Monday, July 17, 2006

An Open Letter to the President of the United States, Politicians, and Big Business

Dear Mr. President and company,


I’m writing this open letter to you today because it’s official—I’m not only disappointed in you as an American, but as a citizen of this planet. I wish I could say it’s only this one administration that I’m disappointed in, but it’s not. For the record, I voted for President Bush’s re-election but only because of having lived in the state Senator Kerry was from, he wasn’t the least devil to deal with for four years. But my voting preferences aren’t the issue—what is at issue is the repeated disregarding of the foundation of America as well as a failure to be part of the world citizenship in the now and in the future that you all as people who help shape the present and the future have failed in doing. I am ashamed to be American and you can pat yourselves on the back for that as I know I’m not alone in this sentiment. Let’s take a look at what problems you are associated with and how, at least for the politicians, as servants of the people—you will either start correcting your path or face expulsion in the next elections for failure to do what’s best for America. As for you, Big Business—be prepared—you’ve already lost business because of your lack of foresight and lack of responsibility towards this home we call Earth. Maybe sending you out in space to figure out how to survive would give you a reality check.

Number one—let’s start with this Big Business and Politician ass-kissing, money-giving bullshit to think only short-term and only for the special few. Last time I checked and as a student of history, America was founded on the idea of freedom—freedom from tyranny, freedom of religion, freedom of being forced to bend to people who don’t have our best interests at heart. Let’s be honest—big business is out for big business. You want to know why they’re doing things for their consumers now? Because they’re being told they’re fucking up, losing customers, and people are making not only tough economic choices brought on by big business, but to make sure that the environment and our future is considered. Accepting money from every damn specialty group is not a way to make sure people aren’t forgotten in making bills, laws, etc. It’s a way of influencing supply, demand, and also making sure that instead of making changes that help everyone, that it only helps a select few. Do you remember the beginning of the Declaration of Independence? How about the Bill of Rights? Remember the phrase—“All men are created equal”? If you do and you’re not making sure that every law and bill you create doesn’t help all people of all races, creeds, beliefs, genders, etc, then you are not being American nor are you following the laws set forth by the founding fathers. Don’t try to tell me how much money is given to politicians by big business that it helps the people—if you’re claiming it in your income tax statements—it’s not going to the people. Get real, we’re not stupid, and we know the score.

Big business, do you honestly think that we think better of you for buying off the politicians to push your own agenda across to the American people? Do you think we can be swayed by short-term things that you do to help people when in the long run, we know that for you the only thing that counts is the bottom line? The answer is no. If you’re not part of the short and long term solution, you’re definitely part of the problem. A part that needs to be dealt with or eradicated. Granted blowing all of you to bits is not a proper human emotion, but when I consider the pain, suffering, and terror you’ve caused for so many people over so many decades—there are moments when I think you all deserve that once you’ve been tortured and made to live the life that you’ve made so many others to live because of your stupidity and greed. In the immortal words spoken by many people through many eons—“Get over yourself.” You want long term customers? You want loyalty from workers and from buyers? Then do the right thing—make solid products, make them cost effective, stop over-extending yourself to keep up with the Jones’ company, and do right by the community in which you’re based in.

As for you politicians, stop taking bribes. And yes, by definition, taking money for consideration for anything is a bribe if it makes you vote against what your constituents have told you what they want. And by the way—if you accept bribe money, you need to be out of office, especially if you keep that money to yourself and not using it to help the community that voted your sorry ass into office. And yes, I said “sorry ass”. I have no liking for people who can be bribed as they don’t know which is left or right without having a wad of green shoved up their ass to tell them which is which. You want to serve all people within your community? Then serve them truthfully, remembering that you have all types of people who you are there to serve, protect, and represent in Congress. If you can’t do that, then you need to leave your job—you’re incompetent and can’t see beyond your own damn agenda—not the foundation of America.

