Did You Ever Notice Mythology Has a Lot of S-E-X in It?
Posted: February 20, 2017 Filed under: Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Writing | Tags: Kaye Lynne Booth, Playground for the Gods, Writing 2 Comments
If you read my post, Rethinking the Playground for the Gods series… again, then you know I’m currently working on Book 2: In the Beginning in my Playground for the Gods series. In the past two weeks, I’ve increased the word count on this novel by about 10,000 words, and updated my character chart, where I keep track of who did what in each book. I view this as being not too shabby. But, as I’m revising and adding to my partial draft, I’m noticing how much of this series revolves around sex of some sort.
In my post, It’s All in Finding the Right Market, I took a look at different markets for my Playground for the Gods series besides the science fantasy market I’ve been promoting it in. In particular, I considered both YA and NA markets, as potential market venues for this series. I dismissed both after looking back over Book 1: The Great Primordial Battle, and determining that there was too much emphasis on sex for either of these markets. After attempting to revise the book for either of these two markets would totally upturn too many story premises.
To understand why sex is such an intricate part of this epic science fantasy series, it is necessary to understand what the series is. Playground for the Gods is based on an alternate universe in which the gods of ancient civilizations were really aliens from a far galaxy whose home planet had been destroyed. The characters are those of ancient gods and goddesses and they play out their own versions of some of the myths of the ancient world, adding their own unique adventures into the mix.
The thing that I’m noticing as I research the mythologies and write my story, is that there is a lot of sex involved in many of the ancient myths. And, sex is so intricately interwoven into them that to try and tell the tales with the sex extrapolated leaves tales that have lost much of their meaning.
For instance, I’ve been working on the part of the story in Book 2 which is based on the Egyptian myth of Isis and Osiris. If you know the myth, then you know that after Set chops up Osiris, Isis gathers all the pieces except one, his phallus, in order to resurrect him. Now, I have to tell you, this scene was extremely fun to write and it turned out to be quite humorous, but it doesn’t work to try and write it without the missing member. Without that, the whole story falls flat and doesn’t even make a lot of sense.
In fact, when trying to trace the lines in most ancient cultures, it seems everyone is related and incest is the norm. In Inuit mythology, Annigan rapes his sister Melina repeatedly. The Sumerian god, Anu raped his own daughter. In Greek mythology, there are same sex relations and even relations with birds or other animals. In Aztec lore, there are goddesses of carnality, sexual hunger, sexual power, sexual desire, sexual longing, sexual appetite and sexual misdeeds.
Ancient mythology is filled with sexual encounters between gods and goddesses, between gods and humans, and even strange fetish type behaviors. To write a story based on any of these myths, one cannot extract the sex and still make the story work.
That’s why I couldn’t justify revising Book 1 to take out the sex and adult language to accommodate a YA or NA audience. While I am the author and I can make my characters do whatever I want, if in doing so, I unravel the fabric that the story is based on in order to appeal to a particular market, I’m not being true to my story or being fair to my readers. When the story doesn’t work, the readers won’t be able to suspend disbelief enough to buy into the story, and that’s not a good thing.
Visit my Playground for the Gods Facebook page for more information and updates about the series.
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Why Writing is a Labor of Love
Posted: September 5, 2016 Filed under: Writing | Tags: Kaye Lynne Booth, Writing, Writing Process 1 Comment
Labor Day weekend. Many people headed for the mountains or the shore to spend one last long weekend to say goodbye to summer. It’s the last weekend of tourist season. Time to get back to the serious business called life. The kids go back to school and the adults head back to the daily grind of making a living.
Of course, writer’s don’t always get three day weekends or take vacations, because for writers, everything we do is an experience which can be drawn off of and written about.
Every place we visit and everything we do can be written about in some capacity. Every activity can be used in some capacity to fuel our writing habit. It may only be an idea that serves as a seed, which grows into story with so much nurturing. It might be the foundation for a how-to article. It could even be your next travel article.
