Of shoes and ships and sealing wax-- Of captcha and kings (who stand on platforms)

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Guys, I'm not planning a huge post today. Rather, I thought I would catch up with you all. How are you going? We're two months into 2012 now - is everyone meeting their writing goals? I must confess that I've been struggling a bit, though that's starting to turn around now. I've been trying to re-plot FROM THE OTHER SIDE, which I've renamed REVENGE, ahead of a giant re-write. You know the feeling, when you've got such a huge task ahead of you that it all seems too daunting...

But I've been taking inspiration from this passage of Mary Kole's:

So if you feel like you’re just tinkering, shoveling text like a kid pushing peas around his plate, be brave and try starting over completely. You know what you want to accomplish with the section, so just take a brand new run at it. Or maybe you’ll realize that the section wasn’t working and trash it entirely, or find another, better part that fits. Change is tough, especially when you’ve been working on something for years and are eager to see it in print. But it’s once you kick the ladder out from under yourself completely, I’ve found, that you discover resources and ideas you never could’ve imagined.

If you're facing the thought of big revisions ahead, Mary's post might give you some helpful insights - it did me :)

Talking about motivational posts, did you catch this post by the legendary Angela Ackerman of The Bookshelf Muse (in a guest post at Write to Done)? It gives a number of practical ways in which you can turn your writing weaknesses into strength, and is a must-read for all writers. And Angela was kind enough to mention me and my Beta Matches in her point about finding critique partners to help identify your weak areas and offer strategies to improve.

Captcha

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It used to be bad enough, but the word verification (now commonly known as captcha - "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart," according to Wikipedia) at the bottom of many bloggers' comments boxes is causing all of us huge headaches! In their quest to trick spammers, the writing has become almost indecipherable to us mere mortal humans. So we're forced to squint, guess, re-enter words over and over again, all of which is a waste of time. Many bloggers refuse to comment if they know you use captcha, so you might even be missing out on comments if you use it!

Did you know you can turn word verification off? While I can't speak for other blogging platforms, Blogger does a pretty good job of filtering spammers. True, you receive an email telling you exactly what the spam message is, but the message isn't seen on your blog. So I guess it's worth considering. Anything to make things easier, right? Here's a recent post by Siv Maria, who's definitely not feeling the love. She tells you how to turn word verification off, with step by step instructions for those of us who are more technologically challenged :)

Writers' Platforms

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You know I'm all about platforms, right? Well, it's important to build one, of course. But have you thought about what happens then? And what a platform is anyway? Sher A Hart has written an awesome post about what exactly a writers' platform is, and more importantly, how not to fall off once you've built one. Check it out - I think you might find it useful.

Well, my not-so-huge post has gone on a little longer than I planned. So that's it me for today :)

How about you, any thoughts or helpful links you'd like to share? Do you just want to tear captcha to shreds? Have you got the philosophy *behind* your writers' platform in place?

Campaigner Notice-Board (Friday, February 24th, 2012)

Hey guys, another week of my Fourth Campaign has now passed :)

The First Campaigner Challenge is going fabulously, and we've just hit the magic 200 entries!!! There's still time to enter, though only a few hours left until 11.59pm Friday, EDT, so get in quick! "Like" voting will be open for another week for those making their way through all the awesome entries. The judges are hard at work (thank you judges!) on judging your entries, and we're sorting out and allocating prizes as we speak.

Make sure you come back for the Second Campaigner Challenge on Monday, March 5th. I'm putting the finishing touches on the Challenge now, and it'll be much harder *grins* (though there'll be easier options too for those of you who wish to take them). Here's a clue:

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And, of course, check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

• From K.T. Hanna at K.T. Hanna – The Scribble Muse: March 2012 is a #writemotivation Goal-Check Month! "The point of a #writemotivation Goal-Check Months is not about competition or getting first or second place - the only competition is with yourself and that damned writer’s ego. There will be rewards in the way of critiques, betas, and perhaps technical blog help for those who achieve their personal goals. Sign Up closes Feb 28 11:59pm CST. Check it out here! 
• From Callie Kingston at Callie Kingston: Blog Tour for Undertow runs Feb. 16 through March 13th. Giveaways at each stop, plus entry to grand prize drawing. Drop by my blog and take a look! 
• From Mark Koopmans at Aloha, and Hi! from Hi!: As I was born and reared in Dublin, Ireland, I'm mad excited for my Blog O'Hop with the theme of Got Irish - Get Pinched If You Don't Post! The linky list will officially open from March 12 to March 16, with the invitation to post the next day, which is, of course St. Patrick's Day :) 
• From Daniel R. Marvello at The Vaetra Files: If you have published a fantasy book that includes magic, consider joining your peers at The Magic Appreciation Tour and Book Sale. This is a unique Web-site is specifically for fans of magical fantasy, where readers find books and authors find friends. The Magic Appreciation Tour includes other Campaign alumnae (Roger Eschbacher and Katharina Gerlach) and the current Campaigner Vanna Smythe.
• From Daisy Carter at Fresh as a Daisy: In honor of the campaign, Daisy Carter is having a multiple books GIVEAWAY! Enter by March 5th for your chance to win! Check it out here! 
• From Alison Miller at Left Brained all Day; Write Brained - All the Time: Alison Miller is giving away ARCs of Wanderlove, I Hunt Killers, and more. Contest ends March 2. Check out this post! 
• From A.E. Martin at A.E. Martin: I'm giving a way a signed copy of Jessica Spotswood's debut novel Born Wicked. Follow my blog and leave a comment for a chance to win! Giveaway closes 2/29/12. 
• From Komal at Komal Lewis: I'm holding a giveaway to celebrate reaching 100 followers! Head on over for your chance to win e-gift cards for Barnes & Noble or Amazon! Check it out here! 
• From Amanda at Born Bookish: Do you love novels in verse? Amanda's hosting a novels in verse reading challenge. Click here to learn more. 
• From Jessica Therrien at Jessica Therrien - From Imagination to Publication: The Kindle edition of my debut novel, Oppression (Children of the Gods #1), is available for only .99 cents on Amazon! 
• From Kathy McKendry at Imagine Today: Join the Knights of Micro-Fiction, the last Monday of every month, in our quest to spark the creative genius in us all! Check it out here! 
• From Tina Moss at Tina Moss | Urban Fantasy & Romance Author: Twitter-Sized Pitch Contest from today Friday, Feb. 24th until Friday, March 2nd. Three winners will receive a query and first five page critique from me and my agents at Literary Counsel. The details are here! 
• And don’t forget to sign up for my Beta-Match (an opportunity for you to find critique partners and/or beta readers).

