Sue Phillips's Blog, page 2

Stop the Carousel, I Want To Get Off: Commentary on “Tearing Our Passions to Tatters” by Porter Anderson

Last week, I read a thought-filled blog on Writers Unboxed – Tearing Our Passions to Tatters by Porter Anderson.

Initially, I simply sat and stared at that title for a moment before I could continue reading. Anything written by Porter is well worth reading but Tearing Our Passion to Tatters was poetically perfect. My passion for writing was in shreds.

After reading, I was relieved….or, more accurately, reassured that someone had articulated the frustration deep inside me.

I can’t do justice to the entire blog. Please do yourself a favor and read it for yourself.  But, for the sake of my commentary, here is a snippet:

Within a couple of generations’ spans, we are the first humans who can cover-to-smithereens our news events the way we do. (Thank you, digital.) And within that same time period, our creative people have become exposed to a remarkably deep, seductive capability online to talk about, talk about, talk about, talk about the work…instead of doing it.

When I decided to switch to Indie publishing, I knew the learning curve would be steep. I took time off from writing to absorb tons of information – book formatting, copyrights, bookseller contracts, uploading to booksellers, ISBNs, author platform, marketing, promo, author website designs, SEO, Excel sales spreadsheets, and much more.  Did I need to learn everything? No, I could have hired someone to do some of the work so I could continue writing. But I must comprehend as much as possible to decide what I need versus what I want. Handing over control without full understanding leaves me confused and (usually) paying to redo or add elements I had not considered, such as re-loading a book to a bookseller after I add information about new books.

The problem is the endless learning process.

I have fallen into an obsessive compulsive addiction to the latest news in the publishing. I know there must be a line and I have definitely crossed it. I skim dozens of blogs and business articles. I “Click & Share” about ten percent of what I read. I edit my own industry e-newspaper, The Gillian Doyle Daily, that curates content from across the internet.  Yes, I suppose that makes me another info-dealer to other addicted authors. But this also my solution to following my favorites (including Porter Anderson) by pulling them into a central location to read throughout the day, solving at least one of my issues with writing-related time-management versus the actual act of writing.

Don’t get me wrong. I am glad I put in the time to learn. I am grateful for all the information available now.

But I feel like I’m on a carousel spinning out of control. I want to stop and get off for a while.

I want to ignore the marketing gurus advising me to maintain high visibility on social media. (That does not mean pimping my books.) I want to kick my Klout score to the curb. I want to forget about my Discoverability Quotient.

But I’ve invested too much effort to lose momentum now.

On the flip side, too many of my author-friends seem to be still living in the days when bookmarks and book signings were their primary promo. They don’t want to deal with the reality of the author platform today. They don’t want to know about using Pinterest and Instagram for their PR. They aren’t interested in updating their website, if they even have one. Forget about ads with Bookbub or Facebook, let alone Google analytics or Search Engine Optimization.  I’m not saying they must do all of these things, but they should learn what is available so they can make the best choices for their own careers.

I strongly believe that writers not keeping up with the industry will not have writing careers in five years. This is not to say they must spend all of their time reading “how-to” articles or posting on social media. Find balance. Choose what can be done without sacrificing writing time.

As Porter pointed out  – “What if you stopped thinking you had to read more, comment more, engage more, and instead wrote more?”

Writing must come first. 

So, instead of stopping the carousel, I’ll slow it down. Waaay down.

And mend my tattered passion.

 

The post Stop the Carousel, I Want To Get Off: Commentary on “Tearing Our Passions to Tatters” by Porter Anderson appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

Mike Wallace Interviews Rod Serling

“You are about to enter another dimension.

A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind.

A journey into a wondrous land of imagination.

Next stop, the Twilight Zone!”

 

The Twilight Zone debuted October 2, 1959. A few weeks before the series launched, the Mike Wallace interview with Rod Serling discusses his career, family, censorship and his new venture as executive producer and writer of this now iconic television production. Today, I wonder how many only know his distinct voice and image from Disney parks featuring “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror”.  This interview is a fascinating but all-too-brief look at the brilliant, insightful writer.

 

Special thanks to Paul Eres of Studio Eres Games for the YouTube video clip.