I started out with gardening how-tos on e-How.com through demand studios. Most writers simply love to write. For me, writing is a way of life, my passion, perhaps even my obsession. When I can’t write, I feel lost, as if I no longer know who I am. This lesson was recently driven home to me when my computer crashed. I was out of a computer for about three weeks before I could get a new one, and in the interim, although I could not get it into a file, I went back to writing long hand. The ideas don’t stop coming just because I have no means to prepare them for publication.
For writers like myself, although life tries to make it about the money when the bills come due, it never really is. For me, writing is a labor of love and I can’t think of a better way to labor right through Labor Day. Can you?
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I’ve Come A Long Way, Baby
Posted: August 15, 2016 Filed under: Writing | Tags: Kaye Lynne Booth, Writing 4 Comments
Everything I’ve ever done in life, I’ve done my own way, usually depending on myself and no one else. One thing anyone who knows me can tell you is I’m persistent. When I set out to achieve something, I don’t stop until I do. It has been no different with writing. But I’m discovering that I need a little help with this endeavor.
I had a bad experience with a student teacher in the English department as an undergrad, so just when I was beginning to learn that I liked writing and maybe English should be my major, I was soured on the whole idea by the feeling that the field was too subjective for me, and I chose to major in psychology instead.
But after I’d been out of college for a few years, I discovered not only that I had a love for the written word, but also that I had some talent for it. I started out writing poetry, which I’ve since learned, is not my strong suit, but even there, I don’t do too bad. I sold my first poem to Dusk & Dawn Magazine in 1996 for $5. Problem was, that didn’t even cover all the postage I had spent submitting, and I couldn’t afford to play the starving artist. I had a family to help support. There were others to consider. So, writing went onto a back burner, just simmering for about twelve years.
Then, I discovered the Internet and rediscovered my abilities for writing as new opportunities presented themselves. The rise of the Web actually changed the entire publishing industry over time, opening up all kinds of new opportunities for writers, including, but not limited to, self-publishing, marketing via social media, vanity presses, and content mills. As blogs and websites grew in number, more content was needed than ever before. Problem was, I’m technologically challenged. Slowly, over time, I have learned to use social media to my advantage a little, and I’ve learned to use many of the writing sites and content mills to make minimal amounts of money.
One of the coolest things happened in my writing endeavors didn’t involve any money at all. I had one of my poems featured in a painting by artist Mitch Barrett and displayed and sold at the Kaleidoscope Gallery in Battlesea Park, London. (There’s a lengthy story behind how this came about, which I may relate in a future blog post. Anyone who knows me is surely tired of hearing it.
As a freelancer, I became the Southern Colorado Literature Examiner for Examiner.com, which didn’t really pay, but offered opportunity to meet other writers, get free books for review and obtain credits for my portfolio. I also cranked out articles for other content mills which did pay, at least a little, which added to my skill set, diversifying my writing talents, and I was published in Freeman, which was a bit more profitable.
I thought I was quite fortunate when I was able to obtain a publisher for one of my children’s stories, Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend. After seven wasted years, it turned out I was not so fortunate, since my book still wasn’t published. But we learn from experience.
Still struggling to launch my writing career, I discovered the low residency MFA program for Creative Writing offered by Western State and I applied. Maybe I couldn’t do it on my own, but I would learn what I needed to know, one way or another. And I have learned a lot. I’ve learned about my own writing process. When I started at Western, I’d never even thought about it. I’m not even sure I was aware I had a process, but I did and still do. Now I’m just more aware of it. I learned how to craft my words to be pleasing to the ear. I learned how to read aloud in front of an audience, and I’ve learned that I do it well.
Last summer, I completed my emphasis in genre fiction and read from my thesis novel, Playground for the Gods: Book 1: The Great Primordial Battle. I’ve learned how to treat my writing as a business, at least in theory, although I’m still trying to get it off the ground. And I’ve learned how advances and royalties work, and that you have to sell a lot of books before you will ever receive royalties.
