Inkabout L. Darby Gibbs

Science Fiction & Fantasy author

Books and blogs

Building a positive writing community

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When I started on my journey as a writer just one year ago, I decided that I wanted to build slowly.  That is how I build friendships, and mine tend to last.  I want my involvement in writing to be one that carries a positive polish.  So I carry that philosophy into my approach to building a platform and making writing connections. I don’t see the positive in the flash-in-the-pan way of doing things.  So I have published my books (two so far at Smashwords.com) and I have taken part in discussions on Goodreads and this past summer, I began tweeting (which definitely reduced my Goodreads activities).  I have met some writers at both venues that I have built a sense of connection to.  Marcy Peska and L. A. Hilden have been the two that I have recently made friends with.  They are enthusiastic writers and have been most welcoming to me.

Marcy and I have begun a peer feedback process for each other’s books.  I cannot explain how exciting it was to find someone to share my exuberance for completing a writing goal and the desire to write well.  Marcy and I have started to tweet #confettitweets to each other as we
share our writing achievements.  I don’t know about Marcy, but I don’t
have anyone who understands what it means to write and get to the end of
a chapter or a tough go at 2047 words after several hours of typing,
rereading, redrafting and sighing.  So getting those #confettitweets and
giving them as well has been a treat.  We hope to expand our range of
flying confetti to other authors who do their goal dances by themselves
before diving back into their creative muse.

L. A. Hilden and I have traded approaches to using time travel in our books, and it is intriguing to talk about why we chose the means we did.  I have already read Hilden’s London’s Quest (a well-written Regency Romance) and am getting a sneak peak of Marcy’s book Magic All Around (a modern lady comes to grips with the magic she never noticed before).  I am fortunate to have met these two talented writers.

Denise Baer is another author and blogger that I have met.  She has begun a Pay It Forward program on her blog meant to showcase indie authors as well as encourage the review of indie author works.  I participated and am happy to find another author who wants to bring positive action to the indie author publishing effort.

Nick Bost is a book reviewer I met on Goodreads.  He regularly reviews books and as a young reviewer with a good sense of what makes a good read, he is making his mark as well.  I have enjoyed talking about the review process with him.

Today, I just wanted to mark my year of publishing by recognizing the fine people I have met during this part of my journey as an author.  I thank each of them for adding to my slow immersion plan of joining this positive writing community.

Reference Advice: Grammar and Punctuation — the Bane and Benefit

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Every writer’s frustration is getting the grammar and punctuation
correct.  Without it, our readers can’t follow the road we have prepared
for them.  Even a grammarian/English teacher needs to check her work
regularly and review rules.  One of the best books for assisting both
the conscientious beginner and the experienced writer is a text that was
on the recommended list for a college class I took:  Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference.  I have returned to college several times picking up
different certifications and degrees, but this is the best writing reference text I came
across over the years.

  • Looking to track down the list of
    the words most confused by writers? Check A Writer’s Reference.  
  • Want to
    understand the ins and outs of the semicolon vs the colon?  Check A
    Writer’s Reference    .  
  • Document design harassing you? Check A Writer’s
    Reference    .  
  • Have to give proper documentation for research you have
    done?  A Writer’s Reference supplies formats for MLA, APA, and CMS.  
  • Are
    you an ESL individual still dooking it out with prepositions and
    articles?  A Writer’s Reference has a section on that.  
  • Need more
    practice than is in the text? It also has an online presence with plenty
    of practice sets and explanations.

This is a compact
text, about 6 1/2 x 8 inches, held together by a comb binding, so it
travels well and lays flat.  Cost is a bit steep, ($50.00+ on average),
but grammar evolves quite slowly, so you have time to wear it out.  So
dictionary (or word book: see my previous post on spell friendly dictionaries, July 11, 2012), thesaurus, A Writer’s Reference, if you
write anything and care about writing well, have them in easy reach.

End of the Month of July Sale at Smashwords

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The last days to purchase my book at Smashwords are here.  

Anybody who knows me knows I hate this stuff.  But if I didn’t mention again that my books are on sale at Smashwords (half price, making each just .99) and one can download them in any of the popular formats for ereaders and computer eBook readers, I will be berating myself in a few days.

I can just hear it now, “Really, you couldn’t plug your books just once more.  It is not like you have been creating traffic jambs on the internet with your broadcasting efforts to sell your book.  One time really?”

It wouldn’t be pleasant. So, one more time: I have two books, In Times Passed, a time travel novel that can stand alone from the series it begins, and Gardens in the Cracks & Other Stories, an anthology of short science fiction stories.  See my books page on this blog or follow the links for details.

Really one dollar.

I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award

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This week I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Nic at Bookmark Reviews.  Since Nic is one of my favorite followers (and someone I follow as well), I am taking it as quite a complement.

According to the rules, I have a few things to include here. 

