A-ha!

Holding Court.

We've had the opportunity to come across such talented people through the blogosphere. Many of our connections have not only enabled us to meet gifted writers, but we've also been fortunate to meet artists, photographers, crafters and musicians as well. These people have not only used their blogs as a way to communicate their thoughts but also as a vehicle to share their creations with us .

One blog I visit daily is called "The Reign of Ellen."

Ellen is a wonderful writer who shares her insight on life in an honest and often humorous style. She is also a gifted illustrator, cartoonist, graphic designer, mom of an adorable baby girl named Anna and a wife to Jason. Her art is so awesome and the books she's written are amazing. I asked Ellen if she would mind being my first interview for A'ha. She was so kind to agree. So it is with great pleasure that I would like to introduce to you her royal highness:   Ellen!

1.  I’ve been a regular reader of your blog for several months now, I am amazed at gifted you are not only as an artist but as a young mother in general. What surprised you most about becoming a mom?

I know that it sounds sappy, but I was really amazed at how much I loved her and how immediately it happened. I had planned for so many things, like the exact car seat I wanted and what little pink outfit she was going to wear back from the hospital. When she arrived and I looked at her, I was surprised at how real she was. She was exactly right.
I had planned on going back to work after my maternity leave, and winging it as far as quitting or not. As I found myself quickly reaching the end of my maternity leave, I knew that being away from her every day was not going to be a long term option. Thankfully, I was able to quit three months later.

   2. Your illustrations and writings are exceptional. I know many
      artists who can’t go too long without expressing themselves
      creatively. For them, it’s a way to keep themselves balanced. Do
      you get antsy if you can’t find the time or put in the time you
      want to do your artwork or writing? Do you go through a type of
      withdrawal?

You know, I don't know if I get antsy or not. My cartooning is so much a part of me,
I haven't really stopped doing it for long enough at any point to know if I'd get antsy or not.
It's kinda like driving a car. I don't even think about it anymore.

   3. You’ve been very honest about your depression and your book is
      wonderful. How has your honesty in you blog posts helped or
      hindered you in your personal life?

Helped: I have gotten to know many people out there, people that I now consider my friends.
I get a few emails a week telling me how much my depression book has helped them and that amazes me constantly. It's hard to be an artist without an audience and blogging provides that.
Hindered: I learned a few years ago not to discuss family (besides my immediate family.)
I said something about a family member that, although true, I should not have said. She let me have it, and I learned my lesson. Also, sometimes, the co-dependent, people pleaser part of me feels pressured to write everyday even if I have nothing to say.

   4. If you could have *four* hours all to yourself with no
      interruptions, what would you do?

Take a notebook, a favorite pen and five dollars and go to a coffee shop to write and draw in peace. Ahhhhhhh.

   5. What car are you currently driving and is this your dream car? If
      not, what would be the queen’s choice of transportation?

My car right now is your standard, boring but reliable car. I wish that
I had Herbie the Love Bug, though. That way I could take a nap in the
back and just end up wherever I needed to be.

   6. Will we be seeing any of Anna’s artwork on your blog in the future?

We'll see. I won't pressure her. But heaven help us if she turns out to
be an athlete because Mommy will have no idea what's going on.

   7.  In regards to Jason….boxers or briefs? I had to!

He wears those tight boxers. I don't know what they are called. “Briefie
Boxers”? Most of them have holes in them, that's all I know.

Expressing yourself!

How do you use language when you're writing?

I thought about this recently while I was having lunch with another writer and we were discussing the ways in which an author uses language. We took on the topic of what makes a good writer. We both agreed that when it comes to writing the next great American novel, a story line is a must. But beyond that what we both like to see is how the author utilizes their words. Do they know how to convey their story by using the language properly?  Is it necessary for good writers to be taught to write?

Today we have computer programs that help us spell correctly, use punctuation properly and even make suggestions when it can't figure out what the heck we are trying to say. Is it alright for us to rely on these programs more and on ourselves less? Should we allow technology to edit us entirely or should we still take responsibility for doing most of it ourselves?

