Buddy can you spare a dime?

For those of you who have read my older posts you know that I received some invaluable assistance from Don Oravec, executive director of the Writer's Trust of Canada.  http://www.writerstrust.com/ In addition to a lot of great info about the publishing industry he filled me in on some of the realities of the writer's life, including the financial struggles.

Indeed, chronic lack of funding is why the Writer's Trust was originally founded by several iconic Canadian writers - to provide financial assistance to struggling writers. Don made it very clear that no one should pursue writing as a full time career if they are unable to pay the bills in some other way.

My agent, Anne McDermid, said much the same thing. She gave me the lowdown on how little income a published book actually brings into the author and that with the advent of e-publishing the returns are even worse. She passed on some rough figures with the caveat that every single case is different and you never know what might happen. But, in general - a decent selling book in Canada, one that might even have appeared on a few award lists, could bring the author no more than $7,000 to $20,000.

She said that unless the book is a runaway best seller in Canada (a very rare occurrence) those are the kind of numbers to expect. She did say that if the book is picked up by an American publisher and has a decent run in the U.S. those numbers will be much better. However, the chances of that happening are also very slim.

From older posts you might also be aware that I left a well paying career to pursue this writing dream. I am lucky to have a working spouse who covers the bills but our lifestyle has changed. With three adult children requiring money from time to time things can get pretty tight.

What to do?  What to do?

Along with about a billion other people on the planet I am learning the art of blogging with the hope that eventually, I might earn a little supplemental income. Just enough to keep my stomach securely down in my abdominal cavity and not up in my throat whenever I open my online bank account.

Dumpy Grace is proving to be an excellent learning ground. With sites like Problogger http://www.problogger.net/  and Robert Brewer's My Name is Not Bob http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.ca/ I am picking up new skills and ideas on how to grow and promote a blog.

Will I be one of the lucky ones that launches a lucrative blog? I have no idea. Meanwhile, I continue to learn all sorts of techy things I never thought I'd manage, I'm connecting with other writers and living life on the edge.

What could be better?

I dunno? Perhaps a lottery win?

How to Handle the Pressure of Social Media

Day 12 of Robert Lee Brewer's Platform Challenge and  the social media pressure just keeps on building.

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, URL shortening, Linking websites...well, you get the idea.

As I mentioned in my last post, The Perils of Social Media, the time spent can be overwhelming although I'll admit I'm learning useful skills.

Check this out! This is the URL for the post I just mentioned:   

 http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3452135858490893237#editor/target=post;postID=3976601648716689391

I learned how to shorten it using bit.ly.   The URL now looks like this:

 http://bit.ly/IMUurO

As cool as that is I found that keeping up with the techno Jones' was putting a crimp in my novel writing style.

For me, it is important to stick to Elizabeth George's strict rule. Get cracking first thing in the morning and don't come up for air until you've completed your word count for that day. If that takes two hours - great. If it takes six hours - then so be it.

In school I always felt less guilty if I got my work done before I made time for friends and I guess this is the same thing.

The less guilt the better strategy works for me.  Only when I complete my word count  can I can dig into the platform challenge, check my FB, peek in on Twitter, etc.

If my solution seems too 'goody two shoes' for you check out the links below. Three totally different sites giving three totally different takes on how to manage social media time.

http://bit.ly/HBrwwL  The Three T's of Social Time Management by Robert Larson

http://bit.ly/HP8vlb 18 minutes a day to Social Time Management by Lisa Buyer

http://bit.ly/HDZVft   Robert Lee Brewer's Time Management Ideas.

The Perils of Social Media

I am participating in Robert Lee Brewer's April Platform Challenge.   http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.ca/2012/04/april-platform-challenge-day-7.html

It is really pretty cool. The object is to develop your own platform. (Ya - I didn't know what that was, either) The best way I can describe it is as a physical platform like a soap box, on which you stand loud and proud and declare yourself to the world.

Developing a platform means joining social media sites like Facebook and Twiiter and LinkedIn. It means sharing your writing through online media sites like blogs.

All that is well and good. After some technical glitches (what the heck is html code?)  I was able to figure out how to get myself out there using all these resources. So far, so good.

But, the next step is a LOT harder. It involves surfing the web, seeking out other writers, reading their blogs, Twitters, Facebooks, Linkendns, etc, etc., then making comments and sharing what you like on your own blog, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. 

