By Kathy Altman and Judy Eary
(From the April 2005 issue of the Update.)
Once upon a time, two critique partners heard a voice. (No, it wasn’t Charlton Heston and stop getting ahead of the story.)
The Voice said, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to travel to North Carolina to glean some gem of wisdom from Lisa Gardner’s workshop on plotting and rewriting.
“Since you are female, you are allowed to stop and ask directions whenever necessary, change your minds if you make a wrong turn and find yourself driving in the wrong direction, stop frequently for potty breaks or merely to stretch your legs, and talk, laugh, and above all, have fun. Maps are optional. Yahoo is better.
“But,” (and here came the kicker) “you are to retain at least one thing you can use in your own writing. And find your way home again.”
“Who was that?” Julie* squeaked.
“I don’t know,” Katie* quavered. “Maybe it’s those pain meds you’re taking.”
“But you heard it, too.”
Katie scrunched up her brow. Julie could tell she was really worried because Julie has been working hard on POV.
“Do you think it was the Muse?” Katie ventured.
The Voice quickly set them both straight. “The Muse is fickle. Pursue Knowledge and Craft.”
“But I really would like to talk to my Muse,” Katie said in a tiny voice that held just a hint of a whine.
“Look, if I have to twist your arms, I’ll find somebody else.”
“Does that mean they’ll get published before we do?” It doesn’t matter which of the CP’s said this. They were both thinking it.
“You’re pitiful,” the Voice intoned. It sounded like it was running out of patience.
“We’ll go! We’ll go!” cried the CP’s in unison.
If there was one thing the CP’s didn’t want to do, it was tick off the Voice of Authority or whatever the heck it was. You don’t need any enemies in this business.
So off they went, armed with a spirit of adventure, a bagful of chocolate, a stack of MapQuest printouts, and dangerously high hopes.
Two hundred and fifty miles later the directionally-challenged duo arrived at the hotel after hours of driving, a record number of U-turns, and a short but frustrating game of hide-and-seek with an exit sign. But they did make it. An impressive beginning.
“You go, girls!” (Mmmh, that did sound remarkably like Charlton Heston. Deep, rumbly voice. Or was it just wishful thinking?)
So what did we—I mean, they—learn?
First of all, that Lisa Gardner looks just like her picture (young and pretty). But try as they might, the two CP’s could not hate her. She was too darned nice. And she willingly imparted her knowledge in an honest, forthright, and humble manner.
Secondly, they learned voice is important. (Not the kind of Voice you may hear. That is a totally different topic and one you might want to explore with a member of the medical profession. We, or rather the two CP’s, are considering that themselves.)
No, we mean the type of voice that sold Lisa’s editor on The Perfect Husband. Lisa knows this because after her third or fourth rewrite, she asked the editor. Now Lisa uses note cards to help her plot. She says it’s much better than rewriting the same novel five times.
Of course, part of what makes Lisa’s novels so intense is her thorough research, and hearing her speak about it, the process sounded almost painless. Except the part about interviewing real, live people. Not appealing to a couple of introverts like our CP’s here, but Lisa convinced them it could be worth it.
We (oopsies—slipped again)—they learned so much that they couldn’t possibly put it in one short article. (See? They did retain something other than the weight they gained from eating all that chocolate!) They highly recommend any Lisa Gardner workshop, her website http://www.lisagardner.com/tricks/index.html for writing advice, and road trips in general.
* Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Can you blame them?
~~~~~
Kathy Altman and Judy Eary are both members of Washington Romance Writers. Kathy writes romantic suspense, and Judy writes historical fiction and fantasy—sometimes in combination.
By Danielle M. Angeline
(From the March 2005 issue of the Update.)
I had not planned on writing a follow-up article to “Yikes! A First Time Judge! What Did I Get Myself Into?” but in the course of working on recruiting judges for the 2005 Marlene, I finally decided to have my writing critiqued. I happily donated my forty dollar check to the Trisha Jenson Critique Fund, knowing it would serve two purposes: one—it was helping out a fellow author in need and two—I would get back some very much needed feedback from a pro.
