Fear

A little while ago, I mentioned in an email to Edie Ramer that I needed to re-read a blog she once posted on overcoming the fear of writing a book that feels "too big." She informed me that she never blogged about that subject.

Oh, the old gray mare ain't what she used to be... now I don't remember where I read it since it was at least a couple of years ago. Does that topic ring any bells, anyone? :)

See, Edie was kind enough to read a little something I sent her, and she said she liked the excerpt from a series idea I've been working on. It's an idea that I really like, but... I'm terrified of writing it! I'm afraid I'm not up to the task, so I put it away, but it keeps tapping on my shoulder. I've even started writing little out of order bits from across all three "planned" books in an effort to still get something down, but not freak myself out so much by actually writing sequential chapters.

And darn it, I love those little bits I've got so far. They tease me just enough to say "this could be really good" but I'm still terrified of going for the whole enchilada. I'm thinking maybe I should just keep writing these short paragraphs out of order to fool myself until eventually, I've got the whole darn thing written. ;)

All over the 'net and in various books you can find the advice to "just write, don't be afraid to suck, just get the words down and you can fix them later." This is probably great advice. Or would be, if I could just get past this phobia.

Any suggestions? Any idea where I read that other blog? :)

Congratulations, Edie!

Edie Ramer finally took the plunge and uploaded "Cattitude" to Smashwords. You can find it here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22350.

Ebook Description:

It's all in the Cattitude... After Belle the cat switches bodies with a psychic on the run from a murderer, she wants her perfect cat body back instead of this furless human one. But she doesn’t count on falling in love with her former owner. Or that a CEO and a beauty queen want to use up her nine lives. Now is her chance to prove anything a human can do, a cat can do better.

I just finished reading (and enjoying) Cattitude this morning. There were places where I laughed out loud, like the reaction of Belle while she's reading Harry Potter and realizes that if she turns back into a cat soon, she won't be able to finish the series.

Good job, Edie! :)

Times, they are a changin'

Day after tomorrow I'll be taking my daughter to the airport, where she'll board a plane for Phoenix with very little by way of plan once she arrives. My brother is at least going to pick her up and let her stay with him for a week or two while she looks for an apartment and/or roommates. And she won't listen to anyone who tries to talk her out of this.

At her age, I was much the same. Sometimes, I still am willing to take that blind leap of faith with no net. BUT, I'm her mother, so that's different. :) I'm also currently, as she would put it, "tweaking out" badly. My nerves are shot.

Meanwhile, to take my mind off this, I read an old Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel the other day, and realized about three pages into it, that it would never have been accepted for publication today. Editors and agents would have passed immediately without reading beyond the first couple of pages due to all the head-hopping, impossible point of view sentences, and info dumps. The book was published in 1982, and in the 70's and 80's, Ms. Woodiwiss's books were always best sellers.

I did find the story hard to follow sometimes because of the same-sentence point of view shifts, and can see why that became a major no-no. But other times the head hopping actually added a bit for me when it kept the pace moving, rather than having to start another lengthy bit with another character's POV. I just found it ironic that a best seller from twenty years ago would not get very far if the first few chapters were submitted to an agent or editor today.

I wonder how things will change over the next two decades? Any thoughts?

Wow, Really?

Has it actually been four years since I started this blog? I just looked back at my archives and saw my very first post was July 30, 2006. Amazing how time flies when you're having fun. :)

Over the course of that time, I've seen lots of commenters, very few commenters, made new friends, been out of commission for while, and come back again. Thank you to those of you who have stuck with me - getting to know you through this medium has been so rewarding. It's like visiting favorite family members and friends that you don't see often - always happy to see you.

And in other news...

I mentioned the Smashwords people yesterday, but let's not forget the Kindle folks. Charles Gramlich has published a collection of short westerns on Amazon called "Killing Trail." I've just started my copy and am enjoying it so far.

Also waiting for the new releases from Ferrel Rick Moore and Stewart Sternberg. Will post more about that when it happens.

Any publishing news you'd like to share? (Edie Ramer, if you're out there - when is "Cattitude" coming out? Not to be pushy or anything...) :)