On the plus side, I have hooked up via all these sites with some pretty awesome writers and that is amazing! No doubt about it - the networking and the sharing of ideas is helpful. It is exciting to know that there are other writers out there toiling away in the wilderness.

But, as Pinteresting as all this is, it is also nerve-wracking. On Twitter you are expected to compose short, pithy statements several times a day then send them out for all to read. And even though you are pretty sure no one is going to read your 'hilarious' observations, you worry that you sound stupid. (Actually, you KNOW you sound stupid)

And finding the time to keep up? Impossible!

The tweets just keep pecking and pecking and pecking. (I had to disable the new tweet alert on my phone. Whenever that little bell trilled I was starting to salivate and that just felt wrong.)

And, when I read one blog I just had to read more... and more... and more. They are so good - I learn so much from great writing.

And the pics? Aaaahhhhh....so many cute pussy cats and ponies and babies. You'd have to be a psychopath to resist.

What to do? 

What to do? 

Any thoughts??

Show Don't Tell - Too Much of a Good Thing?

I subscribe to the International Thriller Writer's webzine, The Big Thrill http://www.thebigthrill.org/

In the last issue there was an interview with Lee Child, whom, I was not surprised to discover is one of the world's most popular authors, with over 50 million books sold.

The most heartening thing he had to say was that his 'overnight success' was nothing but. He had several books published before one of them finally caught on. He spoke about the discouraging book tours where only two or three people might show up for a book signing and how important it is to persevere no matter what. (I also read a recent interview with Ann Tyler - who said the same thing. It took her ten years before her overnight success exploded)

Child also spoke about the rules of writing. He had some interesting things to say about the sacrosanct 'Show, don't tell' rule. He believes that writers waste far too many words 'showing' when they should just be telling the darn story. He thinks that an over-emphasis on pretty words dilutes the narrative.

I've been thinking about that a lot this week. I devote a lot of effort to ensuring that I show, don't tell. In fact, Anne McDermid told me that my capacity for subtlety is one of the things she appreciated about Blown Red. I think it gives the reader credit for some intelligence if the author does not lay all their cards on the table.

That being said - I agree that showing can go way too far. How many times are readers forced to skip through reams of poetic prose because in the ecstasy of all those beautiful words the author forgot about the story?

Still - it is a fine balance. Child says if a guy is tall and lean - just say so. And yet, isn't is far more interesting to show those attributes? For example,  'With a faded seersucker jacket clinging to his bony shoulders, the guy looked more like a coat rack than a cop.' Okay - maybe not that bad....but you get the point.

Today I will be working on a piece of dialogue - the reunion of Grace and Kim. There will be anticipation and hope and love and angst. The challenge will be to show all those emotions without beating the reader over the head with a flowery stick.

The things we must endure for art!

Falling Down on the Job

I've been remiss again in the writing department. Life has interfered. Nothing major - just the annual birthday extravaganza of my number one fan.

It's been a whirlwind celebration starting with the biggest surprise of all, the fact that I actually remembered his birthday at all this year.

Thank heavens we're on the same page when it comes to forced merrymaking. Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, New Year's Eve? Bleh!

It was two weeks in the past before either of us remembered our 25th wedding anniversary! In fact, I'm not 100% sure of the exact date. I know it was a chilly day in January....? 

Whatever....

I do, however, take any opportunity to bake a cake. On Monday, we had a pre-birthday tester cake, just to make sure I had the recipe just right. On Wednesday, I did it all again with extra icing. On Friday, we just had to make sure that a vanilla cake might not be better than chocolate. (It wasn't)

And then on his actual birthday, we had a huge, spicy pumpkin pie slathered with whipped cream.

Happy Birthday to a true rebel!

What makes a Writer?

This morning I woke up very early. 

I had an idea for a brilliant piece of dialogue. 

But, it was gorgeous outside and the sun was shining...


All I wanted to do was get up, read the paper, drink copious amounts of coffee then go outside and play.

 But, if I went outside to play I would probably forget my brilliant piece of dialogue.

So, on this gorgeous, sunny day, I hunched over my computer and tapped out my word count.



ONLY then...did I put on my hiking boots and go out to play.

We're cutting a trail through the forest and down to the river. 

 It's gonna be awesome when it's done.









Yup! I think it's official. Today I am a writer!