Just Another Artist?

*** UPDATE the hardcover of Water So Deep is now available for purchase on Amazon!***

Last weekend, I went to a retreat with a few good friends. We spent our few days writing our tails off (I got 12,000 words done on Legacy, so YAY!) and also took a short break to detour to a nearby writing conference, where two of my friends were on panels.

We were literally there for a total of two hours, and then we left. In that two hours, I ran into quite a few people with whom I am friends or at least acquainted, and those were only a few of several hundred people who were in attendance at this conference.

One of the hazards of publishing these days is that there are so many authors writing so many books, that at some point or another, we all feel slightly lost in the sea of awesome.

My oldest son and I had a discussion this weekend in which he informed me that he’s not sure he wants to go into art as a career field, because it is just too hard to be anything more than “just another artist.” And it’s true. He is a phenomenal artist. He paints, and draws, and creates some amazing things. He has such talent. But unless he fully commits himself to rising above the crowd, that is all he will ever be.

There are those cases in which one special artist or author breaks through the bottle neck on the first try and succeeds in a way that most of us will only ever dream of, but even those people will at some point have to produce a spectacular product in order to keep their audience/fans happy, or they too will become lost in the sea.

But is that a reason to give up? To go a different direction? Maybe for some people. And that’s okay. But for others, it’s not. It’s really not. Because while all artists need to be paid, we are not ALL in it just for money (although, at some point, we have to at least break even with our time and investments*). Some of us are in it for the love of the thing. Or to change the way someone thinks, or heck, to just entertain someone. And that’s enough for those of us who are in it for the long haul.

Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is that there is no such thing as being “just another author/artist.” Each one of us has something important and unique to share, as long as we dedicate ourselves to doing it.

Are you dedicated to something in life?

*To clarify, most authors/artists only make pennies per hour for the work they do. Love of art can only go so far when it comes to survival. Please remember that downloading pirated books/art greatly risks our ability to continue producing more books/art. Please consider our art at least as valuable as a cup of coffee or a soft drink and pay for it. Thanks!

LDStorymakers Midwest Conference: The Funnest Little Conference Around

You should know by now that I have a thing for conferences and conventions. They tend to scratch my social itch in a way nothing else can quite reach. Because of this, I have been to lots of them. More often as an attendee than a presenter, but with a round view of both, I think.

Over the years, my favorite conference has always been the LDStorymakers conference in Utah. During my very first one, I made some lifelong friends and found myself welcomed into the loving arms of the writing community, even though I was 100% green at the craft. The foundation I found with these people has become a rock to which I have clung through my journey as a writer, and also as an evolving person.

That said, it’s slightly possible I may have some bias toward conferences sponsored by the LDStorymakers. But if that’s true, then it stems back to my first conference with them, in which we had only around 70 people in attendance, and James Dashner taught a class about writing strong supporting characters (during which we had a fascinating discussion about Star Wars—but I digress). If you can picture small classrooms in a small-ish hotel, crowded with hungry, eager soon-to-be authors, that’s what I remember.

And it’s also what I found again at this year’s LDStorymakers Midwest Conference held in Kansas. Small, intimate, and attended by hungry, eager writers who are fighting through the bottle neck of publishing.

Guys. I have SO MISSED that intimate setting. I didn’t realize how much I missed that until I was there. Of course, as always, the classes were stellar, the bookstore run professionally and with a large selection of books, and the offerings fantastic. But even more, the social time was killer.

What else can I say, other than YOU SHOULD GO! If you live anywhere in or near Kansas and are wanting to learn more about writing and publishing, go. If you have to travel a little distance to get there, it’s still worth it.

I could keep trying to convince you, but instead, I think I’ll let some pictures do the talking.

Authorpalooza at the library the Friday before the conference. So fun!

Agent Sarah Negovetich and I entertaining ourselves by organizing Danyelle's bookshelves (thanks for being patient, Danyelle!)

Because it just wouldn't be right without a specialized treat run.

And seriously, what better people to spend the opening night of The Maze Runner than the people who I met the same weekend as James?

And after it was done--late night snacks at Denny's. Because, obviously.