The second issue to be discussed is separation of Church and State. Now, this in particular deals with you, Mr. President, so listen up, pay attention, and make sure that you break out the history book and your Bible. Yes, your Bible—people like you who claim to be Christian but can’t even follow the laws and precepts set out in the Bible are pseudo-Christians and have reminded me that even before Christianity was thought of and developed from Judaism (and yes, Christianity is a Jewish sect, just like Islam, so get over it), there were other religious beliefs that deserve to be remembered and followed. Call me Pagan to make it simpler for your mind to comprehend, since I doubt you could fully understand my belief system. Now, remember, one of the freedoms I mentioned before was the whole Church and State separated. This is a good thing. Do you know anything from the so-called Dark to Middle Ages in Europe? The whole Church ran and propagated law from its belief system and tortured those who didn’t believe the same way? Do you remember why the Puritans were highly encouraged to get the hell out of England? Do you remember why various religious sects came to America? It’s called the freedom of religion. The right to practice your own beliefs without worrying that the State would tell you that you’re wrong or that it would allow one religious system to run rampant over other people’s rights. You, Mr. President, are highly guilty of this. You have betrayed your oath as President to uphold American law, fundamentals, and the foundation. You have brought Church and State together for the detriment of many people. You and those who push their own religious beliefs to rule over all of America are guilty of breaking one of the fundamental reasons for the creation of this country. When you consider that you have even broken Biblical law. Remember that Jesus himself stated that his kingdom, the ones that his followers served was no part of this world. (See John 18:36) In fact, did he not encourage the separation of religion and state in Matthew 22: 19-21 when talking about giving back Caesar’s things to Caesar and God’s things to God? So, by being part of the government and taking active part in bringing Church and State together, you are breaking the laws set forth by God and the United States of America. What will you say to God when he asks you if you’ve followed all his laws? You can’t lie to him and he will definitely point out these facts to you, just as I do now.

Separation of church and state is not only important because of trying to keep one religion from dominating any other in America, but also because democracy cannot function properly with having religion influencing politics. Granted, America does not in any way practice true democracy, in the truest, more historical sense of the word—where everyone’s vote counts in all major issues, but even in this Republic sense of democracy, allowing religion, particularly the fundamentalists to run the roost doesn’t help it to run better, but harkens back to the Middle Ages. Personally, as interesting as the Middle Ages are, there’s no way I’ll live in a place that allows one religion (particularly one sect of said religion) to run my life. If you want to destroy America, then go ahead, break the law and allow church and state to combine and allow church to influence the law of the land. And when America collapses, you can pat yourself on the back and say, “God, I did such a good job in bringing a man-made Armageddon on my people I swore to serve, protect, and represent because I thought only about my beliefs and my wants. Aren’t you proud of me?” Just remember how God rewarded those who didn’t follow the laws given by him and the laws of man that he told you to obey. Shame on you, Mr. President, and the rest of you politicians who allow religion to influence your state responsibilities to all people in America, including the atheist, the Jew, the Muslim, the Pagan, and those of other beliefs by breaking a foundation law of America and thinking it’s acceptable—it’s not.

Three—we’re going to bring back big business in here again, along with the politicians—we’re going to discuss your stupidity in regards to Global Warming. Now, before you open your mouth and show yourselves as parrots who can mimic facts, figures and other things—let me acquaint you with some facts. I live in Florida. In the past 7 years, I’ve seen the increase of hurricanes hitting land and I’ve seen the result of pollution. Oh yeah, I’ve also been keeping up with data with regards to global warming in all its formats. Yes, most global warming is natural—however, pollution and the overuse of natural gases, coal, gas and oil has contributed to the acceleration of the warming process—putting the world at risk. See, you all forget one major thing—the United States is not alone in ruling or running the world. Your inactions affect other countries and other continents. You refuse to move forward in making our nation great by moving green, by cutting fossil fuel consumption and finding other ways of not only creating business, but also in preserving our world for the future. Don’t delude yourselves that your children, grand-children, or great-grandchildren are going to thank you for fucking up the earth to the point that it can’t be undone. Don’t think that we, the people who will be taking your place as the heads of government or business are going to thank you for making our jobs harder. Instead, you can basically pat yourselves on the collective back and be proud that you are the major fuckups of the world.

