Great poster by artist Michelle Milburn for title challenge match to be featured at the Okal Rel Universe event at VCON, Saturday Oct 2, 7 p.m. Fencing instructors Devon Boorman and Craig Bowlsby will square off in a featured clash of titans. We'll also be giving away character cards, Okal Rel buttons, singing a few Okal Rel filk songs and launching Avim's Oath, Book 6 in the series, by Lynda Williams; as well as Opus 4 collection of stories set in the Okal Rel Universe and Okal Rel novella Misfit Leaves Home by Krysia Anderson.

Labels: Craig Bowlsby, Krysia Anderson, Lynda Williams, Michelle Milburn, Misfit Leaves Home, opus 4, Part 6: Avim's Oath, VCON

posted by Lynda at 15:35   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 1 comments

 

I think I missed this one back in 2009. Reviewer Ronald Hore says:

"Far Arena is not your standard Space Opera, with large explosions on every page and ray guns blazing in all directions. The well-written story is character-driven and investigates the social problems that can arise. There are larger than life characters, but they are humanized by having to deal with their own personal problems as well as the larger affairs of their empires."

Labels: Part 5: Far Arena, Review

posted by Lynda at 15:03   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

Please to be an inspiring partner of Readers for the Future.

Labels: RFF

posted by Lynda at 07:47   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments

 

Avim's Oath is out. Available in bookstores and from Amazon

Okal Rel Universe event at VCON Oct 1-3 will celebrate this and two Okal Rel Legacies titles

Love and titles are lost and won as two brothers struggle to attain power, recognition, and acceptance in a world filled with treachery and hatred.

The Queen is dead. Two princes are suddenly thrust center-stage to vie for a throne neither really wants, orchestrated by the ambitions of power-hungry princesses.

Amel, the elder, would prefer a quiet life — but is being pressured into the pursuit of power by the alarmingly beautiful princess Alivda.

Erien, the younger, wants to start an academy of science on their planet — but is being pursued by the leige Vretla, who intends to bear the prince’s child.
Trapped in a tangle of torment, the two brothers must prove themselves, choosing between lives they desire, and the roles for which they are demanded.

Labels: Avim's Oath, Part 6: Avim's Oath

posted by Lynda at 12:02   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 1 comments

 
Thanks everyone who responded to this topic stream. You gave us great feedback. Lynda asked me to sum up with a few notes.

It was great hearing that youth generally think that writing is cool and a worthy pursuit. Several great suggestions were made to help young and beginning writers get started and finish their projects toward publication. These included:

• join or form a writers group. Remember to be mindful of the quality of feedback and the element of trust. Don't let your work be subverted by comments (whether intentionally or not) that may undermind the integrity of your art. There's nothing like the synergy and creativity sparked by a group of upbeat and creative people. Stay alert, be giving, and enjoy the ride.
• similarly, go to local conventions and conferences, where you can meet older and published writers and other members of the industry who can give you a great introduction to the publishing world and where it's going.
• attend local writer's events, readings and workshops. Published writers in your community are a great resource for mentoring and general advice.
• writing fan-fic is a great way to help learn and hone skills in storyboarding, and other essential elements of storytelling and craft without having to build a whole new universe or set of characters. Watch this, though. You can get too comfortable here. At some point you need to step out and create your own story.
• look for different and wild and crazy new ways to express your writing. The internet is a great and accessible place to brainstorm and find places to showcase your artistic expressions.
• find and use reliable writing guides, workshops, etc. that will help you jumpstart your work, focus your writing and successfully market your stuff. Thanks, Paula, for including your information. Paula has been teaching cool courses for a while and I highly recommend her. I include my information below. I'm a writing coach and do work with individuals online as well as give webinars and workshops. Check below for contact information and what materials might be useful to you.

We also discussed other challenges faced by young and beginning writers. One was write creatively then edit vs. edit and craft as you go along. I made the following comment:

1. you can certainly write the first way, but believe me, it will take you ten years to publish; because it will take that long to edit! Writing the second way saves time and keeps you focused on STORY. Story is King.

2. The experts say--and I am in total agreement with them now--that it is dangerous to simply write creatively without some mindfulness to craft. And by craft I mean good storytelling that incorporates theme with plot and character: the so what of a story. If you don't have these clear in your head, your writing will meander into chaos and won't really go anywhere; it won't be a STORY. You NEED to know where you're going--at least have a general idea of what's at stake for all the characters. I talk about these in my writing guidebook The Fiction Writer and in my workshop "The Writer's Toolkit". Both are available through www.thepassionatewriter.com and Amazon.

Several people talked about youth's disadvantage of not having lived and experienced as much. Krysia wisely mentioned that this can be seen as an advantage. The "white page" per se, is far more open to what may come to it, perhaps more willing to try new things and experiment. And this is the great stuff of writing.

Anyone interested in my coaching services or workshops is welcome to check out my website, http://www.ninamunteanu.com/. You can purchase my guidebook The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now! through Amazon or through http://www.thepassionatewriter.com/. A 3-disc DVD set will be available on that site too, which gives a comprehensive course on starting and finishing, craft, and marketing. And for FREE, you can get some cool advice on "Toolkit Talks", a Writer's Digest free webinar where journalist/editor Vernon Oikle  and I discuss the common issues faced by young and beginning writers. You can register for free for this on-demand webinar and watch it at your leisure. You can find the site through my website or go directly here.

