Guest Blogger’s Self-Publishing Saga #4
From Randee Russell Bieler, who wrote the Oscar-nominated short film Graffiti. She is self-publishing her novel Quilt, the story of a slave mother in the American South, and three contemporary mothers.
Progress report: Poised to launch the Kindle edition. The manuscript is now with an editor for a spell-check. When that’s done, I convert the files to PDF, pay Kindle $69.00, and we’re off….
But is that really the right word? Poised? Maybe more like – closer to the ledge of launching the Kindle edition. Launching? Flinging one’s manuscript into the breach in a suicidal manner…Randee, darlin’, get on the bus!
We had to put off the Anaheim Survivors Workshop, but we’ve rescheduled. It’s the first time I’m meeting these women and I am kind of star-struck. Having survived being trafficked, escaping their captors, getting asylum from the US Government, finding shelter, food, sustenance, friends. These women are Rock Stars of Survival and Survival is my favorite band.
This first session will accomplish a few things. 1 – The women get trained to do the actual fabrication. Our design was created without knowing how dextrous they are. So we’ve got to figure out if our design will work for them, and to make changes if it won’t.
How all that happens will 2 – set the tone for the workshop, which we are determined will be nurturing and empowering because these women DESERVE A BREAK And I am determined that this project will be that.
Peter (darling husband/cigar smoker) says that in the old days when cigars were handmade in small factories, the workers hired storytellers so that they would not die of boredom rolling up tobacco for days on end. I can imagine something like that, I could tell the story of Mattie and maybe the women could share their stories. But that’s maybe not right, their stories are so recent and raw.
Anyway, I just want us to get off on the right track. I should speak Spanish, cannot believe I have lived in Southern California for 30 years and not learned Spanish! What was I doing!? Raising 2 children, writing 3 books, 6 screenplays, 1 novella…We’re doing ok, Randee, get on the bus….
To contact Randee directly, email to [email protected] or leave your comments and questions here.
Categories: enhancing creativity