Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Writing Biz

Welcome to 2014 – Do you Know Where Your Goals Are?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back to the blog. Unlike many folks this year, I’ve decided not to make any New Year’s resolutions I won’t work on after February. Can’t spare the mental energy, so I’ll quit before I add to my list. I’m still working on last year’s goals, so those will roll-forward into this year. When you pick big goals, they can take more than twelve months or last your entire life when you’re a writer.

When "purging" got too much for me in the art studio, I headed for this batch of milk chocolate chip oatmeal Christmas cookies downstairs. Luckily I gave some away as presents so my jeans still fit. Kinda.
When “purging” got too much for me in the art studio, I headed for this batch of milk chocolate chip oatmeal Christmas cookies downstairs. Luckily I gave some away as presents so my jeans still fit. Kinda.

Part of the writing challenge these days is deciding to combine my office and craft projects in the same room to make an “art studio.” This decision has morphed into a mess of gargantuan proportions. If you don’t have the staff of hundreds they use on those organizing tv shows, the whole “shove two rooms together spill out in the hall mess” is daunting.

There have been some up sides; my crafty creative mind keeps straying over into the writing side of the “art studio” and vice a versa. When glue dots, beads and stickers hunker next to yarn, writing manuscripts and photos, interesting things begin to happen. Our environments are very important to us creatives. Of course, the whole finishing thing issue now crops up in all areas of the room. Squirrel!

But when life gets crazy and holidays and people need tending, the mess waits. So my goal is to get the “art studio” in shape by the end of this year. If I give myself tons of time, it feels like a fun goal and not a business plan. More fun, less work this year is my main goal. Along with simplifying. Now, if I can just get Spec Ops Cat to dust.

Taking A Holiday Blog Break

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by Kimberly A. Cook                          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Due to technical difficulties beyond my control, I am taking a blog break for the rest of this month. Happy Holidays and take some time to enjoy the season, family, friends and find some writing time.

Check out a few of my former posts in the meantime that you may have missed:

https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/11/01/which-dessert-would-you-choose/

https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/12/06/pearl-harbor-remembrance-70-years-later/

https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/12/27/what-would-hayley-mills-do/

https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/12/02/prep-and-landing-elves-to-score-again/

See you in 2014!

How Many Words Make A Book?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

In my quest to purge paper files in my office, I’ve resorted to drastic measures – I’m moving my craft supplies and tools into the same room. This madness is so I can make my “writing office” feel more like an “art studio” and to corral my ever-expanding craft hoarding.

Banker boxes from hell.
Banker boxes from hell.

This mission is not without peril. When I made the big move of the jewelry/sewing table and the wire rack into the office, something had to go; the banker boxes of paper files which need to be sorted. After tripping over them in the hallway for two weeks, luckily Spec Ops Cat can squeeze by to get to his litter box, I finally started sorting this past weekend.

A piece of paper I could not locate a few months ago for a blog post charged into view. Must be time to use it!

The Romance Writers of America newsletter page from the Heart of Oregon chapter in May 1992 remains in my files for good reason. The short article from the Colorado RWA via the Florida RWA newsletter still has great information.

For those of us who proof on paper hard copy, if we use the standard manuscript format still used to submit to traditional publishers – 1 ¼ inch left margin and one-inch right margin – a double-spaced page will average 24 to 26 lines of text. Don’t count the header and use a 12 point font.

With that format in mind, you can use the following “pages-to-words” guide.

# words                      Pages

50,000                        200

55,000                        220

60,000                        240

65,000                        260

70,000                        280

75,000                        300

80,000                        320

85,000                        340

100,000                      400

115,000                      460

This is one way to get a quick idea of page length without trying to figure out your word/page count all mucked together. These guidelines are critical for romance writers who are writing to a specific category book word length. For instance, for those who love the Avon historical romances, most of them are 100,000 words so it means a 400-page double-spaced manuscript. They truly are big books!

This is also how traditional publishers figure out how large or small a book manuscript will be in a flash. Now with ebooks no such rules apply, unless you print out the hard copy like I do to edit.

Another reason to double-space your writing and print it out on hard copy? It’s so much easier to edit with the extra white space. Happy word counting!

Coffee, Cookies And Hot Books At The Drugstore?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Surfing online last week I came across a story about a Seattle Drugstore chain installing an Espresso Book Machine in one of their stores, in conjunction with Kodak Alaris, to make publishing our own books as easy as a trip for chips. Boggles the mind. Imagine what self-published Benjamin Franklin would think if he could see our new printing presses now.

What's on the menu? Cocoa, cookie and freshly baked book?
What’s on the menu? Cocoa, cookie and freshly baked book?