For writers, check out a series of posts at Go Into The Story by Scott Myers: ROD SERLING ON WRITING

The post Mike Wallace Interviews Rod Serling appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

Focus On The Road Ahead

The post Focus On The Road Ahead appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

STORY MASTERY with MICHAEL HAUGE

 
Story Mastery with Michael Hauge





WHEN: November 14, 2015 @ 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
WHERE: Sunset Station Hotel & Casino

1301 West Sunset Road

Henderson, NV 89014

COST: $75 LVRW members, $100 non-members
During this special, all-day seminar, Hollywood script and story consultant Michael Hauge, best-selling author of Writing Screenplays That Sell and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read, will present STORY MASTERY – his unique approach to creating compelling fiction, and to eliciting emotion in your readers. Using clips from recent blockbuster love stories and romantic comedies, along with hands on exercises, Michael will help you strengthen your story concepts, plot structure, love stories, character development and pitching skills. Topics covered will include:



The primary goal of all story
The power of desire, need, longing and destiny
The essential conflict all characters must face
Turning plot structure from a complicated concept into a simple, powerful tool you can easily apply to every story
The single key to creating character arc and theme
Creating unique, believable and fulfilling love stories
Adapting your novel to film
The indispensable elements of a great pitch

If you want to elevate your fiction writing to the highest possible level, this event is a must.

Cost:

$75 for LVRW Members with current RWA membership
$100 for non-LVRW Members

NOTE: If you are already an RWA member, you can become a local member of LVRW, the Las Vegas Chapter, for only $25. Get more information here. You can pay for this workshop via PayPal using the drop down below. If you wish to pay via check, please mail the check to:

Las Vegas Romance Writers

P. O. Box 371573

Las Vegas, Nevada 89137-1573

Be sure to include your name and email address with the check.

To use a credit card, please go to the website: http://lvrwa.org/event/story-master-michael-hauge/

The post STORY MASTERY with MICHAEL HAUGE appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

99¢ eBooks to help my German Shepherd

This is a tough post to write. I debated for several weeks about reaching out for help. Some of you are friends on Facebook so you know about my rescued German Shepherd, Gentle Ben. For the rest of you, here is his story….

Eduardo’s mug shot at Irvine Animal Control

Four years ago today–August 27, 2011–Irvine Animal Control picked up an emaciated, male German Shepherd from the streets of Orange County, California. His ears were severely infected. The tips of his ears are rounded by thick scar tissue from fly strikes. His age was estimated at 4-and-a-half yrs old. His lower front teeth are worn to nubs, which indicates chewing on itchy skin–the coarse hair is like sandpaper. Dubbed “Eduardo”, the sweet-tempered GSD waited four months for his owners to claim him or a new owner to adopt him, but neither happened. Instead, he withdrew more and more.

Alexis with Eddie

In December, 2011, German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County was able to take him to their shelter, but his hopeless disposition continued until a volunteer, Alexis, fostered him, taking him into her home to live with her dog, Guinness, as well as her cats. While GSROC paid his medical bills for the ear infections, she was able to obtain a scholarship for “Canine Nose Work” where he began to come out of his shell.

I found Eddie’s photo on AdoptAPet.com, which linked to his page on GSROC.  I don’t know why I went on the site. I was still grieving the tragic loss of my young Belgian Shepherd. I wasn’t ready to adopt yet. But Eddie looked so much like my Shepherd-Lab that I had owned from puppy to senior, passing at age 11. Even though I fell in love with Eddie, the best I could do was sponsor him, contributing money toward his care. I wasn’t even sure if my older Australian Shepherd-Husky, Maile, would accept a new dog. A few days later, unable to keep my mind off of this beautiful GSD, I wanted to meet Eddie at a PetSmart Adoption event. My husband and I took Maile along. She was immediately smitten. She even licked his face! When I petted Eddie, Alexis remarked in awe, “He’s never liked to have the top of his head touched.” She was sure it was a sign that he had accepted us, too.

Adoption Day

When we took Eddie home with us that day, I had already decided to change his name to “Gentle Ben.” (To me, “Eddie” suits a hyper-active rat terrier from Frazier!)

My husband and I soon realized Gentle Ben was afraid of men, particularly tall men with facial hair! (Hubs is 6-6 with a mustache.) Ben would duck and dash to a corner. But he never growled, barked or showed any aggression. We were told that he was likely a mistreated backyard-only dog. He was not leash-trained. (Alexis had been working on that, too!) He didn’t know how to maneuver our stairs, especially coming down from the second floor. Mirrors puzzled him. I had to train him how to use the doggie door. It was like having a puppy in a big dog suit. I continued his class in nose work while taking him regularly to our vet for the chronic ear infections.

Before long, Ben gained fifteen pounds, bringing him up to a normal weight for his size. But he was still missing an important part of being a happy dog–Play! He didn’t know how to play, even with Maile. If she tried to romp with him, he shied away. He didn’t know what to do with a ball or chew toys or stuffed animals. At the dog park, he loved greeting  little dogs. Otherwise, he followed Maile. Or me. On the rare occasion that an aggressive dog tried to pick a fight, he turned away. No snaps or snarls. Gentle Ben has proved to be the most gentle, sweetest dog I have ever owned! (Shhh, don’t tell Maile I said that!)

