Insecure Writers Support Group- Love Thy Editors!

The summer is finally with us!  Is everyone enjoying the sunshine?

I'd like to quickly start this entry by updating from the last time I posted- I'd like to thank those of you who left a kind word regarding my situation, and I did indeed take a little time off as needed (hence no June blog post).  I'm not out of the woods yet, but I am now taking medication and feeling a lot, lot better- and I will be doing some more posts over July, as we have some exciting developments just around the corner!

I'm doing this a teeeeny bit early, but I intend to catch up with Top Gear tomorrow morning, and then I have work in the evening, which makes it a bit tricky to get online to type out blogposts.  But anyhoo, onto this month's IWSG topic:

Love Thy Editors

I think the reason why some would-be writers out there shy away from submitting pieces is because they fear bad feedback from, or losing creative control to editors.  I won't lie, there was a time when I felt wary of submitting my own work.  I was worried that at best, I would be forced to change my work to suit the whims of a corporate suit, at worst, would have my confidence utterly shattered by someone behind a desk, completely blasting my ability and making me want to never pick up a pen again (I am dramatic :P)

I'm extremely happy to say (and I imagine many others will too) that all of my experiences with editors have been completely positive.  Even from my earliest days starting out with EGL Magazine, right up to my most recent experiences with Hic Dragones, every editor I have ever worked with has been an amazing person who I have been happy to work with.  Oh, I'm sure there are less than brilliant editors out there, but as someone who used to be so wary of negative experiences, and knowing there are others that feel that way, I thought that for this month's IWSG I would give the hard-working editors out there a little bit of love!  It's got to be a difficult job, and one I'm not sure I could do, so I think it's important to appreciate the vital work they do to make our stories super shiny for book-pages.

If you're a new writer who is nervous of editors, this is why you shouldn't be:

1) They already like your work
If you are passed over for a submission (which will undoubtedly happen at some point, and you mustn't feel too bad about it, because it happens to everyone), you won't receive a cruel email telling you to go back to school, so don't worry about something like that happening.  If you are successful, however, you mustn't be nervous of what comes next- you were picked because they liked your work!  The editors know what they're looking for in a good story, and they certainly wouldn't be wasting their precious time on editing your story if they didn't think it was worth the time and effort.

2) They are improving on what they already have
While all publishers are expecting clean manuscripts when they receive submissions, they aren't expecting refined, polished gold.  They know it will need work.  That's where the editors come in.  Think of your story as a rough diamond that needs to be sanded, buffed and polished before it can become the gem it's meant to be.  That's what the editors do.  Any suggestions or changes they make are there to improve the flow of your story, and make it the best it can possibly be, not to change your story and make it something else entirely.  They also won't make huge changes without putting them towards you first, and will always keep you involved in what they are doing.  Work together with your editor, and your story will shine.

3) You will learn from them!
I've learned a lot about my writing habits from things pointed out by editors.  I am already quite aware of my typos, but that's not a major issue :P (not in blogging anyway!).  One bad habit I used to have was the overuse of the ellipsis for dramatic tension...unfortunately, overuse led to disruption in the flow of the writing, and also lessened the dramatic affect I had been aiming for.  This was pointed out to me by an editor, and she certainly didn't make her point harshly.  Every single experience I have had with an editor has been positive and beneficial to me, and I've learned something every time.  Ultimately, this makes me a better writer, and improves the quality of the writing.

I often worry more about being a difficult writer for an editor to work with, rather than finding my editor to be difficult- I always have things set out and imagined in my head just so, and when I was younger I wasn't particularly receptive to criticism (in hindsight, this was mainly because most criticism I was received wasn't particularly constructive).  So far, I have found all feedback completely helpful and beneficial, have found editors happy to work with me, and ultimately do a great job with the finished manuscript.

So what else can I say?  Don't fear the editors.  They have a very hard job, but its them who gets our stories down onto paper and onto bookshelves.  To any new and anxious writers out there, don't be afraid to allow them to improve on your work- they are professionals and they know what they are doing!

