tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post8746533915865040401..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Escaping The VacuumJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-955084419740446452008-01-24T12:59:00.000-06:002008-01-24T12:59:00.000-06:00JA, amazing post and I love the tips you give. Yo...JA, amazing post and I love the tips you give. Your insight here is really great. I've linked to this post at <A HREF="http://aaroncrocco.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/amazing-writing-tips/" REL="nofollow">my blog.</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-57608584147765131272008-01-21T17:10:00.000-06:002008-01-21T17:10:00.000-06:00Can anyone make recommend any other good groups?If...<B>Can anyone make recommend any other good groups?</B><BR/><BR/>If you're in the Carolinas, I currently serve as Organizer for three speaker-centered groups: <A HREF="http://writers.meetup.com/500/" REL="nofollow">Raleigh Group</A>, <A HREF="http://writers.meetup.com/590" REL="nofollow">Charlotte Group</A>, and <A HREF="http://writers.meetup.com/618" REL="nofollow">Wilmington Group</A>.<BR/><BR/>Newcomers are welcome, and it's completely free.Stacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-34141821028238698242008-01-21T12:08:00.000-06:002008-01-21T12:08:00.000-06:00Hi JK, I apologize for this, but you've been "tagg...Hi JK, I apologize for this, but you've been "tagged" <BR/><BR/>Here are the rules:<BR/><BR/>Rules<BR/>Link to the person that tagged you<BR/>Post the rules on your blog<BR/><BR/>Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself<BR/><BR/>Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs<BR/><BR/>Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website<BR/><BR/>Thank Maria Zannini at http://mariazannini.blogspot.com/<BR/>for starting this. :)Carol Burgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13241742760871273352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-8804549924583937942008-01-21T08:52:00.000-06:002008-01-21T08:52:00.000-06:00I barely have enough time to get the writing done ...I barely have enough time to get the writing done with the day job. I'm with "jp" above, a critique group would be immensely helpful, but how does one find the time to do it correctly (critiquing the others while getting your own work critiqued)?T. M. Hunterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04315726033990784930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-9684767101821945472008-01-18T19:06:00.000-06:002008-01-18T19:06:00.000-06:00I'm fortunate too, to have an excellent writers' g...I'm fortunate too, to have an excellent writers' group and to have good and generous writer friends. But as others have shared in different ways, I've found I can't share my brand new baby w.i.p. and be effective at listening to what others have to say. I need to wait until those new, precious words have aged a bit and I've gotten a touch of objectivity.Conda Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972790965426924941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-31625683241926497652008-01-18T09:43:00.000-06:002008-01-18T09:43:00.000-06:00All good advice.love your blog. May I announce som...All good advice.<BR/>love your blog. <BR/>May I announce something here?<BR/> ( feel free to cut if this is not appropriate, or to post in a separate blog if you think your readers may benefit.<BR/> thank you <BR/> Linda<BR/><BR/>As a member of several writing groups and professional writing organizations, I’ve always been interested in the discovery and development of new writers. <BR/><BR/>Recently, I formed a program called SCRATCH with this in mind.<BR/><BR/>We offer a monthly writing contest for new short fiction with rotating guest judges (authors, editors, agents and publishers). <BR/><BR/>It’s easy to enter and with a fresh opportunity each month, this is a wonderful way for new writers to see their work in print.<BR/> Our cash awards will grow as we do, as will the size of our anthology. All are encouraged to enter. <BR/><BR/> SCRATCH will be rolled out in NYC at the AWP Conference (for 7000 attendees) Jan 31- Feb 3.<BR/><BR/>This link: http://www.scratchcontest.net/ will take you to the site.<BR/><BR/>Help us discover new writing talent. Let us help you build publication credits.<BR/><BR/>Thank you and best of luck with your writing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376100534890229940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-53678728447140207972008-01-18T07:52:00.000-06:002008-01-18T07:52:00.000-06:00"On one hand, we have the hubris that our words ar..."On one hand, we have the hubris that our words are not only important enough to put on paper, but that other people should take time to read them."<BR/><BR/>In many respects, we are all guilty of indulging in Vanity Press.Joe Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00028401465567502250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-34279801989496718102008-01-18T07:01:00.000-06:002008-01-18T07:01:00.000-06:00I found that it took some time to learn how to wor...I found that it took some time to learn how to work critique groups into my writing life. And once I did, the benefits made it well worth my while. I wrote an article about my experience with critique groups at one of my old sites. I've got to move it over to my blog. Thanks for the great blog, by the way. I'm adding it to my blogroll. <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.mental-health-survival-guide.com/writer-article-critique-group.htm" REL="nofollow"> Article on critique groups </A><BR/><BR/>Best wishes,<BR/>Jerry Waxler<BR/><A HREF="http://www.memorywritersnetwork.com/blog" REL="nofollow"> Memory Writers Network </A>Jerry Waxlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00945251286691895431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-7471181674210966892008-01-17T18:45:00.000-06:002008-01-17T18:45:00.000-06:00In my experience, sharing work before the first dr...In my experience, sharing work before the first draft is complete usually ends up with a lot of maddening tail chasing. Or it brings the work to a screeching halt. It is nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of sometimes, though.<BR/><BR/>I've never found a critique group that works for me, but I'm sure there are some good ones out there. For a newbie writer, though, I think time is best spent reading a lot and writing a lot.