They stole my story!!!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

There you are. It’s a rainy evening and you’ve written over one thousand words in the current work-in-progress. You’re winding it down for the day. A little surfing at your favorite online bookseller is in order. You can download a new book and tottle off to bed to do a little reading.

Not so fast. There is YOUR cover on someone else’s book! 

Okay, okay. You know everyone and their sister is buying cover stock from a very limited available pool of quality stock. You just have to grin and bear it and remember you bought that cover stock because the guy is pretty sexy. 

So you scroll a few more pages and then it happens. Holy crap! SOMEONE STOLE YOUR TITLE!!!  

Well, it’s not exactly your title. Your title’s The Alpha’s Broken Finger and this - this - this THIEF used The Alpha’s Broken Toe. And you can't copyright titles and names. But dammit! That’s awfully close. And both stories are about how his mate, be that mate male or female, saves him.  

What the heck is going on?? Is this something serious or did we simply inspire another writer? Haven't we all gotten inspiration from someone else somewhere along the line? Who hasn't read a story and been blown away by a particular turn of a phrase and then had it creep into our usage? 

Plagiarism is a risk we all take when we publish a book. While I wrote the above tongue-in-cheek, the theft of intellectual property is no laughing matter. The honest among us have all seen covers and stories so similar to our own that the hair on our arms raises in alarm, disgust and anger. It’s not a good feeling. So what do we do about it?

The serious among us view our work as both creation and business. There are steps we can take if we’ve been pirated (DMCA letters) or suspect plagiarism (an attorney versed in the applicable laws).  One of the sad truths about this business is it’s stacked against the author. We do the work of creation and everyone makes a profit on our backs.

I could let the ugliness of theft stop me from writing, but I won’t. I could put my money into lawyer fees (and if seriously pissed off I will). I submit DMCA letters albeit in a lazy fashion. For better or for worse I’ve accepted the risk because I believe Karma exists.

If we accuse another writer of plagiarism and it turns out to be a weird coincidence, we’ve gained an enemy, one unlikely to ever forget. And do we want to apply the stigma of plagiarism to someone else who may have simply had a similar idea? How would we feel if we were unjustly accused of such a thing?

I know that sooner or later savvy readers will catch on and avoid suspect “authors.” The problem of deliberate, premeditated theft is so pervasive that even with a hundred thousand keyboards raised against it, it’s not going to go away. And that’s not right and that’s not fair.

The best thing I can do is put my energy into writing the next story and not dwell on the inequities of this business. I could allow it to discourage me, but I won’t. I do what I do for the honest readers and there are enough of them left to keep me going. And that will just have to be good enough until karma kicks butt.

Rayne
rayneforrest.blogspot.com

(This is a modified version of a post that was written for another venue in 2015.)

Science fiction romance
Time travel romance

IWSG: Voice

Insecure Writer's Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

The writer’s voice. We read about it, talk about it, angst over it, and yet we struggle to define exactly what it is. I once read where voice is a literary term that describes a writer’s style (style being defined by the use of character development, dialogue, syntax and diction).

I’m a simple girl. For me, voice is where the ‘telling’ of the story and the ‘showing’ of the action blend. The more seamless the blend, the better the finished story. Voice is each author’s unique and individual style of bringing the reader inside the story to the same place as the author.

A writer’s voice will show some of their inner character and personality. The characters created often reflect some of the writer’s attitudes. How can they not? Laying yourself bare for the reader isn’t easy. It’s a gradual process, one you can move through at your own pace.

When a writer is just starting out, everyone encourages her/him to develop their voice. The only way to do that is to write so the voice can emerge and develop. The time it takes to do that is another reason aspiring writers get so frustrated with the industry. It takes as long as it takes, so be patient. Remember - there are no worthwhile shortcuts to success.

Over the years, my voice has matured. I see it as a matter of gaining confidence - I’m no longer afraid to sound like myself. Having the reader come and sit in the same spot from where I wrote the story is no longer scary.