And as for the editors, well, every single editor I have worked with has been a real delight to work with.  I thank you all for being awesome :D

*

Right, well, I'll be back soon with some more updates, please stay tuned and enjoy the weather!


http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html

ISWG- Scheduled for Meltdown in 5...4...3...

Almost missed this month's IWSG- thank goodness for Twitter, which reminded me! (Even if I spend way too much of my time on there harmlessly stalking celebrities I like!)  The reason for my absences in recent weeks and months actually ties in nicely into this post- I missed April's due to personal reasons, and May was just extremely busy for me all month.  Now we're into June, and I'm hoping that I can snatch some downtime to myself, because in all honesty, I'm about to burn out, mentally and emotionally.

As if I haven't mentioned it enough times on my blog, I've been under a lot of stress this year so far, but sadly, my hiatus and trip to the US wasn't quite enough for me to recover.  Without listing all the details, I'm facing home and family problems, and my day-job is rapidly becoming unbearable (in fact, only a couple of days ago, I was physically assaulted by a customer- this has been the final straw for me, and I am now searching for a new job outside of the customer-service industry, especially as management haven't been supportive).  I've been prone to depression, stress and anxiety, and finding it hard to cope with much besides a social life (which may sound really awful, that the only thing I can do right, right now, is have an active social life, but in all honesty, despite the energy I expend having it, its one of the few things keeping me sane right now).

This of course has left very little time for writing and drawing.  I'm passing up submissions that would be pretty good for me, because I either don't have the time or the energy.  While writing doesn't generally stress me out, it does require both time and energy, as said, and neither of those I have in abundance right now.  With my daily schedule still in tatters (you'd think a month would be enough to get back on track!), my downtime at home when I come home from work usually involves surfing the net, a wee bit of TV, a book if I'm lucky (not much time for reading even!), painting my nails ridiculously crazy colours or sleeping.  I'm doing a LOT more sleeping.

On one hand, its awfully frustrating, because I've tasted success (another anthology out recently, another next month), and I know I have to keep working at it if I want more of it.  While I have been known to knock out a short story in a night, it takes hours of furious typing and a flurry of vicious editing, and as you can imagine, this requires me to be very alert, energetic and wired.  Those periods of energy are not very prolonged for at the moment.

I have even struggled to maintain my usual exercise regime (although fortunately, a lot of going out means a lot of walking!), which has probably played its hand in affecting my mood.

Its also frustrating because I'm having IDEAS.  If only I could have the energy to scribble furiously for a bit, and I'll probably finish the first draft of my novel within the next month or so, I can really feel it.  I'm having lots of art ideas too.  Art is something I can do in a more relaxed state, luckily (as I love to recline while drawing, and it also doesn't stress me out) but once again, I need to be very focused, and alert enough to do so.  At the moment, if I'm relaxed, I'm going to sleep.

On the other hand though, I am aware that with everything the way it is, its very important for me to let writing and art take the back seat for now.  I'm confident the ideas will still be there (especially for the novel), but if I try to juggle everything right now, I am going to snap.  I am probably on the verge of a breakdown, and I'm seriously considering getting signed off work.  I already have a doctor's appointment booked.

Now, I say all this, without being negative (REALLY! :P).  I actually feel quite positive at the moment, because I have some ideas of how to avert this meltdown, and they are going to involve some major life changes.  Its definitely going to involve a career change (still hoping if the writing works out well, that can be a help too ;) ), and things are going to change at home also.  I'm also going to start introducing a strict routine for myself, written on a timetable like I had back at college :P I am pretty confident that if I act now, I can stop myself from going postal and losing my mind.

But it does mean that writing needs to go on the shelf for the moment.

But I'm totally ok with that, because it gives me something else to write about ;)


(PS- deleted to discover my acid-trip dreams are coming back!  I love my crazy dreams, but went through a long phase without any!  Lets hope I get time to record them again soon!)