I developed some ideas of what might have happened to Ben before he had been found on the street. One, he was older than four years old. More like seven. Two, he had definitely been abused. Our current vet believes some of his present condition may have been caused from a blow to the lower back. And his tail is broken on the tip. Three, from the way he reacts to little dogs and one of our cats–who follows him around and kneads on him!–I can’t help but wonder if he was accustomed to being around puppies. Given he was not neutered when he was picked up,  I suspect he might have been a stud for a backyard breeder.

Eight months after adopting Gentle Ben, Maile was diagnosed with lymphoma. I’d never owned a pet with cancer but I couldn’t NOT try to save her life, despite the cost. Thankfully, she went into remission almost immediately after starting chemo. And still is! While she was going through treatment, our vet referred Ben to a veterinary dermatologist. I couldn’t juggle both expenses, so he had to wait six months. Tests showed allergies to dust mites, grasses, trees in our neighborhood. But the antigen cost a pretty penny! I learned how to give the shots at home. And they worked! His ears cleared completely.

We caught a break when we moved to Vegas valley. No allergies! No more shots! At the local dog park, Ben loved running around but still didn’t understand how to play. Finally, one wonderful day, he approached another dog that was about the same size as him, and teased the dog into playing. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He did it twice! He came back to me with such a big, happy-boy grin. I had tears in my eyes.

That night, Ben couldn’t get up from his bed. I thought he had pulled a muscle so I stopped taking him to the park for a few weeks. When we returned, I noticed his running gait was strange. Instead of alternating legs, one seemed to follow close behind the other. Odd.  Afterward, he was stiff at night. The new vet said Ben was arthritic and put him on Rimadyl. Not my choice but I needed help for Ben. Ten days later, I didn’t see any improvement. (For other reasons I won’t go into now, I stopped taking my dogs to this vet.)

Eventually, I found a well-respected holistic vet for Ben who responded remarkably well to her acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. Luckily, a specific test showed he does not have the genetic disorder that affects the spine. But Xrays show bone spurs and spinal stenosis. Dr. Stefanatos referred us to a specialist in stem cell and laser therapy who determined Ben was not a good candidate for those treatments, which would only bring temporary relief. He recommended back surgery. In a strange coincidence, Gentle Ben needs the same surgery on his lower spine as my other Shepherd-Lab had at age three.  This time, however, Ben is older–possibly eleven years old by now–and the cost has sky-rocketed, about three times the amount I paid for my other dog. My husband is now retired. We are on a fixed income with other financial strains on our pockets. Whether Ben has surgery or continues with acupuncture, both cost money. I have also looked into the wheeled carts for pets who have lost mobility.

Today, Ben has good days and bad days, but he is happy. We don’t go to the dog park anymore. Instead, I drive the dogs to a local tree-shaded park where we walk about 3/4 mile. (Such a difference from the 3-mile walks when we lived in SoCal!)  At home, Ben follows me everywhere, which makes me feel bad when he’s having a rough day and that right hind leg just won’t work right. But I have a sling to throw under his belly to steady him on those days. One night, I wondered why he didn’t follow me into the bedroom. I walked back to the family room, worried he couldn’t get up to walk. I found him surrounded by at least a dozen stuffed doggie-toys, rolling on his back on top of them and groaning with delight. Alone in the dark, he had finally figured out how to play in his own way!

Ben & Maile in the park

So now you know my story about Gentle Ben. A sale of 99¢ eBooks may not be the answer to all of his medical bills, but I decided to throw it out there and see if it can make a difference. Here is the link to my book page where you can find Buy Buttons to all the retailers — http://gilliandoyle.com/books/

Thank you from Gentle Ben.

Please feel free to share his story.

The post 99¢ eBooks to help my German Shepherd appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

On Not Writing by Joe Hewitt [Reposted]

On not writing

I love being a writer. I love writing. Most of all, I love having written. Past tense. As in, I finally put my butt in the chair and produced pages. Sometimes it is hard to get there. Now, with the demands of social media to “build a platform”, book-writing hours are threatened more than ever. My platform seems to be evolving into one of helping other writers keep up with the latest news about the industry, which includes highlighting new authors, new books, new social media trends. Despite many years in publishing, I’d rather leave teaching to the those who love to teach–those writers who methodically break down plots, characterization and theme. Like Diana Gabaldon (Outlander), I’m an instinctive writer. I can’t explain how I do what I do, let alone teach my writing skills to others. But I can relate to the challenges of putting that butt in the chair.

