend to them with care and diligence, if you have the money to pay for or can trade for the expertise of editors, artists, and publicity specialists, then, maybe you would say self-publishing is easier than going the traditional route.

The reason I've been willing to persevere in the madhouse of self-publishing isn't because I can easily fulfill all the ifs in the last paragraph.

I will continue to do all I can to successfully self-publish my work-in-progress because I lack the patience to search for an agent who would accept the unusual book I had to write and must publish, because I don't have a few years to wait while such an agent finds a publisher who thinks my book can sell and negotiates a contract, because I refuse to be paid a royalty that can have itself disappear in paybacks to the publisher if the book doesn't sell, and because finding an editor I don't have to pay and supplying cover artwork are something I was able to personally handle.

So, from my perspective, the crumbling house of traditional publishing and the raucous adolescent scene of self-publishing are both "madhouses" but I'm a writer and I have a book I've written and I want people to read it and I had to make a choice…

I chose self-publishing.

I've written about this topic before in this blog and using the handy Top Tags Cloud in the side panel will lead you to those other musings…

What are your thoughts, theories, experiences, and rants or raves about traditional publishing and self-publishing?

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Tagged: author, promote, promotion, publication, publish, publishing, self-publish, self-publishing

Author Interview ~ Daryl Sedore

Alert : Stay turned to this channel for a special broadcast, Monday, 28 Feb.

Irina Avtsin will tell us all about the power of the word, "No!".

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Today's interview is with an author whose blog posts I eagerly anticipate.

Must soon read his books :-)

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Daryl, when did you begin writing and can you remember how it felt inside, back then?

I began writing at the early age of 10 years old. How did it feel? It was and is, euphoric, liberating, and exciting all wrapped up in each stroke of my pencil. To create characters and have them do horrible things to each other was better to me than playing Monopoly or Risk in those days.

Was there any certain date or time you remember when you began to either think of yourself as or call yourself a "writer"?

I wrote on and off throughout my early years and then in the year 2000 I began writing my first full length novel and felt I was a writer at that moment. When that novel was completed, I sent it out to literary agents and started writing another one. I've been writing since and have numerous titles out.

What are your hopes, or dreams, or goals for your writing?

Mostly, to be able to do it for a living and to live comfortably enough to be able to do it. I write every day and produce new, publishable material four to five times a year. In five to ten years I will have dozens of novels available which increases the odds of getting noticed on a wider scale.

What do you feel has taught you the most about "how to write"?

1. Reading fiction (It's what I write). 2. Stephen King. 3. Reading books on the craft of writing. I'd like to add conferences, since I've been to numerous ones around North America, but I won't, because I didn't learn much in their seminars and I only recommend conferences for the one on one's with literary agents.

Who are your favorite writers and why are they favorites?

Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, Jack Ketchum, Harlan Coben, Charlie Huston, Dan Simmons, to name a few.

They're my favorites because they all write thrilling, non-stop serious fiction. Unexplained events, unexpected twists and turns and downright darn good fiction.

Where and/or how do you get your ideas for your writing?

My ideas come from numerous places. Sometimes one will just be there, and other times one will show up while reading the newspaper. The idea formulates based on external stimuli and then the creative side takes over and forms a coherent story. I then take the characters and make their lives hell.

:-)

What is your normal revision or editing routine?

Once the novel is complete, I put it away for a month and start writing something else. Then, when I pull it out I do a read through from beginning to end. After that I give it to my wife to read, who incidentally is a published author. Once she is through with it, I make her edits and read it through again, only this time, I read it through character by character to manage their growth and character arc throughout the story. I will purposely go to each P.O.V. chapter of each character until they have all been studied thoroughly.

Finally, I will read the novel backwards. I start with the last page and then read the second last page and so on until I reach the first page at the end. This ensures I see any minor mistakes I've failed to see before because an author can get too close to their work and sometimes get lost in their story as they edit forward.

Marvelously unexpected editing tip, Daryl :-)

Are you published?

I am published at Amazon.com and throughout the e-reader world via Smashwords. My books are being bought at the Sony reader store, the Apple iBookstore, and on the Nook at Barnes & Noble. I will be publishing more in the next few months.

