Philty's Gold Mine by Jeff Bailey

The inspiration for the short story, Philty's Gold Mine, came from my teenage years. I was born in Southern California and raised in Northern California. I spent more weekends in the mountains than I can remember. We fished and swam in the American, Consumes and (yes) the the Feather Rivers. I did explore a small creek and actually found a couple of broken down, old buildings. I think they were more local hay storage storage than the skeletal remains of a gold boom town. We did have to cross a tall rail trestle over a white water river and I did sit on a rock and felt the rumbling of the boulders in the river.
It's amazing how many details I can remember from that day. The whole scene just seemed to fit the story line. I've no idea where the story came from. It just seems to have always been rolling around in my subconscious. Hopefully, one day we can read the whole story in print.

Philty's Gold Mine

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The Cavalcade of Authors

An organization called The Cavalcade of Authors contacted me yesterday and asked me to be a (assistant) volunteer host for one of the visiting authors. I said yes, of course. I'll be assisting other local authors in the escorting and hosting of one of the guest authors. The guest authors are form all over the country.

I quote the The Cavalcade of Authors website, "The Cavalcade of Authors is dedicated to providing the secondary students of our region access to some of the best Young Adult authors of our modern era. Our special interest is to celebrate Pacific Northwest Authors while introducing students to a variety of genres and subject matter and to furthermore, promote reading and writing within our community. We provide for our participants an authentic writing conference experience where students can learn from the ultimate mentors: the authors of the books they are reading"

The event sounds like the National Science Fair. I was a scientist/judge for the science fair for years. I was always amazed at the quality of the young people that I had to honor to meet and evaluate. I looking forward to meeting the best of our regions emerging writers and the cadre of successful author mentors.

I'll write a later post about the experience.

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Characters

I recently got this comment from a proof reader, "I enjoyed the detailed [character] foundation so that when the story begins to unfold I wasn't sidetracked..."

 Karen couldn't have given me a more satisfying compliment. James Michener is one of my favorite authors. He was a master of character development over generations of characters lives. Each generation added an understanding of the motivations of the main characters.

I try to do that same character development (on a much less grand scale) in my stories. I don't my readers to be confused about who or why. When I'm reading a book (or, watching a movie for that matter) where several characters look or sound too much alike with little backstory to distinguish them, I get lost. The story loses something when I can't keep track of who's who and why they are doing what they doing.

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The Myth of Writer's Block

A fan recently asked me if I ever suffer from writers block. The simple answer is, 'No.' But, there are a couple of qualifiers on that answer. I think (and it's only my opinion) that any writer that is suffering from writer's block, is really suffering from one of two maladies.

Either the writer has nothing to say or the writer has not completely developed what he wants to say. If a writer can't get past the first few sentences, it's probably because the writer has nothing to say. I know that it's a harsh thing to say, but it's true. A writer who has never participated in professional sports probably doesn't  have anything 'real' to write about professional sports. If a writer is this stumped trying to write any portion of a legitimate work, he might consider another line of work.

The other malady attributed to writer's block is when a writer tries to write a passage that is not completely developed in his mind. Putting legitimate emotions into words is one of the most difficult things that a person can do, especially if they have lived the pain. I do run into a less dramatic block, on occasion, but I get around it. If the words won't come on a particular section, I open the spreadsheet on that project and pick another section to write. If I can't find a section of that project where the words will flow, I open another project and pick a section. My spreadsheets save me the angst of the dreaded writer's block. I can always find something tom write that, in my mind, is completely developed. I guess that I should write a blog on using a spreadsheet instead of an outline when tackling a large project. It works for me.

I approach the troubling section of writing by letting the subject percolate around in my brain for a few days. I find that one of the best times for me to try to work out a writing problem is during the hour that I spend staring at the blue tile line on the bottom of my workout swimming pool. I have an hour, three times a week where my mind has nothing to do but focus on solving the content of that undeveloped section. I usually find that some part of the section is out of sequence, inconsistent with real life, unnecessary, too wordy, etc. Given a little time, I will usually realize why the scene  won't work and I'll change it. After the 'ah-ha' oment, the words will flow more easily the next time I approach that bit of writing. My spreadsheet keeps me from losing track of where I am in the project.

I don't suffer from writer's block. There are too many sections of too may projects that are developed enough for me redirect my efforts. This is also why I can sit down anywhere, at nearly any time, and write a few hundred works with no discernible effort. One day I'll do a blog about how I use a spreadsheet.

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What do Publishers Want?

"What Do Publishers want?" I have to admit that when I started searching for a publisher, I didn't know. To some extent, I still don't know. But, I do know how to find out: Ask them. No, I'm not recommending that you call all of them. There is easier way.
I recommend that an inquiring mind do two things. For general knowledge, look up their web pages. either google 'book publishers' or 'lists of Publishers.' The writers-free-reference.com is a good place to start. Most of the agent home pages will have a link to something like 'how to work with us', 'what we want', 'submission requirements', etc. These pages will provide the simple, basic answers.
For a more 'insider' answer, find publishers who have blogs and subscribe to them. Let the publishers tell you on a daily basis what is on their minds. The blog narratives are full of pet peeves and effective hints. Leave questions, join discussion, and express your opinion. Become involved. Let this simple act help you to start building your social network as a writer.
Now, not all blogs are worth the effort. Some (many) blogs are used as an avenue to free advertising. A blog dedicated to selling and selling alone is useless. But, Take you time. You may have to review dozens of blogs before you find a couple that are compatible to your needs. Trust me, It's worth the effort.
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Copyright for I'm a Marine

This will be a short post today. I have a lot of work to do. Good news, though. I received my copyright certificate for I'm a Marine. Three down, a couple of dozen to go. I also finished the short story, Philty's Gold Mine. For now, to work, to work.

The first time authors marketing Bible

When I started writing, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend all of my free time writing. As the the release of my first book approaches (this May), this is no longer true. I'm lucky if I can manage half or even a quarter of time to write. By necessity, I spend a big chunk of my time marketing or preparing to market the release of The Defect.
As a first time author, I didn't have a clue where to start a marketing campaign. I did find some limited help on line. We have all heard the basics, 'create a web page,' 'start a blog,' 'send out press releases.' I needed more, a lot more. I found that 'more' in a book called 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, by John Kremer.
The book has become my marketing Bible. Yes, I have read or reviewed all 700 pages. Suggestions range from handing out business cards in hospital waiting rooms to the details of electronic marketing on sites like Amazon.com. True, I have not implemented every suggestion. Some are just 'not me.' But, even the techniques that I decided not to incorporate into my campaign sparked other ideas. I now have more acceptable marketing paths than I can ever pursue. Some are from the book and some are inspired by the book. The aspect of the book that I like most is that Kremer doesn't just say 'try this.' Where ever possible he says, 'and here are the website and resources that will help you get there.'
My copy of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books is already heavily highlighted and tabbed. Once I have made the current techniques a habit, I will go back to the tabs and try new things. I just don't have time for everything all at once.
My recommendation is that if someone wants to market a book, read 1001 Ways to Market Your Books first.