Category Archives: historical fiction writing

Explore a Future with Positive Growth

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“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~ Napoleon Hill

Today, on All Things Fulfilling, we are going to turn our attention back to the very reason some readers return to this website time and time again.

The publishing industry is increasingly changing and we use this space to keep our readers up to date about new developments in independent publishing. Now at a time where independent publishing represents more than 50% of all publishing revenue, every day someone new decides to tell their story through the written word. No longer do you have to have an agent or a letter of acceptance from a publishing house in order to move forward with publishing a book. Anyone can be an independent publisher and sell their books, films or music through e-commerce and learn to promote it through e-marketing. For best results, however, some education is needed to learn how to become visible and effectively reach potential book buyers through the internet. 

 The Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA )is a great resource, and especially for beginning independent publishers. There are valuable downloadable webinars available that will provide you with a basic introduction to the industry and help you along the way. The webinars are affordable and will help you explore and navigate your way through the independent publishing process. To start you along the journey, take an 18 minute tour of “On the Fast Track: The Independent Publishing Industry.”  http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. 

Before you jump in with your publishing project, my advice would be to learn what you can through downloadable webinars, join an independent book publishers association in your State of residence and attend independent publishing conferences.

Here in Colorado, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association is at the forefront of developing a fulfilling relationship with libraries for e-book selling. Learn about this partnership, through this article http://bit.ly/dNEX6N.  

Check back with us tomorrow, and we will bring you more independent thoughts, words and views about an industry that is fulfilling the needs of many people who want to be visible through their written words.

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Bringing Behind the Scenes Looks

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“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” ~ Gail Devers 

What do you get when you put together art, religion, crisis, history and architecture together? The basis for a great televised mini-series, of Ken Follett’s novel Pillars of the Earth, adapted for film. 

Tonight and tomorrow (12/2 and 12/3/11) , on the Channel known for bringing outstanding behind the scenes Specials about films to viewers everywhere, a look at the making of the Pillars of the Earth  mini-series will be featured! Don’t miss out. 

For broadcast times and channels, please visit the website of Reelz Channel. Here you go, I will hook you up! http://bit.ly/rYU4km. 

Congratulations go out to the crew that brings these Weekly Specials to broadcast on a regular basis! I am proud to say, our favorite filmmaker is part of the team, as lead editor. Way to go Marc! A Shout Out to you and the others dedicated at  Reelz to bringing outstanding productions to the viewers. For more information on the visual effects and film editing work of Marc R Leonard, please visit http://bit.ly/tWdLnk.

Have a great weekend everyone! I will be back on Monday with more independent words, thoughts and views on www.AllThingsFulfilling.com.

Stones Bring Fulfilling Thoughts

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“Art must unquestionably have a social value; that is as a potential means of communication it must be addressed, and in comprehensible terms, to the understanding of mankind.” ~ Rockwell Kent 

My travels over the Thanksgiving holiday led me to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I visited the site of some of the earliest forms of writing here in the United States at Petroglyph National Park. Approximately 24,000 images pecked into stones by the Utes, Apaches and Navajo people have been discovered in the park. 

As my husband, son and I wandered among the desert canyon lands and discovered stone after stone etched with symbols, we discussed what we thought the Indians may have been trying to convey. Some communication seemed to be through single, independent pictures. Trying to decipher and translate words associated with groupings of  symbols on individual rocks, was more difficult. Some etchings were clearly of plant life, animals and birds; others perplexing and more mysterious. On many boulders, we found iconic Native American designs that are found in books about Indian lore and legend.   

Although the images pecked into the volcanic rock are hundreds of years old, they are hardly the earliest fossils indicating written communication on earth. Mesopotamian pictographs dating back five thousand years are the earliest known forms of writing. Symbols carved into clay tablets communicate information about crops, taxes and life during the years before Christ (B.C). Conservators of these early tablets, often found in broken form, work at piecing them together to come to an understanding of the early messages that were left behind. 

One primitive etching, the three of us agreed, was of an Indian with bow and arrow in hand. It was not surprising to find such an image since hunting, fishing and finding indigenous food sources consumed the daily lives of the Indians. The hunter with his weapon made us realize how grateful we were for the food we had eaten the day before.  For us, obtaining the ingredients for a fulfilling turkey day dinner was only as far away as the grocery store. Amen!

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Writers Who Grow as they Go

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“A fulfilling life is different to each person. You have to acknowledge your dreams, and not just wait for life to happen, and opportunities to come knocking at your door.” ~  Joan Lunden

The deadline for submissions to the Sante Fe Writers Project is December 15th  – just around the corner! Send in your books for consideration to their annual award contest now! Don’t wait. 

The Sante Fe Writers Project (SFWP) is an “independent press dedicated to the craft of writing.”  It was formed in 1998  as a grass roots trial to bring together a group of art advocates and writers. It has gained international acclaim for their literary contest and also, for their on-line journal which has been in existence since 2002. 

