 For Authors: April 16, 2014 Issue [#6269] |
  For Authors
This week: Just Keep Swimming Edited by: Jeff  
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"Some writers enjoy writing, I am told. Not me. I enjoy having written.
-- George R.R. Martin
Trivia of the Week: Brandon Sanderson is a name most people recognize as the author who finished up the "Wheel of Time" epic fantasy series after creator Robert Jordan died. Some might even know he was handpicked by Robert Jordan's widow to do the job. What you might not realize is just how prolific a writer Sanderson is. He was originally supposed to conclude the "Wheel of Time" series with one book, but instead wrote three. Since 2009, counting only his novel-length works, Sanderson has completed a staggering thirteen novels in seven different series (plus one standalone). And these aren't thin novels either. These thirteen books weigh in at an average of approximately 700 pages each... meaning that in the past five years, Sanderson is publishing nearly three books and 2100 pages each year! 
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JUST KEEP SWIMMING
The idea for this newsletter came to me as I was walking through the Museum of Modern Art in New York over the weekend. I'm here all week for work, but I flew in over the weekend to take in some of the sights and MOMA was definitely on the list. I wanted to check out a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit they're currently running, and I was also pleased to discover they also had a Gauguin exhibit on display as well. As I wandered through the galleries (and these exhibits in particular), I was stunned by how much material these two artists generated in their respective fields (Wright being an architect, and Gauguin being a painter and sculptor). It was downright impressive. I mean, these two exhibits only encompass a fraction of their entire body of work, and there were still dozens, possibly hundreds of works displayed upon the walls. It made me realize just how much of their lives they devoted to their craft. These men, considered masters of their crafts, didn't just work on one project over and over again; they dreamed up and created hundreds, possibly thousands of projects over the course of their lifetimes.
It made me realize that while taking time to fine-tune and hone a particular piece of work is important, it's equally important to always be thinking about the next project. I know very little of the process of painting, sculpting, or designing architecture, but even if those works can be created in a fraction of the time it takes to craft and perfect a written story (particularly a longer work like a novel or a screenplay), these men still spent the majority of their lives creating new things rather than focusing on the same project and endlessly revising it. I know that some of us are obsessed with "getting it exactly right," which is why we revise and rework and rewrite until we've lost track of how many times we've changed the way we're describing something on the page. But if words are our paint, there comes a time when we have to stop mixing the colors to find the exact right shade of blue, and actually apply it to the canvas. And there comes a time when we have to look at the canvas and be content with what we see there, lest we spend the rest of our lives in search of a perfection that may never come.
The title of this newsletter may be recognizable to many of you as Dory the tang fish's quote from the movie Finding Nemo. I think it applies to writers as well as clownfish in search of their lost offspring.  The idea is that you need to keep moving forward. It's okay to focus on one thing for a period of time to make sure you get it right... or as right as you can... but it's also important to seek out new opportunities to exhibit your craft. We can't all be prolific juggernauts like Brandon Sanderson or Stephen King, but I also don't think we want to be the writer who only has one good idea or one book in them. We owe it to ourselves to explore opportunities, constantly pursue new projects, and, above all, to just keep swimming.
Until next time,
-- Jeff
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I encourage you to check out the following Writing.Com items:
The champagne bubbled lightly under Emma’s nose as she waited for the automata to catch up. The gala was in full swing, and she had chosen this moment to explore Leon Gray’s floating mansion for precisely that reason. Emma stumbled slightly, her light frame accenting the sway and giving the metal servant the impression that she had merely partaken in too much celebrating.
“David, sit down. We need to talk.”
Ugh, I hate it when parents say that. You know you’re in trouble, you just don’t know what for yet. I racked my brains trying to figure it out, but I couldn’t think what I’d done wrong.
Few people would envy Frank. His life is ridiculously ordinary. In fact it is so ordinary that one may even call it extraordinary. Nothing unexpected ever happens. Frank never diverts from his routine, every week is the same; and he loves it.
The dim light made the covering appear to float like an apparition. Joshua knew better but he wished it was just that – a trick of the light or his eyes.
"Mr. Wright." The nasal tone of the coroner pulled him back to the present. He turned to the short, misshapen man, noting that he was an Altarian. His short but well-muscled frame spoke of being raised on a planet with strong gravity. "Are you sure you want to do this? We have many ways of identifying ... last remains."
A chirpy noise stole Linda from the sweet respite of sleep. She lay there with her eyes closed dreading the start to another day, but the hateful noise would not stop. Linda flopped over, and snatched her phone from the nightstand next to the chaise lounge that she had taken to sleeping in. She smashed the ‘dismiss’ button on that wretched screen, then flung herself back onto her pillow as the sorrow began again to envelope her.