Sirens Call Publication- The Horror of Steampunk Blog Post

With the release of each new anthology, Sirens Call Publications invites its contributing authors to write a guest post on their blog, to allow us to share our inspirations behind our pieces.

For the release of Bellows of the Bone Box, I was invited also, to have a good old ramble about what inspired me to write my short story, Clockwork Doll, and about what Steampunk means to me.  I hope you enjoy!

And if you stick with my little ramble, there's a little sneak-peek excerpt of my story too!

http://sirenscallpublications.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/the-horror-of-steampunk-with-laura-brown/

Bellows of the Bone Box- Steampunk Horror Anthology, featuring Clockwork Doll, out now!

Well, I'm a wee bit late to this party- we can all thank the disruptive and naff-tastic updates that Hotmail had last month!  As it goes, I didn't know until yesterday that my short story had been published as of April 17th, due to emails just not making their way into my inbox as the whole thing was updated!  Blasted technology!

Doesn't it make you long for simpler times?  Back when technology was more reliable, more refined?  Then maybe you'd be interested in this steampunk/horror anthology.

Bellows of the Bone Box, from Sirens Call Publications, is now available to buy in both kindle/e-book format, and in paperback.  My contribution is a short story called Clockwork Doll, and is set in an alternate Victorian London, but as the goggled skull on the front cover might suggest, these short stories aren't just typical, run-of-the-mill steampunk tales...

I love steampunk literature, as well as the fashion and aesthetic, so it was great fun to be involved with this anthology!  It also marks a particularly significant stepping stone in my writing career, as "Clockwork Doll" is the first short story I will receive payment for.  Its a small stepping stone, but as I say, significant, as being a professional author is my ultimate career goal.  While I can't quit the day-job yet, I can however say I am a published, official author, and my aspirations seem just that little bit closer to finally becoming reality.

What is steampunk?  If you're unfamiliar with this phenomenon, steampunk is both a literary movement as well as a fashion one.  For the purposes of this blog, steampunk often refers to a literary setting that takes place during the Victorian era or the Industrial revolution, but involves science fiction elements, usually such as technology that runs on steam and clockwork (as was usual for the time period) but far more advanced.  The genre, however, is far broader than that very brief description would have you belief, and covers a many different themes, such as exploration and alternative history (there are even other derivatives that cover different time periods in the same manner, such as "atom punk" or "diesel punk").  What is so interesting about the Bellows of the Bone Box anthology, however, is how the steampunk genre has been blended with horror in these tales.

Now that I'm finally on board this (steampunk) train, I'm hoping to participate in the publicity that follows, so please watch out for upcoming blog posts and the like!  In the meantime, if you would like to find out what exactly Clockwork Doll is all about, and what perhaps steampunk-horror is like, then click the links, buy the book, curl up with a cup of tea, and enjoy!

http://www.sirenscallpublications.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Bellows-Bone-Box-Kirk-Jones/dp/0615774873/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

May Blog Post- I'm BACK!

Hello everyone!

I'm very glad to announce that I'm BACK and feeling much, much better after my much-needed hiatus!  I don't have a huge amount of news, being as I was trying to use my break to chill out, but I do have a few updates to share.

If you read my blog you will know that the reason for my absence was mostly down to stress.  The beginning of this year has been very tough for me, and trying to keep up with Twitter, Blogspot, writing and all sorts of things was getting too much for me, what with all the things going on in my personal life.  We've lost some feline friends in the last few months, and its been a very sad time.  I've also had a lot of stresses from the "day job" affecting me.  I didn't intend to miss May's IWSG post, but as I had only just come back into the UK and it was birthday, I simply had no time, sorry!

