|
I needed help! |
The self-publishing path was my choice because I did not understand the work involved. Actually, about as hard as writing letters to editors, who soon wanted agents to do the selecting, then the agents had readers, who selected few works. So I decided not to spend all my time on writing letters to anyone who would say no, instead to design and paint the cover and format the text. Online courses on how-to-self publish with Carl King, then Kristen Joy, were amazingly were fun.
I had control! Rhyonna's Fright did get finished and published and is posted at Smashwords and Amazon.
Now, I'm on to the next story, PURSUED, Vasalisa, the Wise.
Five objects found in my writing space: binders full of stories, my computer, chair, and two tables cluttered with to-do lists, small objects taped or sitting here and there crucial to the stories, a scanner, and a printer. Not to mention boxes of old stories, and my employment history, and a cupboard full of my affirmation books, and binders filled with passwords and web account information. I've been in this room about 20 years.
All my art supplies, drawings, and dummies for pictures books are in my art shed outside, packed, I mean stacked with art projects! The studio is about 10 years old. I have enough ideas to last two lifetimes - and all the while communication keeps changing and developing into new avenues to walk, run, or stumble down.
I will ever get done all I have dreamed up (stories and art) because I begin only to have to redo again with the new techniques. Like the highways of two lines which are now 5 to 8 lane in both directions with walkers, bicycles, and small, scooters alone the sides.
Over-whelmed by possibilities, I sit and do nothing.
How did my creativity evolve?
Since I had no writing and only ditto sheets to fill out when in grammar school from first to the sixth grades, writing a sentence with correct grammar and spelling was impossible for me. I do not think of writing as creative, and I think the paragraph order, sentences structure, spelling, grammar, punctuation to make a story is a skill, not creativity.
Writing for me was matching the letters of the alphabet for words, the arrangement was a mysterious order to make a word for a spelling test. I MEMORIZING! I didn't sound out the words.
I'm was a victim, forced visual reader, due to books like Sally, Dick, and Jane. The who, when, where, and how were answered by looking at the pictures. NOT read by SOUNDS of the LETTERS in the WORDS!
Today, after many years of practice, I have enough word skills to write. I have evolved and amaze myself; I can write the stories, I create for others to read. The stories are the creation, not the writing, which is for connection to the readers.
I write from visual imagination and creative thought process. The mind, inside my head, is the place of imagines. I see pictures and hear sound. This process started from childhood, I made up stories. I do like sounds and that is one of my basic ways to learn.
Learning a written language was and still is for me a long process of getting spelling and grammar and speaking words correct, so that people understand my visual thoughts.
What I hear and what I see as the written symbols in world of the alphabetical symbols for sounds, which are really aberrations ‘departures from what I hear as normal, usual, or expected’, as for the word aberration, typically from my ears the sounds spoken to the written form is not what I hear. This departure also happens from seeing a story and putting the story into written words. My mind and voice portraits the pictures different when I talk to someone, I must remember to make the picture clear for the listener.
What pitfalls would I warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?
Do the editing, once, twice, and more -- then hire a professional to edit, after that stop writing and doing any edits yourself.
Have one copy of the text polished, finished, and ready to format for the different ebooks: print on demand, and kindle. Make edits only to this format.