Elf Red Glisten Menorah Sideways Fly Gifted Hark Resolution Kamikaze Beard Tranquil Solstice Porsche Cheer Caroling Stuff New Twelve
Use the words in the pool above any way you like and in any order you like, to create a story, poem, song, etc.
Hark!
(That’s the title ‘cause I couldn’t figure out how to get the darn word into the story)
The twelve new Porsches on the lot glistened as the sunlight reflected off the snow and bounced iridescently off the chrome and freshly-painted auto bodies.
Each one of the sportsters was painted a bright, shiny red- the most-bought car color of every December. They looked confidently snazzy, featured prominently in the front part of the lot facing the Boulevard.
It was early morning- seven o’clock- and the dealership was enjoying its last tranquil hour before it opened for its seasonal fifteen hours-a-day of deal-making/deal-breaking pandemonium.
It was December 21, winter solstice, but it couldn’t have been a more dazzling morning if it had been June 21. The sun shone with such a brilliant light, it was as if it was the dealership’s own personal cheerleader.
Like a kamikaze crashing out of nowhere, a small, spry elf descended upon the car lot, caroling Christmas songs at the top of his lungs, breaking the serenity of the early morning stillness.
He landed betwixt the Porsches, in a grand balletic plié, juxtaposed by an upward leap of his beard, which landed in his mouth, nose, and eyes.
Brushing and blowing his unmanageable facial stuffs from his visage, the mischievous imp set about playing his annual practical joke.
With glee, the elf went from car to car, replacing each Porsche emblem with that of a mini-metal menorah, engraved in a tablature that looked just like the Porsche’s: red and black stripes set in a golden background.
He glanced sideways, from time to time, making sure no one was watching, flying around the lot at record speeds as if he was propelled by an inner-Porsche engine.
He gifted every automobile on the lot with his special insignia, and when he was satisfied that his work was complete, he made his annual resolution to come back and do the same thing the following year.
He left the lot just as he came, with a grand plié and a kamikaze shot upwards.
No one at the dealership knows how the Porsche logos get removed every year and why they are replaced with menorahs. But every year it happens. It has now become a tradition, and now you, dear reader, know who’s behind it. You just don’t know why. That may be a mystery to uncover next year. ‘til then, you’ll just have to wait.
Monday, December 19, 2005
You Are Your Own Best Marketing Rep!
It doesn’t work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps.
American Proverb
Steppin’ On
In keepin’ on with last week’s tip One Small Step, this week we’re moving on, perhaps, just a half-step.
In her monthly Muse Letter this December, Jill Badonsky, M.ED. offers a Creativity Manifesto for 2006 (which she suggest you “modify according to YOUR authentic nature”):
In the face of adversity, uncertainty and static in my soul’s receiver, I hereby pledge to remain ever mindful, ever grateful of the magical, infinite, loving reality I live in. This reality conspires tirelessly in my favor especially when I take tiny steps…ever so tiny, daily or even weekly down a path directed by my creative intuition.
I further recognize, that living within space and time, as a creation amongst creations, is the ultimate adventure, because I create my reality with the colors I choose from my palette of thoughts. Dreams come true when I am authentic and courageous, when I say “So what I’ll do it ANYWAY” to any obstacle rearing its silly head and so many things, so VERY MANY things remain forever possible. So there!
For some of you, the above may be a little too whimsical, or “out there”. Please take what you like and leave the rest (and, as Jill suggested, modify it for yourself in any way you like).
The reason I chose to include Badonsky’s “Manifesto” is that I find it incredibly helpful connecting how I approach my craft to how I approach self-promotion: with creativity, persistence, and gratitude.
Did you try that one small step last week- asking yourself:
What is ONE small thing I can do, starting today, to promote my book?
If you did- bravo! Were you able to visualize one small thing? Were you able to write it down?
If you didn’t or you couldn’t, practice asking yourself that question ONCE a day (or more, if you’d like). You might be surprised at the answer/answers that begin to come simply by continuing to ask. That’s persistence. The same kind of persistence we continue to practice in our craft.
By continuing to ask the question daily what is ONE small thing I can do, starting today, to promote my book you might find that your mind authentically becomes a creativity factory. Our mind likes to solve problems, find solutions. Robert Maurer, Ph.D. advocates dropping the same small question into our conscious thinking every day. Every time we do, our mind strives to come up with a solution.
It’s the same kind of creative thinking that goes into our work (well, at least it’s the same kind of thinking that goes into mine). I am constantly asking and re-asking myself the same question(s) over and over, like “what would this character do in these circumstances?” I continue to ask and re-ask that question until I come up with an answer I’m satisfied with. And then I keep working that question out within my writing.
When I apply the question-asking technique to self-promotion, I come up with all kinds of answers. Undoubtedly, some of my brainstorming is silly and way too out there- but I typically come up with one completely terrific idea, and then I brainstorm on that idea until I figure out exactly what I can do to bring it to fruition. Before I know it, I’ve come up with a fleshed out step for marketing my work.
And then gratitude sets in. I’m grateful for my creativity and my tenacity, not only for the joy I get from doing my work (and completing it), but my willingness to walk the walk to get it out there. As I’ve said before, I don’t write in a vacuum.
So keep dropping in that small question over the holidays: what is ONE small thing I can do, starting today, to promote my book? You might get a fabulous gift by doing so: an answer.
American Proverb
Steppin’ On
In keepin’ on with last week’s tip One Small Step, this week we’re moving on, perhaps, just a half-step.
In her monthly Muse Letter this December, Jill Badonsky, M.ED. offers a Creativity Manifesto for 2006 (which she suggest you “modify according to YOUR authentic nature”):
In the face of adversity, uncertainty and static in my soul’s receiver, I hereby pledge to remain ever mindful, ever grateful of the magical, infinite, loving reality I live in. This reality conspires tirelessly in my favor especially when I take tiny steps…ever so tiny, daily or even weekly down a path directed by my creative intuition.
I further recognize, that living within space and time, as a creation amongst creations, is the ultimate adventure, because I create my reality with the colors I choose from my palette of thoughts. Dreams come true when I am authentic and courageous, when I say “So what I’ll do it ANYWAY” to any obstacle rearing its silly head and so many things, so VERY MANY things remain forever possible. So there!
For some of you, the above may be a little too whimsical, or “out there”. Please take what you like and leave the rest (and, as Jill suggested, modify it for yourself in any way you like).
The reason I chose to include Badonsky’s “Manifesto” is that I find it incredibly helpful connecting how I approach my craft to how I approach self-promotion: with creativity, persistence, and gratitude.
Did you try that one small step last week- asking yourself:
What is ONE small thing I can do, starting today, to promote my book?
If you did- bravo! Were you able to visualize one small thing? Were you able to write it down?
If you didn’t or you couldn’t, practice asking yourself that question ONCE a day (or more, if you’d like). You might be surprised at the answer/answers that begin to come simply by continuing to ask. That’s persistence. The same kind of persistence we continue to practice in our craft.
By continuing to ask the question daily what is ONE small thing I can do, starting today, to promote my book you might find that your mind authentically becomes a creativity factory. Our mind likes to solve problems, find solutions. Robert Maurer, Ph.D. advocates dropping the same small question into our conscious thinking every day. Every time we do, our mind strives to come up with a solution.
It’s the same kind of creative thinking that goes into our work (well, at least it’s the same kind of thinking that goes into mine). I am constantly asking and re-asking myself the same question(s) over and over, like “what would this character do in these circumstances?” I continue to ask and re-ask that question until I come up with an answer I’m satisfied with. And then I keep working that question out within my writing.
When I apply the question-asking technique to self-promotion, I come up with all kinds of answers. Undoubtedly, some of my brainstorming is silly and way too out there- but I typically come up with one completely terrific idea, and then I brainstorm on that idea until I figure out exactly what I can do to bring it to fruition. Before I know it, I’ve come up with a fleshed out step for marketing my work.
And then gratitude sets in. I’m grateful for my creativity and my tenacity, not only for the joy I get from doing my work (and completing it), but my willingness to walk the walk to get it out there. As I’ve said before, I don’t write in a vacuum.
So keep dropping in that small question over the holidays: what is ONE small thing I can do, starting today, to promote my book? You might get a fabulous gift by doing so: an answer.
Newsletter, Edition VII
THE AUTHOR’S ADVOCATE
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION VI
December 19, 2005
"It is better to write a bad first draft than to write no first draft at all."
Will Shetterly
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
It doesn’t work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps.
American Proverb
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION VI
December 19, 2005
"It is better to write a bad first draft than to write no first draft at all."
Will Shetterly
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
It doesn’t work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps.
American Proverb
Steppin’ On
In keepin’ on with last week’s tip One Small Step, this week we’re moving on, perhaps, just a half-step.
In her monthly Muse Letter this December, Jill Badonsky offers a Creativity Manifesto for 2006 (which she suggests you “modify according to YOUR authentic nature”):
In the face of adversity, uncertainty and static in my soul’s receiver, I hereby pledge to remain ever mindful, ever grateful of the magical, infinite, loving reality I live in. This reality conspires tirelessly in my favor especially when I take tiny steps…ever so tiny, daily or even weekly down a path directed by my creative intuition.
