Schedules, Resolutions, Walk throughs, and other random thoughts

Well, I've reached the end of all my pre-scheduled blog tour and guest posts. I'm really glad I had enough to get me through November when I was trying to move, but in a way I felt disconnected from all of you. Even though I never have anything brilliant to say I like conversing with you through my posts. So that's what I'm going to do today.

I have a few books to get reviews up for--The Burning of Isobel Key and A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection 2012.

Two books to read--The Betrayals of Grim's Peak and Whispers on Shadow Bay

Have you noticed that I've been reading a lot of romance novels lately? Yeah, I don't know why, but that's what people are sending me. I'm missing my main love--scifi. I want to get back on track with scifi reviews in January. In order to do this, I visited my new library and got my card and picked up two books--The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn (love him!) and The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card (worship him! Not really, but pretty close.)

Here's where I need your help. My old library had scifi and fantasy in its own section. This made it easy for me to browse and just pick something up. The new library has all the fiction together in one place. It sort of overwhelmed me, that's why I went searching for the names I know and adore.

Please, tell me some great scifi books or authors to look for.

I'll read them next year and do reviews from that pile. Thanks!

Now, on to resolutions. I don't make them. Ever.

Instead I set goals, and why wait until January to do that? Last week I set a goal to start exercising again. I've put that kind of thing off for almost a year. Hubby's new job comes with affordable gym membership for our whole family, and now that I'm unpacked it's time to start going.

Last week I went four times! I ran on the treadmill twice, took a serenity yoga class, did a tone and tighten weight class, and went to a water aerobics class. The best thing is I met a friend there that goes to my church and she introduced me to some other ladies. On Friday we all went to Starbucks after the class and just visited for a while. It was really nice to be with real live people!

Do you wait for January to make resolutions?

Finding Your Story Worth Problem

I got all off schedule this week. Sorry. :) Since I didn't post Wednesday, I'm putting up Friday's post a day early.

I've been reading this book...

Find on Goodreads

I highly recommend it. One of the things that really hit me this first read through is the story worthy problem. In the past I thought about conflict, tension, the problems that come up, etc, but I never thought about the one deep seeded problem that drives the whole story.

It's there in Sendek, but I never named it. And never naming it explains why I still feel like something is missing or not quite working. Let's take a closer look.

Story-worthy problem vs surface problems.

A story-worthy problem always relates more to the inner psychology of the protagonist and has to be big enough, dramatic enough, to change the protagonist's world and force him on a journey of change. Surface problems, on the other hand, are more like bad situations that reflect the actual story-worthy problem, but that aren't sufficient on their own to sustain and entire story. ~Les Edgerton, Chapter 3.

In another spot in the book it mentions how the protagonists thinks they know what the main problem is, but they are almost always wrong--just missing the real thing. Their journey leads them and the reader to the story-worthy problem.

Using those two things, let me give you an example from Sendek.

Talia thinks her problem is that she's going to die a horrible death at the hands of the Draguman if she can't convince someone they exist, are coming, and the people of Sendek need to prepare to fight.

That is a great bit of conflict. It builds tension throughout the story, but in the end it isn't the story-worthy problem.

The deeper psychological issue is that when Talia's family died, she stopped living. Her real problem is learning to live again by letting others into her life. Be willing to hurt again in order to feel love.

But she doesn't recognize that until the very end. In the meantime there are lots of surface problems that move her closer to realizing that story-worthy problem. Her reaction to each surface problem has an effect on whether she is a success or a failure at the story-worthy problem.

Every problem--story-worthy and surface--has its own corresponding resolution or goal, so the resolution of a surface problem shouldn't also be the resolution to the story-worthy problem. Instead, the resolution of the surface problem should contribute to the resolution of the story-worthy problem. ~Les Edgerton, Chapter 3.

Maybe this is all old news to you guys, but this is going to make my current and future WIPs 100 times better. In knowing the difference between the problems I can plan/plot/outline better and keep the end goal straight in my head. Each surface problem can be crafted to better define and guide my character to reaching the ultimate goal.

Finally, Edgerton talks about digging deep to find this story-worthy goal. Deep into our own selves. Let loose your own personal demons and you will find the stuff of greatness. If you are emotional about the problem, it will come through your writing.

That means you have to let yourself out of the box.

Story Structure--The Roller Coaster Ride

Guess what I learned this weekend during my reading? The three act story structure is NOT the only way to plot your novel. I guess I never really thought about it before reading this book, Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. It was a free download for my Kindle a month or two ago, but I'm just getting around to reading it.

