Let's Talk...The Truth of Being a Writer and Author

Today's Earworm: Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz
Today's Date: February 2, 2016

Please note that this is geared towards Independent Publishing Writers, or indie pub writers.

A couple of weeks ago, a writer friend named Connie Cockrell wrote a guest post for a blog called Coolerbs Writes where she talks about being a writer.

And it got me to thinking.

What is a writer? Well, each writer and published author has several hats which they have to don at times.

We have to be Editor. We have to edit and rewrite and edit again before sending it to another person to go over. Then we have to edit and rewrite and edit again before it can be sent to yet another person. Maybe put through a serious like ProWritingAid, which is a great way to find inconsistency, repeating phrases, and other such things in a timely fashion.

We have to be Publicist. We have to tell people that we're putting out another book. We have to put out ad's and information on where you can find it, and when you can buy it. We have to do it all without someone shopping our book around for us.

We have to be Agent. We have to make our connections and use them ourselves, getting our name out there and around.We're the ones who have to read the contracts and work out the deals and know all sorts of laws.

We have to be Publishing Company. We're the ones who are publishing our things. We have to set up the files and make sure all the code is ready and will transfer properly. We have to make sure that each book is up and selling properly. That it transferred properly. That it looks good.

We have to be a One Man Company. That means that we have to do all the work that a traditional publishing company does, and then some. We have to not only push our books and get noticed and all that, we have to keep track of our incoming and outgoing money, our taxes, and all sorts of laws that would make our lives that much more complicated.

And we all have to do this without other people to do much more than to tell us where we should look and what things should be looked into.

We're not just sitting there and pounding out a novel in a couple of months, doing some quick editing, some quick coding, and putting it out there pull in the money. It's not that though. Guys, we work so hard to get these books written and polished up good enough to be put out there, and allowed to get things done.

And it's not just all that we have to worry about. We have to worry about money that is coming in and money that is going out, taxes, and laws, and so much more.

Every.

Single.

Day.

It's about long days and balancing our lives outside of writing with our lives of writing. It's all about learning and continuing with living and learning some more.

A writers life isn't all that glamorous, but if it's meant for you, you find happiness in your life.

But that's for a publishing writer's life.

And that's your choice if you want to do it all.

Hugs and kisses all!

Now! Before I end this, and technically this post is done with, I have a question, and I know someone is reading my stuff, so I need some answers if you guys wouldn't mind.

Would you want to see some Flash Fiction from me? I'm talking short bits around 200 to 500 words in length, self contained mini stories pretty much.

I don't know if they would become a weekly think or if they would just be something to enjoy every so often on Monday's posts.

But I want to know!

So tell me below, or tell me on my tumblr, twitter, or facebook, all of which can be followed via the links. Thank you for your time!

Let's Talk...Chronic Pain and Depression

Today's Ear Worm: Hmm, no idea. How about Little Talks by Monsters and Men
It works for me.

Date: February 10, 2016

So I'm not sure how to really start this blog. It's going to get a little...personal? I guess you can say that yes, it's going to be a bit personal.

Mostly because this blog is about how I've been doing and what I've been doing and all that good stuff.

I'm not really sure as how to talk about this without sounding like I'm whining, cause I'm not! Really, I'm not. But things are a bit much for me and I really don't have anywhere else to talk about this. So since it does impact my writing, I decided to start a series called "Let's Talk".

This series will be about how a writers writing can be impacted by various things in their life. Today's topic? Chronic pain and Depression.

First of all, what is Chronic Pain? And what is Depression?

Well, first of all Chronic Pain is defined as any pain that lasts more than 12 weeks at a time. It is not acute pain, which is just the sensation of pain that alerts us to possible injury or strain. Chronic Pain doesn't really have much of a cause and persists.

I've been living with fully body Chronic Pain for the last, let's see, 8 years? Since about 2008. I did something to my back in 2007 and it's all been downhill from there. Yes, I am losing weight but it's never been the cause of it, so let's shut that down first and foremost yes? I used to be a twig with hips (as my friends often called me) up until I turned 14 when puberty smacked me up side the head with a 2 by 4.

I still had pain but not as bad as this.

