![]() |
Find my books here
In the “Olden” Days
I’m sure almost everyone on Facebook has seen the video of two teenagers trying to
dial a number on an old rotary style telephone.
For those my age, you probably laughed at their attempts. For those born
after the 70s, you may have wondered as those teens did, just how that
contraption worked.
As I
watched that video, I thought of other things that had changed over the years,
especially in the field of novel writing. I used to go to the library on a
regular basis to do research for my novels. I used a card catalog to look up
subjects to see if there were any books available. There were encyclopedias and
atlases, and row after row of non-fiction books full of facts on anything I
needed. If my library didn’t have anything on a particular subject, I could
usually get something on inter-library loan, where one library would mail a
book to another. (This worked pretty
well except for the time I needed information on indigo and the first book that
came in was written in German.)
Then, once
my research was done and my manuscript written, the long process of submission
started. With no internet and email, first class letters were sent, always with
an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) for a reply from the publishing
company. Unless you were an established author, first a query letter was sent,
consisting of a letter of introduction and a synopsis of the story; sometimes a
first chapter. If you received a positive reply, you usually sent the first
three chapters, again by first class mail and with another SASE. Each
submission was followed by anywhere from six or more weeks of waiting. If you
received a nod on the first chapters, you submitted the full manuscript and
again you waited. The entire process could take up to a year or more, but in
the meantime you were working on your next book. Even when a manuscript was
accepted, it might not be published for more than a year.
What a
difference technology makes! That old rotary telephone was replaced by a push
button model, then a cordless, then a push button cell phone. Even that has been
upgraded to a voice activated model so that you can “call grandma” without
pushing a single button. (I simply activated the speaker on Google search and
asked when the rotary phone was replaced with push buttons – 1963.)
Not only is research information
available with the touch of a finger, virtual sites allow an author to “visit”
places without leaving their office. I can even visit my library online when
looking for a particular subject or book.
The process of manuscript
submission has also changed to keep up with the times. Often queries can be
made via email. The post office no longer gets my double fees for submission
and SASE as a simple attachment is all I need when asked to submit a manuscript
whether it is a partial or complete novel. Acceptance time and publication can
be quicker so that you don’t have time to work on a new book before the edits
on the current one are in your “in” box. (This is not always the case, but as
with instantaneous information, things tend to speed up in this century.)
One thing
for me as an author that hasn’t changed is research on my setting. Whenever
possible, I visit the setting of my current work. There is nothing better than
wandering through a museum of 1850 artifacts, or walking through the streets of
Boston soaking up the sounds and smells and feel
of history. The feel of salt water spray on my face as a wave breaks gives me
words that are hard to conjure while sitting at a desk with snow raging
outside. These words help me construct a scene so my reader can also hear the
sounds of rebels in Boston defying the British. They can taste the salt on
their lips and hear the roar of the waves as our ship careens through a tumultuous
storm at sea.
One of the
many benefits of the modern age for you as a reader is you have immediate
access to many great books. Whether you love the feel of an actual book in your
hands or prefer to read on an ebook reader or your computer, a wonderful world to
explore is at your fingertips. All you have to do is visit
www.bookswelove.com for all the
adventure, mystery, history or romance you are craving.
|
Sunday, March 10, 2019
In the "Olden" Days
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
This year, the official first day of spring happens on March 19 th when the Earth's axis and its orbit line up so that both hemisph...
-
To purchase your copy of the award-winning Twisted Climb series, click here: https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/ Last month, I wrote...
-
The 8th century British writer Bede, mentions that the name for Easter is derived from a Pagan spring festival of the goddess AS...
-
To purchase the award-winning Twisted Climb series, click here: https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/ I live in central Ontario, Canad...
-
Find my books here Saving Katy Gray is Book 3 of my When Paths Meet trilogy . All three books are about love and the messiness of family...
-
Click here to order today! Click here to order today! And so our Minnesota winter is coming to an end. It's time to do the sl...
-
https://bookswelove.com/robbins-tobias/ I was raised to be humble. I don't feel comfortable self promoting. It feels like bragging. But ...
-
https://books2read.com/When-Shadows-Stir Apparently it was never hard to be cool in the past. I’m talking about the time before iceboxes...
-
You know that saying... If it seems too good to be true, it probably is! Well recently I had it proven and it is something that all writers ...
Books We Love Insider Blog
- Spring Cleaning In Reverse by Helen Henderson - 5/19/2023 - Helen Henderson
- Cover Reveal for Laurel's Choice by Nancy M Bell - 5/18/2023 - Nancy Bell
- Finding Ideas by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #ideas - 5/17/2023 - Janet Lane Walters
- A Canadian Legend, RIP Gordon Lightfoot, by J.C. Kavanagh - 5/16/2023 - J.C. Kavanagh
- A Canadian Historical Mystery by H. Paul Doucette - 5/15/2023 - BWL Authors Blog
Interesting. I began a bit before you did and that was when for fiction you submitted the entire manuscript. Your query letter went in the box with that. There was also the joy of receiving a rejection in the box you sent the mss off and finding coffee rings or cigarette burns meaning you had to type the mss again on that old manual machine. Keep writing
ReplyDelete