writing | Bertram's Blog

Tripping Over Words, Rocks, and Other Things

November 3, 2009 — Pat Bertram

Today when I was out walking, I took a rockier route than I normally do. I wanted to photograph some shaggy beasts that live down the road. I was paying more attention to the creatures instead of where I put my feet, and I went sprawling. The whole thing was a bit ridiculous. I’d taken the same walk yesterday for exactly the same reason, though yesterday when I tried to take the photos, I discovered the camera batteries were dead. On my way home, I tripped on a branch embedded in the ground and fell. So today, I very carefully stepped over the branch and tripped on a rock. Sheesh.

I did get some photos, though the beasts were too far away for me to get a good image. I think they might be yaks, but it’s hard to tell.

The point of this article is that if you trip over a rock or a branch, you have to pick yourself up and continue on your way. Assuming you’re not hurt, of course. (This is hilarious! MsWord has just told me “you’re” should be “you is.” As in “Assuming you is not hurt.” Yikes!) If you trip over words while writing . . . ah! What joy. You can go back and untrip. Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to deletion, insertion, revision. (You really didn’t expect me to let a chance to moralize about writing slip by, did you?)

So what does this have to do with my Daughter Am I blog tour? Not a thing. However, since you asked —

Today I am being interviewed at the D.C. Examiner: Pat Bertram discusses her obsessions, reading, and latest projects.

I am also discussing my writing space at Savvy Verse and Wit: Pat Bertram Shares Her Writing Space.

You can also download 30% of Daughter Am I free at: Smashwords.

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Posted in blogging, life, writing. Tags: blog tour, blogosphere, photos, revision, shaggy beasts, walking. 8 Comments »

Writing as Conversation with Readers

November 2, 2009 — Pat Bertram

One of the guest stops on my Daughter Am I blog tour is the Second Wind Publishing Blog. I talk about a fan letter (well, fan email) I received, and cite a quote by John Cheever, “I can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss — you can’t do it alone.”

Many writers don’t consider readers — they write solely for themselves, or at least they say they do — but often as I am writing a passage (or more precisely, after I have written it), I wonder what readers will think. Will they understand my references? Will they find the humor? Is my writing clear enough? I like thinking that perhaps someday a reader will share the product of my mind.

Malcolm R. Campbell, author of Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire responded to my guest post with, “Whether it’s a book, poem, post, review, article or news story, I always hope somebody will say something. One never knows. It’s a slow conversation, so much time having gone by between the moment when something was written and the moment when somebody tells you they found it.”

Such a wonderful description of writing/reading — a slow conversation. I know I’ve read many books where I felt the author and I were having a conversation, silent though it may be. I read and I think about what I read. It’s quite a heady realization that now I am a writer with readers of my own.

If you’re interested in reading the original blog post, you can find it here: Writing Without a Reader is Like a Kiss Without a Partner.

I am also at the D.C. Examiner today: Pat Bertram speaks about her novels and her writing

Today is the last day for the Clue Game at the Simpson Haunted Mansion

Also, this is your last opportunity to leave a comment to win Daughter Am I from: Book Reviews by Bobbie

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Posted in blogging, books, internet, writing. Tags: blog tour, Daughter Am I, Malcolm R. Campbell, readers, writing. 8 Comments »

Interview and Giveaway!

November 1, 2009 — Pat Bertram

I have been doing so many interviews for this blog tour, that by the time it’s over, there won’t be anything left for you to discover about my life — or at least my writing life, which comes down to the same thing.

I am visiting Book Reviews by Bobbie today for an interview, which includes an excerpt from Daughter Am I and a book giveaway. You don’t have to enter a contest, just leave a comment. (Daughter Am I is my young woman/old gangsters coming of age adventure.)

Today is the beginning of NaBloWriMo (National Blog Posting Month) and after two weeks of daily posting, wouldn’t you know, I almost forgot to post a bloggery! NaBloWriMo is a personal challenge — I don’t win anything except knowing that I posted to my blog every day, but still, I would have hated to lose on the very first day!

