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commaraderie!

Manantee - I love your remarks in the chhhanges thread:

Yes, we need to put life back into the boards, the writing commaraderie!

I can't think what to post right now but I will start sharing more. I am working on some salad bar stories and meeting a former salad runner to talk about making commics together (she's an illustrator)

I write in my live journal alot for venting purposes, and Masageleaf writes alot there and she is in my local writers group. I keep up an email correspondance with PhoenixRising which she is in a way like my best friend but its a pen pal thang.

I guess I turned to live journal because not only can i find out about world events - But I can talk and respond with others. I feel very isolated and like that communication - which 300 words is less interactive and really I didn't want to burden it with all my shit i need to vent.

In the process of having my live journal is where I wrote a lot of salad bar stories that I want to make a little zine/ and or commic book - which was my last job.

I tried to write a review of a new local record store that is amazing but my review didn't work out that well (but I will still try to pitch it to radar) because I am so ignorant about music but fascinated by the space and all the different kinds of records, but in the process I found it really interesting talking to the owner and how the owner writes (he writes lots of music reviews) - I dont' write Music stuff at all.

ALSO - I found out his partner is pregnant and she read my story in Breeder - that was very cool. I know she has come to this community but not posted yet.

I got her feedback for the piece i submitted to "I want to be sedated"

hmm. what else. I am back to thinking I need to write a book proposal to soft skull and have some ideas how to do that. I have only talked about doing this for over a year. I am an endless loop of near beginnings and FEAR and hopefully I will break that cycle.

BUT yes, I will try to share more.

SO - what are y'all working on? or not working on? or doing? aspiring to do?

By China at 06/10/2004 - 5:36pm | More Stuff to Discuss! | previous forum topic | next forum topic

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china, you have a LJ? what is

china, you have a LJ? what is your username?

get it while you can
www.chocobotkid.blogspot.com

By chocobotkid at Tue, 06/15/2004 - 7:28pm |

Jumping in

As I try to move more from lurker to active participant around here--teh two big all consuming projects in my life right now are Xavier james, born 6/1/04 and the mamagathering. once that is over, I plan to dedicate much more time to my writing, as I obviously can find the tie for something importnat, and I need to make my writing more important.

I write poetry and essays, when i write and have actually gotten a couple poems published in zines: the Motherload Spring issue and a new zine out of madison aMAYzine. I want to write, more, but everything is on hold until after I meet you all in minneapolis in july!!

Edited to add: I also have a live journal under livsmama.
Mamagathering 2004

By livsmama at Mon, 06/14/2004 - 2:38am |

Camaraderie

I agree that a site is only the sum of its members. I would like to be here more but, as things stand now, I can't be. I have a full plate at the moment but I will be back, and I hope, I will be able to get some writing done too. I have so many zine ideas and when I have the money, I will get them out there. For now, it is all getting scribbled down on the back of envelopes and shoved into a folder on my desk. We all get busy, and as someone else pointed out to me a long time ago internet boards ebb and flow.

Anyway, that's where I'm at. Looking forward to seeing more of you all soon. Don't forget to email me sometimes - I could use the energy shot!
Gaynor

By Cariad at Sun, 06/13/2004 - 3:15pm |

re:commaraderie!

Well, I haven't posted too much on here, but I come to the site at least once most days! I also write a lot on livejournal - (I'm prudencepout over there, anyone can feel free to add me to their friends list and I'll do the same!) I would love to get to know all of the mamas here a lot better.

I've been sending out a lot of nonfiction essay submissions this spring and past winter. I just got a piece accepted at AustinMama, and also have an essay coming out in the next issue of The Edgycatin' Mama. I usually get about two hrs. of writing/submission work done each morning while the kids play. I'm also working on a new zine, "Milk and Blackberries" (previously "Fireweed"), which may end up being on-line because I want to have so many color photos and artwork in it. It's about the creative lives of mamas, and I plan to have the website started and start posting for submissions again next week sometime. Luyu, who is also on these boards - but a lurker I guess, edits stuff for me and vice versa. And I'm doing a lot of gardening.

xox - Prudence

By Prudence at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 10:14pm |

Yay for AustinMama! I write a

Yay for AustinMama! I write a feature for them ("Mamas We Like") as often as I can remember. ;)

What's your piece on?

By whiskeysour at Mon, 06/14/2004 - 2:56am |

It's basicly thoughts on my t

It's basicly thoughts on my three year old son's tendencies toward destruction. xo

By Prudence at Mon, 06/14/2004 - 4:02pm |

two hours a day - wow, that s

two hours a day - wow, that sounds great. (my ds is in school...if i used my time better, i could probably fit that much in too. but that's a big IF.)

i'm looking forward to your zine whatever form it takes!

----------
Tenderfoot: a compilation zine about firsts ~
www.tenderfootzine.com

By tenderfoot at Fri, 06/11/2004 - 12:34am |

I remember when my daughter w

I remember when my daughter went to her first year at school - I was like "I can write a novel now!" but somehow I got very little writing down at all that year. Alot of time you spend getting there and getting back and unwinding and cleaning house ... and I dont' know all what.

