Lily Neon Vagabond's Blog, page 16
November 1, 2014
7 Pages
My online graphic novel, The Ash Garden, now has 7 pages. If you want to hear about updates right away, well, you should really subscribe to my newsletter. Hint.
There were some technical problems, so I've provided an HTML version for anyone who has trouble with javascript. Enjoy!
http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/
There were some technical problems, so I've provided an HTML version for anyone who has trouble with javascript. Enjoy!
http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/
October 7, 2014
Moving On
I take full responsibility for myself and my work. It seems not everyone agrees with that. I wasn't going to post anything else about Damnation Books. I planned to only post the full history that you can see here and be done with it. Move on. My contract expired. I was done with the publisher. Nothing more needed to be said.
Kim Richards, however, as per usual, has refused. She never contacted me about my contract. I started the following email exchange a day after my contract had officially expired.
Personal information is blacked out.
I never heard from her again. I would have expected anyone involved in a publishing business to at least say, of course we're not going to sell new copies past September 9. But, you know what they say about expectations. Don't have any and you'll never be disappointed. Well, I was disappointed.
I waited patiently until September 24. Nothing in my mailbox. With a Cease and Desist I prepared in advance, I mailed it to her. Or rather, the Damnation Books P.O. Box. I also forwarded a copy to Amazon and B&N with the following letter:
The one I sent to B&N is identical. Within three days, the listing was removed from the two retailers. I thanked them both. I'm impressed by how swiftly they handled the matter. Neither were aware that the book is out of print and they also thanked me for informing them. I thought, fantastic, it's done. I can move on now. I don't need to do anything else. It's over.
Today, I received an email from Kim, which she sent to my old yahoo account instead of my gmail.
Kim:
Me:
Kim, again:
I can't be bothered to respond to empty threats filled with false information. My last reply was simply, “Saved for evidence. Thank you.”
I prefer to end such uselessly dramatic episodes with a lesson learned, but I'm not sure what to say. Run away screaming at the first hint of childishness? Easy to say in retrospect. In truth, I think I just have shitty luck. But that's okay. I'm ready to move on.
Kim Richards, however, as per usual, has refused. She never contacted me about my contract. I started the following email exchange a day after my contract had officially expired.
Personal information is blacked out.
I never heard from her again. I would have expected anyone involved in a publishing business to at least say, of course we're not going to sell new copies past September 9. But, you know what they say about expectations. Don't have any and you'll never be disappointed. Well, I was disappointed.
I waited patiently until September 24. Nothing in my mailbox. With a Cease and Desist I prepared in advance, I mailed it to her. Or rather, the Damnation Books P.O. Box. I also forwarded a copy to Amazon and B&N with the following letter:
The one I sent to B&N is identical. Within three days, the listing was removed from the two retailers. I thanked them both. I'm impressed by how swiftly they handled the matter. Neither were aware that the book is out of print and they also thanked me for informing them. I thought, fantastic, it's done. I can move on now. I don't need to do anything else. It's over.
Today, I received an email from Kim, which she sent to my old yahoo account instead of my gmail.
Kim:
Me:
Kim, again:
I can't be bothered to respond to empty threats filled with false information. My last reply was simply, “Saved for evidence. Thank you.”
I prefer to end such uselessly dramatic episodes with a lesson learned, but I'm not sure what to say. Run away screaming at the first hint of childishness? Easy to say in retrospect. In truth, I think I just have shitty luck. But that's okay. I'm ready to move on.
October 1, 2014
It's Alive!
The Ash Garden is live. Now with working Next button.
http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/chapt...
Sharing links are now available on each page. Share with your friends!
Enjoy the first installment :)
http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/chapt...
Sharing links are now available on each page. Share with your friends!
Enjoy the first installment :)
September 15, 2014
The Ash Garden
A psychedelic graphic novel.
Teaser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99RRy...
Page:
http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/
Subscribe to the newsletter and get updates first!
Teaser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99RRy...