And I learned that screenwriting is where the big money is. When I took genre screenwriting for my out of concentration class, I also learned that it was fun, it came pretty easy to me and I was fairly good at it. So, instead of graduating, I stayed in school for another year to get a second emphasis in screenwriting. What I’m learning this year, is that there’s a lot of competition on screenwriting and it’s tough to get a break. You practically have to live in L.A. to get anywhere. Yet, I am determined to make all the money I now owe for my schooling pay off. I haven’t given up yet, and I don’t intend to now.
I’m currently shopping my thesis novel and two of my children’s stories, five short stories, and various poems. I’ve also finished my western novel, Delilah. At Western, thanks to my instructor, Russell Davis drawing us out of our comfort zones, (and maintaining as much discomfort for us as possible), I discovered that I enjoy writing in the western genre, and although it is not one of the bestselling markets, I do it well. I’ve also published a western flash fiction story, I Had to Do It, on Zetetic: A Record of Unusual Inquiry.
I’m working hard, through this blog and social media, to build a writer’s platform and gain a following to make myself look more appealing to agents and publishers. Here’s where you, my readers come in, because you can help. Without my readers, my writing just sits there on the page, not doing much of anything. You are my writer’s platform. You are my following.
Many people don’t realize that liking a link on Facebook, while cool, doesn’t really help the author grow their platform unless they actually read the post and subscribe by email. What does help, is if you’ll take the time to read the post here, on my Writing to be Read site, and subscribe to the blog. That’s what shows how large my reader following is, and it does my heart good to watch as it grows.
You can also like the post below it, with all the “share” buttons, but you must have a WordPress account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for one, but then, of course, you will have a blog to maintain, so be sure you know what you’re getting into. I’m guessing that many people just like the link on Facebook to show their support, but they don’t actually click on the link and read the post. But, if you leave a comment, I’ll be able to tell that you read it, and if you subscribe, it will show you liked what you read. You’ll make my day.
If you’d like to show even more support, you can buy my short science fiction story, Last Call. If you like it, write a review on Amazon. And, you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pintrest. Help an old writer get a break.
Your support is always appreciated. Thank you for being a reader of my work. After all, for me, it’s not really about money. It’s about Writing to be Read.
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What’s a Nice Girl Like Me Doing Writing in a Genre Like This?
Posted: July 11, 2016 Filed under: Books, Fiction, Stories, Western, Writing | Tags: Delilah, I Had to Do It, Kaye Lynne Booth, Western, Writing 2 Comments
I recently sold I Had to Do It, a flash fiction story of the western flavor, to Zetetic: A Record of Unusual Inquiry. And of course, my regular readers know I’ve written a western novel, Delilah, as well, for which I’m diligently seeking a publisher at present. It might seem that I am leaning toward becoming a western writer, and I’ll admit, I do enjoy writing western.
But I’m an eclectic kind of gal by nature. My palate savors many cuisines, although I’m partial to Oriental and Latino foods. I listen to various genres of music, being heavy on the rock, but also enjoying metal, hip hop, country, pop, and even classical. I watch a wide range of movie genres, as well. On that same note, I read most of the genres, and seek opportunities to try genres that are new to me, but horror has always been my favorite. In fact, in 2012, when I began my M.F.A. in Creative Writing program at Western State Colorado University, western was one of the few genres which I hadn’t read.
In that first class, the first thing my instructor asked was, “In what genre do you usually write?” I considered the short stories I had written to date, many of which, I wasn’t sure what genre they fell into. The only experience I’d had with western was 850 words worth, I Had to Do It, and it hadn’t sold. But the idea was for us to write outside of our comfort zones, and western was the genre I was assigned for my first excerpt.
