Tale Chasing

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Sometimes the urge to hop back in bed and pull the covers over my head is overwhelming. I’ll be honest and fess up to having even done it a time or two. I realized in my dance class on Sunday that somewhere along the line, this fun amazing class that I looked forward to going to every chance I could – had turned into a source of fear.

My plot wall has taken on the same connotations. I stare out at it and where I use to see possibilities and exciting scenes…I begin to freak out at the possibility of writing them.

“They” aren’t kidding when they say fear is a huge factor in letting success pass you by. I don’t know who “they” are…but I’m sure they are out there and I’m sure they say it.

So what am I afraid of and how silly do I feel for being afraid in the first place? The answer to the last question is “I feel tremendously silly and foolish.” What I am afraid of is a little harder to answer, but we’ll give it a try.

• Fear of disappointing people – What if I do something that disappoints my teacher, my family and friends, my readers
• Fear of failure – what if I never manage to push myself to accomplish my weight, writing, etc goals?
• Fear of success – I would have said this wasn’t the case but when I think about it…I am..what if I finish this book and I can’t crank out another one?

Those are my main fears and I must find a way to get through them. I went over to check out Milli Thorton’s site “Fear of Writing” and am looking into her book. What do you do to over come your fears?

When Kimi graciously invited me to guest post here on TaleChasing, I immediately said Yes without thinking.  Then it hit me and I thought, what am I going to write about?  My blog is all about the reader’s experience, and since I know nothing about writing novels, I asked Kimi for some ideas.  She said the writers here would like to hear what fans want to find in great urban fantasies.  That I can do, and I’m particularly inspired at this moment to riff on sidekicks. 

You’d be surprised how often the right sidekick can take a good story and push it to the next level for me.  I see it as the author’s opportunity to make a serious impression on the reader, because a funny, mean, horny, cute, or sarcastic sidekick is often the thing I remember most about a book.  Here’s an example of how the right sidekick can make even an untried urban fantasy standout from the crowd…

Over at Dirty Sexy Books we have an online book club.  Each month we tackle a new genre, we nominate books within that style, and then we vote on a single winner.  Our theme for February happens to be urban fantasy, so we put together a list of eight contenders.  The list is great, if I do say so myself, but it’s never easy for us to pick a winner.  We’re often flying blind, and while we appreciate good reviews, we rely on the covers and blurbs heavily.  I think it’s safe to say that our February winner was picked in large part because of the sidekick. 

Our winner is Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder.  The cover is particularly striking, but what’s even more rare is that it shows the sidekick, a ferret named Palimpsest.  Isn’t he cute perched on the dragon-snake-thing?  This is not the first ferret sidekick I’ve encountered in an urban fantasy (Kat Richardson’s Greywalker series comes to mind), but showcasing the ferret on both the cover and the blurb has piqued our curiosity.  It seems like such a small thing, but in this case it made the difference. 

Read more…

This year marks the second year that I have done an episode talking about what I succeeded in doing the year past…so this makes it a tradition! This year I sit down with Psynde from Seattle to talk about what we accomplished! We also talk about some other really cool stuff so take a listen!

Psynde on twitter

Psynde’s Jewlery

Richelle Mead

Cherie Priest

Mark Henry

Stacia Kane

Jackie Kessler

DragonCon

My audio credits for 2009

 

 TaleChasing: Episode 32: 2010 New Years Results [45:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (309)

I’m happy to announce that Len was the winner of the “Blocks” & 6 visualizations Contest for entering my survey! Thank you all for participating. I’ll be putting up the results of the entries shortly!

Ever wanted a Nook eReader? Do you like Highlanders? Bitten By Books is looking to satisfy all your needs by combining the two into one awesome event. Go over here http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=16845 and find out about Donna Grant’s newest book Dangerous Highlander and find out all the ways you can enter to win a Barnes and Nobel Nook eReader. What could be better then that??

The new year is fast approaching and it’s time to help me figure out how I’m doing and what I can do to make the site and the podcast better.

As an added incentive to help, I’ve convinced Tom Evans to give away a free copy of his awesome book “Blocks” and his 6 Visualization Mp3s. This practical and comprehensive book and mp3s take you on a journey of the mind to help you banish your blocks forever and tap into an abundant flow of inspiration and creativity.

Please take a few seconds to fill out my survey and leave your email address on the form to be entered. I will be choosing a winner by random generator a week from today.

Thank you so much for your help and your continued support of the site!

 

 TaleChasing Survey Promo 2010: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (243)

I am proud to announce that Jenn A is the winner of the 3 Novella Weresnake contest! Jenn A, Stella will be sending you your prize in email shortly!

Look for more fun and interesting contests coming!

It’s that time again. Time to hear about how the world is going around me and where we stand with Guardians. In this I talk about the health of my mom, what projects I have done and have going current and for the new year, and then we get to Guardians!

Here is a pic of my plot wall, sadly it needs to be rotated left to right but you can do that at twitpic.

Note:

Don’t forget there is still time to nominate TaleChasing for Writer’s Digest Online’s 2010 list  of “101 Best Writing Blogs”. Just sent mail to writersdigest@fwmedia.com with “101 Websites” in the subject line (deadline is Jan. 1, 2010). Who knows they may even expand the categories to include “Best Podcasting Writers Website” and you can make it happen. If you’ve enjoyed my articles and podcasts on writing and urban fantasy, please take a second and nominate me! I promise to love you forever for it!

Promo: Digital Magic

 

 Author Notes 5 [29:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (730)

Every year, Writer’s Digest Online gathers all the best writer’s websites for there “101 Best Websites for Writers”. I would love to be listed among these great websites and you have the ability to make it happen!

There’s two weeks left to nominate my site for this great award.

All you have to do is write and nominate Tale Chasing for next year’s list to writersdigest@fwmedia.com with “101 Websites” in the subject line (deadline is Jan. 1, 2010). Who knows they may even expand the categories to include “Best Podcasting Writers Website” and you can make it happen.

If you’ve enjoyed my articles and podcasts on writing and urban fantasy, please take a second and nominate me! I promise to love you forever for it!