Page:
http://lilyauthor.com/ashgarden/
Subscribe to the newsletter and get updates first!
September 11, 2014
The Sordid Tale of Damnation Books
While this will be a long post, I hope everyone sees it a warning message to other online authors. Bear with me, there is a happy ending.
I first met Kim Richards Gilchrist, currently the CEO of Damnation Books, in an group called Dark Fiction Guild back in 2009. The DFG has since moved to Facebook and it's no longer the active discussion group it once was. It happens, the internet moves fast. Kim had made an announcement in DFG that she and her husband William are starting a new ebook company called Damnation Books. She invited authors in the DFG to submit. I spoke with her directly, asked if a story like Eden Fell would be of interest. She said she might be interested so I sent it along.
I always did find it weird to get an acceptance within two weeks of submission. I wrote the story in 2002 and honestly expected a rejection. But I figured, okay, I guess it's ready. So, I made a full commitment to editing and preparing for publication, whatever I had to do, I was willing. I loved the idea of supporting a mom and pop shop right at the beginning then watching them grow. Then... shit hit fan.
There's been problems with Damnation Books from day one. I'm not the only author. I wouldn't wish this publisher on my worse enemy. A few authors have since made their woes public. Tim Marquitz, Mark Edward Hall, Terri Bruce, Alex Smith. There might be others, but they haven't made it public, and I respect their privacy. Yet it's my hope that more authors will come out and stand up for themselves.
The following is my personal experience dealing with Kim. I never met William, he doesn't seem to really be there. It's not so much what Kim does, it's the way she does things. Kim doesn't communicate. Ever.
The first thing I told Kim, would you prefer the story rewritten in American English? It's loosely set in an unnamed Canadian city and you are based in California. She said, “No, the Canadian English doesn't distract from the story.” Odd thing to say, I thought. That wouldn't have occurred to me. I was thinking more so consistency and marketing, but whatever, less work for me. So I shrugged it off.
When I received the first round of edits, I was given two weeks, and what was the first thing I saw? Corrections of the Canadian English. I sighed and thought, fine, she does want it in American English after all. But when I reached the half-way point with the first round of edits, I reached my boiling point. So much had been inserted into the manuscript. The ignorance of these mistakes was offensive. I thought, this is ridiculous, I have to say something.
I sent an email to Kim, expressing my frustrations. She lectured me and said, “You signed a contact! You have to do the edits!” Also, she attempted to convince me I was just gripping because the story was cut to ribbons. One, I never said I wouldn't do the edits. I just had a serious problem with inserting another person's obvious mistakes. Two, not even a two letter word had been cut. No editing whatsoever. So, I offered a compromise since at least one of us had to be an adult, and said, I'll finish the edits and put in notes showing why and how the mistakes are wrong. In essence, two rounds of edits in one, in a measly two weeks, despite the fact my contract says a max of two rounds of edits, I ended up doing a total of three. Kim saw what I had done and said she'll pass it on to another editor, as if she was doing a big favor to me.
In the second round of edits, I was given a week. Kim ignored each one of my notes and had them all removed. In this second round I was sent a form to fill out, numbering each correction that was needed. I found over 180 grammar, spelling, punctuation, and inconsistency errors that Kim had inserted into the manuscript. I found only two of my own tiny typos that I hadn't caught before. Seeing the story shredded to ribbons would have been easier to deal with than that. I let go of a lot of little things and just kinda... lost heart. I never received the chance to improve the story. At least the other editor agreed with all of my corrections and the majority of mistakes were removed.
Still, I soldiered on, hoping to sell at least a few copies. I meticulously went through the list of reviewers Kim had provided. 75% of the links were dead. One reviewer responded, said in no uncertain terms that he ever reviews ebooks, then weirdly asked me to send the PDF ARC. A couple of weeks later he destroyed me in a review, using me as an example to show that ebooks are oh so bad. Humiliated, I shared the review in the Damnation Authors Yahoo group Kim had created. She mocked me for the review and didn't take any responsibility for the fact she had provided that list of reviewers in the first place. I gritted my teeth and ignored. I kept trying to get reviews... or something... without any support from the publisher.