Have you forgotten what you learned in your last English class?

Starting with a Blog

We highly recommend to all of our authors that they start a blog. This is one of the unique services we extend to our clients because we are convinced that blogs are essential tools for writers. We help our authors to understand what a blog is and how it can develop a presence for them on the Internet. Most of our authors have already written their books so the concept of a blog is a means for them to further establish a relationship with their reading audience and at the same time enable them to market and promote their book.

Occasionally we have authors come in to talk with us who haven't begun the process of writing their book. They've come to us for inspiration and guidance on starting this often overwhelming process. Being the bloggers we are, we can't think of a better way for a writer to start a book then to establish their own blog and begin posting to it. Using a blog to get the creative juices flowing is a perfect way for a writer's ideas to come together.

Nike had a great marketing line when they said to "Just do it." Having a site that is so easy to add content to enables a writer to "just do it." It allows the author to begin a process that they can get feedback on. A blog can help a writer to link to other writers who may be in the same stage of writing as they are. By doing this they can be part of a support unit that comes to them from the comfort of their own home.

Blogs offer a innovative and technological way to express the written word. Whether you've written a book or are in the early stages of conceptualizing one, start a blog and get going. We believe you'll only benefit from the new connections and information it will bring to you. Blog On!

What's this I hear about mapping?

My friend Mary Louisa over at the "Yes I do Mind" blog wrote a wonderful post on mapping. This was a writing concept I had completely forgotten about. I decided to do some research on this subject and share my findings and insights with my fellow authors.

Mapping can be done in a variety of ways. Mary Louise used this technique to enhance the geographical lay-out of her book thus enabling it to have more of a "southern town flavor." She used this technique as a way to diagram the "digs of her slueth and her fellow citizens." Often times we visualize the setting of our book in our head and can inevitably leave out details that are cruitial to the accuracy a reader may be looking for. If a book is written in a setting we've been to or have heard about, then the accuracy not only gets our attention, it allows us to become more involved with the story, we become attached to it.

Another form of mapping for writers is conceptual mapping. At WMEBooks, we often sit down wih clients who are still thinking about writing a book. They'll ask us "How do I begin?" Our response has been to get them to develop a table of contents. By getting them to do this task, we are encouraging them to get their ideas down in some type of order.  Once they establish the topics or events they want to write about, they can then begin to fill in the details in a more descriptive manner.

Establishing and maintaining relationships between characters is a perfect reason to use character mapping. This can be done by drawing a circle in the center of a piece of paper and labelling it with the main character/s name, physical description, personality traits..etc. Connecting them to other named characters in similar circles can begin keep the author attentive to how they are involved in the story.

Becoming overwhelmed is very common when writing a book. This can be brought on at the onset of the project or half way through. Using a diagram, map or list can help settle an abundance of ideas or a block the writer is experiencing. Using this concept may offer a fresh viewponint and insight that mere contemplation may otherwise leave out.

Writing is difficult enough. Using this technique can shorten some of the time you spend making sure the flow is correct and accurate. Taking the time to do some mapping can also help with brainstorming and getting through some problems or character flaws.

Just do it! Part Two

The next step is to assess your writing skills. How well do you write? What type of writing do you like? Think about your favorite Author, what style of writing does he or she use? Is this a style you are able to relate to? Is style something you can understand, or…should you take a writing course to learn about style? All of these assessments will help set the groundwork for your project and further strengthen the investment you’ll be making to it. So you’ve assessed your skills, you’ve taken a course, you’ve determined that you are ready to start writing.

Now what? Now you start by making an outline of what you want to write. Put down your main ideas, characters, settings, plot ideas etc. Try to get all your ideas organized. Put as much rough information down as you can. This is where you establish the flow of your book. It’s your brainstorming session with yourself. The more ideas, descriptions and information you list here the better. Your outline has been created.

