Why Do You Write?

For every book that’s published, hundreds more are rejected every day.  Will yours be one of them?  Probably, at least at first.  Will yours be a breakout hit which will take the world by storm?  Maybe, but in reality, you’ll go through your fair share of rejections. Many times over, you’ll wonder why you ever decided to enter such a tough and tedious field.  The answer is simple. Because you love to write.  It’s not just what you do.  It’s who you are.

It’s your talent, the creative muscle which allows you to build a fictitious world or reveal a powerful bit of knowledge.  It’s your never-ending desire to see your words in print that makes you a writer.  Add to that your zeal for the printed word and the heart-pounding excitement you get from knowing someone loves what you’ve written.

Being a writer can be frustrating, daunting, and even overwhelming, especially as you try to learn what is required and just what you’ll have to sacrifice. Unfortunately, in the publishing industry, there are not a lot of shortcuts, but reaching your ultimate destination (being a published author) is all that matters.

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The Write Team by Teryl Cartwright

Of course you’ve heard that writers work alone. You’ve probably also heard what a lonely job it is. But one of the best kept writing secrets around is that you are not alone. The best writers work with a team. Sure, you may have to sit in front of the computer by yourself and each word comes from your hand, but you need a team to make it to the next step.

I’m not referring to writers’ groups or classes. I don’t mean the online friends who give you research tips or like your status on Facebook. And please say “no” right now critique clubs and authors’ events. I’m talking about the team you recruit to help you write. You will need a cheerleader (to save your world), a mentor, a coach and finally, Simon Cowell. And you need these people in that exact order.

When you begin to write and the words gush freely and so beautifully, who do you go to share this wondrous miracle? Who gets as excited about you writing as you do? Whether it’s your BF, your spouse, your mom or the cheerful checkout gal, this person is vital to keep the spark alive, to get you to actually put the words on paper and get started. Their enthusiasm feeds yours and you need this person to be there and be energizing for you.

Yet even as you begin your writing adventure, you may start to have doubts or get stuck on how overwhelming it is to try to write when so much else demands your attention. Do you ever find it impossible to keep typing because you can’t get the image of the weeds in the backyard out of your head? Do you ever feel guilty when the kids get their snack ten minutes later than normal because you didn’t want to lose your train of thought and had to get it on paper first? Think about who you can call to listen to your struggles. You need a different person from the cheerleader who would tell you everything is great or going to be fine. In fact, at this stage, cheerleading might be annoying to you because that person “just doesn’t get it.” Find a mentor, someone who listens without advice, someone who cares without trying to solve your problem for you. Their support will help you balance writing with living and let you go through the process yourself.

In the next stage of a book (which is often the before the middle), you’ve been writing but you’ve lost the first glow of enthusiasm and your persistence is waning. You can see you’ve gone far, but you are not at the top of the hill, you are still in no man’s land. It’s at this point many writers give up and leave a half finished book to start another with a “better” idea or put their book down to finish later since “there’s not much more left to do.” Let me warn you now that half finished books are the hardest to finish because you will forget the ideas and the reasons you wrote the first part if you stop now. You need someone to hold you accountable. While you might consider this next person a personal trainer, a coach might be a better term to use. Personal trainers can’t make you do the exercise, but a coach is someone you admire and respect enough to want to impress. Get that someone, whether another writer or a co-worker, to ask you how much writing you’ve done each day. Don’t ask someone really close to you such as a spouse or parent to do this job—you will only resent their questions. Ask someone who will get you to keep going. Your coach will get you working through the middle of the book, through the writer’s block and help you set your sights on the goal, the homestretch.

Finally, you’ve finished the book. Is it time to celebrate? Yes! But there’s still one member left on your team to see. Still one more person you need for your book. I saved Simon Cowell for last. This person is not merely the critic; this person is the honest voice. You do not want to talk to or even recruit Simon until AFTER the book is done and AFTER all of your other three teammates have read it. To let Simon comment on a work in progress will guarantee you won’t finish it. Ever. Your Simon shouldn’t even know you are working on a book until you are done. This is really important. There are enough critics in the world, why let one judge you before you want anyone else’s opinions?