Traveling buddies.

Our authorpalooza panel.

This one is my favorite. It kind of says it all! (aka You will sing, you will dance, you will make forever friends!)

You can learn more about the LDStorymakers conferences (Utah and Midwest) at www.ldstorymakers.com.

A Declaration of Truth

(for my new friends and readers)

In case you haven’t already figured this out, my name is Nichole, and I’m a writer.

I say this in the same way as I would were I confessing to an addiction, because in many ways, it feels like one. You see, writers—we don’t always behave the way people expect, or in ways that others see as normal. Sometimes, we’re social. Especially when we’re in the company of other writers or artists. And when we are, we talk and laugh and behave as though we live in real society. Or, what feels to us like real society.

Other times, we appear to be very far away. It’s entirely possible that a writer will walk or drive right by someone they know—someone who is a good friend, even—and not see them. Not acknowledge or hear or speak to them. This is not a show of anger or disrespect. More than likely, it’s because our minds are on the other voices we hear—the ones that speak only inside our heads. Go ahead and talk to us if you want. Real voices are usually loudest.

Writers are observers by nature. We are the people who attend sports games and watch, but sometimes don’t speak. Most likely, we have not only seen and catalogued the game, but also every conversation, mannerism, name, and rule—broken and followed. We somehow manage to capture and remember pain, joy, and confusion in a single expression, in a single moment.  

We are the describers of emotion, who sometimes delve so deeply into our own feelings that we come out on the other side bruised, battered, and occasionally permanently scarred. We are warriors of words, fighters of battles, healers of hurts, wielders of the sharpest weapons ever invented.

For a writer, staring at the wall for an hour sometimes counts as a productive day. 50,000 words in a month is completely doable if it happens to be November. Another month, 5,000 words feels like an unreachable number.

We sometimes run internet searches about things like poison and weapons and chemical or biological warfare, and then talk about these things in public without causing alarm. We are the people who will go shooting just so we can accurately describe how it feels to hold a gun, and who might fictionally murder someone who has wronged us in real life. We are the people who cry when our villains die, because no matter how bad they are, we are their parent, and we love them.

Sometimes our homes are spotless and organized and efficient. Dinner is made and the laundry is folded and put away. And then we wake up, and realize that we haven’t actually done housework for weeks.  

We believe in magic, and fairies, and mermaids, vampires, and werewolves. We have seen the end of the world, and who survives and how they live. We have started revolutions and fought wars.  We know what it is to truly, deeply love, and the power found in that. We know about destruction caused by hate.

Some writers wake before dawn and write in the wee hours of morning, others (like me) do our best work after midnight. (Side note: I am almost never coherent before 10:00 a.m.)

The endless list continues, but alas, this post cannot. This is merely a glimpse.

My name is Nichole, and I have experienced all of the above.

I am a writer. 

Become by Ali Cross, Dark C.A.R.M.A. Spotlights, and another Giveaway!

If you read my Monday and Wednesday blogs this week, you already know I’ve been spotlighting the Dark C.A.R.M.A. books this week. I’m way exited for these amazing women and their individual decisions to go INDIE with high quality work and a strong promotional push.

Today I’m spotlighting Become by Ali Cross.

I haven’t read it yet. Well, at least, not this version. I did read an older version of this book several months ago, and I loved it then. Love Desi, love Michael. Love the concept of the story. But I haven’t yet had the chance to read the newest version, but I’m really excited to get to it (as soon as I finish my NaNo project—you know, reward for accomplishment and all that). If it’s even half as good as the version I read, it’s really, really amazing.

Wanna know what it’s about? Here’s the blurb:

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared. When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

A little bit about Ali:

I’ve always been a dreamer. When I would tell my family what new adventure I wanted to take on, they’d roll their eyes and say something like, “Oh yeah? Well let us know how that works out for you.” Meaning, of course, that no one expected my dreams to amount to much.

I wanted to be a pilot in the Canadian Air Force, a Royal Canadian Mounted Policewoman, and Prime Minister of Canada.

I wanted to be a youth minister, an opera singer, and a ballet dancer.

I wanted to be happy.

