MY KINDLE IS HERE

I ordered a Kindle last week and it arrived today. With that said, this will be the shortest article in the history of The New Author. I'm off to play and learn the in's and out's of the Kindle. You know I will have more for you in the near future. In the meantime, leave me some comments about your experience with the Kindle and if you don't have one - are you thinking about getting one?

The Hobby Connection

Would you say that writing is your passion, hobby, release, job, meaning of life or a combination of them? I was thinking recently, I do that from time to time, and I made an interesting observation. I suppose these observation holds more water if you see your writing as a hobby or passionate hobby as compared to it being your job. For me, writing is a passionate hobby that provides a much needed release. I'm not positive about this but I think it is safe to assume many of you share that boat with me.

This brings me back to my observation which is this - we can tell a lot about ourselves and others by their hobbies. I know, I set the world on fire with that one. I'm sure that observation has never been made until now. Anyway, let's look at this observation a little closer and maybe you will see the same thing I saw.

Everyone here knows I enjoy writing, talking about writing and writing about writing. The art and craft of writing has so many different aspects, parts and piece that it makes for a very intriguing topic. When you take those pieces and put them together you have a completed story. Be it good or bad is not important; what is important is that you put the pieces together. It was looking at things from this light that I made my connection. You see, I have two other hobbies that I truly enjoy and rank closely behind writing. They are wood working and cooking.

When you look at these three hobbies you may be able to draw some conclusions about me as a person but you can also draw connections between them. Take cooking for example. In order to truly put together a wonderful dish you must first get the right ingredients for that dish; however, those ingredients must compliment the others and combine with them to develop that aroma and taste. It is through practice, research and experimentation that you learn what ingredients you work best with and what dishes you best prepare. This almost sounds like finding your voice when writing and the genre that your voice matches with best don't you think?

What about wood working? The same holds true as above but with woodworking you must be precise with your measurements and cuts. You want the wood to be smooth and blemish free before you put that final coat of stain on it. You handle that project with gentle hands knowing that any imperfections will shine bright when you are finished so you work hard to make the shine bright, the corners square and the wood grain pronounced. Well now, this sounds just like the finishing work of our novels when we "polish it until it shines."

If you look closely at all three hobbies you will see that they are made up of many parts and aspects that we must combine in order to develop our finished product. With books we have the different parts of a story; with cooking we have the ingredients and with woodworking we have the tools and lumber. This is very interesting to me. I feel like I have been building to this point all my life. Why is that?

First off, I have loved woodworking since I was a child and that will never change but more to the point when I was young I really enjoyed putting puzzles together. It was always a thrill to see the overall picture come about from those little pieces. Be honest, how frustrated did you feel when a puzzle piece came up missing? I felt cheated in a way when that happened. When I stepped into my teenage years my enjoyment of putting puzzles together morphed into putting models together. I had dozens of them in my bedroom and with each one I attempted to get more detailed then the last. See the connection? See how things grew and morphed into this passionate hobby we call writing?

What do your hobbies say about you? What have they unleashed within you?

Give $1.......Save a Heart

Heart disease - I know everyone knows about the topic but would much rather avoid it all together. Truth is, many of us suffer from or know someone who is suffering with this disease. Unfortunately some of us have lost loved ones to heart disease.

There is much being done to fight this disease. We know that a healthy diet and exercise are two crucial parts of having a healthy heart but in some cases drugs and possibly surgery is needed. What is truly sad is that heart disease does not discriminate on the basis of age or gender. Young children also suffer from this disease.

Let's be honest here, if our heart isn't working we really can't do much to achieve our goals so it is critical that we take care of our hearts. It is also important that we each make the effort to help others to prevent this disease from taking the life of a person who could be the next great author.

What is this building up to? In February my son will be participating in the American Heart Association Jump Rope for Heart at his school. What does this mean? It means that he and his classmates will spend a portion of their day in the gym jumping rope for as long as they possibly can. Why would they do this? Before they actually get to it his school is asking for donations. Those who donate are, in a way, supporting that student in his/her effort to jump rope the best they can.

The great thing is this - all the donations will be given to the American Heart Association and the proceeds will be used for research, helping underprivileged children with heart disease and also to educate people about this disease. What do the kids get out of this program? First, they participate in a great charity effort, second they get plenty of exercise (which is good for the parents because they fall asleep faster) and third, they are entered into contest and win prizes based on the amount of donations they collect.

Why am I posting an article about this here on The New Author? I'm asking for your help on behave of my son. He has set a goal to become the top collector for his school and asked me to help him with online donations. What I am asking is if you, The New Author community, would be willing to donate $1 toward his goal. One dollar doesn't seem like a lot but just think, if everyone here donated $1 he would easily make his goal.

I do believe you are able to print a receipt of your donation and it is tax deductible. Here is the link to his donation page. Dylan's Donation Page

Once you click on the page just click on the button marked 'DONATE to Dylan'. Thank you for your help with this effort.

Introducing....Romantic Shorts

What a privilege to be invited to guest post at The New Author! I can't thank Brian enough for the opportunity to share my idea and to reach out to his audience - a group of people who happen to be just the people I'm looking for...

Like you, I am first, and foremost, a writer. I discovered my addiction in my last year of high school, courtesy of a strict and stolid English teacher with a surprise up her sleeve. With her encouragement to write about ‘what I know' instead of the topic of the day, I found I had a bit of a knack for expressing myself on paper. This knack has turned into my saving life-force. Now, many years later, I write to escape on a level that reading doesn't begin to match! As the stay-at-home mom of five kids aged 10-17, four of whom have special needs, three of whom are adopted, and as the wife of a near-perfect man, I must admit that I do feel the occasional need to get the heck outta here.

So hooked am I that I have done my best to encourage every other person I know to try the craft; I truly believe that everyone could and should enjoy the realm of their own imagination. And given the chance to talk to a fellow writer about the joy of creating an experience through words, I can't seem to shut myself up.

It was this enthusiasm, and a new baby, that sparked the reason for me wanting to contact you now. It was a drab day about a year into motherhood that I found myself answering the question, "What was the last book you read?" with, "The Cat In The Hat - for the 100th time." The questioner smiled with understanding - and not a little pity - handed me a romance novel and hugged me, assuring me that this, too, would pass.

I read the book sporadically as time permitted, and found that this was a way to enjoy reading, without committing to a full length epic story that would see my dishes piled three feet high in the kitchen sink. I soon realized the true value of the romance novel. I could put it down and come back two weeks later; I could finish it or not; I could start in the middle if necessary; and I could take a much needed break into a happy place where everything would turn out just fine. I began to see why half of the books sold in North America are romance novels.

Of course, it only follows that an idea would come from this. I did write two novels myself. But being a hypomanic perfectionist with A.D.D., it never occurred to me to waste a ton of time trying to get published. When new, viable, creative ideas come at an average of two a day, focussing on one is impossible.
But one idea did stick. I decided that it would be fun to start a monthly magazine that featured twenty or so new short romance stories, just long enough for the busy mom or working woman to read in about a half hour. At lunch. Over coffee. To fall asleep after a 2am feeding. I wrote some stories. I designed some covers. Made a lot of notes. Did some research.

And there the progress was halted. The funds required to start up such a project were never going to pass my way. I put the idea on the back burner. Some day, I thought. Maybe with a lottery win. It was a good idea; I didn't throw it out.

Jump ahead fifteen years, and enter the Internet.

And here we are with an idea whose time has come.

I pulled out my "Nooners Magazine" box from the dark corner in the basement and rifled through it. From a 2010 standpoint, every obstacle I faced back then had melted away, and I am now looking for writers for my new ezine.

Romantic Shorts - I changed the name when I started Googling ‘Nooners,' and it wasn't something I wanted my mother to see - is coming to life. I've passed the point of no return and am excited beyond belief. At every turn, I've been able to learn, ask, find what I needed to know - mostly online, connecting with people like Brian. So far, it's been a whirlwind of new knowledge, new ideas, and new friends. I am seeing a dream come true and watching it like it's happening all by itself.

It's a little scary.

That said, I am looking for writers. There are a lot of established, experienced writers out there. I don't want them. And, frankly, they don't want me. I do need writers who not only have talent, but want to join me from the beginning on a quest that hasn't been written yet. The pay stinks. Okay, well, it's pretty much nothing. But we are running a Writers' Competition that offers some nominal prizes if money's a big issue. The real point of the Competitions are to reach as many authors as possible; a story a day is a goal, not a current realistic expectation.

