Created by MyFitnessPal – Nutrition Facts For Foods
November 6th, 2012
It would make more sense if after finishing writing the book I immersed myself in the complicated process of finding a publisher and I have in a way. I’ve looked at how to create query letters and how to do a book proposal if one is asked of me. I’ve even looked at some self publishing items I would have to accomplish if I decided to go down that route but it’s not really going anywhere. Or at least I’m not really getting anywhere. Sure I’ve made lots of notes, and written down plenty of suggestions but kinda like trying to lose weight there is not solid one size fits all plan that I can follow to success.
Truth is getting published or even self publishing is a lot of work that doesn’t really have a defined start and end point.
Writers need to be more than just writers. They need to be critics, editors, publicists and more. They spend their time often working two full time jobs at first. One they do to pay the bills. The second out of love.
Love for their world and characters and a deep desire to share their hard work with the rest. They strive for perfection when none exists but in a way they discover the perfect for them and that’s when they can truly discover their audience.
I’ve written one book, and am just beginning work on a second. I know my weak points and where I struggle most but I push through. There is plenty of advice out there and if you look hard enough you can find some the contradicts other advice you’ve been given. The best advice is the advice that makes you think and want to strive to do better. But before you follow every do and don’t blindly like checking off a checklist remember there are exceptions to every rule and as an author you have to write I your style not the mimic of another’s success. We can change the world with written word it’s why I became an author. I know I can inspire and create. I can make someone laugh or I can make them cry. I can be the sunshine on the cloudy day or I can be the dramatic experience as all secretly crave.
In the end what I write can make a difference but it has to be a little bit of me or its just void of the love it so richly deserves. So indie or published?
The indie scene for authors is empowered by twitter and Facebook. Social media makes the difference between success and failure when self advertising but it can become your third full time job as it also requires time and dedication.
Published is like a badge to wear. It has the prestige of ‘I’m a published author’ but requires more than a few heartbreaks and plenty of tears.
Alas there is still so much to think about. But when does the thinking start and the doing happen?
Posted in Adventures in Writing, Life's Little Observations |
October 3rd, 2012
So this morning is day three of the new program for fitness and I’m looking forward to the challenge completing it is going to be but at the moment I feel more like a broken rag doll than a fit and healthy girl. I’m told that it means its working and not to give up but damn! My body feels like any moment now I’m about to fall apart.
Lots on the go today though and I’m certain it’ll be exciting. Well as exciting as an average day of work can be. But short post for progress. Arms hurt too much to type more on my phone. Lol.
Posted in On the Bus, Rambling On |
October 1st, 2012
Figuring out what works for you can sometimes be a challenge. No matter what you may be doing there is always plenty of advice being tossed around and offered up. There are never shortages of people who want to tell you to do it their way because of how great it works for them and the advice can help. Unfortunately it doesn’t always work for you.
Everyone is different. We all have our own qualities and flaws. Our bodies respond differently to everything. I have a friend that eats enough candy and sugar that it could almost be considered his life line. I’m fairly certain he would bleed maple syrup if you cut him. I have another friend who feels like just by looking at the candy she gains five pounds.
On my Facebook page I have more than a few friends who have found the equation that worked for them dropped the extra weight and are looking fabulous. More than that they are some gorgeous women. I’m proud of them and thrilled to see all of their successes and more than a few items in their advice has been attempted for me but sometimes the advice just doesn’t work. We are made differently.
The Internet memes that tell me if I really wanted it I would just do it, or that if I worked harder it would get better aren’t really the best encouragement I’ve seen but they aren’t the worst either. Being told to work harder is great when I’m doing the workout and its coming from the personal trainer Ive considered hiring, not so much when I’m at home on the couch after a long day in which I have already worked out for an hour in the morning and am now feeling guilty for relaxing and watching TV.
But again these things work for some people. For some its the push they need to do more and to find success.
I’ve found a small fraction of my own success in that I’ve lost 30lbs since I started my weight loss journey but its not an easy road I’m on and it’s certainly not a short one either. I’ve got a lot of paths open to me and I’ll try each of them once in hopes of finding the finish line but there is no shortcut and I’m going to be hiking up some pretty steep hills. Eventually though my determination should win over my impatience and ill find the right road for me and my body type. It’s gotta be there somewhere right?
