Saturday, November 15, 2008

Writing a proposal

I think the best part of this is that it puts the issue of getting published in perspective... *I* am not the only one wanting to be published... the publishers can NOT read every book ever send to them. They WILL prefer getting a short description and a short portion of the book instead of carrying around kilos of paper.

The only problem with this YouTube profile is that it's almost impossible to find out the correct order of things. This is it:
1 How to Write a Book Proposal : What Is a Book Proposal?
2 How to Write a Book Proposal : How to Write a Title Page
3 How to Write a Book Proposal : How to Write a Table of Contents
4 How to Write a Book Proposal : How to Write a Chapter Synopsis
5 How to Write a Book Proposal : Tips for Marketing a Book Proposal
6 How to Write a Book Proposal : How to Write a Author Bio for a Book
7 How to Write a Book Proposal : Writing Chapters in a Book Proposal
8 How to Write a Book Proposal : Writing Cover Letters

It really doesn't explain how to write a cover letter or what is it supposed to be on it.

Here's a nice page on book proposal - if you read it and watch these videos, you should have a good understanding of the book proposal. Just dive in. :-)

Monday, November 3, 2008

To think that some people have actually...

written a novel in a week.
already written over 10.000 words for Nanowrimo
What am I doing here? Why am I not writing?

Two first days of Nanowrimo 2008

I make myself a cup of strong tea and try to avoid getting to the computer... I HAVE to write one hour, one simple, single hour, and I’m desperately trying to procrastinate... I call myself a writer, but I don’t write...

It is said that plots are easy, good ideas are dime a dozen... Sure, I have good ideas. I just wish there was someone who could write them into books. I wonder if my ideas ARE good... I wonder if there is no such thing as bad idea, just bad writers...

Sigh...

I want to write a book about the Otherkin, like vampires and werewolves, but not about vampires and werewolves.

[writing a couple of lines]


Oh, this is such crap! No-one wants to read this book!
It doesn’t matter. Just write.

[writing a couple of lines]

Oh dang! I just can’t keep writing... I can see these people in front of me.

[writing descriptions of the characters

Not even 1000 words... sigh. I’m supposed to be a writer. I’m supposed to tell a story about people whom I know, to introduce these people to others, to write a free essay... no-one will be able to tell me “that didn’t happen”, because I’m the only person in the universe who knows what happens.

[writing a couple of lines - more of speculations about what is going to happen in the story]


1712 words... Phew. But – the inspiration is over for now.

I really don’t need to write anything that will change the people’s views or make people love my characters... though if I want to make the other otherkin as beloved and desired as vampires and werewolves, there has to be sex and love. There has to be a certain MarySue quality to the text.

[writing a couple of lines]

It might be hard to think that I actually am suffering from writer’s block... I really don’t have the slightest idea where’s this story going. I know that writer’s block is overcome by writing, that about 1 of every 10 words might be something to keep. But I really... I’m good at creating characters and having ideas, but filling the pages between ideas and characters... that’s hard. I didn’t have that problem when I was younger. I could fill paper after paper with text, tell stories pages long. I know I could write about Link frolicking in the moonlit snowy forest, with his thick furcoat and big paws that work as snowshoes. I could try to make him a likable character. I like Link. I should be able to draw him so that others like him too.

[writing the outline of the story and a couple of lines]


It’s 1 pm the second day of nanowrimo and I’m ready to give up. I’m not a writer. I really don’t have the slightest idea of what to write. I don’t know how to lead the reader from one place to another.

[writing a couple of lines]


2837 words so far
I think I might feel better if I managed to write two more pages... DEEP SIGH!

[writing a couple of lines]


I don’t have enough black people in my story. Nor people of colour. Sigh, sigh, double sigh. I think I’m going to bed. SSSigh
I will NOT go on-line. I will NOT:

How difficult is it to write two more pages? How will I ever become the new Agatha Christie when I don't write? No-one needs to even read this book! I can write anything, start a new story in the middle of everything, make people fly, what ever! It’s my nanowrimo, the only goal is to get 50000 words on paper during November. I told Henric to ignore grammar and everything, and now I’m procrastinating myself! AAAAARRRRGHH!

[writing a couple of lines]

3062 word count...

[writing a couple of lines]