New! The official REN'AI RENSAI interactive website!

http://www.renai-rensai.com

Yup, brand new site JUST for REN'AI RENSAI, which will let me clean this site up a little. It's an interactive site, meaning readers are free to leave comments on posts and pages and to submit their own goodies! There's even a match making quiz that will match you up to your perfect lesbian! (D'aw.) Plus extensive information on books, characters, and the setting! Seriously go check it out! :D

I've been working on it since around New Year's, whenever I found the time between writing, editing, and life in general. So happy to have it finally finished!

New "Book Matching" Site Needs Your Help!

Over at Kindle Boards, a new project is underway for a website that "matches" you to books based on criteria you set, beyond just genre and rating. (Seriously, go read through the forum thread and see how it's going!) Currently one coder is working on it, and is sending a plea for help from authors to add their books to the database so the search functions can be tested. All genres (including erotica) are welcome, so give it a spin! When this thing rolls out your book could be one of the first readers are stumbling upon!

They're also looking for a site title to use, but currently it's going by Match A Book. And yes, it's a pseudo-parody on dating sites. What are you waiting for? Spread the word, yo!

New Layout + Facebook Update!

Yup, it got done! The new layout around here is looking spiffy, if I do say so myself. Switched from 2 columns to three and moved some stuff around. Also, the "Projects" page is now the "Books" page, while I've taken down the schedule. Also, the layout is optimized for widescreens, so there may be some scrolling on smaller, squarer monitors...which probably isn't a lot of you, and if it is, congrats, you are the 1% of computer users and are probably used to it! =P

Also, the Facebook page has  a new look now as well! I'm loving seeing this cover everywhere, let me tell ya. Love it so much I wish I could make wallpapers for y'all to download, but my usage license doesn't let me. OH WELL.

I'm glad that's over with. Refreshing to see a new layout, but don' task me how long it took to hack into the blogger html to change some super simple things that should've been easier to do. Good thing I used to code websites by hand ~way back in the day~. Ugh.

Weekly Writing Check-In: Facebook is Live! Also, writing in the present day.

First things first! To get ready for my releases this autumn, I've launched my official facebook page! I didn't think I would be so excited about it, but apparently I am. I don't have a cover image yet. Gonna wait until I have my first book cover ready to add to it. If you "like" it you can get instant notice of my new blog posts and my new articles over at HubPages and elsewhere around the Internet. Yay!

Now, in other weekly writing news, the novella is still coming along. I've got about four, maybe five scenes left to write before the first draft is done. It's been a trip, mostly because this is my first time in a LONG time writing a story set in the "present day". As in, right now, this month, at this moment, in the year 2012. The main CROSS// series starts in 2007 and ends in around 2011, and those latter ones won't get written for a few more years probably. So I'm not used to relying on up-to-date technology and always dropping everything to look up "did they have this yet in 2007?" It's kind of...liberating~.

Then again all your historical peeps are probably laughing at me right now.  Just let me have this moment. :p

SAS: 3 Great Hangouts for Independent Writers, by Michael Abayomi

 "Share A Saturday" is a weekly chance for you, yes YOU, to come on my blog and talk about whatever you want, so long as it's related to writing/books. For more information, such as if you'd like to "share a Saturday" with me, please see below!

Michael Abayomi was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He fell in love with the art of storytelling after reading J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. He currently works as a freelance website developer and shares a passion for books, computers, movies, music, video games and women.

Blog: www.michaelabayomi.com

  

Are you a fledging independent writer with a recently published book? Or maybe you’re still sitting on the fence regarding self-publishing? Or perhaps you already have a number of self-published books under your belt, but still feel like a new kid on the block? If either of these cases happen to be true, chances are you’ve been trying to learn as much as you can about self-publishing. Or at least you’ve been trying to connect with fellow independent writers through the various social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Blogger etc)

The ebook market is constantly evolving, and there is a need to keep informed about those changes. In the seven or so months since I first self-published, I’ve managed to stay in the loop by frequenting the following three websites:

A Newbies Guide to Publishing

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com

Truth be told, I’d been following J. A. Konrath’s blog months before I took the self-publishing route. Back then, I was still contemplating whether or not to query agents about my book series, Guardians & The Lost Paradise, which was only half-written at the time. I quickly discovered the wealth of information amassed there, which covers everything from how to go about promoting a book to his views on the ongoing ebook revolution (and what it means for writers). Thankfully, most of this information has also been collected into an ebook of the same name.

Let’s Get Digital

http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com

Let’s Get Digital is a professional blog for independent writers. It was created by Irish writer, David Gaughran, one of my many online friends. I met David in an online forum (can’t remember which one) and I had subsequently found out about his books and blog. Even though the blog is just one year old now, there is still a wealth of information to be discovered there. He’s also collected most of that information into an ebook of the same name.

