MLV Writes » I Recommend…

Are You Overestimating Your Value as a Writer?

Monica Valentinelli — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:56:54 +0000

If you’re a writer and you want to get published, you often have to deal with with other people’s expectations about your work. There’s another layer of expectations, too, because you probably have personal assumptions about how you value yourself and your work. The two spheres, while similar, are very distinct. You see, when you overestimate what you’re worth, you will make certain career decisions based on those assumptions. The reverse is also true as well.

Did you know that your expectations can negatively impact your relationship with others in the publishing industry as well? Rachelle Gardner, a literary agent who is very active online, shares some of the writer expectations she’s encountered and gives very direct reasons why they are not based in reality.

…there are many writers who hold on to unrealistic expectations long after reality should be setting in. This is an ongoing concern for agents, editors, and publicists who constantly find themselves not living up to writers’ expectations. In many cases (and yes, there are plenty of exceptions), the writer’s hopes and beliefs were simply too idealistic to begin with. –SOURCE: Managing Expectations by Rachelle Gardner

If you aren’t clear as to whether or not your personal expectations will damage your professional reputation or sour your experiences as a writer, be sure to read Managing Expectations by Rachelle Gardner. It’s definitely worth your time.

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Special Thanks to Author Paul Genesse

Monica Valentinelli — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:57:07 +0000

One of the things I love about being a writer, is the ability to connect with other authors and professionals I admire. Usually I go to quite a few conventions every year, and in about a month I’ll be speaking at the Writer’s Symposium as part of GenCon: Indy 2009. I’m very grateful to Jean Rabe for allowing me to sit on these panels. Additionally, I’m also very thankful for my developing friendship with author, Paul Genesse who runs the Writer’s Symposium e-zine. In Issue No. 7 of the Writer’s Symposium E-Zine, he had chosen to feature me as an author.

Needless to say, I was thrilled and delighted at the opportunity. I’d like to return the favor by offering a plug for his new book called “The Dragon Hunters.” Be sure to watch the book trailer below for a short synopsis of what his novel is about. For more about Paul and his books, visit his website at: www.paulgenesse.com. Happy reading!

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Review of www:wake by Robert Sawyer

Monica Valentinelli — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:00:41 +0000

When I first started reading science fiction, I didn’t really like it at first. It wasn’t until I started reading Frank Herbert’s Dune that I enjoyed its possibilities. To me, science fiction is at its utmost best when it extrapolates and experiments, taking the “what could be’s” and turning them into “what if’s.”

www:wake by Robert Sawyer is that kind of a book. It takes a slice of our modern, everyday life and the topic on everyone’s mind — the internet. The first in a trilogy, this book is about a young, blind girl named Caitlin who wishes to see. Internet savvy, Caitlin travels from her Canadian homeland across an ocean to find her elusive sight.

Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a genius at math—and blind. Still, she can surf the net with the best of them, following its complex paths clearly in her mind. But Caitlin’s brain long ago co-opted her primary visual cortex to help her navigate online. So when she receives an implant to restore her sight, instead of seeing reality, the landscape of the World Wide Web explodes into her consciousness, spreading out all around her in a riot of colors and shapes. While exploring this amazing realm, she discovers something—some other—lurking in the background. And it’s getting more and more intelligent with each passing day… –SOURCE: www:wake on Amazon.com

What’s interesting about this book, is not the mechanics of the plot or the story. It’s the character of the internet looming ominously in the background. It’s the social commentary on how we interact with the world wide web and how our world is connected. (That connectivity reminded me of the Otherland virtual reality series by Tad Williams which is now being made into an MMORPG.) As the first book in the series, www: wake lays the foundation for what is to come.

If you are remotely involved with the internet or a self-proclaimed math geek, I think you’d really enjoy this book. The development of an internet consciousness is fascinating (and a bit scary) to read, and Caitlin’s mathematical prowess acts as a benchmark of the internet’s character evolution. In a way, I regarded the character as a modern-day version of Ghost in the Shell, but more gritty and realistic. I also enjoyed the fact that Caitlin — although blind — was not a helpless character, but is depicted as a normal teenager who has her ups and downs just like everyone else does. Her blindness is not a crutch, in this instance, but an integral part of the story. It’s the way we “see” the internet’s true nature and watch as he twists and shapes into a higher consciousness. To what end? Well, that’s what book two is about.

In www:wake, Robert Sawyer asks the question, “What if the internet was a living consciousness?” I don’t know about you, but the thought that it could even remotely be possible scares the living snot out of me. Which is probably why this first book was so interesting to me, because after all — that’s what science fiction is (in my mind) supposed to be about.

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Writers! Donate One Book for Literacy

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:00:41 +0000

Who says books aren’t needed? Shadow Forest Authors is a charity organization that wants to collect one book that you’ve written to help support literacy efforts worldwide.

Shadow Forest Authors is extraordinarily supportive of writers in every genre and format — even e-books! All it takes is one book.

If you have written a book, I hope you consider checking out this cool charity organization.

