That sounds somewhat ominous doesn't it? :)
The big news was enough to make Mr SM take me out to a big sushi dinner and whine about not playing hookey from work so he could help me celebrate. Friends and family around the country flooded my phone and email account with joy, confetti and text messages!
Okay, okay, I'll tell you. Don't blow a gasket. :)
Yesterday, a publisher accepted my werewolf novel and wants to talk contracts. Squeeeee!
I'm so excited I can barely sit still. I called my dad and his first response was, "That's nice." Then the words sank in and he got more and more excited as the phone call went on. By the end, he was laughing and telling my mom to get on the phone!
It was a great day with all sorts of congratulations and excitement exploding around me and it has only continued. I'm on top of the world and I know this only happened because of one thing that has stuck with me for several months now. Christina Dodd mentioned it on Facebook and I'm taking it from her.
"Professional writers are only amateurs who didn't quit."
So true. Don't give up. Keep pushing yourself, keep writing, keep editing, fixing, tweaking and submitting. Keep blogging, writing #flashfiction, and dreaming because it all points you in the right direction. Never give up; never surrender!
Good luck and happy reading! (Hopefully, you'll be reading about my werewolves soon!) :)
Showing posts with label Publishers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Publishers. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Proactivity
I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "Good things come to those who wait." It's usually said by parents trying to get a little more time to finish whatever it is they're doing before the kids drive them insane with demands.
In the writing world, this was something I was often told, maybe not in those words, exactly, but something to the same effect. "You gotta wait for the agent/editor/publisher to get to your stuff before you can publish." Very true, particularly if you're waiting for one of the Big New York publishers to get back to you.
However, that doesn't mean you have to stop what you're doing or even stop honing your craft. Yes, you've finished your manuscript; yes, you've submitted it to one or several publishers; yes, they've given you a 16 week response time, but you don't have to stop writing. You don't have to wait by the phone/computer/iphone with baited breath.
Now is a good time to write the next book/novella/series of short stories. Don't wait on the editors. They're busy looking at your manuscript. Now is the time to practice some more. WRITE WRITE WRITE. This is the time to get the new story out there because if they turn down your first story, maybe they'll pick up the next one because it's just a little better, just a little more refined, just as little better planned and sketched out.
In each story I write, I improve my story-writing abilities. I've always been good at "telling" the story to folks, but writing takes a little more discipline and refinement. Talking it out, a story is full of colloquialisms and the words "that", "which", and "because"; telling words. In writing, it's a clunky way of reading and it pulls the reader out of the story. Refining the writing to leave out those words but still get across what I want to; wow, that takes practice!
So be proactive in your writing efforts. Submit to the publishers, query the agents, and then get back to work on the next story, because as Christina Dodd once put up on Facebook: "Professional writers are only amateurs who never gave up." Truer words were never written. :)
In the writing world, this was something I was often told, maybe not in those words, exactly, but something to the same effect. "You gotta wait for the agent/editor/publisher to get to your stuff before you can publish." Very true, particularly if you're waiting for one of the Big New York publishers to get back to you.
However, that doesn't mean you have to stop what you're doing or even stop honing your craft. Yes, you've finished your manuscript; yes, you've submitted it to one or several publishers; yes, they've given you a 16 week response time, but you don't have to stop writing. You don't have to wait by the phone/computer/iphone with baited breath.
Now is a good time to write the next book/novella/series of short stories. Don't wait on the editors. They're busy looking at your manuscript. Now is the time to practice some more. WRITE WRITE WRITE. This is the time to get the new story out there because if they turn down your first story, maybe they'll pick up the next one because it's just a little better, just a little more refined, just as little better planned and sketched out.
In each story I write, I improve my story-writing abilities. I've always been good at "telling" the story to folks, but writing takes a little more discipline and refinement. Talking it out, a story is full of colloquialisms and the words "that", "which", and "because"; telling words. In writing, it's a clunky way of reading and it pulls the reader out of the story. Refining the writing to leave out those words but still get across what I want to; wow, that takes practice!
So be proactive in your writing efforts. Submit to the publishers, query the agents, and then get back to work on the next story, because as Christina Dodd once put up on Facebook: "Professional writers are only amateurs who never gave up." Truer words were never written. :)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Happy (Birthday) News
I'm getting a new laptop for my birthday!
My husband built it for me from the best components and it should arrive around the time of my birthday! Yay!
