question for you all....

[Crimson Stormfire]

for those of you who have read through my musings,
an idea has come to me upon the purchase of a wonderfully blank book.
I am approaching my 40th year on this go round and it has occured to me that one my dreams is attainable.
that of being a published writer.....{though very scary, attainable}....i have not ever attempted at even a submission before due to fear of rejection.
sad to know that i want to be a part of an industry where rejection is 90% of the job and i am afraid of it.



I will be pulling my various musings writings, and poems from here and others i have not put here in a singular volume. some of these have been posted here not in a sequence when they in fact do have a sequence to them. such as "the door" series and the volume will be called "through shade and shadow, a druids journey"
it will include stories of autobiographical nature such as when i found my first grove and what those experiences where and how they shaped me. but most importantly are those magical verses i have shared with you all here.

so here is the question, and it is simply that a question.{ regardless of the answer i will be shopping the manuscript around to various publishers and what not anxiously awaiting my first rejection letter.}

once it is done i will need support, not anything more than comforting words of guidance and help from someone other than my wife and friends. someone who knows me only through here and wont sugar coat the advice. can i ask that of you ? to support and criticize my efforts? pick me up when i fail? and celebrate my successes? tell me what i am doing wrong and why, and importantly how to fix it?

once it is all pulled together i will post that fact here and ask for advice on how to start looking for a publisher to query about the book.

oh and on a self serving note how many would be interested in such a book? this serves a dual purpose as it will tell me if this endeavor is worth it to others as much as me and to boost what little ego i may have about it thank you all for considering it and i look forward to hearing your thoughts.

p.s. if this happens to be the wrong forum to ask this, please moderators move it to the appropriate place thank you

[Sciethe]

Hi Crimson Stormfire,
I have a brief offering for a start- nothing complex you understand! I understand from your eisteddfod oferings that you've been through the mill recently. Unpleasant as this is, like a raging hangover, it is a holy and often highly productive state. If you feel ready to roll it all up into a book then it suggests that you're ready for a catharsis. When you're feeling better you may sit and wonder where the Awen has gone, that has certainly been my experience. So. Strike while the iron is hot. Having lots of material, all you now need for a book is the unifying principle you mention (essential) a common thread that the material expresses in a variety of ways, and preferably laid out in a way that progresses a story or road to understanding.
Very best wishes for this endeavour,
S

[Aphritha]

I look forward to seeing what else you have to put forward, and wish you the best of luck in your endevours. Your book sounds like it will be something different and interesting.

[Crimson Stormfire]

thank you both. scieth, i appreciate and hear your words. finding the starting point is the sticking place, when did this journey start or more so when did i realize it had already started......thank you both for your words of encouragement they will not be wasted.

[Crimson Stormfire]

while contemplating how to start i was informed of the following,

no one can decide if your a druid or not, outside of yourself.
sure there are groups and groves and covens and the like with vestments and rules and so on but do you really need their say so to say publicly what you already know to be the truth? no. only yourself in harmony can decide that truth. and when your brave enough you will tell others what you are be it druid, witch, wiccan, etc. but only you know the truth of who you are.

i have also realized that groves have been in my life since i was born. I grew up on an apple orchard and farm setting, there was a large forest and a few smaller groves of trees in any direction from my home. I attended christian church till about the age of 15 at my fathers request{i will detail that later}as a learning experience, the name of the church was CEDAR GROVE CHRISTIAN CHURCH a non denominational gathering place. then later in life i found myself at a pagan "church" named "shadow grove" where i spent a few happy years of learning. and now i find myself back in my hometown surrounded by the trees, groves glens and orchards of my youth. i have been druid long before i remembered how to be druid or even that i was one once before.

i now believe that i am on apath to healing and that maybe this "book" when it is complete will help me with that healing.
the awen is whispering again to me through my broken muse we are healing together and it is good.

[Aphritha]

I do love the picture you pait of the Muse...
Fascinating the connection you've made with all the Grove associations in your life. I can honestly never figure out whether our paths are predestined or we make them as we go, or a combination of both...

[Crimson Stormfire]

i think its a combo, similar i imagine as being a parent, there are things you push your child into, whether they want to or not they have to go in that direction, but one day they decide on their own which direction to go in. sometimes based on your influence sometimes despite it but always its their choice. and sometimes as a parent you just have to let the child make their own choices and learn from them. at least i think so anyway.

[mabby]

Blessings on your efforts CS. I will anxiously await your book. One word of advice -- see it as a book right now and keep that picture in your mind. Don't give power to any rejection notices. I know what we think we become. It takes practice, but I know that with each page you write and edit, you build your picture so that by the last page, the book already exists and your challenge will be too let your fans know how and where to purchase. This has worked for me for years and years (although try as I might to see myself slender, it hasn't happened).