Published authors and authors who have never been published before are welcomed to submit to this contest. Submissions from small presses and self-published books are eligible in categories of creative non-fiction and fiction. To read the guidelines for submissions and eligibility requirements, please visit the following link http://bit.ly/bOmP26. 

 The organizer of SFWP, Andrew Gifford, (from the Writers Center in Bethesda, Maryland) has written an interesting article on independent publishing. Please visit this site to learn what he has to say about the industry.  http://bit.ly/tznXjF. 

Sante Fe and the neighboring city of Albuquerque, NM has a wealth of professional artists in the literary, visual and filmmaking fields who call those cities home. If you have never visited the area, it is filled with art and inspiration.

This blog mistress will be taking turkey day off. I will be spending the holiday with my favorite filmmaker and visual effects artist in the State that “Grows as it Goes!” I look forward to sharing more with you from the “Land of Enchantment” in upcoming blogs. 

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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Sacred Writing

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“Every organized religion holds that certain behaviors, rituals, personalities, places, and/or books are sacred.” ~ Prem Prakash 

Looking for a writing program specifically focused on art and spirituality? Western Michigan University is offering a month long summer program in Prague, from June 30 to July 27, 2012. “Pitching the Sacred” has programs for visual artists, photography, yoga practitioners, Jewish Studies and for playwrights and poets, too.

This creative writing program fulfills requirements for credit hours, if you are working towards a degree. Note that scholarships are available, if you are financially in need. Early registration is suggested, this programs fills quickly.

Many independent publishers are writing books, producing films and music about the sacred and producing DVDs and music . Take advantage of this opportunity to study abroad with scholars from Central Europe and  with some of the finest American writers, too, please visit www.praguesummer.com. 

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Holiday e-Book Buying Guide

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“Only one shopping day left ’til tomorrow.” ~Author Unknown

I am always in awe of people who begin their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. Shopping from the computer, through e-commerce has become routine. Catalogs in print, arriving through the mail, have been reduced. Many of the big catalog companies now have catalogs on the web. That is a positive move toward sustainability –  a very good thing. It will save a lot of trees! 

There has been a dramatic uptick over past ten years in digital and electronic gadgets that appear on Christmas lists. Everything from laptops, to i-phones, i-pods to digital cameras and more are the most wanted gifts on any adult and children’s wish lists. 

In 2011, e-books are selling at a rapid rate. As sales of electronic reader devices increases (such as the Kindle, the Nook, i-Pads and Sony readers), there becomes a proportionate increase in electronic books sales, too. Some e-book authors are selling 9,000 or 10,000 books per month. 

Let’s face it –  e-books, are on the fast track of independent publishing. http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. They have provided, to the reader, the most convenient and affordable way of purchasing new books. 

To view a catalog of authors who make their titles available through independent publishing, follow this link. http://bit.ly/qs0jUN .  Authors in this holiday  guide are among  leaders in the independent publishing industry. There are others available and they can be found by searching the internet for “top selling e-books or independently published books.”

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Talkin’ Turkey about Book Selling Events

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“Self respect – that cornerstone of all virtue.” ~ John Herschel (1792-1871) 

Are you an independent publisher who is ready to hit the book selling scene by doing book appearances and book signings at local libraries, bookstores and other venues? 

 Traveling from venue to venue can be expensive and time consuming, but it is still a necessary part of selling books. Not every independent publisher has it in their budgets to travel from coast to coast on book tours, so they concentrate their efforts locally and regionally.  A very effective way to increase your visibility, as an author beyond the local or regional level, is to put a solid e-marketing plan into place. There are companies that specialize in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers, who can help you with that. 

Let’s talk turkey for just one moment .When you do schedule personal appearances at bookstores and in other venues, make sure your time and money is well spent. Arrive at the venue with all the information you need about the details of the event stuffed inside of you, well in advance. 

There are questions to ask before you arrive at the site. Ask about size of the meet and greet area and it’s location within the store. Find out what the book store’s “take” of the bookselling proceeds will be. So you can fulfill your part of the agreement, ask whether to bring signage, a cash box or credit card machine and about other promotional materials that might be helpful. If you are well organized and prepared, you will be viewed as a bookselling professional when you arrive at the scene. It will reduce the stresses on the day of the event.

To learn more about planning a successful do-it-yourself book tour, please visit this site  http://bit.ly/RUJsq /. It is filled with good tips.

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Celebrate Tell a Story Day

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“Firelight will not let you read fine stories, but it’s warm, and you won’t see the dust on the floor.” ~ Celtic Saying 

Tomorrow, October 28th is Tell a Story Day in Scotland and in the United Kingdom. http://bit.ly/11gmg3. Telling stories verbally and through the written word can be fulfilling for both narrator and for the listener or reader!  