In the meantime, I'm editing a ms that I hope to send to another publisher by the end of September and still working on the Navy's Ghost, which is August's SSS ms. Last week's six sentences didn't get posted in time (don't know why), but I hope to be back on the list this Sunday.
I'm looking forward to the new "toy", which I can write off as a business expense (yay!) and get to work a little more steadily. It's hard to get into the writing grove when I have to change locations (my husband's desk) and tools (my husband's computer). I'm just now getting input from the muse again after the meltdown.
So I hope your week is wonderful and you get writing (and reading) done. I'm getting over a cold and two sick kids, but I'm determined to get moving again. Be well and happy reading!
My husband built it for me from the best components and it should arrive around the time of my birthday! Yay!
In the meantime, I'm editing a ms that I hope to send to another publisher by the end of September and still working on the Navy's Ghost, which is August's SSS ms. Last week's six sentences didn't get posted in time (don't know why), but I hope to be back on the list this Sunday.
I'm looking forward to the new "toy", which I can write off as a business expense (yay!) and get to work a little more steadily. It's hard to get into the writing grove when I have to change locations (my husband's desk) and tools (my husband's computer). I'm just now getting input from the muse again after the meltdown.
So I hope your week is wonderful and you get writing (and reading) done. I'm getting over a cold and two sick kids, but I'm determined to get moving again. Be well and happy reading!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Quiet Sunday Reflections
Normally I write on Mondays, but tomorrow, workers will be invading my house to mount a new ceiling fan from our 20 ft living room ceiling and that will distract me beyond measure. Not so good for reflecting or writing.
I've been thinking about technology and the modern author. Okay, not really, but I have recently joined Twitter and it made me think of the first time I started moving into the modern world of communication. It all started with a cell phone from Sprint. I resisted for as long as possible, but capitulated when I started applying for jobs where I might not be home much and I needed to stay in contact with interviewers. It was a good choice for me at the time. Now I wouldn't be caught ANYWHERE without my cell phone (although I'm no longer with Sprint).
My next big jump in technological communication (and communication is the key to every relationship) was Facebook. I was resistant because when did I have time to constantly update my status? I was busy doing stuff that I would write about as my status! But I capitulated because it was a great way to keep in contact with folks in my profession who didn't live in the same city as I did or had moved on to other places and jobs. I could stay up-to-date with what they were doing without having to be in the same university, city, or company as them. It's particularly useful for finding out their upcoming projects. :)
Then I started this blog. For a long time I looked at blogging as a way for people to fan their egos. It seemed self-indulgent to me. But after thinking about it a long time and reading a few blogs, I realized it was a viable way to get your voice out there, good, bad, or mediocre, to be noticed. I'm a writer, so getting my voice out where publishers, agents, and editors could "hear" it seemed like a really good idea; especially if I wanted said folks to become interested in my writing ability. Now I see it as yet another form of interaction and communication; a place where I can offer snippets of my writing where a lot of people can see it.
Now I've joined Twitter. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination and I was resistant to it because I wasn't so certain you could really put anything meaningful in 140 characters or less (that's pretty hard, actually). However, I joined Twitter for two reasons. One, many authors communicate as much as possible to as many people as possible, and Twitter is a good place to connect, at least briefly, with a lot of people (readers, reviewers, publishers, etc.). Two, with Facebook cracking down on contests and giveaways, people turned to Twitter for that information and when I start my giveaways (and there will be some, believe me), I'll be able to post it here and tweet it on Twitter.
I'm still resistant to a "Smartphone" because if I want to do computer things, I'll use my computer! I'll use my phone to make phone calls and text! *eye roll* Well, I sometimes use it to listen to music and snap photos, but that's it! Yeah, I know, not much of an excuse. I might succumb eventually. :S
The point of my reflections is any form of communication can be good or bad, but it is what you make of it. I'm trying to make my communications useful, meaningful, and well written (or at least thought-out). So I'm getting my voice out there. Come "like" me on Facebook to read my posts; follow me on Twitter to enjoy my pithy tweets; or follow me on this blog for more involved writing. And feel free to share with other folks! Happy reading, writing and communicating! :)
I've been thinking about technology and the modern author. Okay, not really, but I have recently joined Twitter and it made me think of the first time I started moving into the modern world of communication. It all started with a cell phone from Sprint. I resisted for as long as possible, but capitulated when I started applying for jobs where I might not be home much and I needed to stay in contact with interviewers. It was a good choice for me at the time. Now I wouldn't be caught ANYWHERE without my cell phone (although I'm no longer with Sprint).
