3 things I learned from Ellen Dugan during ConVocation 2019
During the later half of February, there is a Convention that I attend called ConVocation. ConVocation is where people of all mystical and spiritual paths and faiths teach one another, learn from each other, and promote fellowship among all esoteric traditions. And the shopping! I can’t forget the awesome vendors!
For the past few years, there has always been a workshop hosted by Ellen Dugan and Michelle Belanger about the writing and publishing world. They would dish out all the info about Traditional and Indy publishing, and I would eat it all up.
It was unfortunate that Michelle Belanger couldn’t make it this year, but Ellen Dugan still held a workshop. And even though the workshop was held at 9:30am instead of its usual later time in past years, despite being exhausted from workshops, rituals, and evening/late night shenanigans for three days prior, I was there with bells on, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed.
Ellen Dugan is known as the “Garden Witch”. She is a certified Master Gardener, but is also an award-winning non fiction author and novelist, with over twenty five books written.
Her workshop, this year, was called “So, You Wanna Be A Successful INDY Author?”. I took notes- as I always do. Here are 3 things that I learned during this workshop:
- It. Takes. Time.
Publishing books as an Indy author doesn’t happen overnight. In between the writing, research, revision, editing, content editing, copyediting, formatting, cover art, and beta reading… There’s a lot to do. - Do your research.
Especially with other races and cultures. Be very careful and very respectful, and don’t fall for stereotypes. The best way to do your research is to ask people of those races and cultures. - Don’t detail to death.
Unless it is pivotal to the storyline, don’t put it in. Let people use their imagination. The same goes with Purple Prose; if it takes two paragraphs to describe something, it is slowing your story down.
I am definitely going to keep these in mind for current and future novels.
If you want to learn more about Ellen Dugan, or check out her awesome books and novels, you can find here here at http://www.ellendugan.com/
Raine