I probably have done a lot to my body but a lot comes from genetics. I can readily admit that I've gone headfirst over the handle bars of my bikes when I was younger and been in a couple of accidents but all those did was aggravate the pain that I had already been experiencing.

Depression is defined as an illness that involves your body, mood, and your thoughts. It affects the way someone eats, sleeps, feels about themselves and the way they think about things.

I can not say this enough but, DEPRESSION IS NOT A PASSING PHASE. It does not go away just because a person is told to pull themselves together! It is a long term, sometimes lifelong, battle with yourself.

Treatment can help people find their balance, find their peace and rise above the depression, but it does take time and the right treatment for them to get there.

So if you do not have depression, don't think you know how someone who does have it feels. You don't. It's...not easy trying to fight the demons that depression brings.

And it's not just a mental fight, it's a physical one to. It can literally cause the person physical pain.

Which is not good for me. I know when I'm in a depression. My pain gets worse.

Now that I've said that, let's get down to how it affects my writing shall we?

When I'm in pain or depressed, it's very hard to get the words down onto paper. It's not like I can always ignore the pain or ignore the little voice of self-doubt in the back of my head to get those words down all the time. It's not that easy. Not really. It's rather hard actually.

So I've been trying to write while in a serious amount of pain. My back and shoulders hurt mostly right now so it makes it hard to sit at the computer since I don't have a good desk and chair yet. I'm saving up to get some, which is sometime next month. I'll have to deal with it and set things up but it'll be better.

For now though, I'm dealing with the writing. But it takes me time to write. This means that I'm behind on a lot of things, including setting up these blog posts. So it's going to be fun for the next couple of weeks.

Here's hoping that things get easier yes?

The Writing Process: Settling In To Write 3

1. Keyboards/mouses 
2. Music/Shows/Movies
3. Internet access/Tabs opened

So it is time to go over the next part of this process I suppose huh? Well, let us start.

So we've gone over Setting up your writing area, figuring out how to sit and somewhat over writing utensils. I suppose that we should go over Keyboards and mouses. And of course printers. Almost forgot that.

Wait...Shouldn't that be mice?

Maybe if I was talking about multiple mice, which are rodents. I'm talking about a computer mouse. A basic computer mouse will fit your hand, hook up to you computer in some way, have two buttons (left and write) and a scroll wheel. Some are just trackball mouses. Those are easier on the hand since you don't have to move it, but are tricky to use if you're not used to them. 

I myself can use either one but tend to go with a corded mouse since I don't like having to replace batteries all that often. 

So why should we look into buying a mouse?

If you use just your track pad on your lap top, you will find that the range is rather limited right? I don't mind mine, I really don't. But I prefer to use my mouse when I'm editing. This allows me to highlight a lot of text without using keyboard commands (which we'll go over later on when we start to talk Editing) or the short range of the track pad.

I also find that using the scroll wheel helps me in the long run in trying to get up or down a page, especially a page that I want to keep my cursor in a certain place so I can get to that spot easier. Why? Because I dislike having to hunt for my last spot especially if I'm in the middle of a paragraph that I'm editing.

Fine. So would I need anything special?

Nope, nothing special. Just a basic mouse will make your life that much easier.

So what about keyboards?

I talked about this in the last post right? Well, I'm going to tell you again, having a mouse and keyboard that is attached to your laptop will allow you greater freedom and space to find a comfortable position. 

What kind of keyboard though?

That all depends upon you actually. Ask yourself these questions when it comes to buying one.

Do you like a regular keyboard with a number pad attached to it? 

Do you need large letters? 

Do you want one that lights up? 

Do you want an ergonomic one instead of a standard keyboard?

Do you want a soft click to your keys or a harder click?

Do you want soft tap or a firmer touch?

Do you want one that is wired or wireless?

All of these will help you narrow down your options and then you can go into any electronic store that sells computers and accessories to test out keyboards.

Wait, wait, wait! 

What the hell is the difference between ergonomic and standard?

Well, standard keyboards come with every desktop. They have all of the normal keys that you would expect along with number pad to the side. That's a standard keyboard.

Now, ergonomic keyboards are actually meant for those who type a lot. First, hold your arms out before you, just naturally. They sit in an upside down V shape, don't they? That is the natural resting position of your hands in front of you.

Ergonomic keyboards follow that natural line and split the keys into two parts. 

