Monday, November 30, 2009

Web Page Update

I am in the home stretch, no really!!

I have completed twenty-six pages with graphics and twenty-two text only pages.

The only pages left to go are for my artwork. I know! I know! you are not supposed to put personal things on your writing web page. However, my artwork is my income and it's gotta stay on. I cannot afford a second page just for art.

The text only pages are so easy to do because I just copy the text off the graphic pages onto a template page. It worked better to finish the graphic pages and then go back and do the text only pages.

Also, learn CSS. I will be working on that before I do a total new site again. I do have it built into this site for constant updates. There are lots of things I have planned to keep the web page active and alive. And, I am forcing myself to do so by having a "last date updated" on each page.

So, keeping in mind that all the ART pages are not done, take a look and let me know what you think. I have to go to the library and run through a check, checking all the links but I think I have found the new major one that was wrong.

My site can be seen at:
S. A. VanVleck - author of the Moon Tree series - Home Page

I already had a domain of "VanVleckStudio.com" and my web server recommended keeping that domain for my art customers who might need something new. I also purchased SAVanVleck.com for my writing. I did not go with my proposed title of "Moon Tree Brothers" because it is a working title and a kind agent or editor might find a better one

Sunday, November 29, 2009

IQ, Beans, half a brain and MENSA

Do you remember those IQ tests they used to give when you were like in sixth grade? My brother ranked MENSA. I ranked about three points below MENSA. And, I am living proof that those stupid tests do not mean a hill of beans.

Just exactly what would you do with a “hill of beans” anyway? Oh, my gosh! An idea for PiBoIdMo. Hold on, gotta type it down.

Digression over: After I took the IQ test, I was moved into an “advanced” class. The teacher was wonderful, it was challenging, I did homework until midnight every night, I began falling asleep in class and I was only in sixth grade. And, my grades went from being straight ‘A’s’ to C’s. I did not recover until I went to college, some twenty-five years later.

The reason I say those tests mean nothing though, is that sometimes I can be so stupid.

Take, building my website. (Insert Groucho eyebrows and cigar here.) That’ll be two-forty for the site and do you want me to wrap it? Obviously, I am till sleep deprived.

First: If I would have just taken the time to learn CSS, I could have saved a ton of aggravation. I know just enough to know that my links, which I have to continually go in and change on each and every page, could have been done, all on one page.

Second: My status is: Twenty-four graphic pages down, six graphic pages to go and twelve text only pages done, with twelve text only pages to go and I make the bright decision to go ahead and start putting it up on the web. Then, I discover that I have continually forgotten to do the description and keywords and change the Title. All important for people finding you. Meaning, I am now on my third round of uploading all those corrected pages.

Third: I have just now figured out about the only way I can get my illustrations reduced to manageable size without degrading.

Yes, I am so bright, I did a lot of my own illustrations.

A true renaissance woman, with half a brain and three points from MENSA!!!!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Great resources and a contest on the web

The web site is going pretty well now. If I knew CSS better, I would probably be done by now. I cannot wait to be done, as I have been very neglectful of my blogs, twitter, etc and I am constantly tired, as I am waking up in the middle of the night and spending an hour writing on book two. Hey, it's when I get my ideas.

On the non-website side, I have been internet networking more. I just caught up on ideas on Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) and got a great news flash on We Interrupt Your Ideas for a Special Announcement « Writing for Kids (While Raising Them). Those who have 30 ideas by the end of the month, will be in a random drawing for a neat grand prize.

TA DA!!!! Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency - Representing Professional Artists, Authors, & Children's Book Illustrators and Lauren E. MacLeod of The Strothman Agency, LLC Advocates for books that matter. will each take one of the winners and read five of the winner's one sentence fleshed out idea proposals. Cool, huh??

And, on to the second great thing: I have a 1000 words of my YA novel in with Miss Snark's First Victim for some critiquing and was checking up on her site and found out that one of her follower/entrants, Lisa and Laura Write: Spread the Love, Win a Kindle, used the feedback they got on that site to revise their manuscript and score an agent.

Their book A Kate Lowry Mystery: The Haunting of Pemberly Brown (sorry, the link would not work) is now being published. And, they are celebrating by giving away a Lisa and Laura Write: Spread the Love, Win a Kindle KINDLE!!! (same link, so shoot me). But, and this is a cool link about their journey to publish their first book. Lisa and Laura Write: The LiLa Publishing Timeline.