If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please. If your announcement is for a continuing event that you want included in other Notice-Boards, you'll need to fill out the form again each week.

First Campaigner Challenge (of my Fourth Campaign, February 2012)

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The time has come for my First Campaigner Challenge, woot!!! The Challenge is:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count. 

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

• end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)

• include the word "orange" in the story

• write in the same genre you normally write

• make your story 200 words exactly!

Feel free to use the picture to inspire you, or else see how whacky, creative, and original you can get :)

Once you’ve posted your Challenge post on your blog, pop back here and link directly to it in the Linky List below. Please make sure you include the direct URL link to your post, not just the link to your blog! Otherwise we won't be able to find your entry.

I've also set up the Linky List so you can "Like" entries, so make sure you come back here and vote for the People's Choice Awards!!! Like voting will remain open for the week after the Challenge ends, so you can take your time reading some/all of the entries and voting. As the like voting is not a popularity contest, it is only intended that people taking part in the actual Challenge should vote. So please don't go out and get your family/friends/other bloggers to vote for you. If you only have time to read/vote for a few entries, consider randomly selecting entries or starting at the end rather than at the beginning, so that the people at the end have their entries read and voted on as well.

Entries in the First Campaigner Challenge will close on Friday, February 24th (at 11.59pm EDT), so make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then. As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

Thank you so much to all the Campaigners who have volunteered to judge one or more of the Challenges. I'm amazed by your generosity—you all rock!!! In terms of judging, Michael Offutt from SLC Kismet will be in touch about that very soon. If you don't hear from us this Challenge, we may contact you to judge the Second Challenge (there are more judges than we need though, so it's possible we might not need your help this time, though we would love to take you up on it in my next Campaign in August). I'd love you all to take a moment to pop over and follow Michael, to say thanks for all his hard work in co-ordinating the judging.

There will be a stack of prizes awarded this Challenge (and the Second Challenges), both for the entries that are judged the best (by the judges and by yourselves) and through Random.org. We're talking ARCs, books, critiques, and other items galore! I'll be announcing the winners in the weeks after the Challenge finishes, so keep an eye out.

And as to that, thank you so much to everyone who donated the dozens of prizes we'll be awarding in the Challenges. I'm blown away by your generosity! Ozlem Yiciki or Steph Schmidt will be in touch over the course of the Campaign to discuss details of your prize donation. And would everyone please take the time to follow Ozlem and follow Steph as a sign of your appreciation for their help - without them, I wouldn't have been able to offer prizes.

So, all that remains is to enjoy. Leave a comment to let me know you're doing the Challenge. Have fun writing your post, then pop round to the other entrants, check out their posts, follow and comment, and decide which entry or entries YOU like the best!

And don't forget to add your name and post link to the Linky Link below before 11.59 pm this Friday!

IMPORTANT: DON'T PUT YOUR NAME IN THE LINKY LIST UNTIL YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR POST - THEN LINK DIRECT TO THAT POST PLEASE (ie, insert the complete URL to your Challenge post, not your blog address/URL)

Campaigner Notice-Board (February 17th, 2012)

Welcome to your first full week as Campaigners! With an awesome 250-odd Campaigners for my Fourth Campaign, the next month is going to be great fun indeed. And my First Campaigner Challenge kicks off on Monday - it's voluntary of course, but so much fun I hope you all pop back for it!

A reminder too, if you're looking for critique partners and/or beta readers, don’t forget to sign up for my Beta-Match. We've had some great partnerships formed already *grins*.

