Writer's Block

Would my writing be different if I lived in Texas?

I was 11 when I left Texas.  I never "wanted" to move to Alaska.  The experience came along because I was a dependent of a military father.  I had dreamed that I would always move back to Texas when my Dad's tour of Alaska was over. I should write a piece about why that changed, and how.

How does living in Alaska affect my writing or my desire to write?

At first glance, I would answer that Alaska doesn't affect my writing or my desire to write judged by what I've written. Then again, I've lived here most of my life, how could it not affect my writing.

Have I found my voice?

I do think that I've lacked a voice. I'm not sure mine is fully developed even yet. I do feel it yearning to be heard, but I don't know if I have the courage to let it out.

I saw a program on television Friday night about Meredith Viera's husband's battle with MS.  He worked in television news, and now he writes about his experiences with MS and colon cancer. I do have some chronic health problems, but heaven forbid that that be my voice!

I had read in one of my self-help "how to write a book" books, that too much detail was a bad thing. I tend to over-do the details when I write. I hadn't considered the possibility that some readers would like it.

Sometimes I read in only short spurts. I can't take certain books more than a few pages per day. If the theme is deeply emotional for me, I need time to re-center between readings.

Ways I procrastinate from writing:

I answer my e-mail.
I read my groups.
I clean up old files from my computer.
I clean the keys on my keyboard.
I polish the silver (only two more pieces to go).
I make lunch.
I make dinner.
I make breakfast.

Why do I want to write?

Because I can't -not- write. It is like a bubbling, boiling liquid overflowing, and it has to go somewhere. If I didn't write, I think I'd explode.

When I finished my novel, here are the questions I needed answered, (and still need answered):

Should I edit it myself?
Should I hire a professional editor?
Which comes first the editor or the publisher?
Where do I find a publisher?

If I hire a professional editor, do I get one from the publisher? If not, where do you hire this person?

Can I do all this by telephone, e-mail, or postal mail; or do I need to meet with these people in person, face-to-face?

Do I need an agent? If yes, then where do I find one?
If I can't find an agent, then can I be my own agent?

What should I expect of an agent?
Do I pay anything up front?

What should I do to prepare my manuscript?
Should I do a first editing myself?
Should I make an outline and a sample chapter to send?

Do I need a lawyer?

I read somewhere that first novels are usually written in first person, and after that, the author switches to third person past tense.

Sometimes in my blogs I try to write in first person present tense, and I find it difficult to keep from slipping into past tense. I do it as an exercise for keeping a consistent tense while I write.

I would compare self publishing my own book to doing my own knee surgery.  Sure I could try, but I might end up crippled for the rest of my life.

Still.. people have done it successfully.  Maybe I could self-publish my poetry.  If I only had to buy 150 books, I'd have a great stock of gifts to give my family and friends.

Neither of these words are in my writing vocabulary. But, according to the definition "middle class" that's what I am. I would not label myself an executive or a professional, though. I've never considered myself bohemian either.

As far as bohemian being anti-intellectual, I don't think the definition was saying that it was anti-intelligent.

My connotation of both these words is that they apply to groups or cliques of people. When you use these words to describe your character, you immediately apply (in my mind) the stereotypes and prejudices that go with them. When I read "bourgeois", I think of the Russian Revolution. When I read, bohemian, I think of Gypsies or blank-verse poets dressed all in black.

Isn't fiction disguised non-fiction? I usually read non-fiction, but from a writer's point of view, I have been thinking that you could only tell the *real* truth in a fictional work.

As long as your writing is 'fiction', then you can avoid the challenges that are bound to be made about 'your version' of what happened. If you "make it all up", then you can write it anyway you want.

If Joyce Carol Oates did disguise her life in her writing, and kept her personal life very private, then she accomplished quite a feat.

OTOH, if her life was a boring and humdrum as she wants you to believe, then I wouldn't change places with her for anything!

A novel about Internet romance is very close to my heart. That was the topic of my 1997 novel. I admit being afraid to let anyone read it. I put my heart into that book, and I can barely read it without feeling strong emotion. If the novel didn't move the reader the same way, I'd be very disappointed and crushed. I don't know if I am ready for that kind of scrutiny.

I envy Jody's byline. I haven't found one that satisfies me, yet. In the meantime, I've been trying out various ones like "writer for the crutches and wheelchair crowd" because on our vacation I was on crutches and used a wheelchair in the airports.

Even though I know the mechanics of writing well, I do not think I would have been a publishable author when I was young. It is life's experiences that have given my writing a quality that illicits responses from the reader --not sure how to describe what I mean here.

I love journaling. I used to do it more than I do now --now that I have so many groups. You could say that the groups are my journal. ;)

Somewhere I read that to become a writer, you need to write, write, write. Everything counts, writing letters, e-mail, journaling, everything you write.

Anais Nin is known for her journals that she published. She wrote when the emotions were "hot". So I think that writing your experiences while they are happening, are more valuable than writing it later from memory.

BTW, I am working on a project about moving to Alaska, what you need to know, what to do ahead of time, what to bring, etc. I started it before the holidays, but I was interupted by our vacation to Indiana. It's time to get back to work!

One of the members of the group brought up the question of how one's lifestyle affects your writing.  I do think my lifestyle has inhibited me. However, my life experiences have definitely put emotion into my writing that otherwise wasn't there. Years ago anything I wrote sounded like a math textbook.

I have two inspirations: Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry.

HighBeam eLibrary Research

University of Alaska Anchorage website: Alaska Writes

Lightningsource.com/ provided the following self-publishing links:

www.bowker.com

www.whitaker.co.uk

United States Publishers:

http://www.authorhouse.com/

http://www.aventinepress.com/

http://www.booklocker.com/

http://www.bookpublisher.com/

http://www.firstbooks.com/

http://www.iuniverse.com/

http://www.tabbyhouse.com/

http://www.xlibris.com/

http://www.xulonpress.com/


United Kingdom Publishers

http://www.author.co.uk/

http://www.authorsonline.net/

http://www.bewrite.net/

http://www.upfrontpublishing.com/

http://www.upso.co.uk/

http://www.writersworld.tv/

I asked the group, "How do you go about self-publishing a book?"  I got a lot of information from their replies as well as these book recommendations:

• Dan Poynter's Self-publishing Manual.


• Tom and Marilyn Ross's Complete Guide to Self-Publishing


• Fern Reiss - The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days and The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days.


• Pat Bell's The Prepublishing Handbook: What You Should Know Before You Publish Your First Book

My writing efforts are not going badly, they are just not going.

We spent the last three weeks traveling and visiting relatives. I wasn't on the computer much except to play this really cool game on my sister's laptop. ;) The break was great. Now I intend to get back to writing.

During our visits, I met my new sister-in-law, Susan. My husband's brother met her through the Internet. Well, you can guess what that did for me. I'm all revved up to get back to my story about Internet romances. Then it occurred to me: instead of writing a novel, why not write a book of true stories?

So that's where my writing efforts are for the new year. :)