Check the Blog for more on Steppin’ On…
http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
FEATURED AUTHOR-Of-THE-MONTH…
Feature Yourself!
This week, take some time out to celebrate yourself. The last month of the year is always a great time for self-reflection. Think over your accomplishments, think about where you were last December and what you’ve done since. What’s been wonderful about your work? Challenging? What are your plans for 2006? Don’t forget that your book is going to be out there in January- available all over the world, 24/7. HOW COOL IS THAT?! Bask in your own personal writer-hood. And thank yourself for your talent!
Look for our featured DPP Author of the Month, Ian McKinley, in our January Newsletter.
PUBLISHER’S PROMPT
Writing Prompt
Word Pool
Elf Red Glisten Menorah Sideways Fly Gifted Hark Resolution Kamikaze Beard Tranquil Solstice Porsche Cheer Caroling Stuff New Twelve
Use the words in the pool above any way you like and in any order you like, to create a story, poem, song, etc.
Use the prompt. Don’t use the prompt. If you decide to play with the prompt, and you’d like to share it, please send it to me (DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com or nicpit@digitalpulppublishing.com) and I will post it in the following week’s Authors’ Advocate. You can find my response posted on the blog:http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
P.S. I did NOT post my response to last week’s prompt because it bordered on X-Rated, and didn’t seem like the best idea for me to post it. However, if you would like to read it, let me know and I’ll send it to you.
WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…
The Bookstore
For the third week in a row, I am reiterating that everyone here at DPP is CONTINUING to work their little patooties, brains, and fingers off to ensure that the DPP Store (www.dppstore.com) is completely up, running, and beautiful for its January 1, 2006 opening. 12 more working days ‘til opening! YES- we’re still counting!
On Holiday
Just a reminder: DPP will officially be closed the week between Christmas/Hanukkah and New Years’ Day (Saturday, December 24-Sunday, January 1). The Authors’ Advocate will be on hiatus for that week.
On the Holidays…
Quotes
For holiday cheer, humor, and inspiration.
Roses are reddishViolets are bluishIf it weren't for ChristmasWe'd all be Jewish.~Benny Hill
I do like Christmas on the whole.... In its clumsy way, it does approach Peace and Goodwill. But it is clumsier every year. ~E.M. Forster
Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. ~Author Unknown
In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. ~ Albert Camus
One kind word can warm three winter months. ~Japanese proverb
There are two ways of spreading light: To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. ~Edith Wharton
Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. ~Mary Ellen Chase
So, have a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, a kwaazy Kwanza, a tip-top Tet, and a solemn, dignified, Ramadan. And now a word from MY god, our sponsors!
~Krusty the Klown (The Simpsons)
Happy Holidays!
Write on,
Nicky
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
You Are Your Own Best Marketing Rep!
Any small step taken toward reaching a goal is better than none at all.
Lamar Cole
One Small Step
Self-promotion, though daunting for some, can be accomplished (and accomplished well) by taking one small action step at a time. If you look at the whole, big, whoppin’ picture of marketing your book, chances are you’ll decide that it’s all too much, and it would be a much better idea to just give copies of your manuscript to your friends for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Other Holiday of Choice and be done with it.
Overwhelm. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, actually, most times, I become paralyzed by overwhelm when I have to deal with the bigger picture, or the end result. This happens to me when I get into the “I’ve got to finish my book” (or finish my weekly newsletter, truth be told), or I have to clean the whole house- pretty much when it comes to anything I want to complete.
By just biting off a piece, taking one small step, or obliging myself to a short increment of time (fifteen minutes, let’s say, or five, or just one minute if that’s all I can muster)- I can begin, and the overwhelm usually passes. I didn’t learn this all by myself, mind you.
Jill Badonsky, M.ED., inspirational seminar leader, artist, and creativity coach, channeled a specific muse to help with the problem of overwhelm and gaining inspiration to take small steps: Marge.
In her book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a bodyguard) Badonsky introduces Marge (named for the protagonist in the Coen Brothers movie Fargo), who personifies the attitude of “okay now, let’s get started,” suggests tackling any goal by taking small steps in small increments of time.
In his book One Small Step Can Change Your Life: Using the Japanese Technique of Kaizen to Achieve Lasting Success, Robert Maurer, Ph.D., explains how successful one can be in any area by applying the process of taking one small step. This technique has proven time and again to work whether it’s applied to a personal goal (such as losing weight) or to big business (like a Japanese car manufacturer).
Let’s go back and take a look at the question I posed in last week’s marketing tip:
What are some things I can do, starting today, to promote my book?
Do you feel any resistance when you read that question? It’s okay if you do. Do you know what the resistance is? If you can name it- great. If not, that’s okay too. Regardless, maybe it’s just too big a question. Try making the question smaller:
What is ONE small thing I can do, starting today, to promote my book?
Last week, I shared Bob Barker’s suggestion about brainstorming. If you’re up for it, try brainstorming ONE idea. Write it down (putting the idea on paper, or your computer, can help you see it better). If that feels like too big of a step, see if you can come up with an idea in your head. Try to visualize the idea. Let it brew and manifest itself in your imagination.
See where that takes you. Can you expand on that idea? Can you see yourself actually utilizing the idea? If you weren’t able to write it down before, try doing that now.
If you can’t, that’s okay. Congratulate yourself on simply thinking about it. If you were able to write it down, congratulate yourself for doing that.
If you feel like it, try jotting down one, small action step you can take to get your idea moving. Write as much as you can or as little as you can.
Whatever you were able to do, know that you accomplished something. Congratulate yourself…because you took one step towards promoting your book!
Recommended reading:
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: Using the Japanese Technique of Kaizen to Achieve Lasting Success, by Robert Maurer, Ph.D.
The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a bodyguard), by Jill Badonsky, M.Ed.
Both are available at Amazon (as far as I know they’re not available digitally…yet)
Lamar Cole
One Small Step
Self-promotion, though daunting for some, can be accomplished (and accomplished well) by taking one small action step at a time. If you look at the whole, big, whoppin’ picture of marketing your book, chances are you’ll decide that it’s all too much, and it would be a much better idea to just give copies of your manuscript to your friends for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Other Holiday of Choice and be done with it.
Overwhelm. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, actually, most times, I become paralyzed by overwhelm when I have to deal with the bigger picture, or the end result. This happens to me when I get into the “I’ve got to finish my book” (or finish my weekly newsletter, truth be told), or I have to clean the whole house- pretty much when it comes to anything I want to complete.
By just biting off a piece, taking one small step, or obliging myself to a short increment of time (fifteen minutes, let’s say, or five, or just one minute if that’s all I can muster)- I can begin, and the overwhelm usually passes. I didn’t learn this all by myself, mind you.
Jill Badonsky, M.ED., inspirational seminar leader, artist, and creativity coach, channeled a specific muse to help with the problem of overwhelm and gaining inspiration to take small steps: Marge.
In her book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a bodyguard) Badonsky introduces Marge (named for the protagonist in the Coen Brothers movie Fargo), who personifies the attitude of “okay now, let’s get started,” suggests tackling any goal by taking small steps in small increments of time.
In his book One Small Step Can Change Your Life: Using the Japanese Technique of Kaizen to Achieve Lasting Success, Robert Maurer, Ph.D., explains how successful one can be in any area by applying the process of taking one small step. This technique has proven time and again to work whether it’s applied to a personal goal (such as losing weight) or to big business (like a Japanese car manufacturer).
Let’s go back and take a look at the question I posed in last week’s marketing tip:
What are some things I can do, starting today, to promote my book?
Do you feel any resistance when you read that question? It’s okay if you do. Do you know what the resistance is? If you can name it- great. If not, that’s okay too. Regardless, maybe it’s just too big a question. Try making the question smaller:
What is ONE small thing I can do, starting today, to promote my book?
Last week, I shared Bob Barker’s suggestion about brainstorming. If you’re up for it, try brainstorming ONE idea. Write it down (putting the idea on paper, or your computer, can help you see it better). If that feels like too big of a step, see if you can come up with an idea in your head. Try to visualize the idea. Let it brew and manifest itself in your imagination.
See where that takes you. Can you expand on that idea? Can you see yourself actually utilizing the idea? If you weren’t able to write it down before, try doing that now.
If you can’t, that’s okay. Congratulate yourself on simply thinking about it. If you were able to write it down, congratulate yourself for doing that.
If you feel like it, try jotting down one, small action step you can take to get your idea moving. Write as much as you can or as little as you can.
Whatever you were able to do, know that you accomplished something. Congratulate yourself…because you took one step towards promoting your book!
Recommended reading:
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: Using the Japanese Technique of Kaizen to Achieve Lasting Success, by Robert Maurer, Ph.D.
The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a bodyguard), by Jill Badonsky, M.Ed.
Both are available at Amazon (as far as I know they’re not available digitally…yet)
Newsletter, Edition VI
THE AUTHOR’S ADVOCATE
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION VI
December 13, 2005
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit."
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION VI
December 13, 2005
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit."
