Thoughts on Failure, Movement to the Future.

I don't think a single person like the thought of failure; I know I don't.

But, there is something about the act of failing that I think is necessary. This doesn't mean that you SHOULD go looking for failure, but go looking for how to be better.

Failure is what makes a person determined to succeed, to try again, right?

That statement was not one that I easily came to, Dear Readers. If you had asked me what I thought if failure three years ago, or as far back as 2010 (that's seven years ago), I would have told told you that failure is the worst thing in the world. That it was a sign that you probably should try something else. That you weren't good enough. Maybe that you (or myself since I am talking about a specific thing) weren't cut out for what ever it was you (or I) failed at.

Something else to consider, Dear Readers; that failure makes us see what we are really good at and pushes us to makes those things, those talents stronger. I mean, I have been a writer, and poet since high school, but it wasn't until sometime after 2010 that I actually felt like I was a writer. I think it is because I never really failed at writing up until that point, or maybe never really tried to be a writer. Could even be both, as it amounts to the same thing; I never tried to published my writing, I never revised my writing, I never put my writing out in the world for others to read.

The only difference from that time  in the late 90s to to the present (2018) is that I've failed. I've failed to meet deadlines. Failed to win a contest; failed to revised a piece of writing; failed to edited a piece of writing properly; or failed to achieve funding on a Kickstarter project, twice.

What I HAVE done is to show my writing to my editor. I have one now; to take his suggestions; to let others read my writing, not just as a casual reader, but as Beta Readers, with the harsher criticisms that comes with having Beta Readers. I tried new ways of revising and editing; actually seeing my writing, my stories, from the Objective, not Subjective viewpoint; submitting my writing to online journals, contests, and putting my writing online for others to read; or even trying to Kickstarter funds to , GASP, self-publish my own literary magazine.

I have failed a lot.

But, I have also succeeded!

My first Kickstarter back in January of THIS YEAR, failed to make funding, but I was given some advise and suggestions about promoting the project, time of year to run the project, and content of said project. So, I tried again in April. While I was re-structuring my Kickstarter, I tried something new, I developed a PDF version of the literary magazine to see if it could be done with the resources I had available. It was! I raised funding for the first two issues of what became my literary magazine, "Stories to be Told".

Now, when I thought I had it figured out, I didn't. It appears my third time up to bat at Kickstartering was ALSO a failure. But it wasn't for naught, because  this summer I began to think about how I more a sustainable means to fund my projects, whether it was more issues of "Stories to be Told", or maybe launch my children's books, or my podcast I had been developing. I have so many stories, both completed and incomplete, of stories, poems, or plays laying around that I could certainly keep the mantle of Writer (with a capital W).

This is what I wanted to do with my life; I wanted to write stories, tell stories, and share them with the world.

All this means, Dear Reader is that I have to fail sometimes, well, I have to fail a lot. Sometimes I have to struggle. A fan base, a readership doesn't start out like a Neil Gaiman or a Stephen King, heck it doesn't even start out like an Emily Dickenson, J.R.R. Tolkien, or C.S Lewis for that matter. When you are an Unknown, you have to start at the bottom. You have to build your trust and interest. Sometimes your Twitter followers will increase by 1000 overnight, and a week later you'll lose 950 of them. Sometimes you will lose readers just by doing what you normally do, putting out new content, a new newsletter, or just tweeting about a new book from a fellow author; sometimes the muse will not visit you when you are trying to meet a deadline; or sometimes you will feel that all of your talent is a sham, that you were wrong to go into this career.

These are all very real feelings, thoughts, that I and countless other writers have felt at one time or another. The point is to tell you (and myself), that the failures you encounter are there to push you; to test you; to help you be the best writer, chef, stage manager, Literal Video producer, or gamer that you can be. True, it might be that you decide that isn't for you, but maybe, just maybe you'll find that you still want to tell stories, direct plays, produce Literal Videos; you will take your failures and make them successes.

See?

I may have failed at this Kickstarter  for Issue Two of "Stores to be Told", but now I'm launching my Patreon, "My Mythologies" to keep my stories, my literary magazine, podcast, children's books alive. I know I will struggle and likely, I will fail again, but I will also succeed. I have already succeeding in much since I started on this path. I am a stronger writer and a MUCH BETTER business woman than I was in 2017.