Posted in On the Bus, Rambling On |
September 24th, 2012
So on Friday I picked up the new iPhone 5 as the contract on my current phone had expired and I was due for a phone that wasn’t slowly dying on me including dropping random calls or not letting me answer others. The iPhone 5 comes with the improved Siri and while I’ve never truthfully experienced the original Siri I do have fun playing with this one.
So far I’ve made fun of Siri and jokingly tried to get her to say different words that are hard to pronounce including my name. Which she has finally learned to pronounce. Mind you I’ve heard it’s fun to make her call you mistress or master.
But there is also the feature to dictate and have your text typed for you. So far I’ve found it pretty accurate but I haven’t thrown out the long convoluted words that have no real purpose other than to make me seem smarter than I am. We will see how she handles them in time. In the meantime Siri has been typing a good portion of my text messages getting me used to talking out what I want to say and I’ve been thinking. If I can master that art I could maybe use her to dictate out blog posts or thoughts for my novel series. After all there are plenty of times when an idea comes to me and I have nothing to write it down with. Dictating it to the phone might be the solution. Except the looks I get might be a detouring factor.
Imagine riding the bus to work one quiet Monday morning and from the back of the bus you hear, “Shaking his head(comma) (quotation marks) that is not the point (comma) Adam (quotation marks) Kyle spoke exasperated with his young bodyguard(apostrophe)s insistence he had crossed the line (period) Of course he had crossed the line but the results of doing so were well worth the chances he took. At least he thought it was (period)”
It might draw a few looks. Just maybe.
September 14th, 2012
I’ve wrote the book, read plenty of advice and made notes of what I’m certain I’ve been guilty of, now comes the challenging parts. I have to review the book for my writer sins and put myself out there for publishers to pick up or shoot down. Of course I’m hoping for the former, but as we all know, not everyone likes everything. You are trying to find a relationship with someone. Matchmaking your writing to their reading tastes. Editors and such are looking for what they would want to buy to read. If they can’t fall in love with the story then they have a hard time selling it.
So I’m going out to matchmake after reviewing for my sins in writing and hope that I find the perfect match.
Posted in Adventures in Writing, On the Bus |
September 4th, 2012
At around eleven last night the smile on my face couldn’t possibly be any wider. Not even if I tried. I finished the book. I wrote the two page epilogue and just stared at the words like they were fictional gold. This morning however is not nearly as delightful.
I’m thrilled that book one is finished being written. I’ve never been happier with the outcome of the book. I feel like I’ve written a compelling story but now the real work begins and that work is scary. I have an amazing coworker doing the editing on the book but I have to do the more frightening part. I have to decide between publishing and self publishing. I have to hold a box of Kleenex on standby while putting my heart out on the line to see if there are any bites.
It’s terrifying and truthfully I have little to no idea where to even begin. I’m certain researching the publishers is a great place to start and maybe some how to books on getting published, but what next? Printing numerous copies of the book making compelling cover letters and about the authors that force and editor to open the book and take a look?
It’ll be a grueling process and while my heart is tied up in knots and I’m running blind I’m going to try anyway. Because we can’t win the lottery if we don’t buy a ticket.
Posted in Adventures in Writing, On the Bus |
August 29th, 2012
So I have these absolutely amazing coworkers that have been helping me with the writing of my novel. One is super critical of the technical aspects, structure, grammar etc. and the other has been critical but constructive of the story aspect. Giving me awesome insight on all sorts of levels as I catch glimpses of the finish line. But this isn’t the first time I’ve seen that finish line.
The finish line and I are actually very well known to each other. We’ve met on a few different occasions and while it welcomes me each time with praise and satisfaction I end up lining back up at the start and running the same race I’ve already run. I’m not certain if it’s my fear of rejection or my fear of success that has me withdrawn from lining up for the next race. This one is familiar. This one I’ve run before. I know what’s in store for me here and despite my desire to see my book on a shelf at Chapters I’m still running the same old track, jumping the same hurdles and expecting different results.
So how do I get out of the loop? Well I could stop rewriting book one. That would be a good start probably. I could try and track down all those Canadian publishers and I could buy a large box of Kleenex. I hear the same stories every time I talk about getting published… J.K. Rowling was rejected twelve times for Harry Potter… Twilight was rejected countless times and yet both of them are on shelves today. But in the world of kindles and kobos and nooks is professional publishing still the right direction?