Taxing sugar created alcohol with 100% tariffs when it means we could reduce our consumption of gasoline and oil buying, yet not taking oil? Denounce terrorism with one side of your mouth while buying oil from terrorists and those who support terrorism? Refuse to be innovative and create fuel efficient cars, reduce the weight of cars, trucks on roads, and not doing roadwork right the first time in order to create a perpetual cycle of problems? Yeah, you got a lot to be proud of there. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget about the Kyoto Protocol, which would’ve forced both politicians and big business to get off their fat, lazy, greedy asses and get with the program. You do not deserve clean air, good food, or the land you live on because you’re polluting the rest of the world to do it. We talk about terrorism—let’s talk eco-terrorism. You are terrorists—by your refusals to get real, grow up, and start leading the way to a greener way of life. You are hypocrites of the highest level. You want third world countries to follow the Kyoto protocol, yet you won’t be part of it because it means you have to actually become innovative, get active, and stop whoring with those who don’t want to be responsible in helping preserve the earth as long as they get their money. You can all pat your backs for the devastation that was Hurricane Katrina. You can even thank your asses for all the hurricanes that hit the US in the past four years. Your inactions to protect the world that gave you the way to make money now costs the government and other businesses money, not to mention hurts the people you serve and you need to buy your products. Congratulations, you have won the award for lack of forethought and far-sight that I usually reserve for people who commit acts of murder and genocide. I guess we can refer to all of you as the eco-Hitlers of a new age, you’re killing species of animals and plants, and in the end, the human race. Too bad that your insight and innovation, which was the signature of America is lost to you, which has translated into loss of jobs, people leaving the country, and every other country not only laughing at the US, but proving that it’s just like the dinosaur—on the verge of extinction. Bravo—the bottom dollar is going to be the death of you, and you don’t have the brains to even see it. Gods above, save the rest of us from being condemned with you.

Perhaps you need to watch a few science shows to help you understand just how close we are to disaster. I can recommend the shows, “Addicted to Oil” and “Global Warming—what you need to know” as two things to start off with as they won’t overtax your brain. It’s obvious that becoming a green nation is going to cost a bit, but the more you encourage and lead the way to living green, to save the only world we humans can live on, the more that it shows that America is no longer out of touch with dementia and the more fellow Americans will do their part. As for you big businesses, who are about to cry about how to become more efficient and the whole cost to be greener than you are now—you are missing the big picture. If America falls or ends up being subjected to UN sanctions, do you really think you won’t be impacted? If the other nations in the Kyoto Compact act in unison, demanding that you obey world protocols or pay more money in taxes or sell at a loss, do you really think you’ll be in business much longer? Look at the long term picture, people. You’re losing a battle you cannot win. Mother Nature is fucking pissed at what we’ve done to it, and unless we make changes to slow down global warming to the normal level, we’re not going to survive as a race by the 22nd century.

There are plenty of ways of getting people to get green. Make tax incentives for people to buy products that are from green companies, that promote recycling, and make them available everywhere, not just a few places in the US. For big businesses, the reason for many things being more expensive is because that you refuse to get with the program and make things cheaper by making it part of your normal every day process. If you think that green can’t have an impact on sales—try looking at the publishing industry and see what impact electronic publishing is having on it. You might just find out how much more money and acclaim you can get from being the innovative, environmentally friendly business that lasts not just for a decade, but for many generations. The choice is simple—become a fossil fuel yourself or be part of the next evolutionary leap for businesses. How you want to be remembered by customers is up to you—but personally, I’d hate to be remembered as the company that contributed to the downfall of mankind by continuing to release dangerous gases into the atmosphere while using up fossil fuel to unviable levels.

