:D

[essayel]

Yay, International Left-handed day,
Everybody party in a sinister way!

It's Saturday. I'm going to buy beer for himself to drink. He's in holiday mode now so, instead of screaming in his sleep, he sings in his sleep, which is preferable if equally exhausting from my POV. Jen still sleeps in the spare room so I can't write early in the morning BUT she does let me in there in the evening. The dog had a tick and when it fell off it left a bit behind which made him poorly. Some antibiotics and a shot from the vet have cheered him up and he's bouncing again.

I'm trying to write a query email, very difficult since saying 'actually I think what I have made here is rather good' is something most Brits have beaten out of them by the time they are five. But it's worth a try.

And I'm writing pirates again. I want to get last years Nanowrimo finished so I can do the [terrifying] research for this years.

Comments

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the query letter.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Thanks, sweetie. I think I'm getting there. :D

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day soon, isn't it?

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Arrrrhhh, September 19th, wi'a curse! It's tragic! We're taking our pirate exhibition down before then. The boss is kicking herself for ignoring me when I mentioned that. It won't be the same talking in pirate when surrounded by WW2 artefacts.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yay for pirates! Boooo for ticks. Nasty little things.

And singing in his sleep? WTF?!

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Singing is better than whimpering. Who'd be a school teacher eh?

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Both my parents were school teachers. I most definitely am not!

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Sensible child, you were. I tried it and really didn't like it. They wouldn't let me have a whip and a chair.

[hit send accidentally with this one]

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Sensible child, you were. I tried it and really didn't like it. They wouldn't let me have a whip and a chair.

And I think of the poor little powder monkeys and midshipmen and how grown up they were. modern kids aren't expected to do much are they?

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I've been reading several books about midshipmen and ships boys recently and it really is astonishing what they were expected to deal with at such a young age. Particularly the mids who had to shoulder the responsibility of command.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Mary Rose Trust has a free lecture about life as a Ship's Boy on Thursday at noon. I wish I lived closer to Portsmouth!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Ooh that sounds good! I try and keep an eye out for events like that, even though I never get to go to them, but I missed that one.

[surexit.livejournal.com]

British INABILITY TO EVER SAY ANYTHING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF is such a handicap. :(

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Anything one says sounds like puff and the nervousness is exacerbated by reading Slush Pile Hell (http://slushpilehell.tumblr.com/) and really, really not wanting to sound like that.

[surexit.livejournal.com]

My best friend's parents are Nigerian, and he was telling me how it's completely acceptable to say something good about yourself in Nigeria. Which means he finds it easier to write cover letters and stuff. :( Biculturality would be useful, sometimes.

[metallumai.livejournal.com]

You could say, "I've received many compliments on..." and that makes the opinion someone else's! It's not YOU reporting on your awesomeness, it's other people.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

I think they might regard that as hearsay, not evidence :D

Almost done now. I'll send you a copy.

*cuddles* have you got your boys back yet?

[wulfila.livejournal.com]

Fingers are crossed for the query letter (if it helps, you could always say "Even readers from Germany think my stories are awesome, so there is a huge foreign market for them" ;)).

[yakalskovich]

Ditto!

[essayel.livejournal.com]

LOL, I want to know when you're going to follow up on the Wraethu story?

[yakalskovich]

Yes I definitely need two more stories published before I am a proper writer...

[essayel.livejournal.com]

You're a proper writer NOW. I think all those paid for book reviews, the translation work and having a blog followed by a lot of people counts towards that.

[cweb.livejournal.com]

*pricks up ears*
A Wraethu story? Where?

[essayel.livejournal.com]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paragenesis-Stories-Wraeththu-Storm-Constantine/dp/1904853730/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313412475&sr=8-3 Maru had a story published in that. :D

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Awwww *blush* you are lovely.

They might not want it so I'll shop it around a bit and if it doesn't take it can go on my website as a free read, when I get a website sorted.

[beckyblack]

I'm trying to write a query email, very difficult since saying 'actually I think what I have made here is rather good' is something most Brits have beaten out of them by the time they are five. But it's worth a try.

I hear you on that one. I think it's why marketing and self promotion feel so hard for me - it just seems like showing off! :D

[essayel.livejournal.com]

This is where something like UK Meet can be so useful. Everyone promotes for everyone else.

I've set myself the goal of reading at least one title by each of the attendees before next year and blogging about them - when I get myself organised. Every extra mention helps, after all.

[clmiles.livejournal.com]

Oh! I'll have to tell the hubby (he's left-handed) so he can begin to partay! *hehehe*

Hope you're getting some writing done in the evenings! And I'm glad the dog is okay. Those ticks can be nasty buggers.

Good luck with the email!

Yay for writing pirates!! *g*

*hugs*

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Pirates are such good fun. It means a lot of checking up on things like how much damage it would do to a ship to use it as a firing platform when it's aground so the water can't absorb any of the recoil. But those are useful things to know for other stories.

[kayberrisford.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds writing query letters and saying my work is good virtually impossible!!! Good luck with that - and yay for pirates :D

[essayel.livejournal.com]

becky_black says the same. I think it could also affect how we get on with US readers too. I know I've written things where I've thought the characters were perhaps a little over the top in expressing their feelings and have been told that they seem very cool and uncaring.

Apparently our "that's rather good", which in Brit speak means "Oh well done!" translates as "meh" in Anglo-American.

[vespican.livejournal.com]

Hi
Thanks for adding me to your friends list the other day. I've returned the gesture.

Some of the best advice I've had regarding query letters came from Anne Mini's Author! Author! blog at www.annemini.com Lot's of good information on just about everything having to do with writing and publishing.
Dave

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Oh cool, thanks Dave :D and welcome.