Choose your Simon wisely. Don’t pick someone with an agenda (such as a rival writer) and don’t pick someone who would like to take over or tell you what to do. Pick someone neutral and fair, someone who reads all different types of writing, because that person can speak from a broader base of experience.

If you can let your team help you write, you will find success and hold a finished first draft. You will cherish the joy of the cheerleader, the support of the mentor, the push of the coach and finally, the measured and deserved words of your critic as you start to revise your book into the next bestseller. Just go through the same process listed above for your book again…and again. With your team helping you “write” along.

Simon Cowell writing team writing enthusiasm mentor coach book critic first draft Teryl Cartwright Courting Constance Inspirational Romance Romance Vintage Reflections Publishing writing writing process

Perseverance after Rejections

I wrote an article for FarmLife magazine on my rescue dog Rocky. He is a beautiful black and tan Husky that was hit by a car and left for dead. His back leg and tail had to be amputated, but the day after his surgery he walked out of the veterinarian’s office and into our hearts.

When I saw my article about Rocky’s harrowing experience in print I was hooked. I set an original writing goal to have something published to honor each of my beloved family pets for all eternity.

With the success of publication came the inevitable rejection. Oh the devastation of receiving those initial rejection letters in the mail hurt deeply. I could have given up, I wanted to give up a few times, and then my stubborn nature took over. When I received a rejection in the mail I would immediately submit the story to another publisher, or magazine, based on the theory that ten separate publishers could give me ten different reactions to what I had crafted. Perseverance means determination, and I was determined. The key in writing is to find the right match for your manuscript, short story, or article. A rejection doesn’t mean your writing is lacking it could mean the publisher has met their quota for your genre at the current time. I received enough rejections for my first novel that I could have wallpapered my den with them. If I would have abandoned my determination I would never have received the publishing contract from Vintage Reflections for my first picture book, What If a Zebra had Triangles?

Rejection can arrive in many forms, some rejections are a form letter, sometimes you don’t get a response, and sometimes the letter contains a glimmer of hope such as, good premise, shows promise, but…

Take the “but..”, fix it and re-submit. Don’t scream artistic talent, or writer’s prerogative! Publishers have been in this business long enough to make informed requests for changes.

Set your goals, be determined, and persevere. Rejection is part of the process of publication but if you are lucky enough to get a suggestion from a publisher, take it with a grain of salt and a shot of─perseverance, and resubmit. Please feel free to visit my website at www.victoriaroder.com

Victoria Roder lives in Central Wisconsin with her husband Ron and a house full of pets. She is the author of The Dream House Visions and Nightmares, Asylett Press, Bolt Action, Champagne Books and coming soon from Vintage Reflections Publishing, What if a Zebra had Triangles?

perseverance dealing with rejection motivation Vintage Reflections Publishing epublisher ebooks traditional publisher romance Inspirational Romance magazine articles publication success determination What If a Zebra Had Triangles Victoria Roder

Good Author References

Sometimes when people find out that I am an author, they ask me a lot of questions. Usually this comes from those who say they always wanted to write a book, but just somehow never got around to it. They might ask me where I get my ideas. For me ideas can come from anywhere. I might see something on TV and it will bring an idea to mind. For example, at the beginning of the Iraq war a female soldier named Jessica Lynch made headlines when she got captured and later rescued. I really admired her service and those of other brave soldiers, both male and female. But I really wondered what would make a woman sign up to join the army and march off to war. Since I really love historicals, I did some research and found out that lots of women did just that during the Civil War. Thus, my character, Charlotte “Charlie” Garrett was created as a woman who follows her husband into the Confederate army.

Once you open your eyes and your ears to the world around you, there will be no end to the story ideas that can come to mind.

People also ask me how I was able to get published and other questions dealing with the publishing industry. I tell them you have to first finish that book and write it the best you can. Then you have to learn some of the business involved. I’ve put together a list of books and links that I hope will be helpful to anyone just starting out writing that book or trying to get one published. Don’t give up!

~Diane Wylie, author of four historical romances

http://www.dianewylie.com

———————-

Great reference books to have on hand:

Good dictionary

Thesaurus

Any style guide, example: Chicago Manual of Style

The Writer’s Guide to Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein, Ph.D.

