tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74232699900804264302024-03-05T06:06:19.302-05:00MT Nickersonan author on the insideMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000624091487296756noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7423269990080426430.post-34244206558402646322024-01-11T09:21:00.000-05:002024-01-11T09:21:34.623-05:00Navigating the Path to Full-Time Writing: Decoding Financial Realities for Aspiring Authors<p>I recently visited Joe <a href="A Newbie's Guide to Publishing" target="_blank">Konrath's</a> blog and stumbled upon a thought-provoking post by Lee <a href="Lee Goldberg" target="_blank">Goldberg</a>, author of the Mr. Monk series. Joe's detailed sales figures, particularly his impressive e-book sales, left me pondering a common question among writers: "How much money do I need to become a full-time writer?"</p><p><br /></p><p>In my musings, I envisioned skyrocketing book sales, a surge in blog traffic, and the allure of fame and fortune. It's a fantasy that plays in the recesses of my mind, akin to a shy observer peering over the backyard fence at a neighbor hanging laundry. Excitement washes over, but there's a tinge of guilt upon reflection.</p><p><br /></p><p>While writers thrive on such fantasies, a pragmatic approach is essential to turn dreams into reality. So, where do I stand financially, devoid of fantasy, relying solely on hard numbers?</p><p><br /></p><p>The answer: $80.00 a day. It might not prompt an immediate departure from my current job, but realistically, that amount would replace my existing income. With no retirement plan and stagnant wages for five years, my expectations are modest. A steady income mirroring my current job would be a tempting proposition.</p><p><br /></p><p>Boiling down my thoughts, I've distilled this post into three crucial points:</p><p><br /></p><p>Determine Your Financial Needs: Clearly outline the financial threshold that would make the leap to full-time writing feasible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Build a Comfortable Buffer: Incorporate a financial safety net to alleviate constant money worries, ensuring a smoother transition.</p><p><br /></p><p>Make Decisions Strategically: Evaluate the path to achieving your financial goals. What steps will lead you to the place you desire or need to be financially?</p><p><br /></p><p>This post serves as a starting point, offering a glimpse into my current contemplative state. The journey is not fully mapped out, but the seeds of a plan are taking root. Stay tuned for further exploration into these pivotal aspects of a writer's journey toward financial independence.</p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000624091487296756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7423269990080426430.post-12017268670310799632024-01-09T11:28:00.000-05:002024-01-09T11:28:17.880-05:00Embracing the Wonders of Acadia: A Writer's Journey in Maine<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelJtg3IOuwe_U67chuHf5SDGYRuZIOyIpCWO7T7FG1N4oBVItjRngYtJTtjIEdXLgrIlPg3oGuQXuvNVQZeMFUvnChynhi7qfhE4oix5qi-1yHBh5GjqQgeJpbC_za0lreFzdk8qWKEZ_Jo1AUFuj4N-KRc4I4N_223hDqB9X2wVLSNmvro06hDdaypM/s512/Eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelJtg3IOuwe_U67chuHf5SDGYRuZIOyIpCWO7T7FG1N4oBVItjRngYtJTtjIEdXLgrIlPg3oGuQXuvNVQZeMFUvnChynhi7qfhE4oix5qi-1yHBh5GjqQgeJpbC_za0lreFzdk8qWKEZ_Jo1AUFuj4N-KRc4I4N_223hDqB9X2wVLSNmvro06hDdaypM/s320/Eagle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I consider myself fortunate to call the breathtaking state of Maine my home, with <a href="Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service)" target="_blank">Acadia National Park</a> as my neighbor. However, like many, I often find myself neglecting the natural wonders around me. Despite <a href="Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service)" target="_blank">Acadia</a> being a global destination with over two million annual visitors, my family and I only made a handful of visits this year. With Acadia's peaks always in view, it's surprisingly easy to take its beauty for granted.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>From hiking and running to capturing photos and enjoying picnics, <a href="Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service)" target="_blank">Acadia</a> offers a plethora of experiences. Standing on one of its two dozen peaks provides spectacular views of the ocean, foliage, small towns, and fleets of boats. Yet, the proximity sometimes leads to neglect, fostering the belief that it will always be there, unchanged and accessible whenever I choose. The mindset becomes, "I'll visit tomorrow, or next weekend."</p><p><br /></p><p>This neglect becomes apparent with every trail hiked and peak crested, reminding me of the fallacy behind assuming that tomorrow is guaranteed. As a person, a Mainer, and a writer, I miss out when I view my surroundings as just another item on the To-Do List. Acadia becomes a checkbox – great if crossed off, but still there if not. The illusion of unlimited tomorrows lingers until the realization hits during a hike, making me confront the missed opportunities and unrealized tasks.</p><p><br /></p><p>As a writer, the concept of 'tomorrow' is unsettling, as I reflect on the many tomorrows that never came. The numerous To-Do Lists, often replacements for unfinished ones, trace back to my childhood of unfulfilled 'tomorrow tasks.' Writers must be immersed in the world daily, as procrastination leads us nowhere fast.</p><p><br /></p><p>Writing is the alchemy of turning words into wonder. Living in the moment, in the world, is the key to this transformation. Yesterday's hike served as a stark reminder of the importance of embracing the present for a writer, avoiding the trap of pushing experiences to an uncertain 'tomorrow.' </p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000624091487296756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7423269990080426430.post-21228769909918485832024-01-04T16:23:00.000-05:002024-01-04T16:23:00.001-05:00Crafting Creativity: Navigating Woodworking and Writing Realms<p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em;"><span style="font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
<b>
Unveiling Wooden Creations: The Artistry of Woodworking</b>
Delving into the realm of woodworking, I define myself as a passionate creator, weaving utilitarian and artistic marvels from wood. From benches to bookshelves, the satisfaction lies in tangible, carefully crafted end products that demand precision and attention to detail.
