Random Thoughts

Unique title huh? NOT

It is the thing nowadays to be random and write long streams of consciousness. It is helpful to do that...actually...in order to discover your best thoughts. So why don't I begin?

* Why do dogs always chew off the eyes of little cheap stuffed animals? My one son brought home a stuffed squirrel and our dog ate its eyes out! Poor squirrel has stiff fur too from all the doggy saliva. But of course the bigger question about dogs is...why would they care to eat another dog's poop? It is all in a day's work for a dog I guess.

* Why does my kitten...soon growing into cathood...pronounce her Meows with a "FFFFFF" at the end? You know why? Because she is always galloping like a wild little pony and the extra "FFFFF" gives her steam. MEOWFFFF!!!! She still makes attempts to bite me in the behind as well as to drag around dirty laundry. I caught her galloping about with my underwear wrapped around her neck. Perhaps she wants a spot on a Victoria Secret commercial.

* If you are suffering from writer's block...do what I do. Don't write. If you are able to do so...go without writing for one or two weeks until you just cannot stand it any longer. The thoughts and words will be bubbling up inside of you until you EXPLODE! I do much of my freelance work ahead of time so that I can do just this. I begin to miss writing and then by the time I am supposed to write...it just flows.

* Don't let the Turkeys get you Down! Remember this 70's slogan? This was in addition to the Hang In There poster with the cat hanging from an exercise bar. The gist of what I want to say is...there are going to be so many people in your life who will try...some consciously...some unknowingly...to bring you down. They will tempt you and invite you into the world of petty negativity. Don't go there. Stick to your path and your vision for yourself. Listen to your gut at all times.

* Do what you do not for the accolades or money or anything else but...because you are being true to yourself. Don't get me wrong...money and accolades are great but they are not an end all. These can go away. But your inner desire to make a difference...nobody can take that away from you.

* This little light of mine...I'm gonna let it shine! Whatever gifts you have to give to the world...let them out! Don't be afraid of your own success. There will be lots of people who won't like it but tough noogies. We don't need to squelch ourselves into nothingness because someone else might not like it. It is good to rise above and not end up as the victim or the lovable loser. Some people might seem to like you more when you are down because it superficially inflates their own self worth. But a true friend is going to like AND respect you when you are down as well as when you show signs of strength. So what's stopping you? GROW!




More on the topic of writing...

I guess I am becoming more serious about a writing path. I went out and bought some of those writing magazines and journals recently. I have bought them before but couldn't bring myself to read them. Why...then I would be moving towards my goals! Can't have that! So maybe this is a sign that I am more ready to embrace what I am. I am a writer. Why is that still so hard for me to say?

I finally want something for myself. I am hungry. I haven't felt hungry in a long long time. Depression takes away the hunger and makes you think crazy things like...you don't deserve good things. I am finally ready to adopt a more sane way of looking at my life.

Anyway...in the latest issue of Writer's Journal...they had an article which gave me a feeling of hope.

Sometimes when you think about writing...least for me...you think of the big huge goals like writing a book. Sometimes these huge goals seem so daunting you don't want to even begin. So how about something smaller and do-able?

One of my issues with writing is that it is difficult for me to find a good chunk of time to keep going with things. I have children, one with special needs, and so it is hard for me to write without interruptions. I also have issues with my mood. One day I will write in a lighthearted manner and the next day...that mood and tone is lost and I find myself very serious. Continuity is a problem for me.

What is one answer to my dilemma?

This writing mag had an article which offers a solution. Kathey Fetsko Petrie, in her article, Consider the Essay: Advice for Writers Raising Children, provides solace to us writers who may not have all the time in the world to devote to our craft.

Petrie states: "Essays are remarkably portable. Their relatively short length-700-1000 words -makes them able to be "written" in one's head while one is doing laundry, riding to a soccer game, waiting in the pediatrician's office, or standing in line at the supermarket."

This is so true. Everything I write is written in my head pretty much before I begin to type.

Here are some more advantages of essay writing:

* Essays are usually based on first person experience so you won't be devoting much if any time in researching facts or conducting interviews.

* Parenting gives a great basis for writing essays. Just observe your daily life and write it down.

* This author says that essays do not require query letters. You can write it in one sitting. Edit it and submit it for publication. Many print publications now allow you to do this through email.

* Markets for essays can include your local monthly parenting magazine.

* Look for other Parenting mags and check out their submission guidelines. Google the magazine's name and the words submission or guidelines.

* If you are not interested in writing parenting articles...Petrie tells us to look to write in the commentary or guest column page of your local newspaper. Or how about your local or city magazine? If you hit the big time...perhaps Newsweek or the New York Times will accept your essay.

Have I done these things? Noooo. I have gotten used to people just finding me and asking me to submit things. Usually for no money. So maybe it is time for me to have some direction and purposefulness.

And you too! Get to writing people!

No Bucks in Books?

Is it worth it monetarily to write a book?

I am not so sure nowadays. What is selling now in non-fiction? Politics, politics, and more politics. Anything to do with going green and the current economic crisis is hot right now.

Otherwise...books about diets and the metaphysical usually do well. Write a book about how an angel told you how to lose weight and get rich in this economy...best seller I'm telling you.

