The Writer's Mailbag: Installment One-Hundred and Thirty-Five

I just noticed we passed two years last month….two years? What’s the longest-running Hub series? I’m calling Guinness World Records and asking them. LOL… Is there some award one gets for that? I want a trophy!!!!! I want Nicole Kidman to give me my writing Oscar.

And I have all of you to thank for it.

Winter is still here. Shockeroo, right?

I’m tired of winter.

Now I’m getting melancholy.

Let’s get started!

From Brian: “Bill, some follow-up questions to the one you answered this time: Does your schedule of writing from 7 AM to 1 PM daily mean that you finish your breakfast and give pets and farm animals their breakfast before 7 AM and that you break for lunch at 1 PM? Do you turn off your phone, email notifications, and other sources of interruptions during your writing time? Do the following tasks fit into your writing time, marketing time, socializing time, or other: Writing articles to post to HubPages or Niume? Writing HubPages or Niume comments or replies to comments? Waiting for hire? You only mentioned writing fiction between 7 and 11”

Sheez, Brian, how much time do you have for this answer? LOL

Without going into specifics….because we don’t want this entire article all about your question….I actually start in at 6:30 each morning. I do whatever my assigned task is for that day, but during that task-completing, I’ll take thirty second breaks to reply to comments on my hubs….or read a friend’s hub….I can’t write continually on one thing, for whatever reason, so when I take little five minute detours, my muse is at her best. I can then return to my story and my muse is all ready to go. It sounds complicated but it’s really not.

Mondays are for HubPages and Niume, if I have anything for Niume…they are also for my blogs.

Tuesdays are for customers.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are strictly for novel-writing.

Fridays are free days to do odds and ends, or they may just be for more novel writing.

I don’t write on the weekends.

The marketing happens in the afternoon after the writing chore is done for the day.

I could get more detailed, but that should give you an idea.

From Rasma: “With that comes another questions. For a long time I have wanted to translate some of dad's poetry and I believe that I would definitely post to CE. Anyway even though you and poetry are not the best of friends let's include novels and stories in this question too. What is the best way to translate novels, stories and poetry from one language to another? Do you really have to know the person and his actual thoughts? I believe I could translate dad's poems quite well but I guess I am a bit scared to try.”

Rasma, I can safely say I’ve never had this question before. There seems to be two questions here. Are you really asking about the process of translating from one language to another, or are you asking about the nuances and trying to understand what a person is trying to say with their writing in another language?

“Google Translates” is as good a program as any for the nuts and bolts of actual translation. Microsoft Word actually has a translate feature as well, under “file” on their menu board up above the document. Those two programs should be all you need for the actual translation.

If we’re talking about trying to understand your dad’s meanings in his writing, I agree, you would be able to do that as well as anyone, and you certainly shouldn’t let fear hold you back. Your father’s writings should be preserved for posterity, and who better to oversee that process than his daughter? A poet’s heart and soul are in his words, and I’m sure you know his heart and soul as well as anyone on this planet.

Go for it! God hates a coward, Rasma. J

From Robert: “I know you have a series going right now, the Shadow Series, and I was wondering how many books are enough for a series?”

Wonderful question for which there is no definitive answer, Robert. I just finished the Lucas Davenport “Prey” series, and that series has been going on for a long, long time, with no end in sight. Robert Parker must have written over thirty “Spenser” books…John D. MacDonald wrote how many Travis McGee novels?

For me, the end will come when I’m no longer inspired by my characters, and not a moment before. I’m working on #4 now, but I have a lot of other books I want to write, so I suspect I’ll finish #4 and then do something different before starting in on #5. Since very few people actually buy my novels, I guess I’m free to do whatever I feel like, right? I have no publisher breathing down my neck demanding the next in the series. LOL

Hey, I can only answer what I receive, so we’ll stop right here. We didn’t make it to HP’s suggested 1250 words and I couldn't care less.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you next week when the Mail will once again arrive at your doorstep.

2017 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”