When I consider these things, and talking to my friends who live in other nations, sometimes it’s really hard to be a proud American. Some say that 9/11 was a day where Americans as a whole stood up and showed that they could handle anything and keep going. I say that 9/11 proved that the United States is a dinosaur that refuses to evolve and be part of the world. I lost friends that day, and have friends who lost people that day. We, the survivors, have shown that we don’t view the world in the same narrow-minded, ignorant way that led to 9/11. Many of us have friends in various countries and we are highly aware of our role in the world. We have evolved and now we’re issuing you a warning—evolve or die out. There is no other choice. If you really love America as much as you say and you really support the foundation that America was created upon, then you would be doing everything in your power to protect all people, keep church and state separate, be innovative, and be the leader among going green in the world. We used to set the standard by which the rest of the world tried to achieve—we are now the laughingstock of the world because we’ve become the class clown who will never achieve anything beyond making others laugh. Many of us are trying to change it, one step at a time, but it’s people like yourselves that make each step a battle because you can’t own up to the great fuckup that you helped create and maintain. My grandfather said that the best way to make up for a mistake made is to get out there and do the right thing and make right your wrong. So, I challenge you all—politicians and big businesses alike—get off your ass and do the right thing—make America a great country to live in, to be proud of, and a place that once again leads the way for a better world for all of mankind.

Always,

Cynthia Witkus

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Epublishing and the writer

In today’s growing technology, the writer has many more options in the world of publishing. There are some myths that need to be dealt with as we enter the technologically advanced publishing realm. As we stride forward into the 21st century, writers are turning to electronic publishing as a viable medium. Yet, many readers are either unaware of epublishing or have heard horror stories.

Let’s separate fact from fiction. Only by taking an in-depth look at epublishing and getting beyond the horror stories can we find out the truth about the e-world. The main complaints by many in the print publishing arena are: popularity, quality, growth, technology, and that it causes a glut in the seemingly crowded publishing world. Let’s address the issues one by one.

Popularity and Growth- You’ll hear it said that epublishing, especially ebooks aren’t popular and that most people are unaware that ebooks exist. Those who are against the world of epublishing will say that most people don’t want to curl up with a computer and that ebook readers are too expensive. They also state that sales prove they’re not as popular as print books.

According to the June 7, 2004 article at MacWorld UK and PR Newswire, ebook sales are the publishing industry’s largest growth sector. Sales were up 46% in the first quarter of 2004. What’s even more interesting are the names of the publishers who gave information to correlate the data. The article reads, “Publishers and retailers that contributed to the 1st quarter 2004 survey are: eBooks.com, Elib, E-Reads, Fictionwise.com, Hard Shell Word Factory, HarperCollins, Mobipocket, Palm Digital Media, RAND Corporation, Random House, Simon & Schuster, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Time Warner Book Group, and Zondervan.

Notice that even major print publishers are aboard the epublishing wagon. In fact, you can peruse many of their websites and find their ebook divisions. If there weren’t a market for it, the publishers wouldn’t offer online buying of their books in various formats, including electronically. Then there’s the fact that many academic publishers are doing etextbooks to bring down the costs as well.

What about ebook readers are too expensive? Since many of the formats of ebooks, ejournals are in PDF and HTML, you can read them off of your computer with the simple installation of a PDF reader, like Adobe, which is free to download. Your computer comes equipped to read an HTML book. Some other formats are specific to devices, Mobi Pocket being one of the top programs to use on PDAs, iPods, ebook readers, and other multimedia devices. The cost varies from $50 for a reconditioned PDA on up for a new one on up the scale depending on the gadgets wanted. So, if you’re buying a PDA to get rid of the paper ladened date book you already possess, then you also possess and ebook reader. The programs to read the ebooks are available at no cost and often come preinstalled. Thus pricing isn’t a factor either as the popularity of PDAs and similar items are growing. In fact, Sony had developed an ebook reader that even had pages you turn, letting you have that page turning sensation.