Through the internet grapevine I heard about Bitten by Books, a popular and well-respected reviewer of paranormal books. I submitted and crossed my fingers. They accepted! I received a wonderful 4 star review that was very fair. The reviewer mentioned the grammar and punctuation errors, and I'm glad she did. I wish more reviewers were that honest. Excited, I shared it with the authors group. I thanked the reviewer for her honesty on the webpage for the review. A little while later, Kim showed up and also posted on that webpage, stating that she thought the story is suppose to be this way. She... trolls... reviews.
I stopped all promotions. Hell-bent on sabotaging her own authors? Screw it. I'm not playing that game. In the five years Eden Fell was published by Damnation Books, I've earned maybe $30 in royalties. The book died before it had a chance.
There's a rather long list of other problems. Lies about the print version, lies and arguments about distribution, horrible formatting, refusal to fix any problems, all kinds of useless drama, and overall a lot of unprofessional childish behavior. Working with Kim is like working with a petulant child. Then word came that Kim and William had decided to buy two ePublishers that had gone bankrupt. One of them is still alive, Eternal Press. Shortly after, Damnation Books was registered as a corporation. That mom and pop shop I wanted to support? It became a vanity press, complete with kill fees of up to $1000. And it's all fake.
I needed to share the full history in order to explain my next statements. Those who have read Eden Fell, for the most part, liked the story. Not long after Damnation Books started, the popularity of online self-published books exploded. Also, this weird idea that everyone has to support indies under penalty of death. Well, while I'm grateful for nice reviewers, the truth is, every nice review made it that much harder for me. And I couldn't say anything until my contract expired. I got full blame for all the mistakes. I was patted on the head and given a patronizing, good job! Not everyone, but enough. And Damnation Books has yet to take responsibility for their own screw-ups. Why should they? Authors get the blame and Kim can keep trolling along as a vanity press, making money from charging authors unjustified fees instead of book sales.
Over-indulgent reviews can hurt authors far more than the worse one star review.
I decided to wait until my contact expired. Since I was part of the first batch of authors, there aren't any kill fees in my contract. I had other things to work on, other projects, and, you know, a life. I was never dependent on Eden Fell to be some kind of launchpad for my writing career, nor did I ever think the story would become a best-seller. It's dead weight, so I waited. As of Sept 9th, 2014, last Tuesday, my contract has expired. I am no longer connected with Damnation Books and will never deal with them again. Eden Fell is now out of print, any new copies sold are illegal. If anyone wants a copy I suggest searching for used copies or contact me and arrangements will be made.
And now for the good news! *trumpets blare* The essence of the story will be republished on my website as.... wait for it... a graphic novel! The new title is The Ash Garden. I've set a tentative date of October 1st. Full issues with be self-published with comixology, hopefully all will go smoothly. Stay tuned, big things are happening very soon.
Meanwhile, enjoy the mock up of the new cover for The Ash Garden!
I first met Kim Richards Gilchrist, currently the CEO of Damnation Books, in an group called Dark Fiction Guild back in 2009. The DFG has since moved to Facebook and it's no longer the active discussion group it once was. It happens, the internet moves fast. Kim had made an announcement in DFG that she and her husband William are starting a new ebook company called Damnation Books. She invited authors in the DFG to submit. I spoke with her directly, asked if a story like Eden Fell would be of interest. She said she might be interested so I sent it along.
I always did find it weird to get an acceptance within two weeks of submission. I wrote the story in 2002 and honestly expected a rejection. But I figured, okay, I guess it's ready. So, I made a full commitment to editing and preparing for publication, whatever I had to do, I was willing. I loved the idea of supporting a mom and pop shop right at the beginning then watching them grow. Then... shit hit fan.