My critique finally arrived after numerous e-mail and computer glitches. I had the same sweaty-palm-heart-pounding affliction as I did when I had signed up to be a judge for the 2004 Marlene contest. It was my hope this critique was chock-full of praise and that I was going to be the next breakout author. After all, I had dared to let someone critique my work, so I should get a five-star review—Right? Wrong!
The first sentence of my critique was, “I’d dump your prologue. It was hackneyed and trite. An editor will not read ANY further based on your prologue.” Slam! I thought I had been hit over the head with a two by four, which caused several unprintable expletives to fly out of my mouth followed by, “She’s got some nerve telling me this!”
Still, I forged forward and was surprised when I read the following, “HOWEVER, I do like the idea of your hero trying to satisfy his sister’s dying wish as the impetus for this novel. I just think it needs to be done differently. This, of course, is only my opinion. Remember, critiques are subjective. Someone else may disagree with me.”
Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief for she had reminded me that it was just her opinion. But then I was blasted for too many characters, too many flashbacks, too many dialogue tags and switching or “headhopping” with my point of view.”
I was ready to throw in the towel and give up my writing career, but not before I forwarded the critique to a trusted author friend, who graciously but firmly pointed out: “Repeat after me: I will never again talk about giving up on my writing!”
Her e-mail continued with, “I really don’t think her critique was a slam. If she didn’t see any potential in your novel, she wouldn’t have given you so many specific suggestions, and it’s clear from her comments that she likes your storyline.”
As for point of view, my friend offered this, “I agree with her about POV switches; sometimes the story requires the plot being told from the heroine’s perspective.” She gave me additional, productive advice, and I am thankful that she did not sugarcoat the situation. My friend ended her e-mail with, “Above all, don’t ever give up. I’m constantly reading “how to” books and advice from writers in an effort to improve my writing and will probably never stop trying to strengthen my writing in one way or another. Each month, I pick one area to study; January is Active Voice Month!” That final tidbit made me giggle.
Since receiving my critique and e-mail response from my author friend, I have woven together what these other two authors have suggested. For the month of January, I am focusing on point of view research. But I must add this final note. I have, once again, learned more about myself as a writer than from the critique itself. And that is, being critiqued is indeed someone’s opinion, but it is how I chose to react, digest, and act on the information that makes all the difference in the world.
~~~~~
Danielle M. Angeline is an associate editor for the WRW Newsletter and along with Courtney Hunt, a judge recruiter for the 2005 Marlene.
By Maggie Toussaint
(From the March 2005 issue of the Update.)
Better one or better two? Anyone who has ever had vision correction will recognize the previous sentence. During an eye exam, small lenses of differing strengths are placed in your field of vision until the image on the far wall comes into focus. Through a process of elimination, the correct lens is chosen. The perfect lens results in a crisp, clear image.
The perfect lens results in a crisp, clear image. The more I thought about that profound statement, the more I realized that it was something that could apply to my writing.
Donald Mass, Debra Dixon, Alicia Rasley, and many more fiction-writing experts agree that conflict is an essential element of crafting a quality story. Maximizing conflict maintains high reader interest in your story. I had read these words of wisdom in multiple places and thought I had a handle on conflict.
In my infinite wisdom, I treated conflict as another item on my checklist. Setting? Yeah, I got that. Characters? Yeah. Got them. Conflict? Yeah. That’s in there.
It wasn’t until I started dissecting stories by published authors that I realized how restricted my conflict vision was. Just having conflict in my story wasn’t enough. Conflict is too big to be relegated to a checklist. It has to be integrated into the very seams of the story. Two dogs and one bone. That’s conflict. Make it matter. That’s conflict. Make it emotional. That’s conflict.
I crafted more elaborately detailed plots, invented characters with multiple flaws, and beefed up my settings. I cut pictures of my characters from catalogs, drew up storyboards with multi-colored tiered charts, and created electronic filing systems for quick recall. But my rejection letters still featured the same tag line: “I wasn’t captivated by the story.”
Argh. Nothing worse than an editor thinking your story isn’t captivating.
