Business, Social Media, Writing, and me
Do you put all of your business information out on line for strangers to read? No, me either. My agent and publisher would be very unhappy with me if I did that, and it would be beyond foolish for me to do it. What information I do put on line has to be incomplete because it’s business. What I do is an art, but the business of publishing is just that – business. I’m happy to share bits of my work, my life, my thoughts, with you on line, but I don’t share everything. I believe that too many people share far too much on line. If it makes them happy, that’s fine, but I believe that real life trumps on line. So I save most of me for my real flesh and blood life.
Twitter can be even more of a problem than the blogs because it’s only 140 characters. I’m trying to answer questions, share information, and reply to other posts in just 140 characters. It means that not all meaning is conveyed exactly. It means some meaning is lost, because it’s too short to be complete. And honestly, if I tried to be too detailed online on Twitter, in blogs, whatever, I’d use up the time I need to write. I always assume that you are following me online because of my books, my stories, so that you would prefer I use my time to write rather than get sucked into the online world to the detriment of my real life joys and responsibilities.
I was working on an Anita short story the day I tweeted one post but I have since laid it aside for other projects. What I’m writing on a given day isn’t at all what is coming out next to be published from me. Short pieces are especially up in the air until I send them to my agent and say, “Here it is.” It’s one of the reasons I sell completed short stories most of the time rather than specific ideas – it gives me creative freedom and I like that.
Most contracts early in a writer’s career are for specific books, especially if you are a series writer, but I’ve earned the privilege to write what I want to write. If I wanted to write another Merry Gentry book next, I could. Anita will likely be the next book, but I’ve got this start to a brand new world and that keeps niggling at me, so I honestly don’t know for certain. If I post online anywhere that I’m working on Anita, or something new, or Merry, then that’s for that day. Now once I’m in to the middle of a story, half-way or more, then that’s a done deal. I will finish anything I get that far into, but short of that, it’s like a my muse is still shopping among the ideas. We do a few pages here, a bit more research there, sometimes just a list of the research that will be needed for a given book, but it’s all part of the preparation for writing a novel. I rarely write short stories that I don’t have all the “research” in my head and skill set already. Research takes time away from making pages, so it’s worth it for books, not so much for short stories. But there are exceptions to all rules and I tend to write short pieces in a world before I decide it’s novel worthy. The short story, “Those Who Seek Forgiveness” came before the first Anita Blake novel, Guilty Pleasures. In fact, there are several short pieces with Anita and the gang where I was exploring the world but the stories weren’t complete, or the idea strong enough, it was all part of me exploring the world and getting my feet wet. I’ll often write hundreds of pages that will never be published until I nail the voice and feel of a main character, the supporting cast, the world, the magic/science/mystery that needs to make sense to the reader for it all to work. There’s less wasted pages as I’ve gotten more practice under my belt, but I still often explore in notes, then short vignettes, then short stories, novelettes, novellas, and finally novel length.
I’m almost positive the next book will be Anita and the gang, but the new idea, which isn’t connected to the short story I just finished at all, keeps coming into my head. I have this great opening, great world, and reality system, but I think I’m waiting for another idea to come and rub up against it, as if one last ingredient is missing, so I’ll wait. But who knows?
15 thoughts on “Business, Social Media, Writing, and me”
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The way i see it if you want to publish Anita,that’s fine and if you want to postpone Anita in favor of this brand new series,(which i’m sure is fantastic,it IS being written by you after all). Thats fine too. I wouldn’t say that to other writers i like,but you know what? You are laurell K. Hamilton. you can whatever you wnt.
I am so excited that you’ll be releasing a new book in a new world in the near future. Wow. Having two worlds in which you write regularly is fantastically awesome, and I sure never found a need for another, but to now know there will someday be three… well, gosh, I can hardly wrap my head around that. Simply dreamy :o)
Thank you for the long message. I appreciate you putting most of your time into things you can publish. Love all your series.
Hi,
I’ve been a fan of the Anita Blake Series for a while. I even got my mother-in-law kind of interested. I’m currently stationed in Qatar. I’ve looked around where I’m at and haven’t seen a single book of yours. This SUCKS!!! If you can help please respond.
I would really appreciate it.