Shadow Forest Authors

Hat tip to Ralan.com. I found out about this site through his newsletter.

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The One Skill Every Writer Needs to Learn (and it’s not about writing!)

Monica Valentinelli — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:47:03 +0000

When was the last time you addressed a crowd of people? Or, for that matter, when was the last time you were in the middle of a crowd at a sporting event, concert or a rally?

If your answer is not that often then read on my fellow writer, because the one skill we need to develop is our ability to present ourselves visually and audibly. By the end of January, I will have conducted my third podcast interview and/or panel and well? Third time’s a charm?

The first podcast interview I did was to talk about a setting and game I had been designing at the time. When I say that I could have put your grandmother to sleep I’m being kind. You see, I wasn’t really sure what the best thing was to communicate, so I threw everything out there. Writing promotional material is one thousand times different than speaking it, because you have the chance to read, review and edit what you’re working on. In an interview, you may not have the questions beforehand so it’s even more difficult to think off-the-cuff.

I just finished my second interview today. Although we started out well, we had some technical difficulties which caused me to wander a little bit, wondering if the line was going to cut out on me. This interview was different than the first because in this one — I babbled excitedly. In this case, I was trying to think in layers — these questions were my opinion, but they were also something that I was very passionate about. (i.e. roles of gender in gaming, fantasy tropes, etc.) So instead of being precise and using that word conservation I’m always advocating, I feel as if I babbled incoherently because I couldn’t think fast enough to contain my answers.

Well, I have a third one coming up at the end of the month. I know the topic in advance, and I’m planning on providing links and examples. Having listened to other episodes, I can expect that this show will have very organic, back-and-forth conversation.

The lesson I’ve learned here is: audio interviews and podcasts are harder to prepare for than face-to-face pre-scheduled meetings, panels or speeches. You have to think on your feet and sometimes go beyond the bullet points you’ve written down, and it’s harder to gauge visual cues when there aren’t any to glean. As I continue to move forward with writing I will (no doubt) have more experiences related to podcasting and audio; this medium is something I’m brand new to and I feel as if I’m not very good at it.

When you’re a writer, it is extremely hard to break away from your projects and get that invaluable face-to-face time to ensure you’re staying on top of your verbal communication skills. These skills are part and parcel to representing yourself as a writer, so practice right along with me and let’s ensure that our speaking engagements match our excellent ability to write!

Here are some great articles I’ve found on the topic of improving your communication skills. If you have links, post them in the comments!

Resources if You’re the one Being Interviewed

Resources if You’re Conducting the Interview

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Have you Googled your Own Name Lately?

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:00:50 +0000

One of the things that I try to find for almost every review, blog post and article I write, is to find the elusive “source.” From artists to songwriters and musicians, I want to link to whomever it is I am referring to in the most authoritative way possible. By “authoritative,” I mean that I want your “official” site, not a fansite or a MySpace page if at all possible. You’d be surprised what Google turns up.

After two weeks of actively seeking out these resources more frequently than I have in the past, I can completely understand why Wikipedia reigns as “the” resource. From professionals that don’t even have their own website to my inability to find the person’s “contact” page, I’ve been more than a bit frustrated in my quest to promote other people’s work. It’s no wonder why fansites for celebrities big and small rank (and subsequently profit) so well for their names.

My story begins with my quest to interview Danny Elfman. Our company features so many of his musical compositions, and I wanted to interview him from a songwriter’s perspective for a new feature on our company blog. Unfortunately, I quickly found out he didn’t have a blog or a website of his own. After Googling his name, I found what I expected to find: Wikipedia, IMDB, a couple of fansites and what looked like “the official” website of Danny Elfman on Sony BMG Masterworks. Unfortunately, the “official” website really doesn’t seem like one, it’s a website called Serenada Schizophrana which, according to the site, is his “first orchestral composition written specifically for the concert hall.” Reading the site further, I get quite a few mixed messages as I skim through the content. Yes, it has a bio page for Danny Elfman, but the content appears to be skewed toward the CD which was released in 2005. (Make sure you have JavaScript enabled, by the way. The text is invisible without it.) I left the site feeling more frustrated in my quest than I had begun, especially since some of the fansites were not transparent about their affiliation with this popular composer.

Google Your Own Name Today

Why do you need to Google your own name? Three, little words. Online reputation management. Google your name once. Go ahead, just do it and see what comes up. If your Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or LiveJournal accounts rank for your name before anything else — I say Houston? You’ve got a problem.

In this day and age there may be no way to completely separate your work from your personal life, but one way you can show off your personality and your expertise is to have your own blog or have tighter rein over what appears in your social media accounts. If you’re in any form of creative art, a blog is exceptionally important because it can serve as a vehicle for people to contact you, find out more about you and your personality or get updates about upcoming projects and subsequently promote your work. If you’re not creative but are either planning on or frequently use the internet for your job, it’s a great way to show off the tools you’re experimenting with to add credibility to an interview or professional profile.