I’m not sure why I didn’t think I would like writing westerns. I’m a native of Colorado and proud of that, but I’ve never been a cowgirl per se. I enjoy western films. Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns are the best, but Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Quick and the Dead are right up there, too. But as I said, I hadn’t really read much in the western genre. But then, I wrote the excerpt for Delilah. After that first semester, revising my excerpt according to the feedback from my instructor and my cohorts, I started thinking that I might not be too bad at writing in the western genre. Three years and several rewrites later, Delilah is a story I’m rather proud of. The rejections do sting a bit, but I’m confident that if I endeavor to persevere and keep submitting it, eventually it will land with the right publisher, and it will be accepted. And if not, well, there’s always independent publishing. Delilah is a good story, and it’s well written, and I want very much to be able to share it with the world. One way or another, I will get the book published.
And yes, there will probably be other westerns in my future. I seem to have a knack for it, at least, so I’ve been told. I already have an idea for a western romance, although romance is another genre I never thought I’d find myself writing. I guess we’ll see.
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What Ever Happened to Heather Hummingbird?
Posted: March 25, 2016 Filed under: Children's Books, Stories, Writing | Tags: Children's Books, Ethan Eagle, Heather Hummingbird, Kaye Lynne Booth, Publishing, Writing 5 Comments
There are some of you who have been following my writing endeavors for some years. If you’re among that crowd, you’ll remember when I announced I had a publisher for one of the books in the My Backyard Friends series of children’s stories. I was very excited and proud to broadcast on the book’s progress at the time, but I haven’t mentioned Heather Hummingbird for quite a while now. It dawned on me the other day that there are many of you who were waiting for the release of the book. I even had a list of pre-orders in anticipation of it. You deserve an explanation as to what happened to Heather, so let me tell you what happened.
All through my limited writing career, I have done things on my own. A negative experience as an undergrad turned me away from a major in English that would have sent me down the path to becoming a writer the right way, and I got a major in Psychology, which I’ve never really found a use for instead. And when I first set out to be a writer, I failed miserably, because I couldn’t afford the submission process via snail mail, which is all there was back then. Yeah, I’m an old lady.
But the development of the Internet changed all that, opening up opportunities for writers that didn’t exist previously, and I began writing a series of children’s stories with animal and bird characters based on the creatures that visited the backyard of my Colorado mountain home on a daily basis. I met an illustrator online. She’d become a member of a social writing site, called Writer’s World, which I was administrator of. She offered me a very affordable deal to illustrate that first book, Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, with beautiful handcrafted illustrations. I immediately fell in love with the cover illustration she produced, and down the road, she arranged for the publisher she worked for to offer me a contract.
Now you see why I was excited? I thought that was the best stroke of luck to ever hit me. I had a publisher fresh out of the gate. I was ecstatic. I spread the good news across all of my social networks, announcing to the world that Heather Hummingbird was coming. Little did I know, I had embarked on a nightmarish fiasco into the world of publishing.
When the publishing date the following year came and went, and nothing happened, they said it had been pushed back. And it was pushed back again and again for the next two years, each time I broadcast to my friends and readers the updated release date. But I wasn’t hearing anything from the publisher or the illustrator. She’d sent me three illustrations and the cover, but that was it. Nothing more was forthcoming, and no explanations.
If I wanted to know what was going on with my book, I had to contact them via e-mail and ask. They didn’t even tell me when the release dates were pushed back unless I wrote to inquire. In 2013, the release date passed, although all edits had been completed, my illustrator answered an inquiry, saying the date had been pushed back again and she was no longer able to illustrate by hand. She sent me a digitally illustrated cover and ask if this would be acceptable. I didn’t like this cover as much as the original, but I thought it would do, so I agreed to have her do the digital illustrations.
The next release date came and went, and when I inquired, the publisher sent back an email informing me I would be getting a different illustrator. I inquired as to the reason for this change, thinking perhaps my illustrator was no longer with the publishing house, but this was not the case. For some unknown reason they had decided to have someone else produce my illustrations, which I had already paid the original illustrator for.
