Shannan Sinclair's Blog, page 3

Weird — The Sequel

Grace Cathedral

Yes! I am going to dish upon "The Lost Hour" situation that occurred last night! Stop texting me and sending me emails already!!! It's got to percolate! AND I am trying to get my wingman in this situation to write his side of the story so y'all can get a complete picture of our adventure/kidnapping.

But until that story is fully fleshed out, I got another one for you!

I knew the stars were aligned for me to come to this conference as soon as I saw that I had the whole weekend off and when I saw it was going to take place at a pivotal setting in my novel. I had a feeling that synchronicity and serendipity were going to be a huge part of this weekend. I wasn't wrong. But it is outright CRAZY some of the shit that has happened.

So today at the keynote luncheon, I am happily chatting with Wingman, Rachel and Mike about "The Lost Hour" when our waiter comes to our table. He is not a happy character. First of all...he was imposing, bearish in both stature and attitude. It was obvious that he was annoyed by the lot of our conference attendees...I am figuring as a whole we are a rude and demanding and egotistical and pompous bunch. In any case, he wasn't having any of our shit and it showed in his aura.

So of course, I went out of my way to be kind, and say please and thank you, and try to make his experience more pleasant. It worked. Over the course of lunch he softened up and became more amiable.

But here is the weird part.

At the end of lunch, as I am leaving the table, he stops me and starts downloading a treasure trove of information about the hotel, the Pacific-Union Club across the street, and Grace Cathedral. He tells me that it is no coincidence that Obama was here and explains his Mason status. He tells me about the tunnel I suspect runs beneath the streets up here and why the street is named Bush. Then he calls his fellow waiter over who has worked at the hotel for 30 or something years, who tells me about Bohemian Grove! 

All the stuff of Dream Walker and the Saga that is to come!

Out of the blue — not knowing a damn thing about me except that I was polite.

"Do you know what I write?" I asked.

"No," he said. "But you looked like you'd be interested..." Or something along those lines.

Really??????

I gave him my card.

Hopefully, I will run into him later so I can get more goods. (Or if you find my blog you'll get in touch!) It was fascinating.

And freakin' WEIRD as hell!

∞

On a completely different subject, I am going to submit a suggestion to the conference advisory committee. 

It would be extremely helpful to be if they had a classification system for the kind of writer personalities that are here. Wingman and I narrowed it down to 3 types. There are the "deer in the headlight" types, who seem to wander in a daze, the way-serious literary types, and the cynical, we-don't-give-a-f*@k types. 

Gee. Which one am I do you think?

We decided there needs to be a series of 5 questions that every attendee should be asked that would herd them into their proper category. Wingman says it needs to be a Skyped interview. 

First question isn't really a question. The interviewer just says the f-word.

If the attendee laughs, they are automatically in group A. Depending on the degree of their flinching puts them into one of the other groups.

Another question might be: Are you coming to conference to learn to write better, to learn about the business, to pitch agents or drink and get laid?

Actually, we may only need those two questions. That would be enough for me to find my peeps fast!

It's just a thought. 

∞

All kidding aside, EVERYONE I have met is fun and fascinating! I am exhausted by all the stimulation. So before I head out to dinner, I am going to take a break from the conference and take a nap!

Shannan

Pacific-Union Club

We live in the fiction.

W is for...

 

 gemertm

Writers. WOW. And Weird. That pretty much sums up the first day of SFWC.

First there are obviously the writers. Lots and lots of them! In all shapes, sizes and genres. I have collected an impressive stack of business cards and booksmarks and have about 50 more Tweeps I follow. We are all so different—our backgrounds, our personalities—and yet there is an underlying WEIRD to each of us. Weird is the definitely the common denominator 'round here!

But first let me talk about the WOW factor.

By far the most impressive session I attended was with a trio of woman authors, Bella Andre, Barbara Freethy, and Lisa Marie Rice. The subject was supposed to be about making the move from self publishing to traditional publishing.

Though I decided to self publish my first novel, I have kept it in the back of my mind that maybe I would try to go traditional with the second...after I have proven myself as an author, developed a platform and a readership. I went into this session to hear how these women did that.