I usually always need some more self discipline, I don't find it that easy. 2 hours a day is awesome to put in with having kids in the house even.

I don't know. theres never a good time so just do it I suppose

By China at Fri, 06/11/2004 - 6:54am |

We homeschool, but/so the kid

We homeschool, but/so the kids are really pretty good at entertaining themselves - plus there are three of them so they keep eachother busy. They do come and climb on me sometimes when I'm at the computer, but will usually wander away again - I just plug my ears and start reading what I'm writing out loud!

Thanks for all of the encouragement about the zine tenderfoot!

By Prudence at Fri, 06/11/2004 - 2:26pm |

My post Again

I don't know what happened to the rest of my post! It got truncated somehow. Here is what I meant to post:

I've got 2 books coming out this month, Teen Mama and Afro Mama. I'll have the actual physical copies on the 28th! I'm going to the Allied Media Conference in Bowling Green next week, I'm tabling my zines and looking forward to meeting lots of cool folks who are into independent media. I'm preparing for 2 workshops I'm doing in July. One is at the Mama Gathering in Minneapolis. And of course my kids are out of school! They keep me busy. We start our summer studies on the 15th, I let them each pick a project to work on.

Also, I graduate this Sunday with a BA in business! I'm real excited about that. I will finally have my first degree.

Mama Specific Productions
trula.org

By Trula at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 6:31pm |

Thanks

I appreciate your kind words, I really do. Thanks so much!!

Mama Specific Productions
trula.org

By Trula at Fri, 06/11/2004 - 8:27am |

congratulations!

You have sure been busy, steady, and true to your aim!

By China at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 10:07pm |

Yay!!!! That's so great!

Yay!!!!
That's so great!

I want to use more exclamation points but... no point in overkill on the exclamation points. :)

"In the beginning there was the book, and the book inspired and angered others to write books, and when the people could no longer cope with all the books they had created, they begat libraries, and the Lord said, "I don't know what else we can do."

By Susan at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 9:53pm |

Hey now!

I've got 2 books coming out this month, Teen Mama and Afro Mama. I will have the actual physical copies in my hands on the 28th! I'm going to the Mama Specific Productions
trula.org

By Trula at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 6:10pm |

Wow! Go Trula! :) "In the

Wow! Go Trula! :)

"In the beginning there was the book, and the book inspired and angered others to write books, and when the people could no longer cope with all the books they had created, they begat libraries, and the Lord said, "I don't know what else we can do."

By Susan at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 9:48pm |

wow, congrats! :) i'm glad we

wow, congrats! :) i'm glad we'll get to meet up at the mamagathering after the nj zinefest didn't work out for you.

did you self-publish or go through a publisher? what was the process like, in either case?

----------
Tenderfoot: a compilation zine about firsts ~
www.tenderfootzine.com

By tenderfoot at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 6:19pm |

I'm a DIY Grrl.

I published through my publishing company, Mama Specific Productions. What was the process like? I started writing my books and set up my company at the same time, in 2000. It's a long, long story, I will try to keep it brief.

1. Did research work for books.
2. Looked at various online POD (print on demand) companies.
3. Wrote and formatted books (with Adobe)
4. Looked at some at PODs.
5. Picked one, they sucked. Picked another, they wanted too much of my money.
6. Picked another, they went out of biz. Decided to self-publish the old-fasioned way.
7. Got ISBNs and SANs, etc.
6. Did new research for books as statistical info in some became outdated.
7. Rewrote books.
8. Revised books.
9. Rewrote again.
10. Repeated steps 6-9.
11. Looked into traditional printer. Wrote a marketing plan.
12. Looked into reputable POD printer that works just with publishing companies.
13. Repeated steps 6-9.
14. Sent books off to printer.
15. Redid covers to fit printer's specs.

There are a lot of things I did wrong, for instance I did not do enough pre-publication marketing work, but I learned from the experience, and know what to do for my next books.

Mama Specific Productions
trula.org

By Trula at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 7:06pm |

what a long road!

the reason i ask is that we're trying to look into reprinting the Mamaphiles zine as more of a book (i mean, through a printer rather than just xeroxing & stapling). i know China has done some research; maybe she'll want to pick your brain about what you learned in your interactions with the traditional printers? (obviously we wouldn't be able to use the print-on-demand printer that you're using since we're not a publisher, but whatever you learned from negotiating with the others might be helpful.)

----------
Tenderfoot: a compilation zine about firsts ~
www.tenderfootzine.com

By tenderfoot at Thu, 06/10/2004 - 8:13pm |

Ok

Cool, just let me know if I can help with anything! I'd be happy to answer your questions if I can.

Mama Specific Productions
trula.org

By Trula at Fri, 06/11/2004 - 8:30am |