P.G. Woodhouse
(after being asked about his writing technique)
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
Any small step taken toward reaching a goal is better than none at all.
Lamar Cole
One Small Step
Self-promotion, though daunting for some, can be accomplished (and accomplished well) by taking one small action step at a time. If you look at the whole, big, whoppin’ picture of marketing your book, chances are you’ll decide that it’s all too much, and it would be a much better idea to just give copies of your manuscript to your friends for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Other Holiday of Choice and be done with it…
Check the Blog for more on One Small Step…
http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
FEATURED AUTHOR-Of-THE-MONTH…
A big thank you to Patrick Stafford for his insightful interview, printed in last week’s newsletter!
A Departure from DPP Authors
This week I give you three websites to visit. The first two feature authors that you may, or may not have, heard of before. Regardless, you might want to check them out and gain some insight, inspiration, and/or entertainment from them.
The third site is one I just stumbled across that I thought you might find interesting- lots of good information about all that’s going on in the writing world.
Just thought I’d offer a petit smorgasbord of what’s out there author-wise. Bon ape-reading-tit!
British Council Arts: Contemporary Writers
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth52
This unique, searchable database contains up-to-date profiles of some of the UK and Commonwealth's most important living writers
Right now the site features a bio and perspective on author Kazuo Ishiguro.
Scottish Writers
http://www.slainte.org.uk/scotwrit/
Scottish Writers: Authors’ Views
http://www.slainte.org.uk/scotwrit/Views.htm
This is where you have the opportunity to find out more about writers, their method of writing and to read the answers to the questions posed to them during the course of the Project.
BookReporter.com : Where Readers and Writers Click
http://www.bookreporter.com/
A great site for all of you writers to check out!
PUBLISHER’S PROMPT
Writing Prompt
OOPS! The picture wouldn't copy into the blog!
Write a poem, story, interview, ditty, or a headline about the man in the picture above.
Use the prompt. Don’t use the prompt. If you decide to play with the prompt, and you’d like to share it, please send it to me (DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com) and I will post it in the following week’s Authors’ Advocate. You can find my response posted on the blog:http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…
Press Releases
Last week I told you that new press releases were being posted online, one for each of our authors, announcing the release date (January 1, 2006, available at the DPP Store: http://www.dppstore.com/), ISBN number, and the publication date (March 31, 2006) and a synopsis of your book. They’re all out there and daily we receive Google Alerts letting us know. They’re popping up everywhere- very exciting!
The Bookstore
Everyone here at DPP is CONTINUING to work their little patooties off to ensure that the DPP Store (http://www.dppstore.com/) is completely up, running, and beautiful for its January 1, 2006 opening. 19 more working days ‘til opening! But who’s counting? WE ARE!
On Holiday
Just a reminder: DPP will officially be closed the week between Christmas/Hanukkah and New Years’ Day (Saturday, December 24-Sunday, January 1). The Authors’ Advocate will be on hiatus for that week.
Write on,
Nicky
Monday, December 05, 2005
You Are Your Own Best Marketing Rep!
I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Edward Everett Hale
Commitment
As writers we make a commitment to ourselves- to make time to write, a place to write, and to what we will write. Eric Maisel asks, “Is commitment more about duty or love? Is it something one demands of oneself or does it flow naturally, given the right circumstances?”
For myself, I know that I am committed to what I love- which is writing. But there are days when inspiration is nowhere to be found and motivation won’t kick in no matter how many times I try to jump-start my inner motivator. That’s where “duty” comes in.
It is my duty- to myself and, of course, to my job to write. Sometimes that simply means sitting down, putting fingers to keyboard, and writing…anything- even if it looks like, feels like, and sounds like, down-right doo-doo. This is because just getting something on the page is better than putting nothing on the page. And typically, though not always, I usually find a little gem among the muck, or at least an idea for a gem.
The same can be said for self-promotion of my writing- though I can’t say I love marketing myself, I do love the results. And I believe it is my duty to market my own work. Though I do write for myself a good deal of the time, it is not my desire to write in a vacuum.
“Marketing” sounds like a big word. It sounds busy. It sounds like a lot of work. It sounds like something somebody else should be doing who has connections and knows how to hobnob. It sounds slick. And most of all, it sounds like something I don’t want to do- ugh! Put myself out there, scheme and sell myself? No way!
But maybe I have to think out of the box a bit. Maybe marketing isn’t the big corporate monster I think it is. Maybe there are some strategies I can use that are, well, maybe a little more non-traditional than the typical marketing I am so accustomed to thinking about.
In his book Unleash the Artist Within, Bob Barker suggests the employment of brainstorming. I have used brainstorming to help me in my writing, so it makes sense that brainstorming could be used in terms of exploring marketing ideas.
You could start by asking yourself one question. Try this one:
What are some things I can do, starting today, to promote my book?
Write down as many things as you can think of. Let them be silly, wild, quirky. Let them be serious. Let them be small, medium, or big ideas. Let them be fantastical. Just write them down!
If you allow yourself to come up with ideas to promote your book, you’ll probably stumble upon at least one that you like, that you think is doable, that you can commit to. I know that I am more amenable to my own ideas than being told I “should do this” or even that I should “try that”.
Barker also suggests writing a commitment statement. I’ve written commitment statements (or “personal mission statements”) for myself and my work, but I really appreciate the marketing commitment statement that Barker shares in his book:
When marketing and promoting my [book], I resist the urge to stick only with obvious methods. There are gold mines of overlooked promotional opportunities waiting to be discovered. And I have an ongoing burning desire to find them.
You could borrow Barker’s statement or create one on your own. But I can tell you, from my own experience, if you create a commitment statement and commit to one marketing idea- even if it’s a small one (especially a small one- the smaller the idea, the easier it will be to accomplish), you will have fulfilled your duty to yourself to promote your book. After all, you’re not writing in a vacuum.
*Next week, I’ll share one small self-marketing strategy with you.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Edward Everett Hale
Commitment
As writers we make a commitment to ourselves- to make time to write, a place to write, and to what we will write. Eric Maisel asks, “Is commitment more about duty or love? Is it something one demands of oneself or does it flow naturally, given the right circumstances?”
For myself, I know that I am committed to what I love- which is writing. But there are days when inspiration is nowhere to be found and motivation won’t kick in no matter how many times I try to jump-start my inner motivator. That’s where “duty” comes in.
It is my duty- to myself and, of course, to my job to write. Sometimes that simply means sitting down, putting fingers to keyboard, and writing…anything- even if it looks like, feels like, and sounds like, down-right doo-doo. This is because just getting something on the page is better than putting nothing on the page. And typically, though not always, I usually find a little gem among the muck, or at least an idea for a gem.
The same can be said for self-promotion of my writing- though I can’t say I love marketing myself, I do love the results. And I believe it is my duty to market my own work. Though I do write for myself a good deal of the time, it is not my desire to write in a vacuum.
“Marketing” sounds like a big word. It sounds busy. It sounds like a lot of work. It sounds like something somebody else should be doing who has connections and knows how to hobnob. It sounds slick. And most of all, it sounds like something I don’t want to do- ugh! Put myself out there, scheme and sell myself? No way!
But maybe I have to think out of the box a bit. Maybe marketing isn’t the big corporate monster I think it is. Maybe there are some strategies I can use that are, well, maybe a little more non-traditional than the typical marketing I am so accustomed to thinking about.
In his book Unleash the Artist Within, Bob Barker suggests the employment of brainstorming. I have used brainstorming to help me in my writing, so it makes sense that brainstorming could be used in terms of exploring marketing ideas.
You could start by asking yourself one question. Try this one:
What are some things I can do, starting today, to promote my book?
Write down as many things as you can think of. Let them be silly, wild, quirky. Let them be serious. Let them be small, medium, or big ideas. Let them be fantastical. Just write them down!
If you allow yourself to come up with ideas to promote your book, you’ll probably stumble upon at least one that you like, that you think is doable, that you can commit to. I know that I am more amenable to my own ideas than being told I “should do this” or even that I should “try that”.
Barker also suggests writing a commitment statement. I’ve written commitment statements (or “personal mission statements”) for myself and my work, but I really appreciate the marketing commitment statement that Barker shares in his book:
When marketing and promoting my [book], I resist the urge to stick only with obvious methods. There are gold mines of overlooked promotional opportunities waiting to be discovered. And I have an ongoing burning desire to find them.
You could borrow Barker’s statement or create one on your own. But I can tell you, from my own experience, if you create a commitment statement and commit to one marketing idea- even if it’s a small one (especially a small one- the smaller the idea, the easier it will be to accomplish), you will have fulfilled your duty to yourself to promote your book. After all, you’re not writing in a vacuum.
*Next week, I’ll share one small self-marketing strategy with you.
Newsletter, Edition V
THE AUTHOR’S ADVOCATE
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION V
December 5, 2005
"It is perfectly okay to write garbage- as long as you edit brilliantly."
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION V
December 5, 2005
"It is perfectly okay to write garbage- as long as you edit brilliantly."
