Poetry Corner: Heidi Sampson

Image Courttesy of GraphicStock

Help I'm falling,
Even when you're calling
Independence is what I want
Don't let me be too blunt,
I think you need to stop.

Soon the time will come
All will unite
Many will fall
People will cry
Someday I'll win
Of happiness that day
Needing my love forever.

I wrote this with Rob Hopkins in Creative Writing class. It is an acrostic poem of my name. Clearly there are two different stories trying to be told here. I remember being very frustrated because he wasn't working with me on this one. We worked together quite a few times in creative writing class and I remember often being frustrated because we were going in different directions.

A writing partner is like a life partner in a lot of ways. If you work together you can create a brilliant world. If you can't get on the same page, you will create something disjointed, awkward and intensely frustrating not only for you, but for all those who witness it.

The Importance of Being Edited

Editing, or the lack thereof, is the hot topic in the indie publishing world right now. No longer can indie authors hope to break out without paying for an editor. Readers just won't put up with the crap even for a good story (Although, I saw Fifty Shades, and it's stellar lack thereof, so.... sure.) 

But as a serious writer, I do see the importance and the need for proper editing. If we do not make an effort to present the best book possible, then we are just creating garbage. And after spending the last two years reading a lot of indie books, I completely agree. I get annoyed when I pay for a traditional book and find massive errors. When I bought Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games in hard cover, I was so disgusted by the numerous sentences which I could not even begin to decipher because the traditional publisher didn't bother to pay for an editor. 

She got shafted. 

But as more and more indie authors get on board, I have noticed another problem. Editor's prices are so all over the charts. I know this, because I free lance on occasion as an editor. Every time, I want to make sure I am charging fair prices so I check the climate. 

There are a lot of sharks out there ready to make a quick buck off us authors. And the problem with editing is that (unlike, say cover art) an author doesn't know what she doesn't know. How do you pick a good editor, and know you are getting a good editor?

I have heard so many horror stories of authors paying upwards of $1,000 and then having readers complain about the book not being properly edited. Just because you get a bunch of red ink, doesn't mean the editor did a good job. 

Are they providing just grammar, will they provide content editing, what about fact checking?

How does an author know an editor will do a good job? How do they know they will get charged an appropriate price? Talk to other authors and see who they have used. Check references. Read the editor's works. Ask questions. Make sure you know what you are getting, when you will get it, and how much it will cost. Most importantly, have a contract. 

But don't let the fear of not knowing prevent you from getting your book edited. Do the research. It will make your book better and will allow you to be competitive. Just be sure to factor that cost into setting the price of your book. 

Poetry Corner: A Song For You

I want to write  a song for you
flowing words that are so true

I want to find the words to say
I want you to be happy every day.

I want to find what's really best,
not just "Do what's right" like the rest.

I want you to know how I feel,
I wish I could make it real.

Do you love her oh so much?
Do you long for her tender touch?
Do you want to take her in your life?
Or is it for the child, you make her your wife?

Listen to me, please, I care
I want to save you from the bare
lonely times that lie ahead
if the two of you should wed.
Without love, you'll never make it.
You'll combine your lives and in the end break it.

But if she loves you as I do
and if you think you love her too
Then I'll write another song for you
A song to praise your hearts so true.

But if you can't, or if you won't
Then I suggest that you don't.
Do what's best for you both.
Don't ruin your lives with a noble oath.
A life without love will be  lonely and hard.
A sacred marriage will be terribly marred.

I want to write  a song for you
flowing words that are so true
I want to find the words to say
I want you to be happy every day.

I wrote this poem for friend who knocked a girl up. They hadn't been dating. They had just gotten together at a party. He was a really good friend and even at my young age, I knew how hard divorce was for the whole family. When he told me that they were getting married, I was horrified. I knew he didn't love her. I was pretty sure she didn't love him.

After I gave my friend this poem, I never heard or spoke with him again. I don't know how their relationship turned out.

On Being Happy- Cleaning

This is something I have been struggling with lately.  I feel like I am constantly struggling to balance everything. I know what I want, I know how I want things to be, I can see the happy life.... and yet, despite putting all these steps in place to get there I find myself... Not happy.

I am constantly feeling overwhelmed, like a failure, and cannot seem to get everyone on board. See, in my world of  "happy" I am trying to balance my job, career, family, husband, house, and living.  I have an obsessive need to plan. For there to be enough time to achieve everything, everyone has to pitch in. And they don't. And then I get overwhelmed. I am going to be running some posts on finding this happiness. Today, we are going to talk about finding happiness around one of the most obvious problems: Cleaning.