This is also the first day of MyWriMo (My Writing Month). I am not going to try to write a novel this month, not going to aim for anything close to 50,000 words. My only goal is to add a single sentence each day to my poor neglected WIP. I’ve already written 41,000 words, so I should be getting to the easy time where I know the characters, the story, where I want to go, but this book is different than any I have ever written. It’s in three parts. The first part was seeing how much freedom my hero would give up for security. The second part is seeing how much security he’s willing to give up for freedom. The third part is seeing how much security and freedom are dependent on responsiblity. In other words, it’s three books in one. The characters in the first part that my hero met are gone. He needs to meet new people, so basically, now that I’m starting to write Part II, I’m starting a new book, never an easy task for me.

I’m off to write my single sentence. Don’t forget to stop by Book Reviews by Bobbie and leave a comment. You might win a copy of Daughter Am I. Click here: Book Giveaway and Guest Author.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Second Wind Publishing, LLC.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Amazon.

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Posted in blogging, books, internet, writing. Tags: Book Reviews by Bobbie, Daughter Am I giveaway, interviews, NaBloWriMo, work in progress. Leave a Comment »

I Fear, You Fear, We All Fear

October 31, 2009 — Pat Bertram

Sheri Parks, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, says that many teens today have had years of exposure to violent video games and media images, which studies show desensitizes them to violence.

How odd to think that there are now studies showing this desensitization. Many of today’s — and yesterday’s — video games were developed by the military because studies had shown that repeated images of violence and death inured people to killing. In World War II, as many as 85% of soldiers fired over enemies’ heads or did not fire at all. After World War II, there was a concerted effort by the military to overcome this natural reluctance to kill, and apparently they succeeded, because during close combat in Vietnam, only about 5% of soldiers failed to aim to kill.

These same desensitizing “games” were later released as toys for children. Is it any wonder that teens today stand by and take pictures while a young girl is gang raped?

Today I am a guest at A.F. Stewart’s blog talking about fears. I kept my post light in honor of Halloween, but findings such as these about desensitization scare the heck out of me. Author Lee Child says that we don’t write what we know, we write what we fear, and that certainly is true in my case. I fear the machinations of the powerful, deadly, and calculating men and women who control our lives behind the scenes.

This theme is most prevalent in More Deaths Than One (in fact, I came across the information about desensitization while researching the military, soldiers, and killing for that particular novel) though it shows up in milder forms in all of my novels. Conspiracy? Perhaps. Truth? Probably. Fear? Definitely.

Now that I have scared you, go check out a lighter side of fear and tell me: What Are You Afraid Of?

More Deaths Than One is available from Amazon, Second Wind Publishing, and Smashwords. (You can download 30% free at Smashwords as well as buy in all ebook formats.)

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Posted in blogging, culture, life, writing. Tags: A. F. Stewart, desensitization, fear, Lee Child, military, More Deaths Than One, video games, Vietnam shoot to kill, WWII shoot to kill. 2 Comments »

Plagiarism?

October 30, 2009 — Pat Bertram

I had a bit of a scare this morning. I checked my blog as usual found a comment on my “Origin of the Grim Reaper” bloggery from someone named Robert Weniger, who said: You Plagiarist. I posted the exact words and you copy/pasted it from my website.

Um . . . What??

I love WordPress and all the statistics and information one gets! Besides email addresses from commenters, wordpress notes the IP address. I searched for Weniger’s address on the “What is My IP Address” site, and discovered the comment had been sent from a proxy server. According to the IP address site, A proxy server is a computer that offers a computer network service to allow clients to make indirect network connections to other network services. A client connects to the proxy server, then requests a connection, file, or other resource available on a different server. The proxy provides the resource either by connecting to the specified server or by serving it from a cache. In some cases, the proxy may alter the client’s request or the server’s response for various purposes.

