Wordsworth...

I stumbled across this poem today, by the dear William Wordsworth. I sometimes wonder (and should probably research it myself, but the tendency to crawl back in bed is being fought hard enough by sitting in this chair alone, so research will wait) if his name is true or if he came up with a clever pen name. For what better name for a poet is there besides Wordsworth? I tell you...

In any case, here Wordsworth is actually telling his readers to put their books down! To go and get fresh air! And sunlight! What!? We're going to grow fat if we don't!

          UP! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
          Or surely you'll grow double:
          Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
          Why all this toil and trouble?

          The sun, above the mountain's head,
          A freshening lustre mellow
          Through all the long green fields has spread,
          His first sweet evening yellow.

          Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
          Come, hear the woodland linnet,    10
          How sweet his music! on my life,
          There's more of wisdom in it.

          And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
          He, too, is no mean preacher:
          Come forth into the light of things,
          Let Nature be your teacher.

          She has a world of ready wealth,
          Our minds and hearts to bless--
          Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
          Truth breathed by cheerfulness.     20

          One impulse from a vernal wood
          May teach you more of man,
          Of moral evil and of good,
          Than all the sages can.

          Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
          Our meddling intellect
          Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:--
          We murder to dissect.

          Enough of Science and of Art;
          Close up those barren leaves;       30
          Come forth, and bring with you a heart
          That watches and receives.
                                                              1798.

Well, you know what I have to say to that? My favorite place to be reading is outside. Have you ever tried it? I once fell asleep in a wheelbarrow under a dogwood tree in the summer, right next to the hydrangeas. So take that Wordsworth! How about hiking 9 miles straight up to the Chicago Basin and reading I, Robot among mountains 14,000 feet high?

Hmph.

Good morning, everyone. Today I'm recommending you again to my favorite blog-author, Sarah Hoyt. I rediscovered her article this morning while going through my archives, blearily wondering what do I write, what do I write, what do I write...oh! Now this is a good one-- how does one break into the publishing world?

Hoo hoo...this is like asking how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie-roll pop. And then asking the person doing the licking to form an algorithm that correlates to the color and flavor of the pop as well as the direction they're standing and the temperature outside.

Well, Hoyt doesn't hide any of the facts, and from someone who's been there she's got a good vantage point. She does however offer 'the other hand' on much advice. Such as, where before we've heard again and again-- get an agent rather than going directly to a publisher, ePublishing is still too uncertain and volatile, etc.

Well, Hoyt says to not get an agent-- they don't have the power they used to, and quite frankly, why are we standing off from ePublishing for being uncertain and volatile when the entire traditional publishing industry is just the same?

Oh dear. Now I'm confused.

Well, read her article (the full article is also located here). Drawing from my plethora of wisdom, all I can say in response is that if you're offered two closed fists, each with a 'prize' inside, you pick the one your gut tells you to. Hoyt does preface her article by saying "no one knows anything". That may sound cynical and hopeless, but really, with the right mindset, it's rather hopeful. If no one knows anything, you can pick the path you travel without the fear of 'doing it wrong'. And in publishing, that does seem to be the case these days. Agents or publishers, traditional or digital?

Until the industry settles down into its new skin, it's going to be hazy. I'm going to stick with agents and traditional publishing methods. It's the way I like, it's the way I've researched, it's the way I've learned. I'll certainly keep up on the research-- that would by my advice to anyone. Whatever road you take, get a map of the other road. Research like crazy the industry you don't choose-- that way, if the alternate route proves to be smoother and sunnier than the stormy mountain you've chosen, you know exactly how to get there quickly. Don't get left behind in the times. Know both ways of how to publish your novel. And then once the industry settles perhaps I'll dig in a different sandbox.

My real question is, will it settle into a new skin? And if so, when?