<b>
Ink on Paper: Wrestling with the Intangibility of Words</b>
Contrastingly, the world of writing presents a different set of challenges. Unlike woodworking's concrete outcomes, evaluating writing is subjective and often elusive. Wrestling with delusions of inspired prose, the personal nature of writing intertwines meaning and worth with the writer, posing a unique challenge in separating the two.
<b>
Structured Constraints: The Formulaic Approach in Writing</b>
Unlike woodworking's tangible measurements, writing lacks a ruler for sentence lengths and dimensions. Some writers thrive on formulaic approaches, churning out novels akin to factory-produced replicas with slight variations. However, even in structured works, an intangible essence, independent of the formula, distinguishes exceptional writing.
<b>Balancing Act: Perfectionism, Honesty, and the Essence of Writing</b>
Navigating the thin line between perfectionism and honesty, my recent writing journey has encountered an imbalance. The inability to measure sentences with precision has led to a forceful approach, akin to destroying a final product through excessive carpentry pressure. Acknowledging this delicate balance, I reflect on the essence of writing that transcends forced structures.
<b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTJDYKfUdY7MNCnlDbcnH1x_V8NJXvPKqKX7IaSh4tQGhFD5k3uv6n0J3HPtDm-HEvpvucvrsbDXyUofoFRq4gvoZFJleboxAQQyRYI_APTQVatQxtKOpFtfgjJhZPThg8alJUid2dhCeng_k8iuU3bJoHfzNQYboPuFpONk6ekguQwCU0CQTwyPvps8/s512/tinywow_44447817_Jtl8pnF0PvRJsV68.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTJDYKfUdY7MNCnlDbcnH1x_V8NJXvPKqKX7IaSh4tQGhFD5k3uv6n0J3HPtDm-HEvpvucvrsbDXyUofoFRq4gvoZFJleboxAQQyRYI_APTQVatQxtKOpFtfgjJhZPThg8alJUid2dhCeng_k8iuU3bJoHfzNQYboPuFpONk6ekguQwCU0CQTwyPvps8/s320/tinywow_44447817_Jtl8pnF0PvRJsV68.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;"><b><br />Harmony in Creation: A Lesson from Wood to Words</b>
Amidst frustrations and metaphorical splinters, a valuable reminder emerges: creativity flourishes when nurtured, not forced. Whether in the rigid lines of wood or the fluid dance of words, avoiding the compulsion to force creativity allows for a more genuine and fulfilling creative process. This realization drives me to take a deep breath and forge ahead, appreciating the delicate art of creation in both woodworking and writing.</span><p></p>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000624091487296756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7423269990080426430.post-22921988944539187712024-01-03T16:59:00.000-05:002024-01-03T23:07:49.033-05:00(Traditional) Publication Rules Of Writing<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4404368785_ca74c61111_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4404368785_ca74c61111_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7270381648559123" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Introduction</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thinking of a post I wrote recently titled </span><a href="http://mtnickerson.blogspot.com/2012/08/manuscript-length-thing-of-past.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Manuscript Length A Thing Of The Past</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> prompted me to consider what I thought about the current state of publishing. Normally I go with the flow, write short blog posts of little consequence, but the times we find ourselves today as writers is exciting, a little scary and confusing. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I felt the need to sort my feelings with more structure than I typically apply to my blog. In doing so, I discovered that one post was too constraining but I also understood the need to begin somewhere, so what follows is a (long) overview of where my mind is at today concerning the state of writing. What I find wonderful as a writer is the ability to rewrite previously published work, to expand and grow opinions more organically than at any other time in history. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are things I’ve left out due to space, half-formed thoughts that remain undeveloped and sections that I’m not even certain </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">agree with, but here they stand for others to read. To disagree with, to argue for and argue against, to dismiss or take to heart. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here, then, is my first draft. A writer in progress begins with a word, hoping others will follow for the rest.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What Are The (Traditional) Publication Rules Of Writing?</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7270381648559123" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7270381648559123" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-W. Somerset Maugham</span></b></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7270381648559123" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rules. There are as many rules about rules as rules themselves, but unlike Maugham, I was able to sort out in my mind four rules as regards to writing publication. Remember as you read further, my rules are broad and in no way meant to be comprehensive. Other folks will come up with their own rules I suspect, and that in no way diminishes their rules or my own, I think. It just means that writing and publication isn’t definable to the tenth decimal point. Writing and publication must be viewed in terms of range and described with phrases such as ‘most likely’, ‘I believe’ or ‘In all likelihood’. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or so I believe.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here, then, are four rules of (traditional) publication:</span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7270381648559123" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Length Of Genre Fiction</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/wordcount.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a great site that breaks down the terms used for stories based on specific lengths, e.g, novelette, novella, short story and so forth.The labels are fairly standard anywhere you look, especially for the shorter works. For those writing novels, though, you run into variations depending on the genre in which you find yourself writing, so for example if you write a hard sf novel, according </span><a href="http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-word-counts-and-novel-length.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TheSwivet.