Apparently, the comment was some sort of spam. What’s interesting is that most of that particular bloggery was plagiarized, though if one credits the writer, it’s not truly plagiarism. It’s called research. So, if you’re interested in my citation of William Bramley’s grim reaper information, be sure to check out The Origin of the Grim Reaper.

I also had a delightful surprise this morning. At today’s Daughter Am I blog tour stop, Zhadi’s Den, they are talking about my books! Wow, if anything will make someone feel like a real writer, it’s e-vesdropping on a people discussing one’s works. (Nope, that’s not a typo. I just thought it looked better than e-eavesdropping.) So, please meet me at Zhadi’s Den to talk about consistency in writing or my books, whichever you prefer.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Second Wind Publishing, LLC.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Amazon.

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Posted in blogging, books, internet, life, writing. Tags: blog tour, IP address, plagiarism, proxy server, William Bramley, Zhadi's Den. 2 Comments »

Persisting in Delusion

October 29, 2009 — Pat Bertram

“It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” — Carl Sagan

Is this true? When it comes to the cosmic universe, perhaps. When it comes to our personal universe, is it better to persist in delusion? Isn’t that what a dream is, a delusion? The dream might be attainable with luck and hard work, in which case it’s not a delusion. If it is not attainable, is it better to hold on to the dream or is it better to persist in delusion?

I used to think reality was important — I spent my life trying to get down to the rock bottom of “what is” (as opposed to what we think is). I studied particle physics and quantum mechanics (for fun, can you imagine that?) and discovered that every particle can be divided into smaller particles and those particles can be divided, until what you end up is nothing. Or a wave. Or a thought. Or something that changes every time you look at it.

Now I don’t know if reality is all it’s cracked up to be. If our perceptions can change “what is” at the quantum level, perhaps it can change life at the macro level where we live. If so, it might be better to persist in delusion.

I explore this theme of delusion (or illusion, which perhaps comes down to the same thing) in all of my books: What is truth? What is reality? Who are we, really — are we our memories, our experiences, our dreams? And I still don’t have an answer.

So what does this have to do with my Daughter Am I blog tour? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps I am deluding myself that what I am doing will increase sales, increase name recognition, increase my network of friends. (The last is not a delusion — I am making new contacts.) And if this tour turns out to be some cosmic illusion, is it still worth persisting? Of course it is. It’s the doing that’s important — the quest.

Very strange — these are the thoughts that usually strike me late at night, and here it is early afternoon. Must have something to do with all those late nights. Or maybe it’s just an illusion.

Today I am guesting at Alan Baxter’s blog, talking about writing tools. You know the ones I mean — hammers and chisels. Please stop by and say hi. At least there, the talk is much more concrete. You can find me here — Alan Baxter: The Word.

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Posted in blogging, books, internet, life, writing. Tags: Alan Baxter, blog tour, Carl Sagan, delusion, illusion, perceptions, reality, story themes. 8 Comments »

Writer Am I

October 28, 2009 — Pat Bertram

I did not come up with that great title for this bloggery, my host today, L.V. Gaudet, did. (Since you are all familiar with the title of my new book, Daughter Am I, I know you get the gist.) I’m hoping everyone goes to pay L.V. a visit. She says such wonderful things about me, that I want everyone to know! And, oh, yes — she’s also posted an article of mine in which I say that it does not matter how long it takes you to write a novel or how many words you write each day. All that matters is . . .

Hmmm. Do I tell you, or do I have you go read the article to find out for yourself? I have an idea — let’s play a game. You tell me here what you think matters, then go to L.V.’s blog and find out what I think: (What Kind of) Writer Am I.

I am also still live at JaxPop in the Haunted City. We are talking about hooks, so stop by and post your first sentence or paragraph. We will be kind, I promise. No criticism. I’d just like to see how you start your book. You can find me and my hook at: That’s What Hooks a Reader.