Self publishing has more appeal and there is plenty of success in the market but I can’t get my head around the self advertising necessary to make it work. Not that it’s complicated. It’s tedious and time consuming. You need to practically live on social media sites, create your own demand and hype. Push your novels out there like they’re crack and everyone is a addict.
Not a glamorous process. So what’s the right direction… I suppose it all depends on the individual. Somehow when I cross that finish line in the next couple of weeks I have to find what’s right for me and figuratively stand on the corner either whoring myself out or begging the corporate fat cats to let me in.
August 28th, 2012
So this weekend past was my birthday, well the Sunday was my birthday. It was quite the relaxing and fun weekend too. Saturday started out not as fun or relaxing, as my fiancé and i spent the entire morning cleaning the house from top to well almost bottom – the basement is a scary place. We then went off to meet the decorator for our wedding with my parents. Well the potential decorator, we have to budget it but we are leaning in that direction. She was quite energetic and no one can argue that she doesn’t know her stuff. Affording her could be an entirely different game all together but I’m sure we’ll make it work. From there we brought my parents over to the house, I’ve lived in Ottawa now for five years and my mon has never once seen my home. She’s never even met my fiancé’s parents – something we were afraid was going to happen the day of the wedding at the rate we were going.
They left shortly before four thirty and our friends were set to start coming over around five. I attempted to make cookies before they arrived and failed though they seemed more than content to just eat them off the tray as they came out of the oven. My fiancé bought a BBQ for me as a birthday gift so a majority of the guys were outside putting it together while the girls hung around inside playing cards and having a couple drinks. Burgers and hot dogs, coolers and shots, video games and cards, and most importantly plenty of laughter.
Sunday wasn’t easy getting out of bed but once we were out of bed we headed out to my parents place where I dragged my lazy ass up onto the treadmill to do some exercises. I didn’t have the proper clothes so it was only thirty mins and 20mins of toning exercises but it was better than nothing. Then the usual cards, and scrumptious dinner before birthday cards and cake!
We headed home late and I was out like a light shortly after ten with the intention of getting up at five to go to the gym. Getting out of bed Monday morning was a different issue all together though. Needless to be said I owe the gym a few visits and failed to make my way there last night and this morning. Three day recovery from an awesome weekend. It seems so.
Posted in On the Bus, Rambling On |
August 22nd, 2012
The moment the ring slid on my finger I felt what probably every bride to be feels. Every pound of extra weight I’m carrying weighed ten pounds. I had a case of the wannabes. I wanted to be thinner, healthier, more alert and positive, more successful personally and professionally. I had the great guy and the amazing friends but I still looked in the mirror with the dread of what that wedding dress might look like on me. Oh I know don’t do it just for the dress because it’s a lifestyle change not a temporary solution to fix a lifetime. But the dress is a nice motivating factor to get going in the right direction.
The first step was the hardest, I went from drinking Coke or Pepsi everyday to not drinking it at all. An instant ten lbs success. The caffeine withdrawal was killer though and since I don’t particularly like tea or coffee I was left without the
drug my mind kept telling me I needed. 30 days cold turkey with not even a sip of coke and then I switched to Coke Zero or Diet soft drinks for the times where I just wanted something other than water. But even when drinking it now I drink it with water alternating with the two and drinking more water than pop.
Next came the diet. I had to drop the fattening foods and up the fruits, veggies and lose my beloved white bread. I still have white bread every now and the as a treat but it’s off the regular menu. Remembering water in the morning, water with my snacks (hell remembering the snacks in general) and water at dinner to get the eight glasses a day was a particularly fun challenge. Never peed so much in my life. Another five pounds, but I hit the wall. I wasn’t dropping and I was losing motivation fast. So it was time for the next step, the one I was particularly dreading – exercising.
They say once you get used to the gym and form it into part of a routine you love it. That you look forward to it and become disappointed when you miss a workout. I have a friend who has had amazing success in her personal goals that absolutely loves the gym. She does the classes and looks forward to them all the time. We actually started the gym together in 2008. Yes I realize it’s for years later and I’m only now talking about going. Truthfully I used to go. I used to have it as a mon-wed-fri routine and had success in dropping a good chunk of weight before an infection in my foot stopped me and my friend and I stopped living together. I had boyfriend who liked me as I was and motivation went by the wayside. Unfortunately for me I failed to realize I didn’t like me the way I was. Sure I hated seeing my picture or reflection but it didn’t get me moving.
Posted in On the Bus, Rambling On |