Tell us about your blog: its purpose, how you go about deciding what to post, and what you want to do with it in the future?

My blog has a theme that I try to adhere to on a weekly basis and that theme is inspirational writing. I post about the craft of writing and how to stay motivated and just keep on doing it. I have written guest posts for Write to Done and the Urban Muse Writer.

Thank you for the opportunity to do this wonderful interview with you. I really appreciate it.

Thank you, Daryl, for an extremely interesting interview :-)

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Daryl's blog is located here

His Amazon Author page is here

Time to ask Daryl some questions in the Comments :-)

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Tagged: author, author interview, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, editing, interview, publishing, Stephen King

Can You Trust An Alien; You Know, The Kind From Outer Space?

Alert : Stay turned to this channel for a special broadcast, Monday, 28 Feb.

Irina Avtsin will tell us all about the power of the word, "No!".

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If you're new to this blog, you may think its title, Notes from An Alien, refers to either me, Alexander M Zoltai, or writers in general being aliens…

Let's see: The roots of the word "alien" come from "strange" or "foreign"…

O.K., I'm strange and most folks find writers, as a group, strange. We writers also have strange and often foreign places as the spaces we create within–our minds, our settings, our being alone so much…

But, when I asked if you could trust an alien, I meant one from a strange and very foreign planet.

Being the writer I am and writing the book I'll publish in May made me have to trust such an alien. I'm her co-author. I'll let her explain:

My name is Sena Quaren and this book is a story of my People—a story told in notes; and, even though some readers may think it is a novel or a history, its form is difficult to classify in what are called genres.

This is a tale that spans a large tract of time: from the horrific 500-year war to the immaculate peace—a peace we feel will never falter since we so often stumbled, fell, and rose again on the road we had to create to find that peace.

What I say next may or may not be believed but, either way, this story is true—true as fact or true in the way fiction can rise to heights unattainable by mere facts.

I am a woman from a star system about twelve light-years from Earth. If you choose to believe me, my story might be considered a history lesson—how to achieve unity and peace—a lesson that Earth desperately needs. If you choose to not believe I'm real, my tale might be considered a science fiction story about how to achieve unity and peace—a lesson that Earth desperately needs…

I'll proceed on the premise that I am real…. My star system's plasma distribution caused a natural and powerful enhancement of mental/emotional connection between two of our Worlds—Anga-Param, the corporate World, and Anla-Purum, the religious World. Luckily, this only happened during a short period every five years when the two planets were closest to each other.

It should be noted that this mental/emotional planetary connection was used extensively as a weapon in our 500-year InterWorld War. There are even some who claim plasma is the primary conduit for spiritual experiences.

Before we learned to use this power productively many people were doomed to a miserable life in mental institutions. A small percentage of us not only escaped the confusion of the interpenetration of other minds and hearts but could train ourselves to use the plasma even when the planets were not close. An even smaller percentage could reach out beyond our planets and explore alien minds. This is how I found Alexander, the co-author of this book.

Alexander is my transducer—my way of communicating with Earth's people. We have an intimate mental/spiritual bond—not "conversation" but something much deeper and higher—a conceptual bonding. A simplistic example would be to say that we share things like the idea of dog and cat but not the knowledge of beagles and tabbies. A more accurate example would be that we easily share an idea like four-footed, domesticated animal but not ideas like dog or cat or lizard. Those differences take much more conceptual exploration and sharing.

The sharing we do is rich and meaningful and Meaning is what is most important. Even though trees and flowers and bodies in the Angi system are significantly different than on Earth and even though the way Angians think and feel and act has its peculiarities, there are sufficient similarities that make all the Angian jargon unnecessary. The only times I worked hard to give Alexander specific words to use was when reference was made to names of people and places.

I've come to completely trust Alexander to take the meanings I give him and share them with you in meaningful ways. I've had significant culture-shock learning about your World and you would feel the same thing if you truly experienced our Worlds. Yet, understanding is the goal—unity of thought and feeling. Even though the specific history of our Worlds is different than yours, I'm sure you'll find valuable information in this story—information that can help Earth.