I spent the last 2 weeks of April in the US visiting my fiance who I only see once a year usually.  Getting away from it all was something I clearly needed, but I was quite unfortunate to be struck by a horrendous dental infection (thank gods, and my dentist, for anti-biotics), and then pollen season in Ohio broke me out in hives!  Poor old me!  But on the upside, I got to see my Bear and have some good quality time with him, without any worries about work or writing.  It feels weird to say I've been home 2 weeks now, because sadly it feels longer, but in that 2 weeks I've had some cool things going on, and while readjusting is always a struggle for me, I do feel a lot of my stresses and concerns are finally lifting from my mind.  So back to work I go, and here I am!

Beltane Blessings

A little belated, for sure, but wishing you all some Beltane blessings at this time.  Beltane is also my birthday, and was celebrated in the most self-indulgent manner ;) I was unable to attend the Beltane ceremony I had intended to, but managed to hold my own little ceremony under a tree near my house; it was rather cute and little, and I think it went well, although may have confused the neighbours!

This is my photo of my "makeshift altar"- I was in a very pink-and-purple mood, so I bought along a rose quartz and a purple cat's eye (also appropriate as upon a "cushion" of wilted cherry blossom petals, sits my pendant of the Goddess Bast).  My pentagram sits in the middle, with some bluebells and cherry blossom flowers either side...after roses, these are my favourite flowers and are in bloom around my birthday and Beltane, so it seemed appropriate.  But also, I keep finding the blossoms ripped from their trees in clumps and just dumped on the floor, so I picked them up with the intention of putting them on the altar.  I also brought along a small offering of cheese which was gobbled up over night.  The whole thing went well very nicely, and I feel as though I've had some kind of fresh start- maybe the fertile energies of Beltane will help me with my endeavours and creativity :)

Writing Updates
Writing has been very slow for me recently, and slightly disappointing.  I've been absolutely neglectful of my EGL work, and had great intentions for attempting a bajillion different submissions, but little has come to fruition.  In the past few months, I've had only had rejections.  The first was annoying but I could kinda see where they were coming from.

The second didn't upset me at all to be honest, because it was such a nice rejection!  It was a story called "God Town" that had struggled a little with, but also was very pleased with, and had poured a lot of love into the tale, as well as a little humour.  Sadly, the submission turn out was huge, and God Town was not quite what they were looking for, however, the feedback was very positive, and left me in good spirits about getting it placed elsewhere.

The third rejection simply wound me up, as I didn't feel I was given any useful feedback, and as bratty as I might sound, I think it was probably turned away with little consideration.  I'm not usually one to blow my own trumpet, but with the subject matter in hand, not only am I confident that I was giving the publisher exactly what they were looking for, but also was using the otherwise very popular and overdone subject matter in a very unique way.  I wouldn't even be too surprised if they decided not to read it- the them I'd picked was a popular one and I had submitted close to the deadline, so perhaps they had already read something they'd liked and thought "sod the rest".  I'm not sure, and I can only speculate, but I was very annoyed by the whole thing.  I'm sure though that a similar subject will arise at some point, so their loss I suppose.

Meanwhile, on the upside, this week I began working on the edits of my short story "Skin", set to be published in the Impossible Spaces anthology by Hic Dragones!  Very pleased to have something positive going on, although editing is mighty hard work!  I have to say, I really do appreciate editors- they have a bloody hard job to do, and I certainly hope I don't make their work too much harder!

In the process of writing this blog post, I have found out some more news, which is pretty darn awesome, and if I can get it verified, will include it at the end of this post, and will probably dedicate another to it also!

(This is why it takes me forever to do blog posts :P).

Art (and Related Exciting Happenings)
Art has been a bit on the back-burner recently, although when I can get some time to draw I think it does help to relax me.  Most of the doodles I've been enjoying recently have just been sketches and ideas for my Puffin memorial tattoo, and I've finally decided I like the idea of having a sort of cameo-brooch style-frame in the design.

