Friday, October 28, 2011
Why I Chose to Self-Publish
I'm over at Tara's blog today, spilling my guts about why I chose to self-publish. I hope you will all stop by. If not for me, then for Tara. She's such a cool cat, she writes in Polish and Russian, loves race cars, and knows her way around a throwing knife.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
My Aversion to SemiColons
Happy Wednesday Everyone. Back in the swing of things, as today is a writing post day, I decided to do a post about punctuation. Or more pointedly, semicolons.
Now, I don't know about you, but I don't use them. First of all, I don't know what they're for. According to Strunk and White
If two or more clauses grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction are to form a single complete sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon.
Yeah, okay.
Gallagher's romances are entertaining; they are full of love and desire.
(My own play on the example they give.)
It is, of course, equally correct to write each of these as two sentences, replacing the semicolons with periods.
Gallagher's romances are entertaining. They are full of love and desire.
Which is what I do. As I'm typing along in Word, sometimes, when I complete my sentence, my little green squiggly line will appear and then I will go to my Spelling & Grammar tool to see what I've done wrong. (God I love Word.) And it will say, "replace with semicolon". And I do not. I always separate the sentences.
According to THE MIRRIAM-WEBSTER CONCISE HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS
The semicolon is used in ways that are similar to those in which periods and commas are used. Because of these similarities, the semicolon is often thought of as either a weak period or a strong comma.
Now in this chapter, Mirriam and Webster throw out phrases like independent clauses, coordinating conjunctions, grammatical construction of the second illiptical clause, and my favorite, conjunctive adverb. In this chapter, there are ten rules to learn before you can use a semicolon.
My question -- Why?
Why would anyone want to torture themselves learning how to use a semicolon when most of us have enough trouble with a plain old comma?
Why would you want to use a weak period when a full stop will do? Or a strong comma? How many beats is a strong comma anyway? Two? Three? Enough to take a sip of coffee?
Tell me -- Do you use semicolons? Or am I the only one who doesn't? Any other punctuation you want to diss today?
PS In rereading my latest work in progress, I found not one, but two semicolins. My bad. But I still don't like them.
PPS I hope you'll swing by on Friday when I explain my reasons for self-publishing.
Now, I don't know about you, but I don't use them. First of all, I don't know what they're for. According to Strunk and White
If two or more clauses grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction are to form a single complete sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon.
Yeah, okay.
Gallagher's romances are entertaining; they are full of love and desire.
(My own play on the example they give.)
It is, of course, equally correct to write each of these as two sentences, replacing the semicolons with periods.
Gallagher's romances are entertaining. They are full of love and desire.
Which is what I do. As I'm typing along in Word, sometimes, when I complete my sentence, my little green squiggly line will appear and then I will go to my Spelling & Grammar tool to see what I've done wrong. (God I love Word.) And it will say, "replace with semicolon". And I do not. I always separate the sentences.
According to THE MIRRIAM-WEBSTER CONCISE HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS
The semicolon is used in ways that are similar to those in which periods and commas are used. Because of these similarities, the semicolon is often thought of as either a weak period or a strong comma.
Now in this chapter, Mirriam and Webster throw out phrases like independent clauses, coordinating conjunctions, grammatical construction of the second illiptical clause, and my favorite, conjunctive adverb. In this chapter, there are ten rules to learn before you can use a semicolon.
My question -- Why?
Why would anyone want to torture themselves learning how to use a semicolon when most of us have enough trouble with a plain old comma?
Why would you want to use a weak period when a full stop will do? Or a strong comma? How many beats is a strong comma anyway? Two? Three? Enough to take a sip of coffee?
Tell me -- Do you use semicolons? Or am I the only one who doesn't? Any other punctuation you want to diss today?
PS In rereading my latest work in progress, I found not one, but two semicolins. My bad. But I still don't like them.
PPS I hope you'll swing by on Friday when I explain my reasons for self-publishing.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
There's a Book Fair Today
There's a book fair today hosted by M.A. Leslie, and I'm involved, at my new author website as well as 90 other authors which you will be able to find here at M. A. Leslie.
Please take a look-see, you might be able to find something you like. Genres are extremely well represented. The links at M.A. Leslie are up and running.
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Millionaire Matchmaker
Good Morning My Darlings. Have you ever been fixed up? Have you ever had well meaning friends, business colleagues, your Aunt Grace say to you -- "I know the perfect man for you. You have just got to meet him!"
Ugh. Yes, I'm sure we've all been there. How'd it go? Did you take them up on the offer? If so, how'd it turn out?
