okay ad'ers. ask me anything (but be nice! :))

Hear Again said:
aww, thanks nika! <hugs>

i would *love* to write a book and believe it or not, i'm actually going to do it. one of my dreams in high school (besides earning a ph.d.) was to be on the best seller's list. actually, that was a dream a friend of mine and i shared together. we always used to say to each other, "see you on the bestseller's list!" <laugh>

since so many people have requested that i write a book about my deafblindness and bipolar, i'm wondering if any ad'ers would be interested in reading my chapters as i write them. if so, let me know and i will be more than happy to post them here.
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Yes I like to be first reader for people.
 
Hear Again said:
i'm wondering if any ad'ers would be interested in reading my chapters as i write them. if so, let me know and i will be more than happy to post them here


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Do NOT post any part of your books anywhere on the open net at any time.

You can post them in private places where only a select few can read them by using passwords, and those few agree that this access is granted for private critique and review only.

No publisher wants to pay you money for the right to sell something anyone can get off the net for free. Plus there are copyright issues that would be poorly addressed.

Also you do not want to run the risk of someone claiming that you used an idea they provided you as they commented on your work -- And further claiming you stole their work.

Yahoo, msn, and others provide private group areas where no one can enter save those you admit, and this will help protect your work by helping to keep it private, copyrighted, and sellable.
 
Hear Again said:
aww, thanks nika! <hugs>

i would *love* to write a book and believe it or not, i'm actually going to do it. one of my dreams in high school (besides earning a ph.d.) was to be on the best seller's list. actually, that was a dream a friend of mine and i shared together. we always used to say to each other, "see you on the bestseller's list!" <laugh>

since so many people have requested that i write a book about my deafblindness and bipolar, i'm wondering if any ad'ers would be interested in reading my chapters as i write them. if so, let me know and i will be more than happy to post them here.
Click to expand...

I would love to, but i also agree with Berry.
 
Berry said:
Do NOT post any part of your books anywhere on the open net at any time.

You can post them in private places where only a select few can read them by using passwords, and those few agree that this access is granted for private critique and review only.

No publisher wants to pay you money for the right to sell something anyone can get off the net for free. Plus there are copyright issues that would be poorly addressed.

Also you do not want to run the risk of someone claiming that you used an idea they provided you as they commented on your work -- And further claiming you stole their work.

Yahoo, msn, and others provide private group areas where no one can enter save those you admit, and this will help protect your work by helping to keep it private, copyrighted, and sellable.
Click to expand...

i'm not sure if Hear Again is interested in business of "selling books." Are you, Hear Again? If not... you can simply attached Creative Commons license to it.
 
Jiro said:
i'm not sure if Hear Again is interested in business of "selling books." Are you, Hear Again? If not... you can simply attached Creative Commons license to it

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Writing is a lot of work, and risk. You put yourself out there and someone is going to bash you.

If you can get paid, why not?

Once published by a reputable firm you will receive respect from the professional writing community for having made the first major hurdle.

Each published book makes it easier to sell the next book.

It also opens the door to the speaker circuit. Thousands of people earn a good living and get to travel for free all over the world speaking about subjects far less interesting than this.

There are companies that might not even consider hiring a deaf blind person who would brag about having a Deaf Blind Author on their staff.

If it doesn't sell you can always self publish through Amazon, Lulu.com or some other plan.
 
Berry said:
Writing is a lot of work, and risk. You put yourself out there and someone is going to bash you.

If you can get paid, why not?

Once published by a reputable firm you will receive respect from the professional writing community for having made the first major hurdle.

Each published book makes it easier to sell the next book.

It also opens the door to the speaker circuit. Thousands of people earn a good living and get to travel for free all over the world speaking about subjects far less interesting than this.

There are companies that might not even consider hiring a deaf blind person who would brag about having a Deaf Blind Author on their staff.

