Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The 86th Day of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

EXPLORING NEW GROUND!

or

How much Trouble Can This Be?

Yes, I've said it before, though probably not in these words, I'm opening my blog to other things besides my own rants and raves, and, being a true Neanderthal, I'll probably pound my way through with a sharpened stone. So, please, bear with me, it may not be pretty but it will get better.
 
The first thing I have in mind will be aimed at poets and events here in the Southern California area. There are any number of superb voices and promoters around me and I felt I wanted to do my small part in getting the word out. So, starting tomorrow, (I hope this flies. I'm really pushing up against a self-imposed deadline), I will be putting up the first notice. Down the road I hope to have interviews with writers and publishers. No, I'm not going to throw a spoiler out. Come on back and see what it is. If you're in SoCal let your friends know.
 
This kind of spins me back to yesterday's topic. For all you aspiring poets in the house... Look, no one is handing out oil wells or diamond mines. Making even a modest living as a poet is a real achievement. Something I was talking about yesterday is definitely helpful.
 
Get out there and find the open mic's. The poetry thing is all about exposure. You are not going to make a killing self-publishing on Amazon unless you just stun the knickers off your audience. You won't really know what works with others unless you engage them. The best way to do this is in person, one poem at a time. This saves you the trauma of having your first book left sitting there because a) Nobody knows who the hell you are and b) Your personal favorites aren't anyone else's.
 
The open mic's can lead to workshops and critique groups and, quite often, small press and journal publication. Hey, the next thing you know you're a featured reader and they're passing the hat for your benefit! (Don't let your ego get all hurt. They've passed the hat for all of us.) Soon you find yourself in unfamiliar venues facing a crowd of strangers and shaking so hard you can hardly speak. Congratulations, you've made it!
 
Before you know it...All right...Eventually, you've developed a body of work that has impact and a track record. Now you're ready to self publish...Or even better, someone along the way has asked, "Have you ever published a book?", followed quickly by, "We need to talk."
 
The point in this is, There Are NO Easy Paths. It's all one step at a time and a constant course of improvement. Of course, you CAN take a shortcut, if you're lucky you won't have to spend to much time correcting that decision.
 
Just some helpful hints from your Uncle Dane.
 
Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.
In the meantime...live, love, write.
Dane F. Baylis
 


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