The ink is my pen is frozen and so are the keys on my keyboard. Really! It's true! Okay. Really, nothing is wrong with the ink or the keyboard. The problem is in my head. One or two of you may know that a while ago an agent asked to see some pages of my …
Category: fear
Book fairies.
Book fairies flutter over your book and turn it into a bestseller. * Today a woman suggested I self-publish my novel. This woman doesn't really know me, and she's never read my blog and she's never read a word I've written, but she is an encouraging person her comment made me laugh because, well, that's …
My Book-shaped Heart Wants to Live in a Publishing House.
I published by book--by hand. A handmade book takes hours to put together, and it isn't cheap. I love making them though. I made three, but I can't make any more. I can't afford it because who is going to pay that kind of money for a book by an unknown writer when they don't …
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Cut what scares you.
The music is posted because it captures the mood of the story I'm working on... But for the novel I've finished (sort of finished), an agent asked to see the first 155 pages. Well, I proofread those pages again and fussed with the formatting. On page 155 I looked for the place to stop, and …
Shred everything!
Sometimes I have destructive impulses. You? Often when I share my writing with others, I want to yank the work from their hands screaming a loud melodramatic No! I take it back. This is silly, but knowing it is silly doesn't make my stomach settle. And still, I offer to share. Here's the idea. Come …
Far Away from Disaster
My school is now on spring break, and I won't see my students for a week. Some of my students are from Japan. What words do you use for tragedy? Shouldn't a writer know? And what do you say to someone who is so very far away from home and family? Why should anyone though …
neurotic writer encouraged to new neurotic heights
About seven years ago, I submitted an essay to an anthology. The editor accepted it! My first acceptance! I told everyone. When I checked the publications website, my essay wasn't there. I sent the editor and email, and she apologize profusely. The postings were still in progress. Of course it would be there. She assured …
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but it is a very long way to swim
I've been staring at a mountain of words. Maybe it is a pit of words. No. An ocean of words. Everyone says to just start. Pick up a story and start the rewrites, the editing, the polishing, the reconstructing. Yes. I know. Take baby steps. Take a deep breath. Dive in. I feel a bit …
Surprise!
I saw who the email was from and sighed. How will this rejection be? I wonder and click on the message, face slightly turned away, wincing. We would love to have your story appear in our 13th issue, scheduled for publication in May 2011. It will be another week or so before I can send …
Curtains and Mind Tricks
Memory is a trickster. Your memory is likely not what you think. Mine doesn't half tell me what I want to know, and sometimes it holds my present mind hostage. You may know that old post of mine about the man at my window. Like with many life stories I've posted here, I did not …
Marta Bacon 