Alexander and I have worked together to interact with hundreds of humans before we ever sat down to write this book—worked to help me understand humanity so I could make my story of real help in the efforts to stem the tide of the multiple, global crises Earth is suffering. I've communicated, with Alexander's help, through forums on the Web as well as through the avatar he created for me in the virtual world, Second Life. As this book was being written, we interacted with many reviewers on our publisher's web site, FastPencil. At the end of this book you'll find a listing of the people who helped me prepare for and accomplish the incredibly complex task of writing a book.

Does Sena sound like a person you can trust?

Do you think she's real or just a literary device?

Is it believable, with what most folks think when you mention aliens, that Sena is so reasonable and seems to truly want to help Earth?

Would you like a free copy of the pre-publication edition of the book?

Would you be the kind of person to give a bit of feedback and get your name (or, alias) in the back of the book?

Why do humans, so often, cast aliens as sneaky, manipulative, or downright evil?

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Tagged: alien, books, crisis, fiction, global, Sci-Fi, science fiction, space

Author Interview ~ Shari Green

Alert : Stay turned to this channel for a special broadcast, Monday, 28 Feb.

Irina Avtsin will tell us all about the power of the word, "No!".

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Today we welcome Shari to the blog. Let's get this interview goin' :-)

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Where are you from and how old are you?

I was born in Vancouver, BC, Canada, in 1963. I've lived my life so far in various places around BC, Alberta, and the Yukon.

When did you begin writing and can you remember how it felt inside, back then?

I've always been a journaller, and I dabbled in non-fiction for several years before falling madly in love with YA fiction about five years ago.

Yes, I noticed the extremely helpful links for teens on your site :-)

Was there any certain date or time you remember when you began to either think of yourself as or call yourself a "writer"?

Yes! The first writers' conference I attended was the Surrey International Writers' Conference in 2006, and it was there that I "came out of the closet" as a writer. Being surrounded by hundreds of like-minded people and frequently answering the question "so, what do you write?" helped me feel like a "real" writer for the first time.

What are your hopes, or dreams, or goals for your writing?

My dreams include book contracts!;-) I'd love to see my novels–both current and future–find homes. However, my hope is to always find joy in writing and story-telling, whether or not I see my publishing dream come true.

Have you had any "formal" training in the art of writing?

No. For me, learning to write has been, and continues to be, a cross between an apprenticeship and self-teaching. Reading lots, writing lots, studying the craft, taking workshops, critiquing and being critiqued… all of that is helping me learn, bit by bit. And no matter how much I learn, I find there's always so much more to know!

What do you feel has taught you the most about "how to write"?

I think all those things I mentioned have been crucial, and omitting any one of them would leave a gaping hole in my "education". If I really have to pick just one, I'd say READING, especially books in the genre I write, and especially good books, ones that inspire me, that amaze me, that make me think "Wow, how did the author do that?".

Who are your favorite writers and why are they favorites?

There are so many writers whose work I love, so it's hard to pick favorites! But there are several YA authors whose books I will always pick up as soon as they're available, because I KNOW I'll love them — Sara Zarr, Laurie Halse Anderson, Natale Ghent, John Green, Sarah Dessen, Melina Marchetta. I know I'll get a story with a great voice and with characters, themes, and writing style that I love.

Where and/or how do you get your ideas for your writing?

From the idea fairy. Why–where do you get yours? ;-)

Mine come from my Muse who used to be an idea fairy but got real old and retired… :-)

What's your normal revision or editing routine?

When I finish a first draft, I put it away for a while and work on something else. Once I start revising, I try to do big-picture stuff first, but it takes every ounce of self-discipline I have not to get sucked into tweaking sentences — there's time for that later! Big picture stuff, smaller stuff, then off to my critique partners for some feedback. Then I'll have to fix problems they discover, and then, finally, I get to mess with word choice and word order and nuance and rhythm… I love that part. And then I type "the end" and move on to something else, because I believe perpetual tweaking drains the life out of stories.

I can absolutely relate to that, Shari :-)

Are you published?

I've had a few short stories published:

* In Lieu of a Wardrobe won the "Writing For Young People" category of the 2010 Surrey International Writers' Conference writing contest & appeared in the contest anthology, A World Of Words, October 2010

* Cartwheels was published online as an editor's choice at Page Forty-Seven, February 2010

* Here's to You, Matthew Robinson was published in the YA fiction chapbook, TBR Tallboy, December 2009

My novels are not yet published:

* Following Chelsea (contemporary YA) – complete

* The Holy Wild (contemporary YA with supernatural elements) – work in progress

No idea when one will be, but trust me, when it happens you'll hear my whoops of joy from there.