I've been fixed up on many occasions. Always to disastrous results. Now, mind you, all parties involved knew what we were getting into. Sometimes it was a blind fix up, other times it involved double dating. Where, during some part of the night, I would drag my friend in the ladies room and ask, "How could you possibly think that man and I had something in common?"
Now, I don't doubt the sincerity of these people, they truly believe they know us better than we think we know ourselves and according to them we are so blind to know what we want, we'll take a look at someone who would not be on our radar at all.
Yeah. I know my own mind. I know what I'm looking for in a man. My list of prerequisites is pretty long.
The other night I was trolling through cable tv (the bane of my existance -- 92 channels and not a thing to watch) when I came upon the show The Millionaire Matchmaker. I had never seen it before, although had heard of it and decided to watch just to see how a millionaire went about finding a date.
Well, it's the usual tv trope, interview the guy, find out what he wants in a woman, interview the girls (notice that's plural), have a big meet-and-greet where the matchmaker introduces each man to about 15 girls the matchmaker thinks he'd like to meet, and see who he picks.
O.M.G. Can I just say this show is almost as bad as The Bachelor/ette series.
Now on this particular episode, one of the men was a real jerk. Wanted a woman who would basically give up her life and dreams and goals to fulfill his every desire. Yeah, I'm not kidding. He wanted a June Cleaver sort, although he wanted her to look exactly like Jessica Simpson. (his words, not mine.) So the matchmaker found him 15 women who fit his list (his list was longer than mine, and extremely detailed).
And it got me thinking. One of the things the matchmaker kept telling him was he had to let go of his list. He had to think outside the box because he probably wouldn't meet the "woman of his fantasies". And I agreed. This man wanted several things that to me, just weren't possible. But he insisted. He would not give up his list. He wanted a woman who --
had a 36 - 40D bust size (no bigger, no smaller)
would bear him twin girls (huh? how can you think that that's what you'd get?)
would give up whatever it was she was doing and live with him (her family, her life, her career)
was a great cook (like a professional chef kind of cook)
was a church going woman (which is important, however he demanded that she be of his faith only or convert)
had long blond hair (but not dyed)
had a devastating smile (but real teeth not teeth that had been worked on)
and the piece de resistance had an IQ that was not higher than his (I almost threw up in my mouth when he said that)
Guess what. He found one. Yup he did. I could not believe it. To me, this man was a narcisstic, egotistical a$$hole, the kind of man women fought in the 70's. Can I get an "Amen for Gloria Steinam" here? But somehow, he persevered through the matchmaker's discouragement and got exactly what he wanted.
Question -- When finding your significant other, were you fixed up? Did you have a list of prerequisites? Is he/she your ideal partner? Or did you just meet someone and "know" they were perfect for you?
Second question -- If anyone knows a guy who looks like Tom Selleck, has the tenderness of Denis Leary, is as smart as Tom Brokaw and the money of Warren Buffet, could you send him my way.
Ugh. Yes, I'm sure we've all been there. How'd it go? Did you take them up on the offer? If so, how'd it turn out?
I've been fixed up on many occasions. Always to disastrous results. Now, mind you, all parties involved knew what we were getting into. Sometimes it was a blind fix up, other times it involved double dating. Where, during some part of the night, I would drag my friend in the ladies room and ask, "How could you possibly think that man and I had something in common?"
Now, I don't doubt the sincerity of these people, they truly believe they know us better than we think we know ourselves and according to them we are so blind to know what we want, we'll take a look at someone who would not be on our radar at all.
Yeah. I know my own mind. I know what I'm looking for in a man. My list of prerequisites is pretty long.
The other night I was trolling through cable tv (the bane of my existance -- 92 channels and not a thing to watch) when I came upon the show The Millionaire Matchmaker. I had never seen it before, although had heard of it and decided to watch just to see how a millionaire went about finding a date.
Well, it's the usual tv trope, interview the guy, find out what he wants in a woman, interview the girls (notice that's plural), have a big meet-and-greet where the matchmaker introduces each man to about 15 girls the matchmaker thinks he'd like to meet, and see who he picks.
O.M.G. Can I just say this show is almost as bad as The Bachelor/ette series.
Now on this particular episode, one of the men was a real jerk. Wanted a woman who would basically give up her life and dreams and goals to fulfill his every desire. Yeah, I'm not kidding. He wanted a June Cleaver sort, although he wanted her to look exactly like Jessica Simpson. (his words, not mine.) So the matchmaker found him 15 women who fit his list (his list was longer than mine, and extremely detailed).
