Aspiring Authors: Writing Group discussion
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Hi. My name is Deborah Blake and I am the author of three books on Witchcraft from Llewellyn (just sold the fourth). But I am still struggling to find an agent for my fiction work, as yet unpublished (mostly paranormal romance, humorous romance and fantasy).you can find me at:
www.deborahblakehps.com
www.deborahblakehps.livejournal.com
www.deborahblake.blogspot.com
or on facebook
Mod
Summer, can you give us a link to check out the story you're working on? I'll gladly give it a look later this week. :-)
I'm Shannon Reinbold-Gee (of course ;-) but I sometimes write as Saoirse Redgrave. I've been writing for what feels like forever and have been published in some art and craft magazines (US and Canadian), newspapers, and children's magazines.
I just started entering writing contests this year (partially Deb's influence) and got an Honorable Mention through ReadingWriters.com (they do several contests a year--definitely check them out)and currently have two stories on the Finalist list over at TextNovel.com ("Of Storms, Seas and Pirates" and "13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale"). So I'm crossing my fingers and editing a lot. ;-)
I blog most often at:
http://13-to-life-a-werewolf-tale.blo...
I also have an AuthorsDen site:
http://www.authorsden.com/saoirseredg...
I QuillPill a tiny (tiny) bit...
http://quillpill.com/author/Saoirse_R...
I'm on DeviantArt...
http://saoirseredgrave.deviantart.com/
I also freelance through Elance.com .
Busy, busy! :-)
~Shannon
Hi, my name is Brandy and I have been writing for a long time, but my mind likes to freeze up! I would love to have my work published and have been told it's really good, but I'm either scared of failure or scared of success.
Mod
I'm glad you decided to join us. :-)
I think the occasional freeze-up is pretty natural and yeah, I'd guess you're on target regarding the reason--the only time I get sort of blocked is when I've found out I've placed in a contest or when something important's happening. For me it's definitely fear of success and don't they say "Knowing is half the battle?" ;-)
So what are you doing to get yourself past that fear? How can we help you here? :-)
I look forward to your answer--and seeing some of your writing.
Take care!
Shannon
I'm Heather Bell, hello!!I have been published in numerous literary magazines for poetry and short stories (most notably Barnwood, recently and a forthcoming publication in the Columbia Review - the oldest and most prestigious literary magazine in the United States! Eee! - http://www.columbia.edu/cu/review/abo... )
I have two books of poetry currently done, which can be purchased here: http://wordsdance.com/nothingunrequit... (Verve Bath Press makes the most BEAUTIFUL handmade books) and here: http://anhingamagazine.blogspot.com/ (a darker collection).
By the end of this month or next month I will have out my third book, flash fiction, done by Paper Hero Press/Achilles Chapbooks. You can get a sneak peek of it here: http://achilleschapbook.blogspot.com/... . I am also doing a full length short story/flash fiction book with them by the end of 2009 (around 200 or so pages).
If anyone needs any help with the literary magazine part of publishing, let me know (not sure what genre everyone is about here...).
Love!,
H.
Hi! I'm Kate Hammerich. I've been published in the Susquehanna Review and I've got a book of poetry published here: http://www.lulu.com/content/684663But for reading my more recent poetic endeavors, go here: http://sunshinegypsy.deviantart.com/ or here: http://alittleviolet.alex10819.org/ which I will be updating soon!
I would love to have a book of poetry published, or to find magazines interested in what I write. I think the the biggest roadblock I've had to getting published is not finding a publisher interested in poetry, but finding someone interested in the exact type of poetry I'm writing. Which is not that obscure, believe me! Maybe I'm not obscure enough...
Kate
Miss Kate!!You know I think you are talented, lady. It is going to be my new endeavor to find some publishers that I think would be interested in your work.
-H.
Mod
Thank you so much for joining us here. Congrats on getting into Barnwood! I may not have my finger on the pulse of literary mag. scene, but even I've heard of Barnwood--good job! I'll mention it here since you didn't--Heather's also a finalist at Textnovel.com for her story "A Testament for Living." So we've both been blooded there. ;-)
Hi Kate :-)--It's obvious Heather likes what you do (and that speaks volumes to me).
I'm glad both of you could join us here.
