Who doesn’t love fan emails?

April 20, 2010 at 6:35 pm (Fan mail reflections..., General News..., Grumble, Introduction to the Imagination of Amanda M. Holt, Literary blunders..., Possible directions...) (, , , , , , , )

So…………..
………………I recieved a pleasant email today from a nurse who read one of my stories. Since I am myself entering the field of nursing in the near future, I must admit, I was thrilled! It really helped to shift things into a new perspective for me — and also reminded me that one must write what they know, especially when one is representing a profession with the written word. I will have to be certain to be as realistic as possible and conduct accurate research in the future when writing stories involving nurses, their clients, and their love interests.

So far I have written only one novella featuring a nurse, it’s a pure fantasy piece (An Unusual Encounter of the Rock Star Kind, published by New Concepts Publishing in March 2010 http://www.newconceptspublishing.com) written to vent some of my admiration of a rock icon that I find unusually attractive. This nurse who emailed tells me that she too has written a story about a tattooed rock star meeting up with a nurse (as yet unpublished), and I did the only sensible thing that there was to do: ENCOURAGE HER TO GET IT PUBLISHED!

So back to the theme of this post, “Who doesn’t love fan emails?” For that matter, who doesn’t love reviews? Whether they are full of criticism (of either the constructive or vindictive sort) or full of praise, written with questions about characters’ motives or pointing out flaws in your plot, the eye of the reader is a sharp one, and should be appreciated for what it is: a point of view on your tale.

So of COURSE I love fan email! Even the fan email that is not so fannish, the stuff that says: “Your heroine is an idiot, she should never have done X, Y, and Z, especially after meeting Mr. Wrong” still shares valuable insight on where you may have to consider alternative options or angles when writing your next story (or revising an old one).

For that reason, I wish that I was part of a writer’s sharing circle, or writer’s group.

When I get settled, once I am finished my Senior Practicum for my Bachelor of Nursing and have a little more time on my hands, I am going to have to do just that: seek out a writer’s group, either online or local, to find a forum to discuss my own and others’ works.

The most authentic way for an author to improve their writing is through the eyes and experiences of those who have immersed themselves brain deep in the writer’s written word.

I appreciate – and love – my readers.

And to that end, I look forward to every item of fan mail they send me.

Sincere regards,

Amanda M. Holt

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Ending one chapter…or is it a book? A volume in a series?

April 7, 2010 at 12:34 am (General News..., Grumble, Introduction to the Imagination of Amanda M. Holt, Possible directions...) (, , , , , , , , , , )

So………………………………..
…………………………………..I wrap up the theory courses in my Bachelor of Nursing studies this week.

I am experiencing mixed feelings of elation and terror; accomplishment and subtle regret; anticipation and impending doom; progress and stasis — all at once.

The thought of transforming my life, reinventing myself again, starting fresh – starting something new – appeals as it has always appealed (what’s underneath THAT rock? Oh look, little wriggly things).

Only now, the REAL test of character and wit and tenacity begins.

From student nurse to graduate nurse soon to actual nurse: the process as fascinating for me as a catepillar entering chrysalis to become the butterfly.

Here I am, ending one chapter of my life, taking off my layers of student self, stepping into a nurse’s shoes, shoes that I can only hope to grow into and fit properly in the near future.

Here I am, ending one book, perhaps aptly titled “M’s Adventure’s: The College Years” or “The Formal Education of M”…certainly not the first in the series, certainly won’t be the last. Or will it? Fate laughs at the best laid plans.

And all the while, a Community Health Nurse program in the Northwest Territories beckons….but leaving Manitoba’s subzero temperatures for NWT’s Hell-Frozen-Over-And-Literally-Frozen-Over-Like-In-That-Disturbing-Painting-By-Was-It-Dante-Or-That-Other-Guy-? is like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, for those of us humans who do NOT like cold weather or ice or snow-machines (a major form of transportation up there).

Yet I should not grumble – not at all!

Now is a time for celebration! A time of seasons changing and accomplishment and really, is there anything at all wrong with finishing a good book? A book that had twists and turns and intriguing characters, and even the occasional “what if-?” cliffhanger?

“Not at all,” said M with a sigh, her lips curling into a wry grin. “Oh silly, silly girl. You’re talking to yourself again, and in front of God Knows Who this time.”

This summer, I will be devoting a GREAT deal of time to studying for my RN exam, so I humbly apologize: there will be no new fiction published until possibly October 1st/15th/31st — that is IF (a big IF) I am able to find spare time to edit the manuscript I’ve promised Extasy Books, the full-length erotica titled “My Experimental Years”.

Which is nothing less than what all the experts would encourage: in My Experimental Years i very literally wrote what I knew about – being a headstrong young woman in rural Manitoba who was as untameable as a wildfire and as shifting as mercury.

Priorities being what they are, my nursing career comes first, my writing career/hobby second.

I will try to at least post exerpts of my novels on this blog over the summer to give you a taste of what might evolve into something remarkable one day.

Sincere regards,

Amanda M. Holt

p.s. – that old adage, write what you know? Admitting that you don’t really know anything is the first real step to learning (especially about yourself….that’s what I’ve noticed, anyway).

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