Whether it’s conscious or not, everything we do as authors strengthens our voice. Making each story better than the last is ingrained in our psyche. We constantly strive toward that goal, collectively and individually. We nurture our voice, and our ultimate reward has nothing to do with money.

It’s reading a book and, at the end, saying, “Wow. I wrote that.” 

Rayne

rayneforrest.blogspot.com

IWSG: We Must Respect Our Own Worth

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

When I first got into this crazy business of publishing, as opposed to writing, I was stunned by some of the ideas put forth as “truths.” But being a newbie, I ducked my head and kept writing. It didn’t change the real truth, one that too many writers either forget or never figured out. One very serious problem I’ve witnessed over and over throughout my years of being a published author is that too few of us realize our own value. This must change - and it is changing.

There is no one more important to the publishing world than the author.

The entire publishing industry rises and falls with those authors willing to publish their intellectual property. 

Without the author, there are no stories.

Without the author, there are no books.

Without the author, there are no readers.

Without the author, there is no publishing.

Each and every one of us is absolutely vital to our industry. There are no exceptions.

Each and every one of us has something so unique to offer that only the individual can provide it.

Each and every one of us is deserving of the respect of our peers and our publishers. We are created equal and that equality has nothing to do with sales numbers.  

Each and every one of us is entitled to the protection of copyright.

It’s 2016. Publishers need authors far more than authors need publishers.

Let us always remember: Authors are the publishing industry.

We must respect our own worth. 

Rayne
Website

E is for Evermore

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Thanks for stopping by Twenty-six Keys. Today’s blog is doing double duty with both the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge and the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

Poe’s Raven was a miserable creature and the greatest nay-sayer of all time. The wretched bird knew but one word - “nevermore!”

What a serious downer.

Writers tend to be an introverted and insecure sect. We need positive reinforcement on a daily basis. The word "never" should not be a part of our vocabulary. 

So to all the insecure writers out there, with apologies to the Poe devotees, I think it’s time for the raven to quote another word - EVERMORE.

Evermore is faithful and being a writer means being faithful to your craft. There’s no halfway measure to being a happy writer. As the writer’s knowledge and abilities increase, they’re evermore willing to put in the time. And little by little writing will overtake the writer’s life. This is really not a bad thing. It's helpful to be immersed in the creation of the story. 

So, yes, I have a new watchword. Quotes this old writer, “evermore.”

Rayne

http://rayneforrest.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

IWSG - Writer's Block - an ending or a beginning?

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Writer’s block are two words that strike dread into the heart of many a serious writer. You had such a great idea so what the heck is going on? You sit in front of the screen and stare. You want to write but the words won’t come.

Having suffered from this malady only a handful of times in my so-called writing career, I’ve reached a few conclusions, at least where I’m concerned.

I’ve concluded that sometimes I simply need a break.  It’s time to go blog, play on twitter, even watch television. I get busy on something else and stop obsessing over a daily word count.

My day job frequently wears me out and I don’t have energy to spare at the end of the day. I might go through a period where my life is on a social merry-go-round. Or like now, caring for my mother is taking my energy. It is what it is. 

Even when I’m not writing I’m thinking about writing. I know from experience the wheel will turn and I’ll be back at the keyboard, banging away.  

The main thing is to never give up on anything you want to have in your life. Let yourself rest if necessary, but always hold fast to the knowledge that you can find your way back to the things you love to do. Writer’s block is certainly scary, but it doesn't have to be an ending. It can be a chance to reboot, and an opportunity for renewal and regrowth. 

Search yourself for whatever is keeping you from the keyboard. Be honest about it to yourself. Don't hide from it, but learn from it instead. Write it into a story and render it unable to distract you from your path again. 

They say knowledge is power. Knowing yourself, and conquering those things which hold you back from your goals, gives you the power to achieve them.  