The session was completely the opposite of its title. Each of these writers is a represented, traditionally published author, yet they began to self publish their back lists, books they had regained the rights to, and even some new works. And they are wildly enthusiastic and successful at it. We are talking a million dollars a year successful! The joy and enthusiasm they have about the process of self publishing was incredibly validating, inspiring and contagious. 

That was the wow factor.

The evening brought about the weird factor. It was only three hours of my life, and yet it will stick with me for a long while. I can't even convey the series of events yet. It's gonna take me a few days to process the experience. For sure there is a short story or a screenplay in it. 

Until tomorrow...

Shannan

We live in the fiction.

 

More Work To Do!!!!

 by ecstaticist from Flickr

 

Today was pre-conference day here at the San Francisco Writer's Conference. It was all about arriving, getting settled into rooms and registering. 

I was a complete basketcase, of course. I waited until this morning to pack,—and attempted it on 5 hours sleep. The bellboy probably thinks I am staying here for a month! 

I was totally thinking that because President Obama was in the building it is going to be a mad house! I expected traffic to be hell and Secret Service agents at every corner to be eye-balling me. But it was the most peaceful arrival at a hotel in San Francisco I have ever had. If there were any agents in the hotel, they were "Raze"-like.

Actually.... there was this one man "guarding" a door around the conference rooms with an earpiece... wearing a hotel uniform. You think they do it like that? Wear hotel uniforms instead of badass black suits?

He was pretty stoic, that guy. Until I said that I could really use a Jack and Coke and he started laughing.

It was pretty intimidating walking into a crowd of 300 writers, when you just became one. So I did what I normally do and just barged right up to people and joined the conversation like we already knew each other. It worked. Got an amazing dinner date out of it. Already meeting some really interesting people and it isn't even officially day one!

By the end of the night, though, I was drinking martinis at the Top of the Mark with a couple of doctor/radiologists from Detroit and Florida. Leave it to me not to be able to stick with my own kind.

I can already tell I am going to be overwhelmed with information and come home with a "to do" list a mile long. In just 2 hours I filled 3 pages with notes to follow up on! My frontal lobe is throbbing.

But that may be the martini!

Okay! Off to bed! Early morning tomorrow!

Shannan

We live in the fiction.

Blogging LIVE from the San Francisco Writer's Conference!

Boy! Oh, Boy! I betcha can't contain your excitement about this one! Well, I tell you, the Grammys—the Oscars—will have NOTHING on this.

There are a very few things I haven't done in my life, and a writer's conference is one of them. 

There are several reasons for this. First, I didn't consider myself a "writer" until I actually wrote a novel. Now that I have done that, I realize: that was dumb. Why I wouldn't give myself permission to attend an event that could inspire and motivate me in my dream is beyond me. But now I know better.

Second, anytime an event is announced, be it a concert, a trip, or a family gathering, I check my calendar. Chances are I will have to work part or all of the event. When I got the announcement for SFWC, I was disappointed before I even pulled the calendar out. But, lo and behold, I had not just one or two days of the conference off...I had THE WHOLE WEEKEND OFF! Seriously, that is a miracle. You have no idea!

Not to mention, it is being held at the International Mark Hopkins, whose Top of the Mark is a starring locale in my new book that just released this week.

Then an angel dropped the money for it from the sky.

The synchronicity abounds! The Universe definitely WANTS me there!

Being that it is my first time to attend such a thing, I thought it would be fun to share the experience with my readers and fellow writers who cannot attend.

I have absolutely no idea what to expect. And though you may find this impossible to believe, I am intimidated out of my mind!

Will these writer folks be strange and odd and kooky, like me? (Pretty, pretty, please!)

Or will they be serious and pretentious and all 'my pen is mightier than your sword'? 

Will they drink coffee or Jack? Will they just want to read and pitch and slam and hock their words like hos or can we dance? And of course the burning question is...will there be any eye candy?

We shall all see...in about 12 hours.

I figured I could always hole up in my room and blog if I am not having any fun. But if you don't hear from me...I found a karaoke buddy in the lounge.

Shannan

We live in the fiction.

Master of My Demesne

"Bringing it" Soul Journal Page by Shannan Sinclair

 

“What the hell is a Demesne?” you ask.

“Read the first 3 Chapters of Dream Walker,” she answers.