The good news is . . . not all dreams stay relegated to dreamland forever.

I was an opera singer (five years with Opera Idaho) and tried ballet for one magical summer when I was thirty years old.

And I’ve discovered new dreams that are coming true even as we speak.

And . . . I’m happy. Thanks to my family, friends and a core set of beliefs that shape my day.

It’s true, I’m a dreamer. But man, where my dreams have taken me!

And now, I'm the sansei of the writer's dojo, the author of the soon-to-be-released young adult novel BECOME, and ninja-writer extraordinaire. 

And I should also add, Ali is a beautiful, smart woman who has an amazing capacity for friendship and I am one of the lucky people who gets to consider her one of mine. *sniffs and cheers* Go Ali!

And now, what you’ve all been waiting for. THE GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate the release of all these books, I’m giving away a copy of Become by Ali Cross. (Winner may choose between hard copy or ebook.) That's right! To enter, all you have to do is follow my blog (see the sidebar) and leave a comment on this post, telling me why you’re excited to read any of the Dark C.A.R.M.A books, or why you're dying to get your hands on a copy of Become.

That’s it. You have until midnight, MST, Saturday, November 26th to enter, and I’ll announce the winner sometime the following week. Okay? Sw-eet! Also, in case you're afraid you won't win the copy I'm giving away, there are LOTS more chances to win. Check out Elana Johnson's blog or fill out this form for a chance to win one of five more books.

**Friday, November 18 is the LAST Twitter chat during which one lucky person will. Search the hashtag #BECOME to participate and enter. 

In case you can't wait (and let's face it, who can?) to see if you win, you can buy your copy of Become on Amazon. You can also read more about the works of Ali Cross on her website.

Once more, big congratulations to Ali, Christine, and RaShelle! And good luck to all the contest entrants.

Who Doesn't?

I promise to not make a habit of chronicling everything I do when I’m not blogging, but dudes, I had the most awesome weekend (with the exception of a sick little boy and a trip to the ER—that was not awesome.)

Thursday was the beginning of the first ever Authors Incognito writers retreat. (In case you don’t already know, Authors Incognito is the totally fab writers group of which I am a member.) Along with my good friend Danyelle Ferguson, I was kind-of-sort-of in charge. We planned this retreat in conjunction with NaNoWriMo, and held it at a cabin in the mountains of Park city, UT, hoping that we’d all get tons of writing done. Which we did. (Collectively 130,000 + words in two and a half days! My portion of that was 9,000.)

Plus, it was good inspiration to spend a couple days in the company of so many other writers. Lots and lots of fun. And FYI, my NaNo project is off to a really good start.

After leaving the retreat, I joined my Fab Five friends (for lack of a better group name) at a benefit auction, where we listened to (and rocked out with) Nathan Osmond.

Unfortunately, just as the live auction was about to start, I was needed at home and had to leave in a hurry. (Sadly, the need at home involved a trip to the Instacare, and then on to the ER, where we were stuck until after 1:00 am for an appendicitis scare. Don’t worry, though, all is well now.)

Anyway, leaving the auction meant I missed the funnest part, wherein that same Fab Five (or, actually, four of the five) got caught up in the excitement of bidding and ended up buying a vacation package (for five) to Mazatlan, Mexico.

I received the good news via text and Facebook. Made the hospital experience not nearly so frustrating. (And yes, I was surprised. But not shocked. Cuz. Yeah. Nothing shocks me when it comes to them.)

Why am I telling you all this? Because I realized something this weekend. There will always be things to do, people who need your attention, and responsibilities to handle. But sometimes, in order to deal with those things, you have to take some time to really live and just be happy. When we are happy, we are our best selves.

And who doesn’t love being happy?
 

Authentically Happy

Every week, I write a minimum of five blogs (3 here, Thursdays here, sometimes here and book reviews here). Often more. I read and critique pages and chapters for other people. I moderate a large group of authors and try to keep hot topics and discussions under control. I attend weekly critique sessions that last for several hours at a time. I read and review books written by authors who aren’t necessarily within my genre, because publicists or blog tour organizers ask. I organize writing activities and get-togethers to help foster a feeling of belonging within the writing community.

