Wednesday, September 21, 2005
What’s Wrong with a Little Recognition?

As a published author, I’ve had five novels, numerous short stories and articles published and at one point in time, back when e-books were being touted as the latest and greatest get-published-here track to writing for a living, I fully embraced the industry. I, like many, many others, believed that the faster responses from publishers and the quick manuscript-to-rack track to having a published book was a better option than waiting months for TOR or DAW or BAEN.

The bust of the e-book industry or rather the “refocusing” of the purpose of e-books sent my goals of being able to sustain myself by writing crashing to the floor. Not only did my e-book publications not count toward myself being labeled a “professional” writer, they bought little sales and even less recognition.

In fact, many "professional" authors still consider me unworthy of conversation with them because 1. I am not a sfwa author, and 2. I am not “really” published because my books are all available as e-books or as Print On Demand--not as they say from a "real publisher."

What should it matter how I am published or in what format?Writing isn’t about recognition.

Or is it?

If writing is not about recognition, then what is the purpose of writing?

I often tell my students that writing--at its most basic level--is to communicate with another human being.

But how is that possible if no one reads your material?
The entire point to writing, regardless of the genre, is to share your ideas, visions, worlds, and characters with others. If the author doesn’t receive any recognition, that point becomes harder to meet.

Perhaps I am missing the mark here. Let’s define “recognition” as someone reading your work and commenting/providing feedback about it. I’m not talking about recognition in the sense of HUGO or Pulitzer Prize. As an e-book published author, those goals are pretty lofty, even for someone who dreams big…like myself.

No, I’m talking about recognition in the truest sense of the word, meaning “acknowledgment of the existence or validity of something (MSN Encarta 1).”

I want my work to be recognized. Whether that comes from readers, the EPPIEs, fellow authors, reviewers, or fans (if I have any). A simple acknowledgement of the existence of my work and that my stories have some validity is the purpose of writing—at least in part. Sure my novels and short stories mean something to me, well, more than something. They mean a lot to me. Yet the acknowledgement that they meant something to others…complete strangers, now that is why I write.

If you disagree or want to voice your opinion on this subject, I encourage you to do so. Just leave a comment. I am curious to see what other reasons writer/authors write.

Nicole

Posted by Nicole Givens Kurtz 2005-09-21 23:42:11

Friday, September 16, 2005
Writer’s Block-A Common Cold for Authors

The past few weeks I have found myself in writing block hell. I am unable to write anything but teacher lesson plans—and right now even that chore is suffering from a miniature block.

Writer's block is like the common cold. Everyone who writes knows about it, but few of us actually court it willingly. Seemingly there are many treatments for it; howeverthere is no cure.

Just like the common cold, my writer’s block has traveled around the members of my home (namely me and my husband since our kids are 4 and under). Chris, who is a traditionally published non-fiction writer of true crime, came home at the end of May with a case of writer’s block. Of course, he doesn't admit to having writer's block, but he hasn’t written anything new, especially anything in his field, since June.

Itseems that he has passedthe filthy little virus on to me. Although I have written several stories in the month of June and half of July, I knew I was fighting off the bug. My writing had all the symptoms of the common writer’s block disease…sluggish stories, worn-down words, and crotchety characters. I was an achy author with icky ideas.

Still, I continued to pen stories and even sold one, “The Trader” to The Talisman Magazine. Somehow horror stories tend to lend themselves to crotchety characters and icky ideas.

Despite this feat, riding my creative immune system was a vicious new strain of writer’s block. It wasdetermined to ride my healthy creative body of work into the ground.

So as I grew more ill and the symptoms intensified, I did what everyone else does…I took some medicine in the form of encouragements and leafing through my journals, even reading to try to keep the virus at bay. No ideas came, nor have they since I returned from Africa.

The writer’s block bug in full force.

In thepast, Ihave written columnsabout how to battle and defeat writer’s block (physician heal thyself!). This new strain may actually have evolved to be immune to my common, over-the-Internettreatment (suggestions)for smiting it into remission.

What I wouldn’t give for a bottle of Romulan Ale and a holodeck right now! Something, heck anything, to jump start my creative author museand battle back the bug that is threatening to send me into a dry, arid desert for months! Maybe even years!

I am heading to Flagstaff this weekend as it is my anniversary. Perhaps there I will find the cure for my current cup of writer’s block.

Wish me luck!

Nicole

Posted by Nicole Givens Kurtz 2005-09-16 04:05:52

Friday, September 9, 2005
The Race Card-Is It Electronic?

I got an email today that someone I knew had just landed a big contract with a big publisher in New York. Unsaid author and I began our trek toward book writing together, but apart. She wrote one thing, and I another. Our paths began with our mutual interest in science fiction/fantasy and as two African American women. However, it has seemed that our paths to publication forked at one point.

Yet by some standards, she has become a success and I, a lowly, self published/ebook pubbed author. She warranted the advance, and I the electronic route-which to many is evidence of my lack of writing skills and total cheapness. I mean really if I'm not good enough for TOR, then why read my work at all?

According to the Science Fiction Writers of America, I am not an author. I am not professional, but an amature, with four novels, numerous short stories, and articles published. Yet, because I am ebook published, than I am nothing more than a beginning writer--nevermind that I have been writing since I was 12 years old.

I can talk forever about the snobbiness that exists in publishing. Tonight I want to talk about race. As an African American, race is apart of my daily life, rather I acknowledge it or not. I am a science fiction fan, and I have been since I was six years old. However, when I go to CONs, I am often the only one of two or three African Americans there. Additionally, I am often the sole one on panels and book signings.

And I have to wonder, as I stroll through CONs getting weird looks from others and even stranger nods from fellow authors, that in a genre that promotes futuristic visions, where people dress up like Kligons, that I get the odd glances. I find it startling sometimes that my race, my color offends and shocks so many who read books about aliens, elves and cyborgs.

But I digress. Books. I write science fiction books and I have had more than one person walk away from my table when they found out that I was the author. Does this mean that sf fans are racists? No, I have met more than my share of good, solid, honest, sf fans who don't want to read my stuff as well as some that do. The genre as a whole is tough to write in, no doubt. Fans are hard to come by and not many people are reading any more.

My question is this...do I play the race card when I write? Should I write about things that apply only to African Americans? Is that even possible? Some believe that my writings, my stories are too generic. They sound too white. I honestly have had people say that to me at a con a year ago. I was told my stories didn't explore the African perspective.

But my point is "which perspective do you want?" There are millions of Africans and descendancts of Africans, with just as many tales. Mine are some of those...

I am a writer. I write stories. My stories come from my imagination, my experiences, and sometimes my life, (yes, sometimes from a bottle of beer), but never, never have they been faked and not once, have I played the race card.

Perhaps that is why I am still ebook published and self published.

Posted by Nicole Givens Kurtz 2005-09-09 23:18:39