It can never be a bad thing to have cookies, coffee, tea or hot cocoa together with ordering freshly printed books; almost at our tables! I love the smell of toner ink in the morning.

Digital media has changed the publishing game so much in a short amount of time. This is a moment when production process improvements directly impact the ability of everyone to publish books. Whether creating games, videos, pod casts, ebooks, comic books, picture books, interactive web sites or old-fashioned paper, communication and content are King and Queen.

Like we know from Spiderman, “With great power, comes great responsibility,” is even more true in today’s publishing world. I gave up a long time ago trying to be first at anything in this business, I just want to write what I love. It doesn’t happen overnight and that is okay with me.

Whether learning to drive, cook or breakdown an M-16 rifle, certain tasks take time, patience, skill and persistence. Writing is one of those creative arts which benefits from effort and hard work.

To paraphrase Yoda, when the printing process is ready, the author will appear. While we work on our craft and spend time developing our characters and stories, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the developments in the digital book business. Who knows, our next publisher might be the drive-thru window at Starbucks. (It could happen!)

Read the article here:  http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/seattle-based-drugstore-pilots-espresso-book-machine-on-demand-printing-center/

Why Are Many Creatives Monetarily Challenged?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It never ceases to amaze me how people can make money. That is, people except moi. When it comes to being an artist trying not to starve, other folks seem to figure out how to make it happen. Article on CNN.com yesterday talked about how some folks are making money off of YouTube – for themselves. Really.

Now, one entrepreneur said YouTube is more than cat videos. Well, I was thinking of going with cat videos, given Spec Ops Cat’s upkeep. SOC has two videos up on his YouTube channel from several years ago, but he has staff issues. But these new money making YouTube creative types get others to subscribe to their channels, then go viral and then make money. Wowsa.

Amazing how like writing this all sounds – creative arts are creative arts. The article also outlines how much work it is but they love it and they like being their own bosses. Sounds like my fantasy for retirement; write, eat snickerdoodle cookies and get paid on a regular basis.

When you write the ebook, market the ebook, then write more ebooks, it all takes time and dedication. While we try to build our author platforms doing what the experts “say,” sometimes we lose why we started writing in the first place.

Listening to a recent interview with Elizabeth Gilbert on YouTube about how she handled the huge success of “Eat, Pray, Love,” she said, “I stayed off of the Internet for a few years.” What? I about fell out of my chair. You can do that???

In the quest for a farthing, peso or a buck for our writing efforts, we need to remember we are still in charge and can write for many different reasons. Sometimes turning a passion into a job takes all the joy out of it. Only we can figure out why we write and adjust our goals, lives and expectations accordingly.

In the meantime, we can still watch cat videos. Like Maru from Japan above, one very famous cat with a box addiction. Seriously, more than 11 million hits on this one video!

Read CNN.com article here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/21/showbiz/youtube-famous-american-journey-irpt/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

What Do Alpacas And William Shatner Have In Common?

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Spent a few days last week in wonderful Hood River, Oregon. Always a great getaway to enjoy food and shopping. This trip I stumbled upon another fabulous treasure – Foothills Yarn & Cascade Alpacas, a true treat.

Happened upon their listing on the www.hoodriver.org shopping site while doing my normal pre-shopping recon the day before I left. Through the magic of their website I learned I could drive 10 minutes South of Hood River and find not only alpaca yarn, but alpacas too!

How cute are these guys? Best yarn shop visit ever.
How cute are these guys? Best yarn shop visit ever.

Imagine my joy when there were baby alpacas. Toured the shop and bought some alpaca yarn and socks, then went outside to feed the alpacas and take photos. Also learned about resident cats Knit and Purl. Think I met Purl.

It was a great visit and a gorgeous view from the alpaca paddock or whatever you call that enclosure. On their web site I learned about the William Shatner connection. Seems one owner flew to Los Angeles this past summer to be interviewed by William Shatner for a book he is writing entitled, “Hire Yourself.” The book is for people beyond age 55 who are out of work.

The Foothills Yarn and Cascade Alpaca husband and wife team decided to start the business after 50. It is an amazing place. So while the alpacas might look like really big fluffy tribbles, they are real. Can’t wait to read Shatner’s book and see what all is in his interview.

As writers we hire ourselves every time we write. Maybe if we looked at our craft that way, we might have a better feeling about our “writer job.” One of the fabulous things about writing is you can do it for as long as you can make the computer keys move or talk into a digital recorder or computer software program.

Even if you are knitting with alpaca yarn!

www.foothillsyarn.com

See a video about the farm here:

http://youtu.be/8a6u5N5QAAg