If it doesn't sell you can always self publish through Amazon, Lulu.com or some other plan.
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berry,

how do you know a publishing company wouldn't be willing to hire a deafblind person? anything is possible and if a deafblind person shows the potential to be an excellent writer, i see no reason why they would have any objections.

as far as my reading audience "bashing" me, i could care less. my purpose in writing is to share my experiences with others so that they have a better understanding of deafblindness or bipolar and know they aren't alone if they are experiencing the same challenges.

not to brag, but writing isn't difficult for me. it's enjoyable and i don't mind editors critiquing my writing and requesting that i do "write overs." that's all part of the process.

what i'm thinking about doing is contacting one of my favorite authors, julie fast. she has bipolar II and has written several books about her experiences with the disorder. she made it on her own without any help and is now not only a writer, but also attends NAMI (national alliance on mentally ill) conferences to discuss bipolar and mental illness in general.
 
Jiro said:
i'm not sure if Hear Again is interested in business of "selling books." Are you, Hear Again? If not... you can simply attached Creative Commons license to it.
Click to expand...

no, i'm not interested in making money. all i want to do is share my experiences in order to help others. if i make it to the best sellers list, great, but that is not my number one goal.
 
Berry said:
Do NOT post any part of your books anywhere on the open net at any time.

You can post them in private places where only a select few can read them by using passwords, and those few agree that this access is granted for private critique and review only.

No publisher wants to pay you money for the right to sell something anyone can get off the net for free. Plus there are copyright issues that would be poorly addressed.

Also you do not want to run the risk of someone claiming that you used an idea they provided you as they commented on your work -- And further claiming you stole their work.

Yahoo, msn, and others provide private group areas where no one can enter save those you admit, and this will help protect your work by helping to keep it private, copyrighted, and sellable.
Click to expand...

all excellent points. thank you, berry.
 
Hear Again said:
berry,

how do you know a publishing company wouldn't be willing to hire a deafblind person? anything is possible and if a deafblind person shows the potential to be an excellent writer, i see no reason why they would have any objections.

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Depends on the company, and possibly the industry. I was not thinking of any particular type of company. The publishing field might very well be more open to intelligent hiring than most.

Unfortunately I have come to believe that prejudice, greed, and power lust, are more important to most managers than the good of the company or even their own success. I'm sure everyone on this board can provide at least one example.

Being a published author would make you more desirable across the board to all. Those who have no bias will see you as an even greater asset. Those who are biased would see you as a way to prove they are not.


Hear Again said:
as far as my reading audience "bashing" me, i could care less. my purpose in writing is to share my experiences with others so that they have a better understanding of deafblindness or bipolar and know they aren't alone if they are experiencing the same challenges.

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This is an excellent attitude.

I frequent writer's forums. There is no major best selling writer that has not been bashed as ignorant and incompetent.

I knew a hearing, sighted woman, who wanted to write for publication. When I pointed to a line and told her it was ambiguous and I did not understand it she explained it to me. When I told her she should adjust the line so it said exactly what she meant she informed me that it did not need to be adjusted because it was written for people smart enough to understand what she was saying just the way it was.

Editors seldom mince words and they don't waste time petting the writer's ego.

She is not ready for what she will meet from an editor.

You are. I applaud you. :h5:


Hear Again said:
not to brag, but writing isn't difficult for me. it's enjoyable and i don't mind editors critiquing my writing and requesting that i do "write overs." that's all part of the process.

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I love writing also, even rewrites and editing. But even so I sometimes find myself sympathizing with Oscar Wilde, who said he spent a morning putting in a comma, and the afternoon taking it out again.

Writing consists of making decisions. What comes next? How do I phrase it? Is that the exact word I need? When I write a series of three or more items separated by commas do put a comma after the last item or not? (I do, by the way). Did I accidently use alliteration in that paragraph? Does it distract from what I wrote?

It may be fun, but some of those decisions are time consuming and not always easy to make.

Hear Again said:
what i'm thinking about doing is contacting one of my favorite authors, julie fast. she has bipolar II and has written several books about her experiences with the disorder. she made it on her own without any help and is now not only a writer, but also attends NAMI (national alliance on mentally ill) conferences to discuss bipolar and mental illness in general


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This technique has worked for some writers in the past, but not all.