One piece of artwork I've been working hard on was completed and given as the gift it was intended- I'm going to admit now that I was an utter squishy fangirl who makes presents for musicians and artists that she has fangirl crushes on.  This artwork was a drawing I made for the musician/author/animator/all-round-creative-and-awesome bloke, Aurelio Voltaire; it was a tea-stained mock poster advertising fictional belly dancers (named the Clockwork Dolls, after my story of the same name) performing to his instrumental piece, "Tempest".  I'm going to wait to put up a photograph, as I'm still a bit...blushy...over the whole thing...but Voltaire is an absolute gentleman- he said he really liked it, made some lovely comments about my artwork, kissed me on both cheeks (squee!) and even gave me a keyblade pendant as a thank you gift! I tell you what, I've had a naff week following last weekend when I met him and saw him perform in London, but that little high just keeps me floating quite happily!


BIG BREAKING NEWS!

Well, I found out rather by surprise while writing this blog post that I've had a major development in my career as an author!  There appears to have been some sort of miscommunication mishap while I was absent, but as of April 17th, I have a second short story in PRINT.

That's right- Siren's Call Publications steampunk-horror anthology Bellows of the Bone Box is now published and for sale!

My short story "Clockwork Doll" is featured in this anthology- it is my second in-print (in-an-actual-physical-book-you-can-hold-in-your-hand-in-print!) and the first one I will actually receive payment for!!!

And you know what that means!

I am now officially, an author! ;)

Blog-post to follow where I gush about this- clearly I need something to celebrate after all that poop from earlier this year!

To buy copies of the book, please see Sirens Call Publications and Amazon:
http://sirenscallpublications.com/index.html
http://www.amazon.com/Bellows-Bone-Box-Kirk-Jones/dp/0615774873/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

I think that's a good place to wrap up May's blog post, so thank you, its great to be back!

Gonna take a little break...

Eventually, something's gotta give.  And it was either the remainder of my sanity or the Internet.

My computer is appallingly bad, slow and crappy, and as I've mentioned frequently, I am not good with computers at the best of times.  However, for example, it has taken me two and half hours this evening to do some stuff that probably should have only taken me one hour.  This sort of crap frustrates me endlessly, and on top of all the stress I'm dealing with at the moment, it is extremely unneeded and unwanted.

So I'm taking a hiatus from the Internet- after I sign off in a few minutes, I won't be back online until I briefly pop on on Friday evening (as I'm off to America on Saturday to see my fiance, and I will "need" to make obligatory "I'm going to America to see my fiance" statuses on Facebook :P ).  After that, I may return online sporadically for the next 2 weeks, but mostly in a social, casual manner.  So there may not be an April Blog Post this month.  I also apologise for not being more active with this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group- once again, trying to read just one other blog is taking me so much time, and taking up so much of my now endangered patience (thinking of investing in a new laptop when I come home, so I don't have to use this Box of Rocks PC).

The upside is the following:

-I won't go insane
-Therefore I won't go postal ;)
-I will have time to relax
-I will have time to deal with my shit
-I will have so much more time for writing and drawing
-I will be doing lots of writing and drawing :D
-I get to see my fiance!

I clearly need a break...so off I go.  Thanks everyone for their support, see you in a few weeks x

Insecure Writer's Support Group Post- Writing and Illustration

Happy April everyone!  Sorry for my absence last month; I was having a lot of emotional issues and traumas so I decided to take a little break for a week or so- however, over the last week and a bit, I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, so here I am.

This month's IWSG topic is a little odd- not a strong insecurity on the surface of it, but a concern that I have, and I'm wondering what other writers might make of it.