Failure, to me, means success, by way of taking the longer road to get where I was going.

If you want to learn more, please check out my Patreon: My Mythologies, my Website, my Soundcloud, and my Youtube Channel for more content. This blog is still up and running. I am in the middle of OctPoWriMo. Here, There be a Writer is evolving, please come back and see whatg I have in store for the future.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!
~Cindy

Kickstarter Status Update: Stories to be Told, unsuccessful? I don't think so...

My Kickstarter is over.

I didn't make funding.

I did make 486 dollars of my 1,100 goal. That is 44% funded, and pretty damn good for my first time out.

Thank you to backers and everyone who supported me through donations, emotional and mental support, and shared the living daylights out of this little project of mine. This project, Stories to be Told is so important to me, and I can only move forward with its creation.

It has been quite a month. I found my passion, my Arete.

I have learned a lot this January, everything from marketing/business practices, how to get back up after falling, finding my joy in my writing my Arete), the choice to go independent, and the most important thing I learned is how to fail forward. Failure is a part of life and for every thousand failures, there will be successes. The more you fail and keep going (learning from each mistake and misstep), well the more you are to succeed. They also say it takes about 10,000 hours of work to make something a reality.

Arete: (Moral Virtue) as defined by Wikipedia, excellence of any kind. Connected to the concept of fulfillment of purpose. Greek in origin.

My friend and mentor, James always says that arete is the fulfillment of one's true purpose. I like that so much, that I knew I had to buckle down and take my writing seriously, edited and revise my writing, and take a step into my fears and do thing I was afraid to do; get myself published. That lead into the Kickstarter, and little did I realize that I would start a path to greatness and ever failure.

Note: failure is only true failure if it stops you from moving forward.

"It is not a catastrophe, but merely a course correction." 

~James A. Owen

So, what is next? Well, after I write to my backers, then I begin Plan B, which entails putting together "Stories to be Told", Issue 0 in a PDF version for my backers as a thank you.  Quite possibly I will sell the PDF version in the near future, but that is still early to say. There is the re-planning and re-structuring of the Stories to be Told Kickstarter re-launch with the printing of Issue #1 (maybe Issue summer or Issue * or Issue Badger, or whatever I care to call it). This will require a month worth of marketing and promotion prior to re-launch. I'm looking at April. Also, includes promoted my self as a writer, going to seminars and lectures on writing and business of art, printing business cards, bookmarks and stickers as promotional materials. Even going to writing convention, especially after I has print versions of Stories to be Told, although I will still go to these conventions and events before that happens.

My Publishing Company!

I still have a Winter Give-Away over at Here, There be a Writer. Go over there, click like and share the Winter Give-Away status to be entered into the give-away that runs through tomorrow (1/31/2018).  I will be drawing winners for a limited edition bookmark and another for a Phoenix Rising Press sticker.

On the creative side this means I need to continue to write and edit new works for future Issues. Also, I am working on ramping up of my submission goals for my children's books, A Little Lost and A Spatula Story, and any other pieces for my current and past catalog of works. The only difference this time is I will only by submitting from a list of selected works and researching places where I think they would fit into, and then submitting those pieces to those places until I get a taker.. That is going to be a project in itself.

These are the things I started in 2017, and will manifest in 2018 and beyond.

I know that sounds like a lot, right? It is. But it is worth it. Will I fail? Sometimes yes. But other times I won't. I will always learn what to do differently, what new things to try, and document what I do.

If I get board, I always have some other project to work on. This year my podcast Quantum Highway is going to be recorded and released! More on that later...

"If you really want to do something; no one can stop you. If you really don't want to do something; no one can help you."

~James A. Owen

Please keep coming back, Dear Readers. Thank you for your love and support. Leave me a comment on what you are doing in 2018. What books are you reading, movies you have seen, projects or classes you are taking, etc.

As always, your devoted writer,
~Cindy

Kickstarter LIVE! (17 days to go)

It's official! I have a Kickstarter.

I am finally done with waiting around for things to happen. I am going to make things happen. Since 2011 I have wanted to take my writing and getting published more seriously. it was about that time I started submitting stories and poetry to online journals and some contests. I have received A LOT of rejection letters, a couple with constructive criticism (that was sweet of them), but nothing has yielded anything.

