The New Writing Plan: I will offer my creations to the world

Step 4 of the new writing plan is

I will offer my creations to the world in the best way I can find.

This is another tricky one. It brings up the whole self vs. traditional publishing issue, and like most people, I don't know which way is best. It is different for every author, and probably for every book or story.

I will publish "Roomies" on my website. (Done! This is a Defenders of the Covenant short story. Go check it out!)

I will publish my Christmas stories myself. (Look for that this holiday season.)

I will publish Shattered Skies (Defenders #3) myself. (By the end of the summer!)

I will seek professional markets for new short stories. (I just finished one today called Zeke vs. the Dust Devil. A western fantasy. I'm kind of excited about it. Submitting to short fiction markets again kind of feels like going back to the beginning of my writing career. And I'm okay with that.)

I will decide on publishing options for each future project separately.

I will NOT sign a bad contract. (I hate to say it, but I think this means I will not go with any LDS publishers again.)

Overall, I think I will probably stick with self-pubbing. It suits my personality a lot more. But I am not going to ignore the traditional publisher option either. As I said, I'll take it one project at a time.

Lots to Think About

A few days ago, I attended the Write Here in Ephraim writing conference. Ephraim is a little town in central Utah (my favorite kind of town). It's about as far from me as Salt Lake City is, and the drive is way more pleasant. I had a great time. I got to see some old friends and meet some new ones and meet some of my online buddies in person for the first time. I love that! (No, I didn't have a camera with me. Bummer.)

The classes were VERY informative and gave me a lot to think about. Jewel Adam's class on publishing e-books has my mind churning with all sorts of possibilities. Rachelle Christensen's class on blog tours inspired a great idea for a contest. Except, now I wonder if it is such a great idea...I'm mulling it over. (So, stay tuned. I may be holding a fun contest in the near future!) Julie Coulter Bellon inspired me with her presentation on making time for our talents. She's written eight novels in just 15 minutes a day! Amazing lady.

I've got all sorts of questions rattling in my brain now about e-books and traditional publishers and markets and marketing and just what I want to achieve with my own writing. I'm a bit unsettled, actually.

But, I have started brainstorming a new novel! The processes is rather like falling in love. Fun, exciting and terrifying all at the same time. Regardless of the answers I come up with to all my new questions, the creating, the writing, the imagining--that's what really matters.