:-)

Tell us about your blog: its purpose, how you go about deciding what to post, and what you want to do with it in the future?

You can find me online at www.sharigreen.com. I blog about writing and books, and occasionally about sea creatures or hockey (as the spirit moves me, lol).

I love your blog and highly recommend it. Very perceptive writing!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by answer our questions :-)

Thanks so much, Alexander!

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OK. Now you get to ask Shari questions in the comments :-)

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Tagged: Alberta, author, author interview, interview, Laurie Halse Anderson, Melina Marchetta, Sarah Dessen, Shari Green

A Post With The Purpose of Pointing You Toward Another Post…

My most favorite author is C. J. Cherryh.

My other most favorite author is John C. Gardner.

If you read, or write, or publish, this interview with John is worth studying…

Thanks to Simone Benedict for reminding me of John's importance.

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Tagged: Arts, author, C. J. Cherryh, favorite author, John C. Gardner, John Gardner, Simone Benedict, writer

Author Interview ~ Mary Pax

Since I'm an avowed SpaceCadet, I'm real happy Mary could stop by for an interview.  Let's get it rolling :-)

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Where are you from, Mary?

I originate from the east coast of the US, but have lived in the Pacific Northwest for about 10 years.

When did you begin writing and can you remember how it felt inside, back then?

I wrote my first story sometime in grade school. It was about a horse named Wesco. That's all I remember about it. I always loved imagining. Still do.

Was there any certain date or time you remember when you began to either think of yourself as or call yourself a "writer"?

When I mailed my first query to an agent. I had no idea what I was doing. That was probably about 3 years ago. That novel has had many revisions since then. I must say he was very polite about the novice schlock I sent him.

Sign of a good agent, eh?

What are your hopes, or dreams, or goals for your writing?

I want to write novels. I have so many ideas/stories swimming in my head. I'd like to earn enough to afford a maid.

Oh, yes, the personal servant that can free up writing time :-)

Have you had any "formal" training in the art of writing?

I have a Bachelors of Science in Journalism and took a lot of literature, English, and humanities classes in undergrad. No formal creative writing though.

Still, that's some impressive writing experience!

What do you feel has taught you the most about "how to write"?

Writing enough to discover my voice/style then networking with other writers. Getting involved in my local writer's group [I'm their blog director], attending workshops and conferences, reading my work at open mics, networking on Blogger and Twitter, and acquiring several critique partners.

You're doing all the right things, Mary, especially, "Writing enough to discover my voice/style…"

Who are your favorite writers and why are they favorites?

I love Margaret George and her historical biographies. I have a thing for history. Peter Mayle. His Provence books used to make me laugh out loud on the subway. Magic. Arthur C. Clarke was my first taste of sci-fi in grade school. He still awes me. He makes me think and I love a story that makes me think. Hermann Hesse. He makes me think, too. Bradbury, Vonnegut [who I met once - he bought cigarettes in the building where I worked] and Frank Herbert for their incredible imaginations and boldness. Jane Austen. Her stories are timeless. Thomas Hardy. He is so poetic and his words drip with so much emotion and nuance–the settings always matched the character's mood. I'm not sure people get nuance much any more. Too many more to mention.

:-)

Where and/or how do you get your ideas for your writing?

I read Scientific American and I'm always on NASA. I read physics books. I work as a star guide at an observatory. The high desert and Oregon inspire a lot of stories. Things I see. Things that happen to me. Conversations with people. If something strikes me, I jot it down in an idea journal I keep. Eventually ideas from different places seem to go together. Sometimes the first line just comes to me, usually in the shower or when I'm about to fall asleep or making dinner. My father tells me his dreams. Those go in my idea journal, too.

Oh, my, your father's dreams; fascinating…

What's your normal revision or editing routine?

I print out what I worked on that day. I usually leave it alone until after dinner. I read it and hand edit it. In the morning I input the changes and then pick up where I left off. I repeat until I feel happy. Then I'll move on to the next chapter. Same with short stories.