I've actually just added a picture to this because it's just a lot easier to show this to you guys.

This is a pretty basic one. You'll see others that are more geared towards gaming but these are made for typing. As you see, the main keys and the F command keys are spit down the middle while the space bar is curved to allow the thumbs to sit as they will. 

It helps those who have wrist or hand problems in the fact that it allows your wrist and arm to sit in a normal position instead of a forced bent position when you use a standard keyboard.

As I said before, go to a store that has a variety of electronics and sell computer accessories, test out some of the keyboards and the mouses, find what feels right with you. It's all about what is comfortable.

I'll eventually get my hands on a split keyboard myself.

Okay, so I have a keyboard, mouse, computer, and everything else.

What are you going over next?

Music, TV shows, and the such actually.

Wait...what? Why?

Well, mostly because they do affect how you write, how long you write, and what you write. I'm sure that as you sat down, you probably turned on something to have some kind of background noise right?

Unless you're someone who doesn't like having noise in the background, then you can just move on to the next section if you so wish.

But music, TV shows, and other things all help create an environment for which you can write to.

Personally, I tend to write to whatever catches my attention at the time, thus I have several playlists of music, movies, TV shows and various other things on various accounts. Such as Netflix, Youtube, and Pandora.

When it comes down to it, it all depends on what you want to do that day. I find that most often then not, music that is instrumental, or without words is best. You can find quite a lot of such items on Pandora or on Youtube. With pandora, just look up instrumental and go through their stations to find out what you would like.

I like my station based around Jia Peng Fang myself. Very interesting sounds and very soothing.

But I also like documentaries about things since I can just kind of play them in the background without worry. I also tend to listen to horror movies since most of them don't really require your attention. It's all about what works for you and going from there.

Don't be afraid to play around and test things out. Youtube is a great place to experiment, as long as you stay away from the cute cat videos.

Okay, so what are we talking about now that I have my music set up?

Well, how about we talk about what you have open while writing?

What's wrong with what I have opened?

I'm guessing that you have a tab open to youtube, a couple tabs to other social medias (such as Facebook, Pinintrest, and Tumblr), and if you're an online reader, a couple of tabs to various stories right?

It really doesn't matter what you have open, what matters is how distracting it is to you. That's where your will power is going to come in. You need to stop and close those tabs. 

Bookmark them. 

Send the links to yourself.

Do what you need to do but get rid of any tabs that aren't required in your writing. This means that unless it's your background noise or research, it doesn't need to be opened. I can tell you right now, that despite the fact that I have a few tabs that aren't a part of my research open, I'm not on them constantly. 

But when I first started to write? I had only the tabs that I needed whenever I was on a computer. And when I wasn't writing, I would open those tabs then. After a while I had trained myself into being able to ignore those tabs while working. It just takes time to do this.

So until you learn how to ignore any tabs that you don't need, I would close them. 

Clear that bar and focus on your writing. Seriously. It will do nothing but help you in the long run.

I think that's everything for this round, so shall we move onto the next set?

The Writing Process: Settling In To Write 2

The Writing Process: Types of Writing Tools 

The Writing Process: Settling Down to Write 2

Today's theme song:
Date:

I hope that you find the following information easy to understand and a guide to where you want to go for this.

Let's start shall we?

Today's Topic: Setting Up Your Work Place

What does this mean though?

Okay, first, what is a work place?

It's going to be where you will sit down and write.

Write what?

Well that depends on what you want to write. But we're just getting to the start of it all, setting up that place where you can write. It'll be where the muse takes hold and creates a world for you to play in.

Where do we start?

We start by figuring out where the best place is for you to write. This includes noise quality, privacy, comfort, lighting, and the size of the place. Some people have an office while others just have a small desk with which they have set up as their personal place. Some writers forgo writing at a desk, instead sitting in bed with a lap table at hand to hold their utensils depending on how they're writing.

Once you figure out where you can write best, you can figure out how you'll write best. We'll go into better depth at the various tools at hand for a writer in another blog post, but you can either write the old fashioned way with pen and paper, or you can use your computer. Laptop or desktop, doesn't matter. Some writers even use an older fashioned word processor, much like this Panasonic Word Processor KX-W900.

