R.B. Harkess's Blog, page 13
July 20, 2012
Random act of kindness
I'd like to nominate S. Spencer Baker for a 'Random Act of Kindness' award.
Cant go into details about what, but he recently showed a generosity of spirit to a total stranger (me) that left me slightly at a loss for words, and wondering how I could repay his kindness.
Guess the best thing I can do it this. Go buy his books. I have read the first of the 'Slabscape' series already. It is good, and it made me chuckle at several inappropriate and inconvenient times. You can find his book on Facebook here
Cant go into details about what, but he recently showed a generosity of spirit to a total stranger (me) that left me slightly at a loss for words, and wondering how I could repay his kindness.
Guess the best thing I can do it this. Go buy his books. I have read the first of the 'Slabscape' series already. It is good, and it made me chuckle at several inappropriate and inconvenient times. You can find his book on Facebook here
July 15, 2012
Editing Special Treat
I've recently had a chance to work with a new editor. Don't know if it will come to anything, and for that reason not going to say who, or what the work related to.
What I will say is there will be a raft of writers out there who'll scream 'you must be mad' when I dare whisper that I like editors. You can learn so much from a good editor (if you can be bothered). I admit, as in everything to do with this business, there are good ones and bad ones, but I've yet to meet an editor who wasn't able to add something to what we were working on.
I see editors as being a vital part of what we do as writers. Its part of the process: another pair of eyes to look over the story, the lack of the emotional connection, the market/business awareness, getting the 'house style' into place. I suppose there are writers out there who don't need an editor, but there are many more who don't think they do.
For me, I know the value of a good editor. I'm just starting out and I'll take any help I can get. My first editor, Steve Haynes, made a huge difference to my first novel, Aphrodite's Dawn, and a chap by the name of AJ French who edited/published two of my short stories (under my alter ego) was great too.
Hope I get to work some more with this 'new' person.
What I will say is there will be a raft of writers out there who'll scream 'you must be mad' when I dare whisper that I like editors. You can learn so much from a good editor (if you can be bothered). I admit, as in everything to do with this business, there are good ones and bad ones, but I've yet to meet an editor who wasn't able to add something to what we were working on.
I see editors as being a vital part of what we do as writers. Its part of the process: another pair of eyes to look over the story, the lack of the emotional connection, the market/business awareness, getting the 'house style' into place. I suppose there are writers out there who don't need an editor, but there are many more who don't think they do.
For me, I know the value of a good editor. I'm just starting out and I'll take any help I can get. My first editor, Steve Haynes, made a huge difference to my first novel, Aphrodite's Dawn, and a chap by the name of AJ French who edited/published two of my short stories (under my alter ego) was great too.
Hope I get to work some more with this 'new' person.
July 12, 2012
Too much information?
Social media is a wonderful thing, but I've recently discovered something I never thought about. I follow several publishers/editors, both on Facebook and Twitter. Its good to keep an eye on what the market is doing and what is being released.
The down side is that I have submissions into at least two of these publishers, so when they happily post 'acceptances today' in a message, who can blame me for catching my breath and clutching my hands to my beating heart in hope, watching the inbox for hours, only to slink away, depressed and disheartened, at the end of the day.
Add to this the 'reading a great manuscript' message. Same hopes, longer fade.
OK, so its nice to know that the people you've entrusted your metaphorical children to are actually working hard, but in the back of your mind there is always that little niggle of hope or doubt. Guess that's why they say one of the first attributes a writer needs to develop is a thick skin :)
The down side is that I have submissions into at least two of these publishers, so when they happily post 'acceptances today' in a message, who can blame me for catching my breath and clutching my hands to my beating heart in hope, watching the inbox for hours, only to slink away, depressed and disheartened, at the end of the day.
Add to this the 'reading a great manuscript' message. Same hopes, longer fade.
OK, so its nice to know that the people you've entrusted your metaphorical children to are actually working hard, but in the back of your mind there is always that little niggle of hope or doubt. Guess that's why they say one of the first attributes a writer needs to develop is a thick skin :)
June 21, 2012
Manic...
is life at the moment. The infamous day job is absorbing time like a sponge, the new story, Amunet (now 25k words and growing fast) is doing its best to soak up whatever is left, and some scumbag tried to break into my house. Putting the damage right is taking what little time I have left spare, so I suppose the little git did manage to steal something.
But on the back of that I got a really nice surprise. The police have been brilliant. I was expecting a crime number and little else, but we had a SOCO sweeping for prints in 3 hours, beat bobbies an hour behind that (on an england football night, too). Then the next day the PCSO's were doing door to door on my street and streets either side, and dropped in on the missus to make sure she was all right. To top it all off, we got a call from victim support, asking us if we were OK and was there any help we needed.
And all for an attempted break in. I am impressed, and will be writing to the appropriate senior officer to say so. Its good to have your stereotypes challenged occasionally
But on the back of that I got a really nice surprise. The police have been brilliant. I was expecting a crime number and little else, but we had a SOCO sweeping for prints in 3 hours, beat bobbies an hour behind that (on an england football night, too). Then the next day the PCSO's were doing door to door on my street and streets either side, and dropped in on the missus to make sure she was all right. To top it all off, we got a call from victim support, asking us if we were OK and was there any help we needed.
And all for an attempted break in. I am impressed, and will be writing to the appropriate senior officer to say so. Its good to have your stereotypes challenged occasionally