At this point, I was more than slightly annoyed. I expressed my displeasure in the arrangement and the publisher got snotty and said she would release me from the contract. So, that is how it was resolved, and I’m still trying to collect my money from the original illustrator. It feels foolish to say that seven years since Heather started out on her venture, I’m stuck with two covers and three illustrated pages, none of which I can use, no illustrator and no publisher. But that’s it in a nut shell. I still don’t have a published book.
So, where is Heather now, and what lies in her future? Well, I shopped her around to a few publishers, to no avail. At Western State I was taught that you have to get back up on the horse, so after one rejection, I pulled up the manuscript and re-read it with fresh eyes, in order to revise before sending it out again. On that pass, something profound struck me. Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, was not Heather’s story at all. It wasn’t Heather who learned a life lesson in this story, but rather, she was the teacher. So, I did the revisions, rewrote the synopsis, and changed the title to Ethan Eagle Makes a New Friend. After all, Ethan is the character that learns about friendship from Heather. Once that was done, I launched it into the submission process once more, so we’ll see.
There you have it. I don’t know how many are out there who even remember there was a Heather Hummingbird book, but at one time I had a whole list of pre-orders from people wanting the book. I am sorry that I wasn’t able to fill those orders, and I thank all of you for your support. If anything ever does come of Ethan and Heather, you, my readers, will be the first to know. Thanks for hanging in with me.
Acceptance or Rejection – Which do You Prefer?
Posted: June 27, 2016 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Commentary, Fiction, Opinion, Promotion, Publishing, Western, Writing | Tags: Acceptance, Creative Fiction, Fiction, Flash Fiction, I Had to Do It, Kaye Lynne Booth, Rejection, Western, Writing | 1 CommentI could go into another post about rejections. Lord knows, I’ve gotten plenty. But I’ve always been one to see the glass half-full side, rather than half-empty, focusing on the positive side to everything, so I think I’d rather talk today about acceptances. I don’t think anyone will disagree when I say acceptances are much better than rejections. You don’t have to be a writer to figure that one out.
You don’t get them as often as rejections, but they’re a lot more satisfying. But there’s a reason I want to write a post on acceptances. If you follow me on Facebook, or Twitter, or Google+, you may have seen my very recent post announcing that my flash fiction western story, I Had to Do It, has been picked up by Zetetic: A Record of Unusual Inquiry.
It’s true this isn’t a big paying publication. I’m certainly not going to get rich from this one little 850 word story. Flash fiction never pays a lot. There’s simply not enough words to make the pennies add up to much, even with higher paying publications. But, I was still elated when I received the acceptance, because my story found a home and people will now read it, and because it is still one more publishing credit for me. I can’t explain the rushing feeling of excitement and pride that small note from the editors brought me. I think most of all, it was thrilling to know that someone else really liked my writing. It was a affirmation of my own belief that my writing really is pretty good.
That probably sounds silly to those who have not yet received an acceptance. (Never fear. It will come.) But we writers are an odd lot, and we are filled with fears and self-doubt. Filled with it. Most of the time we can keep these elements of our inner beings at bay by simply pecking away at the keyboard or filling up sheets of notebook paper, but every once in a while we let our guards down and that’s when they strike. The fear and self-doubt simmer in us, just down below the surface, until they see an opportunity, a weakness, and then they reach up and grab a handful of us and don’t let go.
I think just about every writer worries that the only person in the whole world that really thinks their writing is good is themselves. Friends and family don’t count because they may be saying they like it so as not to hurt your feelings. When you receive an acceptance, any acceptance, it tells you other people do like your writing, and motivates you to get busy writing more.
It’s a good feeling. One I think every writer needs to experience. It can’t happen unless you submit relentlessly and write, write, write. That’s my advice. Write your heart out and then submit like crazy, and never, ever give up. The notes that say, “yes”, make it worth surviving all the ones that said, “no”. So what are you waiting for? Get writing!
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