C.J. Cherryh
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Edward Everett Hale
Commitment
As writers we make a commitment to ourselves- to make time to write, a place to write, and to what we will write. Eric Maisel asks, “Is commitment more about duty or love? Is it something one demands of oneself or does it flow naturally, given the right circumstances?”…
Check the Blog for more on Commitment…
http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
FEATURED AUTHOR-Of-THE-MONTH…
Inner View
DPP interviews and gets a better “inner view” into DPP author, Patrick Stafford.
(DPP) What is your ideal writing environment?
(Patrick Stafford) As a poet, for years now I guess I have followed in the footsteps of Dylan Thomas and Jack London who both liked to do some of their most inspirational writing at the local pub or tavern while imbibing the drink of choice. Mine is rum 'n coke and my home personal bar is the pub of choice! Thus, when I'm in the poetic mood and The Muse has seized me I enjoy sitting at my bar and listening either to Chris Isaak, The Moody Blues or The Gee Bees. Not the disco Bee Gees, mind you, but their later music from over the last 20 years which, like Isaak and Justin Hayward's band, I find very moody and conducive to writing verse. Besides, at my personal bar there are plenty of tasty appetizers, proper ambience and just the right kind of stiff rum 'n coke. And all are free!
Describe your writing routine…if you have one.
Most of all the prose I scribe is done on my computer as well as when I am ready to type and edit the poems I write in longhand at my personal bar. It is during the day when I enjoy writing journalism, film script and other genres of prose. And I assiduously spend at least five days a week--anywhere from three to seven hours a day--at my computer engaged in the creative writing process. But with no music nor other extemporaneous sound or noise to distract me at this time. Selective music only works for me when I'm penning original verse, not when I'm doing real writing!
What do you do when you aren’t feeling inspired or motivated to write?
Naturally, there are times when I am not inspired or motivated to be a writer or creative. I do not consider these times a case of writer's block, not that I don’t suffer from this plague upon all artists at one time or frequently. Poems, novels, articles, film scripts--you name it--all come from ideas. And no doubt artistic ideas often come from inspiration or emotional impetus. This impetus I believe can be self-generated. I accomplish this by reading and through discourse. And from what another writer has created, be it a novel or a poem, an idea is formed and takes seed in me. Often it is no more than an image or a short phrase or even one word. But throughout a day when I'm busy with domestic chores or just relaxing I let this idea fester--so to speak--in my mind, until it develops into a blueprint or outline for a complete poem or article or story that needs to be put to paper. And needs to be put there as soon as possible and while the fire is hot and the passion for writing is dire!
What authors inspire you most?
My two favorites poets are at opposite ends of the romantic spectrum, at least historically speaking. They are Robert Frost and Lord George Byron. But many others have also influenced me and continue to enwhelm me with their timeless verse. Particularly inspiring and emotionally charging are two whom I consider the two greatest female poets ever: Laurence Hope and Sara Teasdale. But I've learned my craft from a number of giants other than these enumerated- Poe, Tennyson, Longfellow, Whitman, Kipling, Keats, Shelley, Woodsworth, Service, Thomas Wolfe and Dylan Thomas, to name a few.
Your father, Elsan Stafford, is a novelist. In what ways has he and his writing influenced you and yours?
My father's teachings to me in all things, and not just in writing and poetry, have been invaluable to me. His being a writer and published author has no doubt been even more invaluable to me than any formal education or self-education I have acquired. Steady, disciplined writing precedes good writing. And this was my first lesson from him: write regularly and be self-disciplined in the craft and profession of a writing. Writing once a week or once a month doesn't cut it. Like being successful at any avocation, one must do it regularly and geared to always completing what you write. For writing is damn hard work most of the time, although a lot of fun some of the time. But it takes discipline and dedication and sticktoitness. A rocket scientist who only looks at his rocket once a month won't ever see his rocket make it off the ground. Unless he manages to live a few hundred years. But by that time, his new rocket might seem like horse and buggy!
Asian Darkness covers so many different aspects of the Vietnam War, and each one seems so personal. What piece in the collection would you say reflects your personal experience the most?
In the Brotherhood of Asian Studies and the first poem, Vietnam Thesis, are two of my favorites. And two of the very first poems I penned for Asian Darkness. They incorporate my general views on the War as well as personal feelings about how the War was handled by our government and the media. Moreover, in each poem I give a feeling how the common G.I. or military man experienced and felt the War. And the bitterness, anger, horror and emotional impact the conflict had on so many who served and fought and died in Vietnam.
Poetry is such a different expression than other works of writing. How do you edit or revise yours (if indeed you do)?
I write my poems in longhand. When I type them I do so at my office computer and tend to take my time at it. I often use a Thesaurus and occasionally a rhyming dictionary, which I do not mind admitting. The great lyricist/songwriter Cole Porter was found out later in his life to have often used a rhyming dictionary. And after this became known it much distressed him. But I feel no such distress or embarrassment. All real writers use many tools to hone their craft and create their labors of love. When I'm typing my poems I am undergoing the process of rewriting. And focusing on perfecting the rhyme, meter and structure of my poem until I am completely satisfied in the finished product, and that it is the best and most accurate labor of love it can possible become. For I believe the three greatest tools a writer has in his possession are: "Rewrite! Rewrite! Rewrite!"
In your essay on Passion (published in last week’s newsletter) you talk about how passion is the most important ingredient in writing. How do you couple that with technique?
Passion does more than allow me to exercise my own manner of writing and to develop the process of it. It motivates and galvanizes me to do a good job, and a job I will become completely satisfied with. Thus, I am spurred to pay heed to all the tools of the trade. Technique is one of them. And, like personal style, I try to pay close attention to, although personal style is not an aspect I really concern myself with. But technique, yes. For technique is the procedure of establishing structure. For me, structure is vital to a good or successful poem, and towards writing and developing it. Having a passive or dispassionate interest in the composition of anything invariably leads to its demise, I believe. And another scrap of paper being wadded up and tossed in the nearby trash receptacle. One who is passionate about his work and the quality of his work, I do believe will almost always do a good job. The greater the passion, the greater the quality of a laborer's work. And the more he will pay attention to the tools with which he writes. For a wordsmith, they are technique, theme, plot, character, dialogue, atmosphere, pace, exposition, narration and structure. Telling a good story and telling it well is, or should be, in my humble opinion, the goal of every passionate writer.
PUBLISHER’S PROMPT
Writing Prompt
The following prompt is from A Creative Writer’s Kit: Prompts & Practices, by Judy Reeves
Write about a series of mishaps
Use the prompt. Don’t use the prompt. If you decide to play with the prompt, and you’d like to share it, please send it to me (DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com) and I will post it in the following week’s Authors’ Advocate. You can find my response posted on the blog:http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…
Press Releases
New press releases are going out this week online, one for each of our authors, announcing the release date (January 1, 2006, available at the DPP Store: www.dppstore.com), ISBN number, and the publication date (March 31, 2006) of your book.
Also included in the release is a synopsis of your book, a quote about your book from you, one from Genene, and a short bio about you, the author.
The announcements are being posted on PRWeb, and will guide search engines such as Google, Overture, Yahoo, and eMediawire to each press release- giving it the broadest search reach of any press release distribution network on the Internet.
Imbedded in each press release are links to the DigitalPulp Publishing website as well as to the DPP Store.
Congratulations- you are being EXPOSED!
The Bookstore
Everyone here at DPP is working their little patooties off to ensure that the DPP Store is completely up, running, and beautiful for it’s January 1, 2006 opening. We have already had orders and inquiries, so please make sure you tell your friends, family, acquaintances, grocer, mechanic, high school biology teacher- everyone to check out the store (www.dppstore.com) on January 1 and buy your book!
On Holiday
FYI: DPP will officially be closed the week between Christmas/Hanukkah and New Years’ Day (Saturday, December 24-Sunday, January 1). The Authors’ Advocate will be on hiatus for that week.
Write on,
Nicky
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Publisher's Prompt: Write About a Series of Mishaps
MISS HAPS
Miss Haps always started her first period class by dropping something. Sometimes she dropped a text book, sometimes a piece of chalk, and sometimes a tissue that she always kept tucked into her sleeve for her ever-runny nose.
Her students were used to their perpetually-dropping teacher. Whenever an earthquake drill would take place, commonly referred to as a “drop drill”, they would laugh and shout out things like, “Hey, Miss Haps- this is your kind of drill!” Or when the series of short bells would go off, they would say, “Under the desks everybody, we’re having a Miss Haps drill!”
They would say these things with a smile and affection, for they loved their teacher and they found her dropping habit endearing.
Miss Haps good-naturedly accepted her students’ rubs, for she knew that they weren’t criticizing or making fun of her- well, at least not making fun of her in a demeaning way.
During passing periods, on her way to grab a cup of coffee or to make copies of lesson plans, Miss Haps always tripped in the hallway. Sometimes there would be a sticky place on the floor that would catch one foot and make her lose her balance, or she’d trip on one of the stairs in the stairwell, usually as she was going up, but sometimes as she was coming down. And sometimes, she’d just trip over her own feet.
