Wednesday Roundup

Only two weeks left until a really, really BIG announcement from IWSG. This is a really exciting venture and you might want to be part of it. But you have to wait until the first Wednesday in September to find out what it is. If you aren't a member, hop over to the sign up page and become one.

Do you ever write something and wonder if it should be capitalized? When I write my resume, should I capitalize Master in Health Education or not? Not. Check out this quick lesson on capitalization by Annie Tucker and see if you're doing it right on She Writes.

It's never to early to think about Christmas gifts. Here's a post on BuzzFeed with some ideas for the book lovers you know. And my birthday is in November if you see something you would like to send my way. I'm liking the Harry Potter toy made by PinaFlora and sold on Etsy.

You know I like stats and one of the things I've mentioned before is what a big share of the book purchasing market romance owns. Romance consumers read a lot of books. Sometimes many per week. So when ideas like a subscription service for books were rolled out, the creators didn't consider the voracious appetite of those faithful romance readers. Check out this article on how Scribd and Amazon are scrambling to make the service work. One cut the number or romance titles it carries and the other fixed it by paying authors less. Ouch.

This coming weekend, I'll be enjoying my daughter's last weekend at home before she starts her senior year at Boston University. She's busy applying to grad schools, working on her thesis and looking forward to those last wonderful semesters with her friends. My husband is very excited as football season rolls closer. We go to the local high school games because my son coaches and it's fun to watch him in that role.

So do you always know when to use capital letters? Looking for Christmas lists yet? Have you tried a book subscription service? Plans for the upcoming weekend?

IWSG: August Version

The Insecure Writer's Support Group, a monthly bloghop started by Alex J. Cavanaugh. On the first Wednesday of every month, members of the group share their current insecurity. If you don't have any worries this month, you can share what you've done to overcome them and to advance your writing career. Also visit the other members of IWSG and join our Facebook page.

There are two things on my writing mind this month. As I dive into a rewrite of the first book in my new series, I'm worried that it forms a cohesive story. I'm worried about the world-building. Have I made the futuristic society interesting enough? The usual questions I have about a first draft but I had hoped by this time that I would be able to create first drafts that didn't need soooo much work.

The second thing that is more a general concern about the industry is more difficult to put into exact words. Many or you know that two of my three publishers closed their doors about six months ago. I don't know the intimate details of why their businesses failed but one thing I have learned is that Amazon, that giant spreading oil slick, is squeezing those small presses the same as it is independently published authors. I've heard from a source that the big traditional publishers are suffering just as much from Amazon's control over the book market. Amazon sells more books than any other retailer. Writers and publishers have to work with them and Amazon knows that. KDP Select seems to be one of those, 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' kind of decisions writers and publishers have to make.

There are three truths: my truth, your truth, and the truth. Chinese Proverb

A blog post on SheWrites by Brooke Warner exposes a practice of some traditional publishers to not allow their authors to write those little endorsement blurbs for self-published authors. Ouch!

On lighter notes, I promised a picture of the wedding. I present Mr. and Mrs. David Gourley.

Other things I'm excited about in the upcoming week: My sister is visiting from Mississippi. I'm taping a promotional video for the October book event I'm participating in. The weather is supposed to be lovely.

Do you have an opinion or experience to share about KDP Select? Have your first drafts improved from book to book? Have you heard anything like that post on SheWrites? Any good things on tap for the rest of the week?

Countdown

Monday was the huge theme reveal for April's A to Z Blogging Challenge. I already scoped out so many blogs that have great themes that I wish I would have time to visit every day. But I won't. There are too many others to explore. Check out the themes and Alex J. Cavanaugh's ideas on making friends. He has lots of them so take his advice to heart.

The first year I did the Challenge, I thought I would remember which blogs I wanted to continue to visit but I didn't. Now I keep a cool little lined tablet by my side and jot down the names of bloggers I hope keep up their wonderful content after April passes. I hope they will.

I'm still checking out themes but so far I've found numerous blogs about monsters, deities and mythological creatures. I love those. A few craft blogs where I'll note all kinds of things that I'd like to make. Others are doing movie, TV or books reviews. How can I resist that? Some are doing look backs at favorite eras or decades. Retro is always fun. Then there are the travel themes where I'll get to visit a lovely locale from the comfort of my computer chair. I can't wait.

But there is a lot to do in the meantime. I still have a few posts to finish up. As co-host, I'm checking out my share of the numbers. I wish some people would post something/anything before April first. On the personal front, I'm trying to finish the first draft of a novel I wanted to have done at the end of February. I'm a little behind. And I also wanted to have a start on the outdoor work except it keeps raining or snowing and it's never warm. No change in the forecast either. To catch up on all these things, I'm taking Friday off from blogging but I'll be back next Monday.

Here's a little grammar advice I found on She Writes. This quick little article was written by Annie Tucker and she makes it all easy to understand and remember. Should it be everyday or every day? Check out Annie's post.

"March is the month of expectation, the things we do not know." Emily Dickinson

No one know when spring will arrive in person instead of as a mark on the calendar.

In case you're worried about getting through some busy days ahead, here's some wisdom from The Old Farmer's Almanac:
When visiting a newborn for the first time, kiss the soles of its feet for good luck.

All my friends are too old to have newborns and my children haven't provided any grandchildren yet, so I may have to accost a stranger to get that luck.

Find any interesting themes at A to Z? Any chores that are piling up on you? Have any trouble with those one word vs two word situation Annie Tucker mentions? Ever kiss the soles of a newborn?