I got a book out of the library...one of the schmaltzy ones about publishing...you know...filled with secrets...secrets I tell you! The book is called Publishing Confidential: The Insider's Guide to What it Really Takes to Land a Nonfiction Book Deal by Paul B. Brown.

The author says things that are commonly known such as the fact that publishers are not the most skilled at marketing books. In the end you will have to be the one to bear most of the responsibility for being both a writer and the marketer of your book.

He also talks about contracts and negotiation. I was terribly naive about contracts and still am to some extent. It is good to slow down, take a deep breath, and don't sign something until you truly understand what you are signing. There is always room for negotiation. And when and if I see another contract in my lifetime I will heed my own advice!

On the subject of money...I have found out the hard way that if it isn't in writing...you are screwed. Assume nothing unless you have it in writing. I also found out that if you are a mere contributor to a book, assume there will be no money coming to you unless you were smart enough to have an amount written in your contract. I have a relative who writes for a living and she said she had to stop writing chapters for other people's books because there was no money in it. In the end the editor gets both the money and the credit. If you are a novice writer like me, however, your contribution can be a foot in the door for other projects and work.

Now let's look at some of the advice given in this book about how it works when you are the author of a whole book being published. Some authors get money up front, Brown says. I wonder how many nowadays.

He says that the best you can hope for is half the money up front when you sign the contract and the other half when the publisher accepts the manuscript...that they have read it, are hapy with it...it is ready to go.

Specifically he says:

"Some contracts say you get half on signing and the other half on publication-and remember that it can take a minimum of nine months from the time you turn in the manuscript in until the book is published. In that case it would be twenty-one months )twelves months to write the book, plus another nine months to wait) until you got your money.

And that is a better deal than the fairly typical offer of one-third on signing, one-third on acceptance, and one-third on publication. And it is certainly better than what is becoming all the rage among publishers (especially if they pay a lt of money up front): one-fifth on signing, one-fifth on acceptance of half the manuscript, one fifth on the entire book, one fifth on publication, and the final fifth six months after publication."

He ends with...the question...do you still want to write books?

That is...even if you do get a publisher to want to put your book out there in the first place!

I think it is extremely rare for anyone to make a whole lotta money writing books. I want to write books for the purpose of helping others, because I have books in me that just need to be written, and for the exposure... hopefully leading to other more lucrative writing jobs. I will not be naive to think that I will make much money writing a book. Motivation is important...you have to know why you are writing.

Here are my questions for you...what has been your experience with signing contracts for written work? Do you believe one can make money by writing books or are there better paying jobs for writers?

Books, blogs, and other things...

Well...here we are on the verge of another Friday. Lots of Fridays in life. Friday is usually a good day. Again...I find myself rambling.

So what is the last book that you have purchased lately?

Mine was the book, "On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction" by William Zinsser. How many of you have read this raise your hand! It has been around for quite awhile, this is its 30th anniversary edition.

I really like this book. It just reinforces all that I believe about writing. I actually have been highlighting the chapters as I read them. I know, I am a real nerd. The first thing I had to highlight was this:

"This is the personal transaction that's at the heart of good nonfiction writing. Out of it come the two most important qualities that this book will go in search of, warmth and humanity."

I believe these are the two most important qualities I look for as well. You can find information anywhere. Anybody can look up a bunch of facts and put them into some logical order or re-hash common knowledge. But not everybody can interact with the reader in such a way that they feel a connection to the human spirit.

I also especially love this part where Zinsser talks about the kind of writing which he delights in finding:

"What I am always looking for as an editor is a sentence that says something like "I'll never forget the day when I..." I think "Aha! A person"

Writers are obviously at their most natural when they write in the first person. Writing is an intimate transaction between two people, conducted on paper, and it will go well to the extent that it retains its humanity. Therefore I urge people to write in the first person: to use "I" and "me" and "we" and "us." They put up a fight."

He then talks about how many areas of writing discourage this and some for good reason. Journalists do not use "I" in their attempts at objectivity. Businesses and institutions do not want "I" in their reports. English teachers frown upon too many "I" centered papers.

What Zinsser recommends is this: "Even when "I" isn't permitted, it's still possible to convey a sense of I-ness. The political columnist James Reston didn't use "I" in his columns, yet I had a good idea of what kind of person he was, and I could say the same of many other essayists and reporters. Good writers are visible just behind their words. If you aren't allowed to use "I" at least think "I" while you write, or write the first draft in the first person and then take the "I"'s out. It will warm up your interpersonal style."

I defintely agree with this premise. One can learn to write in the style and genre necessary for the purpose, but the writing which is most compelling is writing where you get a true sense of the writer as a human being.

I think I want to come back and go through this book more. I am glad I bought it.

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Speaking of writing, I wanted to share some of my writings for this week.

Sometimes it is possible to discover things that can make you feel happy even in the midst of despair. And sometimes these things can be surprising even to yourself.

This post is called, The Happiness Box

I recently heard the sentiment that "We are more than our bodies" and I thought about this especially with relevance to having a chronic illness such as Multiple Sclerosis. Many days I feel that I am my body. So much of who we are is biologically determined. What are your thoughts?

Join the conversation here with my post, which poses the question, "Are we our bodies?"

I hope you all have a great Friday and weekend!