Journalist often have to work with very time restrictive deadlines. That's how I've felt my life has been going late...deadlines, deadlines. What happened to my relaxing...it'll get done when it gets done down time?
I'm off this morning, paintin' pants on, roller in hand and ready to use my creative abilities in a fun way other than writing. This made me wonder. If you are a creative soul...are you creative in many areas of your life? Do you see the world through paint palette glasses and catchy phrases? I LOVE writing. It's what motivates me and makes me feel whole. But I also really enjoy making a t-shirt line I call "Posi-tees", album art, record bowls, psychedelic wood flowers, jewelry...anything that stretches my creativity makes me feel like the day is worth living.
Today's assignment is "interior decorating". I have a completely clean slate to work with. Brand new apartment, almost all new furniture and accessories going in...and my daughter has actually ASKED me for my help! Be still my heart!
Sunday...is my day off from blogging, so I'll see all you lovely readers on Monday morning. Go do something that stimulates your mind today!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
IT'S A BUST....
As a writer one of my biggest challenges is finding time to write. I thought I was finally getting a grip on this problem. I've been doing my blog each morning, which I now loving refer to as "calethenics for my brain". I've been ignoring the dust bunnies and dirty dishes piling up in my sink. I certainly wouldn't want to see anyone try to "eat off my floor" right now! I mean I really thought I was accomplishing something here. So what's happened???
LIFE...oh not my life! But family, friends, neighbors...you know everyone who needs a piece of me and I can't say no. Actually, to be honest, I don't want to say no. If I say no then I will feel obligated to venture into "agent and query hell" and quite frankly...I'm avoiding. Remember years ago the cute ad "avoid the noid"? Well this agent/query/synopsis thing has become my "Noid".
I was looking back at some of my blogging over the past month and I must say...I sounded like I was on a roll. I'd gotten my manuscript out, read through it, made my final changes, re-wrote my query.................screeeeecccchhhhh.........that's the sound of my determination and fortitude coming to a halt.
My daughter is moving tomorrow. I'll be meeting her at the apartment office to lend moral support while she signs her lease today. Then I'm going to help with packing up final items. My son will be visiting us for the weekend, to also lend a much needed hand for the move. I will be spending the rest of the weekend painting, loading boxes and hefting heavy pieces of furniture in and out of the U-haul rental. I will need to cook and spend time catching up on the latest news with my son, who I don't get to see very often. In other words...this weekend is a "bust" for me as far as actively working on contacting potential agents.
Wonder what excuses I can come up with next week? Maybe I should put "avoidance" on my to-do list for next week also? Avoidance.....hmmmmmmmmmmmm.........................
LIFE...oh not my life! But family, friends, neighbors...you know everyone who needs a piece of me and I can't say no. Actually, to be honest, I don't want to say no. If I say no then I will feel obligated to venture into "agent and query hell" and quite frankly...I'm avoiding. Remember years ago the cute ad "avoid the noid"? Well this agent/query/synopsis thing has become my "Noid".
I was looking back at some of my blogging over the past month and I must say...I sounded like I was on a roll. I'd gotten my manuscript out, read through it, made my final changes, re-wrote my query.................screeeeecccchhhhh.........that's the sound of my determination and fortitude coming to a halt.
My daughter is moving tomorrow. I'll be meeting her at the apartment office to lend moral support while she signs her lease today. Then I'm going to help with packing up final items. My son will be visiting us for the weekend, to also lend a much needed hand for the move. I will be spending the rest of the weekend painting, loading boxes and hefting heavy pieces of furniture in and out of the U-haul rental. I will need to cook and spend time catching up on the latest news with my son, who I don't get to see very often. In other words...this weekend is a "bust" for me as far as actively working on contacting potential agents.
Wonder what excuses I can come up with next week? Maybe I should put "avoidance" on my to-do list for next week also? Avoidance.....hmmmmmmmmmmmm.........................
Thursday, July 30, 2009
DAY OFF
I'm taking a day off. I'm taking a day away from my frustrations, headaches, lumps in stomach and overall frustration. I will unwind with a yoga class this morning, lunch with a good friend and I may even take a nap this afternoon. I plan to wind up my day with dinner and movie with another friend, but I am not going to worry at all about my writing.