I kept trying though, although lately I have not been submitting as much.

It was last year that I realized that I needed to try something different.

First, I asked a fellow local poet friend if there were any local contests I could submit to. This resulted in twice having a selected (years 2016 and 2017) poem in two separate calendars  with featured local photographers.

Then there was a contest for a art and poetry called "The Sexuality Show"  (and The Sexuality Poems book) that featured local artists' work for a gallery showing and poems to be published in the aforementioned book on sexuality and gender. I submitted two poems for consideration. One was picked to be included in a book.

Talk about exciting!

I even got to read my poem at two separate poetry readings.

Talk about being nervous. I was going up against some really talented and well known local poets. But, I did it. And surprise surprise my fellow poets seemed to like my poem.

The story goes since 2011 I have been trying to submit poems and stories to various online journals, more in the last couple of years. The pile of rejection letters has grown. I felt that I wasn't getting anywhere. I was definitely getting discouraged. I was still trying, but not with the same exuberance.

It wasn't until I realized that I wasn't planning how I was submitting my poems and/or stories. I was being random in my selection of works, ad not being consistent. So, I started selecting certain works and kept submitting those. Again, more rejection and I wasn't getting anyway. I know rejection is part of the deal. Still its hard to not have my writing out there, which is the reason I became writer. I love bringing worlds to life, especially writing plays that get performed.

On and front, I wrote my first play in 2012-ish, and seeing this world brought to life spark something in me. Since then I have written seven or eight plays.

Sometime around 2013 I met my mentor in person, and something in that meeting and his words from his books spark and renewal. I started writing more, and after a while started concentrating on editing and revision of my previous writings. I had SO MANY already written that needed work and could be better and ultimately published.

But recently-about 2016 through 2017-the lack of progress and a shifting focus on what I what has made me realize that I am a good writer, a writer that deserves to be published. So, after I started on two new projects in 2017, I thought that maybe I can just publish my own works. I began taking my projects seriously; researching the independent publication of a children's book, courting artists, writing podcast scripts for a new story idea, courting a composer, and making plans for both of these projects. I have had to change my time tables a lot in the last year, but I am more confident and making more progress to making these a reality. I also realized that I could do a smaller Kickstarter and take some of my completed works and publish a literary magazine through crowdfunding.

What does this mean?

Well, 2017 was about developing ideas and editing/revising my work. 2018 is putting those ideas/projects into action.

I realized that you can never succeed if you don't try, and even if you fail in the process, you still learn something.

Time for action!

Introducing Here, There be a Writer's "Stories to be Told", my Kickstarter, which is live. I am hoping to raise $1,100 dollars to cover publishing costs and writer expenses to help launch my writing career.

Please have a look, maybe donate some if you can, Dear Readers. Share my little dream, so I can make  my dreams come true.

Spotlight: Coins of McGuffin

Today is Promote a Project Day!! Coins of McGuffin!

What might you ask is a Coins of McGuffin?

It is an animated web series where a brother duo sets off to unite the tribes of fandoms, charged by Exposition (the great glowing head guy) by collecting the lost Coins of McGuffin. I only learned of this exciting series a few months ago, but I am now hooked. David and Jonathan Green are making an awesome animated series about adventure and fandoms. They have 2 episodes already under their belts on their YouTube channel and are working towards an episode 3, 4, and possible web comic. Go check them out here at Coins of McGuffin! You know you want to ~points to you~.

They, along with host Marsha Adair and the McGuffin team, also create highlight episodes of the fandoms that they include in their series. A nice quick introduction to the fandoms.

Right now they need your help. It takes a lot of time and money to make these animated episodes. And up until now they have been funding the episode production themselves. Currently Dave and Jonathan Green need your help to create episode 3. They have a Patreon page and a Kickstarter to help them raise the funds.

The kickstarter has 11 days left as of this blog post. Consider joining the fandom McGuffin bandwagon, or if you cannot make the kickstarter in the next 11 day, then remember the Patreon page. Also, please spread the word, far and wide, to all of the fandoms the joys of the McGuffin. The best part about the kickstarter is perks for joining, everything from trading card (also a cool card game), stickers, choosing the next fandom to get a card or an episode done on it, custom made cards, and of course the love of some super talent geeky people.