Some faculty members passing through the hallways would roll their eyes, not in an unkind way, just in a “there she goes again” way, while others would rush to help her, concerned that she might have hurt herself. The students who were passing through the hallways just would yell things out like, “Taking another trip, Miss Haps?” “You’re a real trip, Miss Haps!” And Miss Haps would just smile, and sometimes blush, and wave them off knowing that her students were just giving her a good-natured tease.
In the cafeteria at lunchtime, Miss Haps never failed to drip spaghetti sauce down her chin and onto her blouse, or knock over a container of milk, spilling it across the table, or to open a bag of chips, only to have them burst out of the bag and fly in ten different directions.
The kitchen workers would let out sighs, grab a wet cloth, a broom, or a mop, and with affable irritation (if there is such a thing), clean up yet another mess. While the lunching students would yell things out like, “Don’t cry over spilled milk, Miss Haps!” “Don’t worry, Miss Haps- just let the chips fall where they may!” And Miss Haps would just blot the sides of her mouth with her napkin, and smile a half-way-embarrassed grin at her silly foibles.
But that was just how Miss Haps was: all-thumbs, with two left feet, and a bit ham-fisted. Every day brought a new series of spills, tumbles, plunges and plummets. And it didn’t matter. Because for all her klutziness and clumsiness, Miss Haps had an inner grace. Her students knew it, the faculty knew it, and even the kitchen workers knew it. But most importantly, Miss Haps knew it. She made mistakes, and took missteps, but perhaps that was just so she could be an example for her students and co-workers. To have grace, you also have to be a little bit ungraceful- and accepting that about yourself, means that you accept your humanness. When you accept your humanness, you give others permission to accept theirs. And because of that, Miss Haps was one great teacher.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Newsletter, Edition IV
THE AUTHOR’S ADVOCATE
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION IV
November 28, 2005
REMINDER: If you haven’t sent me your book’s copyright date yet, please send it to me ASAP to DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com. Thanks, Nicky
"Everything that doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. And later on you can use it in a story."
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION IV
November 28, 2005
REMINDER: If you haven’t sent me your book’s copyright date yet, please send it to me ASAP to DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com. Thanks, Nicky
"Everything that doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. And later on you can use it in a story."
Tapani Bagge
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
I get by with a little help from my friends
The Beatles
Networking
Networking. It sounds so…so…buzz…so corporate…so Hollywood…or, at the very least, like something- gulp- scary. But, on the contrary, it can actually be rather simple and painless…
Check the Blog for more on Networking…
http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
FEATURED AUTHOR-Of-THE-MONTH…
A Bi-Monthly Column
I love what Joyce Carol Oates once said about writers: “All of us who write work out of a conviction that we are participating in some sort of communal activity.” The idea that we are not just writing for ourselves, but that we are writing to share our thoughts, our feelings, our dreams, our world (real or imagined) was the inspiration for the new addition of the Featured Author of the Month column.
Bi-monthly, each of our DPP authors will be showcased in this column. One issue will highlight a piece of their work and the second will be an interview format between DPP and the chosen author.
Last week’s edition brought you a beautiful piece by Patrick Stafford, called Passion coupled with a poem he wrote which ignited a collection of poetry, Asian Darkness, available in the DPP Store in January, 2006. Next week’s newsletter will feature an interview with Mr. Stafford.
Sharing work and sharing about our work allows for community interaction between DPP members. Perhaps you’ll find similarities in how you work, or get new ideas about how to work. You might glean insights into your own view of writing that you hadn’t discovered before. And you might get motivated to put something else on that blank page you’ve been staring at all day, just by reading someone else’s work (I know that often jump starts me).
The column also allows for each of our DPP authors to “meet” each other. Who knows- you might even purchase one another’s books from the DPP Store!
Community, Collaboration, and Connection. The 3 C’s that apply to networking are the 3 C’s I hope to generate with this newsletter and this new column. We are a network of authors- on the “net”, sharing our “work”.
PUBLISHER’S PROMPT
Writing Prompt
From Pablo Neruda’s The Book of Questions, answer the following question any way you’d like- poetry, story, rap, song…
Is there anything in the world sadder than a train standing in the rain?
Use the prompt. Don’t use the prompt. If you decide to play with the prompt, and you’d like to share it, please send it to me (DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com) and I will post it in the following week’s Authors’ Advocate. You can find my response posted on the blog:http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
FROM YOUR ADVOCATE
This is the 4th edition of The Authors’ Advocate. I hope that you are finding the newsletter informative, useful, and/or at the very least, amusing. I am 100% serious when I say I welcome suggestions and all ideas. After all, this is for you and I want to provide you with helpful tidbits, useful information, and inspiration.
Write on,
Nicky
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
I get by with a little help from my friends
The Beatles
Networking
Networking. It sounds so…so…buzz…so corporate…so Hollywood…or, at the very least, like something- gulp- scary. But, on the contrary, it can actually be rather simple and painless…
Check the Blog for more on Networking…
http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
FEATURED AUTHOR-Of-THE-MONTH…
A Bi-Monthly Column
I love what Joyce Carol Oates once said about writers: “All of us who write work out of a conviction that we are participating in some sort of communal activity.” The idea that we are not just writing for ourselves, but that we are writing to share our thoughts, our feelings, our dreams, our world (real or imagined) was the inspiration for the new addition of the Featured Author of the Month column.
Bi-monthly, each of our DPP authors will be showcased in this column. One issue will highlight a piece of their work and the second will be an interview format between DPP and the chosen author.
Last week’s edition brought you a beautiful piece by Patrick Stafford, called Passion coupled with a poem he wrote which ignited a collection of poetry, Asian Darkness, available in the DPP Store in January, 2006. Next week’s newsletter will feature an interview with Mr. Stafford.
Sharing work and sharing about our work allows for community interaction between DPP members. Perhaps you’ll find similarities in how you work, or get new ideas about how to work. You might glean insights into your own view of writing that you hadn’t discovered before. And you might get motivated to put something else on that blank page you’ve been staring at all day, just by reading someone else’s work (I know that often jump starts me).
The column also allows for each of our DPP authors to “meet” each other. Who knows- you might even purchase one another’s books from the DPP Store!
Community, Collaboration, and Connection. The 3 C’s that apply to networking are the 3 C’s I hope to generate with this newsletter and this new column. We are a network of authors- on the “net”, sharing our “work”.
PUBLISHER’S PROMPT
Writing Prompt
From Pablo Neruda’s The Book of Questions, answer the following question any way you’d like- poetry, story, rap, song…
Is there anything in the world sadder than a train standing in the rain?
Use the prompt. Don’t use the prompt. If you decide to play with the prompt, and you’d like to share it, please send it to me (DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com) and I will post it in the following week’s Authors’ Advocate. You can find my response posted on the blog:http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
FROM YOUR ADVOCATE
This is the 4th edition of The Authors’ Advocate. I hope that you are finding the newsletter informative, useful, and/or at the very least, amusing. I am 100% serious when I say I welcome suggestions and all ideas. After all, this is for you and I want to provide you with helpful tidbits, useful information, and inspiration.
Write on,
Nicky
Monday, November 28, 2005
Publisher's Prompt: Is there anything in the world sadder than a train standing in the rain?
Is there anything in the world sadder than a train standing in the rain?
There is nothing in the world sadder than a train standing in the rain.
Except maybe a train standing in the rain with open doors. And windows.
That sounds sadder, don’t you think?
Except maybe a train standing in the rain with open doors. And windows.
That sounds sadder, don’t you think?
I mean, if a train were standing in the rain, and the windows and doors were closed, then the inside of the train would be dry. So it’s sad…but a train standing in the rain with its windows and doors open- now that’s really sad.
Come on- think about it: Exteriors get wet. In a way that’s what exteriors are for, right? To protect the inside from outside elements. But when the interior gets wet- well…what’s the point of an exterior?
So, do you see? It’s sad- a train standing in the rain.
But it’s sadder, a train standing in the rain with open doors. And windows.
You Are Your Own Best Marketing Rep!
Networking
"I get by with a little help from my friends" -The Beatles
Networking. It sounds so…so…buzz…so corporate…so Hollywood…or, at the very least, like something- gulp- scary. But, on the contrary, it can actually be rather simple and painless.
Remember that old Breck shampoo commercial in the 1970’s: “And they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on”? That’s networking!
I am suspecting most of you have at least two friends. Think about this: suppose you told those two friends about your book, and that it’s available in January through your publisher in their online bookstore (http://www.dppstore.com/ – yeah, that’s a plug for us too…Every bit of marketing counts, you know.). If they don’t ask you about it, tell them about it (a very enthusiastic tone would be helpful), and also ask them to tell two friends (of course, you don’t have to limit how many people you tell- it’s just that two sounds really simple- not so scary).
Also, think about “friends you haven’t yet met”. Attending open mic readings, poetry slams, author lectures/book signings, writers’ conferences, and joining writers’ workshops gives you the opportunity to make friends and supporters within a community of like-minded people and people who do what you’re doing. And they also know people you don't. They might tell two friends, and you never know who those friends could be- avid readers, radio show talk hosts, bookstore owners...yada, yada. Think: community, collaboration, connections. C ? How great is that?!