There are all these cutsey quips online about a messy house is a happy house, and other ridiculous nonsense like this:

And so my children are right, I am a horrible mom because I cannot live like this. And it is not just because I am neurotic about wanting a clean house. I literally get sick if my house is dirty. I am allergic to dust. I cannot breathe when my carpets aren't vacuumed regularly. But everyone else in my house is just fine with the mess, unless they are busy yelling and blaming each other.

And my house is never clean, and I am not happy.

And when momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

I have tried to back off. I have tried the tackle-it- all myself approach, but it just makes me more mad because there are a million other things I would rather be doing than cleaning house. I don't enjoy cleaning house (I envy those who say that they do.) But it is something that needs to be done. There is a reason they call it a chore. But in my house everyone seems to think I have unreasonable standards. I have tried paying for chores, I have tried no fun til chores are done, I have tried "family cleaning time" which just turns into family fighting time. I have tried everything there is to try. I have explained the importance of cleaning, that I can't do it all myself, that I need everyone to contribute. And I will get a bit of compliance for a time.... and then no one wants to do their part.

How do I survive when I am the only one in the house that needs it clean? How do you find the way to being happy living in mess and unable to breath?

Am I just neurotic? Are my problems breathing all in my head? Or should I focus on cleaning and let go of the other things I want, because being healthy is an important part of being happy. I can't be healthy in a dirty house. Let other stuff go.

This is going to be a long saga of trying to find a way to be happy. Solving each problem in turn, I hope will allow me to achieve my end results.

Would love your thoughts on this struggle. Feel free to comment below.

Poetry Corner: Was it a Midlife Crisis?

Life is a ribbon

Artwork courtesy of Graphicstock

that threads on and on.
Some parts are fine silk,
and some are torn.

There are jewels in the garden,
with which to adorn.
But sometimes our ribbons
get bunched and get scrunched.
Sometimes they wrap 'round us
and pull us down.

Down into inky black despair.
You're alone and empty,
have nowhere to go.
You just want to lie down and die.

But that is never an option.
You must keep living
and going on
and eventually
You will have to stand up.

Stand back up and face the world again.
So what are you waiting for?
Just do it


Yeah, not sure when I wrote this, or what inspired it. It wasn't for a class assignment, I am fairly certain. I am guessing it was during a very difficult time in my life. Probably either High school graduation, or when I was trying to determine what to pick as a major when I realized I wouldn't make a living as an actor.... So I decided to become an author... go figure.  At least I got a great degree that gave me lots of job options as well as helping me with my career.

Since I wrote this poem, I have gone through a lot of ups and downs in my life. Some have been so hard that I didn't think I could keep going on. Some have been so painful that I thought it would be easier to just curl up and die. And here I still am, pushing for what I want, fighting for my dreams.

Poetry Corner: Deceived

Starry Night o'er a sleepy town.
The day is done, the sun gone down.

Stars twinkle in the night,
but not every night is right.

Horror sneaks about in this town,
with the peaceful stars shining softly down.

What horror could stalk on this pleasant night?
The twisted brain of a man not quite right.






This was another creative writing class project. We were asked to write a poem related to Van Gogh's Starry Night. I have to be honest, when I was young I thought Van Gogh must have been on drugs and it kept me from trying drugs (true story.) As I got older, I began to wonder what the world saw in this artist. (I still wonder). Now I look at his art and I wonder if he was on drugs, if he had something different with his brain that led him to see the world this way, or if he was just REALLY good at snowing the public of his time into considering him a great artist and somehow that misconception stuck.  I know third graders who can create better artwork. If I posted one of Van Gogh's less known pieces of art as a cover, I would get tons of well-meaning advice suggesting that I "hire a professional" to re-work my cover.

Thinking of Van Gogh makes me wonder about some indie authors who have had success with books that I considered poorly written, badly edited, or just straight up ripped off from other authors. At least Van Gogh was original.  And that makes me wonder about the masses who flocked to these unnamed books. Are they on drugs? Is there something different about their brains? Did these authors find a magical way to fool the masses into believing these books were great art? Will that misconception stand the test of time?

Or maybe my brain is the one that is off.
I digress...

Update on the Homefront

Things are about to get very exciting. I have in my hands Lynette White's Enemy Unmasked, and am beginning edits tonight! She is releasing in July so I will have my hands full getting her to market in time. But I am excited for the challenge.

I am also going to be gearing up to edit Hell School: Fresh Meat for a September release, as I don't want to be rushed between Lynette's release and my own.

I also have the sequel for The Hunters demanding to be put to paper. It has started haunting my dreams so I best stop ignoring that.

What does all this mean for my lovely readers?

Well, you will probably be seeing more posts about editing... and less book reviews. I am bummed too, believe me. But at the same time, it is refreshing to get back to editing!

You will also be seeing a lot more of my poetry posts as they are quicker and easier, given the important stuff is already written.

If you need me, please be patient. Things are going to be a bit crazy busy around here!