The house has come alive. It feels like a living, breathing, black hole of fear running rampant. Do the other people living upstairs know what is happening beneath their feet in their own basement? Do they hear the moaning and groaning I hear night after night? Since the people upstairs went on vacation it has enhanced the activity. Before when I heard footsteps I assumed it was always the people above me walking around, I know now that is not true. There is something else here with me I can feel it. When I sit there, I can feel this cold chill run through my body and it feels like I am being molested by an unseen force I can do nothing about. I didn't want to believe at first in ghosts or invisible ones living side by side with us every day. All my research has turned up some interesting information. The condition of our soul attracts a certain type spirit. I am not even sure what that means.
"How do I just . . . accept something like this?" Elena whispered, the comment more for her devastated psyche than for Archer's benefit.
She turned away from the man she'd loved for seventeen years, away from the horror marring his angular features, and the pain she saw reflected in his deep brown eyes.
She wrapped her arms tight around her torso and wandered to the window, her gaze captured by the treehouse Archer had built for their boys when they were little. She'd spent hours watching him work, thinking she could burst from the welling of pride in her chest. He was hers, and he was perfect.
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Feedback on my last newsletter about the importance of a good editor:
alfred booth, wanbli ska  writes, "A great newsletter and a perfect reminder that the writer can rarely do all of the editing process himself; as you say, we have all of the details in our heads. We intend to include them in the final draft, but sometimes they are omitted or unclear. And in today's day of electronic devices spurring us to go faster and faster, as you noted "impotence" and "importance" will never be underlined by a computer. Both words exist and I do not believe that a product that analysis syntax has been perfected, if even it exists."
Bill Gerace writes, "I have to agree with The Run on King Nano's Winner comment. I try to log into WDC read my emails write one review and do the writing prompt as a starter. I plan to start joining in some of the interactive stories and other contest which I think will help with my novel. Great Newsletter!!"
An apple a day....  writes, "Thanks, Jeff, for the enlightening newsletter. I never realized how truly valuable readers are...in dollars and cents. No wonder authors sometimes thank them in the preface to their books."
aegreenfield writes, "Great advice. I'm studying proofreading and copyediting, and I can see how easy it is to create typos."
Quick-Quill  writes, "This NL came at the right time. I didn't know or maybe my own ignorance didn't "see" that $1=10,000 Gps. This fact makes a big difference. In that I have never equated acutal $ with Gps. I have purchased GPS at a sale in the past when I've had gift $ for a Birthday. I need a good editor and I think I might be willing to part with more Gps for that service. It will mean more reviewing to make up for it. $ or the lack of it makes paying the going rate for an editor hard for me."
Creeper Of The Realm  writes, "Thanks for the laugh and for making me take a double look at the NL title.  I love that you decided to write about this. It shed some more light on novel reviewing. Ever since "P.E.N.C.I.L." opened its doors, we've been swamped with requests, yet not enough people to review them. Our prices are reasonable, if not even on the cheap side, but we're not professionals. Reading through this, it'll help me change things up in order to make better progress with reviews. ~ Gaby"
a Sunflower in Texas  writes, "Your exploration of pre-publication issues really hit home with some reassuring info, as well as options to pursue. I've been sitting on a manuscript for just over a year. I have a publisher: I just need to feel good about the book being in best order for sense and emotional effect. "Bipolar Shadows" is a collection of poems and essays and I need to get it into some sensible order. My chiropractor, who I do admire, has offered to read my manuscript. I was hesitant to take him up on his offer. It felt funny because of our professional relationship. There are some pretty seedy sections of reality in my book. Do I want to share that part of me with him? Not really, as much as I appreciate his offer as a professional.
Since my subject is bipolar disorder, I need to seek out some of my fellow bipolars at WDC for help and suggestions. This may be a time consuming job, but I could offer lots of gift points, which are easier for me to come by than green money. I had thought about checking with one of those services listed in the classified of writing magazines, but I was leery of what price they might charge. Your article told me exactly--.32 per word. Wow! My words are of value to me, and whoever lands a job that pays so well. I am verbose by nature. In this economy....there are options just as good and less costly. I just need to do a bit of personal favor-asking, which is not my nature. At any rate, I had been stuck, and now I see a path.
Thank you for an informative and very helpful article. You gave me the right mudge, in the right direction, right when I needed it.
Thank you for being you, and for keeping writers on top of our game.
Peace, Patrice  "
KMH writes, "LOL - I just want to say, the joke in the title of this newsletter is hilarious (The IMPOTENCE of a Good Editor - Hahahaha!) Well played."
StephBee  writes, "Thanks so much for talking about the importance of good editing. There are different types, too. Simply copy editing, looking for those typos, etc., a content edit goes deeper, looking for consistency in plot and characters. Smiles, Steph"
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Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 9.99
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