All jazzed up...about Adobe InDesign

I mentioned before that I'm taking a certificate course in Technical Writing - part of my quest to transition from full time therapist who writes on the side to full time writer. I have a large family to support so no opportunity to write or market enough to make my a living off my books immediately- so this is a means for me to at least write for a living - even if its for others.

Anyway - part of my course includes learning about In Design. WOW - love it!!!! 

 I'm the type of person who only learns the tech that I need to use to do my work so In Design, while likely something you all know about - is new to me. I can't believe how much it can do and wish I'd known about it a long time ago.

My new quest with ID is to find out if I can put video of me talking to my readers (yes, I really do have some people who read my fiction and way more who read my non-fiction). What a great thing to be able to do. Don't know if Smashwords or Kindle can publish with that in the content, but as I re-do my non-fiction to sell from my web sites I can at least embed the video in those version.

I love getting all jazzed about new things - hasn't happened in a while so I'm loving it today.

Have any of you done this with ID? I would love to know how you've used it.

If so inclined - please check out my other sites - here and here. 

Trying to be a *writer*...

Trying to transition into a full time writer is the hardest thing in my world (well, other than watching my mom decline with Alzheimers, or one of my sons struggle with addictions, or another of my sons deal with bullying, and so on and so on) - I know that life is so much harder for almost everyone else. At least I have a career I love and we all eat every day and we all have warmth and shelter and good times. Okay, so I've got it, and I'm truly, truly grateful. Yet I still crab away because I can't earn my living the way I want. Now that I've admitted to my pettiness I'll just get on with this post.

I applied for an interesting writing job with a law related company that's expanding into other areas, it wasn't going to be full time but it would be a step in the right direction. I didn't get it but I did get short listed so that was something. I also applied for a part time curriculum writing job and since I've taught at college and the subjects were in my areas of specialty (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and autism) but I haven't heard anything back in a long time so I guess I didn't even get short listed on that one. Both of these were online and telecommute and that would have thrilled me.

In the meantime, I've put up another ebook (non fiction) on Smashwords and Kindle and I have a lesbian mystery - or actually, it's a mystery with a lesbian main character - that I will have in ebook form soon. And, then another non fiction coming down the pike and then, hopefully, I'll finish the second of a three book fantasy series. So, I'm writing, and that makes me happy. Why can't it be enough? Why do I need to do this writing thing full time? Do you feel like your not doing what you should be doing when you're not writing? Am I alone in this weirdness?

Oh well, that's hardly the greatest question in life, is it.

Have your best day possible.

Reading influences...

On one of the writers' pages I participate in (yes, I get how bad that grammar is) - the question was asked - do you read books that are in the same genre in which you write? For me, the answer is no - I write in several genres - YA, fantasy, mystery, short story, and non fiction. What I read is normally dictated by what is available at the airport because the only time I have to read is on business trips and I buy something to get me through the trip. I know some people fear plane travel because they worry they might crash - not me, I fear plane travel because I worry I'll trapped on a plane for several hours with a book I don't like. 

I know that if I planned ahead then the books I bought would be very different - it seems that all the books at the airports I frequent are in the top 20  best sellers and are either about vampires or serial killers. I don't really like either, but since I can only choose one, I go for the serial killers. If I planned ahead and bought a book at real book store, it would more likely be something historical - more likely set in Asia or in WW2.

I devored Amy Tan's early books and I recently read the fictionalized account of Pearl Buck's early life in China by Anchee Chin and loved that. Of course, my all time favorite book is The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak - I don't expect to ever again read anything that innovative and well written. I also recently read Drood by Dan Simmons. That stunned me because I hadn't realized that a writer could take such bizarre liberties when writing a fiction about a person who actually lived. I don't like what Simmons did, but it was a good read and again, very innovative. 

I expect to start reviewing books very soon and I'll be using a Kindle for that. The Kindle will free me from airport book store choices and it will be interesting (to me) to see what tweaks my interest. 

Do you read in your genre?

Why can't I write a sex scene...?

I have a new mystery almost ready to put on Smashwords. What's the hold up? Well, there is a place in the narrative that requires some sex between the heroine and her love interest. I feel it's integral to the story  - when I read it without that part, it just doesn't leave the characters well enough bonded. I'm not talking pages of graphic sex - I'm just talking about a couple of paragraphs. I don't even want to get very deep into the sex - even some blouse opening and a bit of kissing and touching would be fine - but I can't seem to write it!

I bet your first thought is that this is reflection of my own problems. Well, actually, sex is not something that gives me problems on a personal level - I'm quite happy with my own sexuality and as a therapist of many years I've certainly overcome any inhibitions I've ever had in talking about sex; and, I've taken training in helping others deal with their sexuality - this just isn't an area that is a problem in my life - so why can't I deal with it in my writing?

I posted last time about trying to push my own boundaries in writing and I guess this is one of them. I look at my capacity to write other forms of story - I can write violent scenes very well - I can get graphic with battle scenes as well as with one on one murders. The words come easily and the narrative flows. If I can  write violence - which I abhor on most levels - why can't I write mild sex scenes? I know I can't and won't write graphic sex scenes that are there simply for the sex - there are plenty of others who do that and who do it well - but it's not what I want to put out into the universe and it's not necessary to the story development of this book. But, even the most inhibited and restricted parts of myself have no problem with what I want to write - I just can't do it well.

Am I alone in this? Have any of you had to overcome this type of block in your writing? I'm eager to get this book up and selling - I think it's a great read - so I'll take all the suggestions you have.

Remember - have your best day possible!