Shawn L. Bird

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

feeling guilty? April 5, 2012

Filed under: Grace Awakening,OUTLANDERishness,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 6:04 pm
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Crystal Stranaghan was the publisher at Gumboot Books who signed Grace Awakening.  Sadly, Gumboot is no more, but Crystal is still involved in writing and all sorts of other projects.  In this blog post, she writes about feeling guilty about finding time for writing.

I am thoroughly impressed by Diana Gabaldon who says she writes every day.  Good thing, considering how huge her books are, and how desperate her fans are for her to finish them!  I know that a little work every day adds up quickly, but I also know how difficult it is to carve out time to do the work.  Gabaldon posts ‘daily lines’ almost every day on her website and Facebook, so it appears to be true. 🙂  She is juggling a few different projects, but there is a little snippet of writing from something to feed the fans.

I seem to find time for the blog, but it takes a little more effort to fit in the novel work.  The most words seem to fill my brain just as I’m about to drop off to sleep.  This is not always conducive to adequate rest, I confess.

Crystal says she feels guilty for taking the time to write.  By contrast, I feel guilty for not writing! ;-P  I know when I am working on a novel, I am making an investment that will pay off in the future.

How about you? Are you guilty for writing or for not writing?  How do you carve time to write in your day?

 

the other side of the pitch February 18, 2012

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 6:40 pm
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When I attended my first writing conference- the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in 2009- I was told about The Elevator Pitch. This is the 30 second blurb about your book that establishes the protagonist, conflict, theme and audience. You need one, because every time you’re asked, “What’s your book about?” you should be able to answer concisely, in a manner that catches the person’s interest. I worked with author Carol Mason to polish mine, and when I presented it to Crystal of Gumboot Books that afternoon, it earned me a “Yes, we’d like to see more!” and eventually a contract.

I wondered at the time, what is it like for an agent, publisher or editor at these events? They’re the ones being pounced upon by every would-be writer in the building. Everyone there has something to pitch, and the APEs are the ones being pitched at. The image in my head is someone standing in the middle of the room, frantically covering his head while baseballs rain down from every direction.

Mark Glenchur has written a delightful poem that gives a hilarious view from the APE side. Unfortunately, the writer in the poem did not have a 30 second elevator pitch polished and ready.  Read and learn.