Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

Amanda Hocking June 21, 2011

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:34 am
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How do I know that I am Canadian?  Every time I go to write the name of young e-book millionaire Amanda Hocking, I start by writing “Hockey.”  Yeah.

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Amanda Hocking is a success story.  She wasn’t being picked up by traditional publishers.  She believed she had a good product in her urban fantasy novels about trolls, and so she uploaded her first books onto smashword.com, an e-book store.  They started selling.  Obviously she had found a niche that appreciated her story telling ability and the fictional worlds she created.  She treats writing as a full time job.  She crafts her stories and writes with focus.  She writes fast as well, completing a book a month.   It’s prolific to have 10 books out in a year!  Since she uploaded her first urban fantasy novel spring of 2010, Amanda has received a million dollars in royalties on e-books that sell for 99c and $2.99.  The fact is, she gets to keep so much higher percentage, she has made more than she could using a traditional publisher.

So why use one?

Amanda is an example of how the publishing industry is changing.  Once upon time, traditional publishers were the only way to access the market, but now authors can upload their books to Amazon or other ebook purveyors, and they are instantly available to readers around the world.

Once upon a time, traditional publishers were the key way to promote and market your book, but now authors maintain their own websites, Twitter accounts and communicate directly with their readers.

In my contract with my traditional publisher, I was required to keep a website and arrange speaking dates.  When all was said and done, I was likely to see about $1 per book in royalties.  I will do all the same things dealing directly with my readers through my inde pub house, and I’ll be earning double that.  Hmm.  I think we’re onto something here.

♫ The times ♪ they are ♫ a-changing. ♪

 

the gentle art of the critique June 20, 2011

Filed under: Pondering,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:52 am
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Or it my case, the brutal crush of the criticism.

I live in a world that requires critical evaluation. Every year I have my students complete a questionnaire about their year so I can use their feedback to become a better teacher the next year. I submit my literary babies to be studied by editors whose job is finding things I did badly. When I have a harp lesson, the teacher’s job is to tell me what are the weak areas in my playing. When I am taking a dance class, the teacher’s job is to point me out in the middle of class and say, “You’re not doing that move correctly”

In every aspect of my life, I expect to be offered helpful advice. In many cases I am paying good money to be told that I stink at something. What would be the point of doing any of these things if I didn’t want to get better at them? How could I get better at them without someone showing me exactly what I’m doing wrong?

This is why I don’t understand the people who ask for advice, but spend all their time arguing or denying when the suggestions are given.

I’ve been to Author Blue Pencils where the author critiquing my work spends more time telling me that I’m free to take or leave her suggestions than actually giving me practical advice.  Now I tell them straight out that I’m there to listen. Most recently, I tell them exactly what I want them to help me with.  e.g. “I think this area is weak, what suggestions can you make?” or “Is this exposition clear enough?”  They are always so relieved that I really want honesty and that I can ask intelligent questions to clarify what they’re telling me that I get great feedback. Even if I disagree with them, when I’ve heard their advice, I go home and look at the work and ponder. I almost always edit later taking their suggestions into account. People who are successful in your field will give you invaluable information, what kind of fool are you when you discount it?

I am okay with separating an action from my personal value. Because I don’t do a ‘half Amaya hip slide’ correctly, does not mean I’m stupid, incompetent, or bad. It means I need to spend some time working on that skill. That’s all.

Because I expect feedback and critiques in all areas of my life, I have trouble with people who get all defensive and argumentative when they are given advice. I tend to lay things out plainly and expect rational consideration.  I recognise that I have all the finesse of a blunt stick at times.  I don’t want to hear whining. I give my opinion. I just want them to consider what I am saying and how following my advice might improve their writing, business, or whatever.

So here is some advice for you: If someone offers you suggestions meant to help you, quit wasting your time complaining about the injustice of the comments or how the advisor is so mean to you and put your energy into thinking about the information they’ve given you. It doesn’t matter if you agree right away, but you have to start by accepting that there are other perspectives than your own and you have something to learn in studying other perspectives. If it is a professional comment, be professional in how your receive it.  Thank the client for telling you.  Many clients will simply smile, tell you things are great, but then they don’t return and they tell their friends what they didn’t like about your business.  Be very thankful for a client who helps you improve and grow.

No one who is successful in life runs from criticism.  It is the manna the feeds the improvements that they must build on.

Choose to be successful.

 

choices June 19, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:01 am
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Everyday we make choices.

Some choices improve our lives and the lives of others’ we touch.

Some choices mire us down.

Dwelling on the negative things means that all we see is the negative.

I realised a few years ago that I was actually creating my own misery, by focusing on complaints about my world .

I made a conscious choice to find the good things in my life.   I chose to look at all the things that I am thankful for, and to concentrate on celebrating  new things to be appreciative of each day. It made a huge difference.

I meet more and more people who come to the place where they make the decision to stop making excuses for their unhappiness and take control of the only thing they can- their response to their situation.