Today, I read another great post on Medium — a community blogging site where I have stumbled upon some wonderful, fresh new voices.  Enjoy Joe Hewitt‘s frank blog post about struggling to write!

The post On Not Writing by Joe Hewitt [Reposted] appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

“Success is an indefinable term… “

I have been in this writing game for a long time. Over the years, I have taken extensive notes from workshops given by authors who have spoken at the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America. 

Today’s quote is from best-selling author, Jayne Ann Krentz –

“Success is an indefinable term, a fleeting, ephemeral thing, a ghost. The more you chase it, the more remote it becomes. But the writing originates somewhere inside yourself. You can nurture it, control it, experiment with it. It’s yours and yours alone. Take your true satisfaction from inside yourself, not from the outside world.” 

The post “Success is an indefinable term… “ appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

Inspired by…Robert Frost

 

Somewhere I read the feeling right before a big leap should not be misinterpreted as fear but an adrenaline rush of excitement and anticipation of something new about to happen yet not quite knowing what that something will be. Oh, you might have an idea of it, of course, like starting a new job. You know the general responsibilities but you don’t know the reality until you are actually in the job.

I feel this way about my writing career. Mistakenly, I have labeled some of the anticipation as fear. Then I allowed the fear of failure—or fear of success?—to take over, to undermine all my hopes and dreams with doubt and lies and negative beliefs left over from my childhood. But no more! I remind myself that these palpitations of my heart are excitement and joy. I was born to do this—to write! I believe I spent many lifetimes as a writer. Even this lifetime is filled with journals, letters to friends and now long-winded e-mails.

I am a writer.

I am also a channel for these incredibly fascinating books to come through me. All this fear and trepidation and lack of confidence in my abilities have blocked the flow of energy to create these books. I have known all along it is my own human failings that have kept these books from being completed. Yet the negative belittling voice in my head was so much louder than the divine whisper, “I am a writer.”

I want to cry with shame that I have denied my true self all these years. But Robert Frost’s words and some other meditations about starting over remind me the past is over. Learn from it. Know that it is all a part of my divine lesson in this lifetime. It is my lesson to wake up to the truth of who I am. Others writers come into their lives with a fervor to write and nothing can keep them from it. But that was not my experience. I chose to come here with this challenge that I was somehow unworthy to be a writer, that I was not qualified to call myself a writer–or at least not one who is successful. This was my challenge. But this is not the truth. I had to lift the veil. Many times. Each time, I thought, was the last time. Each time I thought I had finally grasped the truth of who I am, and it would not slip away. But it did. I let the outside world convince me that I could not play the game. Someone said, “If only you would write marketable stories, you would sell!” And I faltered. Someone else said, “You cannot write about (fill in the blank) because those books don’t sell.” And I stumbled. Another said, “You can’t write that in a romance.” And I let the voice of my muse fade away, unable to hear the words of those unique stories because I could only hear friends, agents and editors who said I couldn’t sell that way.

Over and over, I told myself I should find the muse again and write those stories for the sheer joy and personal satisfaction, letting go of the ego that wanted a sale more than anything else. As I tried to to write those “unsaleable” ideas, self-doubt taunted me, pulling me away to do more important responsibilities that would make a difference, if only in a minor ways, if only for my family. Paying bills could not be put off. Nor laundry. Nor cooking, grocery shopping, taking the car for service, bathing the dogs, whatever else the voice could think up. Writing a book that would end up in a box under the bed—that could wait another day.

Enough of this! I am a writer and I came here to write. And I am no longer willing to believe that my writing will not fit into a full day of whatever else needs to be done. I make it fit. And when I am finished with a book, I write another. It does not matter if it ever sells. I write the stories that are given to me and I am grateful. I stop denying them based on salability. It’s perfectly okay that other writers were “built that way.” I wasn’t and I must accept this truth about me in order to survive. Rather melodramatic to put it that way, I know. I don’t mean it in the business sense of surviving in this publishing business. If I do not grasp the idea that I am different, that my writing is not about the ability to sell a book as it is about the ability to write with an original voice, then this muse of mine, this source of these stories will not survive. To a logical writer of constructed plots and carefully detailed characterization, this belief in an independent muse is nothing but nonsense, an excuse not to write to the market, an excuse to be so damn different that I will never sell again, an excuse to be a failure.

I am thrilled with these feelings of excitement and anticipation of the return of this powerful voice dictating words into books that are so mesmerizing to me. As I re-read a day’s work I am in awe of an author that is not me. I have no recollection of writing these words. Scenes, yes. Exact words, no. There is no explanation of it to someone who has not experienced it. No logical writer can understand it because, well, it is not logical.