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-73105856094187945692008-01-17T17:32:00.000-06:002008-01-17T17:32:00.000-06:00I'm not sure brainstorming and advice amounts to b...I'm not sure brainstorming and advice amounts to book-building by consensus.<BR/><BR/>Soliciting input to get over a hurdle is helpful. But one of the requirements is mutual admiration and respect.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-21210199493333427772008-01-17T17:09:00.000-06:002008-01-17T17:09:00.000-06:00I respect your position and am glad it works for y...I respect your position and am glad it works for you. Personally, I've never been a fan of book building by consensus. It reminds me of the old Q&A:<BR/><BR/>Q: Do you know what a donkey is?<BR/>A: No, what?<BR/>Q: It's a horse built by a committee. <BR/><BR/>That said, however, feedback can be very valuable when offered by readers after the book is completed and has been read. Did they like a character? Why or why not? What did they like most about the book? The least?<BR/><BR/>Book clubs are great places to explore issues like this and then use what you learn in your next book.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-6405725931952533822008-01-17T16:22:00.000-06:002008-01-17T16:22:00.000-06:00Ralph Keyes has a chapter on this in his excellent...Ralph Keyes has a chapter on this in his excellent "The Courage to Write." It starts off with this quote from Toni Morrison: "Solitude, competitiveness, and grief are the unavoidable lot of a writer only when there is no organization or network to which he can turn."<BR/><BR/>It's a personal choice, and while I wouldn't recommend anyone talk about a work until it's done, getting an objective view on it later can be key.<BR/><BR/>The one thing to be clear about at the start is that you actually want honest feedback. Anyone can give compliments - it's the ones who can see where your work can be improved, and get that across, that count.<BR/><BR/>And even then there's often hard feelings. Tennyson once went to a friend's for lunch and afterwards showed him a poem. His friend said, "I shouldn't publish that if I were you." Tennyson bristled. "If it comes to that," he said, "the sherry you served was downright filthy."Steve MChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15026970188928733645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-4501837166897821532008-01-17T15:55:00.000-06:002008-01-17T15:55:00.000-06:00Being a performance poet helps – we get the same k...Being a performance poet helps – we get the same kind of instant feedback as actors. And yes, blogging helps too.<BR/><BR/>But talking about a wip? Depends. I was once married to a writer who found that if he did that, he never wrote the thing!Rosemary Nissen-Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05913841031559499568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-48544170492057532992008-01-17T12:37:00.000-06:002008-01-17T12:37:00.000-06:00Weird, I just blogged about this today myself, fro...Weird, I just blogged about this today myself, from the perspective of being on the teeter-totter. Maybe a crit group is the right answer. I used to be a member of critters and found it very helpful, but ultimately Day Job demanded way too much of my time for me to be critting three stories a week to get one critted every other month. Can anyone make recommend any other good groups?Jphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13702407898770090908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-80130656003756514142008-01-17T12:00:00.000-06:002008-01-17T12:00:00.000-06:00It's in the ethers. Just blogged about this today....It's in the ethers. Just blogged about this today.<BR/><BR/>To me, you get out of your group or critique partners what you put into them. Like a marriage, or a long-term friendship, it takes nurturing. You don't have to be these people's best friend. In fact, that can complicate things (in my case, one of my group IS my best friend and a tremendous writer, and it works for us). But you have to be honest and communicate openly, try to leave your ego at the door . . . etc. You can spot a toxic group or critique partner, just like, if you have your head screwed on straight, you can spot a toxic person and hopefully run the other way.<BR/><BR/>My group is invaluable to me--they give me discipline (I have to produce pages), and they alert me to those writer lessons I'm still struggling to learn. 15 or 20 books later, I'm still learning. That's what life is all about. <BR/>EErica Orloffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16415925758466527671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-53677611290708579402008-01-17T08:13:00.000-06:002008-01-17T08:13:00.000-06:00How funny--I was just trying to explain the ego th...How funny--I was just trying to explain the ego thing to my husband last night. Not sure I explained it well; perhaps I'll direct him your way so he can read this, too. As for no immediate gratification coming from my writing, that's why I blog. It's small consolation when I'm slogging away on my wip, but I still treasure all those people who comment favorably on any of my blog entries. As for not having a good critique partner, that's been an issue for me lately. It's one thing to ask someone to read a few chapters, but quite another to ask them to read and critique an entire novel, and then get it back to you in a timely fashion so you can get it sent out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-7180278444565480692008-01-17T07:38:00.000-06:002008-01-17T07:38:00.000-06:00Totally agree about the perpetual teeter-totter!Ma...Totally agree about the perpetual teeter-totter!<BR/><BR/>Mark makes a good point, and I'll add another angle: having written one novel and shared it in-progress in MFA workshops, I found that sharing a wip can be <I>counterproductive</I> if the reader isn't sure (or doesn't care) where the author is trying to go with the story.<BR/><BR/>Too many cooks risks spoiling the stew.<BR/><BR/>However, I've found that <I>talking about</I> the story with other writers (or savvy readers) while it's in progress can be hugely beneficial.Therese Fowlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14947928823404887883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-4175708195089054662008-01-17T06:45:00.000-06:002008-01-17T06:45:00.000-06:00Just one word of caution: for some people, any cri...Just one word of caution: for some people, any criticism during the actual writing of the book can make it self-destruct. If you're one of those people, wait until you're finished.Mark Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09410424046477699059noreply@blogger.com