Independence

I woke up this morning with the revelation that Liberty Belle is being published Independently and not self-pubbed. And how ironic that I am breaking out of the controlled world of traditional publishing into the wide open field of Indie Publishing, and Liberty Belle is about a woman seeking her own independence from a controlling mother.


Some things you just can't make up. LOL


I am not against traditional publishers or agents. The publishing industry is in transition. But right now, I see this tremendous opportunity, for authors, and I am taking it. 


Yes, that entrepreneurial spirit lives strong in me. I've never been accused of conforming to the norm. Tradition has never excited me.


But I love to think of the explorers who sailed across the ocean, not sure of what they'd find, but sure that they had to go. The pioneers who looked west and saw a land of opportunity. Yes, and again I say, yes. That same thirst for the adventure of the unknown flows in my blood. 


In the book, Liberty Belle, the main character, Liberty Longstreet, seeks her independence and  finds it is not as easy as it looks. Freedom is not free. I know this. But I am willing to take the risk, learn on my feet, and go after the wide open spaces of Indie Publishing.


You betcha, I'm excited.

The Lady is Almost Ready.

Liberty Belle - Pub Date June 1, 2012

She is almost ready for her debut. Like so many Southern belles, she just couldn't get everything together for May, but she promised she'd be ready for her June 1, 2012 entrance into the published world. 

Keep in contact and I'll let you know when Liberty Auraria Longstreet is ready.

She's been through quite a lot of prodding and probing, cutting and additions, but she is excited to tell her story. And what a story she has to tell. 

Ooops, have to go. That to-do list is calling.

And the Edit Goes On ...

 

I love to edit, I love to edit, I love to edit.
I love to edit!


Oh what fun!  Don't ask me how I learned this, but if you change a number on your chapters at the start of the book - AND you have your book in chapter files - (chapter 1 is a file, 2 is a file ...) DO NOT renumber from the beginning. Start at the back to keep sane.

Otherwise you will find yourself with 2 chapter 13s, 14s .... and double the trouble.

DO NOT ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS.  : )

AND yes, Liberty Belle is on schedule to go out in MAY 2012.

Updates coming as soon as I finish this edit.

Good news - boy have I learned a lot! And learned I have a lot more to learn. Which makes me very happy since I am confident, I will not be bored anytime soon.

Picked up my Polishing the "Pugs" book by Kathy Ide.  Why oh why did I not pay attention in English? I fear my restrictive clauses are scratching my predicates.

Polishing-PUGS-Punctuation-Grammar-Spelling

Oh well, where is that red pen?

Try Auto Crit

EDITLAND

Yes, I have been sent to the letter strewn land of EDITLAND. This site has helped. A lot! I like it so much I have become an affiliate because I believe this is what so many writers have been waiting for. Try it out. And if you like it, tell them I sent you.

Laying Down on the Job

My writing pup, JACS laying down on the job.

Ugh! I have missed several weeks. I will have to get onto my writing pup, JACS. But I am in the chair, editing my heart out, and preparing Liberty Belle for her debut in May.

Still on track and should get her ready by then. I guess I will tempt my writing friend with a biscuit. Then maybe he'll get up and work.

Hmm, wonder how those taste?

Ah, back to the edit page.

Bend in the Road

You're going along, marching toward your goals, when all of a sudden the road takes a turn and you are set back. What looked like an easy goal suddenly looks unreachable. Detours come. 

So what do you do? 

Keep on going. Go back to the last thing you knew to do. What direction did the Lord give you? How many pages to write or edit? 

If you fell behind, forget it and move forward. Keep going. Press on toward the mark. Maybe you didn't make your goals last week, so make them today.

Focus for the goal ahead. Detours happen. But keep going and you'll get back on track.

You can do this!

Words!

Words 

Words are the clay the writer works with to mold ideas, stories, and articles that will impact others. Also the paint that colors the mood, setting, and action of a story. Vocabulary is important. It's the difference between your character walking across the street or shuffling, stumbling, limping. 

Each of those words offers a different picture in the minds of your readers. 

Writers want to find the best word to fit their sentences. But sometimes those words hide. Play on the tip of our minds, lurking in plain sight while staying just out of reach.

Aha! We have tools, treasure chests of words that we can dive into and search for just that right word.

The Thesaurus. Every writer should have one or more.

Also have a good dictionary. I have one that displays the date the word came into use. Very useful for those writing historicals. (Once I had a character taking a nosedive off her horse. Ooops. Nosedive came about because of the airplane. Definitely not a fixture in the old west : ) 

There are Flip Dictionaries

Picture Dictionaries

One source I found online is:   Visual Thesaurus. A useful tool that shows you a web of related words. The Vocabgrabber allows you to make a list of the words you use in a chapter. Very helpful in finding those pet words that latch onto your mind and plop themselves into your story time and time and time again.

Start flexing your vocab abs. Read lists of active verbs to help your mind create unique sentences and get out of the rut of overused plain words.

My goal - Refresh my brain with 100 words a week. Not necessarily new words, but those I haven't used in a while. Let your mind play. 

Happy Word Hunting!