My next big jump in technological communication (and communication is the key to every relationship) was Facebook. I was resistant because when did I have time to constantly update my status? I was busy doing stuff that I would write about as my status! But I capitulated because it was a great way to keep in contact with folks in my profession who didn't live in the same city as I did or had moved on to other places and jobs. I could stay up-to-date with what they were doing without having to be in the same university, city, or company as them. It's particularly useful for finding out their upcoming projects. :)
Then I started this blog. For a long time I looked at blogging as a way for people to fan their egos. It seemed self-indulgent to me. But after thinking about it a long time and reading a few blogs, I realized it was a viable way to get your voice out there, good, bad, or mediocre, to be noticed. I'm a writer, so getting my voice out where publishers, agents, and editors could "hear" it seemed like a really good idea; especially if I wanted said folks to become interested in my writing ability. Now I see it as yet another form of interaction and communication; a place where I can offer snippets of my writing where a lot of people can see it.
Now I've joined Twitter. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination and I was resistant to it because I wasn't so certain you could really put anything meaningful in 140 characters or less (that's pretty hard, actually). However, I joined Twitter for two reasons. One, many authors communicate as much as possible to as many people as possible, and Twitter is a good place to connect, at least briefly, with a lot of people (readers, reviewers, publishers, etc.). Two, with Facebook cracking down on contests and giveaways, people turned to Twitter for that information and when I start my giveaways (and there will be some, believe me), I'll be able to post it here and tweet it on Twitter.
I'm still resistant to a "Smartphone" because if I want to do computer things, I'll use my computer! I'll use my phone to make phone calls and text! *eye roll* Well, I sometimes use it to listen to music and snap photos, but that's it! Yeah, I know, not much of an excuse. I might succumb eventually. :S
The point of my reflections is any form of communication can be good or bad, but it is what you make of it. I'm trying to make my communications useful, meaningful, and well written (or at least thought-out). So I'm getting my voice out there. Come "like" me on Facebook to read my posts; follow me on Twitter to enjoy my pithy tweets; or follow me on this blog for more involved writing. And feel free to share with other folks! Happy reading, writing and communicating! :)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Editing and Critique Partners
Oh, the dreaded E word!
I don't mean "electronic", which gives book publishers hives. No, I mean someone taking a hacksaw to your work and bleeding all over it until you're not sure you ever wrote anything good to begin with.
Editing.
That said, editors have a thankless job. First, the writers come to them, whining and crying, "Oh please edit my work. It's good. It'll be worth your while; you'll see!" And then when they do as the writer asks, and edit to the best of their ability, the writers whine and cry, "Oh, how could you be so cruel? How could you kill my favorite sentences?" They get it coming and going.
The thing is, you can't edit your own work. You can see the story in your mind, but you're too close to it. You can't see where you've failed to explain it well enough or clearly enough through your writing. Worse, what about all the correctly spelled typos? The spellchecker won't catch it when you spell the darn word correctly, even if it's the wrong word. Taylor Mali gives an excellent illustration of why we need editors and proof readers in his poem The Impotence of Proofreading.
Having someone edit your work is nerve-wracking and scary, but the whole point of being a writer is so someone will eventually read your work! And not your mother, who's very proud of you and will tell you your writing is fabulous even when it's crap. Not your friends, either. They're too scared to hurt your feelings because they know this is "your baby".
You need editors and critique partners, people you can trust to tell you where your story needs elaboration, cutting back, or even rewriting. And you have to trust them to look at the story with your best interests at heart. They are there to help you make the story better. Granted, you don't want people who are derisive or so negative they kill your love and urge to write; but you do want people who critique seriously and with the intent to help you. The comments may be hard to read, but they are meant to make your story the best it can be.
The biggest thing you must do is let go of your "Attachment To The Words". You can't have favorite sentences when you hand off your work to an editor. They might get cut or moved or so rearranged they don't look like they did before they left your hands. You have to let it all go. Once it goes to your critique partners, it will change, probably for the better. The good news is you can choose which comments to take to heart and which to ignore. Maybe your reader didn't get what you were trying to say and a little rewording will help. Maybe they jumped the gun too early and the problem will be explained a little later, so you just need a little more setup to prime them.
