7 THINGS I WISH I'D KNOWN ABOUT WRITING AND PUBLISHING BEFORE I STARTED

   Greetings world. Yes I'm still alive and kicking. Still waiting for news on a lot of fronts. But you know as I continue to wait for news on the publishing front I've been doing a lot of thinking. Remembering how I got started on this crazy road to becoming an author. And as I learn more and more there are so many things I wish I'd known before I decided I wanted to be an author.

1. PLEASE HAVE MORE THAN ONE NOVEL FINISHED- Yep. You heard it here folks. When my first novel, Goddess of Legend was published in October 2013, it was the only novel I'd completed. Yep. You heard right. In hindsight I wish I had finished the series GOL belongs to before I started querying. Why you ask? Because how was I to know it wasn't a fluke that I wrote a complete novel? How did I know I could do it again and start a career as an author? What if all I ever managed was the one book? I would've been a one hit wonder who wasted my time and that of people who liked my first book and wanted more from me.

2. DIVERSIFY YOUR PORTFOLIO- What do I mean? Let me give you an example. I am a die hard lover of all things paranormal. When I decided to take the leap and start writing I knew I wanted to create paranormal stories as well and not just your average vampire, werewolf or zombie story. I was thinking gods and mermaids. Pretty different right? Yep, but what if paranormal is not what publishers are looking for at the moment you finally finish your novel? You're left with two options: If you are bound and determined to pursue traditional publishing then you need to shelf that baby and wait until it comes back in style. If not, then jump into self publishing feet first and put out your novel yourself. But if you want to be traditionally published then you need to have a backup plan. A story in another genre you are working on that will likely hold some appeal for what editors are looking for. I know you may think it screams of not being true to yourself, but how do you know you're not? Unless you try another genre, you may very well miss out on creating a masterpiece in another genre. Don't be afraid to try something different.

3. WRITING IS SUBJECTIVE- Meaning what? Meaning that just because an agent, editor, or reader doesn't like your work does not mean it belongs in file thirteen. We're all different. We all like to read different things. Writing is not a one size fits all thing. As famous as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is there are people out there who don't like it (mind you I don't know anyone who doesn't like it but you get my point.) So if you love to write then continue. Don't stop, regardless of how discouraging it can get sometimes.

4. FIND A MODEL AND STUDY THEM- My greatest inspirations for becoming a writer are owed to the late L.A. Banks and the fantastic Jackie Collins. Because of these ladies I wanted to write. Ever since I have discovered Jackie Collins I have done my best to pay attention to her career. To how she promotes and interacts with her fans. To her publishing schedule and how she writes. I feel like I've learned a lot. So I say to you if there is an author that has a career and writing you admire study them. See how they got to where they are. What do they seem to be doing that keeps readers begging for more? How are they whetting that appetite? And by no means am I only referring to traditionally published authors. No way. Look at Jasinda Wilder. She's not traditionally published and is selling novels like you wouldn't believe. Or hybrid authors like Marie Force who have a traditional deal and also self publish. Just find somebody to be your guide.

5. TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING TAKES A REALLY, REALLY LONG TIME- Lord I wish someone had told me this! When your query makes its way to the wonderful editor at the publishing house you've dreamed of being published with the wait time is anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Yeah. Not only does the editor have to like it, but so does everyone else involved in the process. In addition to that you have to add money to the mix. After all they have to figure out if your novel is going to be profitable enough for them to bother with. And even if you are blessed to get the deal you've been dreaming of in some cases you still have to wait anywhere from a year to eighteen months before readers will ever see your work. Be prepared to wait. Be prepared to keep yourself busy so you are not pulling your hair out.

6. SOMETIMES YOUR MUSE WILL LEAVE YOU HIGH AND DRY- Amen anyone? I know because it's happened to me and many I know. Whether you're on a deadline to have something turned in to an editor or just trying to work on the next story brewing in your head, some days you will just not be able to write. Some days the drive will not be there. Or you will be ready to go and the words just will not come to you. It happens to everyone. Be prepared for it. Don't get mad. Don't throw things. Just take some time off. Chances could be you are burned out.

7. PAY ATTENTION TO TRENDS- Some will say it's not important, but really it is. Whether traditional or independent, you need to have some idea of what readers are currently craving. You can't afford just to stick your head in the sand and remain oblivious. If you're self-publishing you want to find out what people are craving to read and appeal to them when your novel comes out. If you're going the traditional route then pay attention to what editors and agents submission calls. If you do you'll be better informed as to what's selling and where your work fits on the scale. You will also know if you have a chance of being published now or if you will have to be on the next merry go round.

Now that you've heard my list, what are some things you wish you'd known about writing and publishing before you started?