  • To find joy.
  • To welcome the positive things that improve all aspects of their lives.
  • To refuse to be a victim of their circumstances.

When I meet someone, I would like to hear a voice celebrating the good things in life with a joyful confidence, and I would like to hear a creation of joyful things from their life just as it is.  Today.

Negative people are hard to be around.  Their energy sucks happiness from the others around them.  It is as if the dark cloud of their world view puts a shadow all around them.  Who wants to be the cloud that people try to avoid?  I briefly went to a salon where a hairdresser complained about her life with the other stylists the whole time she was cutting hair.  After three visits that were the same, I stopped going to that salon.  She wasn’t even my stylist, but she destroyed the atmosphere.  You want to feel pampered and uplifted for your money when you’re in a salon.  You don’t want to be bummed out, particularly when what you hear suggests that the whiner really doesn’t have much cause to be complaining.

So when faced with a life situation that seems terrible, consider your choices.  Where is the blessing that you are meant to find in this experience?  What can you learn that will turn this negative into a positive?

No one else is your living your life, but your life touches others. How do you want to influence them?  Will they think of you with a fond smile, or with a sad shake of the head?

Mrs. D was a patient I worked with when I candystriped in Extended Care as a teen.  I don’t know for sure, but I suspect she had ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, because she had progressively less movement over the years.  All the candystripers wanted to visit with her and to feed her.  She was so nice, friendly and interested in others.  She was unable to move her legs or life her arms.  She controlled her wheelchair with a hand wrapped onto a giant toggle at the beginning.  Four years later she had to blow through a tube to control it.  She had some difficulty swallowing.  She needed assistance in every aspect of her life, but she had joy and she shared it with others.  Mrs. P was a patient we all tried to avoid.  She spit out her food declaring, “Don’t like that!”  She shrieked at us.  She had much more movement, but she was much more unhappy.  She was unpleasant to be around.  When we went first to feed Mrs. D, she would send us to help ,Mrs P first.  She was a blessing to the others around her, even when she was in the worst possible situation herself.

If Mrs. D could be kind, happy and caring,  what is our excuse?

Choose joy.

 

tweet tweet June 18, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:01 pm
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I didn’t get the whole Twitter thing.  I still don’t.  When I first met with Crystal of Gumboot Books, she told me it would be good for me to get onto Twitter, but I couldn’t understand why I’d want to, so I just left it, and concentrated on Facebook and this blog.  Today I heard the term “micro-blogging” and something clicked.  So now I’m on Twitter.

I picked out some people to follow, and I am desperately hoping that none of them post pointless minutia of their days.  I would like to receive interesting or amusing posts.  In return, I thought I would post updates on the publishing of Grace Awakening and little poems every day or two.

If you’d like to follow my little offerings, please click the link down there at the bottom of the right column.  I’d be happy to have you.

Follow me @ShawnLBird

 

 

THAT’S more like it! June 17, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:30 am
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Only hours after the riot in Vancouver, the citizens stood up to declare that they did not approve.   The rioters were not disappointed fans, as some are saying on the news reports that have spread around the world.  They were folks who deliberately wanted to cause trouble.  They came prepared for chaos, and they incited it. They no more represent the Canuck fans, than soccer hooligans represent theirs.  The regular citizens were as disgusted as the rest of the world, and they were mortified about the negative image that was represented by the obnoxious  participants. 

Those regular citizens showed up by the thousands this morning to help clean up.  They created a wall of messages declaring their feelings about the rioters and their embarrassment and their pride in the city. 

This is the real Vancouver: 

  • The people who tried to get between rioters and buildings to stop looting. 
  • The people who stood up for others and risked or suffered injury themselves. 
  • The people who came with gloves, brooms, shovels and garbage bags to clear up the mess.
  • The people who signed the boarded up windows of the Bay flagship store, with apologies, declarations of purpose, and hopeful encouragement

I wonder how many police corps could have dispersed so many people as calmly and with as little injury as the Vancouver Police and the RCMP did last night.  True, there was significant property damage, but there was very little personal injury.  The police kept their cool while being provoked, insulted and attacked.  I was totally impressed with them.

The rioters may have given the city a black eye, but the citizens have pulled together to show the true spirit of Vancouver.  Be proud people.

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PS. Here’s the story from the Canucks point of view:

http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=566199

 

for shame June 16, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:05 am
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Vancouverites packed downtown to celebrate the Stanley Cup.  Game 7 Canucks vs Bruins.  Vancouver needed to win.  They didn’t.  I was unimpressed with Vancouver’s play, but I was absolutely disgusted with the adolescent behaviour of the ‘fans’ afterwards.  The lack of basic citizenship, shown by refusing to disperse, cheering trouble makers, and filming every moment demonstrates a disturbing trend.

What could have been a really great memory of community spirit is marred by idiots who don’t know what civilized behavior looks like.  Kelowna lost its wonderful community Regatta because the same sort of people started coming into town with rocks in their trunks to riot for fun.  Alcohol fuels such behaviour, and although the police and security tried to prepare in order to prevent these kinds of riots, when good citizens do not stand up to decry such actions, fools are going to do stupid things.