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you are looking at a word count of 90k to 110k. Some romance novels can weigh in at only 55k words, while fantasy can weigh in at twice that length at 120k+.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go to your local bookstore or browse online at your favorite cyber-store and check out how well this holds true. Most genre novels are roughly the same length and most are tightly focused in a single genre, meaning there is very little crossover between genres. Fantasy novels are fat and romance thin, mysteries mid-length and so too with most sf. This is industry standard and because it is standard in what we read, it tends to be born out in what is written as well. Most writers I believe will naturally write to the industry because it is what they are used to reading and what you read is what you tend to write.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Number of Books In A series</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many books in a series? Well, to be a series, most will say that you need at least three and trilogies rule, being the most popular number for most series. We also see the double trilogy or even the triple series. These are often series that are set in the same world but in different times, such as Stephen Donaldson’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thomas Covenant</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> books. Fantasy series have recently become grander and hence far longer than ever before, so we have the projected seven book George RR Martin </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Game of Thrones </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or Robert Jordan’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wheel of Time</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series which will clock in at fourteen books, with a fifteenth if you include the prequel </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Spring</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. (That’s five trilogies, though the structure of the books don’t bear out the strict trilogy format).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then there is L. Ron Hubbard who wrote the ten book </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mission Earth </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series further muddling up things in the quest to answer how many books in a series. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though there are odd series with any number of books, three continues to be standard in accordance with how </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lord of the Rings</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">divided into three books</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by the original publisher due to money concerns. In the land of series, the Trilogy continues to rule supreme.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Delivery And/Or Format</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This rule is easy to define as delivery hasn’t changed since the </span><a href="http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/book2.htm"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">earliest days of publishing</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Writing was predominately available to the masses by the mid 1800’s and if you read, you read via the printed word, mostly in book form or by way of periodicals. Serialized novels, such as Charles Dickens wrote, had a brief life but over the 20th century, the stand-alone novel ruled. As with set lengths in the genre category, long stories were novelized and short stories were found their way to various magazines and the occasional anthology.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once a work was published, that was the end. It was the rare author who was able to add to or alter a work once it found itself in published form. A delivered story was good and delivered and no question otherwise. A few exceptions have occurred, such </span><a href="http://www.shmoop.com/enders-game/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ender’s Game</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which began life as a short story before author Orson Scott Card expanded it into a novel, then a series.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Stephen King also notably re-released his epic </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Stand </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as an an even more epic uncut version that was unpublishable when King was slightly less influential.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For most authors, though, they do not have the same chance to re-write, re envision or otherwise re-release a work once published.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publication Saturation</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are so lucky to sign a book deal you will find yourself in a situation where the publisher decides the schedule of when you see print. You may be fortunate if you are a prolific short story writer to get your name in print multiple times a year (and with the pay structure, you would have to either be well known and command high per story payments, or productive to an extreme, to make a living just writing short stories). Otherwise, novelists under normal conditions are on a one book per year schedule even if two books are written.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there is the reality authors must also face, a shelf life for their work. Books appear for a time before disappearing and sometimes, oftentimes, the disappearing phase exists forever.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturation is controlled by the publishers, not the writer. The industry is designed to discourage prolific writers because the truth is, there are thousands of writers out there and publishers run a business that includes more than a single author. A publisher can’t cater to one author at the expense of others.