Good websites for writing information:

Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials – http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm

Grammar Usage and Style –

http://www.refdesk.com/factgram.html

Guide to Grammar and Style –

http://www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/index.html

The Word Detective –

http://www.word-detective.com

Publishers Marketplace –

http://publishersmarketplace.com/search.html

Preditors and Editors –

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/

Writer Beware –

http://www.sfwa.org/beware/

Directory of ePublishers –

http://www.ebookcrossroads.com/epublishers.html

http://www.dianewylie.com
Secrets and Sacrifices – 4 1/2 stars Romantic Times
Jenny’s Passion – 5 Angels and Recommended Read
Lila’s Vow – “Extraordinary story” 5 Cups and Coffee Time Reviewers Recommend
Adam’s Treasure – Out now from The Wild Rose Press
http://dianewylie.blogspot.com

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What Every Author Deserves

Whether you are a first-time author or have been in this industry for a while, there are certain things you deserve from you publisher, things that are non-negotiable. Things like:

You deserve to be treated like a person and not a commodity.

You deserve to be kept in the loop about your book.

You deserve to know if there are any delays in the release of your book and why.

You deserve (and based upon your contract have the right to) a royalty statement on time every time. Even the smallest of publishers should have a fail-safe in place in the event the staff member who is responsible for royalties is unable to complete the task. Barring a major catastrophe, your statements and payments should be on time all the time.

You deserve to be able to communicate with your editor as well as other members of the staff. If your editor is on vacation or otherwise unavailable, you should have access to another staff member who can answer any questions not directly related to edits on a specific book.

You deserve to be able to ask any reasonable question and receive an answer without fear or reprisal or ridicule.

And finally, you deserve to be heard.

book author publishing right contract royalties timely payments communicate respect heard

When You’re In the Weeds…

Tonight, at dinner, my friend’s husband said the waitress was “in the weeds”. She was so busy she was finding it difficult to keep up, and customers were getting impatient with her. Instead of explaining the situation, the girl ducked into the kitchen and literally disappeared.

With more and more items being added to my own to-do list, I can certainly relate to this waitress, but running away isn’t a solution. We all know that, but sometimes we need a little reminder.

When one editor wants edits back within a week, another editor has requested to see your full manuscript that you’d like to review one more time, and you just had a book release you need to promote, you’re busy enough. Add to that your children, your husband, a house that needs cleaning, a full-time job, your friends, other family members, and the basic day-to-day to-dos of life, and you’ll soon realize that the more you work, the more work you still have to do. So…what is the solution?

I wish I could say there was one, at least a simple one. Truth is, there isn’t. We’re all in this circle of life trying to figure out where merry-go-round is going to stop, and it never seems to. We fuss and complain about our busy lives, groan and moan when it’s time to get up in the morning, and dread facing the rush hour traffic, but, in reality, those of us who stay the busiest are actually the happiest. (http://moneyning.com/motivation/motivation-monday-be-really-busy-and-have-no-more-monday-blues/)

I’ll bet that made you blink, didn’t it? But, honestly, who wants a completely idle life? I know we might want some of the craziness to go away, but, realistically, we’re busy because of the choices we’ve made in our lives and the dreams we’re chasing.

That’s not to say, of course, there’s no such thing as being too busy, and if you’re so busy you’re forgetting your children’s names, perhaps it’s time to stop, regroup, and decide what is most important to you and what can be delegated. Here’s an article about workplace stress, but the suggestions can be incorporated into your daily life as well. http://www.ehow.com/how_2196501_lower-stress-workplace.html.

If you choose a busy life, know why you’ve chosen it, what your ultimate goal is, and how you intend to reach it. Chase those dreams, but when you’re in the weeds, make sure you know how to get out or get help.

There’s Nothing Like a Lesson You Buy and Pay For Yourself.

The title is an old saying passed down from generations of folks in Missouri, but the first time I heard it, I thought how apropos this was for life. We all learn hard lessons growing up and even well into adulthood, but it is those lessons that help us to grow and become better people.

As writers, it’s so easy to beat ourselves up when we submit a query letter or manuscript only to realize there’s a glaring error that you’re sure the agent or publisher is going to notice right away. Or what about that query letter for your romance novel that you submitted to a children’s publisher?  We’ve all been there, but those mistakes make us more careful, wiser even.

