Your first book -- does it predict success or failure?

Janni Lee Simner brings up an interesting thought -- Someone once said to her:

“If you look at careers that crash and burn you can often trace it to a first book that failed to do well.”

And Janni was all, "what? Umm, no."

She continues with examples of well-known, successful writers whose first novels you've never heard of.  Check our her Desert Dispatches blog entry about Unknown first novels and the myth of the big debut.

So, go ahead and get that first novel out there. Then write your next. and your next. and your next. Some will be hits and some will have small sells, but just keep writing to keep your writing career going.

The Week after Kindling Words West Writing Retreat

Now that I've finally gone to Kindling Words West and have experienced a week-long writer's retreat, (last week) I'm all enthused about my writing, again.

But Monday I couldn't write, because I was involved as the representative writer in my granddaughter's middle school career day.  (yes, I almost lost my voice, again)
And Tuesday I couldn't write, because that same 13-year-old had several asthma attacks and I had to take her to the Dr., get medicine, get her to take it, etc., etc., etc.

So today is Wednesday, and I'm realizing that I need to send several pieces of writing to Vermont College of Fine Arts for the writing workshop that happens every day there.  (Luckily, I've already chosen to send two half-done picture books, so they're ready -- I just have to reformat them and remember to send them.)

So,
Writing is on my mind and therefore I have a couple of more writer links for you who read my blog.

Firstly -- Do you outline before you write?  Or does the outline simply develop later? Carol Brendler discusses her own version of Outlining on the blog, Emu's Debuts.  She calls it, The Trouble with Outlines.

Secondly -- How about Trilogies?  Do you like them? (as a reader or a writer) How does a trilogy happen?  Janni Simner talks about her new trilogy and how it came to be on the blog, Through the Tollbooth.

Enjoy.

The Golden Age of Publishing wasn't what you thought it was

Janni Simner has been thinking about all to gloom and doom and all the comments about: "It's the End of Publishing as We Know It."

She says that, "Right NOW has been the moment everything has been falling apart -- for the entire two decades I've been writing professionally!"

Go read her blog, Desert Dispatches, and discover that you haven't missed the Good Old Days of publishing, because exciting things are happening with publishing right now.

(Meanwhile I'll go back to working on my Income Tax expense spreadsheet.)
-wo