Trust me, typing on one of these things is like typing on an original type writer. But it generally comes with a little viewing screen that you can write out and edit before you print.

Now, back onto the actual topic, once you figure out where you want to write and how you want to write, you simply set it up. Pens and pencils that you need for quick little handwritten notes, paper, lights, and any other useful item that you believe will come in handy.

I personally sit in a recliner. Why? Because I'm currently unable to buy a good desk that sits at a good height with a good chair that will allow me to sit at it for the hours on end that I do. But the recliner is comfortable. I also have a small table that sits before my recliner, because it doesn't recline very well now days but also because I prefer to put my feet on the ground more often then not.

I have my computer set up on a laptop fan that is used to keep it nice and cool so I can write. But I've also plugged in a mouse and a keyboard so that I don't have to have the darn laptop in my lap, cutting off circulation.

But, I also have a three tiered shelving unit that holds a lamp, a wax tart burner, and a lot of papers and pens at hand. Along with the multitude of binders. It's all organized chaos. It works for me.

But it might not work for you. You have to find that sweet spot for you writing area.

Why do you keep talking about pens, and pencils and all that?

What is so important about those things?

Well, they are a part of all writers life in someway or another. Yes, we have tablets and phones that we can type on, but there is something about holding a pen in your hand and putting it to paper to work out your newest idea that is just so wonderful. 

Sometimes, when a writer is sitting at their computer, the ideas won't come to them while the cursor is blinking away, distracting their thoughts. They can find that the ideas to be expanded upon will come to them when they have a pen in hand and a piece of blank piece of paper before them. 

Sometimes there is just no way that they can type away their ideas on their electronics so a pad of paper and pen can help them. Thus why pen/pencil and paper can be a writers best friend and should be near at hand when writing.

I would also suggest you have some way to correct pen marks, have various types and colors of sticky notes, various sizes and styles of paper, and various sizes and styles of binders. All of these things will come in handy and you'll find out why in the long run.

I know, your area will be a complicated mess. Drawers with drawer organizers, and desktop organizers will come in handy either way you look at it so invest. Even if it's just a few bits and pieces here and there from such places as Big Lots or Wal-Mart. Don't be afraid to be cheap. 

It's your work space and no one should have any right to talk about it. 

Okay, so we've gone over area and utensils. 

Why do you want to talk about lighting?

Lighting can actually be an important factor, surprisingly enough. Depending on your eyesight and the way your eyes react to light will dictate on how much light you need for your choice of writing styles. 

For Computers, it depends on how much strain the computer screen puts on your head. If you work best when you have a lot of light around you to offset the glare from the screen, you should probably make sure that you have overhead lights that spread out a good amount of light, or a floor lamp, something like these floor lamps. Even one or two floor lamps that have a secondary lower adjustable arm lamp will give you a lot of light when set just right.

But if you like to have less light, go for a small desk lamp that can be adjusted as you please. Even just a basic table lamp could help you in the long run. Whatever works for you. 

The same goes for writing by hand on a piece of paper. Just make sure you have enough light to not strain your eyes while doing it. It can get very painful if you're not careful. 

Alright, now that I have that to think about, what else am I going to think about?

How I sit?

Well...Yes actually. Being comfortable while you write is very important indeed. You don't want your back to just suddenly complain about being in one position for to long without the proper position. So, it comes back to where you are.

Are you in bed? Are you sitting at a desk? Is your area just a little bit of the living room with the couch or recliner? 

Depending on your answer, you will need different things to help you stay comfortable. For beds, recliners, and couches, I suggest that you find those oddly shaped pillows that look like the back of small chairs with tiny arms. They're called bed rest pillows or back rest pillows with arms. Surprisingly enough, they are comfortable. Very much so. And can come in a variety of styles, textures, and stuffing. Find one that would be comfortable. Or you can just find a pillow. 

Or buy a twin bed sized piece of memory foam, cut it into parts, and shove two of those parts into a pillow case. I'm planning on doing that for myself. It's an easy way to have something that will give but still retain it's shape.

I'll put up a link when I get that particular project done.

If you are like a lot of writers and sit at a desk, invest in a good chair. You want one with cushioning but still good back support. I suggest you go out to a store that has a variety of desk chairs to test them out and find one that fits you. It will be costly though for a good chair, but to hold off the numb butt we all experience at least twice in our lifetimes, it will be well worth the price.