Another thing to keep in mind when you deal with price, major academic publishers are looking at etextbooks for schools because it’d be cheaper for kids to have their textbooks uploaded onto an ebook reader. Look at the many scholarly journals that have gone to an online format, as it saves money for them. Thus, we have a diverse section of publishing that are going to electronic formats for various reasons. Electronic books are a bit proportionately cheaper than print, though that’s always the case.

Quality- This is an area that most frequently crops up when there’s a discussion of electronic publishing and print publishing. Quality covers a whole range of areas, but most specifically this is aimed at the editing, plot, and grammar core of the book or article. Are ebooks, ejournals, and ezines terribly written, edited, and formatted?

As mentioned prior, there are many print publishers who have ebook divisions. They have a good quality team, but even they make mistakes in their editing and formatting. Yes, in the past, there were many ebooks and online articles that were poorly formatted, edited, and written coherently. However, the same can be said about print publishing as well. There are typesetting problems, there’s a change in editors as one leaves, or the writers just don’t write up to the expected standard.

Thus, good and bad writing, editing, and such can slip by anyone at any given time. There are many epublishers that have been around for quite a few years consistently providing high quality work.

Technology- It seems like every few years, we need to upgrade our electronic gadgets. If that’s the case and software is always changing and improving, what does that mean for the ebooks, ejournals, etcetera that are in an older format? Is technology that spawned the epublishing revolution, in fact, also be the cause of its demise?

The best way to look at this realistically is to do an example. Let’s say that we buy an ebook in a format compatible to our PDA at the time. A couple years down the road, our needs change, as does the software. What do you do?

Yet, before you pick up your CD, diskette, or wipe that hard drive, let’s delve a bit deeper. We go online to the PDA manufacturer to see what ebook reader formats are available. The variety of formats allows you to choose which one is best for you and the books you own. Then you pull out a CD or diskette of one of your ebooks and decide to see if it’ll work. When you put it in your computer and link up your reader, you’re asked which format you’d like to download into it. You had forgotten that on the disk there were the various formats there to accommodate your needs.

Still the doubts linger. What about those ebooks that only have download from their site capabilities? What can be done about those? Most reputable epublisher has a listing with your id number and what books you bought. When you log into your account, you notice that once again, you are able to redownload the book in the proper system. Granted, there will be some of your digital books that you might not be able to get in a new format if the company has gone out of business. Just remember, that print books do go out of print and get worn with repeated wear and tear. Print technology is also changing. Some things work better than others, but there still are issues, such as paper deteriorating, ink fading or running, and the book no longer being available for one reason or another.

Ever notice that you no longer have those bulky oversized manuals in how to play games or how to deal with problems that pop up with software or other electronic equipment? This is because most businesses create their manuals in PDF or rich text format in order to save space and paper. Most VCRs, DVDs, and other electronic equipment have on-screen programming, forcing you to read not from a paper, but a screen. What about text cellular phones? We read text messages from friends, not on the notebook paper or stationary, but off a screen. Many of us are somewhat computer literate since most of us type up our resumes, book reports, and etcetera. Do people say that your resume isn’t professional unless you have a professional printer do it for you? No, many of us type them up and print them out, following a basic set format that we were taught. This is true also with epublishing. Just because it’s a different medium, doesn’t mean that it had forgotten its roots in print publishing.
What this means is that there are going to be times when one medium will be preferable and more readily accessible than the other.

In this day of rapidly changing technology, the publishing industry has somewhat separated into two major arenas: print and electronic. Though print has been around for much longer, electronic format does make it easier in some ways for busy people. Instead of carrying a four hundred-page book, which weighs you down, you can download from one to many books onto your ebook reader and be able to switch over to another book if bored with the current one. Further, the weight is considerably less. Considering that most school-age children are forced to carry from ten to thirty pounds of books on their back not only to and from school, but between classes if they switch classes, we can see why academia is looking at less weighty, less expensive alternatives.