~Shannon
Well, most of the time, I have a hard time getting past the block and because of that, I had to put down the first novel I started. I just didn't like where it was going and I couldn't think how to make it better. So, I had a dream one night that ignited a new story and I began working on that. Usually when I get a block, I just put the story away and try not to think about it. Then one day, while I am just thinking about nothing, the story just starts to roll in my mind and I have to write. That seems to work for me, but then it creates the problem that it may take months for the breakthrough and that's not very productive.
Brandy, I think whatever works for you is a good thing. I am a big fan of writing every day, so even if I am stuck on the poem or story I am writing, I try to write something else. A journal entry, a letter, a longer email to someone. The theory that the more you write, the better you get, is pretty true. So if you keep writing something, it might make you better prepared for your story when you decide to return to it.
Kate
Mod
Kate, I agree with writing something every day. It can be tough, but even if it's nothing stellar it can still be great fodder for something later. I occasionally rewrite scenes from a different character's POV just to get "fresh eyes" on a situation.
Brandy, have you tried to do a sort of guided meditation to get into that zone where the story starts flowing again? I wind up not having much time for that personally, but I've found getting in my car and driving to a friend's place or into town with the radio really low (and hopefully my son really quiet ;-) that it can spark stuff.
I also go out and do some manual labor type stuff to get my head into the right spot again.
Good luck! Also, sometimes having another writer brainstorm about a story with you may help--you don't have to take their ideas, but it may spark your own...
~Shannon
Hello everyone, my name is Adrienne. I'm thirteen years old, and would fit into the category of apsiring. I do love to write, though. I haven't written any long stories yet, although I do plan on it. I hope by joining this group I can get some good advice!
Mod
Welcome, and we hope we can help by giving you some advice, too. If you have any questions, please ask us. We'll all do our best to answer you promptly and do whatever we can to help you!
Nice to meet you,
~Shannon
Kate and Shannon,Both of those are really good ideas and I am going to try them. I have been trying to write at least 2 pages a day on my book and setting that goal has been helping my progress.
I think I will try writing other things when I get stuck, that sounds like a really good idea to help me kick out the garbage and get to the good stuff!
Brandy
Hello all, I'm the Mother of 5 small children and I own operate a truckbed farm in Idaho (I'm grunt labor). In my stolen moments of freedom, I write. Currently working on a novel about a farm family in crisis with some native flavor through out. Keeps my brain happy. :) wendy
I am a thirty something with an imagination that seems to never stop. I have decided to work on my first serous writing which can be found in the goodreads writing section on my page. I know I have to go back and do a lot of editing on it, but my friends that have been reading it are really encouraging me to pursue publishing this writing. Would love some feedback from others, again, please note I realize a lot of editing for grammatical errors is necessary, just trying to capture the story right now.
Hello everybody, I'm Kristin and I am a college student who loves to write. I started writing in high school when I became bored with some of the books I was writing. So I started to plot my own stories, stories I would like to read, and took off from there. Unfortunately I do not know how to publish books or to even get started. Any help would be amazing! Also, I have not posted anything yet, but I plan to start posting chapters on my goodreads writing section!
I'm Dylan and I'm currently majoring photography in college.I enjoy writing stories base on paranormal or adventure themes, but I have yet to fully complete any of them. I use to write poems, but I stopped after I made a book last year. They was short and smooth, but I didn't write long and complex ones for it left me tongue tied trying to get the words right. When I made a decent chapter of one of my stories, I'll post it on this site as a sample.
Your chance to ask question!Do you have questions for a published writer about writing, editing or publishing? Send me an ask (kittyinthestars.tumblr.com/ask) or mail (author@juliafellner.com) and I’ll answer your questions on my YouTube show, Writers’ Corner.
My name is Julia. I published my debut novel at the age of 18.
More information about
Writers’ Corner: www.youtube.com/user/KittyInTheStars/...
My novels: www.juliafellner.com
Hi, My name is Cristina. I have recently published my first two books on amazon and I am waiting for goodreads to approve them on this site. They were inspired by FSOG as I was writing a fanfiction based on those books and came up with my own story. I'm currently writing the third book and it is taking longer than the first two. You can find me on www.amazon.com/author/cristinahope I was in the Novelist Contest earlier in the year and was runner up. I think I need to find another writing contest that doesn't involve random votes to determine the winners. If anyone knows of any especially if they are open worldwide that would be great. I live in Australia.
Glad to have found this group!
Thanks and Greetings!
~Shannon