You can also query major publishing houses to see if they would be interested in the subject. It would help to have a completed first couple of chapters, a middle chapter, and a last chapter to show them in case they want to see samples of your work.

Most writers go the the library and use Writer's Market to find publishers. Unfortunately I've never heard of a braille version.
 
I don't know how Hear Again writes, but I know that my best writing comes out of when I speak honestly and openly and when I don't worry about whether a comma should be there or not. I'll leave that to the editor.

Do you put a lot of energy into your phrasing and punctuating, etc., Hear Again?
 
Nika said:
I don't know how Hear Again writes, but I know that my best writing comes out of when I speak honestly and openly and when I don't worry about whether a comma should be there or not. I'll leave that to the editor.

Do you put a lot of energy into your phrasing and punctuating, etc., Hear Again?
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i don't put a great deal of energy into my phrasing, but i do spend a *alot* of time being mindful of punctuation. you can blame that trait on my 7th grade english teacher. :giggle:

by the way, when i write, the words come out naturally without any effort. i don't mention that to brag, but it's true. it's really not difficult for me at all to write.
 
Hear Again said:
by the way, when i write, the words come out naturally without any effort. i don't mention that to brag, but it's true. it's really not difficult for me at all to write.
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No worries. Writing is the same way for me. I just understand that it is a different process with a different feel for each writer.
 
actually, julie fast is quite open about her books and is always willing to share her techniques as she does in her book, "get it done when you're depressed."

as far as the difficulty of writing is concerned, i'm not worried about that. writing comes quite naturally to me and i don't have to give second thought to the ideas i put down on paper (so to speak).
 
Nika said:
No worries. Writing is the same way for me. I just understand that it is a different process with a different feel for each writer.
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exactly.

some writers are very deliberate when it comes to their writing while others like myself are not.

one thing i *cannot* do is write according to an outline. it restricts me severely and stifles my creativity.

when i write, i may start in the middle, then proceed to the end and finish at the beginning.
 
I'm the same way. I always had trouble following the guidelines in school. But now that I only have to write for pleasure, I get to follow my own format and order.

It would be nice if schools weren't so limiting in terms of how you're supposed to write.
 
Nika said:
I'll leave that to the editor.


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Unfortunately the publishing industry has changed. Publishers take less and less responsibility and more and more responsibility is given to the writer.

Editors no longer take the time they once did.

One serious example is liability. At one time publishers routinely sent manuscripts to their lawyers to see if any lawsuits could develop. Now the writer signs a paper saying they and they alone are responsible for any and all legal costs and or damages awarded by the courts for any reason resulting from what the writer has written.

So if someone sues you are on your own and you had better win!
 
the area where i will need to be careful is when i write my book about bipolar. i'm going to have to make certain that my experiences don't mirror anyone else's. i've read just about every autobiophraphy from those who have bipolar, so i will need to be careful about that. i certainly don't want a lawsuit on my hands.
 
Hear Again said:
exactly.

some writers are very deliberate when it comes to their writing while others like myself are not.

one thing i *cannot* do is write according to an outline. it restricts me severely and stifles my creativity.

when i write, i may start in the middle, then proceed to the end and finish at the beginning

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Click to expand...


There are many successful writers who do it your way.

There is no right way or wrong way to write. The finished product is all that counts.
 
Nika said:
I'm the same way. I always had trouble following the guidelines in school. But now that I only have to write for pleasure, I get to follow my own format and order.

It would be nice if schools weren't so limiting in terms of how you're supposed to write.
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i know. in my stastistics class last semester, our professor wanted us to submit an outline. the only way i could create it was to write my paper in advance (it was a 15 page paper). she also made it difficult because of her expectation that we turn in a first draft which we were supposed to make changes to. i don't mind making changes to my writing at all, but when i'm of the opinion that nothing actually needs changing, i need to find another way to meet her expectations. what i ended up doing was rephrasing most of my paper instead of changing the ideas i presented. i ended up receiving an "a."
 
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