The haunted house is still haunted at the Second Wind Publishing Blog. Not only is the clue game fun, but you might also win the prize: a print copy of Second Wind’s Murder in the Wind Short Story Anthology. I even wrote a story for the book!! That alone should make competing worthwhile. So, meet me here: Trick or Treat! Let the Game Begin!

Tomorrow I will be in Australia. How cool is that! (Weather-wise, I bet it’s cooler here — lots and lots of snow! — so I’m looking forward to the virtual change of climate.) And, as if this weren’t enough excitement, tomorrow night at 9:00pm ET, I will be having a live chat at my No Whine, Just Champagne group on Gather.com.

For those of you who are just tuning into my Daughter Am I blog tour, you can find the entire schedule here: Blog Tour 2009. The most incredible thing about the internet is that , in an cyber/quantum sort of way, the past is always the present. So, while I am here, I am also at every stop on my tour waiting to welcome you. So please join me on my journey. We’ll have fun, you and I.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Second Wind Publishing, LLC.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Amazon.

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Posted in blogging, books, internet, writing. Tags: blog tour, Daughter Am I, Murder in the Wind, Second Wind Publishing. 4 Comments »

What Hooks a Reader — Blog Tour Day Ten

October 27, 2009 — Pat Bertram

Though it is actually night here, it’s still day ten of my Daughter Am I blog tour.

The reference to night and day reminds me of one of those standardized tests I took when I was in second grade. The question was, “How many hours are in a day?” I knew, of course, that there were twenty-four hours in a day’s span, but for some reason, I took the question to mean day as opposed to night. I knew that there were variable daylight hours — that was apparent from the way the sun set earlier each evening as it got nearer to winter. So, what was my answer? Twelve. I figured that on the average there had to be twelve hours of night and twelve hours of day. As you can see, I never did quite fit into a standardized world.

What does this way too revealing annecdote have to do with my blog tour? Absolutely nothing, except that it could be considered an example of a hook if, in fact, it did hook you! I am down in St. Augustine, Florida with Dave Ebright, and we’re cyberly talking about hooking a reader. I have a hunch Ebright doesn’t need any advice from me — his novel, Bad Latitude, has hooks galore: surfing, fast boats, zombies, ghosts, and pirates. Stop by Ebright’s Blog, JaxPop: Haunted City Writer, and tell us about your hook, even if it is only a fishing hook. You can find me and Dave here: That’s What Hooks a Reader.

If you haven’t yet stopped by the Second Wind Publishing haunted house (hey, there’s a theme here! Haunted City. Haunted House. Way cool!) you are missing the fun. You can find the house here: Trick or Treat! Let the Game Begin!

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Second Wind Publishing, LLC.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Amazon.

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Posted in blogging, books, internet, writing. Tags: Bad Latitude, blog tour, Daughter Am I, Dave Ebright, haunted house, hours in a day, JaxPop, Second Wind Publishing. Leave a Comment »

Daughter Am I Blog Tour 2009 Update

October 26, 2009 — Pat Bertram

Day nine of the Daughter Am I blog tour, and I am still going strong. I actually went to bed before midnight last night, and I’m a bit more rested. Good thing — there is a lot going on today! First, check out “After the Writing Comes the Work.” Great discussion going on at that unscheduled tour stop, and a wonderful compliment about Daughter Am I.

Next, check out “How Best To Procrastinate” on Claire Collins’s blog. It was actually yesterday’s tour stop, but I kept finding other things to do and never got around to telling you about it. (Procrastination humor. Trite, but still amusing. I hope.)

Claire is a guest on my blog talking about “Welcome to the Business of Writing”, and the importance of a mission statement. Mine is: “It is my mission to become so well-known that a traditional publisher will offer me an obscenely large advance. I will turn down the advance because I’d like to show that there is value in being published by a small independent publisher, and because the resulting publicity could be worth more than the publishing contract.” Did you notice that it says nothing about writing? Hmmm.