Who is going to pay for the clean up and the policing bills?  Business insurance will go up.   The Orca Bay Group raked in some tidy profits in seven games.  I sincerely hope they will take some financial responsibility.  As well, all those cameras and phones filming every moment should make it fairly easy for the police to identify the trouble makers.  I hope they are all caught and severely fined so that hard-working, respectable citizens who weren’t rioting in the streets for amusement, don’t have to pay for their foolishness.

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At the same time that I was writing this blog, those respectable citizens were making plans.  This is social media at its best, mobilizing the citizenry to positive ends.  Smitty Smith has created a Facebook event inviting Vancouverites to come downtown and help clean up the mess.  How inspiring is that?  Good on you, Smitty.  If you’re in Vancouver, the details are here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=219286898091948

 

love through it June 15, 2011

Filed under: Friendship — Shawn L. Bird @ 8:42 pm
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Cancer is everywhere these days, but since 1980 when Terry Fox set out on his Marathon of Hope, things have changed. In so many cases the treatments have helped many win the battle that would have been lost 30 years ago. Early detection, better treatment and improved follow up care have been the cure for many. Salmon Arm is a community with a big heart for cancer. Our Relay for Life consistently brings in more donations than the cities of Vernon (several times our size) and Kelowna (10 times our size). Sometimes the fight is general, but sometimes it has a precious focus.

At the moment, a member of Jamila Mai Bellydance is undergoing chemo for breast cancer. It is so great when a community gathers together to support one of its own in a time like this. Wrapped in pink ribbons, Jamila Mai celebrates Barb, the Chest Pop Queen.

Read about the event here.  As you admire the beautiful photos you will see the love shining through each person there.  Barb is very loving, and she is very loved.

 

watch June 14, 2011

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 5:25 pm
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A paraphrased quote to ponder from Angie Abdou, from notes taken while she was presenting at the Shuswap Lake Writers’ Conference last month:

Be open to the story all around you.

There is a world of story in every moment

and it can be told a thousand ways.

 

broken heart June 13, 2011

Filed under: Pondering — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:12 pm
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Topic #157:  Describe the first person who broke your heart. And if you could take revenge on them now, would you? Did you ever think about it? What would you say to them now if you met them on the street?

I am sure that I am an oddity, but my heart has never been broken from a romantic attachment.

The first boy I loved remained a precious part of my life, and even though the time came when it was mutually understood there was not going to be a romantic future for us, the friendship remained strong and I can say that is probably is just as strong today though we haven’t seen each other in over a decade. If I saw him today I’d give him a big hug and prepare to start laughing at the way our lives are working out. Far from revenge, I’d be handing him a copy of Grace Awakening and challenging him to figure out all the minute memories of our real past that were the germs for the fantastic voyage that Grace experiences.

I was engaged, and the engagement was broken off, and even that seemed right under the circumstances and didn’t cause me to feel like my world was over. It was just the right decision at the moment. Of course, a week later everything had changed and two weeks later, we were married, a month earlier than planned. We remain so, today, thoroughly attached and very appreciative of each other.

I have had my share of gut wrenching rejections in other scenarios, but never by a young man to whom I had entrusted my heart. I guess that means that I chose wisely where to put my affections. Those were the biggies, but there were a few small crushes over the years, and even those dissolved amicably. There might have been a tinge of sadness, but no anger, frustration, pain or agony. I can divide myself into the feeling part who celebrates the joy, and when the opportunity for more painful emotions arrives, then I can switch to the logical part to understand the pros and cons of the relationship. It makes it easier to cope with the more unpleasant realities when you can see it logically. (It works for rejection notes from publishers and discussions with editors as well!)

When I was the source of the affection, and I didn’t return the feelings being tentatively expressed, I hope I was as kind and gentle to my suitors as the young men I had crushes on were to me. I would like have left them fond memories and no regrets.

 

wiggle, jiggle and giggle… June 12, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 2:59 pm
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Today a group of us went to Kelowna to watch a performance of belly dancers.  A group from Kelowna performed in the first half, and in the second half the headliners from Get Bent Active Arts Society in Penticton performed their Bollywood Hollywood. Their show was upbeat, energetic and commanding.  I have never seen such fast costume changes in my long theatrical life!  (In the finale, they revisited every number in the costume with about 2 seconds transition).  Beaming smiles, excellent skills, and narrative choreography added to audience enjoyment.  Of particular  notice was the kewpie doll grin of Marianne (her solo begins at 2:19 in the video).  She has matured even more in skills and still conveys absolute joy and good humour to the audience.  It was an delightful  afternoon and so I thought I’d give you the opportunity to participate in our fun by sharing this youtube video of the tour group from a previous tour:

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For more information about classes or to support Get Bent’s work with youth  in the community, please see their website at http://www.getbentyogaandbellydancing.com/  We are hoping that we’ll be able to participate in a workshop with them or go see another performance again.  It was a show that exceeded our expectations.