Once we have the stories, the readers will come. Field of Dreams and all that.

There are questions I have now that I never thought of before. How will I know when I can call myself a publisher? How will I know when I've accomplished ‘success?' How big will this go? How big is big?

I've been working on writing down some measurable goals. I'm finding that by focussing on ‘why' I'm doing this, I'm liking the answers that are presenting themselves.

I want to help other writers realize their dream of being published. At first, by using Romantic Shorts as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. But eventually, what I really want, is for you to be able to simply say, "I've been published on Romantic Shorts."

And that will be enough.

Details on how to enter, and how to submit a query or manuscript are all available on the website at www.RomanticShorts.com Current competition deadline is March 31st, 2011. And we are accepting unsolicited manuscripts, 4500-6000 words; hero/heroine realtionships; contemporary, historical, mystery and comedy genres. Preference to new and newer authors. No agents, please.

If you write, or have ever wanted to try your hand at writing, romantic stories, we'd love to consider your work. If romance is not your first love, please keep us in mind if you know someone who might be interested. I thank you sincerely for taking the time to hear me out. And once again, thank you to Brian for giving me the chance to reach you.

Alexandra Brown,
Chief Operations Manager
www.RomanticShorts.com
contactus@romanticshorts.com

If Only to Dream

Today the United States commemorates the life lived by Martin Luther King Jr.. I am sure that every country has a figure or figures that represent the potential and possibility for higher expectations from humanity. It is something that, even today, we struggle for. Each and every one of us has a battle or obstacle to overcome; be it something handed to us from outside sources or one brought about from our inner being. To gain the victory over these battles and obstacles is the ultimate goal for every person on the earth. I just wish that we would remember that and not try to divide ourselves between who has it worse. The truth of the matter is that we never truly know what is going on in another person’s life. By all outward appearance they could appear happy, healthy, well established and popular but on the inside they could be in complete ruin; standing on the edge of chaos and defeat.

This is where; like Dr. King said, "I have a dream" plays such an important role in our life. Granted his dream could be different from your dream and your dream could be different from that of your children or significant other but the point is this - we have a dream. It is hard to think what life would be like without dreams. Some of you may be reading this and thinking "I don't have dreams because they don't come true." That could be for the moment and for that particular dream but the great thing about dreams is that you can have more than one. Did Dr. King's dream come true? Some would argue that it hasn't yet while some will argue that it has but in the end I believe it is somewhere in the middle. We should always remember that only the dreamer can decide if a dream has come full circle or not.

What is your dream? To put it another way - what is your goal? Yes, dreams and goals are one in the same but dreams tend to be big ticket items whereas goals tend to be milestones or achievement points. Either way they work hand in hand to motivate the human spirit to new heights. Remember the Wright brothers? They had a dream too and that dream was broken down to goals until the day arrived when they grabbed hold of it and flew.

I ask again, what is your dream? IF you are reading this then most likely becoming an author and seeing your work published is on your list somewhere. I know this because I'm right there with you. That is one of my dreams. Yes, I have multiple dreams and so should you. Back in the day many in the world thought the United States was a collection of misfits who had nothing but crazy ideas. Those crazy ideas led to dreams which turned into some of the world’s greatest inventions. Don't get me wrong, I can list people from every corner of the planet who was labeled crazy but proved everyone wrong. Albert Einstein was once thought crazy; Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell were thought mad for some of their ideas. Imagine if they had listened to those around them and stopped working.

That is the core strength of dreams. They are driven by passion and faith in something more. Even if a dream isn't realized the passion still pushes on until everything is exhausted only to be reignited with the rising of a new dream. I would also like to point out that no dream is too small, big or insignificant. They all have meaning to the dreamer. It is the results of those dreams that impact the world around us.

What are we without dreams? That is something to think about. Remember your dreams, hold tightly to them and pursue them. Times will get tough, we are guaranteed to get angry, dejected and frustrated but never stop moving forward and never abandoned your dreams.

Just as Thomas Edison said after inventing the light bulb - "If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."

Many dreamers of the world had set backs and failures but like Edison, they saw it as progress and never stopped their pursuit.