One of these days I really do have to work on my poor stalled WIP. I’m thinking of doing WriMo — my own slimmed down version of NaNoWriMo. Instead of National Novel Writing Month, I might do simply a Writing Month. Perhaps try to write a sentence or two each day in November to get back into the habit of writing. I did sign up for NaBloWriMo (National Blog Writing Month) and NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). Since I’ve already contracted to do a blog post every day for the first three weeks in November because of my blog tour, all I need to do is to finish out the month and I win. Win what? you might ask. Nothing, of course. It’s the challenge that counts.

But I am digressing.

Today I am again visiting Joylene Nowell Butler in Cluculz, this time for an interview. I am at Untreed Reads talking about my Rites of Passage as an author. And I am trick-or-treating at the Second Wind blog.

This is turning into an international tour. I’m in Canada today and Wednesday, in Florida tomorrow, and in Australia on Thursday. In the middle of November, I’ll be in South Africa. You gotta love the Internet!

Today’s schedule recapped:

After the Writing Comes the Work
How Best to Procrastinate
Welcome to the Business of Writing
Interview at Cluculz
Rites of Passage
Trick or Treat! Let the Game Begin!

Have fun. I intend to.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Second Wind Publishing, LLC.

Click here to buy Daughter Am I from Amazon.

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Posted in blogging, books, internet, writing. Tags: blog tour, Claire Collins, Daughter Am I, Joylene Nowell Butler, NaBloPoMo, NaBloWriMo, NaNoWriMo, Untreed Reads. 4 Comments »

Welcome to the Business of Writing

October 25, 2009 — Pat Bertram

To celebrate the eighth day of the Daughter Am I blog tour, I am treating myself to a guest here on Bertram’s Blog. That means one less post I have to write. Oh, joy! While Claire Collins is guesting here, I will be at her blog talking about How Best to Procrastinate. When you get a moment, please visit Claire’s Blog and join in the fun.

Claire Collins is the author of Images of Betrayal and Fate and Destiny, both published by Second Wind Publishing. Claire says:

Welcome to the Business of Writing!

Wait! Don’t go anywhere. I’m not going to take your favorite hobby and turn it into work. Or maybe I am . . .

It depends on what you want to do with your writing. Are you writing as an outlet? Do you write to relieve stress? Maybe you keep a personal journal and write to document your life. Perhaps you write to shut up the voices in your head that scream until you tell their story. Some of you may already be highly successful authors or journalists.

No matter why you write, or where you are in your writing, at some point, you may want to adjust your mindset to look at writing as a business. When that first royalty check rolls in, you will be self-employed as a sole proprietor. To help you think of your writing as a business, I suggest you develop a mission statement for your writing.

A mission statement is defined as: a formal short written statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. It provides “the framework or context within which the company’s strategies are formulated.”

That’s pretty stiff. Simply put, a mission statement is a summary of how the company will conduct business and the purpose of the business.

Create a mission statement for yourself as an author, for your works of writing, or for your type of writing. If you aren’t an author or writer, create a personal mission statement. I give you permission to use your creative ingenuity to draft your mission statement.

I’ll even create one for myself to give you an idea. Oh, and don’t forget: Have fun!

Claire Collins: author – Mission Statement

“It is my mission as an author to weave tales that draw readers down an interesting path with twists and turns. I will entertain, educate, and create emotion with my words.”

Stop by Second Wind Publishing for a free ebook sampler or two. One sampler includes the first chapters of all Second Wind’s romances, the other sampler includes the first chapters of all Second Wind’s mystery, adventure, maitstream novels. The first chapter of A Spark of Heavenly, More Deaths Than One, and Daughter Am I are in the Mystery Sampler. The first chapter of Images of Betrayal and Fate and Destiny are in the Romance Sampler.

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