**hee..hee**

I will tell you that ‘demesne’ is the Anglo-French respelling of the word ‘domain’, meaning realm or territory, and is pronounced duh-main. But that’s all you get. How it relates to Dream Walker you’ll have to explore for yourself.

(It’s right here ~ for free.)

So how am I the master of my demesne?

If you are thinking about the best episode of Seinfeld ever, get your mind outta the gutter. That is a subject matter for another, more risque blog.

I am talking about the little novel writing realm I am trying to build.

I am becoming what is called an Indie Author. This means I am writing books and publishing them myself. No agent. No publishing house. No go-betweens. No middle men. It is just me, the writer, to you, the reader.

It means I am managing the production of my book; setting it up for the printing press, converting it for Kindle and Nook, and dealing with the distributors directly. 

It also means I am marketing and promoting the book myself. I created my own website. I am writing my own press releases. I am arranging my own book launch and blog tour and building my own author platform.

I am in charge of both quality control and the professionals that I hire to assist me making my product worthy of your perusal. Critics complain that self-publishing means poor editing and bad quality. That may be true in some cases. But I am striving to be cream of the crop, not crap, and have worked hard to achieve that. You are the one who gets to decide whether Dream Walker is cream or crap, not the middle man.

I am also the accountant who manages all the income and expenses of this venture. Right now I am only managing expenses, but hopefully soon, I will be managing income as well. (That’s your part, too, btw.. ;-) )

Oh yeah...and I am, first and foremost, a writer, working on the outline for book 2.

I do this full-time passion on top of my full-time job as a 911 dispatcher, and my other full-time job as a single mother with two kids, two dogs, two cats, and a geriatric goldfish. (He's 8. That's old.)

So why would I do this Indie thing? Who in their right mind would take all that on? Wouldn’t it be easier to attempt to go Traditional and have someone else do it? 

Well, it turns out that most of those tasks would end up on my to-do list anyway. Apparently, the agent gets you the publisher, the publisher prints your book and the rest is up to you. Especially if this is your first time to the rodeo, like me. The likes of Stephen King and James Patterson may get a little more than that. May. 

Second, I get to retain the rights to my book. If I got picked up by a traditional publisher they would want to retain the electronic and movie rights to Dream Walker. Sorry, but retaining those rights is important to me. I have a vision, damn it! It involves the Oscars and Tom Cruise.

And rather than the 17.5% royalty a traditional publisher would let me have for my e-book, I get 65-70% by going to the distributor directly. Being that I wrote 100% of the book, I think that is fair.

But maybe the biggest difference, and my ultimate reason, for going Indie, is the control I have over my vision and the speed with which I see results.

I assembled my paperback book in 4 hours, uploaded it to CreateSpace in 20 minutes, ordered a proof 12 hours later and had it on my doorstep 2 days after that.

BAM! Near instant gratification!

(So maybe it is a little like Seinfeld. Like being Kramer, rather than Jerry.) 

And as soon as I approve my proof, within 12 hours it will be available to YOU! 

Just. Like. That!

No waiting 2 to 3 years to hold my book in my hands or have people read it.

There is a visceral rush in that!

Shannan

We live in the fiction.

The Soul's Code

"Fold 'Em" Soul Journal Page by Shannan Sinclair

 

In his bestseller The Soul's Code, James Hillman proposed that each of us has a calling, and inborn imperative, coded into our very soul and that in order to find fulfillment with our lives, we have to realize that calling.

This invisible guiding force, ever urges us toward our destiny, ever prods us to live our highest truth. The Romans called it our ‘genius’. The Greeks called it the ‘daimon’.

How many of us are living according to our soul’s code?

How many of us are following our deep-seeded spark of genius?

Are you?

My guess would be that only 10% of us are. The other 90% of us have forsaken it—set it aside for various reasons. Maybe because we have to be responsible grown-ups and work at jobs and pay rent and raise our children and survive? Maybe because we don’t know what our calling is in the first place?

Daimon is the Greek derivative of the word demon. And isn’t it so true that when we deny our calling, when we shove our destiny deep down within us, it turns on us. Instead of being the higher voice of the divine inspiring us to our greatness, it becomes the demon that eats away at us from the inside because we won’t let it out into our life.

