Blog Suffers - Part 2

So I feel like I'm running nine thousand miles a minute.  I have to add the finishing touches to Couillon, my short story, and get it out on Kindle/Nook/Smashwords, and I need to package up my novel -- not just two different ways, but now three.

Remember those email queries I sent out in January, well today I got a bite from one of the agents.  She said she was intrigued and would like to see three chapters if I wasn't already represented.  I think it's lovely that she thinks I may have already found an agent.  And of course, I'm going to send her three chapters. 

Flash Fiction

I was out on Writer Unboxed  today (http://writerunboxed.com/) and saw that they are hosting a flash fiction contest this summer, seven Sunday's in a row.

If you don't know what flash fiction is think very, very short short story.  Just the opposite of Couillon which is a very long short story.  The story must be complete, must have a beginning, middle, and end.  The best know is attributed to Hemingway: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Normally a flash fiction story can be up to 1000 words, but the contest has two caveats.  One is that the story must be 250 words or less and the other is that the story is inspired by the week's visual prompt.  This weeks prompt was a man sitting by a baby crib holding a what looks like a baby.  Some of the entries prior to mine, made it a doll.

Here's what I submitted today:

Pajama Day

As my friend Patti says, today is a pajama day.

The PNWA conference was exhausting. I tried to absorb everything, and it was just overwhelming.  I learned a lot, and for me, was very happy that the conference this year was slanted more toward established writers (I didn't say published) and toward e-pubbing.

PNWA Literary Contest

Today, I was reading through the details concerning the PNWA conference.  In the fine print was a notice that said the first and second place winners of the literary contest will have a special invitation in their packet for a meet and greet with the agents and editors after the winner-announcement dinner.

Spelling Faux Pas - reposted

I received a comment about the fact that I had vengeance spelled wrong in my description of me.  So I'm re-posting one of my original posts.  Please see below.

But just in case, let me re-iterate who I am.  Writing, a turn of a phrase, not spelling is my strength.  This blog is a place for rants and conversations, a place for me to vent my frustrations and brag about my victories.  In the real world, some people like my accent, and others think it makes me sound stupid, but if you judge me on my accent or on a single misspelled word, then you need to check into your own issues, because I'm not the problem.

P.S. I fixed the misspelled word.

New Business

Tonight, for the first time ever, I started my own business.  And the name is ta-da.... Nellie Writes

I didn't want to select a boring company name, like Nellie Williamson Inc. (or whatever the letters are associated with a single owner business), but I wanted my name in it.  I also didn't want to over think it.  So I went with simplicity and called it what it is.

e-Publishing and Other Stuff

Today, I created a Nook Pubit account and checked out the Smashwords website.  I updated the blog site and played with the cover image for Couillon.  And yes, I was avoiding writing, but I did eventually get quite a bit of actual writing done.  I got most of the what would happen if Janice destroys the doll inserts done.

So it's been an eventful day.

Tonight, I'm going to send the latest cut of the short story to my Kindle, and review it over the next couple of days.  I'm sure I'll want to add/change a few things, but I really really think it may be done.  Wish me luck.

Never Ends...

Remember when I said I'm aiming for "good enough", well I was lying, to myself. 

Ann-Marie, another friend/editor asked what would happen if Janice got rid of the doll.  And I thought, now there's an interesting point. So today, I'm adding that into the story line, not as it really happens because there are hundreds of avenues that particular plot point could go down and would constitute a complete re-write, but as her imagining what could happen.

Based on what I'm thinking of adding, I'm wondering if I should change my genre to a darker, much darker, genre like horror. 

With that said, I'm off to hopefully finish the addtions. And then one last edit.

Different Interpretations

As a favor, my friend Dustin read through my short story this past week, and besides line-editing for me, he asked me a couple of questions that threw a totally different spin on the story.  Same thing happened when I let me my friend Sid read the original version of this same story.  Sid's comment was "She killed Marie, didn't she?"  I hadn't actually planned for it to look that way, but I guess whatever was in the baggage that Sid brought to the story made him interpret the story that way.

Second Sweep Done

I finished the second round of editing on Couillon.  One more, and it should be ready to go to Kindle (also, Nook and Smashwords).  Notice I said should.  I'm one of those people who could spend years, editing and re-editing a story.  Some new writers never get past the first few chapters because they are constantly trying to make those chapters perfect.

I love wordsmithing, and I can easily get caught in that trap.  So instead of perfect, I'm shooting for good enough.

Tonight, I'm going to send out this copy to several friends and get their feedback.  Then do the final edit.  Hopefully, at the latest, it'll be done by the end of the month.

Reworking...

I love the fonts (they look like my handwriting, on a good day) and colors in the first image, but the colors and fonts don't show up well when the picture is this size....

 not even with larger fonts and in black...

These images are larger, by twice, than the picture that would be displayed on Amazon.

Playing with ...

titles and pseudonyms and cover ideas for the short story....