So, back to the drawing board. How to bring conflict into the crispest focus possible? For any given scene, what is the most compelling way of presenting the conflict? For this to happen, I had to be open to new possibilities, to new ways of story elements fitting together.
The best way to illustrate this new mindset is to use an example. Let’s assume we are writing a scene about a woman needing to get her driver’s license renewed. This is a conflict inherent process involving multiple long lines and a shortage of clerks. It can easily take three hours to navigate through the bureaucratic process. Now imagine that our character doesn’t have three hours to spare because she has to pick her handicapped child up at school. The process will, of course, take three hours. That feels like conflict.
But is it enough? Is it captivating? Probably not. Let’s sharpen the focus. If the clerk who finally waits on her is someone our heroine doesn’t want to deal with, that brings in a deeper emotional element to the conflict. If we show that the handicapped child needs a med change and that it’s critical the mother gets the child to the doctor’s appointment on time, then that adds tension to the conflict. If the woman’s son’s missing gerbil has been sleeping in her purse but jumps out when she goes to pay and the clerk is experiencing a rodent infestation at home, that’s using the setting to increase the conflict.
Adding additional story layers to the conflict sharpens the focus and makes the reader care. Next time you create a scene, ask yourself if the conflict is as strong as you can make it. If not, why not try the “better one, better two” process? Add power and depth to your writing, and you’ll ensure that your readers are captivated. Use the perfect lens, and you’ll see the difference in your writing.
~~~~~
Maggie Toussaint is a member of Washington Romance Writers and Mystery Writers of America.
By Linda Voss
(From the January 2004 issue of the Update.)
Arriving during a brief moment of snow flurries, Candice Poarch and I represented WRW for gift wrapping at the new Barnes and Noble in Clarendon this holiday season. I volunteered thinking of it as another opportunity to interact with booksellers. The bookseller looked at it as an opportunity for volunteer organizations to do some community outreach and collect donations. The experience was a little bit of both and more than that as well.
We were in good company, sandwiched between The Reading Connection and the Friends of the Arlington County Library. Another friend of mine (who had also just published her first book) came by to help with the rush hour, which turned out to be slower than expected. For an afternoon in the middle of the hectic Christmas rush, the three of us provided a service in the interest of others, and $47 will go to combat domestic violence in the name of former WRW member Nancy Richards Akers. Standing at the ready, we heard about some of the other good things people were doing, different ways families were dealing with the holiday idea of giving. We chatted with a father out shopping with his freckle-faced son for Mom’s birthday present. When it came time for the son to pick the wrapping paper, the father explained how the mother would divorce him if they wrapped her birthday present in Christmas wrapping, leaving only one choice of paper. And the father turned down our offer of the plain little cards to go with the gift, informing the son that he’d be making the card. The head of a government-contracting maintenance company stopped by to get his last present wrapped. The only thing he had left to arrange for Christmas was the luncheon he had bought for his workers. He gave us a warm smile and wished us a blessed Christmas as he left.
Yes, we were able to talk about our books. We batted around some ideas with the manager who had arranged the book signing, Melissa Subt, for a book signing in February. Yes, we compared notes between us about promoting our books. Getting the time with Candice and my friend Joanne was a pleasure. (I learned a nifty new wrapping technique from Joanne!) But also, being there in the service of others—whether harried shoppers keeping a watchful eye on the kids, books, literacy, or families suffering from domestic abuse—did something to evoke in some small way the spirit of Christmas.
~~~~~
Linda Voss writes historicals under the name Kaitlynn Merlot and has published “The Muse as Puppy,” in the anthology Crumbs in the Keyboard, http://www.crumbsinkeyboard.com (proceeds donated to the Center for Women and Families).
By Dara Girard
(From the February 2005 issue of the Update.)
Valentine’s Day always gets me thinking about being single. How can I help it? I’m bombarded with articles on “How to be Single on Valentine’s Day”, or “Ten Things to do if You’re Single on Valentine’s Day”, or my personal favorite, “Don’t Feel Like a Depressed Loser Because No One Sent You Flowers on Valentine’s Day”. Okay, so the last one I made up, but you get the point. All this unnecessary advice is given as though being single were some sort of disease that needed to be cured or at least effectively treated.