Are you published?

I had a short story published locally, Beacons. I just had another short story accepted for publication, The Tumbas. I hope to add many more titles to this list soon.

Tell us about your blog: its purpose, how you go about deciding what to post, and what you want to do with it in the future?

I'm just my geeky self on the blog. I post about things which interest me and inspire me. Things I love. Space, sci-fi, writing, art, history, research, weird events, news, etc… If you keep writing your blog, eventually you'll find things you enjoy writing about and develop a sort of routine. Fridays are usually about inspiration. I try to get something sciency or sci-fi-ish once a week. I talk about my writing journey.

A very interesting journey it is, too…

Thanks for taking the time for our interview, Mary.

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So, my dear readers, ask Mary a question in our comments :-)

M. Pax

The stars are the beginning …

www.mpaxauthor.com << Powerful Author-Video and Story Excerpts–"M. Pax Works"

mpaxauthor.blogspot.com << Video Trailers of The Stories

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Tagged: Arthur C. Clarke, author, author interview, Frank Herbert, Hermann Hesse, interview, Jane Austen, Sci-Fi

A Virtual World, A Writer's Mind, And Serious Business That's Always Fun!

I just got back from Book Island in Second Life.

Yep, a virtual world I visit for play and work. I wrote about virtual worlds in a previous post. Here's a bit of what I said:

"All virtual worlds have virtues that make them valuable whether we're talking about your mind, a book you read or wrote, or a computer-created world."

Yes, I called our minds and books "virtual worlds". Check out that post for more about what I've done as a writer in Second Life.

This post is for talking about what I'm doing as a promoter (of my writing) in that virtual world.

Just like a book's virtuality can become quite real to us, walking around in a computer virtuality can make you wonder why this "real", consensual, physical reality puts so many demands on we weak humans :-)

My latest book will be coming out in May and I'm doing all the necessary promotional tasks I can squeeze into my day–writing this blog, visiting the blogs on my Blogroll and commenting there, planning a BlogTour for the book launch, making final revisions, preparing for online reviews of the book, using Twitter and Facebook, etc…

Most of those activities are me relating to other people and that's what I consider Promotion to be–Relationships.

Would you rather be bombarded with TV or online ads for books, movies, or your favorite things, or would you like to have a friend recommend one to you?

Relationships have always been the most effective form of promotion, in spite of the mega-budgets of the marketing firms. Sure, you may have seen a movie that got mega-hyped and liked it but, imho, most of what's sold through the traditional channels of promotion is either quite useless or actually harmful.

So, I take a break from the sometimes sweet, often harsh, conditions of Real reality and move my relationship-forming brand of promotion into Second Life.

I'm the events manager on Book Island, I help host the weekly Open Mic on Sundays, I take part in the Wednesday Writer's Chat Support Group, I'm organizing the new Happy Hours at the Writer's Block Cafe, and I read chapters from my forthcoming book on Thursdays.

Apart from the live reading of book chapters, most of the "work" is hanging out with people and forming relationships. I'm not running around shouting out my agenda. I talk with folks from all over the world. I bond with them. They often wonder what I do in Real Life. I tell them about my book…

What I do in real life takes many hours of every day. I make time for virtual relationship-building, carve it out of my diurnal allocation, find it often more satisfying then this war-torn, global crisis-ridden, greedy and dangerous "real" world…

Like yesterday: I sat with five people from various parts of the United States, one man from Finland, and two others from the UK. Some were writers, some artists, and one was a pole dancer. We all had a great time. We shared information, experiences, laughter, and good will…

I think it's time to wrap this post up. I'll do it with some questions from that previous post:

Have you ever wondered if your mind is truly registering our physical world with fidelity?

How lost can you get in a good book?

Has a book you've read ever made you want to abandon our consensual reality?

Have you ever visited a virtual world?

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Tagged: crisis, global, promote, promotion, Second Life, Virtual reality, virtual world, worlds

Author Interview ~ Jaleta Clegg

We've had two interviews, so far, with authors: Simone Benedict and Karla Telega.

Today, we have the author, Jaleta Clegg. I first met her in the forums of BestsellerBound and I'm very glad she agreed to doing an interview here :-)

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Jaleta ( or, Aleta :-), where are you from and how old are you?