There's been problems with Damnation Books from day one. I'm not the only author. I wouldn't wish this publisher on my worse enemy. A few authors have since made their woes public. Tim Marquitz, Mark Edward Hall, Terri Bruce, Alex Smith. There might be others, but they haven't made it public, and I respect their privacy. Yet it's my hope that more authors will come out and stand up for themselves.
The following is my personal experience dealing with Kim. I never met William, he doesn't seem to really be there. It's not so much what Kim does, it's the way she does things. Kim doesn't communicate. Ever.
The first thing I told Kim, would you prefer the story rewritten in American English? It's loosely set in an unnamed Canadian city and you are based in California. She said, “No, the Canadian English doesn't distract from the story.” Odd thing to say, I thought. That wouldn't have occurred to me. I was thinking more so consistency and marketing, but whatever, less work for me. So I shrugged it off.
When I received the first round of edits, I was given two weeks, and what was the first thing I saw? Corrections of the Canadian English. I sighed and thought, fine, she does want it in American English after all. But when I reached the half-way point with the first round of edits, I reached my boiling point. So much had been inserted into the manuscript. The ignorance of these mistakes was offensive. I thought, this is ridiculous, I have to say something.
I sent an email to Kim, expressing my frustrations. She lectured me and said, “You signed a contact! You have to do the edits!” Also, she attempted to convince me I was just gripping because the story was cut to ribbons. One, I never said I wouldn't do the edits. I just had a serious problem with inserting another person's obvious mistakes. Two, not even a two letter word had been cut. No editing whatsoever. So, I offered a compromise since at least one of us had to be an adult, and said, I'll finish the edits and put in notes showing why and how the mistakes are wrong. In essence, two rounds of edits in one, in a measly two weeks, despite the fact my contract says a max of two rounds of edits, I ended up doing a total of three. Kim saw what I had done and said she'll pass it on to another editor, as if she was doing a big favor to me.
In the second round of edits, I was given a week. Kim ignored each one of my notes and had them all removed. In this second round I was sent a form to fill out, numbering each correction that was needed. I found over 180 grammar, spelling, punctuation, and inconsistency errors that Kim had inserted into the manuscript. I found only two of my own tiny typos that I hadn't caught before. Seeing the story shredded to ribbons would have been easier to deal with than that. I let go of a lot of little things and just kinda... lost heart. I never received the chance to improve the story. At least the other editor agreed with all of my corrections and the majority of mistakes were removed.
Still, I soldiered on, hoping to sell at least a few copies. I meticulously went through the list of reviewers Kim had provided. 75% of the links were dead. One reviewer responded, said in no uncertain terms that he ever reviews ebooks, then weirdly asked me to send the PDF ARC. A couple of weeks later he destroyed me in a review, using me as an example to show that ebooks are oh so bad. Humiliated, I shared the review in the Damnation Authors Yahoo group Kim had created. She mocked me for the review and didn't take any responsibility for the fact she had provided that list of reviewers in the first place. I gritted my teeth and ignored. I kept trying to get reviews... or something... without any support from the publisher.
Through the internet grapevine I heard about Bitten by Books, a popular and well-respected reviewer of paranormal books. I submitted and crossed my fingers. They accepted! I received a wonderful 4 star review that was very fair. The reviewer mentioned the grammar and punctuation errors, and I'm glad she did. I wish more reviewers were that honest. Excited, I shared it with the authors group. I thanked the reviewer for her honesty on the webpage for the review. A little while later, Kim showed up and also posted on that webpage, stating that she thought the story is suppose to be this way. She... trolls... reviews.
I stopped all promotions. Hell-bent on sabotaging her own authors? Screw it. I'm not playing that game. In the five years Eden Fell was published by Damnation Books, I've earned maybe $30 in royalties. The book died before it had a chance.
