tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5122304314547021226.post5034870595499604607..comments2023-02-16T10:29:31.767-05:00Comments on CELTIC PUMPKIN: October 1987Rook Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627545466953210016noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5122304314547021226.post-54592679603759798942011-10-28T08:13:42.447-04:002011-10-28T08:13:42.447-04:00Wendy,
I will check out the Writer's Market, ...Wendy,<br /><br />I will check out the Writer's Market, as you suggest. <br />I do find it hard to maintain my resolve, it is true. On top of all the other things that can bum one out, I tend to get distracted by things like work, which always seems to need another certification from me, or seasons. Often what seemed a good story/work at the beginning of a season seems less so at the end of it. I put that blame on myself. Focus issues. <br />Then I see what is "popular" and I find despair creeping up on me. If, for example, Twilight is considered a bestseller, then I find that I lose my resolve to create. Then I say, "Hey, the things you like are not really mainstream anyway, so don't sweat it."<br />I considered self-publishing, but I'd have to finish a whole novel first.Rook Wilderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627545466953210016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5122304314547021226.post-57630606485919506202011-10-28T00:53:44.453-04:002011-10-28T00:53:44.453-04:00I'm sure you have already done this...but is s...I'm sure you have already done this...but is self publishing in some capacity out of the question? I know financially it can be expensive, but maybe in smaller quantities with a grass roots effort to just get your work out there....some where? Have you picked up a copy of Writer's Market yet? If not...get a copy in your hands asap.<br /> <br />http://www.writersmarket.com/<br /><br />I can empathize. As a photographer, I set my sites on getting a Rights Managed contract for my work and realized that a.) the marketplace is over-saturated and extremely competitive b.) I, myself, am not competitive by nature and am easily discouraged when my confidence gets shaken and c.) the old adage of "it's not what you know, it's who you know" is really true and that sucks and it pisses me off! I did FINALLY get the contract I sought, only to find that the prestige of holding out for a RM contract instead of a royalty free one, sadly, does not mean that it is an exponentially more lucrative one! :o(<br /><br />I get discouraged...not just for the artist that I am, the one who has many creative gifts, yet will never seemingly grow rich from them, thereby, leaving me to wonder why I was even given them in the first place if they are useless....but also for artists like you who have such wonderful gifts and likewise struggle to be found and heard in a loud, noisy world with a futilely short, nanosecond long attention span. {sigh}<br /><br />All I can say is that you most definitely have a gift for writing...and I'd encourage you to challenge yourself to try and think of each rejection letter as just another opportunity to prove them wrong. I am a strong believer in the power of will and manifestation. And I find it really works for me...as long as I keep up my resolve. I bet it will work for you too. Definitely check out the Writer's Market book if you haven't already. I love the Photographer's Market and Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market books.The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019178141482378287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5122304314547021226.post-28293729582078128642011-10-27T22:09:17.254-04:002011-10-27T22:09:17.254-04:00Thank you, Wendy, I am honored that you would incl...Thank you, Wendy, I am honored that you would include it. It is a true story, and the thought that others find it rings true with their own experience is a happy one.<br />I have not been able to write for a living for multiple reasons, mostly my inability to finish a full novel and my inability to give away a short story, much less sell one. I started blogging as a way to fulfill that need to write after I collected a large stack of rejection letters. I published in my college honors alumni journal, but that is not a very large audience, I'm afraid.Rook Wilderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627545466953210016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5122304314547021226.post-84540302607485267142011-10-27T15:14:56.065-04:002011-10-27T15:14:56.065-04:00Well....that was absolutely SUPERB and FANTASTIC a...Well....that was absolutely SUPERB and FANTASTIC and WONDERFUL! I can tell that you are 'gifted'! Not sure if I've said that to you yet or not...but I know that you are! And I don't just mean gifted as in the ability to write extremely well...but in the actual sense of being a 'gifted' child who has now grown into a 'gifted' man! Whether you were ever technically given that label in school makes no difference as many 'gifted' children get overlooked, especially the ones who are hyper and get bored easily with the mundane world around them. But EVERY thing you wrote mimics not only my own feelings and views of these very things, but life in general. I was one of the kids that got singled out in school at the ripe old age of 6! I spent the rest of my school years trying to fit into a world that I would NEVER fit into. Being 'gifted' was a 'blessing' according to my parents...who doesn't want to have a 'smart' kid? But being truly gifted is way more than that. It's a completely different way of thinking, reasoning, maturing and processing life. My parents didn't understand that and it was never explained to me. It wasn't until I was fully grown with 'gifted' children of my own, that I went in search of why I never quite 'belonged' in the world! I learned what it meant to be 'gifted' and I learned that it has a lot of ramifications for the gifted child that grows up and finds themselves overwhelmed with their 'giftedness' in adulthood! In fact, it is compared to being an exceptional education student, just on the opposite end of the spectrum. An 'almost affliction' that needs special teaching and care to help 'gifted' individuals be able to function properly in the world. If you've never read or looked into 'giftedness'.....I would encourage you to do a web search on what it means to be 'gifted' and specifically being a 'gifted' adult! I think you will find that you meet many of the qualifications! It really helped me a lot to understand why it is that I think SO differently from most everyone else, and why I've never really fit in anywhere. Enough of my psych message....take it for what you wish and pursue it or not...but I do believe (know) that you are gifted! <br /><br />Back to your story....this was a most wonderful read and I loved EVERY single word of it. So much so that I am copying it and printing it out to put into my Halloween Grimoire! It's a special project of mine, in a very large cool book where I keep all sorts of writings, poems, pictures, cards, stickers, my own art and writings, and that of others that inspire me etc. This is just a 'tome' of sorts that I plan to leave behind when I complete my own cycle of life, and I hope that it makes its way into the hands of someone else very much like you or I, who will appreciate and love the season and holiday as much as we do. I will list your story's author as Herr Punkinstein! And it will have a spot in my book so that I can read it time and again. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us here. You should write for a living, if you don't already! Thank you again for sharing! :o)The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019178141482378287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5122304314547021226.post-91500859616844341232011-10-26T11:18:58.886-04:002011-10-26T11:18:58.886-04:00You are too kind.You are too kind.Rook Wilderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627545466953210016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5122304314547021226.post-18270699889062894292011-10-26T09:10:30.359-04:002011-10-26T09:10:30.359-04:00Fantastic. This post would get my vote for post o...Fantastic. This post would get my vote for post of the year. So poignant and close to my own experience of life on the sphere! Thank you so much for sharing this! Happy Halloween!Madbikerteknikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03182337599187523299noreply@blogger.com