Of course as Astrid Cooper cautions in her essay on Marketing and Self Promotion (you can read it in full at http://www.twighlighttimes.com/ACooper4a.html): “…if one approaches making friends with the idea of ‘they can be useful’, then nothing will ever come of such a relationship.” But exploring new outlets and keeping an open mind will surely lead to you meeting new people. When an authentic chance meeting happens or a new friendship develops through commonalities- well…as Cooper also states “[that’s] Karma. Fate. A universal scheme? Luck?...you decide.”
Monday, November 21, 2005
Publisher's Prompt: Returning Takes Too Long
From Nicky
Returning takes too long. Which is why I don’t do it, or I should say, why I don’t do it well.
Dry cleaning is a good example. About twenty-or-so years ago, I never returned to pick up dry cleaning I had dropped off. I don’t know why exactly. It seemed fairly easy to drop off my clothes…but picking them up, well, that just felt overwhelming. Consequently, many of my clothes lay in wait at dry cleaners’ all over the West Side of L.A. Never to be picked up. Perhaps because returning takes too long.
I’ve also been saddled with countless library fees over the years, to the point that I’ve bought several books from various libraries. Picking up the books was easy enough, but returning them…well, returning just takes too long.
The same can be said for when I rent videos, buy clothes that inevitably I don’t really like or don’t really fit, receiving a present I don’t particularly care for with a gift receipt included- they all remain in my care, for the effort seems too great and returning takes too long.
I know this all makes me sound like I must spend money lavishly and that I am one lazy-ass gal. The truth is, I scrape by and am busy working my butt off. The key thing here is, returning takes too long, and I am simply unwilling to put in the time to do what it takes to return.
Luckily, for me (and my pocketbook), I no longer go to the cleaners unless I am sure I am going to pick up whatever I drop off; I rarely go to the library, and when I do, I research there instead of check books out; and I no longer rent videos. Because, for me, returning takes too long.
Returning takes too long. Which is why I don’t do it, or I should say, why I don’t do it well.
Dry cleaning is a good example. About twenty-or-so years ago, I never returned to pick up dry cleaning I had dropped off. I don’t know why exactly. It seemed fairly easy to drop off my clothes…but picking them up, well, that just felt overwhelming. Consequently, many of my clothes lay in wait at dry cleaners’ all over the West Side of L.A. Never to be picked up. Perhaps because returning takes too long.
I’ve also been saddled with countless library fees over the years, to the point that I’ve bought several books from various libraries. Picking up the books was easy enough, but returning them…well, returning just takes too long.
The same can be said for when I rent videos, buy clothes that inevitably I don’t really like or don’t really fit, receiving a present I don’t particularly care for with a gift receipt included- they all remain in my care, for the effort seems too great and returning takes too long.
I know this all makes me sound like I must spend money lavishly and that I am one lazy-ass gal. The truth is, I scrape by and am busy working my butt off. The key thing here is, returning takes too long, and I am simply unwilling to put in the time to do what it takes to return.
Luckily, for me (and my pocketbook), I no longer go to the cleaners unless I am sure I am going to pick up whatever I drop off; I rarely go to the library, and when I do, I research there instead of check books out; and I no longer rent videos. Because, for me, returning takes too long.
Newsletter, Edition III
THE AUTHOR’S ADVOCATE
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION III
November 21, 2005
REMINDER: If you haven’t sent me your book’s copyright date yet, please send it to me ASAP to DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com. Thanks, Nicky
"A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness…It finds the thought and the thought finds the words."
Robert Frost
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
It’s important who you meet- after all, if you meet forty or fifty people, the one person who will produce your first film [or publish your book] might just be there.
-Martin Scorsese
You Never Know Who You May Meet at Thanksgiving Dinner…
Or over the holiday weekend (even if you don’t live in the U.S., or you don’t partake in celebratingThanksgiving)…And, if you meet no one new, well, then you haven’t lost any opportunities either! Take a break from thinking about marketing and know that at least one of your books is assured to be marketed by DPP! Also…
Marketing Tips are Moving…
To the DigitalPulp Blog: http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/ (beginning the week of November 28). The Tip Headline will be listed on all of our subsequent newsletters with the DigitalPulp Blog link. We are making room in the newsletter for a new format- Oh, boy! Oh, boy!
FEATURED AUTHOR-Of-THE-MONTH…
Author! Author!
I am pleased to announce that, from here-on-out, we will be featuring a DPP author once a month in the Authors’ Advocate. This new format will allow for each of us to get a glimpse into each of our authors’ work and how they work, and perhaps, how and from where they get their inspiration. I am always curious, and often inspired, by hearing other writers’ thoughts on why they write and how they write. I hope that this new addition to the newsletter does the same for you.
Patrick Stafford
PASSION!
Many words are often used to describe the creative process. Perspiration, inspiration, hard work and misery are a few! Frustration, drudgery and obsession also come to mind. But for me personally, no word better encompasses the whole process than the word passion.
Passion is a process unto itself. It entails developing, having and feeling the strong desire and unquenchable thirst for accomplishing something--for setting a goal and believing in it with every fiber of your being. And pursuing it until completion. No matter how arduous the journey, how difficult the challenge or how many obstacles are encountered along the way, if one is truly passionate in his beliefs and passionately determined to succeed, he will.
The passionate writer writes passionately. It's as simple as that. And the story he has to tell he is passionate about telling. There are of course many essential tools to the trade and craft of writing. But none more important, in my humble opinion, than passion. For even before a writer sets about writing his passionate tale he must be passionate about thoroughly learning the tools and skills of his trade. A dispassionate effort at formal or self-education will invariably render a dispassionate result. And its byproducts: disappointment, rejection and failure, can also be expected.
For years I had a passion to write about the Vietnam War. My passion began the very first time I termed it a war and not a "conflict" as popular media has too long called it. For a war was fought in Asia. Warring armies engaged in bitter and violent combat, and awesome weapons of destruction were employed. And thousands were maimed and slain and left destitute. So from the passion of my own personal experience and that of so many who served during the Vietnam War I was impassioned to write Asian Darkness. The process was a long one and rife with many disappointments and challenges. But never was I discouraged from completing my writing goal nor ever dispassionate about the purpose of my writing. It all began with the following poem:
MY SON
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION III
November 21, 2005
REMINDER: If you haven’t sent me your book’s copyright date yet, please send it to me ASAP to DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com. Thanks, Nicky
"A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness…It finds the thought and the thought finds the words."
Robert Frost
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
It’s important who you meet- after all, if you meet forty or fifty people, the one person who will produce your first film [or publish your book] might just be there.
-Martin Scorsese
You Never Know Who You May Meet at Thanksgiving Dinner…
Or over the holiday weekend (even if you don’t live in the U.S., or you don’t partake in celebratingThanksgiving)…And, if you meet no one new, well, then you haven’t lost any opportunities either! Take a break from thinking about marketing and know that at least one of your books is assured to be marketed by DPP! Also…
Marketing Tips are Moving…
To the DigitalPulp Blog: http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/ (beginning the week of November 28). The Tip Headline will be listed on all of our subsequent newsletters with the DigitalPulp Blog link. We are making room in the newsletter for a new format- Oh, boy! Oh, boy!
FEATURED AUTHOR-Of-THE-MONTH…
Author! Author!
I am pleased to announce that, from here-on-out, we will be featuring a DPP author once a month in the Authors’ Advocate. This new format will allow for each of us to get a glimpse into each of our authors’ work and how they work, and perhaps, how and from where they get their inspiration. I am always curious, and often inspired, by hearing other writers’ thoughts on why they write and how they write. I hope that this new addition to the newsletter does the same for you.
Patrick Stafford
PASSION!
Many words are often used to describe the creative process. Perspiration, inspiration, hard work and misery are a few! Frustration, drudgery and obsession also come to mind. But for me personally, no word better encompasses the whole process than the word passion.
Passion is a process unto itself. It entails developing, having and feeling the strong desire and unquenchable thirst for accomplishing something--for setting a goal and believing in it with every fiber of your being. And pursuing it until completion. No matter how arduous the journey, how difficult the challenge or how many obstacles are encountered along the way, if one is truly passionate in his beliefs and passionately determined to succeed, he will.
The passionate writer writes passionately. It's as simple as that. And the story he has to tell he is passionate about telling. There are of course many essential tools to the trade and craft of writing. But none more important, in my humble opinion, than passion. For even before a writer sets about writing his passionate tale he must be passionate about thoroughly learning the tools and skills of his trade. A dispassionate effort at formal or self-education will invariably render a dispassionate result. And its byproducts: disappointment, rejection and failure, can also be expected.