When I look around, I see that a lot of us are living with a rabid daimon. Left in a cage it creates havoc. Are you depressed? Are you constantly enraged? Does everything you touch turn to dust? Do you wonder why your life does not seem to go anywhere? Or brings no lasting joy or pleasure?

I know that place well. I have tread quietly around my daimon my whole life. Every, other thing took precedent over listening to the call of my purpose. And my life always seemed out of sync...always off...flat.

When I stopped denying my soul’s code, and started doing what it is I was meant to do, everything shifted.

Life isn’t perfect. I still have to work my night job as a 911 dispatcher. Stresses and problems still exist. But my outlook is completely different. I have an intense spark of joy in my heart. There is a thrill to getting up each morning (or in my case, afternoon :-)).

As long as a touch base with my daimon every day, do just one thing I came to this body and planet to do, the rest of the bullshit is just, well...bullshit.

And the daimon rewards me for listening. It rises up to meet my efforts with divine assistance. Miracles abound.

My files for Dream Walker are converted for both Kindle and Nook and ready to upload to Amazon and Barnes and Noble! And today my daimon knocked on the door in the form of FedEx with the first proofs of Dream Walker in paperback!

All systems are go, go, GO!

And I couldn’t be happier!

So what about you? What dream are you denying yourself? What can you do today to follow to your soul’s code?

Do it!

Shannan

We live in the fiction.

An Apology to My Muse

 

No one likes to say "I'm sorry." But when we have wronged someone, turned our back on them, or invalidated them in some way, we owe them an apology. And I owe my muse an apology.

Yes, I have a muse. It is not uncommon amongst writers, musicians and artists. Homer and Virgil publicly invoked them in their respective epics, John Lennon let his ruin The Beatles, and The Bard dedicated 25 sonnets to his "dark lady." Muses have inspired everything from poetry and music to hairstyles (Google Astrid Kirchherr) and movies (Remember Xanadu?).

Well, I have a muse, too.

While muses are typically female, and in recent times, human...mine's a dude and supernatural.

I know. Weird. 

But those of you who know me from Original Bliss, know I'm a little odd - "kooky" has actually been the term used. But you also know I tell it like it is. So there you have it. I have a little spirit in the closet. Actually, I don't think he's little, he seems like he's quite tall. And he doesn't stick around in my closet or even my house. He mostly roams the Multiverse. If he has a name, I don't know it. It is probably unpronounceable to our Earthly tongue. So I just call him "Muse" when I feel him around or shout out "Muse!" when I need him. He isn't always prompt. Sometimes I have to wait for him. And though I'd like to think we are exclusive, I may not be his only client.

So here's how it happened.

Seven years ago, I had a dream~a whole series of them. And from them came the seed idea for Dream Walker. I guess you can say Dream Walker is based on a true story. Kooky. I warned you. Anyway, I was thus inspired. I plotted out my novel, developed characters and hammered out about 12,000 words. But inspiration faded and I set my book aside.

Three years ago, I pulled DW out again and tried to breathe some life into her. But I basically just smeared those first 12,000 words around in the word processor and called it editing. Dream Walker did not resuscitate.

Then, just over a year ago, my life fell apart. No, really...it completely fell apart. Everything I held dear, my marriage, my family, my home, my dreams for the future, collapsed into ruin. I became deeply depressed. I lived in my bathtub with a bottle of wine, hoping I would sink. 

One night, in the in-between of sleep and stupor, I heard his voice. Out loud. Yes. Crazy shit right there. But maybe you've heard an unseen voice at some time in your life. When you were driving and looked down at your iPhone and you heard "Look up!" just in time to see that traffic was coming to an abrupt stop. So you know what I mean.

He said, "It's time."

That all. And it was as clear as if he was standing right next to my bed. 

Normally I would have responded with, "Time for what?" Scratch that. Normally I would have responded by screaming some profanity because I heard someone who wasn't really there, then I would have asked, "Time for what?"

But I didn't ask. I already knew.

It was time for me to write my book. In an instant it all flashed into my mind. Only it wasn't the book I started writing 7 years ago. Names had changed. Ages were different. The time frame had shifted. It was my book, but new and fresh, and I got out of bed and started writing it.

