Post AbP3KPFYkRxkmFW2CW by usagitenshi@www.minds.com
(DIR) More posts by usagitenshi@www.minds.com
(DIR) Post #AbOp6sEkmPH1GZn9Qe by antonyobeara@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T13:52:24+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
Discovering an error in a book I already published. I was preparing some promotional material for Clara and found that in one spot I wrote dissemble instead of disassemble (not in the quote I was using for the promo but in another place where that word also appears). So, that's frustrating because it makes me feel like the book can't be good if it has such an error. Now that I'm using text to speech in my editing, I'm catching all sorts of errors I overlooked in my WIP, which makes me even more worried that my published works are full of instances of "through" written as "though" or missing words like "a" that my brain just inserted on its own no matter how many editing passes I made.
(DIR) Post #AbOp74f4aNSNngCL7Q by lordjestocost@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T14:31:27+00:00
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The state of traditional publishing. The gatekeepers have moved from junior editors to literary agents. Most agents seem to care more about the identity of the author than content.I've seen an agents' web page telling potential clients not to bother unless they've got 10,000 Instagram followers. Publishers expect you to do and pay for promotion. This may be just sour grapes because I couldn’t get an agent when I tried. However, even if my writing sucks, the problems I describe are real, and it's hurting other writers.
(DIR) Post #AbOp7CiYdIzumntEf2 by marquesedliddle@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T14:36:48+00:00
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I actually find the process of writing itself to be both exhausting and depressing.If I spend more than three hours writing in a day, I usually walk away feeling drained and vulnerable to all manner of despairing thoughts. This is true whether I get more done or less, and it doesn't matter how I feel about what I wrote that session.The only way I can describe it is stress-induced weariness. Now, I'm not (usually) stress while writing, but the after shock is most similar to how I feel when stuck in a hyper stressful situation for long stretches of time.If I'm being dramatic, I'd describe it as the consequences of glimpsing the shadow of the coattails of the image of divinity and being burned out from it as if I am the wire through which the lightning is channeled into electricity.Does this happen to anybody else?
(DIR) Post #AbOpbCyqDlCcHvoVH6 by NSonic79@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T14:52:35+00:00
2 likes, 0 repeats
My situation not being smart enough to figure out how to get old docs off a Brother branded “laptop” and convert its “anywhere compatible” file format system to a simple MS word doc, even with the helpful suggestions of the #writingcommunity
(DIR) Post #AbOqwdIreEKZxkxWXQ by NSonic79@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T14:52:10+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
My situation not being smart enough to figure out how to get old docs off a Brother branded “laptop” and convert its “anywhere compatible” file format system to a simple MS word doc, even with the helpful suggestions of the #writingcommunity
(DIR) Post #AbOwyT5TCXZwaAx6Zc by authorbrookeshaffer@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:03:26+00:00
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Marketing. I've been told by multiple people that I lack confidence when pitching my books. I've definitely gotten better about it compared to a few years ago, but just the thought of talking to someone to convince them to read my stuff is exhausting. Part of it is kind of an annoying thought of, "You will literally binge an entire show on Netflix you've never heard of because it has a cool banner ad, a one-word title, and one-sentence description, but you won't give an author a chance unless I can sell every single premise and plot point?"
(DIR) Post #AbOziwfjjlVHZGCnwm by the_edgy_penguin@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:09:56+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
Marketing. I really suck at it. Will spend days and money on trying to find a set of keywords that work for Amazon ads that do not cost me an obscene amount of money before generating a sell.
(DIR) Post #AbP0U4x8ldcsrOoxkW by CodenameWraith@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:50:52+00:00
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Realizing during revision that I've written something that makes no sense and doesn't work at all, so I have to go back and make massive changes. Small errors I can live with, but big ones leave me with the familiar feeling that I'm not capable of crafting a good story and there's no point to trying. This is why I mentioned "scrutinizing the hell" out of my WIP in yesterday's question.
(DIR) Post #AbP1xLK94xudzD6E8O by usagitenshi@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T17:03:17+00:00
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not to me. I'm sorry you feel that way. That must be very hard to deal with. I feel the opposite. Writing is exhilarating
(DIR) Post #AbP1xXUrovcRjwCxVo by usagitenshi@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T17:03:29+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
oof, yeah
(DIR) Post #AbP1xbLRVuSPfrpUNU by CodenameWraith@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:10:44+00:00
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These are some of the reasons why I have no interest whatsoever in traditional publishing.
(DIR) Post #AbP1xgGJEQK0vOSxZQ by marquesedliddle@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T14:38:40+00:00
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It's not just sour grapes. When I was querying for agents, half literally had the explicit equivalents of "No whites or males need apply. Queers only."
(DIR) Post #AbP1xjIXwYtULCXHyS by usagitenshi@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T17:03:39+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
these days, yeah
(DIR) Post #AbP1yOzsuKvDfU7yiW by the_edgy_penguin@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T15:49:41+00:00
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I feel you on that one. I made a pretty awful mistake in Renegades where I opened a chapter with the phrase "The die had been cast" but my dumb ass had the wrong version of die and spelled it as "dye" and didn't notice it for months!