To me, it’s magical. (Marketable? God only knows.) Given this mystical experience, how can I possibly return to logical writing? Why would I want to?

The post Inspired by…Robert Frost appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

Prayers For Alyssa – ANSWERED!

At the end of May, my 5-year-old great-niece, Alyssa, fell from a second-floor window onto concrete, fracturing her skull.  Her mommy posted on Facebook, asking for prayers. Hundreds, if not thousands, of friends, family and strangers offered support and shared with their friends and family. [Here is my initial blog post.]

The first few days were rough. But little Alyssa is a tough cookie. Amazingly, there were no other injuries. The fever subsided. The brain swelling went down. By day five, she was able to go home from the hospital, though she was still having difficulty finding the right words to talk. Since then, she has been receiving physical therapy & speech therapy.

Today, her mommy posted this picture with the following update:

“Yeaaaaaahhhhhhhh GRATEFUL GRATEFUL heart. …….Alyssa just had a three hour neurological exam and she passed and will not have to return for a 9-12 months. We will continue her weekly speech therapy but so far nothing is going to slow her down.”

Thank you so much to everyone who kept Alyssa in your thoughts and prayers!

 

The post Prayers For Alyssa – ANSWERED! appeared first on Gillian Doyle.

To Be or Not To Be: Reissuing a Novel

With the rise of Indie publishing, authors are able to re-issue their back list of books that have the rights reverted to them from the original publisher. I’m one of them. Some of those older books of mine had great editors. Others didn’t. I refuse to disclose which ones required more editing. But I will say a book published by a major New York publishing house does not mean it can be formatted and uploaded to Amazon without a second look. Or third.

Original cover of That Wilder Man (1997)

So the rewrites begin. Historical novels don’t have the same issues as contemporary novels that will be outdated. Not may be. Will be. I have heard arguments for and against updating a book for re-issue. There are readers who couldn’t care less when the story takes place as long as it is a great read.  Others refuse to read an older book. Believe it or not, most literary agents reject manuscripts set in the 1980s and 1990s, claiming “publishers aren’t interested because readers won’t buy them.” (No need to raise a hand to dispute this claim.  This was my experience querying over 100 agents for LOSING LISA:Intuitive Investigator  Series, Book One.)

The questions to ask are: Do you have a legion of fans who would object to changing a favorite book on their Keeper shelf? If so, you might leave well enough alone. However, I recall a much-loved, award-winning author whose early works were reissued by her NY publisher. Her fans were thrilled. Newer members of my writers’ organization had not read the author when they bought the re-issues. One book, in particular, was met with criticism because the hot good-old-boy hero was a chain-smoking, beer-drinking reckless driver with a volatile temper. Of course, this character evolved by the end of the book but he didn’t turn into a saint. The Bad Boy image was not only politically incorrect (driving while drinking!) but the “It” factor had become an “Ick” factor.  If the author would have been willing to update the story—I do not know whether or not she had the option—would editing have wrecked the book? I think so, but that’s just my opinion. I wasn’t offended by the chain-smoking, beer-drinker when I read the first edition. Re-reading it years later, I am aware the story takes place during the time when that behavior was acceptable.

Reissue – That Wilder Man (2015)

Another question an author needs to ask: Is this older book representative of my current style and quality of writing? If not, do I rewrite it? When I read my earlier books, sometimes I cringe at the head-hopping points of view or awkward transitions of scenes. Other times I am pleasantly surprised that I could still hold my head up with pride of authorship.  If you aren’t sure, if you feel you are still too close to your book to know if it needs work, hire a freelance editor to check it.  Then, if it requires extensive rewrites, have it professionally edited afterward. This should go without saying but, hey, I’m saying it.

Last but not least, a big pet peeve with readers is buying a book, assuming it is new, only realize they had already bought and read the earlier edition! Don’t make my mistake. I did not intentionally try to fool the public by omitting the word “re-issue” in the book description. I assumed I had covered that point with the two publication dates and two copyright dates in the book details. Wrong.

Whether you are a reader or a writer, do you want an older book rewritten to be politically correct or let it reflect the era in which it was originally written?

************************************************************************

I am happy to announce THAT WILDER MAN (reissue) is in the new HEARTS AND HEROES box set with the award-winning contemporary romance authors, Patricia Thayer, Mindy Neff, Sandra Paul and Lyn O’Farrell.

 Available now on Amazon.com for 99¢!

 

 

 

The post To Be or Not To Be: Reissuing a Novel appeared first on Gillian Doyle.