And, of course, check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

• From K.T. Hanna at K.T. Hanna – The Scribble Muse: March 2012 is a #writemotivation Goal-Check Month! The point of a #writemotivation Goal-Check Months is not about competition or getting first or second place - the only competition is with yourself and that damned writer’s ego. There will be rewards in the way of critiques, betas, and perhaps technical blog help for those who achieve their personal goals. Check it out here!
• From Gwen Tolios at Fulfilling Dreams: Are You Writing Now? aka AYWN is a group focused on finding writing accountability partners to help us achieve monthly goals. Check out what we’re about here!
• From Jessica Therrien at Jessica Therrien - Imagination to Publication: My debut novel, Oppression (Children of the Gods #1), will be released on February 28th! I'll be hosting a Virtual Launch Party to celebrate. I hope to see you there!
• From Doreen McGettigan at Doreen McGettigan: I am looking for guest bloggers for the month of March while I am on a book tour. If you are interested you can e-mail me at doreenb8@verizon.net. Check my site out here!
• From Jodi Su at 52 Weeks: Jodi Su recently read about using indiegogo for fundraising for writing projects so she launched Flower Children. Jodi Su would like to know if other #writecampaign folks have used indiegogo and asks for tips & advice. Please leave a comment on her blog, 52 weeks, and she will send you a piece of phonetography [sic] art.
• From J.C. Martin at J.C Martin - Fighter Writer: As you know, my Writer Wednesday interview feature first came about as a Crusader Quiz, where I interviewed fellow Campaigners. I would love to go back to that, so if any fellow Campaigners would like to be interviewed for the Writer Wednesday feature, just e-mail me here: jc@jc-martin.com
• From RaeAnn at RaeAnn: A new participant in this year's campaign, has humbly written a poem to show her gratitude to all participants in making her blogging journey an enjoyable one. Special thanks for Rach for hosting this! Visit my Poem here!
• From Lori M Lee at You are the Unicorn of my Dreams: My one-year blogiversary, with 14 prizes to be given away, including gift cards, book orders, and critiques. Check out my blog! 
• From Anna Waggener at Anna Waggener’s Blog: My debut YA novel will launch in June from Scholastic Press, but I'm hosting a galley giveaway right now! Check out this Blog Post for more details. I'd love to share my work with you! 
• From Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist: In anticipation of the launch of her second middle grade fantasy THE RUINS OF NOE, Danika will host a fun writing contest on her blog. Rules will be posted Wed. Feb 22 and there will be multiple ways to win copies of one or both of her books. 
• From Heather Davis at Minivan Momma: Name that post contest!! If your name gets the most votes, you could win "The Help" prize pack!! Check it out! 
• From Shelly Brown at Writing with Shelly and Chad: In celebration of 200 blog posts Writing with Shelly and Chad is inviting YOU to guest post on their blog. Guest posting is a great way to get your name/book/blog out there. Don't worry it can be fun and simple if you’re not feeling terribly profound. The post will be live on Feb 23rd here! 

If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please. If your announcement is for a continuing event that you want included in other Notice-Boards, you'll need to fill out the form again each week.

Beta Match - Are you looking for a critique partner or a beta reader? (February 2012)

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It can be hard to find a critique partner or beta reader (and even harder to find a great one!). Some of you have found critique partners and beta readers through those you know in person, while others have found them in bloggers you met online, through online conferences such as WriteOnCon, through forums such as Verla Kay's Blueboards, Absolute Write, and in other ways. But time and again I’ve seen people commenting that they don’t know where to look. So, in honor of tomorrow's Valentine's Day and finding your perfect match, I thought I’d help out (*grins*).

I'm running a Beta Match (and don't let the name fool you, it's for critique partners too!). And it's not limited to Campaigners, so feel free to take part if you want. Here's an awesome post from agent Mary Kole that describes the differences between CPs and beta readers.

If you’re interested in taking part in my Beta Match, there are two options:

OPTION ONE: Put your details and what you’re looking for in the comments below, using the following template:
Name: (your name, pen name, or blogging handle)
Email: (your email address)

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My current WIP: (give a few details)
I'm looking for: (a critique partner or beta reader or both. Plus give info about the critiquing style/focus/etc that you want from a CP/beta reader, and whether you have work ready to be looked at now or are looking for a long-term partnership)
Some info about me: (anything you think a potential CP or beta reader will need to know)

AND/OR

OPTION TWO: Read through other comments in this post to see if someone who’ll suit your needs has commented. Then contact them directly.

Please note: Beta Match isn't only for those who have a piece of work ready to be critiqued right now. It's intended to be a way for people to find critique partners who can help them with their writing/revisions/etc over the long-term. Even if you're after a beta reader, you can still connect with someone now and swap work at a later date :)

Wishing you the best of luck finding someone!

Where to from here? (and the Campaigner Notice-Board) (Feb 2012)

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I'd like to say a huge welcome to all the Campaigners (here, have some cookies!). I can't wait to get to know you over the next two months, and I know you're all looking forward to meeting and networking with each other. Now, halfway through sign-ups, we have 189 Campaigners who've come on board (what an awesome number!). And you still have until 11.59pm EDT Wednesday to sign up before I close the List of Campaigners.

First Campaigner Challenge

The First Campaigner Challenge begins on Monday, February 20th, so pop back here then if you want to take part in the fun! Remember, you don't have to take part, though it is great fun and a cool way to meet your fellow Campaigners.

Where to from here?

Where to from here, you ask? I gave you some suggestions in my previous post. Basically, take advantage of all the networking opportunities the Campaign is providing you. You can:

• meet and chat with other Campaigners on Twitter at #writecampaign
• visit the Campaigners' blogs
• take part in the Campaigner Challenges
• pop around to all the events on the Campaigner Notice-Board
• and above all, get to know the members of your Campaign Group(s) and see what fun activities you can come up with together (previous Campaigners have organized joint blogfests, Campaigner interviews, Choose Your Own Adventure Bloghops, and so on)

If you haven't already, now's the time to go around to your fellow Campaigners and some or all of the Campaigners in your Group(s). Make sure you follow and leave a comment and tell them who you are. Some awesome blogging connections have been made this way in the past. Try to visit them as much as possible during the Campaign, and make sure you leave comments as this is one of the key ways Campaigners can show their support.

This post about organizing Google Reader may help.