There's a rather long list of other problems. Lies about the print version, lies and arguments about distribution, horrible formatting, refusal to fix any problems, all kinds of useless drama, and overall a lot of unprofessional childish behavior. Working with Kim is like working with a petulant child. Then word came that Kim and William had decided to buy two ePublishers that had gone bankrupt. One of them is still alive, Eternal Press. Shortly after, Damnation Books was registered as a corporation. That mom and pop shop I wanted to support? It became a vanity press, complete with kill fees of up to $1000. And it's all fake.
I needed to share the full history in order to explain my next statements. Those who have read Eden Fell, for the most part, liked the story. Not long after Damnation Books started, the popularity of online self-published books exploded. Also, this weird idea that everyone has to support indies under penalty of death. Well, while I'm grateful for nice reviewers, the truth is, every nice review made it that much harder for me. And I couldn't say anything until my contract expired. I got full blame for all the mistakes. I was patted on the head and given a patronizing, good job! Not everyone, but enough. And Damnation Books has yet to take responsibility for their own screw-ups. Why should they? Authors get the blame and Kim can keep trolling along as a vanity press, making money from charging authors unjustified fees instead of book sales.
Over-indulgent reviews can hurt authors far more than the worse one star review.
I decided to wait until my contact expired. Since I was part of the first batch of authors, there aren't any kill fees in my contract. I had other things to work on, other projects, and, you know, a life. I was never dependent on Eden Fell to be some kind of launchpad for my writing career, nor did I ever think the story would become a best-seller. It's dead weight, so I waited. As of Sept 9th, 2014, last Tuesday, my contract has expired. I am no longer connected with Damnation Books and will never deal with them again. Eden Fell is now out of print, any new copies sold are illegal. If anyone wants a copy I suggest searching for used copies or contact me and arrangements will be made.
And now for the good news! *trumpets blare* The essence of the story will be republished on my website as.... wait for it... a graphic novel! The new title is The Ash Garden. I've set a tentative date of October 1st. Full issues with be self-published with comixology, hopefully all will go smoothly. Stay tuned, big things are happening very soon.
Meanwhile, enjoy the mock up of the new cover for The Ash Garden!
September 1, 2014
Update and cool art!
I made tweaks to the website so it's now more compatiable with mobile devices. I had to completely redesign the art gallery as a result. So, I figured, while I'm at it, I'll set up a section for pin up art from my new defunct shop.
See it all here!
New main page for the art gallery.
Fine Art.
Pin Up Art.
Enjoy!
See it all here!
New main page for the art gallery.
Fine Art.
Pin Up Art.
Enjoy!
July 7, 2014
Meet My Character Blog Tour
Thanks, Katheryn, for allowing me to join the ride!
They Call Him Sam
Interview with a Badass
Today's interview is with the main character of my psychological thriller. Thank you for joining us, Sam.
My pleasure, ma'am.
Are you fictional?
I live in your head, darling.
Where do you live?
Good ol' Tennessee.
When do you live?
I'm living in the here and now.
What should we know about you?
I'm no angel.
Okay, um, what's the title of your story and when will we read about it?
Cottonseeds. Reckon that's up to the folks Lily's been talking to.
Yes, information pending. What's your main conflict?
Murder... and sex .
Interesting. What's your goal?
I'm gonna right the wrongs I've left behind.
When will the book be published?
Sam stares hard.
Lily twiddles her thumbs.
Katheryn J. Avilahas always dreamed of being a published author, and recently, that dream has come true! Her novel, Reckoning , is the first in a paranormal sci-fi trilogy she’s titled The Breach. Reckoning tells the story of Lexia, a young woman who discovers that she’s psychic and is thrown into the dangerous world of the supernatural, where she must place her trust in an unexpected ally in order to protect her family.
Website: http://about.me/katheryn_avila Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LexiaReckoning2014 Twitter: @katheryn_avila
Passing the torch to...
Briana Gaitangrew up in the South, but calls herself a geek at heart. She is a blogger,author,and fangirl who loves Star Wars, Star Trek, and Jewelry (bet you never thought you'd hear those three things in a sentence together) For fun, she loves watching any show on the SyFy channel, relaxing with her family, reading, and listening to indie music (sometimes all at the same time). Briana loves to write stories where there are no limits to the imagination. She is the co-author of the fantasy Ethereal Underground series and author of the upcoming Hollywood Timelines Series.