Let’s recap a bit and go a little into what it means for a writer in the epublishing world. Considering that there are some of the heavy hitters in the publishing business involved with epublishing, it behooves all writers to know what their electronic rights are as well as learning what royalties are given for sales if they're in electronic medium by their publisher. It’s always good to get it down in writing in a clear manner regarding publication rights- domestic, foreign, and all other media, including electronic.

An epublisher might establish themselves in ebook format due to their fresh style and stories, then when they're ready, make the move to offer print books. Ellora’s Cave is one such example of a company that started as an epublisher and now offers POD books as well for their customers. But it wasn't until there were compelling reasons that it was accomplished. It saves the company and the consumer money by not having overages as the books are either downloaded on demand or printed when demanded, thus reducing returns as well as over-printings. If you ever doubt there are many fans of ebooks, you can go to the Yahoo groups and type in various key words for epublishing and ebook to see for yourself how large an audience is there. On one ebook loop alone there are over 500 people who read electronic print. In fact, there are some epublishers who want to remain only in ebook format—such as Loose Id LLC.

Electronic publishing is a great medium for writers who don’t quite fit into any particular genre. Because epublishing is still new, they are the trendsetters for the industry in many ways. They cater to the demands of their readers because if they don’t, then their business fails. This means that a writer might be able to sell a work that might be considered too unique and unusual for regular, established print publisher to an epublisher with fantastic results. A good example is the paranormal romance upsurge. The ebook publishers were catering to the reader demand, thus forcing the traditional publishing houses to find openings for paranormal romance where for many years, they would’ve turned it down. Erotic romance is another arena where electronic publishers caught onto the wishes of readers and gave them what was asked for. A creative writer can almost carve their own special niche within the epublishing and genre realms with a well-crafted, unique story that captures the interest of the many ebook readers out there.

In the realm of royalties, how do epublishers stack up against the print publishers? This is where it becomes a bit unusual. Print publishers often give their writers an advance that’s usually applied against royalties. Most print authors make their money on the advance with little on the back end of the royalties over the agreed amount of time. An epublished author usually makes a higher percentage on each book, but doesn’t receive an advance. Many e-authors generate a decent income from their writing. There are some print authors who also write for epublishers to supplement their income, as the returns can be higher, especially when they have a reader base.
So, epublishing is a true option for fiction writers as well as nonfiction writers.

The most important thing is to know your rights, find a quality, well-established epublisher, and to keep submitting in various places. Technology is changing the world and as it does, the print publishers are moving in the direction of offering their consumers books they want, in the format they desire. Electronic publishing is here to stay. It's a growing, thriving part of the publishing industry and anyone who doesn't find out more about it is actually working against themselves for their future. Ebooks will never replace print in total, however, one day you're going to walk into your local bookstore and see books offered in print, CD, disk for whatever way you choose to indulge your reading pleasure.


References:

http://www.newsjournalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Columnists/247/03SceneTWEN011404.htm
http://www.palmpower.com/issuesprint/issue200206/ebook0602.html
http://books.guardian.co.uk/ebooks/story/0,11305,1133307,00.html
http://www.us.perfectbound.com/B89B0A8E-0F31-43CE-B563-814443E154CD/10/1/en/Default.htm
http://www.contentlinkinc.com
http://www.ebookyes.com/
http://www.twbookmark.com/ebooks/index.html
http://www.webscription.net/
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/us/ebooks/home.html
http://www.simonsays.com/content/index.cfm?sid=358


Here are some well-established, non-subsidy, royalty-paying epublishers (most of them are in the romance and/or fantasy genres):