For celebs, there is no question in my mind that they should ensure their reputation is protected. Some celebs are doing this already by embracing the tools available — and doing it well. Check out Wil Wheaton’s blog for example. He updates his fans with projects, talks about his triumphs and failures and provides people with everything they need to know if they need to get a hold of him — including a convention schedule. Let’s try Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere. No go. Google tells me there’s a fansite, but there’s no information on it declaring whether or not it’s “official.” (i.e. Blessed by Hayden, herself.) There is a MySpace page, though. Good sign.

Of course, the more popular the celebrity, the more difficult it might be to have a “contact” page. Solution? Right now there’s a paid subscription service you can use through IMDB Pro. I haven’t used it yet, but I might be willing to give it a try. Another way might be to set up a contact page on their website or blog that explains what the celebrity’s policy is on contacting and promoting them, but even then I could see that getting out of control. My argument here is that although the Internet Movie Database is an amazing tool, it shouldn’t be the only solution.

Ultimately, the point I’m trying to make here is that it’s important to Google your own name because you never know why someone is trying to contact you and when. Maybe that person is researching you for a job, to promote your work, to contact you for networking or for clarification purposes on a sketchy topic.

So please, do yourself a favor and Google your own name. After you do, set up a Google Alert for your name to help manage your online reputation. You’ll be glad you did.

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Kudos to These Fellow Writers

Monica Valentinelli — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:55:24 +0000

Today I have a few kudos to hand out to these fine writer folk. I hope you’ll join me lending a round of applause to these fine writers.

Bill Aicher

The Trouble With Being God

Greg Stolze — Second round of applause goes to Greg Stolze, an amazing writer who put his unpublished works to good use. Greg is raising funds to release his unpublished backlog under Creative Commons and donating the funds to charity. Kudos.

Matt M McElroy — Congratulations to Matt M McElroy (of Flames Rising fame and my SO) for taking the leap of faith this month on his project, 31 Days of Monsters. Each day in October, he has featured a different monster from a different author and yesterday he posted his take on a ghost, his first piece of fiction featured on his webzine. Over the past five years Matt has spent a lot of time featuring other folk and their talents, so it was nice to see him writing something to share with everyone else.

Fred Schepartz and Alex Bledsoe — Sometimes, the hardest part about being a writer is promoting your books. Congrats to these savvy writers for landing a gig reading their fine vampire novels at Barnes and Nobel on the East side of Madison. See the Madison Vampire Coven event on Facebook and join them! They won’t bite!

Well, that’s all for now. I hope your projects are going strong and your creativity is flowing. And remember, be excellent to one another. If you have something you’re proud of, feel free to post them in the comments or contact me. I’m going to try to do this on a more regular basis; watch for new updates about some of the awesome areas I’ve been branching out into!

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Be Excellent to One Another!

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:02:21 +0000

In this politically-charged environment filled with demands, vitriol and rumors, I just wanted to pause for a moment and say that the words of Bill and Ted still hold true– BE EXCELLENT TO ONE ANOTHER. Whether you’re in customer service or running your own business, now more than ever it’s really important to remember what it means to be human — for no other reason than this: Do one kind thing, make one person’s day. Do one bad thing, the entire room will hear about it.

So the next time you’re flipping someone off on the road or get into an argument with a customer, remember that the basic principles of “being a good neighbor” still hold true. This election will (thankfully) be over in just a few weeks.

This has been a public service message from one citizen for peace, love and happiness. Now go do something nice for someone else, and PARTY ON!

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Want to Change the World? Well, Maybe you Can!

Monica Valentinelli — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:41:04 +0000

Google is celebrating its 10th anniversary by sponsoring a contest, but not just any old contest. Dubbed “10th to the 100th,” Google will fund big ideas that will either help lots of people or change the world.

Change the World with Google

I have to say — I LOVE THIS IDEA on several, different levels. From a marketing perspective? It sends a message that says “Google is the good guy.” And I believe them. Google. The anti-corporation corporation.

Deadline for submissions is October 20th, 2008. If you don’t have an idea right away, don’t worry! Google has a list of questions and criteria to help get your creativity (and your ingenuity) going.

Submit Your Idea to Change the World to Google

Then, after you think up how you can help do something wonderful for the world — how about going out of your way to do something nice for an acquaintance or a total stranger? Per Google’s reasoning behind the project, “In other words, helping helps everybody, helper and helped alike.”

Have a fantastic day!

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How CNN made me Laugh with Bad Headline Placement

Monica Valentinelli — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:03:36 +0000

Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican or Independent, I had a little chuckle at this headline placement on CNN.com. Sure, CNN.com probably didn’t “plan” to have the headlines show up in that particular order, but it just goes to show you why bland, keyword-rich headlines are not only better for SEO — they’re better for readability and can prevent some interesting headline combinations. This CNET article entitled, “Newspapers search for Web headline magic” is a great one, and goes on to say that keyword-rich headlines make it easier for other writers to find the articles already written, to avoid duplicate efforts.

Of course, I’m sure CNN.com didn’t mean to put “Palin Comes out Throwing Punches” “Just Say it, Please” “Go Ahead and Puke” together, but it made me laugh anyway.

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