Writing Dream Walker has been an intuitive process for me. Maybe it is that way for all writers. It only flows when I get my head out of the way. Rationale does not work...intellect fucks it up. Many times I thought I was going one direction only to be told by the character, that no, they weren't. The story was full of surprises--for me. There were times that my gut seized up with a knowing that everything was wrong with a chapter. I absolutely could not write another word. I would have to completely let that train of thought go so Muse would come and work his magic, lighting the synapses of my brain with epiphany.

Muse isn't just genius about storytelling either. He has also been very insistent about what I should do once the book was written, telling me over and over, "Self-publish." He's whispered marketing ideas and promotion suggestions to me in my sleep. He has pointed me toward workshops, websites and blogs specifically geared toward the independent author. Every time I move in that direction, synchronicities happen.

But my head got in the way.

Yes, I know now is an exciting time to be a writer. The opportunities and services supporting independent authors are abundant and incredible. But my head clings to the old ways. It tries to convince me that the traditional route is the only "legit" path.

Get an agent. Have them find the publisher. Self-publishing is only for people who can't make it any other way. I am a coward, afraid of the dreaded rejection slips! I have to earn my stripes by taking my licks! Amanda Hocking be damned!

Muse and I got in an argument. He left in a huff. Alright, I exaggerate. He just shrugged his shoulders and sulked off.. And I went about checking the boxes on my "traditional" route task list so I could start gathering some rejections slips for the scrapbook.

And my gut froze up. Inspiration and enthusiasm left me when muse did. My soul is not in it. 

I swallowed my pride and said, "Muse. If you can hear me across the dimensions, could you please come back? I think I am on the wrong path with this."

He was by my side right away. Even muses don't want to miss an opportunity to gloat and say, "I told you so." Again, he outlined the plan--the Independent, Self Publishing Plan of Action for Shannan Sinclair and Dream Walker. He knew I was still really apprehensive about committing to this plan, so he sent one of his helpers...an elf, a human elf.

This elf sent me an email last week. He has a friend who has the coveted Agent. And her agent scored her a publisher!!!! Her book is going to be published LEGITIMATELY!!!! His friend holds the Holy Grail of Writer's Success in her hands! Contracts have been signed. Her book will be available to the public! In January 2014.

Yes... you read that shit right. JANUARY 2014! TWO FREAKIN' YEARS AWAY!!!!!!!!!

WTF?

Muse was rolling on the floor laughing his ass off. "Told you so." He couldn't help one last dig.

That sealed the deal for me. Dream Walker is NOT going to be published in 2014. It is going to be published March 1, 2012 or very soon after. It will be available on Nook, Kindle, and Apple--electronically. And for those of you who haven't moved into the 21st century yet, I am figuring out how to kill a couple of trees just for you.

In the coming weeks, you'll be hearing more about Dream Walker's release and how you can help my book go viral! Maybe we can organize one of those Flash Mob things? Or maybe we can invade peoples dreams and seed the idea --"Buy Dream Walker today." That would be bad ass... creepy... but bad ass!

Until next time, remember...

We live in the fiction.

Shannan

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Things I've Learned While Writing My First Novel - Part 2

 
Just over a year ago, I began to fulfill my life long dream of writing a novel. I knew it was going to be challenging, which is why I procrastinated starting it for 42 years.
 
And I was right. It was frickin' hard!
 
It took a massive amount of dedication to sit down and write every day. But I did it - even if I could only fit it in during a 15 minute break at work. I suffered crippling self doubt. I anguished over plot, characters, sentence structure, dialog, and vocabulary. I slogged through the ugliest of first drafts, pruned seconds, and polished thirds. Miracle of miracles, I actually finished the thing.
 
I learned a lot about myself and my personal writing process, which I blogged about last year at Original Bliss, but as I was putting the finishing touches on Dream Walker, a whole new learning curve began. 
 
Once the book is actually written what do you do?
 
There must be thousands of books out there about how to get your book published: about finding an editor, landing the literary agent, writing perfect query letters, formulating your elevator pitch, and formatting your manuscript properly. All of that is definitely on my checklist of things I am doing, but there have been a few other things that I have learned that have been way more gratifying.
 
 
1. I joined a writer's group.
 
I was really intimidated by this at first. The idea of sitting down with writers more experienced than I, then having them read and CRITIQUE my chapters. It scared the crap out of me. If it does you, too, feel the fear and do it anyway! The feedback, networking and support is invaluable! 