I found this attitude given to singles similar to those given to unpublished writers. To many people, being unpublished is a shameful state. People refer to the efforts of the unpublished as “hobbies”, and they are spoken about in hushed tones of sympathy. Unpublished authors should be proud of the courage they have to follow a dream. They should declare themselves writers without waiting for someone else to tell them they are. I implore the unpublished—both newbie and advanced—to stand tall among the onslaught of rejections, harsh critiques, and well-meaning (but sometimes strange) advice of the published. So, here are seven ways to be unapologetically unpublished.
1) Remember that you don’t need to be published to consider yourself a writer. The act of writing makes you a writer. It’s that simple. You don’t need a partner to be a whole person.
2) Don’t be ashamed of your status. Being unpublished doesn’t mean you’re stupid, lazy, uncreative, or crazy. It just means you’re unpublished—for now. Those currently published were once where you are. Published writers aren’t necessarily better than you; they just found the right fit at the right time. A married or coupled person isn’t better than a single person.
3) Know that being published won’t make you happy. Okay, perhaps for a couple of days or even months, but that’s about it. If your marriage is lousy, your job sucks, you hate your neighbors, or your hairline is receding and your thighs aren’t, publishing won’t change that. Make your life fun now. Don’t wait for life to change for you. Don’t sit around waiting for someone to make you happy; they can’t.
4) Understand that being unpublished isn’t a state of unworthiness. It’s just a phase. Being single doesn’t mean that nobody wants you. It just means that you haven’t found your right match yet.
5) Enjoy the freedom of being unpublished. As an unpublished person, you can write what you want, when you want. You don’t have deadlines to consider, or an editor who tells you to get rid of a beloved character, or a reviewer who is upset that you’ve changed your style. There is an undeniable pleasure in writing something that is completely yours. Something that doesn’t have to answer to anyone. As a single person, you can do whatever you want and not have to worry about that blasted ‘C’ word—compromise.
6) Remember that “published” or “unpublished” is a transient state. Not all people who have been published stay published; their books go out of print, and they have to hit the pavement again. Those people in that lovely place called coupledom don’t always stay there.
7) Lastly, don’t be desperate. This is a hard one, I know. Being published has a mystique I can’t eradicate and wouldn’t want to. Dreams are precious things. I won’t deny that it’s fun, but it’s not the end all. Don’t sign any contract offered just because it means publication. Dating a guy or girl with the IQ of a slug and the manners of a second grader to end your dry spell is a definite ‘no, no’. You will regret it. Focus on the work; polish it then make sure to find it a place that will appreciate it.
In essence, realize that you’re enough just the way you are. Wonderful, intelligent, and embarking on a journey that takes gumption, risk, and imagination. You’re a writer. To me, that’s pretty cool.
~~~~~
Dara Girard is a member of WRW. Her third novel, Carefree (BET Books) will hit stores May 2005.
By Michelle Monkou
(From the January 2005 issue of the Update.)
“TOUGH LOVE for Authors” is the bimonthly article that tells it like it is! So far, I’ve spent more years as an aspiring author than as a published author. The two points of view give me a unique perspective that I want to share in the hopes that many more aspiring authors can gain the title—published, while also providing insight for the newly published authors.
The New Year rolled in with fireworks and champagne popping. Resolutions, goals, selling of souls were thrown out to the universe with quiet desperation. Despite the high percentage of dropouts from this bunch by the first quarter of the year, we undergo the experience without fail at the beginning of the year.
My resolutions, for the most part, begin as wishes. The other day I caught myself wishing for so many things. I wished that I could write faster. I wished that I had more time to write. I wished that I had a quiet place in my house to write. I wished that I was fabulously wealthy so that I could hire a nanny, housekeeper, chauffeur, and whatever personnel I needed so that I could write my gazillion novels. And on and on it went, until I wished that I had a house in the Hamptons, especially dedicated to escape for writing. Okay, that last one came from the movie—Something’s Gotta Give.
