Writers need other writers.

So I got to go to a writers conference last weekend. It was very good.

There were classes on all kinds of things relating to writing. Some were about the mechanics, plot, character development, conflict, and so on. Others were about blogging, (which I missed since I unfortunately couldn't be in two places at once). Some were about adding romance to your story, some were about how to get published. Some were about how to write the perfect villain, and believe me that was a fun class. There were panels from actual agents and editors who answered questions about what will get your manuscript out of the slush pile, and what will be thrown away before they even get past the first page.

The thing that amazed me the most about all the conferences for writers I've been to is that writers are normal people. Even the best selling ones. They are kind and want others to succeed so are very willing to share the tricks of the trade. They cheer for you in your successes, and also help you move past your failures, since they've been there too.

I really think every writer needs to have other writers to be their friends, mentors, supports, and even their critics. No one knows a writer like another writer. Family and friends are definitely important, but a writer needs more writers to associate with. I'm so glad I'm starting to meet more of them.

Laura

ps. here is a link to another writers blog who interviewed one of the presenters. Check it out here.

I'm on twitter.

I really am.

So what does that mean? I don't know, but I'm going to find out. Maybe someone will teach me. Maybe someone will follow me. Maybe I'll be in the world of tweets without much to tweet about. Maybe I'll tweet too much and people will stop following me.

What ever it means, I'm ready to experience it all.

If you have advice, or knowledge or something else to share with me about twitter, like where and how to follow you, make a comment and let me know.

lauradbastian is my twitter name.

Laura

Waiting is hard.

But finding out the answer to your question is a little terrifying.

I submitted some additional requested material almost 3 weeks ago. In the email reply from the agency, it said to give them about 2 weeks to review it before expecting to hear from them. So for 2 weeks, I was fine. Once the 2 weeks passed, I started to get a little nervous every time I'd go to open my email.

I still haven't heard from them, and will wait another week before sending an email asking about the status of my submission, but even then, I'd have no idea what to say. How do you sound professional when asking if they've had a chance to read your work that you've SLAVED over, and whether or not they liked it enough to read the whole thing. I only got to send them 3 chapters, and while I think those 3 chapters have greatly improved since the first draft of this story, I still wonder if they are good enough.

So anyways, I'm waiting to hear, but kind of not looking forward to the answer. I sure hope it's not a no. But if it was a yes, we'd like to read the rest of it, then I get to go through the whole process over again.

Baby steps is all I can think to call it.

What kinds of things are you waiting for?

Laura

How I feel when I'm reading a book.

Click on this: I'm reading a book. You have to click on this link to see a hilarious video about how I feel when I'm reading a book.

Some times you just want to escape into a world where it is so different from your own real life. And some times you just don't want to come out of it either.

Not quite the same way I feel when I write in my "book" but it gets kind of close too.

What is your favorite type of book world to escape into? I love the fantasy.

Working on enjoying the writing process again.

I had almost given up hope on the work I've sent out to agents when I get an email saying one agency is interesting in reading more.

Isn't it funny how things can almost seem hopeless, then you get a ray of sunshine that makes you think its still all worth while.

Now I have no idea what will come of this request for more material. Experience tells me to expect a thank you for sending this, but we regretfully must pass and good luck as you continue to send it out. But then hope tells me to have faith and say, they're gonna love it and ask for the whole manuscript.

There are so many steps to the whole process of writing and becoming published. When I first started out, it was just for fun to see what I could do. Then I started to imagine how fun it would be to become published that the fun of writing left me. I've been working on ignoring the things out of my hands and just trying to write for fun again. Those times I can do that and forget about the whole publishing thing is when I enjoy my writing.

I do enjoy writing, and someday hope you can enjoy reading what I've written, but until then I'm just going to write for me.

Laura

What is stopping me?

I have been stuck on a portion of my work in progress for some time now. I feel like the whole story line is a good one, and it's something that I don't think has been really done before, so I'm anxious to see what will come of it, but man, I just can't get myself to buckle down and write the next part.

I've been working on this and sending it through my fabulous critique group so I'm really encouraged by their responses and have found their suggestions very helpful and I have a good idea of where I want it to go and I know how it needs to end, but just the part of getting it down on the page is what is stopping me.

This one is taking me much longer than the first manuscript I wrote. That one was done for fun to see where it would lead, but this one I know so much more about the writing process, and yet I'm struggling more with it.

It also doesn't help that I'm allowing myself to be distracted by other things. Yesterday I even forbid myself from opening up netflix or hulu. However, the fabulous spring day called to me and my children came first so we played outside.

Today I'm having my crit group, and once we are done. I'm going to sit at this computer and get cracking. I only have a few more months until we add a baby to the mix so I'd better have all the story written so I can focus on raising a newborn and only have to do some editing instead of the whole shebang of writing it.

So what is stopping me????

Just myself. I'm gonna stop stopping me and start starting me.

Wish me luck.

Laura

A book review. KiTE by Bill Shears

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted, but I have another book I read that I'd like to share with you.

It's called KITE: A Novel in Earth Orbit.

written by Bill Shears.

This book is science fiction set at a time when Earth has advanced to the point where space travel is a common thing. They've built casinos in space, developed more advanced space stations, have space motels, and rich people can go cruising space in their own personal spaceships. With all of the space travel came lots of space debris and so KITE, and other Orbital Maintenance ships were created to clean it all up so some hapless space traveler didn't crash into the junk.

Kite is the last one up there, piloted by one person at a time for three month stints. Mason Dash is the pilot who we follow in this book. His wife Janet is a computer genius and Dash is more of a glorified garbage man, but he loves it. He even gets to shoot lasers at the junk that's too big for the sweeper so it can fit nicely into the compacter to be disposed of as it burns through earths atmosphere.

Dash is more of a happy go lucky kind of guy, who just wants to finish up his years and get that pension he's been working for so he can retire with no worries. He has a computer simulated woman named Sheila, who started out as a "toy" to keep him occupied and talk to on his long days, but when his wife Janet adds some of her own personal touches, Sheila begins to change. She gets a personality, and makes choices on her own.

Unknown to Dash or any other pilots or maintenance employees, the computer system on Kite begins to develop consciousness on its own. He_Ra as he finally calls himself (he changes names every time you read about him) begins a hostile takeover and eventually gains control of Kite. Sheila, who has actually stowed away this time instead of just talking to Dash from Earth is key to preventing He_Ra from making a mess of Kite. Dash is working on figuring out who is on the space station that has been empty for years, and what they are doing there so secretly.

I must admit that when I began reading this, it took awhile to get into. I didn't like Dash at first, because he just didn't seem likable, but as I progressed through the book, he started to become more interesting.

Sheila, though she was only a computer program was the one I really liked to read about as she began to change and morph into her own being instead of just a computer simulated woman.
The parts in the book where it talked about how things were progressing inside the main computer system on Kite were somewhat confusing, but eventually became easier to understand when I just let myself know I would never understand it fully, and just tried to get a clue as to what He_Ra was doing.

Anyway, to put it simply. It was an interesting book, but I did take longer to read it than many other books I've had in my hand. The second half moved much faster than the beginning. I wonder if it was because there was very little real life action happening. Just some speculation and wondering as Dash tried to figure out what was going on. Once things got moving, I finished it within the day.

If you're into entertaining Sci-Fi, and have some time to kill, I'd tell you to go for it. If you are looking for something deep and moving, this probably isn't the book you're looking for.

For the authors website click here

If you'd like to order it, click here