Absolutely Appalling...

Absolute Write, which many writers have been part of for years, is now gone. It is shocking. Click HERE for the story.

If you want to support AW--post the top 20 Worst Scam Agents list on your own blogs or websites. Every little bit helps! I myself was part of that community. It was an invaluable website to writers everywhere.

Get Thee to a Library!!

I remember as a kid, the public library was sooooo cool. It was like a sanctuary. Except for the slightly batty white-hair-in-a-tighter-than-tight-bun Librarian shushing everybody, it was like being in a church. It was my church. I could look through anything I liked--and spend hours, so long as I wasn't bothering anyone. It was Heaven.

Today, our local library is down the street, and I took a peek in the other day, and was slightly surprised at what I found. Libraries have become full-blown meccas lately, with all the technology we have...much more so than the 70's and 80's when I was hanging out with Whitey Uptightey.

Now there are computer centers. There are Video centers, where they've basically built a Blockbuster section in between Reference and Romance. There are elaborate kid's sections, some with overstuffed chairs and places where kids and parents with kids can read.

I remember Libraries used to be just books. Almost as well as I remember scrolling through Microfiche, and who can forget the almighty Card Catalog?

Times have changed. Libraries are AWESOME places. Go and check out your local Library. Whitey Uptightey with her bun may still be there, and yes, they STILL don't let you check out the Reference books, but the major coolness of the Library itself will make it worth the visit!

Building a Personal Library

A must for any writer, no matter your genre, would be a personal library.
Size isn't important. Some writers have three books, some have three thousand--no matter, as long as they have a personal library of books that inspire and educate, that is the main point.

I read somewhere, a long time ago, that reading is preparation for writing. When you are a child, if you read, you glean the necessary tools for building stories. It's called practice.

All the writers I know read regularly, whether by hobby or for reference, or for inspiration. Reading the ideas and words of others can inspire and enlighten, and motivate us to write our best.

Personal libraries can be had for relatively little expense, thanks to Amazon.com, Ebay, Half-price Books, and all those used bookstores near you. Build your library slowly (or quickly, depending on your financial situation.) When you feel the Block, or you need info, you can go to your personal library for help.

I highly recommend it. It is a great tool, for every writer.

How Do they Do It???

I was recently reading Stephen King's "On Writing" and found it highly interesting. As writers, we put our "babies" out there, and hope and pray they succeed in the world. (Preferrably to the tune of sizeable advances, etc..) But is there a formula that successful fiction writers have?

I guess if there really WAS a secret, everyone who knew it would be successful. The fact is, there isn't one. According to Mr. King: "Fiction writers...don't understand very much about what they do--not why it works when it's good, not why it doesn't when it's bad."

This makes a lot of sense. Why can one fiction writer have a blockbuster hit, and then have their next novel be utterly craptastic? An Editor told me once that it's "all in the wind." What was poplular yesterday, will be overdone tomorrow...but wait six months and it will be popular again! I prefer the old adage: Today's Peacock: Tomorrow's feather duster, but that's negative, because story ideas are like clothes--you can put them away in your closet and in a few years they'll be in vogue again. It's always a cycle.

The point is, there really isn't a "secret formula" to success in the Fiction writing field. Sure, you have to have talent, and believe in your work, but whatever your genre, you have a chance. There is always a chance.

So, never give up. Keep plugging. Good things happen to those who wait. Wait, and work hard.