A Novel in the Making

Published short-story writer and friend of The Artifact, Michelle Sussman, has just started up a blog called Michelle Sussman’s Novel Idea.  It will track her progress as she writes her first novel and give us an inside look at the process a writer goes through to create something out of essentially nothing.  Join Michelle as she takes you on a fantastic journey on her blog and in her debut novel … one chapter (and one post) at a time.

Eugene Ramos

NEW DREAMS FOR THEDREAMCONTINUED

It’s been said that dreams only can be had while you sleep, but we have proved that by dreaming big and stretching as far as your imagination can go, a dream can be made a reality!

Oprah put it this way: “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”

I wish to publicly thank my fellow writers, my friends for life.  As  THE ARTIFACT: AN ANTHOLOGY  passes all our expectations, first premiering on Createspace, then Amazon.com and now on to Target.com, into our local bookstores and hometown libraries, for never wavering from the dream.  For writing through, pushing on, and pursuing this dream of ours with a passion.

Allowing not only the energy of the universe to  lead us, but also the strength of true friendship to fuse us into an unstoppable force. 

Taking on new strides in the writing industry, and under the banner of G10, undertaking bigger and more profound challenges that will permit the dream to continue ONE SUPERLATIVE LEVEL AT A TIME!

TDC

whatever it takes

As I sit in the terminal at Charlotte airport on the last leg of our journey home from the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, I am thinking back to something Spock said.

Leonard Nimoy was amazing as usual. His antecdotes were funny, and his memories were touching. However, someone asked him a very important question while he was on stage.

The fan stood at the microphone and asked: “Mr. Nimoy, I want to be a photographer. What advice do you have for me?”

Nimoy, an accomplished photographer himself, answered, “You do whatever it takes. Do what you love, do it often, and dont worry about getting paid for it. Just find a way to do it.”

Wow.

That translates into anything, doesn’t it?

star trek convention refreshes, renews

                                            

Like with most endeavors, writing requires a break. A time to relax, a time to refresh the spirit. Sometimes that means a trip to the mountains. Or maybe the beach. Or maybe horseback riding.

In my case, it means a trip to the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas!

As of now, we’re on day 4 of the 5 day trek (pardon the pun!), and it appears to be just what I needed. The sights, the sounds, the people. The whole package.

The coolest thing about this trip? For the first time, 4 of our group have had the opportunity to meet, in person, for the first time. After only interacting on the net for a year, I’m proud to report it was like we had always been friends.

Several of our other comrades had met weeks earlier at the Comic Con in San Diego, so we are slowly, but surely, developing some tight bonds.

It is a great convention, as well. Thousands of people sharing a common love and respect. Up close contact with some fan favorites. Cool and unique ways to spend lots of money.

And, only a week after Fanlib closed it’s doors, it is awesome to be reminded that fandoms are alive and well, and will never die.

So, the three things I have learned so far from this trip?

1. I had great instincts when choosing my friends online
2. It’s good to mingle with thousands of fans as a reminder where our passions lie
3. Never, never hit on 14 when the dealer is showing a 5

-Whig

Fanlib Dies; Creativity Lives On

At 5:04 pm pacific time, Fanlib ceased to exist. Posting on forums continued clear up until the end. A strong attendance of former KvP writers was represented for the final countdown, giving a familiar feel of round four’s countdown to destruction. Indeed, today was a good day to die for the fan site that gave birth to the best collaborative minds of the decade.

For anyone attempting to post after the slightly delayed hour of death, a coded error message was received. In that moment, scores of fans were immediately cut off and left to decide their trek.

While fanlib.com no longer lives, it is survived by countless writers and artists who continue to thrive on various sites throughout the internet. We here on the KvP Alum project are a testimony to that truth. Fanlib’s short life span inspired many creative minds and its presence will be greatly missed.

For those of you who missed the party and list of alternate sites on Fanlib’s home page, we’re big believers in keeping in touch. Just for you:

• DeviantArt.com
• FanFiction.net
• FanPop.com
• LiveJournal.com
• MyFandoms.com
• PhotoshopFaceOff.com
• Quizilla.com
• TheOtaku.com
• TokyoPop.com
• FanLib Refugees — InvisionFree.com
• FanLib Refugees — FanFiction.net
• FanLib Refugees — MyFandoms.com
• FanLib Forever

Boldly writing on,
dr.jeanTre16

Last Things First

Question: When is it ever ok to put the cart before the horse?