When Vintage Romance Publishing (now Vintage Reflections Publishing) opened its doors in 2004, I was sure I knew just about everything there was to know about running a publishing company. After all, how hard could it be, right? That thought still brings a laugh because, over six years later, I’m still learning, and I’m not ashamed to say I’ve paid for a few lessons myself, some of which were extremely expensive.

Whatever your calling in life, writer, mother, lawyer, or any other career or place, you’re going to make mistakes. Some of those mistakes will be humiliating, costly, and what you may consider stupid. It doesn’t change the fact you will make them.

You may end up laughing as your remember your past mistakes or cringing. Whatever the case, know that once you’ve purchased that lesson, you shouldn’t have to buy it again. So use that knowledge you’ve acquired the hard way to learn.

Oh, and if you do make the same mistake twice, at least you already know how much it’s going to cost you.

Here’s to mistakes that make us human!

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How About a Helping Hand?

When I wanted to create a new commercial for Vintage, I knew I wanted to go a different route than I’d gone before. We’d already chosen our new tagline—We Are Your Travel Guide to Your Next Adventure” so I knew I wanted the video to be about travel, to encourage readers to escape into a fantasy world. We all need a break every now and then, and reading is one of the most economical ways to take a vacation.

Because I knew one of our authors was a beautiful singer, I thought it would be perfect to have her voice with inspiring lyrics as the background. Imagine my surprise when I asked Venita Louise if I could use one of her songs and she told me she was actually writing a song that would be perfect for a video/commercial. The name of the song? Eyes of a Traveler. How perfect was that?

Now, I could have gone the usual route and used royalty-free music, but I knew we had a singer amongst us. I also knew it didn’t hurt to ask. The worst that could happen would be a no, right? Well, fortunately for us, Venita said yes, and we have a beautiful commercial to show for it. That brings me to the rest of this post.

Everyone needs a hand now and again, but, for some reason, a lot of us are shy about asking for that helping hand. Maybe it’s because we’ve convinced ourselves no one will help or we’re afraid of rejection. The reasons are varied, but, in the end, they are only obstacles in your path.

Instead of thinking: what if he/she says no, try thinking: what if he/she says yes. That way, when you’re getting ready to send your book to a publisher, ask your boss for a raise, or go to that job interview, you’re not already convinced the worst is going to happen. And in all reality, a rejection really isn’t the worst thing that could happen to us anyway.

Are you an author who could use help promoting your book or editing your work in progress? Are you a mother who could use an afternoon off just for yourself? Are you harried and overworked and could just use some extra help around the house or the office?

No matter what you choose to do, the tasks are still going to be there even if you don’t get help. The only difference is you might find someone willing to give you a hand if you’re willing to ignore your fears.

So before you talk yourself out of asking for help, go ahead and ask. And then be ready to say thank you when you get a resounding YES!

Many thanks to Venita Louise for saying yes! You can read more about Venita, her music, her books, her art, and her captivating sense of humor by visiting her website at www.venitalouise.net.

Oh, and if you haven’t seen our commercial and heard Venita’s wonderful song, here’s a direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee-9eWsJUc0. We hope you enjoy it!

Finding Your Balance

Finding a balance of happiness in our lives can be a challenge when troubles swamp us every day.

With the current economy and other difficulties in life, it might be hard to keep your eyes focused on what really matters and how to continue living in spite of the problems.

Here are three ways to regain focus:

Remember your past trials and how you came through them.

We’ve all had past problems, perhaps the loss of a job, financial problems, or illness. Think back to the last big obstacle you faced. How did you surpass it? Okay, so you might not have handled it the best possible way, but you came through it, didn’t you? Remember this when another wave of trouble hits you. You can and will come through those dark hours.

Remember that it takes time for a wounded soul to heal or a problem to resolve.

Don’t expect to wake up tomorrow morning to find the problem miraculously solved and the pain gone. It doesn’t happen that way. Just as grieving is a process, so is the solution to a problem. It takes steps, sometimes big, sometimes small. In life, miracles are few. So be patient with yourself and with others.

Do something to take your mind off the problem if only for an hour a day.

Take a class or a walk. Call a friend. Take a bubble bath. Get a massage, or read a book, but do something other than think about your problem(s).