My wish list is impressively huge, but a waste of time. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy making my wishes. Yet, if I do nothing with them, they become the breeding ground for envy, frustration, and emotional baggage. To avoid being unpleasant company, I had to quit playing a wishing tree and refocus my energy on what works for me—Dreaming.
Dare to dream!
I perform high level dreaming or, if you prefer the professional term, visioning. I don’t have a degree or professional certification to discuss visioning, so I will stick to using my term—dreaming, along with my homebred experience.
I have not dreamed about my writing and career since 2002 when I got published. Leading up to that moment, I wrote everyday, stayed focused, and didn’t edit my work to death. I must give credit toward my spiritual practice and meditative process. My daily ritual made me stronger to handle the doubts, the physical aspect of sitting for an hour or more to write, and actually mailing the manuscript.
Each morning and evening, when I could afford some quiet time, I followed a dream sequence that featured me writing the novel, finishing it, and sending it to the NY publisher. I even pictured the publisher reading and setting it aside because the story touched her. Then I imagined the call and what I would say. This wasn’t a lengthy procedure that had me staring into space for an hour. It lasted about fifteen minutes.
It is similar to what I’ve taught my daughter to do before and during a gymnastics meet. Think about executing the skill successfully, think about how your body moves to complete the skill, think about how you would land at the end.
This doesn’t mean that she may not take a fall or land incorrectly, but she realizes that if her frame of mind isn’t positive from the beginning, then her fears are powerful enough to control her body and its actions. Negative thinking will result in negative action.
Once I had accomplished my goal to be published, I stopped the ritual of dreaming. I got wrapped up in the deadlines, learning the business, and the multitude of things that go along with such a career. In other words, I got comfortable with status. I handed over my destiny to others, to my environment. Instead of falling into the wishing well, I am taking back control. In addition to getting off my duff to write, I am returning to what worked for me—the Mind, Body, and Soul connection.
As I step into 2005, I look forward to dreaming through to my next accomplishment. What will be your dream?
~~~~~
Creating a special mix of a cowboy, city girl, stalker, and Kwanzaa, Michelle Monkou’s fourth title, Making Promises, a BET Books Holiday feature, hit shelves in October 2004.
By Danielle M. Angeline
(From the January 2005 issue of the Update.)
Last year at this time, I was about six months into my membership with RWA and WRW when I nonchalantly answered our group email to volunteer as a judge for the Marlene. “What’s a Marlene?” I wondered, yet, I sent my information to Diane Perkins, the contest chairperson. As the holidays lapsed into New Years and the judge’s training meeting neared, anxiety caused me to questions my previous actions. “Who am I to judge?” weighed heavily on my mind, and that was just the beginning. The day of our January judges meeting, I was greeted with the same cold everyone else seemed to have, and to top things off, I overslept and missed the morning session. Still, I dragged myself out of bed and arrived just in time to be handed a package of information that overwhelmed me. I listened tentatively and took notes to better guide myself through my apprehension of, “What am I getting myself into?”
Once the entries arrived, my pounding heart and sweaty palm affliction had been replaced with anticipation and excitement. I opened the package and scanned through the submissions. Being a “title” person, I looked at those first. One of the entries that caught my eye had a title that was the same as a popular Dixie Chicks’ song. Being a lover of country music, I immediately set that one aside, wanting to save it for last. Perusing through the other titles, I chose one that didn’t really tickle my fancy. Why? You may ask. When I was in elementary school, my mom taught me to tackle the subject I dislike the most first. To this day I apply that wisdom in much of my daily routine from work to house cleaning.
Back to the first manuscript entry. Judging was tough, no doubt about it. The first four pages rambled on and on until—Eureka! A great sentence drew me into the plot. Quickly, I uncapped my red pen (with an eraser) and circled the sentence. That was the hook, and I had to tell the author so, but I was quite hesitant to suggest it would be best placed on the first page. Again the Doubting Thomas in me questioned, “Who am I to judge?” But I forged on fighting that little voice in my head. When I finally finished reading and making notes on the first entry, I breathed a big sigh of relief. I had actually judged a Marlene entry! Woo-Hoo!
Over the next three weeks, I took my time with the other entries and even returned to the first one just to make sure I wasn’t too harsh or too lenient. It was interesting and exciting to examine the work that other authors had devoted hours to perfecting with their blood, sweat and tears. I wanted to applaud these brave writers for taking the risk to have their labor of love read, evaluated and the bottom line—judged. All in all, it was a rewarding experience. But in the end, I didn’t necessarily learn how to be a judge, but I did learn two things about myself: one, it’s important to put myself out there and get involved—whether it is volunteering as a judge or entering a contest. I will never know what the results will be until I try. And two—"Who am I to judge?” I still cannot answer this question because when it comes to trying something new, I will always be a novice, and it is with time, patience, and a little confidence that I will eventually become an expert.
~~~~~
Danielle M. Angeline is one of the new associate editors for the WRW Newsletter and along with Courtney Hunt, a judge recruiter for the 2005 Marlene.
by Laura Armstrong
(From the December 2004 issue of the Update.)
My husband’s the one with the “neat” gene. I’m the one that has to have everything out where I can see it or I forget I have it. Consequently, my work spaces are usually more disorderly than he can handle; he just groans and shakes his head as he walks away. This is something of a bonus because it means I get left alone at my desk, 15-lb. cat lying on the keyboard and children clamoring to go onto CartoonNetwork.com notwithstanding.
But put me online, whoo, baby, I’ve got some organization skills here, let me tell you!
It’s all about tools and knowing your limitations. If I put a piece of paper in a file folder and file it away, you guessed it: it’s out of my sight and it’s as if it never existed. I won’t raise my weary butt off the chair to go hunt it down, especially if I’m writing hot. I want it literally at my fingertips, just a click away.
Good old MICROSOFT WINDOWS EXPLORER helps me out here. I have a set pattern for all my books in progress. There’s the main book folder, then subfolders entitled “People,” “Places,” “Other,” and “Clothes.” Don’t ask me why “Clothes” is a top subfolder; that’s just the way I’ve always done it and if I move it around, I forget where it is. You go with what works.
What characters are wearing is part of the fun of writing, and I am an inveterate snipper from Internet shopping sites. For instance, I have a scene in my head where the female lead is going to a formal and wants to look smashing, so she wears what? I hit the Chadwick’s site, or Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Old Navy, whatever fits the occasion, and I pick out a dress for her. Then I right-click “Save Picture As” right into my clothes folder. She’s ready for the ball.
Okay, here’s my big confession. That’s where I get a lot of my characters, too. Models, actors, newspaper photos, online photo archives from the 1880’s, you name it. I find a picture online that fits my character and click it into my “People” folder. What can I say? I’m a visual learner.
“What if you find a picture in a magazine?” you ask. SCANNER/PRINTER/COPIER. $99.00. Hewlett Packard makes ‘em cheap and trouble-free.
For research on settings, events, etc., I love the standards: http://www.google.com, Yahoo’s search engine, http://www.mapquest.com, http://www.askjeeves.com. But I work off as many as three different computers, and keeping “Favorites” up to date on each computer is not realistic. I use a spectacular tool called BACKFLIP (http://www.backflip.com) which allows me to store links online on a passworded site. I can log in from any computer, any time, and retrieve my links. There are tools to organize the links into folders and subfolders, add descriptions, and—always important—back up your links to a single file that you can store on your PC, diskette, whatever, for safekeeping. You can download a “Backflip Now” button to your browser to make storing your links even easier.
Another tool, although a bit pricey, is ADOBE ACROBAT. Not the Reader, but the full version that allows you to create PDF files from any file, picture, PowerPoint presentation, Word document, website, you name it. For those web links I think might be taken down, I print the pages to Adobe Acrobat and store them in the appropriate folder. (Also good if you want to send your work to someone you really don’t want to be able to change anything in it.)
When I actually settle down to write, I use WRITEWAY (Professional Version 1.6, http://www.writewaypro.com $79.00). Again the need for visuals kicks in. In this program you can “build” a book. Its structure on the screen is Windows-Explorer-like. On the left you see icons for your chapters and beneath them you add scenes. On the right is your word processor. All of this allows you flexibility in moving scenes and chapters around, something that I find too confusing to do in Word or with—God forbid—paper. Also included in this simple but robust program are notecards for plot, character, setting, motivation, create-your-own, to keep you on track with what’s going on. There is an area for tracking research notes, character formation, and previewing-printing your finished book. Storyboarding, outline tools, and—gotta love this—word count tracking and goal setting are included. Need to get 50,000 words done in a month? This little baby will tell you the minimum word count per day you’ll need to crank out and then will chart your progress for you.
I can’t even use Word for writing after getting hooked on this tool. Not to worry if that’s what you’ve been using though. WriteWay has an import-export tool, so you can get it back and forth into Word and other programs if you need to. By the way, the wife of the software developer is romance author Tina St. John.
So there. See? I’m organized. Bad thing about that, though. I have no excuse for not getting the next chapter done!
~~~~~
Laura Armstrong served as WRW’s webmistress and has several romance novels laid out in nice, neat electronic folders online.
by Judi S. Fadeley
(From the November 2004 issue of the Update.)
I got a call. No, not The Call, but a call from a friend telling me that her manuscript had been accepted by Avon and her book would be in bookstores in December of 2005.
As happy and proud as I was for her, a small part of me did not share in her enthusiasm. I wanted to receive The Call. I wanted to be calling my dear friends and telling them that my book would be published.
And then it happened, self-doubt. My book was not good enough; I would never be published no matter how many retreats I attended, classes I took, or hours I wrote. So what if I had degrees in English? So what if I had a deep understanding of the mechanics of writing? I flopped down in a chair and stared at the television for an eternity of minutes.
My husband had seen the same mood before—after bad scores on contests or after an extremely brutal critique. “Why don’t you just give up writing? You’d best be spending your time knitting, cross-stitching, or reading. All you have done over the past five years is chase your elusive dream.”
I glared at him. If looks could kill, I’d be doing life at this moment. “What makes you think I’m not a good writer? I have finaled in contests. My manuscript has been requested by agents and editors. My ideas litter this house on little pieces of paper. Characters scream at me to write their story. I am a good writer.”
My husband didn’t respond verbally. He picked up his newspaper and began reading again. I’m pretty sure I caught the corners of his lips turning up into a smile.
After I closed my mouth, I realized my good fortune. My husband’s reverse psychology had gotten me out of my funk. He’d helped me fight off my worst enemy—myself.
I picked up my bruised ego and went to my office. I needed to write. I needed to get the story in my head down on paper.
I thought about my friend again. This time I was truly happy for her. One day I’ll get The Call, but until then, it’s the other calls I receive that make me try that much harder.
~~~~~
Judi Fadeley is WRW’s associate editor of the Update. She is the co-founder and treasurer of the new Celtic RWA Chapter. She resides in Shepherdstown, WV, with her husband and two lovely German Shepherds. When she is not busy with her full-time job as a librarian in a middle school, she works on her medieval trilogy based on her husband’s ancestors who fought with William Wallace.Judi can be reached at .
by Michelle Monkou
(From the November 2004 issue of the Update.)
“TOUGH LOVE for Authors” is my bimonthly article that will tell it like it is! So far, I’ve spent more years as an aspiring author than as a published author. The two points of view give me a unique perspective that I want to share in the hopes that many more aspiring authors can gain the title - published, while also providing insight for the newly published authors.
Are We There Yet!
On my many trips to Atlanta with the family, I drive through the night. The main reason is to avoid hearing the repeated whines of “Are we there yet?” Instead, everyone awakens when I’m about an hour away from my brother’s house, for which I only have to hear it once. This tactic guarantees that everyone arrives with their heads still attached to their bodies. Before I begin the road trip, I know it’s going to be a long journey. I also know that it doesn’t help to look up at each sign post and wonder if the trip is coming to an end. You have to know and believe that there is an end and at some point in time, you will arrive.
By now you know where I’m going with this.
When I sold in 2002, I sent the first sale notice to Romance Writers of America’s RWR publication. I proudly sat down to type the blurb and pulled one of the issues to copy the format. To my horror, I discovered that many people stated how many years they wrote before being published. In that issue, no one reported a timeframe of over three to five years. Then I dug out a few older copies and found one person who didn’t mention the years at all. Perfect! I copied the format and sent it in. Whew, I was relieved.
A couple days later I got an email requesting the number of years to publishdom. I replied that I didn’t want to reveal how long it took because it was beyond the average number of years. The person said that the information would be motivational to the pre-published. That did nothing to quell my insecurities. So I came up with a creative way to chop a few years.
I had joined my local RWA chapter in 1992, piddled around writing an historical for several years, before thinking about writing a contemporary in 1995. I finally wrote a complete contemporary novel in 1998 and sold it in 2002. I can’t remember what number I used, but it wasn’t ten years. Why was I ashamed?
Now I look back at the experience and realize that it was a journey. I took the scenic route with a few pit stops for babies, my Master’s, first home, change of day job, and parent’s post-retirement adjustments. Then I received a revelation and bought a map. Directions in hand, I focused and stayed the route until I pulled up at my destination. Don’t misunderstand. The journey still continues, but being published was a major goal.
So, what exactly was my revelation?
I had written several partials, never completing them. I attended my local chapter meetings, writing wonderful detailed notes. At home, the notes would be set aside until the next meeting occurred. I would start a story and then another would pop into my head and off I’d go to start that story. I stayed in this self-deluded loop until several of my writer-friends called me to share their first sale news. Honestly I didn’t feel jealousy or envy, instead I felt like a dud. My definition of a dud is me sitting there with no proper proposal or complete manuscript in any shape to send to an editor. I celebrated my friends’ successes, but then performed a serious self-talk about lollygagging.
For six months, I wrote every night. I attended all my chapter meetings even if the topic didn’t interest me. I had already proven that I was a good note-taker. My focus was now on networking, not only with published authors, but also with writers who could relate to how I felt. Being careful not to engage in pity parties, I gained a small group of friends that became and still are my support line.
I had to take the responsibility that on this trip there is only one driver - me. My friends take the curbside position, cheering and patting me on the back. I look forward to those supportive moments as a nice treat on a long, dry stretch of road. Occasional glances in the rear view mirror are good for status checks, but that’s it. You won’t move forward if your mind is constantly replaying previous less-than-perfect experiences with masochistic zeal.
Reality is that other writers will pull up alongside and then overtake you. Don’t sweat it. Maybe it does seem as if they are in the express lane. Why should you care how fast they go? Maybe you picked the good old, reliable sedan to get you there. It’s slower, but it’s a sturdy ship that won’t rock under strong winds. Getting published; achieving a best seller list; or getting another contract is not a race. Being consistent is the key to this game. Would it help if I told you that there is an editor sitting at the station, waiting for you to drive up and honk?
Set your goal. Maybe you want to enter a contest. Create your milestones. Make them as small or large as you are comfortable. As an example: 1. Come up with a story. 2. Outline or plot the story. 3. Write the proposal. 4. Share with your critique group. 5. Mail the proposal. At the end of the goal, you can celebrate your success for staying the course. If you fell off at step 3, then analyze what derailed you, but continue on aware of what are your challenges.
Are we there yet?—That question is no longer allowed. So what if it takes ten years to get published. So what if it takes fifteen books before you land that lucrative contract. Keep your milestones in view, and you’ll see that you’re doing what you need to do to pull into that station.
Now I can say with no shame, no shuffling of the feet, no apologies that it took me six years to get my act together to write a complete book. I did it my way, on my time. With my goals firmly in mind, I know that I’m not there yet. But I’m on the road again, continuing on with my journey. Maybe I’ll see some of you on the highway, chugging along with me.
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Creating a special mix of a cowboy, city girl, stalker, and Kwanzaa, Michelle Monkou’s fourth title, Making Promises, a BET Books Holiday feature, will be on shelves in October 2004.