(DIR) Post #AbP1yRtc86gkeuDVrM by marquesedliddle@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T14:42:21+00:00
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Yeah, that feeling is awful. I was super embarrassed about a number of typos which I naively assumed who have been caught by my proofreader / editor.My lesson from this is that I'm not going to pay a human being nearly $1000 to do that job again. Instead, I'm going to do it myself with text-to-speech programs. Proofreading while a computer is reading will catch way, way more errors for much less money.Lastly, I wouldn't let it haunt you too much. Every book has typos. And if you self-publish, you can always go back and fix those.
(DIR) Post #AbP1yWu9VX5eC1VVtQ by antonyobeara@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T14:47:10+00:00
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I fixed one error in The Star in the Darkness where I wrote "shown" rather than "shone" but that was close to publication. After a year, it would feel dishonest to alter the text of Clara.
(DIR) Post #AbP1zIL39LX3J3S9qK by authorbrookeshaffer@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T15:59:58+00:00
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@antonyobeara I feel you all over on this one, and some of them I didn't notice until several years later when I started recording my audiobooks <_> I did a sort of self-flagellation tongue-in-cheek reference to a couple such errors in another book, but it still bothers me that I did it in the first place and didn't notice it
(DIR) Post #AbP1zLiYaP7NmpTTOq by antonyobeara@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:01:42+00:00
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@authorbrookeshaffer so, do you still market a book you know has errors in it?
(DIR) Post #AbP1zOcHoAsumFZ0Xg by authorbrookeshaffer@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:04:21+00:00
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@antonyobeara I couldn't market a book that doesn't have errors in it. I couldn't market a ham sandwich if someone was starving.
(DIR) Post #AbP1zWFXQdRSS0yxCC by antonyobeara@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:05:38+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
@authorbrookeshaffer but would you say to someone to buy that book, knowing it has errors in it?
(DIR) Post #AbP1zcfdYVsqMhEsi0 by authorbrookeshaffer@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:07:25+00:00
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@antonyobeara Why not? Typos and misuse of semi-colons don't bother me in other works (which only proves the point that 98% of it is all in my head, I think).
(DIR) Post #AbP1zfRvDxhAz1qTFQ by antonyobeara@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T16:11:03+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
@authorbrookeshaffer thanks
(DIR) Post #AbP3KPFYkRxkmFW2CW by usagitenshi@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T17:02:28+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
losing your data
(DIR) Post #AbP3TPVp8sWiCHPu1Q by scribbles_n_bits@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T17:30:38+00:00
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Every time I write something I'm excited about, it ends up on the scrap heap. Its all part of learning, but sometimes it weighs heavily on your soul to constantly go back and redo everything.
(DIR) Post #AbPGgyVNeLMptV0XRY by marquesedliddle@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T18:08:53+00:00
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We called that the demon hamster wheel in grad school. Yeah, during the the early stages, a lot of people get stuck on it. Best to hop off and remember that you can always return to an old work or reuse old ideas.
(DIR) Post #AbPGhEzOMWsf1DAjRY by marquesedliddle@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T18:06:27+00:00
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I assume that means the drive remains to be found. I will continue hoping.
(DIR) Post #AbPGhcXCoyaw2kAYqG by asihart@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T18:05:09+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
Keep copies on USB keys, and update often. ... which reminds me...
(DIR) Post #AbPGhe9ApIYl2mwOf2 by usagitenshi@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T19:24:10+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
yes, it's still missing
(DIR) Post #AbPGhhchtwxxpFmWbw by marquesedliddle@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T18:07:10+00:00
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Just remember that this happens to everyone, even if they won't admit it. This is also what revision is for.
(DIR) Post #AbPGhkV1CzbAkHCvXk by marquesedliddle@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T18:04:47+00:00
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I also struggle with marketing, and I think it is an uphill struggle for most. This is largely due to the fact that most people are looking for reasons to say no to a book. Books take effort and time, whereas a Netflix drama takes less time and no effort.
(DIR) Post #AbPGi7N0Axqtg4dLk0 by usagitenshi@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T19:23:50+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
@marquesedliddle maybe you're experiencing burn out?
(DIR) Post #AbPGiB3IUAT167RfaC by marquesedliddle@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T18:11:37+00:00
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Hopefully I feel that way about it in time. I think I did when I first started, but my writing was also horrible back then. Either way, it is acceptable.
(DIR) Post #AbPGiWqdRvPWhDgrtw by asihart@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T18:09:48+00:00
1 likes, 0 repeats
Proofreading never ends.
(DIR) Post #AbPHYddvQm30pRaqAK by erwintheauthor@www.minds.com
2023-11-02T20:09:10+00:00
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The "I write for myself" excuse. Not when someone is actually writing for themselves and in their room doing it as their form of a hobby. I mean the people who say it, try to sell it, turn it into their business, and then keep saying it as their defense mechanism. It's disheartening because that person knows they're trying to relate to others, get others on board, but then saying that to them usually results in more defensive behavior.I guess it's the diva aspect when it comes to writing and art in general. I used to have that aspect in me, we all do, but only a few grow out of it. Part of me wants to be in a lab coat, mixing beakers of strange colored liquid, to figure out the cure to such an issue.
(DIR) Post #AbUzRqMh6EOs22u4Q4 by tj_vista@www.minds.com
2023-11-05T05:37:21+00:00
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Having to wait to see if anyone can actually look at your work and give reasonable comments. Though I did write some fanfiction stories, there are stories I made where nobody either looked at my story or provided reasonable comments.