Campaigner Notice-Board

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

1. From Rach at Rach Writes: I will be holding a Beta Match (matching up critique partners and beta readers) on Monday, February 13th. Make sure you pop back to Rach Writes... on Monday to put your name down or search the list for your perfect match :) 
2. From T.B. McKenzie at Magickless: On Friday the 13th I will be giving away a signed, first edition copy of my debut novel, the Dragon and the Crow. All you have to do is tell me who your favourite dragon is and why. From Puff to Smaug, or a dragon more obscure -- just tell me why they are the best, and I'll pick the most sincere and eloquent entry. There can be only one! Check it out here.
3. From K.S. Collier at K.S. Collier: New book is being launched. "The Veil" by K.S. Collier is now available on Amazon Kindle. The hard copies will be following soon, as will Barnes & Noble for the Nook. Excited to meet everyone on my blog!
4. From Kimberly at Here's What I Think About That: Blog Hop for "Weekend" Happiness. Opens Friday and closes Sunday. Check it out here! 
5. From Meradeth at Write Stuff: I'm holding a $10 Amazon gift card giveaway--all you have to do is tell me what you think is the most romantic city in the world is--very simple! Tell me here.
6. From Chris Kelworth at The Kelworth Files: I'm looking for Campaigners to interview for my Campaigner Spotlight feature. Let me know on my blog.
7. From Rachele Alpine at Freckle Head: I'm doing a poll to see how people "discover" books.
8. From Rachele Alpine at Freckle Head: I'm having a Valentine's Day contest where I'm giving away heart hand warmers that are great for writing with!
   From Juliemybird at Rosewood Pencil Box: is hosting a giveaway for a(t least one) signed copy of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons. All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address. Winner(s) will be announced March 6. Come join the fun!
9. From Rebekah Loper at Black & Dark Night: "There's lots of stuff happening in February! Almost every Tuesday, there's an author interview/guest post & book giveaway, covering everything from Christian fic to paranormal to memoir. Current giveaway is Shades of the Orient (interview & details here). On Saturday, February 11th, is an extra interview & book giveaway with Rebecca Hamilton, author of The Forever Girl. Upcoming authors include Jean Marie Bauhaus, Dana Sitar, and Jessica Therrien. Check it all out on her blog!
10. From Stella Atrium at Stella Atrium on OpenSalon: The Blog from Stella Atrium focuses on indie writers for the fantasy genre, and especially developing more and more interesting girl heroes. Details here. 

If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please. If your announcement is for a continuing event that you want included in other Notice-Boards, you'll need to fill out the form again each week.

And don't forget to stop back at Rach Writes... on Monday for Beta-Match (an opportunity for you to find critique partners and/or beta readers).

Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

There are so many of us out there. Aspiring authors, bloggers (whether established or beginning), industry peeps, even published authors, all of whom want to build their online platforms. We write insightful posts and articles, actively blog within the blogosphere, take part in challenges, competitions, and contests galore.

We have the passion and the drive to make it, but…we could all do with a bit of support.

So I started thinking. What if we link all these people together? What if we create a way to meet people in a similar position, people who genuinely want to help build our online platform while at the same time building theirs? People who want to pay it forward in the spirit of writerly writerness and blogging beautificity (and see it come back to them in turn).

And so, my Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign was born.

What is the Campaign?

Basically, the Campaign is a way to link those of us in the writing community together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms. The Campaigners are all bloggers in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others' online platforms while at the same time building theirs.

As the Campaign kicks off, you'll have the names and blog addresses of the Campaigners on my List of Campaigners page (above), so you can keep in touch with the other Campaigners. That way you’ll have a list of bloggers in the same position as you, who genuinely want to help you succeed. And you'll be able to meet those who have the most in common with you. You can visit their blogs and other places they haunt, follow along, leave comments galore, and share your highs and lows as you journey through the blogosphere and build your online platform. And they'll be doing the same for you.

If you want to find out a bit more about past Campaigns, check out the info I've included here.

The Team

This year I have a fantastic group of people who've volunteered to help me out with the Campaign. For the Fourth Campaign, the core Campaign Team comprises myself, Michael Offutt, K.T. Hanna, Ozlem Yikici, and Steph Schmidt, and others will be helping us out in other respects too. I'd love it if you could make your way around and follow all these awesome people, and maybe even leave a comment to say thanks for their time and effort. I'll be including all the fabulous volunteers' links in relevant posts as the Campaign progresses.

Key Dates

• This Fourth Campaign will be a mini-Campaign, and will run from today until Saturday, March 17, 2012.

• The List of Campaigners will close on Wednesday, February 15th, so make sure you sign up before then.

• The First Campaigner Challenge will begin on Monday, February 20th and end on Saturday, February 25th.

• The Second Campaigner Challenge will begin on Monday, March 5th and end on Saturday, March 10th.

Organized Campaign Events

During the Campaign:

• I'll be running the two Campaigner Challenges I mentioned above.
• each Friday I'll post a Campaigner Notice-Board, where you can announce blogfests, book launches, things you'd like to share with your other Campaigners, etc etc. You'll need to send me the information in advance, and I've made up a form to make things easier. If you want me to include your details in this Friday's post (February 10th), please fill out this form.
• there will be lots of Twitter-talk at #writecampaign, so make sure you jump in and take part to meet, get to know, and encourage your fellow Campaigners. 

As this is a mini-Campaign, these are the only organized Campaign events. As always, it's up to you how involved you want to be.

As in the Third Campaign, I'm also asking for people who'd like to volunteer to judge the Campaigner Challenges and/or donate a prize (you can tell me your preference in the form I'll be asking you to fill out below).

How to join?