On top of all that, I somehow manage to take care of my family, taxi my kids around between a wide variety of sports and activities, spend time with my husband, and I almost never miss my monthly (or sometimes more often) night out with the girls.

And I write. Whenever I can, for as long as I’m able. Because I want to. Because even though I didn’t know it for a while, it’s what I was born to do. A hidden love I didn’t discover until my kids were all in school.

Someone once asked why I try to do so much. It made me think. Made me wonder, and ponder, and question.

Sometimes you do things because they make you happy, or because you love it. And maybe you don’t know how to not help others after a while.

Sometimes you do something because you know you should, even if you think you’ll never get anything out of it.

Sometimes you go out of your way to do something because it’s the right thing, even if it hurts.

Sometimes it’s about your contribution to the world. To the universe. To the higher power in which you put so much faith and belief.

And sometimes it just comes down to being who you are and living an authentic life that makes you happy.

Seriously? Happiness is the BESTEST! That’s why.

May Writing Challenge: An Influential Woman (or a few)

By Nichole Giles

My friend Christine is brilliant. Every month she issues killer writing challenges that not only help hone our skills as writers, but make us reach down inside ourselves to scrape the feelings embedded in our hearts.

This month, the challenge is especially hard because I’m supposed to write about a woman who has affected my life for the better—or who has greatly influenced me—but who is not related to me by adoption or blood. Meaning I am not allowed to write about my mother, stepmother, grandmothers, sisters, daughters or…any of the many women who are most prominent in my life.

I considered not taking the challenge because, if I can’t write about those people who will I write about? But then I got thinking. (That’ll do it every time!) There are so many women in my life, I could write hundreds of thousands of words and still not cover all of them. The trouble choosing which one to write about.

Last week, I posted an article about friendship, and mentioned a group of women friends who keep me going through life—and have done so for thirteen years or more. These women are an important part of my life, and I love them as sisters. I look forward to our monthly nights out the way I look forward to holidays. And our weekends away…well, something not to be missed!

Each of these women has a different personality, a different life situation, and a different background. Our differences, as much as our similarities, keep us close.

For instance, I know that Jennifer will offer me a remedy when I’m sick, worry about me when I’m hurt, or pick up my kids in an emergency. She’s also an expert listener. Lori, on the other hand, will drop whatever she’s doing to go to a movie with me, will offer sympathy when life throws me a curveball, and offer her wisdom and experience. Tiffany will listen, offer insightful advice, has a mountain of patience, and is quick to read whatever I send her (which is important to an aspiring author). Raylene is the idea woman who always has a recipe, a brilliant party idea, and keeps us laughing no matter what’s going on in my life or hers. Mitzi is a warm shoulder, and a woman who has shown me that it is possible to start over again when things are worse than you ever thought life could be.

But if you’re a regular reader, you know all of that from my recent blog, Buckets of Friends.

So I’ve decided today to blog about some other women in my life—ones I have contact with every day and who have cheered me when I’m down, lifted me to greater heights, and encouraged me in my writing. These women have been there to point out my minor type-o’s, my major plot problems, misspellings, repetition, formatting issues, and about every other problem a writer can face. Not to mention rejections.

They’ve worried about me when I’m off-line for a long period of time, they know the names of my children, my husband, my dogs—they know the names of all my main characters, where I’ve been published, and what I’m marketing now. They’ve read all my work—even short articles and blogs—and always offer assistance whenever I need it.

It’s possible that without these women I might someday be a good writer—someday far in the future. But because of them, and with their help, I’ve progressed exponentially. And yes, I have been published—thanks to their unfailing help.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Cindy Beck, Connie Hall, Rachelle Christensen, Tristi Pinkston, Heather Justesen, Kim Thompson, Christine Bryant, Danyelle Ferguson, Ali Cross, and Karen Hoover.

There are more, many more, but these are the women I depend on regularly. Who I have contact daily or weekly, and I’d like to honor them.

Thanks, ladies! You’re the best.

Check out this music video—this one’s for all of you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MJwdY6Y0Hw