Hard Shell Word Factory http://hardshell.com/
New Concepts Publishing http://www.newconceptspublishing.com
Awe-Struck E-Books http://www.awe-struck.net
C & M Online Media (Boson Books) http://www.cmonline.com/
Loose-id http://www.loose-id.net
Fictionwise, Inc. http://www.Fictionwise.com
Writer's Exchange E-Publishing http://ebooks.writers-exchange.com
Atlantic Bridge Publishing http://www.atlanticbridge.net/
Changeling Press http://www.changelingpress.com
Ellora's Cave Romantica E-Publishing http://www.ellorascave.com
Zuymaya Publications Ltd. http://www.zumayapublications.com/
CrowsNest Ebook Publishing http://www.computercrowsnest.com/greennebula/bkindex.htm
Alexandria Digital Literature http://www.alexlit.com
Aspen Mountain Press http://www.aspenmountainpress.com

EPIC is the Electronic Published Internet Connection for authors, publishers and writers who work in and promote electronic publishing. http://www.epicauthors.com

Organization for Messy Writers

Supplies needed: folders, sticky notes, paper, stapler, paperclip, marker, and pens



I believe in being organized. When I’m organized and things are neat, there’s a rush. My neatly organized desk, my notes in place, and everything being in place are my reality- not! I’ve got a teen living here and my baby nephew thinks his auntie’s computer is fun. Reality is that for most of us, we don’t have the time, energy, or for some of us- the skill of being organized in our writing and research.

I’m the Organization Fairy. Laugh if you will, but this is a tried and true technique that works for my online critique group as well as me. It’s a simple way to not only keep track of your research for your books, but also to be able to make editing easier. First things first, I need you to set aside about an hour to set it up. The upkeep is minimal. I kid you not.

Using your marker, write the title of your book on the folder. Open up the folder and on the left hand side; write the start date of your book. I also write the main characters names underneath. Once you’ve done that, we get ready for the hard part. Whether you’re a plotter or a pantster, or even a combination thereof, we all know about our characters and the basic story/synopsis of the book. What I do is take one page each and jot down the pertinent details about the main characters. This includes height, build description, hair, eyes, and the little things that are important for knowing your characters inside and out. One sheet of paper per character is how I normally allot to them. Feeling the power of knowing my characters and the flow of the story, I grab more paper and jot down the framework of the book.

For those who are pantsters—do not panic! I’m not making you write your whole story and box yourself in. What this is taking that synopsis or blurb and spreading it over a few pages while making sure to leave empty spaces so I can put in details later. This also gives you play space. For pantsters, it means you’ve got so much room to maneuver. For plotters, it’ll help organize details. After you’re done spreading the synopsis/blurb out over a few pages, you staple the character sheets and the story to the folder. Once this is done, congratulate yourself. You’ve finished the hardest part of organizing your things.

Now, if you’re like me, you find yourself researching things as you’re writing or you might have a specific research day. Most of us jot down the notes on sticky pads. We might have the URLs also jotted down. During the week, I’ll make notes, jot down ideas, or things will come up with the story and they’re all on the sticky pads, pieces of paper, or on my computer. At the end of each day, those notes get tossed into that folder. That’s all you have to do. Toss them in the folder, refer as you need it, and it’s there. Then what do you do?

At the end of the week, or whenever you’ve got time, you take the notes and staple or tape them where they fit in the story. No, you don’t have to write those notes in nicely. You don’t have to copy those notes over. This is the lazy way of being organized. Staple the paper where it belongs. Make sure you have the URLs on a sheet, so you can avail of them again if need be.

As you write the notes, jot down changes, or revelations on your characters come up, you place them on the correct page. When you’re done writing your book, you write down the date you completed it and sit back. First, pat yourself on the back. Your first draft is finished and you deserve to be proud. Now, you’re already thinking about the editing and revising process. How will you know where to look for things that might have bugged you? Where is there a quick reference to know how certain thoughts and ideas came from? Aha! You’ve got your handy folder with the story right there. It’s got each section that helped create and build your story. All your references are there, you’ve got your GMC (Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts) in all its various stages there, and you have all your changes.