If you’d like to join the Fourth Campaign, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. follow me if you haven't already, so you can check out the Campaigner Notice-Board on Fridays and take part in Campaigner Challenges 
2. comment on this post, to let the other Campaigners know you’ll be coming on board
3. blog about the Campaign to help spread the word (include a link to this post and encourage your followers to join)
4. tweet about the Campaign if you're on Twitter, and include a link to this post. Follow me here if you wish
5. pop a link to this post on Facebook (if you’re a Facebook fan) and/or on Google Plus if that's your favorite haunt. Or anywhere else you hang out, it's up to you. My links to Facebook, Google Plus, and LinkedIn are on my sidebar if you want to find me there
6. and fill out this form.

And then?

Once you’ve joined the Campaign:

1. go to my List of Campaigners page and put your name down for a Campaigner Group (or more than one if you want to get to know more people) 
2. pop round and introduce yourself to some or all the Campaigners in your Campaigner Group. If you wish, pop round to some or all of the other Campaigners and introduce yourself as well
3. follow some or all of the Campaigners in your Campaigner Group(s) (and others if you wish). Due to the size of the Campaign, there's no need to follow all Campaigners!!!
4. put the Campaign badge on your sidebar and link it back to my Writers' Platform-Building Campaign page above
5. keep an eye out for posts/comments/tweets by other Campaigners (and particularly those in your Campaigner Group) and do your best to comment on as many as you can, as often as you can. Also consider following your fellow Campaigners on Twitter and liking them on Facebook, mentioning their blog posts and re-tweeting their tweets, and otherwise supporting them
6. get to know your fellow Campaigners at #writecampaign on Twitter
7. join in my Campaigner Challenges if you wish (you don't have to, of course). They're a great way to get to know other Campaigners and have fun at the same time.

Can't wait to see you all on board!

Campaigner Notice-Board Form - Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

This form is for use by Campaigners who wish to announce blogfests, book launches, things you'd like to share with your other Campaigners, etc etc during the Fourth Campaign. The Notice-Boards will be posted each Friday during the Campaign, so please fill out the form by 11.59pm EST on Thursday evening if you want your information to be included. If you wish to make the same announcement multiple times, you'll need to fill out this form each time.

Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign - Sign Up Form

This form is for use by Campaigners who wish to sign up to join my Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign. Sign up will close at 11.59pm EST on Wednesday, February 15th. Can't wait to see you on board!

How do you deal with a case of the Bleh???

Only a short post today in anticipation of the kick-off of my Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign next Monday, yay! Make sure you all come back then and sign up, so you don't miss out on joining. Instructions will be in my post next Monday.

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I've been struck down with a bad case of the Bleh over the last few weeks. You all know the symptoms I'm sure: general lethargy, inability to write much, the beloved manuscript you've worked on for months (years?) looks like it has a bad case of Spotty Needsmorerevision-itis and you simply don't know where to start, shiny new ideas start creeping around the house and whispering to you that you should drop everything and work on them, emails get backed up because you haven't responded, you're behind on visiting all the places your friends hang out on the interweb, etc etc etc.

Hmm.

Do you all have these days as well? What do you do when (if?) you get like this? Is there a magic potion I can take to cure myself, or do I just have to keep pushing through? Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Winner of THE CLOCKWORK GIANT (and a reminder about the Write Dreams charity auction)

Guys, I've had a little chat with Mr. Random.org, and he's whispered in my ear that Kelley (commentor #1) is the winner of Brooke Johnson's THE CLOCKWORK GIANT. Congratulations to Kelley, and thanks again to everyone who stopped by to read Brooke's interview.

A reminder not to forget to visit Write Dreams, the online charity auction being run by my good friends Marieke, Luna, and Amanda. There's critiques (partial and full), ARCs, books, mystery boxes, and a huge swag of other prizes to bid on, and days yet to run on the auction. And all proceeds will be donated to Donna's Dream House. Can't wait to see you all over there - and watch out, cause I'm bidding too :)

Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign - Announcement

Thanks heaps to all of you who voted on the question of whether we should have one Campaign or two this year (and an even bigger thanks to those who volunteered to help out!). The results were so close (50% each way) and many of you were so keen to go ahead, that I've decided to do the following:

I'll be having two Campaigns this year, one beginning in February and the other in August (after WriteOnCon). However, this coming Campaign in February will be a mini-Campaign and will only run until mid-March (one month). I'll be setting up a List of Campaigners so you can meet each other, and I'll run one or two Campaigner Challenges and a Campaigner Notice-Board. That will be about it. Then the main Campaign will be in August.

Sounds good, I hope :)

The Fourth Campaign will begin on Monday, February 6th, so make sure you come back then and sign up. Can't wait to see you all on board!

The Writing Process: guest post by Brooke Johnson (and a contest!)

Guys, today Brooke Johnson, author of The Clockwork Giant, has come along to give us some insight into her writing process. I hope you all enjoy her comments, and find some useful things that you may be able to apply to your own writing. Make sure you read to the end for a chance to win a copy of The Clockwork Giant (paperback or ebook).

Take it away Brooke :)

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Hi people, Brooke Johnson here, debut author of The Clockwork Giant, a young adult steampunk novel. You can find more about me and my writing at my website. As part of this guest post, I’m also giving away a copy of my book—ebook or paperback, whichever is preferred—so be sure to comment!

When I sit down to write a new story, I have the basic idea in mind, a loose sort of mental collage. But before I can start writing, I have to figure out what my characters—what they want, and how far they’re willing to go to get it. That says a lot about a person, more than their eye color or current occupation. It’s also important to know their fatal flaw. In the case of Petra, the main character of The Clockwork Giant, her biggest flaw is the compulsion to prove herself.

