Quiet Keystrokes and Midnight Ramblings

Fundraising for publication of my first novel, Age / Sex / Location  continues to be a lesson in the duality of the world.  It has been the most encouraging, disappointing, elating, frustrating, humbling, ego-stroking and downright confusing venture that I've ever attempted. The amazing thing about the fundraiser is the number of people who are supportive, awed and inspired by my dreams in private... they've told me so through phone calls, instant messages, e-mails and even face to face when I've been out and about... but who also appear to want to keep their support hidden from the rest of the world. To paraphrase the sentiment, "I want to support you, and I think the concept of following your dream is amazing.    But, I want to see what everyone else does first.  Sure, I'd love to help you fund the project, but only if your fundraiser fails." I do want to add that there are some amazingly wonderful people who not only have been publicly supportive of t...

Well, I've made it through the first month of fundraising for my novel, Age / Sex / Location  and the fundraising process continues to surprise me!  Through the generous backing of 8 individuals, $600 of the $5,000 I need has been raised so far and I've been told that there are more people waiting for the suspense to build a little more before adding their donation to the mix. The project has been humbling and inspiring so far; reconnecting me with old friends who are interested in what "that crazy Denise" is up to and prompting others to make steps toward realizing their dreams as well!  It is wonderful to know that whether this fundraiser is a financial success or not, there are people out there who believe in me and who take comfort in knowing that they are watching me as an encouragement in their own projects. There is still another $4,400 to raise, and my Mom has offered to get purple highlights once the fundraiser hits the goal as an incentive to anyone who...

Well, I've been working at raising funds for my first novel, Age / Sex / Location  for a few weeks now, and I've got to say... fundraising is exhausting!  There is the elating high when someone new pledges funds toward the project, the hand-wringing anxiety of wondering when (or if) anyone else will find it to be worth backing, pats on the back from friends and strangers, and the strange and tense feeling of trying to explain "why" I am even attempting such an endeavor. This portion of my journey toward a bound and readable novel has been a great and wonderful learning experience.  Not only has it opened my eyes to the continued battle of those who spend their lives raising funds for causes they believe in, but it has also warmed my soul to know that there are so many people who are willing, happy and able to help others reach their dreams. If you have gotten this far in the posting and are wondering where you can get more information on the project I'm talkin...

Although in the past I have helped to raise funds for grade-school kids, scouts and church groups, I think this is the first time I've ever attempted to do a fundraiser for myself.  It's been an interesting journey so far, and I hope my heart and colon can make it to the end of the Age / Sex / Location kickstarter project intact. I like to be in control of things in my life, and this project has certainly given me a life-lesson that life cannot always be organized and predictable.  There is always going to be uncertainty, anxiety, hope, elation, disappointment and suspense... it's what keeps the whole thing interesting. So, I'm doing my best to promote without groveling; trying to convince others that I believe solidly in the novel without revealing that I don't really  know what I'm doing.  There is a first for everything, and this novel is one of my firsts.  I am hopeful that the next month yields the funds I need to move forward with printing, ...

Hello there readers! It has been a long while since I last blogged, and you may have thought I'd forgotten about all of you, but truth be told I have been buried under a long list of projects and have only just had a moment to come up for air. One of the big developments has been the interest in getting my first novel, Age / Sex / Location, published.  I have been working with a great group of people who are encouraging the project and right now the only thing holding up the train is coming up with the capital to produce the book.  To learn more about this, check out my Kickstarter page here . Another great piece of news is that a segment of my unpublished novelette, A Giraffe in the Room , is going to be coming out in the upcoming issue #4 of Periscope Magazine .  The issue is titled, "Grin and Bear It" and I'm very proud that my story of a man trying to make the best of a very uncomfortable situation has made the final cut.  I'm not sure what date the e-is...

I find myself re-canalizing (again) just what it is that I want from the world of writing.  It seems like every time I turn around I have discovered that such-and-such venture is not as personally rewarding as I thought it would be, or that I've begun pigeonholing myself in projects that are making it difficult for me to move towards my dreams as a whole.  My desires to write are like a river - except instead of finding the smoothest path towards the ocean and letting gravity do the rest I seem to continue finding myself trying to flow uphill and over mountain ranges. I'm stubborn that way. My current thought on the subject of writing can be summed up by answering a couple of questions that have been floating around my brain the last few days: 1)What do you want to BE when you "grow up" as a writer? Just a year ago, I thought being published by a well-known company like Yahoo! would be enough to call myself a writer.  And in some sense, it has.  I can ho...

I haven't been able to blog much these days, although I have still been plodding along and making progress on the writing front one step at a time.  Unfortunately, the blogs I manage have all been taking a backseat to some other big projects and even though it only takes me 15 or 20 minutes to post something it seems like these days I can't seem to find that many minutes to rub together. These days it's all about priorities and time management, two of the most difficult things for me to keep up with.  Although having a deadline can generally spur me on to be incredibly productive, it can also lead to me being even more easily distracted by shiny objects, side projects and lots of time just standing around with my hands shoved into my pockets staring at the piles around me. And so the day begins... I'm off to drink a can of soda, and help those folks over at Gearheadz Paintball to keep marching forward towards their big spring event. Currently Reading: