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.

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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?

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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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Choices

If you knew you only had ten minutes to live, what would you regret most about the choices you made, and, if you had the opportunity, what would you do to correct those mistakes?

Every day we have to make choices. What to wear to work, what to fix the kids for dinner, what route to take home from work, what to write, what to say to the , do, think. Some of those choices we make can affect the rest of our lives as evidenced in the short story below. It’s purpose is to show us all the impact our choices have and what would change if the reasons for those choices were altered.

Ten Minutes

He was going to die. As he faced the gun pointed at his face, he recounted his life. The many days he’d spent working until all hours of the night and grabbing a few hours of sleep only to begin it all over again the following morning were now all wasted. He should have read a book to his kids, played with the dog, and spent much more time with his wife. Had he even told her he loved her this morning before he’d left for work? He couldn’t remember.

Sweat ran down his back as he knelt on the cracked pavement, arms up in the air. Should he beg? Plead with the man who now controlled his destiny? Would it serve any useful purpose other than to give his killer a sick sense of pleasure? No, he wouldn’t plead for the life he was about to leave behind, but he would for the life he now wanted.

Before the words could leave his mouth, he heard the sound of sirens in the distance. His shoulders sagged with relief. The potential killer tensed, looked over his shoulder, and for a moment, he thought he would still die that day. He closed his eyes. Waiting. Praying. Holding his breath until retreating footsteps offered a hint of hope.

He opened his eyes, finding himself alone. Tears streamed down his face. A quick look at his watch told him only ten minutes had passed since he’d come face to face with the gun.

Ten life-changing minutes.

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