When you're moving forward into the world of becoming a published author it is so very nice to have supportive friends. I am blessed in this way. I've received so many words of encouragement and positive feedback that I know I'll keep moving toward my goal and plan to have all these friends come party with me when I finally find the right agent and my dream becomes reality.
One friend's faith in my abilities though came as quite a wonderful surprise. A dear friend from my High School days sent me an email after I was lamenting (great word from another friend) over the word count of DEADLY LETTERS. He said "We are becoming a world the Harry Potter volumes. Don't worry about that door, your door is right up ahead". My heart just soared. Here was a friend that I hadn't been in touch with for years...and he not only became a follower for my blog, but he inspired me to keep going and not to worry about the small details.
My door is right up ahead indeed! I just need to keep pushing onward, not allow myself to get caught up in all the little details, be myself and true to my writing and I know I will be a success! Thank you dear friend...you know who you are.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
ON A ROLL
Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to spend some time just quietly reflecting on a possible story for a writing contest I was interested in submitting to. Well...it worked. While sitting, sipping tea on my back porch, listening to the birds chirping and staring off into space, I began forming a concept for a story in my mind. I got up, came inside, and immediately began pounding away on my laptop keys.
Three hours later I paused to take a break. My head was starting ache because I hadn't even stopped to grab a bite to eat. When you are on a "roll" you are truly on a roll! The words were forming in my head sometimes quicker than my fingers could type them. It is such a satisfying feeling when you are not struggling to link words together into viable sentences and believable story lines.
Later today I will complete the story. I stopped yesterday afternoon at very good point in my tale and I now know where it is headed and how it will end and will sprint toward the finish line. I was actually able to sleep last nite because I knew what I had accomplished and where I was headed. Wish all the other issues in my life were as easily solved.
Till tomorrow................
Three hours later I paused to take a break. My head was starting ache because I hadn't even stopped to grab a bite to eat. When you are on a "roll" you are truly on a roll! The words were forming in my head sometimes quicker than my fingers could type them. It is such a satisfying feeling when you are not struggling to link words together into viable sentences and believable story lines.
Later today I will complete the story. I stopped yesterday afternoon at very good point in my tale and I now know where it is headed and how it will end and will sprint toward the finish line. I was actually able to sleep last nite because I knew what I had accomplished and where I was headed. Wish all the other issues in my life were as easily solved.
Till tomorrow................
Thursday, August 20, 2009
WALKING AWAY
I'm going to walk away from my "Great American Novel" for a few days. I think I need some distance so I can come back with a fresh mind and a fresh outlook. I am going to work on a short story for a contest I want to enter. My mind is buzzing with ideas, but I've been shoving them out of the nest one at a time to see if they'll fly and so far they've all gone SPLAT.
I'm going to take some quiet time today to just sit and reflect on what I'd like to submit. I don't normally write short stories, unless I am doing a children's book, so this will be a challenge for me. It's good to switch up our writing styles periodically. If you constantly write the same stuff, the same style over and over I think your writing becomes predictable and formulated. I have never been one who was predictable that's for sure! Just ask my husband! So I enjoy dabbling in children's tales, poetry, fiction and even a little (very little) non-fiction at times.
Going to grab my first cup of coffee for the day, sit on my back porch and let my mind wander. Hopefully in it's meanderings I will come up with a wonderful story idea and by this afternoon I'll be pounding away on my laptop keys...full steam ahead!!!
I'm going to take some quiet time today to just sit and reflect on what I'd like to submit. I don't normally write short stories, unless I am doing a children's book, so this will be a challenge for me. It's good to switch up our writing styles periodically. If you constantly write the same stuff, the same style over and over I think your writing becomes predictable and formulated. I have never been one who was predictable that's for sure! Just ask my husband! So I enjoy dabbling in children's tales, poetry, fiction and even a little (very little) non-fiction at times.
Going to grab my first cup of coffee for the day, sit on my back porch and let my mind wander. Hopefully in it's meanderings I will come up with a wonderful story idea and by this afternoon I'll be pounding away on my laptop keys...full steam ahead!!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
COUNTING, COUNTING, COUNTING
Okay so I have officially become obsessed with word counting. I have really let that dang agent do a number on my head. Even after researching word counts for my favorite novelists and seeing that some of their books appear to have the same number of words...I am still going nuts over this. I keep wondering...if I have 218 double spaced typed pages for my novel does that mean that a printed version, single spaced, would have the same number of pages, more pages or less pages? Is it okay to have a "novel" with only 42,000 words or does this automatically make it a "novella"? Not that I'm against publishing a novella, but there seems to be some kind conspiracy against agents representing them.
I feel like a women without a country. My tale is way too long to be considered a short story, but perhaps not long enough for a debut novel (I'll come back to this) and although it could be considered an okay length for a novella...there is little market in the publishing industry for novellas. When researching "debut" novels...I came across several articles stating that MOST and I have emphasize MOST...debut novels are at least 50,000. Geeee that's only 8,000 more words I have to conjure up for a story that I feel is complete. If I'm going to add more wordage I guess I'll have talk about Frank's athlete's foot problem or perhaps the horrible case of acne that Lisa had while in college. Perhaps the length of the curtains in all the rooms and every item of clothing worn, right down to their skivvies, should also be mentioned.