Rayne Forrest

Rayneforrest.blogspot.com

Your Book, Your Way - IWSG

February 3, 2016

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

One of the first writing pearls of wisdom I learned was every author should write her/his story for themself.

Okay, so the above sentence isn’t perfectly grammatically correct. This is my blog so it’s written my way. Maybe it’s to prove my point or maybe because it’s to prove my point. I’ll tinder my apologies now in case the sky starts to fall.

I think it’s important for every writer to remember why they write. The little wisdom pearl is correct - write the story for yourself to please yourself. If you want to bring others into your book, you have to be there first.

Too many times, I think, worrying about what an editor or reviewer might say discourages a writer and they temper their words to please. It happened to me very early on and it was very discouraging. I eventually got over it, and I know it’s not easy to overcome. I’m even certain a wee bit of it lingers on.

I know the best stories I’ve written were for me. I’m blessed that I was able to share them. Grateful, too. But I’ll never forget the first rule of writing.

YOU are your very first reader. Write the story that at its core will make you happy. Everything else will fall in place around it.

 Rayne Forrest

http://www.rayneforrest.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest
rayneforrest.blogspot.com

Finishing the Work-in-Progress - IWSG

January 6, 2016

Picking up the Career Pieces

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Happy Epiphany! Today marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, sometimes called Twelfth Night, and the historical arrival of the Magi bearing gifts. Many people leave the Christmas decorations up through Epiphany. I’m not usually one of them although if I can’t get to un-decorating on New Year’s Day, I’ll wait until after Epiphany.

The word “epiphany” means “revelation.”  Well, I’d like to have an epiphany as to why it’s been so difficult for me to pick up the pieces of my writing career. Publishing houses aside, that is. I know those reasons and they start with I’m the one doing the work and someone else is making the money.

I hold the rights to all the Rayne Forrest works, save two, and I think that’s a good thing. I’ve been indie publishing the stories and it’s a lot easier than a publisher would have you believe. So why the hesitation in finishing the new work-in-progress? It’s currently at 12,000 words and if I applied myself, I could finish it by the end of the month. I don’t have writer’s block on the creativity spectrum, so what is it?

Finding that answer is something I need to work toward in 2016.

Rayne

www.rayneforrest.com

http://twentysixkeys.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

IWSG - Christmas multi-tasking

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Silver Bells.

Silent Night.

The Holly & the Ivy.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve and Other Stories.

Christmas is a fun time of year. All the lights, the sparkle, the music (old and new), the hustle and bustle of shopping. The time I have for myself, that is to say time to even think about writing, gets squeezed down to minutes a week. I understand it, but I don’t always like it much. 

Time was, I tried to force everything into a day. The old adage is “write something every day.” That really doesn’t work for me, but oh, I did try. I thought I was the queen of multi-tasking. It didn’t work, except if you call walking away from writing as Rayne Forrest a good thing. It wasn’t.

I gave up on the idea of extreme multi-tasking. I don’t have to work, take care of my partner, parents, friends and write every day. Do I compartmentalize my life? Yes, I do. Is that a good thing? Perhaps not, but it keeps me sane.

With the Christmas season upon us, I know it’s time to concentrate on family and friends. Some of those friends are other writers and readers so I don’t abandon the Internet to be with family, but I do deliberately divide out my time.

When I first deliberately didn’t write, it was mentally difficult. I’d made plans with a friend to go Christmas shopping for the day. It started to snow so we cut our day short. I suddenly had time to write. The thing was, I was tired. I flopped in front of the television. And that’s when the guilt started picking at me.

Long story short, I overcame the guilty feelings and continued to relax. And you know what? The sky didn’t fall and I learned this lesson - I don’t have to cram multiple activities into one short day. There really is time for me to enjoy the holiday season and that’s what I plan to do.