I was born about fifteen thousand years ago on a starship deep in the Catalbin Nebula. Wait, you want the real truth? I've lived pretty much my whole life in Utah. I'm older than I look. Mentally, I'm thirteen most days.

I didn't know Utah was in the Catalbin Nebula :-)

When did you begin writing and can you remember how it felt inside, back then?

I dabbled for years. It wasn't until I got my hands on my own computer that I started writing in earnest. We bought a Commodore 128 at a garage sale and set it up in our family room. We'd just moved to a new neighborhood, it was summer, and I was stuck at home with four children ages seven to two. I needed an escape, so I ran away into the imaginary worlds in my head. Those have been there ever since I can remember. By the end of the summer, I'd completed three novels. They were horrible, but they were a beginning. The freedom I felt was addictive. I could be anyone, anywhere, with super powers if I wanted. It still feels that way when I get a story rolling. I love when the words flow and the worlds grow under my fingers.

Was there any certain date or time you remember when you began to either think of yourself as or call yourself a "writer"?

I'm still struggling with that. My sister was the writer in our family, not me. I submitted to a magazine back in college and was told, "This is horrible. You have no talent. You'll never be a writer." I believed them for years, until the stories wouldn't stay inside any longer. I'm still not a writer, I'm a storyteller.

Interesting distinction…

What are your hopes, or dreams, or goals for your writing?

I want everyone to read my books and love them as much as I do. Isn't that what any writer wants? It would be nice if I sold enough copies to make a decent living, too. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I really want from publishing my books. I want to share the stories. I want to entertain. I want to make enough money I can keep writing.

Have you had any "formal" training in the art of writing?

All the writing classes I ever took were for technical writing, a completely different beast from fiction writing. I learned by reading, by doing, and by attending conventions and talking with successful authors. Anyone can learn to tell stories, but it takes a lot of dedication and practice and willingness to take critique to get good at it.

Ah, yes, willingness to take critique.

What do you feel has taught you the most about "how to write"?

Reading. I used to devour between three and ten novels a week, before my eyes went bad and I had a house full of children and my own writing career. Any and every genre–science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, how-to, nonfiction–everything but straight horror and chick lit. I'd steal my kids' books and read those, too.

Writing is also big. The best way to learn to craft a story is to write. Not just one story, or even a dozen, but hundreds. Write, and then write more. Pick apart what you wrote with a critical eye. Find where you messed up. Throw it out and start over. If you fall in love with your first story and never move beyond it, you'll never learn what you really need to learn to get good at writing.

Sage advice, Aleta.

Who are your favorite writers and why are they favorites?

Andre Norton is my all-time absolute favorite author. Her books kept me up more nights than I want to admit. She created such fantastic worlds and characters. I could never get enough of her stuff. I still can't. Anytime I start questioning why I'm writing, I read one of her space adventures. It re-awakens my love of words and stories. It reminds me of why I'm putting stories on paper. It's because storytelling is fun. Writing is work.

Another fascinating distinction :-)

Where and/or how do you get your ideas for your writing?

From anywhere and everywhere. I'll be chatting online with friends, being silly, the conversation will take an unexpected turn and I'll suddenly have more story ideas. Putting bizarre ideas together can also lead to stories. Since I write mostly science fiction and silly horror, it's perfect for me. I also watch a lot of B movies–old horror movies with the rubber monsters and the newer monster movies, science fiction movies that few people have ever heard of, and lots of campy classics. I have the entire Buck Rogers TV series on DVD, the one from the late 70s. I love it partly because it is so hokey, the costumes are marvelous, the acting is over the top, but the stories are fun and so full of ideas.

What is your normal revision or editing routine?

I have to get the whole thing down before I start editing or I'd never finish writing anything. I play with the story in my head until it feels right, then I write it down, and put it aside for at least a few days or months. When I pull it out to edit, I have some distance and I can read it with a more critical eye. With my novels, the process can take a couple of years before I'm happy with the book. With short stories, I can write, edit, and polish in a few days if I need to. I have several trusted readers that I send things to before I submit anywhere. They usually catch anything I'm too blind to see.

Tell us about what you've published and what's coming up.