7 facts about myself:

  1. I read science fiction, especially novels written with character-driven plot lines
  2. Both my parents have passed away, and I miss them
  3. I am crazy about technology and am looking forward to the day I can have a flying car that will drive me where I want to go and a electronic maid to keep my house clean.
  4. I love to kayak and waterski
  5. I do not drink coffee, soda or alcohol (maybe a glass of wide once a year)
  6. I have a BA in English (writing and discourse emphases) and a Master’s in Teacher Education
  7. I used to live in Oregon and still wish I did

The blogs I am nominating for this award
Chompasaurus Reviews
Coffee Cups and Musings Moments
Guerrilla Warfare for Writers
Molly Greene Writer
Pretentious Title
The Art and Craft of Writing Creatively
Paperback Princess
Storytellers Unplugged
WritingRaw
Stories About Books
iAuthors.org
One Good Thing
Mythic Scribes

Spell-friendly dictionary

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Every writer, whether he or she is a writer of fiction or non-fiction, journalist or reviewer, must spell correctly.  As a teacher I am routinely asked by my students how to spell a word they want to use in their writing.  I always point at the dictionary.  I do understand the issue of getting a big book of words and sifting through it for the correct spelling and that they find this tedious, especially when they know I can spell the word for them much quicker.

This is why I thoroughly recommend every writer, from student to pseudo-professional to professional consider having a Webster’s Instant Word Guide or The Word Book III from Houghton Mifflin.  They do not contain definitions but are directed at spelling alone.  The majority of people who want to spell a word are not confused about its meaning.  So a speller’s word book, such as the two listed above, is ideal.  And they are small, roughly 4″ x 5 1/2″.

They are compact, to the point, easy to navigate, and they supply one crucial component: If there could be a chance of confusion with another word, both are supplied with an extremely short definition (usually one word) next to the confused alternative, so the writer can make an informed decision about which is the correct one to use and spell appropriately.

Just to add useful to convenient and the critical low “overwhelming” factor, both these books also offer conversion tables for weights and measures, spelling rules, punctuation and abbreviations sections.

I actually have both of these books.  One I keep at school on my desk and the other at home.  I introduce my new students to them every year.  And though it is never a majority, many of them do inform me at some point in the year that they have purchased one.

Last word on this:  spelling is crucial in any public writing forum.  This is a non-tedious, easy-to-use fix for the problem.  It is even quicker than an iPhone dictionary ap and does the one thing wordprocessing program dictionaries don’t do: provide you with the option of the “other word.”

Setting up my writing for the next day

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Notes to write by

I am now working on my second book in the Students of Jump series, No-Time Like the Present.  Though I am editing, I have found that there is much yet to be developed in the story line, so I find myself in create mode far more often then clearing up errors.   My last edit first lost me 150 words than gained me another 400.

So I am leaving notes for the next day at the end of my day’s work.  Every writer has his or her own way of keeping the writing going.  For me, I try to follow a few simple practices.  I stop when I still have more to say, I leave a note in all caps reminding me where my characters are headed or what complication or connections need to be made in the next set of writing, and frequently, I’ll leave a piece of dialogue that I think will help get my muse back on track.  Here’s what I left yesterday for example.

    “Misty, have pity on an old time traveler.”  He turned over on his stomach, visibly comforted by the change in position.
    “Old, you haven’t even been born yet.”
    He crushed a pillow and shoved it under his head.  “Sure feels like I have.”
    Misty grabbed a hand that gripped the pillow beneath his head.  “Let’s go; we’ll just walk about town.”  Pulling Quixote off the couch, she coaxed him out the door. 

NOTE THINGS ABOUT THE WALK DOWN, MEET A COUPLE OF NEIGHBORS.  WAVE TO A TRUCK AS THEY STEP ONTO MAIN STREET.  HERE AGAIN QUI HESITATES. HE DOES NOT FEEL PREPARED – MISTY FEELS HE IS QUITE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE TIME, BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT HE MEANS.  HE IS NOT PREPARED TO PROTECT MISTY OR IF THERE IS NOTHING TO PROTECT HER FROM THAN MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION CONCERNING HER.  HERE MISTY GETS ANGRY.  SHE NEEDS TO KNOW WHY BRENT LEFT AND DID NOT COME BACK.  QUI HAS NO ANSWER.  SHE STARTS TO HEAD DOWN MAIN STREET AND QUI CALLS HER BACK.  ARGUMENT: QUI SAYS “HE IS MY BEST FRIEND.”  MISTY STATES HE WAS HER UNCLE’S BEST FRIEND ALSO.  THIS SENDS HER INTO AN ANGRY RANT ABOUT HOW BROKEN HEARTED MICK WAS WHEN BRENT DID NOT COME BACK.  (SET UP FOR LATER DECISION TO CONFRONT BRENT.)

Basically, I tell myself in my notes and show it in my book.   Of course, I never follow it precisely.  I always tend to deviate as the story and characters will change the course of my plans though they always ultimately get to the goal. So what do you do to ready yourself for the next day’s writing?