Once I have my characters, I have to figure out the theme, or the meaning behind the story. It has to be something that syncs with the characters’ goals and what I have in mind for the plot. For The Clockwork Giant, I wanted to tell a story about a girl who despite her current situation isn’t afraid to follow her dreams, even if she has to fight the entire way.

When I know the theme, I can start plotting. I aim to plot at least two subplots in addition to the main plot, but ideally, the subplots are so integral to the main plot, it all sort of meshes together. At this point, I take that mental collage of images that I associate with my story, and I start jotting scenes down. A scene description could be anywhere from a short sentence to a quarter of a page. I don’t try to plot chronologically. I think of the big scenes first, the ones that are so important that without them, the story wouldn’t exist. Then I brainstorm on the less exciting scenes and the subplots, trying to get about thirty scenes total. Once I’ve done that, I shuffle the scenes around until I find the order I like best.

And when that’s done, I can start writing. I try to get at least 1500 words a day, but sometimes I can write twice that. I research while I write, looking up things as I go along, but if there is a bunch of stuff to research, I’ll put aside a day or a week to get it all straightened out. I also edit as I go, reading over the previous day’s work before putting any new words down. It helps me remember where I left off, and I can fix any typos or awkward phrasing I might find. Oftentimes, I’ll discover within the first chapter or two that my outline isn’t going to work, and I have to adjust. For The Clockwork Giant, I had written three-quarters of the book when I realized that I would have to change the ending. Thankfully, I’m not that stubborn. The ending is better for it.

After I finish the first draft, I send it to my beta-readers. Once they respond, next are the rounds and rounds of revision and editing and proofreading until finally, the book is finished. It’s a long, arduous process, but totally worth it.

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Thanks so much to Brooke for taking the time to talk to us today. Here's her bio:

Ever since she was a little girl, Brooke had a love of building long-forgotten, fantastical worlds, and as she grew up, and the worlds became more complex and the characters came to life, she found that she didn't have enough Legos to do them justice. Convinced it was her destiny to create, she delved into writing.

Now married and living in Northwest Arkansas with her husband and dog, she spends her days scrambling around the vast landscape of her imagination, the fantastical worlds of princes and wizards on one side and the towering, brass cities of automatons and engineers on the other.

You can purchase The Clockwork Giant at most online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Lulu. The Book Trailer is here if you want to check it out.

The Clockwork Giant description

It's 1881, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Chroniker City, the global hub of technological advancement in the modern world. Based off the British coast, the city is home to the most prestigious polytechnic university worldwide, a center of mechanical ingenuity teaching everything from clockwork mechanics and thermodynamics to electromagnetism and electricity.

Petra Wade, self-taught clockwork engineer, dreams of one day becoming a member of the Guild, an elite group of inventors and innovators who envision a future fueled by technology, but her ambitions will only come to fruition if she can find a way into the illustrious university—an institution reserved for men only. When she meets Emmerich Goss, an accomplished engineer newly recruited into the Guild, Petra discovers that he needs help building a top-secret, government-sanctioned automaton, and she is just the girl to help him.

Together, they craft the clockwork giant, and as the deadline for its completion nears, Petra finds that she can love more than gears and mainsprings.

Contest

If you would like the chance to win a copy of The Clockwork Giant (paperback or ebook), please follow both myself and Brooke if you're not already, and leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn by Random.org and will be announced next Monday, so make sure you pop back then. We'll try to contact the winner but if we can't (if their email address is not linked up to their blogging profile for example), we may have to re-draw.

Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

Thanks so much to everyone who voted and gave me their comments on my question last week: one Campaign or two per year. You've all been an awesome help and have made some comments that really touched me. And a huge thank you to everyone who volunteered to assist me - I'll be getting in touch with you soon to discuss. I've nearly got my plans in place for what I'll be doing, and I'll be making the grand announcement next Monday. So stay tuned :)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Hugs,

Introducing Write Dreams, a writers' charity auction coming soon, and Luna!

Today I'm interviewing Luna, one of my CPs and friends. She's going to tell you all about Write Dreams, a writers' charity auction that's following on in the footsteps of Write Hope. The auction begins on January 16, so make sure you check it out and follow along - there's heaps of cool stuff to bid on.

Take it away Luna.

We’ve been talking a lot lately about Write Dreams, would you care to tell us what it is and what it aims to do?

Write Dreams is a kidlit auction we (Marieke, Amanda & me) have set up to raise money for Donna’s Dream House in order to help them with restoration costs following an arson attack on the 23rd December 2011.

In the middle of the night, arsonists broke into the office building and adjacent health centre. They stole essential computer equipment and damaged the suite, before setting fire to the furniture. When the fire was discovered, it was almost too late. The building was so badly damaged that it may have to be rebuilt completely, with total damages estimated in excess of £80,000/$125,000. More importantly, the fire destroyed photographs and mementoes of Donna - and hope.

What is the cause behind Write Dreams?

Donna Curtis died New Year’s Day in 1996, she was only 20. Having spent her last four years fighting cancer Donna saw the suffering of many terminally ill children and vowed her legacy would help them live a little more happily in the time they had left.

Donna’s Dream House is a holiday home for children and teenagers with life-threatening or terminal illnesses. The Dream House is run completely by volunteers and encourages the imagination. It’s how any child would imagine the perfect holiday to be. It’s full of light and laughter, fun and - most importantly - life. Since its start, Donna's Dream House has hosted and helped almost 380 families. 300 of those children have now sadly passed away, but the families who are left behind will always cherish the memories from Donna’s Dream House.