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What Has Changed With E-Publishing</span></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7270381648559123" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it.” </span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1221698.Neil_Gaiman"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Neil Gaiman</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2219449"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Graveyard Book</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Length Of Genre Fiction</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E-publishing gives writers freedom, but even in a free system there is a need for rule breakers willing to test boundaries because freedom with unquestioned boundaries becomes an oppressive environment if there is no mechanism for change. It is important that the spirit of a system is retained more so than the form in which that system takes. Freedom with finite borders designed to resist change will eventually break under an assault of the dissatisfied and be supplanted by a new system rather than an evolved system. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Genre fiction, non-fiction and any other sort of writing endeavor is far too stifled with rules of length. Print publication is a free system but one with stringent rules that writers who want change are pushing against, testing to see whether the boundaries accept change or are in need of breaking. The great opportunity presented by e-publishing is in the fact that it can be the mechanism of change that spurs a revolution in publishing, preserving the spirit of the industry while taking it to the next logical evolutionary step. Story is king and the only constraint should be the quality of the craft.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Number of Books In A series</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A story unfolds. Readers become enthralled. A story continues, proceeding to the end. Readers are happy. A new story, linked, begins. Or does not continue. Readers are happy. Readers are sad. Life continues for those involved until such time as it ends.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That, Folks, is all I can on the matter. Five, three, ten? Write to completion and try your damnedest to keep your readers satisfied. (You should consider your satisfaction level in this matter as well and all should be well.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Delivery And/ Or Format</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Print on demand exists today. Self-published books are not the nasty step children they once were. There are options. The writer can opt for many paths, no longer reliant on cumbersome traditional publishing alone as a way to find readers for their work. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is risk involved in bucking the established system and going the independent route of self publishing. Chief among the concerns a writer should take into account is quality erosion as a result of a writer who lacks the knowledge or experience to do the heavy lifting beyond writing. This includes formatting for e-books, e-book platforms, marketing, cover design and editing. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Writers who forget that self publishing is far more than just writing, place an unnecessary burden on their potential success. There is a learning curve but those unable or unwilling to learn still have more options than ever before. A great blog that has been dedicated to this subject is written by </span><a href="http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">JA Konrath</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who has written hundreds of posts about the subject of publishing in all the forms past, present and a few that might be headed our way.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publication Saturation</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is too much, ever too much? Is there such a thing as over-exposure? Or are you one of those writers who need not worry about saturation because you write too slow to become overexposed? </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whichever way you fall on the saturation spectrum, if you decide to self-publish you get a measure of control over the process that has been to this point tightly controlled by publishers. If you can write a book a week, no matter the quality, why not put them in the hands of readers? </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quality is ultimately rewarded. Trends are critical, though, so if your book about clow porn is sitting in the publishing piepeline while someone else scores big with </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bozo and His Amazing Balloon Balls</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, then how have you benefitted by long delays?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you as a writer control your own book saturation decisions and are able to keep your e-books in perpetual print, then maybe you would reap the benefits of hitting a trend like clown porn instead of some other writer.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why Is The Old Way Obsolete</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12008.Peter_F_Drucker"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peter F. Drucker</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everything old must pass, make way for the new. This is true in publishing just as it is in life in general. Stubborn adherence to nostalgia can never hope to prevent progress. All it does is delay an inevitable shift to the next standard.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We evolve at our own pace, which is fine, but we all evolve eventually. If you wish to continue doing things the old way, that’s okay. Recognize the futility of your choice, however, if you wish to succeed in the coming years as you look around and discover that your personal pace of evolution has left you far behind and out of touch.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Period Of Transition</span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“In the space between chaos and shape there was another chance.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9399.Jeanette_Winterson"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jeanette Winterson</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1411510"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The World and Other Places: Stories</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dig in your heels, writer, resist, I dare you.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are three choices a writer can pursue today:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Stick to the hide of the dying beast that is the traditional publishing scene</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Join the change that e-books offer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Push the boundaries, break the rules, define the future of publishing<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any choice you make, this is a clear period of sharp divides and a time of transition when the foundation of publishing is going to be re-formed. Large publishers may still wrest control, take over the publishing world in the next incarnation, make minimal changes and retain the decision making on who, what and when for writers.