I'm in a quandry that's for sure. I'll try to get this all worked out today, make a decision and then implement a game plan...if need be. That's my "final answer Regis".
I feel like a women without a country. My tale is way too long to be considered a short story, but perhaps not long enough for a debut novel (I'll come back to this) and although it could be considered an okay length for a novella...there is little market in the publishing industry for novellas. When researching "debut" novels...I came across several articles stating that MOST and I have emphasize MOST...debut novels are at least 50,000. Geeee that's only 8,000 more words I have to conjure up for a story that I feel is complete. If I'm going to add more wordage I guess I'll have talk about Frank's athlete's foot problem or perhaps the horrible case of acne that Lisa had while in college. Perhaps the length of the curtains in all the rooms and every item of clothing worn, right down to their skivvies, should also be mentioned.
I'm in a quandry that's for sure. I'll try to get this all worked out today, make a decision and then implement a game plan...if need be. That's my "final answer Regis".
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
A QUICKY
This blog will be a quicky today. I have agreed to go sit at my daughter's apartment today and await the arrival of the refrigerator repair dude. This will be his second time coming to check out the loud noise that spews forth whenever the fan turns on, but for some reason, he couldn't seem to hear the noise when he was there last week. I don't think he tried very hard. So I am going to go sit and make sure today that he listens to the rattling which is so loud the TV in the adjoining room has to have it's volume turned up to 30 in order to drown out the refrigerator.
I am taking my computer, my second book outline and teabags. That should get me through however long I need to stay there. It will be a good time away from the filth in my own home, that I feel a need to take care of today. If I'm not home, then I can't see the dirt and therefore will concentrate on writing and not cleaning. If I'm lucky "repair dude" won't show up till this afternoon and I'll get lots of writing done. Maybe I'll even find another story. I shall name it: The Great Refrigerator Repair Adventure or maybe...The Repair Dude Chronicles.
Stories, stories everywhere! tata
I am taking my computer, my second book outline and teabags. That should get me through however long I need to stay there. It will be a good time away from the filth in my own home, that I feel a need to take care of today. If I'm not home, then I can't see the dirt and therefore will concentrate on writing and not cleaning. If I'm lucky "repair dude" won't show up till this afternoon and I'll get lots of writing done. Maybe I'll even find another story. I shall name it: The Great Refrigerator Repair Adventure or maybe...The Repair Dude Chronicles.
Stories, stories everywhere! tata
Monday, August 17, 2009
ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT IN RALEIGH
And so it begins...received my first rejection email yesterday from Book Cents Literary Agency. The email stated that "unfortunately, Ms. Witthohn, only represents single title stories 80-100+ k word count. My little debut novel only has 42,000 words, so it is way too short for her to even consider. She did "sincerely" wish me the best of luck. WOW...punch to the solar plexus!! Self-doubt of course set in immediately. Not self-doubt as to my ability as a writer. I know I can write and I believe in the book I've completed. My self-doubt was over my word count. What do I do now? The story is complete. Can I really add an additional 10-20,000 more words? Do I WANT to add more words? Where will the story end up if I do? Will all the agents I'm contacting feel the same way about my word count?
PANIC, PANIC, PANIC...tossing, turning, nausea, what do I do, what do I do? So this is what I did first thing this morning. I researched a couple of my favorite authors. Janet Evanovich, who writes the Stephanie Plum novels, is an author I truly admire! Her books run around 255-265 pages, for a word count of around 50+. She does however, have one book which contained only 184 pages...mine has 218 pages. Robert Parker, author of the Spenser novels is another of my favorite authors. Most of his books contain 208 pages. An author after my own heart!
I like a quick, page turning read. I think the author should tell the story in a tight interesting way and not necessarily go off on tangents with pages and pages of description and unnecessary fluff. I find myself just thumbing through novels that go into too much description and finding the "meat" of the book...so for me...those authors could have cut out 100 pages or so cause I only read about 250 pages of them anyway.
I'm going to continue on my quest for an agent. I have sent out two "Bs" so far, and will finish up with the "Bs" today and start into the "Cs". My characters are happy with this and I am happy with this. Onward and upward!
PANIC, PANIC, PANIC...tossing, turning, nausea, what do I do, what do I do? So this is what I did first thing this morning. I researched a couple of my favorite authors. Janet Evanovich, who writes the Stephanie Plum novels, is an author I truly admire! Her books run around 255-265 pages, for a word count of around 50+. She does however, have one book which contained only 184 pages...mine has 218 pages. Robert Parker, author of the Spenser novels is another of my favorite authors. Most of his books contain 208 pages. An author after my own heart!
I like a quick, page turning read. I think the author should tell the story in a tight interesting way and not necessarily go off on tangents with pages and pages of description and unnecessary fluff. I find myself just thumbing through novels that go into too much description and finding the "meat" of the book...so for me...those authors could have cut out 100 pages or so cause I only read about 250 pages of them anyway.
I'm going to continue on my quest for an agent. I have sent out two "Bs" so far, and will finish up with the "Bs" today and start into the "Cs". My characters are happy with this and I am happy with this. Onward and upward!
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