[Crimson Stormfire]

thank you for the encouragement and wise words mabby. i will continue to do so....and hey who knows i may even seek the self publishing route if thats what i am called to try.

[Crimson Stormfire]

been writing for the past hour and a half the introduction as to why and how the collection of poems and short stories exists is almost complete. Its a synopsis of my life leading this point. and even though paraphrased and shortened up a bit it tells its story. so many memories both good and bad have flooded out i need a break.
the seed has been sown. now to nurture and care for it.

[Aphritha]

Sounds wonderful! Good luck!

[Crimson Stormfire]

intro finished.

[Crimson Stormfire]

now to find catalog and compile those musings, and poems, and write some new ones along the way......

[Moonleaf]

Hello Crimson Stormfire...

Much of what you say depends on what your idea of success will be i.e. what you want from the book. I have written poetry for twenty+ years and been fortunate enough to have it published in various magazines and I can tell you it is hard slog. The rejection letters are an important part of refining your art because occasionally such a letter will give you advice and in actual fact, mostly you don't even get a letter. There are of course web forums like this but where your poetry is critiqued and where people won't hold back but will actually do it in a helpful manner. It really tightens up writing and so it should - like a painter who puts their untrained work before artists and in the process of being shown their weaknesses grows stronger.

As for publishing; there is of course the self publish route - the print on demand stuff by Amazon/Createspace and the like. Even so, it takes a lot of work to get it in front of people and then even more so to get them to buy it. You seem serious about this so I guess you are not doing it just to get your work in a book but want people to buy it - that being the case I would recommend that you do the following:

1) Pay for someone to critique it - there are services on the internet, or put it on a poetry forum specifically for critique to see how your poems (if at all) can be improved.

2) The quick route is to do a little self publishing have a number of books/pamphlets and take them with you to poetry evenings and have them available for people to buy. If no one does then you haven't spent a lot, however if they fly out you can then go to a publisher stating XX No of people bought my first book.

3) The long route - go to poetry evenings/open mic forums and see which of your poems receive the most positive feedback. Get a collection of these together and then advertise at local village halls for a pagan poetry evenings and showcase what you do, perhaps with others. Or go to pagan bookshops and see if they will do an evening workshop etc. You could of course set up a local pagan poetry workshop among friends - either way you will need to make a name for yourself. You could also enter competitions and see how you get on.

Ultimately, what you say can be clouded by poor expression or lack of knowledge of your art and that is just letting your poetry down. Perhaps you can pick up some of that skill from other writers and maybe you have already.

Just some thoughts and hope they help.

[Crimson Stormfire]

thank you moonleaf, although not strictly poetry, your words ring true and i am in process of just simply piecing it together and placing it in a cohesive narrative that details the wanderings. anyway I hear your words and will keep in my thoughts once its ready to go out into the world. Paid crituqueing is something i have weighed heavily and once its complied and in a fashion i deem to be ready i will look further into it. the goal here is to present through short stories, non-traditional poetry, and meditation stanzas a coherent journey that i have experienced through what i continue to experience as the paths of shade and shadow. thank you for your advice moonleaf it has not fallen to a deaf heart.

[Moonleaf]

thank you moonleaf, although not strictly poetry, your words ring true and i am in process of just simply piecing it together and placing it in a cohesive narrative that details the wanderings. anyway I hear your words and will keep in my thoughts once its ready to go out into the world. Paid crituqueing is something i have weighed heavily and once its complied and in a fashion i deem to be ready i will look further into it. the goal here is to present through short stories, non-traditional poetry, and meditation stanzas a coherent journey that i have experienced through what i continue to experience as the paths of shade and shadow. thank you for your advice moonleaf it has not fallen to a deaf heart.

sounds interesting! Good luck with it.

[nia-ceridwyn]

I have also been dancing with the idea of publication for my writing, so I certainly understand the need and desire for support. I'm glad to offer mine, as a fellow writer and seeker.

I will say that from my investigations, if you go the self-publishing route it may be harder to later get into a 'real' publishing house, so if that is your goal you might want to think on that and do some research of your own. I haven't yet decided if it's enough of a concern for me just yet, but I also haven't come close enough to deciding on a theme for my book to truly worry about that.

[Crimson Stormfire]

update: progress has hit a small snag i suffered a back injury this past week and have been all befuddled with pain meds and a fuzzy mind.....i am slowly returning to myself and have returned to work, off the meds but now dealing with withdrawal from the steroids i was placed on for the time...brain still fuzzy.......and thats the news so far...thank you all for your patience i will update when i have something further to offer...right now i am recouping and resting...if i dont post here for awhile i am off gathering and hunting down tidbits to place here and there. and again thank you all for your support and generous advice and kind words.

[Aphritha]

What an unpleasant situation! Our mind gets affected so much by what happens to the body, one way or another. Best wishes to your recooperation! Take things easy!

[Fox]

Hope you are your old self soon and writing away - blessings on your endeavours.