Yesterday I was going through Guide to Literary Agents. I had previously marked several agents I felt might be a good match for "Deadly Letters". I ended up "googling" several of them and there is a website, absolutewrite.com/forums, that pops up each time you google an agent. It is a site that you can go to and chat with fellow writers. There is a special section for newbies to chat. The problem I ran into was that not one agent I was considering had anything nice written about them by the writer's on this site. Surely every agent out there can't be cold, heartless, lacking in vision or cruel. To read some these comments you'd come to believe that all agents are basically just "ball breakers" and I don't even HAVE balls (well not in the physical sense anyway)
Lesson learned? I am going to simply go directly to the agents website, see what they have to say and what they are looking for and if I feel that maybe...just maybe.. we could work well together, then I'm going to take a running jump off this cliff I'm standing on and pray that I make at least a semi-soft landing. I expect rejections. I won't feel like a real writer if I don't get some of those. But I don't want to feel like I've been drawn and quartered either. Be gentle with me oh great agent Gods...I am but a poor meager writer...trying to spread my wings and get a start in the world................
Yesterday I was going through Guide to Literary Agents. I had previously marked several agents I felt might be a good match for "Deadly Letters". I ended up "googling" several of them and there is a website, absolutewrite.com/forums, that pops up each time you google an agent. It is a site that you can go to and chat with fellow writers. There is a special section for newbies to chat. The problem I ran into was that not one agent I was considering had anything nice written about them by the writer's on this site. Surely every agent out there can't be cold, heartless, lacking in vision or cruel. To read some these comments you'd come to believe that all agents are basically just "ball breakers" and I don't even HAVE balls (well not in the physical sense anyway)
Lesson learned? I am going to simply go directly to the agents website, see what they have to say and what they are looking for and if I feel that maybe...just maybe.. we could work well together, then I'm going to take a running jump off this cliff I'm standing on and pray that I make at least a semi-soft landing. I expect rejections. I won't feel like a real writer if I don't get some of those. But I don't want to feel like I've been drawn and quartered either. Be gentle with me oh great agent Gods...I am but a poor meager writer...trying to spread my wings and get a start in the world................
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
WINDING UP FOR THE PITCH...
There's a great book called "Making the Perfect Pitch" (How to Catch a Literary Agent's Eye) by Katharine Sands, that I purchased about eight months ago. It is filled with short chapters authored by a selection of agents about what they look for in a query, a synopsis and in a potential client. It is like finding gold at the end of the rainbow. It not only gives you some fantastic tips and information, but it also gives you a little bit of a peek into many of the agents personalities and gives you a feel regarding the agency they work for.
When I orginally purchased this book I devoured it! I read it from cover to cover...even the agent's that didn't represent the genre I write in were consumed. I didn't take tiny little baby bites, I scooped the information up with a soup spoon and stuffed myself with it's yumminess. I made notes throughout, underlined, highlighted and marked certain pages. Then I put it back on my bookshelf.
I forgot it was there! Until the "Goddess of my dreams" reminded me of it last night during my slumber. I got it back off that bookshelf first thing this morning and I am going to spend the day (okay a good portion of the day) going back over all my notes.
I re-wrote the dreaded query yesterday and I have to say I am more satisfied with it now. My notes in "Making the Perfect Pitch" will help me to fine-tune it even more. I still have that knot in my stomach at the idea of reaching out to agents, but at least I'm not standing still any longer.
"Vive la agents and la dreaded query"
When I orginally purchased this book I devoured it! I read it from cover to cover...even the agent's that didn't represent the genre I write in were consumed. I didn't take tiny little baby bites, I scooped the information up with a soup spoon and stuffed myself with it's yumminess. I made notes throughout, underlined, highlighted and marked certain pages. Then I put it back on my bookshelf.
I forgot it was there! Until the "Goddess of my dreams" reminded me of it last night during my slumber. I got it back off that bookshelf first thing this morning and I am going to spend the day (okay a good portion of the day) going back over all my notes.
I re-wrote the dreaded query yesterday and I have to say I am more satisfied with it now. My notes in "Making the Perfect Pitch" will help me to fine-tune it even more. I still have that knot in my stomach at the idea of reaching out to agents, but at least I'm not standing still any longer.
"Vive la agents and la dreaded query"
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
THE DREADED QUERY
The dreaded "query". That's what looms in front of me today. This probably accounts for my total lack of sleep last night, regardless of how many times I bunched my pillow, emitted deep sighs and tried counting my breaths...in, out, in, out. The large lump in the pit of my stomach refuses to go away this morning. I HATE the idea of having to compose a query letter.
I'm a writer. A teller of tall tales. I weave a good read together, but tootin' my own horn has never been one of my strong points.
Problem #1: A query has to be non-fiction. I WRITE fiction. I can't expound upon the truth in my query. It must be factual and honest. This alone is enough to make my insides quiver (and I ain't talkin' with desire!)
Problem #2: I must take my 210 page novel, with all it's intricate details, and somehow...squeeze it's juicy plot down into a description that can hook a prospective agent in one to two short paragraphs.
Problem #3: I am NOT already a published author. In that dreaded paragraph where I have to tell all about myself...I don't have a degree in Journalism or Creative Writing, I haven't won any awards for short story submittals, I haven't had anything officially published yet...but I CAN write DAMN IT! Maybe this is exactly how I will word this paragraph.