A big thing to remember: the editor and critique partners are there TO HELP. The more comments they make, the more they care to make your story the best it can be.
I have (currently) four critique partners who help me smooth the rough spots, fill out the descriptions, and edit the crappy word choices I made. They also come from all walks of life: I managed to find a technical writing editor who can fix my word usage (YAY!); I found a scientific writer who enjoys science fiction and romance stories, and reads, a lot; I have a romantic suspense writer who has a great grasp of romantic elements in the crazy world of conflict; and I convinced a science fiction/fantasy writer to critique my work to help me with the paranormal aspects of my stories.
The more people who read your work and offer suggestions, the better. You'll never catch all the little quirks in your stories, but the cleaner you make them, the greater the likelihood you'll win a contract with a publisher and/or agent.
The biggest thing I want to offer: DON'T GIVE UP, even if you have a lot of work to do on the story you had critiqued. So this story wasn't the best; move on to the next one and learn from the mistakes on the first. Deb Coonts mentioned that the first story is good, the second story is great, and the third one is awesome, because she's had practice and learned from the mistakes. Same thing here. Don't give up after the first story if it isn't as good as you thought. The best stories are yet to come! :)
I don't mean "electronic", which gives book publishers hives. No, I mean someone taking a hacksaw to your work and bleeding all over it until you're not sure you ever wrote anything good to begin with.
Editing.
That said, editors have a thankless job. First, the writers come to them, whining and crying, "Oh please edit my work. It's good. It'll be worth your while; you'll see!" And then when they do as the writer asks, and edit to the best of their ability, the writers whine and cry, "Oh, how could you be so cruel? How could you kill my favorite sentences?" They get it coming and going.
The thing is, you can't edit your own work. You can see the story in your mind, but you're too close to it. You can't see where you've failed to explain it well enough or clearly enough through your writing. Worse, what about all the correctly spelled typos? The spellchecker won't catch it when you spell the darn word correctly, even if it's the wrong word. Taylor Mali gives an excellent illustration of why we need editors and proof readers in his poem The Impotence of Proofreading.
Having someone edit your work is nerve-wracking and scary, but the whole point of being a writer is so someone will eventually read your work! And not your mother, who's very proud of you and will tell you your writing is fabulous even when it's crap. Not your friends, either. They're too scared to hurt your feelings because they know this is "your baby".
You need editors and critique partners, people you can trust to tell you where your story needs elaboration, cutting back, or even rewriting. And you have to trust them to look at the story with your best interests at heart. They are there to help you make the story better. Granted, you don't want people who are derisive or so negative they kill your love and urge to write; but you do want people who critique seriously and with the intent to help you. The comments may be hard to read, but they are meant to make your story the best it can be.
The biggest thing you must do is let go of your "Attachment To The Words". You can't have favorite sentences when you hand off your work to an editor. They might get cut or moved or so rearranged they don't look like they did before they left your hands. You have to let it all go. Once it goes to your critique partners, it will change, probably for the better. The good news is you can choose which comments to take to heart and which to ignore. Maybe your reader didn't get what you were trying to say and a little rewording will help. Maybe they jumped the gun too early and the problem will be explained a little later, so you just need a little more setup to prime them.
A big thing to remember: the editor and critique partners are there TO HELP. The more comments they make, the more they care to make your story the best it can be.
I have (currently) four critique partners who help me smooth the rough spots, fill out the descriptions, and edit the crappy word choices I made. They also come from all walks of life: I managed to find a technical writing editor who can fix my word usage (YAY!); I found a scientific writer who enjoys science fiction and romance stories, and reads, a lot; I have a romantic suspense writer who has a great grasp of romantic elements in the crazy world of conflict; and I convinced a science fiction/fantasy writer to critique my work to help me with the paranormal aspects of my stories.
The more people who read your work and offer suggestions, the better. You'll never catch all the little quirks in your stories, but the cleaner you make them, the greater the likelihood you'll win a contract with a publisher and/or agent.
The biggest thing I want to offer: DON'T GIVE UP, even if you have a lot of work to do on the story you had critiqued. So this story wasn't the best; move on to the next one and learn from the mistakes on the first. Deb Coonts mentioned that the first story is good, the second story is great, and the third one is awesome, because she's had practice and learned from the mistakes. Same thing here. Don't give up after the first story if it isn't as good as you thought. The best stories are yet to come! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)