This sounds simple, perhaps too simple, but for someone who has a tendency to like inertia, it’s great. A body at rest stays at rest while a body in motion remains in motion. This means that once you do this, it becomes a regular routine. It doesn’t take inordinate amounts of time and if the system works for you, that’s all that matters. Remember that organization doesn’t have to mean a rigid system. It means that you have the freedom to be you, take care of the kids, have a life, and still keep your writing organized. In the whirlwind if life, at least your writing can’t be lost by your kids, your nephews, or everyday life.

Too Much Push for Erotica Romance By Publishers?

Lately, I've seen a trend for editors from print and epublishing asking for hotter and more erotic books. Now, for me, I write pretty hot, though at times, I can be fairly tame, depending on the story in question. But it's been something that have authors who don't write erotica-styled romance-- is there too much of a push for hotter romance?

Erotica romance-- the new big thing. Lately, the news has been commenting on the trend in print publishing of pushing the sexual boundaries in books now-- and there are new imprints that show that aspect in romance writing. Some authors feel that if they don't write hotter, that they won't get the sales. This might be true, but they have to remember something-- this is a trend. In time, trends change and shift with the demands of the reading public.

When I first got into ebooks, I was reading erotica styled romance nonstop. Why? It was new, it was exciting, and I was so damn happy to have books with plot that had sex like I know sex can be. Yes, there were HEA (Happily Ever After), but for once, I had books as kinky as they could be and unique storylines. But after a while, I noticed that a lot of the books didn't have good solid plots anymore-- just hot sex. So once again, I was hunting for books with hot sex and solid plotlines.

But Cyn, what does that have to do with why editors are pushing for the hotter than hot stuff?

Cycles. Remember when paranormal wasn't the big thing? Then suddenly it was and now we seem to be hitting certain limits within various areas of paranormal that are overdone. Cyclic-- been there, done that, will do it again sometime in the future. This means that the consumers are demanding hotter, kinkier books and wanting them to be considered mainstream. That means print publishers are grabbing at them-- including epublished authors who have been writing them for years. However, remember, as all cycles end, this too shall pass. Though I doubt it'll ever go away. Being adult about sex and sexuality means learning to accept that some people prefer hot, kinky sex with one person or more than one. I'm glad to see the erotic stuff hit mainstream and find acceptance, not to mention sales.

For all that erotica romance is selling, the one thing that will kill the trend faster than anything is bad plot. Ask people who used to read erotica romance why they stopped and you'll hear a few phrases repeated over and again. "The sex is all the same." "There's no plot to the story." "I don't find myself caring for the characters." "I'm skipping the sex to find the interesting parts of the story." Those are just some of the comments I've heard and said about some erotica romances I've read over the years and currently.

Do I think that erotica romance will be the leader in selling romance books-- not always. Some people will read nothing that is hot. There is a big market for Inspirational romance. Plus, we've seen people look for good quality romance without the kinks and other erotic tendencies. What does this mean? It means erotica romance has a place in the future of romance. It's not going away, but in time-- the demand will lessen and the only requirement editors are going to have is that your book has a solid plot that showcases the characters and the HEA-- regardless of the sensuality level.

I write both erotica romance and your regular hot romance. Well, actually I write women's action/adventure fiction with erotic romance elements. But I'm enjoying this renaissance as it has me digging out my Victorian erotica books as well as pulling out some of my favourite ebooks. In the end-- what matters most to people is that the story has a damn good plot and reason for the sex. If that's there-- then it will sell. Heat rises and falls depending on the market.

So have heart-- if you don't write erotica style, don't unless you want to. Keep writing solid books, increase the type of sensuality you have--- bring it to the fore and you might just surprise yourself on how readers receive your books. In time, the call will be for the less hot-- so let the erotica romance authors have their time-- it's been a long time in coming. Soon, it'll be your turn once again.