For years I had a passion to write about the Vietnam War. My passion began the very first time I termed it a war and not a "conflict" as popular media has too long called it. For a war was fought in Asia. Warring armies engaged in bitter and violent combat, and awesome weapons of destruction were employed. And thousands were maimed and slain and left destitute. So from the passion of my own personal experience and that of so many who served during the Vietnam War I was impassioned to write Asian Darkness. The process was a long one and rife with many disappointments and challenges. But never was I discouraged from completing my writing goal nor ever dispassionate about the purpose of my writing. It all began with the following poem:
MY SON
They stole him from me to send him off to war, And there he stayed to fight and die till it was done. It's bad when governments steal sons from you, And he was my son. They said this war had to be fought And that it was for a just and noble cause. So, since I was patriotic and voted for them, I stood by their laws. But it always seems to be the young who go And against whom the scales of death are swung. It's bad when governments send young men off to die, And my son was young. For what matters to them of a million deaths When war is the tender of life they promote? You can be sure when their reelection comes up, They won't get my vote! For the enemy is now my chosen leader, The enemy called peace that all governments abhor! And you can be sure they won't get any more of my sons, Till they end all war.
Oh they may think they can get away with murder And do any damn thing they feel must be done, But they won't take what I love away from me again, And I loved my son.
From this first entry as a war poet my passion guided and directed me to pen 99 other poems to complement and complete my journey through the jungles and badlands of South and North Vietnam. Along the way I found that I had also inscribed a tribute to warriors in general and to all the military men and women who fought and bled in Southeast Asia. Asian Darkness is a salute to them as well as a commentary upon almost every conceivable subject that the Vietnam War gave birth to. Moreover, my book is a salutation to every writer who has ever taken pen and paper to create from scratch a work of art or commentary. And did so through the process of true inspiration and tireless passion!
Patrick P. Stafford is a resident of Grants Pass, Oregon and resides there with his novelist father, Elsan Stafford. Patrick has written for AccessLife.com, IQ Magazine, Neighborhood America, Amateur Chef Magazine, Careerbay.com and Healthcare Traveler, and has sold poems, articles and editorial pieces to both online and print publications over the past 30 years. He recently had a book of poetry published online at the Writer’s Closet and a poetic tome dedicated to Princess Diana published in print in 2002.
PUBLISHER’S PROMPT
Another New Addition
For me, sometimes getting started is one of the most difficult tasks of my craft. As writers, we must continually start over and over. If I waited for pure inspiration to take hold, I might sit for a very long time in front of a blank computer screen. Writing prompts have been a useful tool for me to just get something on the page. They have allowed me to free myself of the destination and to simply enjoy the journey. They have prompted new thoughts, feelings, and ideas that I didn’t even know I had. And they sometimes just give me a jolt to sit down and write and get me going so that I can fully give myself to whatever piece I am currently working on- to just get to it or to approach it from another angle, a new perspective.
Each week, I will highlight a prompt in the newsletter. You can use it or not use it. If you decide to play with the prompt, and you’d like to share it, please send it to me (DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com) and I will post it in the following week’s Authors’ Advocate.
Writing Prompt
Use the following prompt(taken from Judy Reeve’s A Creative Writer’s Kit) however you like: Returning takes too long
WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…
Home Sweet Home
Our move is complete! We are a proud, happy, busy-working company with a fantastic office space to boot! We are located in bustling (as bustling as you can get in the desert) downtown Palm Springs! Come visit and have your choice of coffee shops to write in and be inspired! (I’ll send you our new address and phone number in a separate e-mail)
Happy Thanksgiving
Short week, Short newsletter!
Will leave you with some quotes to feast upon…
Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still, I’d like to express my thanks- I got the sun in the mornin’ and the moon at night – Irving Berlin
O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” – William Shakespeare
God gave us our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends. – Ethel Watts Mumford
Write on,
Nicky
Oh they may think they can get away with murder And do any damn thing they feel must be done, But they won't take what I love away from me again, And I loved my son.
From this first entry as a war poet my passion guided and directed me to pen 99 other poems to complement and complete my journey through the jungles and badlands of South and North Vietnam. Along the way I found that I had also inscribed a tribute to warriors in general and to all the military men and women who fought and bled in Southeast Asia. Asian Darkness is a salute to them as well as a commentary upon almost every conceivable subject that the Vietnam War gave birth to. Moreover, my book is a salutation to every writer who has ever taken pen and paper to create from scratch a work of art or commentary. And did so through the process of true inspiration and tireless passion!
Patrick P. Stafford is a resident of Grants Pass, Oregon and resides there with his novelist father, Elsan Stafford. Patrick has written for AccessLife.com, IQ Magazine, Neighborhood America, Amateur Chef Magazine, Careerbay.com and Healthcare Traveler, and has sold poems, articles and editorial pieces to both online and print publications over the past 30 years. He recently had a book of poetry published online at the Writer’s Closet and a poetic tome dedicated to Princess Diana published in print in 2002.
PUBLISHER’S PROMPT
Another New Addition
For me, sometimes getting started is one of the most difficult tasks of my craft. As writers, we must continually start over and over. If I waited for pure inspiration to take hold, I might sit for a very long time in front of a blank computer screen. Writing prompts have been a useful tool for me to just get something on the page. They have allowed me to free myself of the destination and to simply enjoy the journey. They have prompted new thoughts, feelings, and ideas that I didn’t even know I had. And they sometimes just give me a jolt to sit down and write and get me going so that I can fully give myself to whatever piece I am currently working on- to just get to it or to approach it from another angle, a new perspective.
Each week, I will highlight a prompt in the newsletter. You can use it or not use it. If you decide to play with the prompt, and you’d like to share it, please send it to me (DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com) and I will post it in the following week’s Authors’ Advocate.
Writing Prompt
Use the following prompt(taken from Judy Reeve’s A Creative Writer’s Kit) however you like: Returning takes too long
WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…
Home Sweet Home
Our move is complete! We are a proud, happy, busy-working company with a fantastic office space to boot! We are located in bustling (as bustling as you can get in the desert) downtown Palm Springs! Come visit and have your choice of coffee shops to write in and be inspired! (I’ll send you our new address and phone number in a separate e-mail)
Happy Thanksgiving
Short week, Short newsletter!
Will leave you with some quotes to feast upon…
Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still, I’d like to express my thanks- I got the sun in the mornin’ and the moon at night – Irving Berlin
O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” – William Shakespeare
God gave us our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends. – Ethel Watts Mumford
Write on,
Nicky
Monday, November 14, 2005
Newsletter, Edition II
THE AUTHOR’S ADVOCATE
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION II
November 14, 2005
REMINDER: If you haven’t sent me your book’s copyright date yet, please send it to me ASAP to DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com. Thanks, Nicky
"I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper."
Steve Martin
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
I never travel without my diary. One must always have something sensational to read on the train. –Gwendolyn to Cecily in Oscar Wilde’s THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
EXPOSURE
Always travel with a piece of your work. Read it on trains, planes, and automobiles (unless you’re conducting, piloting, or driving of course). Carrying your book, manuscript (even if it’s not finished), e-reader (with your work on it), might just start a conversation, which might lead to an interest in your work, which might lead to a sale, which might lead to word-of-mouth marketing, which might lead to more sales!
In other words: Exposure, Exposure, Exposure!
No one can talk about your work better than you. So talk it up! Having your work with you is the best way to sell it. If you have a PDA we will be glad to show you how you can carry your book with you. I carry my e-reader everywhere and I solicit a lot of interest with it. I get to introduce people to the idea of reading works in a digital format, talk about DPP, our authors, and talk about my own writing. It sparks interest and provides EXPOSURE!
Come December we will be sending you postcards with your book cover on the front and information about you and your book on the back (as well as information about how to buy your book from the DPP Bookstore). These will also be a handy tool to carry with you to get the word out about you and your book- YIPEE!: More EXPOSURE!
So… EXPOSE YOURSELF (well, you as an author, not you naked- unless of course you are selling a pornography book and, then, by all means- go to town!), EXPOSE YOUR BOOK!
EXPOSURE is one of the best marketing tools in town! In the words of Nike: “Just do it!”- whenever you can, wherever you can, as much as you can!
The DPP Authors’ Newsletter
EDITION II
November 14, 2005
REMINDER: If you haven’t sent me your book’s copyright date yet, please send it to me ASAP to DigitalPulp Pub@aol.com. Thanks, Nicky
"I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper."
Steve Martin
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
I never travel without my diary. One must always have something sensational to read on the train. –Gwendolyn to Cecily in Oscar Wilde’s THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
EXPOSURE
Always travel with a piece of your work. Read it on trains, planes, and automobiles (unless you’re conducting, piloting, or driving of course). Carrying your book, manuscript (even if it’s not finished), e-reader (with your work on it), might just start a conversation, which might lead to an interest in your work, which might lead to a sale, which might lead to word-of-mouth marketing, which might lead to more sales!
In other words: Exposure, Exposure, Exposure!
No one can talk about your work better than you. So talk it up! Having your work with you is the best way to sell it. If you have a PDA we will be glad to show you how you can carry your book with you. I carry my e-reader everywhere and I solicit a lot of interest with it. I get to introduce people to the idea of reading works in a digital format, talk about DPP, our authors, and talk about my own writing. It sparks interest and provides EXPOSURE!
Come December we will be sending you postcards with your book cover on the front and information about you and your book on the back (as well as information about how to buy your book from the DPP Bookstore). These will also be a handy tool to carry with you to get the word out about you and your book- YIPEE!: More EXPOSURE!