 
The personality of a writer is unique. We are watchers--the great observers and listeners.
 
I have always felt like a freak; part alien, part spy, ever amazed at humans and the things they do and say. I am intrigued, sometimes baffled, by how they react and wonder at what they feel. Stories evolve from these wonderings.
 
I had never hung out with other writers before, and I have to say, I may be a freak, but in communing with like-minded freaks I feel like I have found My People.
 
I started by finding my first Writer's Group at Meet Up. From there, I was invited to attend other writer's groups. 
 
I also checked out some local Writer's Associations, such as Romance Writers of America and California Writer's Club. They offer monthly meetings and inexpensive workshops where I have met some of the most helpful and amazing people.
 
 
2. I found some published authors and picked their brains!
 
Other people have walked the writer's way, travelling from unknown hack to published author. I found myself a few of them, met them for coffee and chicken dinners, listened to their horror stories and followed their advice. A special shout out to Lisa Sanchez and Lee Tidball, two authors who were tremendously gracious and helpful, pointing me in a direction when I was totally, like, "Huh?" 

 
 
3. I Re-established my web presence.
  
Uuuuugh! Right? Who wants to spend all their time facebooking, blogging and twittering? I know. I get it.
  
BUT! I have been amazed by how many contacts I have made in such a short time and the information I have found via social media. Especially from Twitter, which really surprised me. I was never a tweeter before and now I am hooked. (Thanks to Lisa for that!)
 
Then there was the dreaded blog/website. Of course we all want something that looks professional, but don't want to spend weeks trying to learn html and css in order to create it ourself OR a fortune to have someone else create it for us.
 
I've been around the blogger block. I started at TypePad, which required me to speak html and css in order to get it to look how I wanted. Then I moved to Blogger, because I could have my own domain name. But then, I discovered HostBaby... from a Tweet, no less.
 
Rather than just creating a blog, within an hour I created a complete and professional website. It offers the best templates I have ever seen and it was easy-peesy. Really. I wouldn't lie about that - it was the easiest website I have ever created.
 
So when I am not editing and revising Dream Walker, writing my synopsis, pitch or the first chapters of Book 2, these are some of the other things I do to stay in touch with my muse and on top of my book business.
 
Anybody have any other gems for me?
 
Shannan

The Hard Part is Done... (or is it?)

 

 

As of yesterday, at 1739 hrs, the first draft of my first novel, Dream Walker, was finished. It only took three hundred and eighty eight days to write my 95,000 word Sci-Fi Fantasy Adventure! Way too long in my mind, until a kind author at a workshop I recently attended gave me a pat on the back and said, "That is a very fast pace for a first novel. It took me 5 years to write my first."

Which made me think -- Aislen and Raze, Mathis and Preston, Sabine, Sigmund, Troy and Genesis have been telling their story to me since 2003. I finally made an attempt to write it in 2006 but put it away when I hit my first, real writer's block. I drug her out and dusted her off again last October and decided she would be my sole focus for 6 months. (That's when I imagined she would be done. HA!)

But rather than start my clock in '03, I started it when I got REAL about it -- last year.

Amid all the distractions of 2011 -- my separation from my husband, moving, a criminal court case involving my children, a work schedule from hell, taking my daughter to audition for The Voice and all the other day to day chores of life -- Dream Walker was my priority. If I couldn't get to her, I was daydreaming about her. I had long conversations with Raziel during my commutes. I doodled ideas while I worked. I wrote her during every lunch break, and I listened to playlists I imagined my characters would listen to, to stay in the mood when I didn't have time to write.

And then yesterday, with absolutely no fanfare or ticker tape, she was done.

I sat there and looked at the words on the screen.

"Now what?"

Gee... I thought WRITING the book was going to be my biggest challenge.

Now I have to get people to want to READ it... even BUY it! 

I need it edited. I need to decide if I am going to try to publish traditionally, by getting an agent and a publisher.

Or am I going to take the cutting edge route and self-publish her?

So much to consider, decisions to be made, work to be done.

Oh... and another novel to start writing.

I guess I didn't finish anything --- I've only just begun!

Shannan