Ink Raindrops

Welcome to my little corner of the web!  Pardon the dust and balled-up manuscripts, but you’ll get used to it…

My name is Amelia Bruce, and I am a writer — of fantasy, and of other things when the mood strikes.  Ink Raindrops was an idea that crept into my head, as a way of handling the many story ideas that I’ve fiddled with over the years.  Due to the condition of the publishing industry in today’s economy, and the fact that I have yet to complete anything I would consider worthy for a “real” publisher anyway, I thought that putting my work out online for others to view and critique would be a welcome way to practice and gain readership.  However, at the same time, I wanted a way for you, my readers, to tell me which of my ideas you like best and want to see more of, as opposed to any projects I might need to place back on the drawing board and give more thought to.

Thus the idea for Ink Raindrops was born.  This blog can offer the best of both worlds; a way for me to be able to post things, worry free, for your viewing pleasure, and a way for you to tell me which stories you love the most.  That way I can focus on what you want to see, and then work on other things as time permits.  I expect that there will be a couple of chapters updated per month, one of your choosing plus another of my own choosing (unless I’m just so focused that I end up with two chapters of the same story!)  I also expect that the story you want to see more of will change with time, thus allowing me to work on other stories and switch gears instead of becoming tired of a single one.  The more things change around here, the better, as far as this humble writer is concerned!

As someone with an extensive background in forum role-playing as well as formal writing, I have limited difficulty starting new projects or “going with the flow” on an idea that may not be fleshed out before I start it.  I do, however, have a great deal of difficulty when it comes to staying on top of a project once it hits the middle and/or end of its story.  I have made it my goal to focus on completing stories here, as well as making them available to readers who might enjoy following them as they progress. This does mean that you will find novice mistakes, such as continuity errors or inconsistencies, from time to time. I do my best to fix spelling and grammar mistakes before I post, but the point is that these are not handled by a professional editor. They are my drafts, polished to the best of my personal ability, but by no means final. If you seek perfection, look elsewhere — if you seek good writing that will only benefit from your comments, then you’re in the right place!

As mentioned before, my main interest lies in fantasy stories, so the majority of stories here will be in that genre.  However, please don’t be surprised if you see other kinds of creations pop up over time.  I am a fan of “soft” science fiction and horror as well, and I have been known to dabble in kiddie literature on occasion too.  I have made an effort to label those stories that I feel contain adult material; please visit the About Color Ratings page for more information on how that works.

Last but not least, a brief word to anyone concerned that I am shooting myself in the foot by publishing my work online.  Up until the creation of this blog, I had similar fears, and it kept me from allowing anyone short of my own personal editor (otherwise known as my husband) to see my work.  As a result, it has been many years since anyone has seen anything of mine, and I find that to be disappointing for them as well as for me.  It may be that I lose ground with potential publishers for not having the ability to sell first publication rights — I will accept that.  What I won’t accept is my friends and family complaining that they don’t get to see anything from me anymore, and new readers of what little I do post asking me why I haven’t written anything else!

I am of the belief that if I get popular enough for a publisher to contact me via my blog, that they will be able to overlook first publication rights.  If I don’t manage to make friends with a publisher, then I’m not ready to publish in the first place, and this blog remains what I said it would be: a place to practice, and allow others to help me perfect my craft.  At worst, I will have a community of awesome readers that help me to be a better writer and a better person, and I can’t argue with that.

That said, I do consider this material copyrighted.  You’re welcome to link to it, hand out the link to your friends, print copies out, and talk about it to anyone who will listen, as long as my name stays attached to it.  I ask that you do not copy it as your own, attempt to publish it under your own name, or try to borrow my ideas and concepts for your own stories.  If you want to be a writer, half the game is thinking up your own ideas.  I’m honored that you like mine, but I’m still using them and may do more with them unless I have said otherwise.  You can do much, much better than crabbing off of someone else if you put your mind to it.  The exception, of course, is for fan-fiction stories.  Those are the property of their respective creators, and are not mine, however much I wish they were!  All I’ve done is add my two cents to them.

If you are interested in learning more about my thoughts as a writer, I invite you to look over my interview at WhoHub.  I had a great time filling this out, and it answers most of the basic writer questions that people tend to ask me.  Don’t expect it to be a short read, but with any luck it will be an informative one.

If you’d like to learn more about me, I’ll post some personal details at some point trying to let you get to know me better as a person.  At the moment I’m focused on getting everything set up and running, so you’ll have to forgive my lack of forwardness in that right now!  You are, of course, welcome to ask any question you’d like via my email address, listed below.  I’ll do my best to answer!  If people start asking good questions, I might start a category for reader mail, but for now I’m going to keep things simple.

I hope that you enjoy your time at Ink Raindrops, and I offer my deepest thanks and respect to those of you that stop by to offer your support, advice, and votes!  Whether you’re just a reader, or you vote loud and proud, my writing is nothing without you.  Don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see that isn’t here, or if you think the site would be better without something I’ve added.

Yours in sincerity,

Amelia (Amy) Bruce
brasspetals@gmail.com
Twitter: musestreet
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