Wow, a lot of money goes into writing...

Yeah, it can be. But it helps to keep you comfortable enough to write without worry. I'm not lying about that. A good chair and desk can last years if well treated. And if you go professional, you should be able to make it back in profits within the first few years once you build up a fan base. Should. I'm not promising that though. 

And I'm about to tell you, you might want to spend some more money on buying a few more things. Those things are? Well, a mouse and a keyboard if you're using a laptop. 

Why though? For comfort. Most laptops are designed to be used on the lap now days, yes, but most don't often actually use it as such. We tend to stick it up high enough so that we don't have to kill our necks. Which is good! But it makes things a little hard for us to type on their keyboards. That and the mouse pads can be a pain.

Mind you, I'm talking about just a laptop, not a Mac. Macs are a whole 'nother creature. And one that I barely know.

Now that's out of the way, keyboards and mouses allow you to move back and forth without moving the laptop with you so that you can continue to use the keyboard and mouse pad. It allows you to keep the laptop stationary so that you can sit back, getting distance from the screen if you so need it. 

It also allows you to use split keyboards if you are used to those or have wrist problems that make it hard to use the traditional keyboards. 

I love my keyboard and mouse. I can use the mouse so much better then a mouse pad. I'm not joking you about that.

I believe that I've probably babbled your ear off about this for long enough. So I think that I'll let you guys sit here and think over what I've said.

If you have questions or comments, please don't be afraid to question or comment below. My inbox is open and I will happily reply to you. 

The Writing Process: Settling Down to Write 1

The Writing Process: Settling Down to Write 3

An Updated Writing List - As of 2/1/2016

Today's Theme Song: TLC - Girl Talk
Date: February 2, 2016

Okay so this is an updated writing list, including everything that I'm working on building. I'll be posting another post about what I'm going to try to get done during the next couple of months. So look for that around the 15th.

This month I just want to get through the last of the month, finish some rereads and note taking on three of my stories.

This round I'll be writing out genre's/whatever I think they fall into at the point and time, along with pairing styles and the such.

Pretty much each series/story (if it's just a single story) will look like this.

Title:
Genre:
Pairing styles: (M/M, Poly, F/F, M/F, none)
Books in the series (if a series):
Notes on the story:

So let's get to this shall we?

Rewriting/Editing/Note Taking

Title: Untitled
Genre: Romance
Pairing styles: Male/Male (M/M)
Books in the series (if a series): 1
Notes on the story: I call this my Lex/Rose story and it's about 13 chapters at the moment. I'll be filling it out with more chapters to flesh out the main story line without seeming like it's rushed.

There will be sex, but not an overwhelming amount. It'll mostly be focusing on the characters, their building relationship, and the troubles that they have with their neighbors.

Title: All You Need
Genre: Romance
Pairing styles: M/M
Books in the series (if a series): None
Notes on the story: Again, this one will be expanded. There's only about 5 chapters in the current version and I want to build it up to at least 10 chapters, but I have no doubt that I can get it up to 20 or 30.

Title: Untitled
Genre: Romance
Pairing styles: M/M
Books in the series (if a series): None
Notes on the story: This one will be really heavily rewritten and edited because it's one of my oldest stories. It's going to be rather fun to write but I just need to get around to actually rereading and writing down my notes on it.

Planned/In the Works Series

Title: Shades of Red series
Genre: Horror/Paranormal Horror
Pairing styles: M/M, F/M,
Books in the series (if a series): Planned so far is 3
Notes on the story: This is actually an older series that I had to drop and have just came to the point of where I just made it into it's own series of stories when the plot went a different direction. The first book, "Crimson Shadows", was actually written as a Nano project back in 2010, I think, but has since then grown and changed. I'm rewriting the entire book, fleshing things out, creating two books instead of just one book, and expanding the series.

It's looking good so far.

Title: Honey Drops Series
Genre: Romance/Sci-fi/Fantasy
Pairing styles: M/M, F/M, Poly, F/F
Books in the series (if a series): 6 books planned plus a book filled with bits and stories that didn't make it into the main story line
Notes on the story: Originally this series was only 3 books planned out but then I spent time with J.A. Marlow and found myself infested with more ideas for this world.

