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pencils and whatnot: March 2008

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

Thursday, March 27, 2008. Patricia J. DeLois. As a library intern, I conducted a focus group with a certain group of elderly ladies to find out what they wanted from the library. We like authors with three names," they said. "Write that down.". Mary Higgins Clark. Anne Rivers Siddons. (I suggested Joyce Carol Oates, but no, they didn't want her.). Valuable information, and duly noted in my report. No," I said, "I'm going to use my middle initial, like Homer J. Simpson.". A bad comedy act. Never had 'em&#...

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pencils and whatnot: Living the Dream

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008/06/living-dream.html

Tuesday, June 10, 2008. This is what it's like. For weeks and weeks NOTHING. HAPPENS. You agree to the deal. Bring on the contract, you say, I'll sign the fucker. And you wait. No contract. Keep waiting, no contract. Is this not a standard contract? You ask the agent. "Is their printer broken? It takes time," she says, and she's not lying. Apparently it's not as simple as agreeing that you'll write the books and they'll publish them. They're going to do a whole lot more than that. June 11, 2008 at 5:13 PM.

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pencils and whatnot: Know. Your. Market.

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008/02/know-your-market.html

Monday, February 25, 2008. Know Your. Market. Just came from a Better Site Than This One, and there was a discussion going on about the market. Not THE market, YOUR market, as in, "You have to know your market.". Study your readership, they say, so you can provide the kind of writing they're used to, pace-wise, character-wise, plot-wise. Give your audience the genre it wants. This seems backwards to me. "My" readers are people who read my book. They're not part of my audience before. Too soon to say.

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pencils and whatnot: Patricia J. DeLois

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008/03/patricia-j-delois.html

Thursday, March 27, 2008. Patricia J. DeLois. As a library intern, I conducted a focus group with a certain group of elderly ladies to find out what they wanted from the library. We like authors with three names," they said. "Write that down.". Mary Higgins Clark. Anne Rivers Siddons. (I suggested Joyce Carol Oates, but no, they didn't want her.). Valuable information, and duly noted in my report. No," I said, "I'm going to use my middle initial, like Homer J. Simpson.". A bad comedy act. Every letter of...

pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com

pencils and whatnot: Goals

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008/03/goals.html

Saturday, March 15, 2008. Never had 'em. Plans, sure, and schemes, and half-baked ideas, but not goals. The only goal I ever had was to finish library school, and that wasn't even my idea. I was on the tail end of a string of people who inexplicably took advice from Georgia. I think you should buy that house," she said to Jeff Curtis, and he bought the house. I think you should buy that car," she said to a co-worker, and he bought the car. I'll apply. If I'm accepted, I'll go.". It's been freaking me out...

pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com

pencils and whatnot: Vicarious Living

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008/02/vicarious-living.html

Sunday, February 17, 2008. There's been a growing trend in recent years, and living vicariously through Patti has become a common phenomenon. Even I'm doing it. It's kind of fun. I have a great job at the library, in the audiovisual department. I miss the river of books that used to flow past me at the circulation desk, but here's the payoff: I buy the movies. Fun? Best Job. Ever. Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom). Patricia J. DeLois. Too soon to say. Better Sites Than This One:. William L. Spencer.

pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com

pencils and whatnot: February 2008

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

Monday, February 25, 2008. Know Your. Market. Just came from a Better Site Than This One, and there was a discussion going on about the market. Not THE market, YOUR market, as in, "You have to know your market.". Study your readership, they say, so you can provide the kind of writing they're used to, pace-wise, character-wise, plot-wise. Give your audience the genre it wants. This seems backwards to me. "My" readers are people who read my book. They're not part of my audience before. This is a huge upgra...

pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com

pencils and whatnot: My Role Model

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-role-model.html

Saturday, March 1, 2008. People ask who my favorite authors are, but no one ever asks about my role model. It's Jerry Seinfeld. Thanks for asking. This is what I've heard: when the network executives tried to push Seinfeld into a more conventional sitcom- everyone sleeping with everyone else, presumably, followed by someone getting married and having twins- Seinfeld would say, "I don't have to do this. I can go back to doing standup.". Seems like a funny question. Why would I stop? Patricia J. DeLois.

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pencils and whatnot: June 2008

http://pencilsandwhatnot-patti.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

Tuesday, June 10, 2008. This is what it's like. For weeks and weeks NOTHING. HAPPENS. You agree to the deal. Bring on the contract, you say, I'll sign the fucker. And you wait. No contract. Keep waiting, no contract. Is this not a standard contract? You ask the agent. "Is their printer broken? It takes time," she says, and she's not lying. Apparently it's not as simple as agreeing that you'll write the books and they'll publish them. They're going to do a whole lot more than that. Patricia J. DeLois.