Why is this so important to you and Amanda and Marieke?

I’ve been sitting here for 20mins trying to decide how best to answer this… my mum died of lung-cancer when I was 11. She was ill for months and spent her last Christmas in a hospice. My father tried to explain this to me but I just thought she’d get better. The last time I saw her I was too occupied with playing with my nephew that I barely said hello. She died on the 2nd January and I didn’t tell her I loved her when I went home the day before.

Just over a year and a half later my father was in hospital to have his foot amputated. And I hadn’t learned, too excited about going into town I was only there for a short while. (To be fair to my younger self, it was supposed to be routine surgery.) When I came home from school the next day the doctor was on the phone to explain he had died during the night.

If I tried, I could maybe scrape together 10 memories of my mother, sadly even less of my father. I can’t even fill a photo album with what I have… while it’s not the same as watching your own child suffer from a life-threatening illness, making memories, having something to hold on, is why this is SO important.

My Mum & me.
I don’t remember this but it’s worth more to me
than my entire book collection. 
(And that’s saying something!) 

Donna’s Dream House offers that dream holiday to children who may very well never get the chance to have one otherwise. It understands and supports the families of these children – it gives them a chance to build memories. Memories that will be vital to those left behind, because no matter what they say, time doesn’t heal that kind of loss. You learn to deal with it and remembering the people you love happy helps more than you can imagine.

Marieke spent a large part of her childhood in hospitals with doctors not always convinced she’d come out again. Making memories then and continuing to do so is the same lesson I learned.

Memories can be little things. One of my favourite memories is playing hide-and-seek with Marieke and two other friends in Covent Garden. If was cold, very confusing to the people around us (this was two years ago) BUT so much fun.

Amanda has the mom’s view in this, the fear of your child having a terminal illness, the feeling of helplessness. Donna’s Dream House can’t cure the illness but it can help support children and parents.

So what’s the plan with the auction? When will it start and what can people who want to help do?

We have a (still) growing list of awesome donations from writers, publishers, etc.

Starting on Monday the 16th January we will be opening the auction, posting several items per day. Among other things, we have a full signed set of Tabitha Suzuma's books, all of Alyson Noël's Immortals series with some awesome swag, Waterstone's Children's Book Award-winning Artichoke Hearts, ARCs, critiques, and many more.

The event will last two weeks.

Where can we find Write Dreams and follow along?

The auction will be held here: Write Dreams and is starting on Monday the 16th January. You can also find us on Twitter where we will be posting info about specific auctions as well as general updates, etc…

Any other comments you want to make about Write Dreams or Donna’s Dream House?

Just that it’s a really worthy cause and the donations are awesome, so you need to check it out!

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Thanks so much to Luna for taking the time to appear on Rach Writes... Make sure you all head on over to Write Dreams and follow along, then turn up on January 16 to bid on their awesome items.

Dreams and Campaigns, oh my! (And please vote in my Campaign question below)

Hi all, it's great to be back in blogland once again, and thanks for your lovely messages in my December post. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and got in lots of eating, sleeping, reading, writing, playing, and present opening! I'm gearing up for a busy year ahead, with querying FROM THE OTHER SIDE, working on my new manuscript KASANDAI, and carrying out one or two Campaigns, plus of course the usual reading heaps of new books (yay!), writing heaps, working with my critique partners, and a bunch of other stuff.

My Writers' Platform-Building Campaigns - The question of timing

A big question arises with regards to my Campaigns: Should I hold one Campaign a year or two? Obviously, Campaigns require a HUGE amount of organizing and administering, but I'm happy to do it twice a year if people want it. If it was twice a year, the next Campaign would begin on Monday, February 6, 2012. Otherwise, I could just do one massive Campaign starting in August every year. Thoughts? I'd love to hear what you think - could you please vote in the poll below.

Should we hold 1 Campaign per year or 2 (Feb and August)?
	1 only
	2 please
pollcode.com free polls

Help needed for my Campaigns (do you want to join my team?)

As to the Campaign question, I find myself in the place where I can no longer run them on my own. There are just too many tasks involved in each Campaign, and I've only lately realized I'm not superwoman *snorts*. So I'm going to need some volunteers to join my team, whether it's just for one Campaign or on an ongoing basis. Just as a quick summary, I need people to compile lists of prizes and follow up with donors, administer the judging (three people probably, one for each Challenge), type up my prize award posts with linkage etc, compile the Friday Campaigner Notice-Board posts, plus a bunch of other stuff.

I can't give any payment of course, but I'll be popping you in the list of people to be followed as a Campaigner, and I might even try to do a blog interview as well so people can get to know you. Any of you interested? Somebody? Anybody...?

Write Dreams

Remember last year how I participated in Write Hope, a writers' charity fundraising auction to benefit the Japan Disaster appeal? Well this time Marieke, Luna, and Amanda are running a new charity auction called Write Dreams, to benefit Donna's Dream House, where Christmas was cancelled this year due to arson.

Write Dreams features Nozomi again, of course, and bidding opens on a stack of awesome prizes on January 16th. So make sure you pop over and follow along so you hear all their news. On Thursday I'll be interviewing Luna, so we can find out more about the cause behind Write Dreams, something particularly dear to Luna's heart - can't wait to see you back here then.

Interview with Brooke Johnson

Next Monday I'll be conducting an interview with Brooke Johnson, debut author of THE CLOCKWORK GIANT, a YA Steampunk novel. And there'll be a CONTEST for commentors too, yay! So make sure you pop back on Monday as well.

I think that's it for now. It's so great to be back with you all. Can't wait to hear what you got up to on your holidays.