Pantsing + Outlining = Pantslining

Have you ever heard of pantsing? How about outlining? I know you've heard of that one. These are the writers who outline their novels from beginning to end. They have their scenes thought out and placed in the proper position to maintain the desired flow and the pace. Characters are mapped out on separate sheets of paper put attached to the overall outline so no detail is forgotten. One writer comes to mind; she used the wall in her hall and some post-it notes to outline her novel. It was a great read and I would have loved to get a look at that wall during the writing process. Pantsing, on the other hand, sits at their computer and starts writing. They don't plan anything, they have very few notes to go by; they just let the story flow and their imaginations run wild. Many of us would fit into this category for a number of reasons.

It doesn't matter which one you are, both have pros and cons associated with them. For example, when you outline you have a much better grasp of your story, plot and characters whereas if you are pantsing you have more freedom and flexibility to let your characters run wild and your story go where it may. With outlining, on average, your edits and revisions are drastically reduced whereas pantsing will demand that you really focus on your revisions and edits. There are many more pros and cons to both outlining and pantsing but I think you see my point here.

Here's my question. Why do we have to be one or the other? Is there a rule that states we can't be both? I decided to be a hybrid and I have a new word for it. Trust me, you will not find this word in the dictionary. A blend of the two is pantslining. Granted it is not very catchy and may even be a little on the corny side but bare with me. You see pantslining does both. They start with an idea that they brainstorm. While brainstorming they write down notes that are in random order but span from beginning to end. After that the focus shifts to characters; while the creative juices are flowing they develop the core characters. When I say develop I mean they pick the gender, hair color, physical description and name. That's about it but then again they could really be in the moment and more could pour out regarding this character. After that they put their notes away for a few weeks then pull them back out, give a quick review and start writing. You see, that review sparks their mind and they get to writing. Of course they will refer to the notes from time to time to stay on 'track' but for the most part they just write.

This is where it gets interesting; once they are done with their story and it has cooled off they begin the editing and revising. The notes play a critical role in this because as they read through they can add more notes, see how the story changed from the original idea or make adjustments to the story whenever it drifted off the tracks. The notes serve an even greater purpose. As you draw to the end of your story they provide a reference to ensure that all the loose ends have been tied up, there are no plot holes and the characters have developed properly.

The difference between outlining and pantslining can be subtle or dramatic depending on the number of notes you have and how concise your notes are. In the end you really don't have the completed structure as you would with an outline. Is that a bad thing? It depends on your writing style. Think of notes as the bumper rails at the bowling alley for kids. They keep the bowling balls out of the gutter but they don't necessarily guide the ball to the pins. Pantlining keeps your story on track but doesn't really guide it to the end whereas outlining shows you the path but you get to decide how treacherous that path will be.

In the end you should always write the way that fits your style. It could be outlining; it could be pantsing or it could be pantslining. Heck it could be something totally different. The important thing is that you identify what works for you and you stick with it; even if some blogger gives it a cheesy name.

Author's Must Be True To The Story

I feel like I'm walking a tightrope with this one but then again, maybe I'm not. I'm sure many of you have heard or read that 'Huckleberry Finn' has received a makeover. This new edition has been released, for the lack of a better term, in the name of political correctness. You see, the main change was the substitution of a word that many find very offensive with the word 'slave'.

Now, I am not about to write that I agree with the use of certain words. There are some words that need be erased from humanity; however, I cannot see the logic in rewriting a book for the simple fact that it has language in it that many don't agree with. Are there reasons to rewrite a book? I'm sure there are but that decision should remain with the author. What if the author has died? Then, in my opinion, his or her work should remain as is for the simple fact that the book is part of the lasting memory the author gifted to us. If an author went back and revised his/her book because it was historically out of line or there was a major mistake in the timeline so be it. I have no problem with that. This situation is different; a person who owns the rights to 'Huckleberry Finn' has taken it upon himself to rewrite a story that many have read and enjoyed. In an effort to 'make it better and more accessible' he has changed the voice of a classic. Before I go further I should point out that other words were substituted not just the one (the one in particular is garnering the most attention).

Where do we go from here? I don't know how many of you feel about being politically correct but I just don't see how it fits into the publishing world. I imagine in some situations it will work but I haven't come across many books that were completely politically correct. I mean at the core of most books we profile one character or group as bad and the other character or group as good. I know, that is a weak example but you see my point. I believe, that more to the point, we as authors must stay true to a few aspects of life that will lend to the readers being absorbed by the story. What are they?

