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Perspective

Mountains of Mail both Paper and Visual

There is never enough time in the day, whether you have a full time job or no and outside of word count goals, which may or may not be made, there is the other element in an e-published writers life...the mail. Why did I specify 'e-published,' because I seriously doubt that trade and house writers spend as much time on the web.

E-published writers, and I could be wrong, spend a lot of time on the net. We need to. We heavily promote there, we get information and correspond there, but whoa can the mail pile up. List groups are good, but when you have a ton of them and most on digest, more than half of the messages go unlooked at, I can barely decipher one group from the next. There are promos, announcements, events, chat calls, and snark, craft information and other items, some that I can use and some that I can't. There is important publisher correspondence mail like statements and contracts, family joke mail, retail sales mail, bill mail and offer mail, all bunched in together and when I think about the distraction of checking my mail boxes (yes I have 2) every day, I get moody. I should be writing but instead I'm looking at the new pics a friend just sent from Cheeseburger, or I am looking for submission responses or filtering spam, or speed reading through digest lists.

It may sound like I am complaining, but like any junkie, it's meaningless drivel. I can't blame the internet for Writer's Lapses (not blocks), I am just easily distracted and have little self control. So in the event that it seems like I lurk on lists, don't respond to mail, and don't participate in a ton of things, I review a lot but hone in on little...my inbox waits for nothing. Allways filling, allways growing...if only my word count were the same. I wouldn't feel so guilty.

What About Fan Fiction?

Every now and then I am asked about the fan fiction I used to write back in the day. Today, I was asked about a particular epic that may or may not have included several real actors from LOTR....Well, needless to say, that when I decided to write the OF (original fiction), I not only took down all of my fan fic, I desolved the old website. I am not ashamed of it...well, I don't think that I am and God knows that I loved the amount of attention and feedback that I got from the fan fic community, but now that I'm in business with a publisher, I get paranoid. What if someone sued me? Would it effect my career in the long run?

I don't know how publishers deal with former fan fic writers, but I do know that a lot of writers (ebook especially) cut their teeth in fan fic. I would love to know what they have done with their old fan fic cataloges. As for me, I would love to rewrite and transform those steamy tales in to original works but with 4 projects on the TBW (to be written) list, it won't be anytime soon...Que Sera, Sera...

Giving Back, Research, Helping Out...Or Yum...

I don't know what to call it, when an author buys another author's work. Maybe it might depend on the motive. I know that before I was published, I bought a lot more books than I do now. I purchased a lot of books from publishers I hoped to court and submit to, if only to develop a sense of their style. Lately, I spend so much time writing, that I rarely get the opportunity to read and I must admit that when it comes to ebooks, I can not sit and read a book on a computer because the compulsion and feeling of guilt will not let me get through it.

I'll be honest, I ordered Jet Mykles two Dark Elves novels for one specific place. The Bathroom. I read on the train, in the car (if not driving), while walking and definitely when flying, but it is in the bathroom where I trully love to read. In the shower or on the throne, I love the peace and quiet I get in that room. Crass, I know, but true.

While I haven't been reading much erotica lately (as represented by my book reviews), I am so stoked to have picked up this series. Why? Because it is a smutty, easy-reading, gem of fantasy and because I am a notorious fan of the Drow, which may or may not have been an inspiration for the species of dark elves in this book. An ole' AD&D player, I could not resist the idea of hot dark elf sex...(ref. to post about Prince Nuada/Drizzt) . It's no secret, I love monsters and hot fantasy sex, hell I my favorite fanfic pairing is Legolas and Gimli, so this book definitely caught my attention.

I have read the first book (Part 1 & Part 2) already. Yup. It took all of 5 days of bathroom time and it was a saucy, sexy delight. Het/ MM...Menage... tis my kind of read and while I won't go in depth with a Review until I have completed the entire series (I hear tell of a 5th book) I am definatley a fan of the series...it's so wickedly, naughtay :D

Vacations for Writers...

Personally, I wonder how most writers deal with vacations. Well, if you're a full-time writer, you might spend it relaxing right? If you're a part-time writer, the word vacation might seem scary. I mean, for me personally, when given the choice between going on an excursion, going jet skiing, or eating out at a fabulous restuarant, I can't help wanting to just stay inside and write. 7 Days of nothing but scenery, air conditioning and a Carribean view. Still, every time I open up the laptop, I get the look of guilt.

Just think about it, nothing but comfort, time to write and a beautiful view! I'm not saying that I haven't been down to the beach. Hell, I've been on a lot of adventures this week and haven't done nearly the amount of writing that I should have. I'm refreshed...feeling guilty but refreshed.

Can the two ever equal out? Can I take a few days off of work just to do my own writing vacation...one shall see and can hope.