tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.comments2023-07-05T03:53:20.503-06:00The Laws of MakingDeren Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11260147750947135832noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-54797093978096001952013-03-13T11:09:24.233-06:002013-03-13T11:09:24.233-06:00Excellent post, DarenExcellent post, DarenMichael Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03282383092919717065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-39930044437770141822013-01-03T22:51:54.179-07:002013-01-03T22:51:54.179-07:00Right now we are revising the ones we already fill...Right now we are revising the ones we already filled. Onward to 2013. We wish you the 12 Days of Writing (the good part one) http://thepenandinkblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-twelve-days-of-writing.htmlThe Pen and Ink Blogspothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01709195512534318571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-7676587036179550852012-12-20T17:52:02.399-07:002012-12-20T17:52:02.399-07:00I think you're right: trying to do too many th...I think you're right: trying to do too many things at once is a recipe for madness.<br /><br />Perhaps it's just old age, but I find that when I repeat the writing and then the publishing I have to allow myself time to relearn each job.<br /><br />Writing a series is not that different. When you start the next book, you've got to reacquaint yourself with your characters--not the major things, but all the minor details that had become second nature as you drafted and revised but are no longer in your working memory.Deren Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11260147750947135832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-89884950662615514282012-12-20T05:15:54.118-07:002012-12-20T05:15:54.118-07:00I've been writer/publisher for the last year. ...I've been writer/publisher for the last year. What I've found, is that I write the book. finish the book, edit the book (and all that entails), and then and only then do I think about the publishing aspects of the book from promo and marketing to covers and formatting. I have to separate each different component otherwise I will go crazy.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-66587366668853152212012-10-18T09:14:27.653-06:002012-10-18T09:14:27.653-06:00Great advice for self-publishers, Deren! I, for on...Great advice for self-publishers, Deren! I, for one, prefer the traditional process and hope the economic structure can weather the storms and stay in tact. Michael Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03282383092919717065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-64712724021614532852012-09-27T06:30:59.881-06:002012-09-27T06:30:59.881-06:00I know when I was a chef, my favorite thing in the...I know when I was a chef, my favorite thing in the kitchen was to make the bread. I took my time, allowing the ingredients to blend and then 'proof' so the end product was light and fluffy. Everyone always said my bread was the best. I always thought so too because I loved making it.<br /><br />Artisan publishing is a very interesting way to look at what we do. If you love it, then the results will shine.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-50443949852281271082012-09-13T20:49:42.248-06:002012-09-13T20:49:42.248-06:00So there, Colbert!So there, Colbert!Deren Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11260147750947135832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-2459286349603927572012-09-13T19:47:14.107-06:002012-09-13T19:47:14.107-06:00Verisimilitude... that may very well be my new fav...Verisimilitude... that may very well be my new favorite word.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-2557334318488623722012-09-05T07:46:08.896-06:002012-09-05T07:46:08.896-06:00Welcome back, Deren! Congrats on the upcoming eBoo...Welcome back, Deren! Congrats on the upcoming eBooks. I look forward to learning and reading more from you. Best wishes always, Michael Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03282383092919717065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-59098837717105958292012-09-05T07:43:48.217-06:002012-09-05T07:43:48.217-06:00Hey, it's good to see you back! I was wonderi...Hey, it's good to see you back! I was wondering where you've been. I look forward to seeing your work.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-7586438082525964532011-12-19T14:14:23.516-07:002011-12-19T14:14:23.516-07:00Enjoy your hiatus! I plan on doing the same in a c...Enjoy your hiatus! I plan on doing the same in a couple days.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-42928480151393857172011-12-19T09:18:43.555-07:002011-12-19T09:18:43.555-07:00And I thank you for the insight into the Hero and ...And I thank you for the insight into the Hero and Heroine's journey, and your thought provoking posts on the Laws of Making. There's a philosophical bent to your posts and I'm glad I got to read them. <br /><br />There's so much in the writing experience that must evolve, from beginner to novice to experienced, and your posts always made me see what was missing. So I thank you for providing the insight.<br /><br />Have a wonderful holiday season, and I look very much forward to what you have in store for next year.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-81871928516227646182011-12-02T13:30:07.227-07:002011-12-02T13:30:07.227-07:00I don't think authors and agents will ever agr...I don't think authors and agents will ever agree on this subject. I'd rather get a form rejection than a no response means no answer. But I understand the inundation of queries the agents are up against. <br /><br />Either way, if an author doesn't get any responses to a query they've sent out numerous times, they should take a good look at their query and their writing. There could be a reason.Julie Daineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350205936357263571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-36057229773656983512011-12-02T07:45:26.880-07:002011-12-02T07:45:26.880-07:00While I understand the rationale behind the "...While I understand the rationale behind the "no response means no" mentality, I still consider the practice to be rude and a poor way to conduct business. Manners still count, and so does "customer service", even in a society that seems, less and less, to value either.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-89181987247063019502011-11-28T15:55:48.778-07:002011-11-28T15:55:48.778-07:00Good stuff to remember as I look at my NaNo projec...Good stuff to remember as I look at my NaNo project and wonder what I can make with it. <br /><br />What is it that Yoda says? "Do or do not, there is no try." ?Julie Daineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350205936357263571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-62157365731607506312011-11-21T10:32:09.784-07:002011-11-21T10:32:09.784-07:00Mention "Prudence" to the average person...Mention "Prudence" to the average person in a word association game. I would predict "Dear" or "Beatles" would be the only responses... Thank you for reminding us of this virtue.dgahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05850205956095609723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-21795515885842922662011-11-21T08:51:34.545-07:002011-11-21T08:51:34.545-07:00I was thinking about how thankful I am to have dis...I was thinking about how thankful I am to have dishes to wash because it means I have food to make them dirty, money to buy the food, running hot water with which to wash them, hands to wash them with, a house to wash them in...and several other things. <br /><br />Yes, it is important to remember where our "wealth" comes from and how it came into our possession.Bish Denhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13359927719391990534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-27836702851365311892011-11-09T09:12:36.331-07:002011-11-09T09:12:36.331-07:00Amen.