Author Website: www.bookswithbree.com
Book Website: www.etherealunderground.com
Book Blog: blameitonthebook.blogspot.com
Blog / Website: http://www.evavanrell.com
They Call Him Sam
Interview with a Badass
Today's interview is with the main character of my psychological thriller. Thank you for joining us, Sam.
My pleasure, ma'am.
Are you fictional?
I live in your head, darling.
Where do you live?
Good ol' Tennessee.
When do you live?
I'm living in the here and now.
What should we know about you?
I'm no angel.
Okay, um, what's the title of your story and when will we read about it?
Cottonseeds. Reckon that's up to the folks Lily's been talking to.
Yes, information pending. What's your main conflict?
Murder... and sex .
Interesting. What's your goal?
I'm gonna right the wrongs I've left behind.
When will the book be published?
Sam stares hard.
Lily twiddles her thumbs.
Katheryn J. Avilahas always dreamed of being a published author, and recently, that dream has come true! Her novel, Reckoning , is the first in a paranormal sci-fi trilogy she’s titled The Breach. Reckoning tells the story of Lexia, a young woman who discovers that she’s psychic and is thrown into the dangerous world of the supernatural, where she must place her trust in an unexpected ally in order to protect her family.
Website: http://about.me/katheryn_avila Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LexiaReckoning2014 Twitter: @katheryn_avila
Passing the torch to...
Briana Gaitangrew up in the South, but calls herself a geek at heart. She is a blogger,author,and fangirl who loves Star Wars, Star Trek, and Jewelry (bet you never thought you'd hear those three things in a sentence together) For fun, she loves watching any show on the SyFy channel, relaxing with her family, reading, and listening to indie music (sometimes all at the same time). Briana loves to write stories where there are no limits to the imagination. She is the co-author of the fantasy Ethereal Underground series and author of the upcoming Hollywood Timelines Series.
Author Website: www.bookswithbree.com
Book Website: www.etherealunderground.com
Book Blog: blameitonthebook.blogspot.com
Blog / Website: http://www.evavanrell.com
June 9, 2014
Writing Process Blog Tour
Why Tiger Gray, what a big torch you have!
Welcome to the second round for the Writing Process Blog Tour.
What am I working on?
While I wait to hear back from agents and publishers, I'm working on a Psychological Thriller sequel.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I write two different things, Fantasy short stories and Psychological Thriller novels. In both genres I focus on the emotions of the characters to show the story. Or rather, the emtoions of the characters make me show the story.
Why do I write what I do?
Free therapy. How does my writing process work?
First, I wait until I'm in the right mood. This involves immersing myself in research and specific music until I'm in the right mindset in order to write that next scene or chapter. Then I tune out the whole world, close the door, live inside the story, and write like mad. It takes a lot of concentration and I can't have anyone around when I'm writing.
I'm now passing the torch to horror author JZ Murdock and literary fiction author Berva Drieger. Check out their blogs next Monday. Thanks for reading!
Welcome to the second round for the Writing Process Blog Tour.
What am I working on?
While I wait to hear back from agents and publishers, I'm working on a Psychological Thriller sequel.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I write two different things, Fantasy short stories and Psychological Thriller novels. In both genres I focus on the emotions of the characters to show the story. Or rather, the emtoions of the characters make me show the story.
Why do I write what I do?
Free therapy. How does my writing process work?
First, I wait until I'm in the right mood. This involves immersing myself in research and specific music until I'm in the right mindset in order to write that next scene or chapter. Then I tune out the whole world, close the door, live inside the story, and write like mad. It takes a lot of concentration and I can't have anyone around when I'm writing.
I'm now passing the torch to horror author JZ Murdock and literary fiction author Berva Drieger. Check out their blogs next Monday. Thanks for reading!