Good wishes for everything you do, professional or personal, hope you find that missing piece to the new world.
Being a long time fan, I’m intrigued with the new idea you have brewing. Yes, I’m curious about your life as I’m also a writer but you will make things our business in time. Keep rocking out your projects.
Blessed be.
In fact when someone doesn’t understand afterward its
up to other users that they will assist, so here it takes place.
Anyone who has read your blogs or tweets knows you put ALL of your PERSONAL information online for strangers to read.
As One of the “Anyone who has read your blogs or tweets…”, I will state the obvious; I simply don’t understand how you would leap to the conclusion that ALL is shared via social media. LKH simply chooses bits and pieces, quotes and so forth that she thinks her readers would find interesting or intriguing. I can hardly see how that could be construed as ALL or PERSONAL, as it was [not] so eloquently stated in your post.
I’m not certain if that was what was intended from that reply, if it was an indirect, snarky comment. Perhaps I’m just losing something in the translation; However, to me, that came across as rude, a tad out of bounds.
For someone to state a personal opinion as fact, not very intelligent, nor is it kind.
If you disagree with something an author does or says, that is your right. It is not, however, your right to come onto his or her personal website, i.e. blog, and try to belittle or diminish what they have worked so hard, put so much blood, sweat and tears into, by being rude. The ones of us who are avid followers of hers, Cherish every syllable of ANYTHING that she chooses to share. Whether it be in novel, books, short stories, or hell, even her musings are like a fine wine, that one relishes, coaxing every nuance, every syllable, and always, always craving more.
A reply to this post is not required. I just wanted to put my two cents out there, and let you know, that not everyone shares your sentiment. Not everyone believes that
“Anyone who has read your blogs or tweets knows you put ALL of your PERSONAL information online for strangers to read.”
Carry On…
@ zenfyre: I know more about the author’s sex like from her numerous blogs and tweeets than I do my own sister’s.
That would logically seem to indicate that she shares WAY too much personal information online with strangers.
Again, I state the obvious; LOGIC is subjective. What one deems logical, another may deem as a leap to a favorable conclusion, to prove a self-serving point.
In my opinion, I believe that what one chooses to share online or otherwise, should be between those persons involved and the participating parties. If they’re okay with what is being shared, then who are we to judge?
I particularly like it when someone feels comfortable enough, open enough, trusting enough, to share some fact or inner emotion that they wouldn’t share with someone they didn’t trust.
It is my belief that LKH has been at this writing game a very long time, and she has some very, VERY avid followers. Some of us have been here since the very beginning.
Over time, a following like that instills a level of “Oneness” that allows certain barriers to be lowered. We are allowed a rare glimpse into the life of one who has, for so long, been cloaked.
Social media has allowed us guarded access into a once-forbidden sanctuary. The sanctuary of the inner workings of a maestro.
How the maestro conducts her orchestra is not for us peons to decide. It is, however, our duty to let her move forward. Let her express herself through her art. All we have to do is just sit back and revel in the symphony laid out before us.
In other words, lighten up. Enjoy the journey. If not, that’s your right. But there are the ones of us who look forward to every stroke of the keyboard, every photo shared, every single drop of creativity that she chooses to share with us.
Cheers. 😀
I love the little snippets of your life you share as it helps me understand some of the struggles going on in my own mind on where my life may go….and learning a bit of the process of how you write and why the characters ended up the way they did is fascinating to me. That being said, yes I would rather have far less blog posts and more books in whatever world you create because I think you are one of the most intriguing writers I have encountered in a very long time and I look forward to anything you write.
Whether it’s a small post on twitter, a blog post, a short story, research, a new project, or a continuation of series I have personally grown to love, the only criteria that should ever matter is whether you are enjoying the time you are spending? Critics, opinions, advice, or complaints don’t really matter.
The long-term relationships of your characters and the unique worlds you have created show you still enjoy/love writing. Thousands, nay millions of words written and we still love reading them. Is there anything more important to the relationship between authors and readers?
I think that any world you create would be wonderful, and anything you decided to write would be fantastic – especially since it is evident that you feel much for all of them.
I love following Anita and Meredith, but I am always open for new things, and I just continue to pray to my Goddess that your muse keeps whispering in your ear!