And it got me thinking. One of the things the matchmaker kept telling him was he had to let go of his list. He had to think outside the box because he probably wouldn't meet the "woman of his fantasies". And I agreed. This man wanted several things that to me, just weren't possible. But he insisted. He would not give up his list. He wanted a woman who --
had a 36 - 40D bust size (no bigger, no smaller)
would bear him twin girls (huh? how can you think that that's what you'd get?)
would give up whatever it was she was doing and live with him (her family, her life, her career)
was a great cook (like a professional chef kind of cook)
was a church going woman (which is important, however he demanded that she be of his faith only or convert)
had long blond hair (but not dyed)
had a devastating smile (but real teeth not teeth that had been worked on)
and the piece de resistance had an IQ that was not higher than his (I almost threw up in my mouth when he said that)
Guess what. He found one. Yup he did. I could not believe it. To me, this man was a narcisstic, egotistical a$$hole, the kind of man women fought in the 70's. Can I get an "Amen for Gloria Steinam" here? But somehow, he persevered through the matchmaker's discouragement and got exactly what he wanted.
Question -- When finding your significant other, were you fixed up? Did you have a list of prerequisites? Is he/she your ideal partner? Or did you just meet someone and "know" they were perfect for you?
Second question -- If anyone knows a guy who looks like Tom Selleck, has the tenderness of Denis Leary, is as smart as Tom Brokaw and the money of Warren Buffet, could you send him my way.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Brunch at the Piedmont Grille
On Today's Menu -- Eggs Benedict, Fresh Fruit, Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, and Potato Pancakes.
I haven't had Potato Pancakes in awhile. With warm chunky home-made apple sauce. Yum!
Having never done a brunch before, I'm not sure what I'm doing today other than sharing my random thoughts about things that have happened to me lately in the writing world.
******
On October 9, I recieved a rejection letter from an agent I had sent a query to on April 11 for THE LADY'S FATE. It read in its entirety -- "Nope. Not for me."
Yes, that was all it said. AND, it wasn't even signed. I had to look again at the sender name in my inbox to find out who had been so rude. I've had better form rejections. For two seconds I wanted to write her back and ask her why did she even bother sending me a rejection. Within the six months I waited, the book went through 3 more revisions, two more beta readers, was published and is now making money. Yeah, I wanted to write her and say, "No, thank YOU for rejecting me." Glad I wasn't waiting with baited breath for her reply.
******
Recieved another rejections of sorts last week in my inbox. I've tried to keep up with old friends in other parts of the country, so I sent out a letter informing them of my latest news in the publishing world, gave them the links to my new website, sent off pictures of the covers, and one of The Monster from first grade.
I have recieved one reply. It read -- "Great to hear from you. Good luck." That was all. Haven't heard back from the other four yet. Now I realize I've not been the best correspondant, but I expected to get at least an acknowledgement. And "good luck" is, well, what is that? Sounds like "glad you finally got what you wanted but never want to hear from you again" to me.
******
Monster and I were in the car the other day when she asked why I had so many books in the box on the front seat. I explained that I had just bought them all from the library book sale (saving books, helping libraries).
"Are you going to read them all?" she asked.
"Of course," I said.
"Which one are you reading now?"
I picked up THE REMAINS OF THE DAY. "This one today. This one yesterday." I showed her WOMEN IN LOVE (D.H. Laurence). Then I picked up DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE (Judy Croome)(Which had already been in the car). "This one two days ago." Then reached for THE BEND IN THE ROAD (Nicloas Sparks) "This one I just started, and this one is from last week." I picked up STRANGER IN MY ARMS (Lisa Kleypas)
I watched her face in the rearview mirror take it all in. Then she said,
"Doesn't your brain hurt?"
Gotta love The Monster.
Have a great weekend!
I haven't had Potato Pancakes in awhile. With warm chunky home-made apple sauce. Yum!
Having never done a brunch before, I'm not sure what I'm doing today other than sharing my random thoughts about things that have happened to me lately in the writing world.
******
On October 9, I recieved a rejection letter from an agent I had sent a query to on April 11 for THE LADY'S FATE. It read in its entirety -- "Nope. Not for me."
Yes, that was all it said. AND, it wasn't even signed. I had to look again at the sender name in my inbox to find out who had been so rude. I've had better form rejections. For two seconds I wanted to write her back and ask her why did she even bother sending me a rejection. Within the six months I waited, the book went through 3 more revisions, two more beta readers, was published and is now making money. Yeah, I wanted to write her and say, "No, thank YOU for rejecting me." Glad I wasn't waiting with baited breath for her reply.