I plan to be deliberate with seeing family and friends. I’ve planned time for baking cookies, decorating, a little shopping, and yes, a little writing - just not all at once. With any luck, by the time Epiphany rolls around, my house and life will be all squared away for the New Year, all without driving myself crazy.

- - - -

To all the participants of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group - A very merry Christmas and holiday season! May your traditions bring you comfort and joy.

Rayne

www.rayneforrest.com

http://twentysixkeys.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

IWSG- Try a Little Tenderness

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Ooh, she may be weary, young girls they do get weary…

I’m dating myself with a song reference from Three Dog Night. It was a big hit in 1969, and is actually on my “car” playlist. Is it because I get weary? Probably.

There’s a good kind of weary you get when you play hard, or even work hard at something you enjoy. It’s the kind of weary that makes you happy and grateful. You fall into bed at the end of the day with a smile on your face.

But there’s a different kind of weary, the kind you get when confronted by the worst of life. Funerals, divorce, illness, friendships gone awry, betrayal. There’s not a lot to cure that kind of weary, only time.

We’ve all been on both sides and when bad things happen, and we’re searching for answers, I think we forgot one important thing. We forget to be kind to ourselves. Instead, we blame ourselves and try to push through being weary to do more.

It’s nearly impossible to write your best prose when weariness sets in. Sure, some people can really tap into how bad they feel and spew it all over the page. It’s not something I like to read so I don’t do it. If I’m exhausted, I try a little tenderness on myself.

I’m not afraid to turn off the computer and rest. When I need it, I take time to get my head back on straight. I’ve learned that if I want to write a good story, I’ve got to take care of myself. And I learned it the hard way when my husband had cancer, so I’m not just pontificating.

It’s important to me to do the best I can on each story. I’ve found that if I stay tapped in to how I’m feeling, I write better. I plot better. I set the scene better. It really pains me to spend an evening writing only to have to go back the next night and delete what I wrote. It doesn’t happen often because I’ve learned an important truth - weary doesn’t make for a good writer.

Rayne

www.rayneforrest.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

IWSG - It's Tough to be a Writer Today

The Insecure Writer's Support Grop

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Being a writer today is challenging. It’s gotten so writing the story is the EASY part. These days you need to be your own proofreader, editor, cover artist, publisher and marketing specialist if you want to gain traction. If it sounds a bit daunting, that’s because it is.

The sad truth of it all is that in today’s publishing climate, you no longer have the luxury of simply writing the story and moving on to your next piece of inspiration. You have to take the time to learn how to edit, how to create a cover, and how to set up accounts at the various online booksellers and upload a finished product. You have to market your book yourself, which you’d be doing anyway even if you used a more traditional publisher.

When I started out, way back in 2003, self-publishing was still a taboo topic. One simply did not self publish. Hell, back when I started, epublishing wasn’t accepted. The “big girls” at the Romance Writers of America (RWA) did everything they could to stop the jagernaught only to discover they couldn’t. Digital publishers sprang up everywhere and only a few of those original companies survive today. But that survival is threatened by the indie writer.

I’ve benefited greatly by being published through a select few digital publishers. I learned how to edit, which is vitally important. I learned what I like for a cover (and sadly rarely got it).  We learn or we stagnate.  I had the bulk of my work with Whiskey Creek, but they sold to some company no one had ever heard of and tried to force everyone to sign on. Oh, no. So my books went down with the ship. Now I have the chance to see that it doesn’t happen again. Been there. Done that.

And I’m not alone.

Having had publishers 1) file bankruptcy, 2) disappear 3) sell the business, I can attest to the fact a reversion of rights clause isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on or the space it takes up on the monitor screen. Writing a coherent story with good characters and a decent plot takes a lot of time. That’s time not spent with spouses, children, family and friends. Getting screwed by a publisher isn’t any fun and that leads me to why it’s tough to be a writer today.