Hugs,

Have an awesome Christmas and New Year

It's been a year full of awesome, hasn't it! But that time of year has come, and I'm signing off from my blogging to take a break over the Christmas and New Year period.

Here's what we'll be getting up to Down Under :)

(prawn skewers, yum!)

(Nothing beats going to the beach on Christmas morning - no snow for us!)

(BBQs with family and friends)

(Test cricket on Boxing Day)

(Pavlova - my favorite dessert of all time!!!)

(And my niece/nephew is due on Boxing Day, woot!)

I hope you all have a fantastic festive season, filled with lots of good food, eats, and company. I'll miss you all, can't wait to reconnect in the New Year and hear all about what you've been doing.

Lots of hugs,

Loving what you do

As some of you may know from previous blog posts, I moved to a new city in January of this year. Canberra-the capital city of Australia-is very spread out, and there are wide open spaces in between many of the suburbs. I was driving along the other day looking out at the scenery (in between watching the road, of course), and I thought to myself, "I really love living here."

You see, while I've spent the last 15 years of my life in major cities, I was raised a country girl, and I'm just starting to realize that it's in my blood.

And that got me thinking. There are some things in life that we know are just right for us, that are in our blood, that have wriggled their way into our hearts and will never let go. There are some things we tolerate, some we push through hoping they'll change for the better, others we hate right from the start. But some things, the best things, just...click. It's how I feel about living here, in a city I now hope I never leave. And it's how I feel about my writing.

My writing is what I love. And it's what I want to do for the rest of my life. No matter what happens, whether I end up published or not, whether I publish multiple books or only one, I simply can't see a day where I give my writing up. And it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.

How about you: Do you love what you do? What things in your life make you smile, make you think that you'll never give them up?

Physical Telling - Do you do it?

(Source)

It came as a complete shock to me one day when my critique partner told me: "you're still telling." I'd already had this conversation, of course, so I'd thought I was going along swimmingly. That night I stared at my CP's email, mouth open, eyes bulging while I tried to work out what she meant. I'd spent months learning all about the "show not tell" rule, and even more months eradicating it from my writing. And I'd even added in more interiority as the doctor (*coughs* my critique partner) ordered. Of course, I dived back into the piece of work I'd sent her, and read it all over again. And again.

I still couldn't see anything wrong with it. So I began to research. And here's what I found.

"Physical telling" means something along the lines of the use of the actions of a character to convey their emotions. For example: "I took a deep breath," "I sighed," "I wiped my eyes," "I tapped my foot."

At a superficial level, these phrases aren't necessarily "telling" for the purposes of the "show not tell rule". The phrases are not saying "I was flustered," "I was annoyed," "I was sad," or "I was impatient." The problem is, however, that these types of phrases also aren't showing the reader what the character is actually feeling. They're just telling about an action the character is performing. And they're usually cliche, turning up in most peoples' manuscripts (and numerous times at that). So two big problems, actually. See Mary Kole's post on Physical Cliches here for her take on it.

But physical telling was all I knew how to write. If I couldn't say, "Verity was sad," then how else did I show she was sad if I didn't have her wipe tears off her cheeks?

(Source)

It was back to the drawing board for me (well, to the internet for some research, anyway).

And here's what I came up with:

• it's ok to have telling in your manuscript, as long as it's the "good" kind
• "good telling" involves using story context and interiority to paint a three-dimensional picture where you make your reader feel like a part of the story experience, but you don’t exclude them from participating either (per Mary Kole)
• for the most part, whenever you start to feel the urge to use a physical cliche, replace it with interiority instead (see here for how to do this and a definition of "interiority")
• when you're narrating a story, particularly in first person, you're in the character's head anyway. So just tell what they're feeling, rather than trying to show it through physical telling and cliches
• strong dialogue should convey the meaning that physical telling would otherwise give

In summary, read this amazing post by Cristin Terrill. Your writing will thank you for it. It's what finally crystallized everything in my mind, to the point where I'm finally confident I (nearly) have the showing and telling balance right in my manuscript.

How about you: Do you use physical telling in your manuscript? Have you found ways to avoid it (and does it even need to be avoided from your perspective)? What's your best tip on showing not telling?

Your Campaigner Challenge Stories - Ebook to benefit "Help Harry Help Others"

Guys, it's here! Katharina Gerlach has done an absolutely amazing job, and has published our ebook containing your awesome stories from the Challenges in my Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign (August to October 2011). We'd like to say a huge thank you to all those who volunteered their stories for the ebook. We've ended up with 176 stories from 81 Campaigners.

The book is on sale for $2.99USD, and all proceeds will be donated to "Help Harry Help Others." Help Harry Help Others is a fund-raising organization of eleven year old Harry who recently died of his inoperable brain tumor. When his friend Robert, who had a brain tumor too, became very ill, he set up his charity. So far, he’s raised nearly half a million British Pounds that he has donated to Cancer Research UK, to help them find a cure for brain tumors. This charity and its goals resonates strongly with me, as my father suffered (and still suffers) from a brain tumor and its effects. And the charity is doing such a fantastic job helping so many in a similar position.

We'd love you to purchase a copy (but just so you know, there is no obligation to purchase it even if your story/stories are included).

Purchase details are as follows:

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/Campaigner-Challenges-2011-ebook/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (Germany): http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0066UV28C
Amazon (France): http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0066UV28C

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104468

Barnes & Nobel: [To be advised on receipt]

I hope you enjoy, and I can't wait to hear what you think seeing your story and those of your fellow Campaigners in print :)