Kindleboards Writers’ Café

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php?board=60

Of the three websites I have chosen for this post, the Kindleboards Writers’ Café happens to be the one I frequent the most. It is a forum where indies can talk about all things Amazon (and way more). The sense of community there is overwhelming sometimes, and it is quite common for the same newbie questions to get answered over and over again. I’m more of a lurker myself, preferring to learn by reading through the ongoing discussions (rather than raise new questions). Some of the members are also quite eccentric. This is why just reading through the replies on some of the more popular threads is enough to brighten an otherwise sour day.

What about you? What other forums, blogs or Facebook groups do you follow or frequent as an independent writer?

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If you'd like to participate in a Share a Saturday, feel free to contact me at my email, hildred @ gmail.com (no spaces) or through any of the other ways to get a hold of me through my Contact page.

"One-Pass Manuscript Revision", or, something cool I found on the internetz.

ORAAAANGE. THEY'RE ORAAAAAANGE.

Whilst surfing the great Nano divide of "omg why are you posting" and "omg why am I reading this" on the forums I stumbled upon a link that somebody posted called "One-Pass Manuscript Revision". In it the author, Holly Lisle, shares her process of revising her entire first draft in one go. Well, it's quite the promise, so of course I decided to check it out!

Her process is very "physical", meaning it requires notebooks, binders, and completely decimated forests from printing out your manuscript. Since this is completely infeasible for me, especially here abroad where I don't have the room for such things, let alone access to any printers (let's talk about what a pain in the arse that is sometimes), I decided to focus on Part 2 of her process, which lists all of the things to check for in any given scene. Since during my recent edits I often sit here going "uuuuh now what should I check for" I find most of these suggestions pretty invaluable. Some things, like timing and placement, I already keep meticulous track of, but others such as listing what the conflict in each scene is and how it contributes to your themes is a good reminder.  Of course, there are some things towards the end that kinda make me roll my eyes, such as GETTING RID OF EVERY INSTANCE OF "TO BE" EVER and essentially replacing every "was", "were", and "is" with either purple prose or...I don't even know...but overall I think there's a lot of good advice. I would still suggest that inexperienced authors, especially those who are not as familiar with editing yet, try not to do their entire revisions in one sitting, however.

Also, re-reading once again how most mainstream novels are expected to be between 90-125k words long reminds me that I am writing the right genre. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I had to tell one of my epic fantasies in only 125k words, man. Also, today I began reading "Kushiel's Scion" by Jacqueline Carey (yay birthday presents!) and it's nearly 1000 pages long - I wouldn't have it any other way~

Campaigning time!

So I've seen this going around the Blogosphere and, after reading about it, decided to join in! Basically it's a way for writers/authors/in the biz etc to expand their contacts and help promote each other. I mean, how cool and handy is that? There's also challenges and prizes to be had in your groups. Sign ups end on the 31st and the campaign runs until the end of October, soooo get to it!

Here is the ver batim blurb from Rach's (the head person's) blog:

"'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."

So how about you? I'll be joining the Urban Fantasy and LGBT lists! :)

ETA: Haha, I intended to post thsi two days ago, but with shoddy internetz whatcha gonna do :(

Oh goodness. Camping.

Camp has started on my side of the pond. As it approached I felt less and less like to do it, granted my other pressing writing projects, but once midnight rolled around I decided to give the new story a spin anyway...and i ended up writing 1851 words in an hour! Now, I currently do not have internet at my place, so that probably explains why...Regardless, now that the muse is stoked I may be able to finish Camp this year at any rate. But if I don`t I wont`t feel too bad about it, and it will be good practice for the actual Nanowrimo coming up soon enough this November.

As for what I am writing...it is one of two prequel stories for the CROSS// series, this one focusing on the main characters in their original incarnations.  I`ve been needing to write this story simply because I need to collect all my data and notes into one file that I can reference for the main story...damn, does it ever help to know the direction your characters are going in when you know where they are coming from!  But it`s the first time in a long,long time I am writing a story that I have to make up governments and geographies as I go along.  I have not done that since the earlier Nagnomei days.

So, just checking in to say that I am doing camp! Is anyone else doing it this month?  Did you do it last month? Or am I aaaalll alloooooone? ;)

"oneword.com" makes me wish I had come up with the idea, news at 11.

One (hardy har) of the links I've seen floating around the writing world as of late is that of oneword.com, a prompt site that gives you "one word" and a minute to write everything you can about it.  While prompt sites are not unique in themselves at all, nor is the idea of using "one word" to garner inspiration, this is the first time I've seen a site that combines both and also publishes what viewers have written (as well as including the damn timer!) I admit I've been having a bit of fun on it for the past few days. Here is my latest one word, one minute masterpiece~

Prompt: "expecting"

I was expecting nothing less from such a prompt. Usually it's some vague, or a noun that makes you go "wait, what, what am i supposed to write about that?" but the prompt "expecting" is quite easy. I simply write about what I was  expecting from a prompt. Oh, God, I think I'm running my brain into a circle.  Is this the part where I see forever? Or is this the part where I just get up and go get some cookies because I broke my brain again and it's time for cookies? I dunno. I wasn't expecting that.

 Pulitzer now, please.

(psst, post your own results in the comments please, I must be amused!)