I think it helps to know that while you may...Amen.<br /><br />I think it helps to know that while you may be alone in your own particular wilderness, you're not the first (nor will you be the last) to wander there.Deren Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11260147750947135832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-87553030383817189842011-11-09T09:09:02.722-07:002011-11-09T09:09:02.722-07:00Writing in the face of disappointment is like brea...Writing in the face of disappointment is like breathing when the smog alert is on. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-31391689868980072382011-11-07T12:20:18.463-07:002011-11-07T12:20:18.463-07:00Seems to me, there are two separate trains of thou...Seems to me, there are two separate trains of thought here: what a teenager means when he says all rules were meant to be broken, and how the rest of us (ahem) NON-teenagers view the topic. Granted, this is a gross generalization, but teenagers, especially intelligent ones, test and explore the boundaries of their world, and have an innate suspicion of laws and rules which threaten to curtail that creative exploration. We, on the other hand, possess enough maturity to differentiate rules set in stone from the ones intended as guidelines. I view most writing "rules", for example, as "guidelines." But I also believe it's necessary to understand the rules before we dare to break them.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-1719450836154582902011-11-07T08:38:51.891-07:002011-11-07T08:38:51.891-07:00Ask your son...So you think rules are made to be b...Ask your son...So you think rules are made to be broken, are you then willing to take complete responsibility for the results of your actions when you have broken the rules? I.e. are you willing to take the punishment? Because that to me is the real issue. Who is responsible?<br /><br />Within the framework of rules we have total freedom. It is only when we break the rules that we lose our freedom. Of course I'm talking laws here. <br /><br />Within the framework of writing rules we have total freedom. We can bend them and even break them, but if we break them too badly then we are writing gibberish and no one will be able to read or understand what we have written. If we all spelled differently I think things would get pretty confusing.Bish Denhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13359927719391990534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-59585118400992631002011-11-07T06:52:40.820-07:002011-11-07T06:52:40.820-07:00Absolutely. ...he knew how to compensate without ...Absolutely. ...he knew how to compensate without ruining the work.<br /><br />Rules are there otherwise we'd have anarchy. That's a given. Rules in writing are there for the same reason. We'd all just be writing in a jumbly mushed up babbling incoherence.<br /><br />However, when you master the rules, I think it's safe to say you can break them intentionally. Because you know how to compensate without ruining the work.<br /><br />Great post. Timely.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-49543696417105232232011-11-04T06:06:53.646-06:002011-11-04T06:06:53.646-06:00Which is why I'm doing a slowww promotion. I ...Which is why I'm doing a slowww promotion. I don't want a big-bang-blitz that goes away after a few weeks, I want a steady stream of interest in what I'm doing. Although self-published, I'm in the game for the long haul.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-6734173714681058002011-10-31T08:14:45.680-06:002011-10-31T08:14:45.680-06:00This is so true, that Halloween is time to blow of...This is so true, that Halloween is time to blow off steam. But it is sad that we have "forgotten" about All Saints Day.Bish Denhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13359927719391990534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8586450397369280599.post-77372589066024465452011-10-17T21:04:00.586-06:002011-10-17T21:04:00.586-06:00The question about talent vs. hard work is a bit o...The question about talent vs. hard work is a bit of a red herring because, as you've both pointed out, neither guarantees mastery. <br /><br />There's something else that ties them both together. <br /><br />Words like passion and drive get closer, but still fall in the talent and hard work camps, respectively. The "sheer joy of creation" gets even closer.<br /><br />It all orbits around fundamental questions like, "Who are you?" and, "What are you about?" -- not in a grand existential sense, but in the more immediate sense of joy and fascination.<br /><br />Making, in a sound bite, is about finding ways to give your joy form.<br /><br />And to be clear, the mastery we're discussing here has very little to do with, "success." While it may be nice to be recognized by others, real success is to recognize your true self.Deren Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11260147750947135832noreply@blogger.com