May 24, 2014
Ego Lessons
We've all seen taglines that just make us cringe. Summaries that makes us roll our eyes and book blurbs that forces us to look away. It's sadly common. I've noticed people tend to see it as arrogance and laziness. They're just not trying hard enough, is the assumption. I agree it certainly comes across that way at first glance. However, having spent time in writers' groups, I've found time again, no matter what the problem happens to be, the underlying cause is always lack of confidence.
Some people get quite defensive when they lack confidence. Others burst into tears and wail. More will hit people over the head, trying to force others to blindly accept whatever they say. And some will retreat into their shell, never to be heard from again. I'm guilty of all of the above.
I started actively writing in 2002 - 2003. Since then, I've learned a lot of humbling lessons about my own ego which allowed me to build up confidence. But what I really want to talk about is summaries.
Learning how to sum up a whole novel is a bitch and a half. Every author struggles with that one. For new independent authors, it can be harrowing. And truth be told, it was really hard for me to learn how to describe my psychological thriller for query letters. I contemplated suicide so I wouldn't have to write anything. I was so frustrated. But I know how to write those kind of letters! It's identical to writing a cover lever for a graphic design job position. I can do this, dammit. I ended up punching my way through it until something made sense and it wasn't longer than a few sentences.
In a recent conversation with authors, a light bulb went off. The answer to why I struggled so much suddenly smacked me in the face. Lack of confidence. Lack of allowing the book to speak for itself. Describing all my influences and ego, instead of describing the story.
That's when I understood yet another humbling lesson. Overcompensating a lack of confidence made the early drafts of my query letter come across as describing my ego instead of my book. I'm not lazy, I put a lot of effort into summary writing. I was trying too hard. Why? I was scared agents would see right through everything and recognize my lack of confidence. Fear of the emperor’s new clothes.
Lack of confidence + trying too hard = a summary of my ego.
So there you have it. The mathematical equation for what not to do. The rest is up to you.
Some people get quite defensive when they lack confidence. Others burst into tears and wail. More will hit people over the head, trying to force others to blindly accept whatever they say. And some will retreat into their shell, never to be heard from again. I'm guilty of all of the above.
I started actively writing in 2002 - 2003. Since then, I've learned a lot of humbling lessons about my own ego which allowed me to build up confidence. But what I really want to talk about is summaries.
Learning how to sum up a whole novel is a bitch and a half. Every author struggles with that one. For new independent authors, it can be harrowing. And truth be told, it was really hard for me to learn how to describe my psychological thriller for query letters. I contemplated suicide so I wouldn't have to write anything. I was so frustrated. But I know how to write those kind of letters! It's identical to writing a cover lever for a graphic design job position. I can do this, dammit. I ended up punching my way through it until something made sense and it wasn't longer than a few sentences.
In a recent conversation with authors, a light bulb went off. The answer to why I struggled so much suddenly smacked me in the face. Lack of confidence. Lack of allowing the book to speak for itself. Describing all my influences and ego, instead of describing the story.
That's when I understood yet another humbling lesson. Overcompensating a lack of confidence made the early drafts of my query letter come across as describing my ego instead of my book. I'm not lazy, I put a lot of effort into summary writing. I was trying too hard. Why? I was scared agents would see right through everything and recognize my lack of confidence. Fear of the emperor’s new clothes.
Lack of confidence + trying too hard = a summary of my ego.
So there you have it. The mathematical equation for what not to do. The rest is up to you.
May 11, 2014
Psychological Thriller - Tumblr
I'm posting the inspirations for each chapter of my psychological thriller on Tumblr. Images, videos, quotes, and audio. Come enjoy the imagination fest of my creative mind!
http://lilyauthor.tumblr.com/
The first seven chapters have already been posted, and I'm aiming for two chapters a day. I hope to see you there!
http://lilyauthor.tumblr.com/
The first seven chapters have already been posted, and I'm aiming for two chapters a day. I hope to see you there!