• Emotions - Certain actions, words and situations elicit certain emotions. This should not change because if it does then the story is not believable. Yes, the characters in the book feel these emotions but the readers will feel a stirring of those same emotions.
• Language - Depending on the time and location your story takes place will dictate the type of language you use. Let's face it, if you wrote a book set in the Victorian age in France but your characters spoke everyday English lingo then that is going to send up a bright red flag. The same holds true to 'Huckleberry Finn'; it took place in the south during the time of slavery. There was certain slang used during that time. For a book to be true to its day and time setting it must stay true to this.
• Character relationships - Certain people just don't mix. Oh I know, that is terrible of me to say but it is true. We can use England as an example here. Can you see the Queen walking along the streets and talking to a complete stranger in a fast food restaurant? It's possible, but not probable and if any read that they would instantly wonder about the book.

These are but a few examples and while being 'politically correct' may have merit it is difficult and dangerous to a story. Attempting to walk the politically correct line while writing may prove to be a difficult task and one that will impact your voice, flow, plot and character development.

As I said before, some words need to vanish from the tongues of humanity; however, if you are writing during a time where these words were used often and regularly then you have a decision to make - stay true to the time period or risk the believability of your story. Can the other aspects of a story make up for that decision? I don't know.

If you're wondering if all of this holds true for fantasy, SciFi, and fiction of that nature; yes it does. We as humans will always make a connection to things in our life and/or memories when we get absorbed in a book. That is, of course, the main reason why we get pulled in.

In closing, I would not recommend using the more colorful language we have become accustomed to unless it is an absolute need. Even then I would use it sparingly.

The 'New' in New Year

Well, we made it. We have crossed the thresh-hold into another year. What does this year have in store for us? What do we have in store for this year? What's the difference between the two?

Before we move forward we should take a brief look back. What did you accomplish in 2010? What did you learn in 2010? More importantly, what did you bring with you into this year from last year? I accomplished a fair amount this year. I managed to get a massive overhaul of my second novel completed before the end of the year and that is now being read again. This moves me directly into what I learned. I learned that writing and being an author can sometimes be polarizing in such that a group can hate your work while another group will embrace it. I always knew that not everyone would like a book but it is both sobering and interesting when the feedback is defined by groups and not individuals. That lesson learned developed a thicker skin and the new resolve I brought over into the New Year. Yes, a thick skin is required but we also need a strong resolve to battle self-doubt and a direct hit to our confidence. To get your feelings hurt is one thing, to have your confidence shattered is another.

That is all water under the bridge; we have started a new year and with it bring new opportunities. I'm sure that many of us are still very much in the hunt for publication so I will count that as an automatic goal for 2011. What else is out there? I have two friends on Twitter that have accepted my challenge to write one million words over the course of the New Year. Yes, one million, and no not everything can be counted toward that goal. I am eager to see how far they go with that one. I have the goal of completing my third novel this year. As a piggyback to that, I have hopes to get novel number two polished and published. I have also made the goal to blog more. I kind of slacked off last year and to be honest I haven't started this year off very strong but I do intend to try. I don't know why but the days seem to fly by and before I know it the day is over. That, of course, is no excuse but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

However, all of the things I mentioned above are not really new. Many of those goals are made year after year so how do we put the 'new' in New Year? Well, for starters we can broaden our scope for publishers. Maybe we should look at the small publishing companies or even the brand new companies that are trying to make it in the industry. What about the publishers that only publish E-books? Maybe that is our gold ticket to the show. Truth be told, we really never know what that one thing will be that opens the flood gates for us as authors or anything else in life.

What about writing that next novel? Many hesitate to switch genres; especially if we are still learning about the one we are writing in currently but what about some aspect of the book? What if you are not very strong at writing settings or character development? Your goal could change and become new if you were to say "I'm going to write my next novel with a focus on (fill in the blank)." Goals should be based on things we enjoy and are passionate about but they are also meant to expand and teach us things either about ourselves or about the things we enjoy doing.

Be bold and insert the 'new' in your new year's goals this year. You could very well be pleasantly surprised by the outcome and what you discover.