It's taking the "Gods are Aliens" and adding a twist to them. It's turning out rather nicely and so far Book 1 (no title yet) is about 5 chapters and I'm plotting out more chapters as we speak.

Title: "Magical Girl" Series
Genre: Fantasy/
Pairing styles: F/F, M/F
Books in the series (if a series): 2 books
Notes on the story: This actually started out as a Sailor Moon Fanfiction (thought about right around Sailor Moon Crystal, episode 12), but then I really thought about it and decided that it would make a lovely duology, at the least. So now I'm having to plan out this ENTIRE story line and make sure that it reads right.

It's still in the world building stage.

Title: A Living Zombie series
Genre: Dark Comedy/horror
Pairing styles: various
Books in the series (if a series): 2
Notes on the story: This was another story that was created by just hanging out with J.A. Marlow.

A weekend was all it took okay?

This one is probably going to be a pantsed story line with only a few chapters planned for and some plot points written down. It's looking to be fun though.

Title: Don't Look Series
Genre: Paranormal Horror
Pairing styles: Various (but not really a focus)
Books in the series (if a series): 4 books
Notes on the story: My current baby along with Honey Drops bk 1. I'm working on book 1 right now and getting through it slowly. Here's hoping that I actually get this written and build it up just right.

Title: A Magical Taste Series
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Pairing styles: Various
Books in the series (if a series): 2 books with possibly 4 total
Notes on the story: This is one that I want to do. Scanning through Tumblr has helped this world grow and build into what it will be.

It to is in the planning and world building stages.

Title: A Family Pack
Genre: Romance/Supernatural
Pairing styles: various
Books in the series (if a series): 3 with a possible of 5 books
Notes on the story: Again, this is another tumblr scanned built story. It's currently in the build up of the world and I'm hoping to have more planned out by 2017.

Title: The Ages Series
Genre: ...superheros?
Pairing styles: various
Books in the series (if a series): 7 books
Notes on the story: This one started because of a story that a friend asked for for her birthday. It just kind of grew from there.

I've got about 11 chapters of the first book (with 36 chapters planned) and I know that I'll be rewriting this story heavily so that it doesn't read like a comic book in book form.

Title: A Twist of Fate series
Genre: action/adventure/survivalist/romance
Pairing styles: various but not the focus
Books in the series (if a series): 2
Notes on the story: I started this one as a oneshot for the 2015 Anthology for Forward Motion (it's not out yet, the one who is editing it had family problems but she's working on getting it out here soon) and it grew into two books.

This is a twist on the post-apocalyptic world story and I'm hoping that it comes out rather interesting. :D Here's hoping.

Title: Untitled Story
Genre: Horror/Paranormal/Supernatural
Pairing styles: M/M
Books in the series (if a series): 2 books
Notes on the story: This started out as a Stand alone story but then Bellamy (one of my characters) ended up on the road to redemption and the plot expanded into a duology on me. It's going to be twisted and filled with a LOT of death. I'm having fun with it.

Stand-Alone Stories

Title: Follow Me Down
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Pairing styles: M/M
Books in the series (if a series): just the 1
Notes on the story: This story started out as an "Alice in Wonderland" derivative, but it then turned around and changed. A lot. I've since gone in a different direction with the plot and have been reworking out my outline and my plot points on this story.

It's going to be fun to write.

Title: Black Veiled Saviour
Genre: Mystery
Pairing styles: M/M
Books in the series (if a series): standalone
Notes on the story: Another one that is an older story but I'm also getting through this one. I want to get Honey Drops book 1 done before I finish off this one.

Title: Untitled Prompt Story
Genre: Horror/Paranormal
Pairing styles: nothing truly important
Books in the series (if a series): stand alone
Notes on the story: My friend gave me a list of prompts and told me to write a story around it. So what did I do? Created a horror murder mystery. This one has been in the works since about 2014, and then I lost a bunch of files due to a rewrite of my flash drive. I found it late last year and have been rewriting and working on it again.

So that's my current list. So, total books that I have on my list so far?

36 books.

And I have NO doubt that I'll be creating more stories to write.

Well, I hope that you all enjoy your day and I'm going to do things.

Have a good day.