mary june brown » publishing

It has been so, so long.

maryjunebrown — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:06:43 +0000

It has been a very long time since I’ve written. But that’s not really true. I write everyday, but the things I write lately are not fit for public consumption. They are all about the private triumphs and disappointments one experiences in their inner life.

I have thought seriously of deleting this entire blog. It feels…not relevant, a chore, frivolous. It feels like something “other” or apart from real life.

Sitemeter blues.

maryjunebrown — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:30:36 +0000

Are you like me, you blogger, you? Do you read sitemeter like I do, searching for clues on who’s searching for you. Who’s that faceless person in Baltimore trying, day after day (though you don’t post every day–not even nearly!) for you. All when the ONE you want, that particular someone, ignores you–their longs&lats never showing up on sitemeter–an insult and a rebuke by their daily absence.

Are you like me?

Tools for damn good writing.

maryjunebrown — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:08:41 +0000

Here’s what you’ll need:

Angst
Put someone up on a pedestal. Now watch him fall off. Re-play that image in your mind as you write.
A bottle of cheap wine
Breaking (not broken) heart
A romantic predisposition
A dash of real eccentricity
A feeling that you don’t quite belong
A hesitancy to speak. A propensity to collect scaps of paper and scribble on them
A love/hate relationship with food. Strong opinions about flavors and textures
Strong tendecies toward apathy regarding politics
Guns N’ Roses, or if not that…Coldplay can work, but if that isn’t for you, try Getz/Gilberto
Feelings of inadequacy, or feelings of grandeur. Pick one
Did I mention angst? It’s the writer’s best friend.

Reminder re: duotrope.

maryjunebrown — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:05:03 +0000

Writers,

Go here: http://www.duotrope.com

Publish, publish, publish…then sell, sell, sell. This is a proven strategy for new (and not-so-new) writers. Publish in the smaller periodicals, get established, then start in on the paying markets.

Just a thought.

Gearing up.

maryjunebrown — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:56:02 +0000

So, I’m gearing up for NaNoWriMo, are you?

National Novel Writing Month: www.nanowrimo.org

I figure I can get the skeleton book done in November. The rest of the year, and a good chunk of 2008 will be taken up filling in those bones.

Join me?

So it’s been a while.

maryjunebrown — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 02:35:40 +0000

Dear readers,

Yep, I’m still around. It’s been a while, and for that, I apologize. I’ve been busy writing, working on my novel, and submitting poetry.

A recent poem has been accepted at Farmhouse Magazine, so I’m excited about that and can’t wait to share it with you once it’s been published.

In the meantime, please take a look at my other website: http://wordglow.com. There, you’ll see that I’m busy working in a professional capacity, writing and editing for others. It’s a joy to be able to work with other writers and to share with them.

Keep writing!

Trunk Hole.

maryjunebrown — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:41:20 +0000

Here’s one of my newer stories, recently published in The Rose & Thorn. Enjoy:

http://www.theroseandthornezine.com/

The novel that won’t say goodbye.

maryjunebrown — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:06:23 +0000

I’d stopped writing my novel for a couple of months–it wasn’t going anywhere. yes, There were words on a page, but I’d lost my enthusiasm for it, which I’m (unfortunately) apt to do.

However, a strange thing happened. It came back to me. Came roaring back, asked me if I missed it, seduced me back into it’s web. So here I go again. Again. Again.

One of these days, I swear, I’m going to finish the thing.

That story.

maryjunebrown — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:44:05 +0000

What does a writer do with that story–the one that comes from the heart, that took everything you had, that you are in love with…the story that you are immeasurably proud of…but just can’t place in any market, no matter how many times it’s submitted?

We’ve all got one. A piece that we worked on, rewrote, edited, poured ourselves into; a piece we are moved by more and more with each rereading. It’s a bummer of magnificent proportions that nobody else seems to see it’s brilliance.

I’ve written many stories, some great and some not so–and I’ve seen several make their way into print (thank you, publishing powers-that-be!). But there’s this one that sits on my hard drive, languishing. It’s one of my personal faves, and yet–”not for us…good luck placing it elsewhere…”

So, there it sits, waiting for an audience, and I scour duotrope every couple months, looking for its home. Poor wayward, homeless (but brilliant!) little thing.

Give me fevah!

maryjunebrown — Mon, 07 May 2007 16:06:07 +0000

I just had a conversation with a writer, someone who has actually written (and published!) books. Just talking with someone who has birthed a book, from beginning to end, from screen to bound copy, gives me a dose of much-needed energy for writing.

Energy for writing is one of those things one has to engineer at times. Like cardio, the more you do it, the better your body is able to do it. Writing is like that: the more you write, the more you have the energy, ability, creativity, desire, time, dedication to do more of it.

So, for myself, I reiterate the mantra: keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. If this mantra appeals to you, well…I highly recommend repeating it to yourself. Get some energy and write!