Did I miss anything, Lynda?

Labels: challenges in writing, workshops, Writers Digest, writing and publishing, writing courses, young writers

posted by Nina Munteanu at 10:04   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 2 comments

 
September 2 2010

So it’s my turn to put my two cents in. I stayed up half the night trying to come up with something brilliant to write that would make Lynda glad to have asked me to participate in this discussion, even after several panicked texts. Despite being published and living with numerous people reading over my shoulder, I really am a big baby when it comes to sharing my thoughts on paper.

About midnight last night I thought of the last part Nina’s post regarding confidence and attitude. When it comes to these things it doesn’t matter if you are young or old, write fan fic, short stories or full length novels, everyone needs to be confident that what they do is worth the work. Without that belief, why write in the first place? How could you finish a story and survive the heartless rejection of publishers? On the other hand, confidence can turn into arrogance. The last thing you want to do is assume whenever your pen touches paper every word will be pure gold. Not only is that annoying, but just plain wrong. It is difficult to strike a balance between humility and confidence, especially when something as personal as your original work is involved. For me at least, stories are like children. I don’t want to hear another persons negative feed back about my baby, but I also realize that I want it to be perfect before sending it out into the world.

Yesterday I was feeling hopelessly humble and kept thinking that I couldn’t possibly know anything about the topic ‘What challenges do young writers face that older writers don’t?’ How should I know? I have never been an older writer so I have nothing to compare my experiences to. Of course there is the problem of not being taken seriously like Nina mentioned. But that is a problem teens face daily. Whenever they decide to do something ambitious there are people who think they can’t just because of their age. Motivation is another problem, but not one confined to the younger generation. Success depends so much on the individual. Comparing age groups is an oversimplification. The old are just as likely to fail as the young because growing old does not mean growing up. I know plenty of adults that still possess the same negative traits that the young are usually accused of having. If you are driven, confident, fearless and open I don’t see why age would hold anyone back from their goals.

There is one area that young people might have an advantage over their older counterparts. Not necessarily when getting published in print, but writing as a whole. Writers that started before the computer age had to go it alone. That is not the case anymore. Publishing on the internet connects young writers to countless others that provide an audience and instant feedback. This also lets people who would never get published, not because of a lack of skill, a chance to get their work read. Fan fic is a wonderful example of this, but people do post their original stories, too. Lynda has often said to me that if for some unfathomable reason the last of her books was not published she would put them on the internet.

I don’t have anything left to say so I will turn this back over to Nina. Remember to comment!

posted by Krysia at 09:50   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 3 comments

 
When Lynda asked me to guest post on this topic, I was delighted. I’ve been writing for over thirty years from when I was a teenager to my current “older” years, so not only do I qualify as an “older writer” but I can recall what it was like as a young adult, trying to break into the publishing market. If I knew then what I know now… LOL!

Well, that’s what this topic is all about, I suppose…But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First, I want to start this discussion with a few clarifying statements:

The terms “Young Adult” and “Older” imply a certain level of experience and success in publishing that may or may not be the case. I know many an older writer who has not yet published and some young adult writers who have already published!

The question also implies that young adult writers face more challenges than older writers. This may also not be the case. In the writing workshops that I give across the country, I run across many older writers who are facing the same challenges in getting started. Being older doesn’t necessarily mean being “wiser”, particularly when it comes to publishing.

Moreover, an older published writer—who has learned the ropes of the industry, been beaten down by umpteenth rejections and prevailed to successfully publish—is such a different creature than the youth who is “stumbling” through a whole new world they need to learn to get their first work published, that I think it moot to compare these two. I think it might be useful, though, to look at young and older writers who are both getting started.

All beginning writers—no matter what age—face the same challenges of:

• finding their “voice”
• learning the mechanics of compelling storytelling
• tapping into their passion and finding the confidence to start and finish a project
• learning about the publishing industry and successfully marketing their works
• and how to handle rejection (an inevitable part of the publishing process)

1. Young adult writers will generally not be taken as seriously as an older writer by those representing or associated with the industry, who will stereotype youth as immature, impatient, sloppy and naïve. Older writers may not face the same negative assumptions. In fact, there is some basis for this. If you are older, you will more likely have learned some protocol in communication and doing business, you will more likely bring a higher level of maturity in how you present yourself as a professional and deal with others (a critically important part of getting in the door of the publishing industry), and you will more likely have learned other life-lessons that you can bring that will aid you in successfully publishing.
2. When I was a young adult writer, although my writing style and subject matter were mature, I lacked the emotional maturity and associated confidence to persist and prevail amid what seemed to be a “league of extraordinary gentlemen”. I was isolated from any writing community, which didn’t help my perspective. Joining a writer’s community and going to conferences and conventions will greatly help to remove intimidation, educate you and help you gain a more realistic perspective.
3. Older writers may face the opposite challenge, of being overly cynical and jaded before they even get started—jinxing their project with their own negative attitude. This is where youth may have the advantage of not having suffered as many disappointments to pre-suppose themselves into failure. Older writers may be more stubborn, conservative and set in their ways, and less inclined to experiment with new ideas, formats of presentation, methods of communication and marketing. This will limit their options for publication.

Labels: challenges in writing, Federation of BC Writers, Writing, writing and publishing, young adult writers

posted by Nina Munteanu at 06:22   permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 15 comments