Have you ever been into a TV show, comic book series, movie, book series, or cosplaying? It's a fascinating world of joy and discovery and when you meet or introduce more people to the world you get an expanded feeling of joy. I know I do! And I love the joy of joining other fandoms. There's quite a lot out there you know. Coins of McGuffin is a fun look into the fandoms and what we may or may not have in common within each fandom.

Episode 2 - Fan

These episodes are fun! This series is awesome. More people need to know about the Coins of McGuffin.

And after all, us geeks and nerds need to stick together, right?

See the cards, support the art, play the game....

 

Examples of some of the fandom cards!

They include such fandoms as Whovians, Bronies, Dragon Ball Z, Ringers, Mouseketeers, Sherlockians, Citizens of the Four Nations, Browncoats, and so on...

Facebook Page: Coins of McGuffin

From David Scott, internet collaborator and fan of the Coins of McGuffin and who has  worked on the Muppet Wish Day videos (see Isle of Rangoon, another awesome web series to check out) with David Green, who plays himself and DJ Soundbite. (see twitter links)

"I want the show to get at least three animated episodes as a set up for the card set, which has 
the potential to be fun as a game, or enjoyable for those who like simply collecting the cards and 
learning about each of the different fandoms. David has been fun to collaborate with on the Isle of 
Rangoon "Muppet Wish Day" videos, and I wish him a bright future with this project."

Reading Rainbow (soon to) Come Back!

Do you remember that opening synth, "Butterfly in the sky....I can go twice as high...take a look, its in a book... Reading Rainbow..."

I am sure countless of you, Dear Reader, are also familiar with this same theme song, full of eighties synth and that glorious voice and get excited for a trip into space, the microcosm of the germ world, life on the farm, or going to the library.  "Reading Rainbow" was a show that got kids into reading, into learning about new subjects, and it was a very intricate part of my youth.

I would watch the episodes and would soak up the information and stories. I discovered new worlds, new books, traveled beyond the confines of my little world. It was glorious. The books. I still remember many of the books that were read and featured on the show, which were often read by celebrities. There was "Knots on a Counting Rope", "Gift of the Sacred Dog", and "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain", and that was just the beginning.

Pretty sure that I watched all of the episodes from the 1980's a couple dozen times, never truly getting bored with them. Heck, I even continued to watch into High School and even college. I just assumed that  "Reading Rainbow" just kept going, but alas in 2009 it went off the air. But, now there LeVar Burton, the host with best catch phase "I'll see you next time!" is rallying to bring it back. This time to the internet and hopefully free to thousands of children both in schools and at home. His Kickstarter Project is raising money to make it possible for future generations of children to be introduced to books and learning. There are still 18 days to pitch in to the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter.

Reading Rainbow was everything from literature to science to history to crafts, and so much more. There was always something magical (heck, there was a magic based episode). I remembered how the show never made learning feel like a chore. That is the most awesome thing about Reading Rainbow, that it's a show that doesn't try too hard to make kids enjoy learning, exploring their world, and opening up the door to imagination.

Tonight, Dear Readers, I want to show you my top 5 favourite Reading Rainbow segments. These are the segments/songs that make me feel like I am 10 years old and sitting down to watch Reading Rainbow.

5. It's Kermit and LeVar! What could be more awesome than that? Well, maybe the episode featuring the secret of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Enterprise, and Worf.











4. How a book is made! They take you, the viewer through the process of writing, designing, and printing a book. Alas, I was not able to find a clip of this one. This might be the point when I first decided the I wanted to write books.

3. I get hungry just thinking about this segment.

2. Teamwork. This segment probably got my love of theatre germinating in my head. Although it took a while before I got of the courage to be on stage.

1. Full episode about Diners and "The Robbery at the Diamond Dog Diner" read by Peter Falk, making hand made pasta, especially tortellini, and Diner Talk.











So many good memories, Dear Readers! Do you remember "Reading Rainbow"? If so, what are your favourite episodes or segments? Favorite stories? Leave me a comment below with your fond memories of the show! I'd love to hear from you.