Tuesday 29 January 2013

Must try harder

Yes I know that  I said I was going to be a better blogger this year but that went the way of most New Years Resolutions - that is to say out of the window.
However I'm here now.
Well I got a new laptop (remember the old one had a dodgy "s" and had started to do random things?) and I have been trying to get to grips with Windows 8. I can't pretend that I am a massive fan but I am getting my head around it. Until I do, Himself has set up the desktop so that it has a familiar look about it which is very comforting.
On the writing front, I made my first submission of the year this week. I'm still waiting to hear from the editors that I spoke to before Christmas about the non fiction possibilities. Like I said though I have worked with them before and the delay is not unusual. As for BTL, the nugget that was in my head is still there. Basically I have pretty much given up hope of ever finding an agent due to various reasons and so I will have to make it happen for myself which will probably mean self publishing later in the year. I always said that was a route that I wouldn't go down because people were supposed to pay you to publish your book and anything else meant that you weren't a real writer but the world has changed and whether I like it or not technology is the future so maybe I will embrace the e-book.
Other than that the weather has been horrible. and getting about last week was a bit of a nightmare. The most ridiculous thing was going to bed on Friday night to about a foot and a half of snow outside only to have that reduced to a couple of inches by Saturday morning.
Weird.

5 comments:

Paula RC said...

Glad to see you are back, Collette and with a new computer. I hate to change things. My phone is on the blink and needs update, but I hate the thought as I just got use to this one.
Good luck with your submisson. I'm hoping to have my editing finished on my novel this year. Hopefully in the next six months.

Debbie Coope said...

This weather is freaky. I've just had to put the light on, mid-day, due, to the wild winds, and every-direction rain.

Hold your pink pen high and keep writing/typing.

Sheila Norton said...

Good luck Colette, whichever route you decide to take. You're right that the world has changed - self-publishing is now far more 'respectable' and no longer seen as a second-class option, probably because traditional publishing has become so much more difficult. And getting an agent is just as hard as getting a publisher!

Frances Garrood said...

Self publish, Colette! You can't let all that work go to waste. And trust me; making money from novels is very hard. I've made far more over the years from my short stories (which at one stage were bringing in a very nice little income) than I have from my books, despite selling Dutch and
French rights with one (and a handy advance for those). We write to tell stories, don't we. So tell your story to,the world! But DO get someone good to edit it. Preferably not a friend!

Colette McCormick said...

Paula - I know what you mean. I'm happy to use technology but hate it when I have to use something new.
Debbie - Same here. The weather is very weird these days.
Olivia - You're right about the publishing world. The "traditional" industry has changed.
Frances - its been a good thing that I never wanted to do the writing for the cash. It has always been about getting the stories out of my head.