There’s always something you can do, and if financial difficulties are the cause of your current distress, there are plenty of free things to do in life.

Visit the library or a nursing home. Put on your favorite CD and dance. Meditate, pray, laugh. Whatever your chosen activity, just give yourself at least one hour a day to enjoy life without the albatross of your problem(s).

So just remember that no matter what you might face today, you can make it through. You can survive all the problems-even when your heart tells you it can’t take any more.

The human spirit is very resilient and giving up is not an option. Living your life to the best of your ability isn’t an option, either. It’s a choice.

Creating and Achieving Writing Goals

When you first sit in front of a blank screen with a story idea and plenty of inspiration, you’re motivated to begin writing. You can’t wait to start typing and fill up that empty space. By the time you’re finished writing for the day, you feel accomplished and proud of yourself. Don’t you wish you could hang onto that feeling even once you’ve hit the middle of your book when your story isn’t so new anymore?

Actually, you can, and all it takes is setting a daily goal. How exactly is that supposed to help you? Setting goals is a proven tactic recommended by psychologists to increase motivation and encourage completion of tasks even if it takes you a bit longer than you’d like.

For instance, you’re writing a 70,000 word book, and over the course of the first week, you wrote a total of 5,000 words. You couldn’t be more excited, but…something happened, and now you’re not feeling as motivated about the book as you were in the beginning. You still want to finish it, but you just can’t seem to make yourself sit down and write.  That’s where goals come in.

Every task looks overwhelming at the beginning or even when you’re stuck in the middle, but we can all do some small portion of  that task at least once a day. Let’s look back at that 70,000 word book. You’re already 5,000 words in. With only 65,000 words to go, you have a long road ahead. So what’s the best way to navigate it?

First, a trip to your local dollar store is in order. There you will find monthly planners for the bargain price of $1.00. Each day of the month has an empty block waiting for you to fill it with your goal for that day. So once you’ve made your purchase, your goal setting awaits.

It will take you one hundred and thirty days to finish your 65,000 word book if you only write 500 words per day. That’s it. Just 500 words a day. So in the first empty block and each subsequent block after that, you’re going to write: Write 500 words on Mary’s Magic (not an actual story title). I suggest using pencil as you’ll see why in a minute. You’ll write this goal in 130 of the days of the week.

In the interim, let’s suppose you also have a story which needs to be edited or your editor is going to send her goon squad after you. Let’s just say it’s a 250 page book. Editing ten pages a day will take you twenty-five days. Make sure this goal fits in with your editor’s requirements and neatly pencil in underneath your first goal: Edit ten pages on Jim’s Journey (again, not an actual story title). You’ll write this goal down in twenty-five of the blocks.

Also, in the back of your mind, you’ve been playing around with the idea of writing a non-fiction article as well. You think you can write a 500 word non-fiction article in five days. So now you write: Write one hundred words on non-fiction article.

So now you’re ready to begin using your goal sheet. Each day you highlight what you’ve accomplished, but what happens when you don’t accomplish one of your goals that day? Just add it to a block at the end of the goal, i.e., instead of completing your goal on Day 130, you would complete it on Day 131.

And suppose you get really motivated and end up writing 1,000 words one day instead of 500? Just erase a day.

Eventually, you may get to the point where you don’t want to specify an amount. Your goal is to simply write each day. In that case, you can still use the blocks. Just write what you did each day, and if you look back at the end of the week and see an empty block, double up that day to catch up if you choose to.

Either way, each day you’ve completed a small goal, and by the time you finish writing that first article, you’ll feel such an overwhelming sense of completion you’ll want to add another goal.

Just make your goals realistic according to what you know is your ability to write, i.e., don’t set a goal to write 2,000 words a day when you know it’s a struggle for you to write 250. This isn’t a race, and no one is timing you. You control the goals, and you control how long it takes you to write the book, edit the book, or write the article.

For added motivation, I write down whatever I’ve done that day for writing even if it’s just a blog post or a synopsis for a completed book. At the end of the week, I can see I’ve written something every day no matter how minute an amount.

Motivation is important when writing, but without an editor hounding you with deadlines, you have to learn how to self-motivate. Goal-setting is the best way, and, ultimately, can be a valuable aspect in all areas of your life.