You see, I am not just a writer- I am also an artist.  I don't put a lot of my artwork online for a couple of reasons; one out of fear of plagiarism or theft (one of the reasons why I don't put my writing up for everyone to see, even though I've had requests for it).  As I'm totally inept with technology, even putting a simple watermark would be beyond me.  Secondly; DA is a pain in the ass.  Some DeviantArt artists may gasp in shock at me for this, but the truth is, I do have a DA account.  I was freaking addicted to DA for ages, until my gallery got stuck with a malicious ad that in the space of two months attacked our computer twice.  DA's stance is that its basically not their problem.  Now,  I'm sure some of you are thinking I should just use this finagle or use this filangee to fix the issue, but as mentioned before, I am inept with technology.  I struggle to keep a blog and Twitter going!  That, and we have a PC so bad that I've taken to calling it a Box of Rocks just so it seems less crap.  The account is still there (Chibi-Black-Rabbit) but as this is technically not my computer (I live at home with my folks), and my Dad asked me not to use DA anymore, I'm kinda obligated to respect his wishes.

But I am an artist; I have provided artwork for local musicians, created tattoo designs, hell, even apprenticed briefly at a tattoo studio, and it was my portfolio that nabbed me that position (it was insurance, or lack thereof, that robbed me of it).  I'm not a very social artist, but DA was working to improve that.  Creatively, my art and my writing tends to go hand in hand.  For a lot of my stories, there are doodles, sketches and even fully-developed pieces to accompany it.  I imagine the vast majority of my novels, once completed, having my illustrations accompanying them.  I can't choose one expression over the other- while writing may seem to take precedence, art is just as important to me.

You see, I don't think illustrations are just for children, or just for graphic novels.  I think even adult novels can make room for the occasional, well-placed piece of artwork.  Heck, for Night Gods (the novel I am working on) I have even considered the possibility (if it is successful enough to warrant it) releasing a whole art book, a bestiary even, of artwork for all the strange creatures and characters that appear.  Now, I've read plenty of books without illustrations, and its not spoiled the reading for me, but I do love a "picture" book too.  As an artist.

But how often do you even come across books with the odd illustration here and there?  Not many, that's for sure.  I'm trying to tell myself that its quite likely publishers will probably talk me out of illustrations, at least at first (if perhaps I became successful, I can imagine later editions and companions with artwork).  But at least the cover work, that could be mine, right?

Right?  I have no idea.  I have not seen many books where it has said that the writer was also the artist responsible for the cover design.  This surprises me, as I'm sure there must be other writers out there, like me, who are also a dab hand with a pencil or a paintbrush.  Is it always down to an illustrator/designer to do this?  How much say does the writer get in that?

You see, I can't really imagine ANYONE else having artistic input in that area.  Oh wait.  I lie.

I can name ONE person.

You see, I do admire many other artists, from Salvador Dali to Brian Froud to Yoshitaka Amano, oh of course, you can't be an artist without having your influences.  But on a more personal level, I have always been...odd around other artists.  Its a bizarre personality trait that I can only put down to insecurity and jealousy, but I have never been particularly fond of other artists in the past, or if I have done, then I've been hugely jealous of their work, which has made me feel awkward.  Nowadays, however, I do have some artist friends who I don't feel this way around, and love their work.  And one such is a very good friend of mine.

As a fantastic animal portrait artist, she is also the first ever artist I have personally commissioned myself!  I have never asked anyone to do something for me before!  IF I had to concede the task to another artist, she's the only person I can imagine doing it.

I'm even open to collaboration- as I suck with technology, I wouldn't object to a photoshop artist perhaps cleaning up something I've produced, alter it slightly to make it more appropriate for a book cover.

But actually concede the work to someone else (apart from aforementioned talented friend)...unthinkable to me.

Is this a possibility?  Has anyone ever faced this issue?  Am I being overly concerned? (I'm certainly being premature, as I have even finished Night Gods yet :P) Like I said, at this point, not a major insecurity, but as for me, art is just as important as writing, it is something I don't want to just leave to someone else.  If writing a story is all part of the expression I'm sharing with the world, then so is that artwork.

Anyway, I shall leave it at that, as I am a very tired bunny.  My April blog post will be coming up soon, but this month will also be relatively quiet as I'm spending half of it in the US!  Just want to say thanks to everyone who left a kind message recently.

Take care for now x

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html