Now you can start writing. My advice here is to just do it. If you want to set a goal of a chapter per writing session, then do it. You’ll soon find out how much time you need to write a chapter. Once you’ve finished writing it, read it out loud to yourself. Make any changes that are needed and put it down. Walk away until your next writing session.

Each time you start a new writing session, read the chapter you wrote previously. Once every few writing session, go back and read all the work you’ve done from start to finish. You may want to consider having someone else read your work to get his or her opinions. Someone close who is supportive but objective enough to be honest about your work. Be open to their review. Don’t get upset if it isn’t what you want to hear. Start developing a thick skin because you'll need to be open about the fact that some people may not like what you write. Don’t take it personally.

You are now officially writing your book.

Back to question one: How do you keep yourself motivated and on track? Motivation comes from your commitment to yourself. It’s what enables you to continue to invest in your “baby.” One thing to do is to pat yourself on the back everyday. Remind yourself how much you’ve put into the project and how rewarding it will be when it’s completed. Allow others to motivate you as well. Share your work and embrace the feedback you get back. Understand how amazing it is to have others read what you’ve written. When they take time out of their busy day to see what you’ve written, chances are they will provide you with constructive comments even if they don’t like the story. Use their words to keep you going.

Motivation is essential but it’s only one of the elements you need. Keeping a “just do it” attitude will enable you to win that writing battle. Remember to keep to your schedule, prepare yourself and manage yourself wisely. Organization can help build motivation and even eliminate pitfalls. Good luck.

Imagination, Inspiration, and Creativity

What do imagination, inspiration, creativity, and technology have to do with each other?

Well, if you’re a person who has a story to tell, these are the essential elements you need to produce a book.

Many of us would be writers often need a quite a bit of inspiration. Then we have to rustle up some creativity to bring our imagination to fruition. Technology is the necessary tool to help bring this process to a dimension that can be made available to share with others.

For many years people like you and I may have thought about writing a book. We contemplated the huge investment it would entail and panicked.

The possibility of spending long hours at the keyboard created an anxiety that ultimately resulted in our dream remaining in our minds. Looking at all the books out in the world was enough to squelch our ideals, after all who were we to think a publisher would find our work worthy of publishing?

The great news is the only person who needs to find your work worthy of publication is you!

WMEBooks is here to see that your hard work and devotion is validated by working with you to get your book into print because we know what it's like for authors to be rejected time and time again. We understand how painful it is to have someone minimize your investment. That’s why we go the extra mile to take our authors through the process by establishing a relationship that is based on personalized service deeply rooted with respect, trust and constant communication.

WMEBooks take its service to a higher level than other POD companies. Our experience enables us to realize what writers need in order to get their project in perfect condition before it gets published. Each book has different needs and requires different services. This individual attention allows us to develop a relationship with our authors, which continually encourages them to be creative, inspired and energized.

We live in such a technological time. We see new advances revealed every day. The technology of Print on Demand publishing is a process that is still in its infancy. WMEBooks is proud to identify this as an exciting business where our professional staff can continue to enhance and evolve into new avenues that will only serve to benefit our authors even more.

So sit down, take a deep breath, close your eyes and imagine. Imagine the best selling novel you’ve always wanted to write. Imagine taking the years of knowledge you’ve acquired and sharing the new ideas you have with others. Imagine finally being able to teach some old dogs some new tricks!

Take the time to put your thoughts together and create the book inside of you. The hardest thing is just getting started. Once you take that first step, don’t look back because WMEBooks is here by your side to see that your book is completed and proudly offered to the world, exactly as you dreamed it would be.

That's what our founder, Yvonne DiVita did...and this is the first book she produced. We think you can do the same--- and we'll be writing and sharing more advice in this blog, to help you.

Now, with my post, you've met Yvonne, Tom and me, Maryanne. In future posts, we have guest writers, but regardless of who is writing the blog-- our readers are the most important people to us. We invite your comments and questions.

This blog, like writing itself, is an evolving process. It needs many minds to be successful. Minds like yours...