So… EXPOSE YOURSELF (well, you as an author, not you naked- unless of course you are selling a pornography book and, then, by all means- go to town!), EXPOSE YOUR BOOK!
EXPOSURE is one of the best marketing tools in town! In the words of Nike: “Just do it!”- whenever you can, wherever you can, as much as you can!
WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…
On the Move…
We are moving our offices! As most of you know I have had e-mail problems due to the move, but they will hopefully be resolved in the next week or so. However, that hasn’t hampered mine, or anyone else’s, excitement over the venture! Our new offices are right in the heart of downtown Palm Springs which puts us in the middle of everything. The new space also serves us better in terms of our technology. Better use of our technology serves us, so we can better serve YOU! A complete win-win situation!
We invite you to come visit whenever you need a Palm Springs get-away!
DON’T escape THE BLOG!
Part II
On the Move…
We are moving our offices! As most of you know I have had e-mail problems due to the move, but they will hopefully be resolved in the next week or so. However, that hasn’t hampered mine, or anyone else’s, excitement over the venture! Our new offices are right in the heart of downtown Palm Springs which puts us in the middle of everything. The new space also serves us better in terms of our technology. Better use of our technology serves us, so we can better serve YOU! A complete win-win situation!
We invite you to come visit whenever you need a Palm Springs get-away!
DON’T escape THE BLOG!
Part II
The Digital Pulp Blog has been up and running for four days now. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the blog, please do (http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/)! This weekly newsletter is posted there as well as a short piece I wrote. I encourage comments and please feel free to post a short piece of your own, if you like…but better yet: CREATE YOUR OWN BLOG! (Aha- another marketing idea!)
Blogs are really great tools to get your name out there! You can write ANYTHING you want and get feedback, if you so desire. It’s another link to get people to know you’re out there. You can market your book- post excerpts, link to your own website (if you have one), post reviews- whatever you like!
If you’re interested (which I encourage you to be), please e-mail me back and let me know and I will send you the information about how to create one (FOR FREE!).
Don’t just sit there with a blog in your throat- get it out on the world wide web!
Newsletter Feedback
I received some excellent feedback last week from one of our authors on last week’s newsletter. I was offered some terrific suggestions about how to make this weekly rag more helpful and interesting for all of us. I plan to start implementing some of them two weeks from now (not one week from now because of the move and Thanksgiving- how early it’s come this year!).
If any one of you has suggestions- SEND ‘EM MY WAY! Please and thank you.
Write on,
Nicky
I received some excellent feedback last week from one of our authors on last week’s newsletter. I was offered some terrific suggestions about how to make this weekly rag more helpful and interesting for all of us. I plan to start implementing some of them two weeks from now (not one week from now because of the move and Thanksgiving- how early it’s come this year!).
If any one of you has suggestions- SEND ‘EM MY WAY! Please and thank you.
Write on,
Nicky
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Newsletter for DPP Authors, Edition I
THE AUTHOR’S ADVOCATE
The DPP Author’s Newsletter
EDITION I
November 7, 2005
REMINDER: If you’d like to add an acknowledgment or dedication page to the front of your book, please write one up and send it to Nicky @ nicpit@DigitalPulpPublishing.com no later than November 11. Thanks.
"I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all."
E. B. White
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
In the modern world of business [and your business is writing] it’s useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. –David Ogilvy
In each subsequent newsletter you receive, I will be sending out tips to help you be your own best marketer. Of course, DPP will do as much work as we can on our end, but the lengths which you go to make your book a success are what is crucial to the success of your book- No one can promote your book as well as you can!
Please send me questions you have about marketing and self-promotion and topics that you are interested in learning more about. I will do my best to gather the best answers and information possible and pass it along in our weekly e-letter.
Send questions and topic ideas to nicpit@DigitalPulpPublishing.com
WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…
DON’T escape THE BLOG!
For those of you not familiar with blogs (web logs) here are some short and to-the-point definitions:
(n) web log, blog (a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies) "postings on a blog are usually in chronological order"; (v) blog (read, write, or edit a shared on-line journal)
Our DPP Blog will be up and running this Friday, November 11! We will be updating it weekly, with information about DPP, digital publishing in general, and all kinds of other fun tidbits! Our weekly newsletter to you will be posted and you’ll be able to post opinions, feedback, and other information you’d like to share. Check out our NEW blog at http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
UPCOMING EVENTS:
The Third San Francisco Writers ConferenceBuilding Bridges to Better Tomorrows February 17 - 19, 2006
For Complete information and registration:
http://www.sanfranciscowritersconference.com/
Genene, David and I attended last year’s conference, and we’re going again in 2006. It’s a good networking ground, and there is good information on the publishing industry. Also, it’s a great opportunity to meet agents (they have “speed dating” where you can pitch your book to agents in about 5 minutes). They also have nightly sessions where you can read your work out loud and get feedback. And, heck: it’s San Francisco- a wonderful writer’s town and a magnificent city!
Write on,
Nicky
The DPP Author’s Newsletter
EDITION I
November 7, 2005
REMINDER: If you’d like to add an acknowledgment or dedication page to the front of your book, please write one up and send it to Nicky @ nicpit@DigitalPulpPublishing.com no later than November 11. Thanks.
"I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all."
E. B. White
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MARKETING REP!
In the modern world of business [and your business is writing] it’s useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. –David Ogilvy
In each subsequent newsletter you receive, I will be sending out tips to help you be your own best marketer. Of course, DPP will do as much work as we can on our end, but the lengths which you go to make your book a success are what is crucial to the success of your book- No one can promote your book as well as you can!
Please send me questions you have about marketing and self-promotion and topics that you are interested in learning more about. I will do my best to gather the best answers and information possible and pass it along in our weekly e-letter.
Send questions and topic ideas to nicpit@DigitalPulpPublishing.com
WHAT’S GOING ON AT DPP…
DON’T escape THE BLOG!
For those of you not familiar with blogs (web logs) here are some short and to-the-point definitions:
(n) web log, blog (a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies) "postings on a blog are usually in chronological order"; (v) blog (read, write, or edit a shared on-line journal)
Our DPP Blog will be up and running this Friday, November 11! We will be updating it weekly, with information about DPP, digital publishing in general, and all kinds of other fun tidbits! Our weekly newsletter to you will be posted and you’ll be able to post opinions, feedback, and other information you’d like to share. Check out our NEW blog at http://digitalpulppublishing.blogspot.com/
UPCOMING EVENTS:
The Third San Francisco Writers ConferenceBuilding Bridges to Better Tomorrows February 17 - 19, 2006
For Complete information and registration:
http://www.sanfranciscowritersconference.com/
Genene, David and I attended last year’s conference, and we’re going again in 2006. It’s a good networking ground, and there is good information on the publishing industry. Also, it’s a great opportunity to meet agents (they have “speed dating” where you can pitch your book to agents in about 5 minutes). They also have nightly sessions where you can read your work out loud and get feedback. And, heck: it’s San Francisco- a wonderful writer’s town and a magnificent city!
Write on,
Nicky
What Goes on in THIS Writer's Head!
I belong to an online writing club where various prompts are sent to spark spontaneous creativity. I figured since this is a website for writers, I’d share what hit my inner author today, and let you know who you’re really dealing with when you visit this blog. Don’t know that I’m painting the prettiest picture of myself but it’s honest.
November 10, 2005
I can usually be found sitting in my head obsessing.
Obsessing about what was and what it meant and why it happened that way and what if it had happened differently and what if it was different now and if it was how would that be and since it’s not what was the point and what should I do now.
I can usually be found sitting in my head obsessing.
Obsessing about some idea that just popped into my head and what I can do with it and where it could go and who could be part of it and if it would be something that Oprah would do a segment on until another idea popped in my head and I become enamored with that and follow it through as far as it takes me until I am led to another idea.
I can usually be found sitting in my head obsessing.
Obsessing about the state of the world and if things had gone one way instead of another would we be where we are and is it possible to change things as they are now and really make the world a better place and if individuals and nations would simply practice “live and let live” and be tolerant and respectful of one another would hunger end and education expand and would lives be lived more fully and harmoniously.
I can usually be found sitting in my head obsessing.
Obsessing about how much time I spend obsessing about anything and everything and how much better spent my brain would be if I stopped obsessing and started doing and then I obsess about what I would do and how I’m going to do it and when I’m going to do it and who I’m going to do it with and how much time it will take and if it will cost anything and if it does cost anything can I afford it and if I can’t afford it what will I do so that I can afford it and what would I like to do, to do what it takes to afford the thing I was going to do instead of obsessing about it.
Honest responses are welcome, and/or if this little ol’ piece prompts you to write something spontaneous- by all means: post away!- Nicky
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Welcome!
Welcome to the DigitalPulp Publishing blog. We are going to be telling you all about the cool things we are doing. Please come back.
If you have comments or ideas about eBook publishing we would love to hear them! Either post them here or send me email nicpit@digitalpulppublishing.com
If you have comments or ideas about eBook publishing we would love to hear them! Either post them here or send me email nicpit@digitalpulppublishing.com
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