I’m not alone in seeing indie publishing as the only viable way to avoid getting screwed when it comes to publishing rights. It’s not that I WANTED to become my own editor, cover artist, publisher and market specialist, oh no! I want to write. I want to immerse myself in a world I’ve created and fly! But the good old days are over.

It’s tough to be a writer/proofreader/editor/cover artist/publisher/market specialist today. 

Rayne Forrest

www.rayneforrest.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

IWSG - The Sisterhood Myth

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

I’ve been around a while, and outside of a handful of authors, I’ve not made lasting friends. I accept the reason for this lies mostly with me. It’s difficult to work full time and have a writing career. No, I’m not whining. It is what it is. But something else it is rings just as true, at least for me.

Back in the day I wrote a book and made the mistake of telling people about it. “Get it published!” they said. So I set about to finding out how to go about it. Fast forward to joining the RWA and an online paranormal chapter.

I asked a simple question. Many, many, many of those “mentors” told me where I could to buy a copy of their book, which, they assured me, held the answer. That’s not mentoring. That’s hawking your wares. (Funny how so many of them had a book on the topic of my question, which happened to be non-writing related.) To this day there's one woman whose books I will not purchase because of her cavalier attitude toward a newbie. 

As writers, we might think we don’t owe another like-wise engaged individuals a thing. They’re taking sales away from us. Why should we help them do that?

It goes a lot deeper than being a writer. We owe each other common courtesy and kindness, especially to someone who is floundering along the side of the road. It’s never in our best interest to bolster ourselves and our bottom line at the expense of another.

So here’s my kernel of wisdom for this IWSG post: Pick your friends carefully. Remember the Golden Rule and treat others the way you want to be treated. That newbie you can help might be able to do a good turn for you one day. 

Rayne Forrest

http://www.rayneforrest.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

IWSG - The once and future writer

Way back in 2003 I signed my first publishing contract. It was 9:00 PM when the email came in and I screamed loud enough to make my partner jump out of his chair and come back the hall to the computer room (as we called it in those days).

No, I didn't see a mouse, dear. Someone is actually going to publish The Skies of Mahdis. 

And so it began. I had a very successful writing career up until the Triskelion Publishing debacle. Excuse me. They called it bankruptcy. RAYNE calls it a debacle. Same damn difference.

The debacle happened at the end of a very trying personal time. My beloved partner had, we prayed, been successfully treated for cancer. It's an insidious disease. Even after almost nine years we panic if he gets a cold or some weird symptom. Anyway, I was already mentally and emotionally exhausted and the debacle was pretty much the last straw.

I shifted gears and took on a new name and a new genre. Was it a "cut and run?" Yes, it was. I needed to write and I needed the stress free environment of anonymity. It's been a successful cut and run, though. I started over without telling anyone other than author Brenda Williamson what I was doing. I submitted the first story and it was immediately accepted.

Huh. Maybe I really do have some small talent at this writing stuff. But the world has turned.

Publishing isn't what it once was. Going indie is no-longer the kiss of death to the serious writer. Yet even as indie authors bask in the new freedoms, the screw tightens to control them. Amazon, the land of indie opportunity, keeps changing the game. Our, ahem, illustrious, government does nothing to control piracy.

I have a nice collection of completed stories sitting on my hard drive. I've already re-edited a few, learned some basic photoshop techniques, created a few simple covers, and indie published them. I might even indie publish The Skies of Mahdis and come full circle. 

It's daunting to be effectively starting over yet again. I question if, knowing so much more about the publishing industry, I can do it. 

Will I be as successful (or at least my definition of the word) in 2015 and forward as I was a decade ago? I don't know. Do I need it to be to be happy? Probably not. I simply know that as the once and future writer, I'll figure it out as I go. 

That's what all of us do, one step at a time. 

Thanks for stopping in here at Twenty-six Keys as part of the IWSG blog hop. 

Rayne
http://www.rayneforrest.com
www.twitter.com/RayneForrest