Category Archives: Talk Amongst Yourselves

Tomorrow’s essay on creativity was written by one of my closest friends, Paul Cooley. His stories explore inner demons, gods and monsters, love and loss. In his essays he discusses the subconsious, inspiration, literary themes, as well as the trials and tribulations of self publishing during the ebook revolution.

It is this revolution and its impact on the publishing world, the authors, and the fans that I want to talk about here. One of the coolest things an author can do (or so I’ve been told) is to have fans want you to sign their copy of your book for them. It’s amazing enough to finally see your words in print after months (and sometimes years) of labor; but people want them signed too? Wow!

Ebooks are revolutionizing how authors get their words to the masses. And, for those of us on a budget, an ebook can be a much more economical choice over traditional hardbacks and paperbacks. Then, there is the issue of space, portability, storage, accessability and ebooks become even more appealing. But, wait just a second, what about getting that book signed? How the heck can that happen now?

There are a few apps on the market that allow an author to accomplish that task. Some offer just a generic signature, some are the author taking a picture with the reader and sending the image to the reader, some can only be used through the app creator’s store, and now there is MyWrite too.

What does MyWrite have to do with Paul Cooley? He created it. He wanted a way to be able to sign an ebook version of his books (and personalize it) that would give the fan a file that would work with whatever type of reader software they used. He also wanted to make this app available for free and and charge only a nominal fee to use the service.

To go from “what if…” or “hmmm, how could I do that?” through the coding, testing, submission approval, and finally to the marketing and support phases and have a product that solves a problem is a phenomenal example of the power of creativity. It’s one thing to think, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to be able to sign ebooks for fans?” and another entirely to create that ability for yourself and others.

So, what have you been wondering about lately? What changes can you make in the world? What can you create? The power of creativity is there just waiting for you to unleash it.

Talk amongst yourselves…

So many of us are experiencing record high temperatures and suffocating humidity right now. How about we talk about cold instead. Maybe it will help take our minds off of this…

Tell me about cold. But, not in terms of what it feels like. Instead, what does cold smell like? What color is cold? What does cold sound like? Anything BUT the temperature. What about cold foods? Or, foods that you only want to eat in the cold?

Focus your mind on the arctic….

And, talk amongst yourselves…

I have heard a number of distinctly different views on the recent issue involving Dropbox (and similar TOS at other companies) lately. Here are a few of them:

1. “I’m not keeping anything at a site that tries to usurp my copyrights in any way, shape, or form.”
2. “You want to be published? A publisher will take away more rights than you could ever possibly lose through a site like this.”
3. “No one wants to steal your stuff. You’re an unknown. Now, if you were Stephen King…”
4. “The site is just trying to protect themselves. No one is going to steal anything. Chill out.”
5. “This sounds like CYA business practices;”

I have adopted a wait and see posture on this issue. My personal files are still on the site. I personally don’t think I have anything worth anything to anyone but myself there. So, I’m not at all concerned. I did, however, remove everything that belongs to someone other than myself. I have an obligation to protect my clients’ intellectual property.

So, where do you fall in this debate? Real concern? Egotistic artists looking for an excuse to squawk? Corporate attorneys screwing things up for everyone by being overly protective?

Or, are you sick of this topic already?

What else is on your mind?

Talk amongst yourselves…

One of the contributors to the Creativity Blog Project asked some simple questions of me. Basically, what else? And, will I be dealing with any other topics besides creativity, art, and inspiration.

Initially, I didn’t know what else. My goal with the Creativity Blog Project is to keep it going with new posts by different guests every day for as long as possible. I have a hard time putting into words all of my hopes for this project. I know that when I try to express my thoughts on these subjects I have a hard time wrapping my brain around all the different things that come to mind. However, the exercise itself always leaves me with a new sense of awe at all that those words encompass. Just by thinking about what inspires me I renew my inspiration.

Thinking about these subjects I love so is cake. Your posts are the icing. Each day this space is magically transformed into a delicious cupcake; a new morsel on creativity to be savored and celebrated.

So, as far as that goes, there is no what’s next. For now, as it is just getting started, I only want to think of it continuing.

But, that’s not to say there can’t be a what else. These thoughts on creativity, art, and inspiration are meant to further inspire and enlighten. There are, however, lots of other things for us to talk about–some timely, others timeless. So, in addition to the daily guest posts on creativity, I’m adding something else to this space. Topics for discussion. Not necessarily a daily thing. At this point, I don’t know what the frequency will be. I suppose that will depend on what’s going on in the great wide world in general and in the arts specifically. It will also depend on whether or not you, the readers, chime in and talk amongst yourselves.

I’d like to have the topics be related to creative endeavors in some way but that isn’t etched in stone. The only rules about topics (as of now, and I reserve the right to amend this if necessary) is to say that politics and religion are completely off limits. Otherwise, let me know what is on your mind.

Recently, issues with TOS (terms of service) from companies like Dropbox and Google have been receiving a lot of attention. Self publishing has been another popular topic of conversation on numerous blogs. If you have something you want to discuss, you can send me an @ reply on Twitter (@BrightEyedDyer) or send me an email to DyedBrightHere (at) gmail (dot) com.

So, grab a cup of coffee, or better yet, a glass of scotch and talk amongst yourselves.

Sue