Most agents now accept queries by email...along with a synopsis and the first 10 or so pages of your manuscript. That's going to save me a lot of money in postage, cause I intend to query every agent who is even remotely interested in receiving submissions for thriller romances. Let the good times roll...kind of like my stomach.
I'm a writer. A teller of tall tales. I weave a good read together, but tootin' my own horn has never been one of my strong points.
Problem #1: A query has to be non-fiction. I WRITE fiction. I can't expound upon the truth in my query. It must be factual and honest. This alone is enough to make my insides quiver (and I ain't talkin' with desire!)
Problem #2: I must take my 210 page novel, with all it's intricate details, and somehow...squeeze it's juicy plot down into a description that can hook a prospective agent in one to two short paragraphs.
Problem #3: I am NOT already a published author. In that dreaded paragraph where I have to tell all about myself...I don't have a degree in Journalism or Creative Writing, I haven't won any awards for short story submittals, I haven't had anything officially published yet...but I CAN write DAMN IT! Maybe this is exactly how I will word this paragraph.
Most agents now accept queries by email...along with a synopsis and the first 10 or so pages of your manuscript. That's going to save me a lot of money in postage, cause I intend to query every agent who is even remotely interested in receiving submissions for thriller romances. Let the good times roll...kind of like my stomach.
Monday, July 27, 2009
JUST THE FACTS......
When writing a non-fiction book, as you already know, a lot of research needs to be done. The same is true though for fiction. inevitably some sort of research needs to be done. Sometimes you research writing styles, genres, geography, legaleese, or medical or historical facts, but in any good piece of writing the author has done some sort of fact finding.
Fiction may be fiction, but that doesn't mean that the intelligence of the reader should be dismissed. You can only stretch facts so far, except maybe with Sci-Fi or Fantasy. I don't know what sort of research you'd do for these styles because I've always been kind of grounded in fact and my brain, although full of strange imaginings, still seems to stop just short of jumping off that cliff toward...REALLY...FLYING MONKEYS? REALLY? That's not to say I don't like reading one of these wonderful works once in a while, but I can't imagine ever writing one.
A lot of my research involves reading books in the styles that I enjoy writing in and I encourage each and every one of you to do the same. Just don't go don't that "dark road" that I often travel after reading a genre that I really love and respect and strive to become a published author in one day...that blackness in your mind that says "hey el stupido...there ain't no way you can write anything as good as this author...so why ya botherin'?" This kind of thinking can stop me cold for weeks sometimes. I may not be Sandra Brown, Alexandra Sokolov, Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham, Lee Child...but they weren't them either before their first novel was published. What I do learn from reading their works though is that each and everyone one of them did some sort of research before completing any of their novels for print. I'm not one of these anal people who'll interrupt a good read to check a fact the author has shared, but the really good authors never give me reason to feel I even need to do that.
We are so blessed as writers in this day and age... to have the ultimate research tool right at our finger tips. Instant confirmation of facts are available, just a click away. Get out there into the public to do research also though. Nothing brings a scene to life more than having it based on observations and conversations held with real live subjects. People love to share their knowledge with others and as writers...we should always be listening.
Fiction may be fiction, but that doesn't mean that the intelligence of the reader should be dismissed. You can only stretch facts so far, except maybe with Sci-Fi or Fantasy. I don't know what sort of research you'd do for these styles because I've always been kind of grounded in fact and my brain, although full of strange imaginings, still seems to stop just short of jumping off that cliff toward...REALLY...FLYING MONKEYS? REALLY? That's not to say I don't like reading one of these wonderful works once in a while, but I can't imagine ever writing one.
A lot of my research involves reading books in the styles that I enjoy writing in and I encourage each and every one of you to do the same. Just don't go don't that "dark road" that I often travel after reading a genre that I really love and respect and strive to become a published author in one day...that blackness in your mind that says "hey el stupido...there ain't no way you can write anything as good as this author...so why ya botherin'?" This kind of thinking can stop me cold for weeks sometimes. I may not be Sandra Brown, Alexandra Sokolov, Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham, Lee Child...but they weren't them either before their first novel was published. What I do learn from reading their works though is that each and everyone one of them did some sort of research before completing any of their novels for print. I'm not one of these anal people who'll interrupt a good read to check a fact the author has shared, but the really good authors never give me reason to feel I even need to do that.
We are so blessed as writers in this day and age... to have the ultimate research tool right at our finger tips. Instant confirmation of facts are available, just a click away. Get out there into the public to do research also though. Nothing brings a scene to life more than having it based on observations and conversations held with real live subjects. People love to share their knowledge with others and as writers...we should always be listening.
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