I have my first novel out, Nexus Point: The Fall of the Altairan Empire Book One. It's a science fiction adventure story heavy on the action with just a touch of romance to keep things interesting. Don't let the Book One scare you, though. This is a complete story. Book 2, Priestess of the Eggstone, is due out later this year. More fun and games with the characters I introduced in Nexus Point, plus a few more just to keep things interesting. You can download sample chapters at Smashwords or from my website.

I also have quite a few short stories out in magazines and anthologies, a few up for free on Smashwords and a few other sites, and a serial Star Trek fanfic story on a blog. Check out my webpage for a complete list and links. I just signed contracts for two more short stories, so I'm keeping myself busy.

Tell us about your blog: its purpose, how you go about deciding what to post, and what you want to do with it  in the future?

Well, on my main blog, on Mondays, I post book reviews, writing tips, author interviews, convention news, whatever strikes my fancy. Thursdays, I post recipes. Cooking is one of my hobbies. Come check out The Far Edge of Normal.

And, your other published work?

I write a column for Abandoned Towers Magazine print issues that features themed recipes based on books and movies.

You can also follow the adventures of Adrian Stevens, Quartermaster of the USS Voyager. This is my Star Trek fanfic, based on a character I play at work during our summer camps.

And try out Nexus Point, if you like adventure. I have ten more books in the series under contract.

Autumn Visions is a collection of short stories I've got up on Amazon for the Kindle.

Aleta, thanks so much for stopping by and letting us know about all your work. You've got lots going on and I hope our readers ask you more questions in the comments!

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Aleta Clegg, writing as Jaleta Clegg:

www.jaletac.com

www.nexuspoint.info

http://jaletaclegg.blogspot.com

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Tagged: Andre Norton, author, author interview, fiction, interview, Jaleta Clegg, Smashwords, Star Trek

Blogging ~ Can It Really Fulfill The Writer's Dictum: "Write Every Day!"?

I've been tracking our survey for this blog (link just over there in the side-bar) and "Writing", as a topic for me to focus on, has pulled even further ahead, with "Reading" and "Publishing" tied for a respectable second focus.

{ For those bothered by the punctuation in the title of this post, I admit to maverick grammar :-}

As far as that dictum to write every day, go ahead and put write+every+day into Google and you'll find thousands of reasons.

Naturally, as with most things writerly (and with due attention paid to the incredible diversity of temperaments in the writing-fold) there are good reasons, in many cases, for not writing every day. However, laziness or fear or lack of self-esteem are not viable reasons. In fact, those are quite powerful reasons to kick oneself in the butt and make the effort to write every day…

Can blogging fulfill this potent habit?

Let's say you're a genre-writer and you're quite focused on staying in the groove of your genre as you work on your writing. And, further, let's say you're having a devil of a time getting around to writing every day.

Let's further assume you believe in the dictum of writing every day but various damn good reasons (like needing the extraordinarily important time to mull things over so your unconscious mind can give you fresh inspiration) are imposing restrictions on daily writing…

O.K.  So, could blogging be used to let you continue to write even though your blog may not be a "genre" blog?

Hmmm… As I finished writing that last sentence, I wondered about "genre blogs"–blogs that stay within the conventions of a genre–that convey bloggy-type info delivered in the style of the genre… Hmmm…

Even committed genre-writers have said it's good to stretch one's writing boundaries from time to time. So, when the genre-genii are busy with deep musing, why not post to a blog, even if, or especially if, you write like most bloggers do–topical or newsy or tip-filled or pontifical or inspirational posting?

Sure, if you want to use a blog as part of generating an author's platform, you need to post at least three times a week. And, it's absolutely true that blogging shouldn't replace your writerly-writing, but…

Even if you only blog on the days your "normal" writer's-mind is engaged in other activities, you can give yourself some wonderful writerly exercise. {o.k., I'll stop using "writerly" now :-}

I started this blog to help me erect my author's platform. I've done enough blogging in the past that I knew a committment to posting six times a week would be maximally beneficial.

