publish

I’ve had three interviews published online.

pecannoot

Thursday Sweet Treat

Bliss Chick

And two of my paintings were published in an actual real life, national, hard copy magazine. Artful Blogger Summer 2009.

Look at that. I’m published.

But there’s more to do, so I must keep this goal up here.

on my blog.

This is not my book, or my other book or the other book. or an article.

Or anything that i am being paid for, but I really do think that I am heading in a direction that could get me published, could get me money from the things I love to do.

So if you are feeling abandoned or worried because I have not been around, please don’t, I’ve just been focusing on blogging and sometimes, I get a little overwhelmed and a little confronted and don’t seem to be able to get myself back here. also a little disorganized and I just forget.

pa cute lang po

My dog ate my homework!
My dog ate my homework!
I don’t know how!
But if I find out,
He’ll see what’s next now!
My dog ate my homework!Cant you see!?
Now who’s going to get a detention?
That’s right, me!
These three papers were red, yellow, and green
But my dog ate them, that is so mean!
Tomorrow I’ll copy them when school hasn’t started
Yeah! Thats what I’ll do, I’ll dart it! I’ll dart it!
I got to school early this morning
But I got distracted, oh no! The bell’s horning!
I told the teacher sorry, I didn’t bring my work!
All because…

MY DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK!!

In my sleep, my mind is free
Out of my ideas, I think of three
I think of something really outrageous
If I told you I’d be really courageous
I think of the good, the bad, and sadly, the homeless
And I think truly that they are all hopeless
My mind goes crazy, mixed up with fear
Boys and girls hoping someone will hear
Everything was quiet; I heard a crow’s caw
I watched in amazement, but mostly in awe
I saw a young child sleep in a box
One seemed to be like a hungry fox
Atleast if they had a warm little dome
Or next to the Christmas tree at home sweet home.

Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids
by Christina Katz, but I had some technical difficulties.

I think it’s generally about non fiction writing, or publishing, but I know that the more I have published, the more people will take me seriously as a writer. It may be time for me to stop my inquiry into how to write well, and start my inquiry into how to publish. I do need to write my novel, but I need also to learn about the industry and how to get in.

There’s also a book, Chapter after Chapter by Heather Sellers that is about finishing a novel.

I feel like this goal is delayed. It’s here because it used to be “write and publish” my novel. Novel written, at least the first draft is. The revision stage is taking much longer than the writing stage. I am unable to focus to my hearts content. But I wonder… are there steps I can take right now to prepare the book to be published? I think it would be along the lines of collecting intelligence on how to publish. Read books. Ask around for people who know people in publishing. Research the publishers of the books that I like that are along the same lines as my book. Maybe I should also try to get some other things published, because I know that publishers take you more seriously if you have atleast SOME publishing history. It shows you are serious, shows you are professional. Do the few art reviews I wrote for my neighborhood paper count? I mean, it is my hip and happening NYC neighborhood. Fancy shmancy, right? Not just published in a buddy’s basement… although I think I’ve been published like that, too.

I suppose this goal is on here so that I can keep my eyes on the prize.

First draft written. Edit my novel has its own goal. This one is now, simply publish.

Which means I am counting “Write” as done. Cool

I’m recognizing a pattern with me. I write write write like a crazy woman, and then I stop and anguish because I can’t move on. Depression or funk or writer’s block, or what have you.

But if I take the time to really think about the story, instead of moping about how I can’t write, I generally am able to find something in the story line that has taken a bad detour. I often need to stop and back up, maybe cut a scene that takes the characters to a place that they shouldn’t go, or add to a scene that was missing essential elements that give the characters a realistic motivation. That last one just happened to me. I hated where I was going, it didn’t make sense why my character would be doing what she was doing or the people around her would let her do it. So going back over it, I added something that helped to make it make sense.

A story needs to be true to itself, or it balks.

I’ve just finished doing NaNoWriMo. I hit 50k words on November 14th and 100k words on November 29th.

But I have a problem once I hit those benchmarks that I’ve been aiming for. I stall out.

I want to keep writing, but I don’t know what to say—or maybe I really want to take a break.

Right now it’s an indecision about my plot. Do I need a revolution, or does it interfere with the main point of the story? But this is exactly where I am in the story, and it could go either way. It’s a total choice… which to choose?

And I’m so tired and the story has gone so fast that I can’t answer those questions. My brain is fuzzy.

The last time that happened, I figured out that I had taken a wrong turn in my story, and had to take away the resolution between the sisters and regain their sibling rivalry. Conflict helps stories. Of course, it took a few days to make that realization.

Maybe I need the time off. Maybe I don’t need to have the highest wordcount in NYC. Number three isn’t shabby. That’s not the point of this whole exercise, anyway. It’s to write. And write I did. I wrote more per day this month than Stephen King, who only write two thousand words a day. That ain’t nothin’ to sneeze at.

So, I’ve made my choice. Relax on the gonzo word count obsession. Take a breather. Allow for some thinking about plot, my characters, the other details that will enrich the story.

I also bought Stephen King’s “On Writing” because other Nanoers suggested it. I think I would like to read a little bit and do some reflection. Yes. I feel good about this choice.