Or in other words: What do you do with a horseless cart? Much the same question perplexed me when I circled the first blank page of chapter nine. I wondered, How was I ever going to pull that load?

Tons of anxieties, like little darts, pricked at me. What idea could I build on? Could I overcome my nervousness? Would I live up to the expectations of the other accomplished writers on the team? What if they hated my chapter? After all, I was bringing all their hard work to a closure.

Understandably, those all played a part of my perplexities. But, I believe the crux was in the nature of writing a final chapter itself. A person does not wake up one day and simply say, “Hey, I think I’m going to write the last chapter of a novel today.” That’s ludicrous! They begin in chapter one, progress through the mid-section, build to the climax, and deliver the conclusion. But there I was, staring at the first blank page of the last chapter.

I panicked. Inwardly, I felt like an unborn babe, asked to start life in adulthood, bypassing development stage in the womb and infancy where others would dote over me, skipping over toddlerhood where I could run about and cause mischief, and I won’t even discuss the adolescent behaviors I’d forego … But there I was, selected from a hat to bring the work to maturity. As a writer, I did the only thing I knew how: I schemed.

I began by pouring over chapter one, two, and so forth, taking notes. I brainstormed, asking myself questions like: What did all these chapters have in common? What theme was a repeated guest? What could I add that would complement the other chapters in tone, without rehashing previously written material? And I asked a whole lot of other questions.

Many of my bunny trails led to Alice in Wonderland holes, while others led to forks in the road where I had to choose a direction. Messages were exchanged between the other authors and me, discussing characters and plot developments. I must have written a dozen outlines and tossed nearly as many away before finally settling on a feasible one. Even then, after the writing began, I had to constantly recheck previous chapters for facts and re-plan my direction when obstacles popped up. After all that, I still wondered at times if I’d fashioned a suitable cart.

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t exchange the experience for anything. Working with the KvP Alumni on this project has been first rate. And my answer to the initial question: “It’s ok to put the cart before the horse when you know the team of horses that will pull it.” Writing chapter nine was not a solitary endeavor. I got to know the 8 chapters that would make “Ageless Dawn” relevant. You could say that I built my cart to order. Not too big, fancy or awkward, but hopefully just right.

But you can be the judge of that when you pick up a copy and take it for a spin around the track. Check back soon for the August publication date!

– drjeantre16

where do fan writers go now?

With the demise of Fanlib, thousands are flocking to other fan fiction sites, such as Myfandoms.com and fanfiction.net.  Why? Because they gotta get their “write” on, that’s why!

Now, these sites are all good. The definitely offer people of like tastes and writing desires the ability to express themselves in an accepting community.

However, I believe that those people can take kick their passion up a notch.

It’s easy to use fan fiction sites as a crutch. It’s comforting to know that you can put your 2500 word story on a site where almost everyone will give you praise, and you will do likewise for their work. And, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s that type of encouragement that gave me the marbles to start writing after 25 years of laying dormant…

quality trumps deadlines…always

Our goal was to have this book (“Artifact”) on the virtual shelves in the middle-to-end of July.

We’re pushing that timeline now. But that’s okay. Plenty of last minute edits and re-writes were done, and we believe it has made our first novel an outstanding piece of work (although, I’m sure you’ll be the judge of that!).

Right now, the final editing and continuity checks are being completed, and I believe this thing should be ready to order on Amazon.com by the first week in August. However, keep checking back here for updates.

Four months ago, when we gave birth to this concept of nine people who had never met in person, only on the ‘net, cranking out  novel, I would have thought the creative process of actually writing the thing would have been the tough part.

Man, was I wrong!

just a cool quote

“The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the office.”  –Robert Frost

Is this true, or what?!? We love doing the things that are fun, and we shut down for everything else…I love this quote!

-Whig

major inspiration or just showing off?

You know, during this huge collaborative process of writing a book between 9 authors who have never met, you look for inspiration in the strangest places.

Some look for it in music, others look for it in quotes from dead people. I happened to find a recent inspiration for writing at the strangest of places…a bookstore!

Okay, the truth. I wasn’t looking for inspiration. I was looking for an autographed copy of “Escape From Andersonville” directly from the author…the incomparable Mr. Gene Hackman. And, as you can see, a photo was also included in the package.

                                            

Seriously. That’s all. No great insights. No revelations on the processes of writing. Just a time to show off a recent fun moment.

And, oh yeah…check out the book. It’s pretty cool. 

-Whig