The wonderful part is that the blog has become much more than a way to meet folks and let them form opinions of me, which might lead to them wanting to check out my books. It's now my daily devotion–my exercise in wordsmithing–my easily accepted challenge to let my creativity flow, wide-open, full-out…

And, in spite of all my hullabaloo, I actually have a conflict (positive, energy-generating conflict) that my recent inclusion of writer-interviews on this blog has cut into the time I have to just be me on this blog. Truthfully, though, the days I only introduce another writer and turn the space over to them are creating lots more steam to power the days I get to hog the platform :-)

Have I given you enough to think about?

Are you in a position to start a blog?

Do you think it can help build your writing muscles?

If you're already blogging, are you inspired to do a little more of it?

Has this post confused you?

Have I asked enough questions to encourage some of you shy folks to leave your comment?? :-)

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Tagged: blog, blogging, promote your writing, promotion, write every day, writer, writing, writing exercises

Author Interview ~ Karla Telega

I'm very happy to give a short introduction to Karla. Short because I can't wait to share her answers to my questions. She has wonderfully humorous insights about the writing process :-)

Karla, where are you from and how old are you?

I grew up in Seattle, home of the Space Needle and about three banana slugs per square foot. I'm at that magical age of 54: too old for hot flashes and too young for the senior menu.

When did you begin writing and can you remember how it felt inside back then?

I started writing a year and a half ago so I could sit around in my underwear and make big money. At least I got the underwear part right. There weren't any angels singing, it just felt comfortable from the start.

Now that's most certainly a unique attitude…

Was there any certain date or time you remember when you began to either think of yourself as or call yourself a "writer"?

While writing the final draft of my humor book the kids got me a desk plaque that said Karla Telega, Writer. Since they spent good money at the office supply store, I figured it must be true.

Absolutely :-)

What are your hopes, or dreams, or goals for your writing?

Aside from fame and fortune, I'd like to make people laugh. As a humor writer, I'd love to have my books gracing the back of every toilet in America—honestly. Currently, I'm working on a comic murder mystery with main characters in their 50s. I'd like to make it a series.

Have you had any "formal" training in the art of writing?

Does reading the dictionary count?

Sure it counts :-)

What do you feel has taught you the most about "how to write"?

I became the designated family resumé writer. It taught me to be clear and concise, and had the added benefit of giving me a good start on writing fiction.

Whoot :-)

Who are your favorite writers and why are they favorites?

I love Erma Bombeck and Janet Evanovich. Their writing could brighten up any day. I don't do much science fiction, but I'm hooked on C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series. Add in some Elizabeth Peters, Mary Janice Davidson, and Carl Hiaasen … I don't stop to analyze why I like them—that feels too much like an English assignment.

Where and/or how do you get your ideas for your writing?

Lots of psych meds play into it, but mostly it's a slightly embroidered version of my own experiences and quirks. That gives me a lot of material to work with.

Hmmm…

What's your normal revision or editing routine?

I have a short attention span, so I start with just the bare bones of the story. Then I have to stop and think, "if I weren't me, would I have a clue as to what I'm saying?" I flesh it out from there. I finish by reading it aloud to the dog, and he gives me the paws-up if he's still conscious.

LOL…

Are you published?

I think of self-publishing for new authors as walking a tightrope blindfolded and without a safety net. It can be done, but I'm afraid of heights. I have two agents who are very interested in my first book, but aren't willing to commit to it until I have a larger following. I think I can find an agent quicker with my current work in progress, which is more mainstream.

Currently, I'm blogging three times a week, which is a great way to get my writing out there. I'm polishing my second book, and social networking (taking hostages) on Twitter and Facebook.

Tell us about your blog: its purpose, how you go about deciding what to post, and what you want to do with it in the future?

Blogging has been an incredible opportunity to improve my writing skills. If people like my posts enough to come back, I consider myself a success. The overriding theme in my writing is my love/hate relationship with aging. Ultimately, I want to help people laugh at the problems that aging brings, and discover options for self-fulfillment that they might not have considered before. Growing older may limit our activities, but it doesn't have to limit our outlook.

Karla, thanks, so much, for visiting and sharing your absolutely unique insights with us :-)

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Folks, here are Karla's contact particulars:

http://www.telegatales.com

info@telegatales.com

Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/i35qr3

Twitter: @KarlaTelega

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Tagged: author, author interview, Carl Hiaasen, Erma Bombeck, humor, interview, Janet Evanovich, writing