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or writers can embrace their freedom, take the spirit of publishing, which is providing content readers want to read, and retain control for themselves. Transitions provide opportunities for those who are willing to break the rules of the old ways.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What Is The Best Way To Proceed</span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Our duty, as men and women, is to proceed as if limits to our ability did not exist. We are collaborators in creation.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-</span><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/pierreteil130873.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pierre Teilhard de Chardin</span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Writers must make a decision on how best to proceed, which path to take. It may still be possible to walk many, near parallel paths, but the time is coming when there will a dominant direction those in the publishing business will all travel together.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What should you do?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Minor Tweaks/ Nothing At All</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hedge your bets, make minor changes, dip your toes into the e-book world, either on your own or through a publisher. If your choice is to be timid, then you can expect to reap the rewards commensurate with your level of commitment. Change may sweep you forward despite your own effort or desire for that change.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is certain is you will need to rely on luck more so than the more proactive writer who seeks to seize the opportunity the transition underway in the publishing world.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Radical Shifts</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jump in. The water may shallow, cold, filled with sharp rocks ready to impale you or it might be waiting to embrace you with warm, gentle waves that carry you to lands of riches. There is a place and time for bold action, for writers who see change as an opportunity instead of as a boogie man hiding on their bed who wants to eat them up with no mercy.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a prize that can be one and right now there is a race to see who gets that prize. Is it going to be writers, publishers, is it going to be you? </span></b>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000624091487296756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7423269990080426430.post-33327833636240487972024-01-03T00:00:00.000-05:002024-01-03T23:07:32.117-05:00A Writing Exercise<br />
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Writing exercise.<br /><br />Leave your comfort zone. Go somewhere different than where you normally write, unless you normally write in a bus terminal or a coffee shop or some other public space. I think most of us tend to write at home, shut away from the world. I certainly tend to think better when I can shut off the world and concentrate without distraction.<br /><br />For this exercise, it is necessary to orget comfort, to give up on your hidey hole where no one dare indtrude. You need to go out into the world. So go. I'll wait.<br /><br />Okay. (I'm patient, but a few of you took your sweet time, not that I'm complaining.) Sit down with your pad of paper, your lap top, your fancy writing apparatus that I would name if I new what it was but being rather slow technologically, I am not certain what else there is for a writer to write with.<br /><br />Be that as it may, we can begin with the exercise.<br /><br /> <br /><ul>
<li><b>Set up the scene:</b> What does the air smell like, what time of day, who is there with you, what are you surrounded by, are you inside or outside?</li>
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<li><b>Remember, details matter: </b>This is scene building, not plot building. See colors and shapes and sounds and show with your words, forgetting why these things are there, concentrating instead on their physical reality. </li>
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<li><b>Metaphors, similes, they matter, too:</b> Start making connections. Don't worry about continuity. If you already described the soda machine, you can still revisit that machine if you have a metaphor that strikes you as apt. Revisit a third time if you want, don't worry. Maybe there's just something that strikes you about that soda machine that you keep coming back to, that you need to describe.</li>
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<li><b>Forget the above point:</b> Don't get stuck spending all day on that damn soda machine. What's wrong with you, anyway? If an object or person or the condition of light really strikes you, it probably will be with you for awhile. No need to spend too much time on this one thing- you will remember when you get home and you can expand this element more later. So move along There exists too much of a good thing.</li>
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<li><b>Scene building is the first step, got it?:</b> If you have the scene set, decided due diligence is done, then it is time to move on. Maybe there is an odd individual walking about, or there is an interesting position of objects that are out of the ordinary. Or maybe there is to much order or- you get the picture? Pick an element and then tweak that element. </li>
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Who is that girl who seems so nervous? She was sitting, then pacing, then kicking that soda machine as if it owed her money. Now, is she crying?</div>
<br /> Why?<br /> <br /><ul>
<li><b>Introduce your imagination: </b>What if a man with a gun runs on scene? A dog who seems agitated and ready to bite? What if that soda machine starts to glow? Unleash the writer's eye onto your well-known (now) scene. How does everything play out, what are the interactions?</li>
</ul>
<br />Go home, take what you wrote and see if you can enliven your own writing by including more detail, more showing, more scene setting. Remember we live in a world and so do your characters. Show it.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000624091487296756noreply@blogger.com2