We've all been waiting a lifetime for that, Right??? So, go to their site and enter to win a Kindle and read a neat blog. And, check out PiBoldMo, get 30 ideas and have five sentences ready for an Agent's review.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

A writer who is not social? Who would a thunk?

I am not a joiner. I am not running off to meetings and volunteering to head committees. While I have no fear of speaking in public, even to very large groups, I have never been one to "socialize." I never coffee klatched.

During my painting career, I loved to do demonstrations and talks, but I hated art receptions. Making small talk, with a glass of wine in hand, was never comfortable. I did it, because that is what you need to do but I did a lot of grumbling before hand.

Sometimes an idea comes along that is just too good to pass up, and, hey, being on an Internet group is not the same as getting in your car and going to schmooze. Still, I was a bit reluctant to join PiBoIdMo. It was a commitment, you know!

I have to say. I am thoroughly enjoying this one. Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) is hosting a Picture Book Idea month, and I just now realize that it is NOT PiBoldMo, which I thought was rather weird, but easier to say (Pie-Bold-Mo) but that the L is actually a capital I.

Gotta get those cataracts fixed soon, I hope. I digress, but I am a wee bit young to have cataracts and am definitely not enjoying them.

What I am enjoying though is all the wonderful ideas for ideas, that are being shared by various children's book writers. My picture book ideas list is up to seven and I have not even tried for two days.

It's all about looking around and thinking. How can I put this to use in a way I might not have before. It's a big "WHAT IF!" for book ideas.

I said it once before, so I will say it again: Give it a try. It's fun and you do not have to dress up and get in your car to join. However, I could use a cup of coffee right now.

Friday, November 6, 2009

What we can learn from Cubist artists.

As writers, we look at relationships between things and ourselves, in an effort to bring our readers into the world we create.

As an artist, I saw those relationships in colors and now visualize them in order to find the most visual way to describe them.

In teaching art, I was often asked to explain cubism. It is when an artist depicts the totality of possible views, from all around an object or person, as if you could see them all at once.

I think this is a good way to think about what you wish to describe in your writing. Close your eyes and see your world, character or setting from every angle. Walk all around it. Fly over it and crawl under it and then find the best view to describe it from.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

I am always one step ahead of myself

Right now, with the never ending edit nearing its end, and while working on my web page (which, I am happy to say is finally progressing at a reasonable speed) I am dreaming about marketing. I think this is because I was a Girl Scout.

Not only was I a Girl Scout, but I was the Girl Scout leader's daughter. Which meant that I had darn well behave better than any other girl sitting in that circle and I had better get more badges. Actually, I cannot blame the badges thing on mom. I have this penchant for filling in blanks and that included making sure all the blanks were done in my Girl Scout book.

She swears I also made up school homework for myself. I am definitely NOT admitting to that one. But, all she had to do, to keep me quiet, was give me a book with blanks in it.

So, having Web Site, Synopsis, Query, Bios, all in partial states of readiness, I have turned my attention to Marketing. "BE PREPARED!"

One site, that I have found is not an instructional site, but is David LaRochelle. He is an author and illustrator and was a fourth grade teacher. He does tons of school visits and some teaching yet. He's also an awesome pumpkin carver.

So, if you go to his site, and click on Books, Children's Books, then Teacher's guides, The End: Teaching Guide, you will find some things that he does to go along with his books and his school visits that might encourage you to become more creative with your own work-in-progress marketing plan.

It is never to early to, Be Prepared!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Procrastination.

Procrastination is the name of the game. Either that, or I am ADD. Some days I can focus on the web page for hours. Other days, not so much.

Some days, I alternate and work on the web page for a while and then on the synopsis or query letter. So, since I am trying not to procrastinate by spending hours on blogs and such, I will give you a link to a good site for information about composing a good query letter.

Guide to Literary Agents - "20 Tips on Query Letters," as Told by Agent Janet Reid

Off to procrastinate on something else.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Join PiBoIdMo


A wee bit off my usual genre here, but writing is writing, and given you do your homework and practice, practice, practice, you could turn your brain and fingers to Picture books.
This month PiBoIdMo is Here! « Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), has a neat challenge going. She is giving you you an inspirational idea every day, during November. Let your mind, wander, investigage and imagine and come up with an idea for a picture book.
It will get your juices flowing. There will be guest bloggers and give-a-ways. So, get busy, check it out and write.