LIFE IS ALL ABOUT WAITING

    It's been a while since I blogged. I thought the next time I typed up a post I would have exciting news to share, but that hasn't happened yet. Instead I'm trying to allow myself to learn a valuable lesson...Life is all about waiting.

   We have to wait to grow up. We have to wait to find the perfect job, to find the perfect mate. (I am still waiting on both.) You'd think with all the waiting that we have to do, that something would come quickly for us. When I first started writing I naively thought that becoming a successful writer might fit that bill. Boy was I wrong. Everything requires a wait.

   I had to wait until I found the first publisher willing to publish my debut novel. I had to wait for said novel to then be edited and given a release date before it made its way into the world. I had to wait a long time until I found my agent. You see where I'm going with this?

   So now, I find myself waiting again. Waiting for my hard working agent to give me the news that every author waits to hear: A publisher wants to buy your novel and give you lots of exposure. Yes, I'm waiting on this news with bated breath, on pins and needles, all those fantastic clichés.

  In the meantime I am trying desperately not to drive myself stir crazy. I'm trying hard to keep my focus on writing the next novel in my series and not giving in to all the other characters demanding that I finally give them their own story.

    But for now, all I can do is write. After all I'm still going to have to wait so I might as well make the most of it.



WHAT TO DO WHEN LIFE THREATENS TO KILL YOUR CREATIVE MUSE

          WHAT TO DO WHEN LIFE THREATENS TO KILL YOUR CREATIVE MUSE

 

       Life is full of ups and downs, things expected and things unexpected. Many people find themselves so busy with working, raising a family and keeping house that there is no time for much of anything else. Life can get in the way and prevent you from having any time for yourself.

 

 

     Right now, life is getting in my way. I am currently in the last few weeks of  (what I hope) is my last semester in graduate school. Between a few final class projects and a whole lot of studying in preparation for a final exam, my brain feels as if it is well and truly fried. This semester has been the most busy and stressful of all my semesters in graduate school. I have had to read inordinate amounts of text that would bore pretty much anyone to tears. On top of that with writing assignments every week have taken up much of my free time. Add to the mix, the arduous task of job-hunting every day in preparation for graduation and you have one pretty burned out grad student with little free time.

 

 

      As a result of my myriad of life responsibilities, my creative muse has started to suffer. What do I mean by this? I mean that the voice inside my head that tells me what to write is having a hard time speaking lately. With less and less time, when I do make an attempt to write, I'm finding that I'm starting to struggle. It's getting harder and harder to pick up my story and work on it in irregular spurts. I'm finding that the passion I had when I started the story is diminishing. But most of all, I can find myself fearing that life will always get in the way of my writing.

 

 

    So what do you do when life threatens your creative muse? I've thought about this long and hard as I struggle to build my writing career. Here is what I have come up with

 

1. YOU MUST WRITE EVERYDAY- I've heard this said more than once and it couldn't be more true. While writing may be a talent, it is also a skill. To sharpen your skill, you must practice and that means writing everyday. It doesn't matter how much you write. What matters is that you write something. This will not only keep your skill up to par, but it will keep your enthusiasm for your story going. As you work on your story, day by day, not only do you get closer and closer to completion, but you get affirmation that your muse was not just a fluke. It's there to stay.

 

2. DO THE BARE MINIMUM- What do I mean? My mother is likely to disagree with this one. What I mean is we all have things to do, but that doesn't mean we are required to spend all of our free time doing these tasks. For instance, I do all my laundry on one day of the week, as well as my cleaning. When I make cook I do a lot of crock pot ready meals. That means I don't have to spend valuable time making my meals. Instead I'm free to write as the crockpot does all the work. When it comes to my schooling, I have stopped reading materials that I know will be lectured on in class. It frees up more writing time for me.

 

3. READ, READ, READ- A writer will never be successful unless he or she spends time reading the works of others. Reading will keep your mind stimulated and often provide you with new ideas that you could incorporate in future works. Besides that reading exposes you to different writing styles that can help influence your own particular style.

 

4. KEEP UP WITH OTHER AUTHORS- There is nothing better to motivate you and your muse, than seeing that there are other authors out there trudging along through the mud that is life. Whether it's a NY Times bestselling author or an indie author, seeing someone else talking about their work and the new release they have coming out will motivate you to keep going with your current work and keep your mind open for new ideas that will keep you writing.

 

     Since I've started trying to adhere to these techniques, I'm finding that my muse is slowly starting to come back to me. I find my mind conjuring new twists and turns to add to my current work in progress. My muse has even come up with a new novel idea in the past month. With 32 more potential stories to waiting to be written I have no choice but to find something that works and stick to it. After all, these novels aren't going to write themselves.

 

What kinds of techniques do you use to keep your creative muse alive?