What a great opportunity to use creativity to tell stories orally.

  • Tell a scary story – dim the lights, illuminate the room with some candles and creep the listener right out of their seat!
  • Reminisce about your favorite family story. Use old family photos to enhance the images you paint in words.
  • Seize the moment, act silly and use your wit to tell a hilarious, goofy tale.
  • Host a murder mystery party story. Have your guests be the gumshoe in solving “who done it.”
  • Tell a Cinderella love story and dress the part! Don’t forget the handsome young prince too.
  • Do a little research on your favorite era in history. Dress in period clothing and do some play acting to recount the tale or the event. 

Do you like telling stories through writing? In the United States, the perfect opportunity to start writing your novel is coming up. November is National Novel Writing Month! Challenge yourself to write a novel in 30 days. There is a website that will give you all the details of how you can be involved and many local libraries participate with fun events all revolving around this nationwide event for authors. For more information, please visit  http://www.nanowrimo.org/. 

Happy Story Telling, Everyone!

More independent thoughts, words and views tomorrow from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Answering the Call

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“The idea of a sacred place…is apparently as old as life itself.” ~Joseph Campbell 

We have a winner! On September 2, I wrote a blog which was a follow-up of Glassworks Inspired by Nature, the most frequently read blog on All Things Fulfilling of all time. I put out a challenge to our readers, to send in a suggestion of a beautiful building that incorporates history, architecture and outstanding glass installations. My hope was that the choice would educate me and our readers about an awe-inspiring structure that is in a far off part of the world.  

Marie, sent in her suggestion of the Chartres Cathedral, located inParis,France. It well fit the bill! This sacred UNESCO World Heritage site was constructed between the years 1193 and 1250. It is considered one of the finest examples of French High Gothic Style in the world.

Not only is the building of great historical value, millions of people visit the Cathedral because of a relic that sits inside the doors. The Sancta Camisa, the tunic believed to have been worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the time of Christ’s birth was acquired by the Cathedral in c.876 and it is on display. The indoor labyrinth is of great interest, too.

The church has seen fire damage to the structure and to the vivid stained glass windows, installed throughout. The French Revolution and World War II also took a toll. But many of the original glass installations are still intact. From an art historical viewpoint, the Cathedral, inside and out, has been preserved magnificently. 

Not only is the building  notable for it’s history, architectural elements and for the exquisite glass installations, it is a sacred place for worship for tourists who come from around the world, each and every year. To read more about this fascinating shrine, please visit http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/chartres-cathedral.  

Thank you, Marie, for answering the call and for being a loyal visitor to this blog site. Contributions from readers like you make blogging all the more fulfilling.

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Book Selling Opportunities

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“You don’t get harmony when everybody
sings the same note.” ~Doug Floyd

There is a misconception that once an author finishes his book, the work is done. In truth, the work has just begun. Promotion and
marketing is even more important than the writing of the narrative, if an author is to successfully sell. Even in the traditional publishing world, authors are more often being called into action to fulfill the duties of promoting and marketing their own book.

It is important that independent publishers think beyond book signing appearances at libraries and bookstores. Although those are appropriate venues for bookselling, there are many more opportunities that exist.

 Last weekend, I attended a fall food and wine festival at the Bethesda Co-op – A Natural Foods Market in Bethesda, Maryland. http://bit.ly/nDoCoB. My niece works there and she wanted me to see where she works. As I strolled through the outside tents of food and wine sampling the goods, I came across an author, Judith Welles, selling her book. It is a regional publication called “Cabin John: Legends and Life in an Uncommon   Place. www.judithwelles.com. The book is full of mystery and history of the area known as Cabin John, along the Potomac River. The Cabin John Citizens Association Foundation (a non-profit organization) published the book. www.cabinjohn.org.

I spent time with the author discussing the book and the marketing of it. The book is finding great success in selling in several local hardware stores. As we all know, men are attracted to hardware stores like magnets. Many men are also history buffs, thus the book is finding it’s way into the hands of men through a retail environment far different than a bookstore.

This brings me to the point of how necessary it is to think beyond the bookstore when researching bookselling opportunities. In fact, artists working all kinds of mediums, can promote their work by appearing in unlikely places.

I was also introduced to a lively band of six talented women called Wicked Jezabel. They were not in a nightclub, in a bar or on a traditional stage. They were on the roof of a structure, jamming away at the Natural Foods Market Fair. They are promoting their art in non-traditional ways. www.wickedjezabel.com.

Next time you think book selling opportunities are limited, take a good look around. Sometimes doing things in non-traditional ways draws attention – that is why the independent publishing industry of books, films and music is finding great success! The industry and the artists in it are fulfilling a need for independence away from the routine.

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