******
Recieved another rejections of sorts last week in my inbox. I've tried to keep up with old friends in other parts of the country, so I sent out a letter informing them of my latest news in the publishing world, gave them the links to my new website, sent off pictures of the covers, and one of The Monster from first grade.
I have recieved one reply. It read -- "Great to hear from you. Good luck." That was all. Haven't heard back from the other four yet. Now I realize I've not been the best correspondant, but I expected to get at least an acknowledgement. And "good luck" is, well, what is that? Sounds like "glad you finally got what you wanted but never want to hear from you again" to me.
******
Monster and I were in the car the other day when she asked why I had so many books in the box on the front seat. I explained that I had just bought them all from the library book sale (saving books, helping libraries).
"Are you going to read them all?" she asked.
"Of course," I said.
"Which one are you reading now?"
I picked up THE REMAINS OF THE DAY. "This one today. This one yesterday." I showed her WOMEN IN LOVE (D.H. Laurence). Then I picked up DANCING IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE (Judy Croome)(Which had already been in the car). "This one two days ago." Then reached for THE BEND IN THE ROAD (Nicloas Sparks) "This one I just started, and this one is from last week." I picked up STRANGER IN MY ARMS (Lisa Kleypas)
I watched her face in the rearview mirror take it all in. Then she said,
"Doesn't your brain hurt?"
Gotta love The Monster.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Now for the Plan...
My heart is full. So full, it has burst at the seams. I cannot thank you all enough for coming to my new author website opening on Monday. It was so wonderful to see all your shining faces in the comments. I wish, how I wish, we could have all met in person. What fun it would have been.
I wanted to say, because people have asked, what my schedule is for the new blog. Truth to tell, I have no idea. I'd like to say once a week on Monday, but even that is tentative at this point. I have this blog too, which I will keep up on M-W-F.
I'm diving back into THE DUKE'S DIVORCE today. I got a great piece of advice from Mr. Bailey, and so have to incorporate that into what I've already written. (I swear that man is Hemingway reincarnated!) I'd like to get that out and published before Christmas. And I'm also trying to reformat REMEMBERING YOU for publication, hopefully before Thanksgiving. And then there is THE LADY'S MASQUERADE that's been waiting for my attention since last April. And my latest SECRETS ON THE BEACH which hit me upside the head the other morning at 4am.
I have a lot on my plate, I know. But isn't that what we, as writers, are supposed to do. Have a writing plan? Know what we are supposed to be writing, revising, drafting every year. Of course, barring any unforseen circumstances.
Truth to tell, I had a writing plan when I was still searching for an agent. But that went out the window with this whole self-publishing thing. I guess I should write another one. Probably be a good idea. Keep me on track and all that.
Tell me -- Do you have a writing plan? Do you know where you want to be next year in your writing career, five years from now, ten? How many books will you have written? Will you still be searching for an agent? Will you self-publish?
I wanted to say, because people have asked, what my schedule is for the new blog. Truth to tell, I have no idea. I'd like to say once a week on Monday, but even that is tentative at this point. I have this blog too, which I will keep up on M-W-F.
I'm diving back into THE DUKE'S DIVORCE today. I got a great piece of advice from Mr. Bailey, and so have to incorporate that into what I've already written. (I swear that man is Hemingway reincarnated!) I'd like to get that out and published before Christmas. And I'm also trying to reformat REMEMBERING YOU for publication, hopefully before Thanksgiving. And then there is THE LADY'S MASQUERADE that's been waiting for my attention since last April. And my latest SECRETS ON THE BEACH which hit me upside the head the other morning at 4am.
I have a lot on my plate, I know. But isn't that what we, as writers, are supposed to do. Have a writing plan? Know what we are supposed to be writing, revising, drafting every year. Of course, barring any unforseen circumstances.
Truth to tell, I had a writing plan when I was still searching for an agent. But that went out the window with this whole self-publishing thing. I guess I should write another one. Probably be a good idea. Keep me on track and all that.
Tell me -- Do you have a writing plan? Do you know where you want to be next year in your writing career, five years from now, ten? How many books will you have written? Will you still be searching for an agent? Will you self-publish?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Part Two The New Website
Sorry about all the craziness this early morning. I think I've got the problem solved. I hope.
If you would care to take a gander, here is the link (please God let this work)
http://annegallagherwriter.blogspot.com
If you find nothing there, please let me know.
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