Welcome to the indie wild, wild west…

Where authors like Konrath can make $100,000 in three weeks on eBooks ALONE!

Where book bloggers/reviewers and authors duke it out in the forums!

Where haters, lovers, and flamers all come together in one big melting pot called the internetz.

Where no one has to be an authority on anything!

Is it a brave new world or is it a steaming pile of horse pucky?

I’m a glass half-full kinda girl, so pardon while I adjust my rose-colored glasses. I like the chaotic, organized anarchy that is the Internetz. So here’s the deal COMPLETELY from MY side of the fence, and the grass is greener here, btw.

…before you get bumrushed in the wild, wild west…

Book blogger – I LOVE being a book blogger! This, for me, is a dream come true. I used to dream about being able to talk about the books that I’ve read with an audience and HERE I AM. Heck, I’ve even talked my kid into reading/reviewing. It’s cool.

Okay so I don’t rate books on my blog in case you haven’t noticed. I only review books I like and that’s safe for me because there’s very few I don’t like. IBC first turned me on to Indie books and I knew I’d found my place.

I do have to rate books on Amazon and other places so there is the rub. Basically, in order to get 4 or 5 stars, your story has to grab me by the short hairs. I’ll even cut you slack on editing if you do that. Because bottom line, that’s what a reader wants. A three star simply means you didn’t, for whatever reason, even though technically it was well-written, which isn’t to say that someone else will find it wonderful. I turn down books (and it makes me sad) because I didn’t connect with it at all – fantasy writers, you have been warned.

…mad-man lost his damn mind in the west…

I’ve had my hand slapped for giving a three star review by some rabid fan of a SELF-HELP BOOK! That cracked me up!

I, as a rule, unless I really know the person, don’t respond to any reviews or criticism of my reviews on public places. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to do so either. Everyone can have an opinion on the Internetz! I see it as a great big messy mass of democracy and the majority will prevail whether that be through reviews, profits, fans, reputation, etc.

Our anthology got a 1 star review and my fellow author and I said to each other, “What book was she reading?!” Again, funny!

I was skewered for supporting someone I only knew as a WRITER! (Already ranted about that).

Will the minority give the majority a bad name. Nope. Let me put it this way. I used to be a truck driver. A very male dominated business that for a minority of the male drivers, if they couldn’t f&*^ you they didn’t have much use for a female driver. Did that turn me off of men? Nope. In fact, I met the love of my life when I was a truck driver.

The brain and how we create reality fascinates me. Here’s the current research. We create everything. We give everything meaning. We ARE the STORYTELLERS of our life. Just our life, not anyone else’s. You base your life on your experiences and you hold that to be the NORM for everyone else. Psst – it’s not true, but we still do it. So if someone says, “I will never work with [insert name here] again!” You can rest assured he/she won’t. Doesn’t matter what evidence you may provide to the contrary. People base their whole lives on their experiences. We only pretend to be objective.

…damsel in distress be outta dat dress in the wild, wild west…

True readers are a skittish lot. They’re like the bigfoot of the literary world – everyone talks about them and believes they exist even though they may never ‘see’ one. They only step forward when comfortable and with lots and lots of treats. Come on, you’ve never seen a raucous party being held in a library, bookstore, or any place someone was READING.

Back to that brain stuff. Reading makes you a better person. Seriously, it feeds that higher layer brain (we have three layers). Encourages empathy, seeing the big picture, analyzing, evaluating, etc. Yes, it is true, readers are special.

But don’t discount the other brain layers. That lizard brain layer where all the seething anger and fight lives sometimes can only be satisfied with a swift kick to someone’s nads.

LOL What I didn’t say about my pilgrimage to Mount Cristo Rey is that I had a knock-down, drag out, road rage fight with another driver on the way there. That’s the duality of life. We strive for peace, but will elbow someone in the face to get there.

…when I roll into the wild, wild west…

…when I stroll into the wild, wild, west…

…when I bounce into the wild, wild west…

I never started this as a writer or author. When I was looking up names for my blog I knew those titles would never work for me because I have never thought of myself as either. Then I found the synonym (cuz I’m into words) scrawl and it clicked. Ohhhh I’m a scrawler! That I can do.

I am not particularly attached to whether people like what I write. Mainly for selfish reasons, I’m so dang proud of myself for completing a writing project in the first place. If people like it, that’s just icing on the cake. Like in life, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without my writer friends and crit partners. Literally, NO WHERE. If people like what I’ve written, 80% of the credit should go to them. Of course if they don’t… o.~

I don’t make a living at it. Will I? I don’t know. Right now it doesn’t matter. Ha! So, I DO WHAT I WANT!

…Can’t take the heat? Then get out the wild, wild west…

From what I can tell of this Indie wild, wild west there are people I would lay down my life for they have been that good of a person. Others, I wouldn’t cross the road to pi$$ on if they were on fire.

What’s an Indie to do?

Relax.

The only person you have complete control over is yourself. You decide what you’re going to do, how you’re going to do it, and most importantly how you’re going to REACT to what goes on around you. Remember – you are the storyteller of your life.

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