Here's what caught my eye yesterday:

"Instead of having one major Climax at the end of the story, as with Traditional Structure, this structure has several Climaxes throughout the story. Each one builds upon the previous one, holding the reader in its thrall until the very end. Slowly the train climbs up the hill. It reaches the peak and then dives toward the ground where it starts uphill once again."

 SENDEK is more like a roller coaster than a three act play. Some of the peaks and dips are different levels and each one moves the reader (and the characters) closer to the final Climax. This might not seem like a revelation to anyone else, but it was a huge relief to me. I can stop trying to make SENDEK fit this model that it doesn't fit. It's okay to have a different structure.

This book actually outlines 11 different plot structures. I've learned that the Roller Coaster is my main structure, but I also have a sub-structure based on the Romance structure.

Another thought I had this weekend? I might change Talia's eye color. Too many books are coming out with violet eyed people. It just isn't cool. The only problem is then I'd have to tweak the whole necklace thing I've got going on.

Talia has this amethyst necklace that her mother gave her because it matched her eyes. She fiddles with it every time she's nervous, sad, angry, whatever. It's the one thing that means something to her that she keeps with her all the time. Until she loses it on one of those roller coaster dips.

At the end of the story Landry gives her a new one. He notices every time she reaches for it and it isn't there, but he never says anything. Then at the right time he presents her with a new one that has some added symbolism. Yeah, it's one of my most "AWE" moments.

Somehow I think it would lose something if its just a random necklace. Not to the readers because they won't know the difference, but to me.

What do you think? Should I change her eye color because of the crazy amount of violet eyed characters flooding the market?

Author Interview: Janice Hardy of the Healing Wars Trilogy

Yay! Today is my interview with Janice Hardy. The third book in her Healing Wars Trilogy comes out TOMORROW! Make sure you go buy it. You may need to buy the first two books as well, but it is well worth it. :)

I'll do a full review of Darkfall eventually (life has been a bit busy). For now, just know I gave it a 5 on my scale because at the end I was completely satisfied with how it all worked out. Oh, and I read the book in a day!

Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, BLUE FIRE, and DARKFALL. She lives in Georgia with her husband, three cats and one very nervous freshwater eel. You can visit her online at www.janicehardy.com, chat with her about writing on her blog, The Other Side of the Story, or find her on Twitter .

Now the questions.

How do you “get in the zone” when writing? Do you listen to music? Look through art? Something else? What is your writing environment like?
I usually write at my desk in my office, but when I need to focus, I write on my laptop away from email and temptation. My office is very colorful, with all kinds of stuff hanging from the ceiling (butterflies, cool mobiles) artsy lizards climbing up the wall, funky figures and things in the shelves. I “get in the zone” by reading the last few pages, remembering where I was in the story and getting back into the voice and feel of the characters. I don’t usually listen to music, but I started trying that recently. As long as it’s instrumental it doesn’t distract me. I’ve been picking something that relates to the setting of the book, which has been fun.

What’s your favorite part of being a writer?
I love the feeling you get when a story just clicks and you see all it can be. You want to write it just to see how it all turns out.

What’s your least favorite part?
When it isn’t clicking so well and every word is a struggle. It really saps your energy and makes you want to do anything but write. But you have to stick with it to get past it.
It's so true about your energy being sapped when things don't click right away. 

Are you a pantser or plotter, or a mix?
I’m a mix. I outline the plot and the story, but I pants my way through how the characters fulfill that plot. That way I have structure to guide me, but I still retain the wonder of seeing what happens to keep it fresh. Me too!

Best thinking activity? (e.g. washing dishes, folding clothes, driving)
Washing my hair. Something about massaging the brain always gives me ideas or gets me un-stuck. I’ve had more book ideas in the middle of washing my hair than you’d believe. 
LOL, I guess that's better than getting ideas as you fall asleep.

Worst/most interesting writing related injury? (e.g. falling off chair or tripping over whilst trying to do something you're sure your MC could manage)
I wish I had something funny here to share, but my worst one has to be straining my poor eyeballs. Too much time spent staring at a screen really overworked them and I couldn’t even look at a screen of any type for two months. I was going out of my mind. Though it did get me to break my computer habit and get outside more, so it turned out okay in the end.
OMGoodness, I think I'd go crazy if I couldn't look at my computer, but I do see how it might be great for regaining some balance.

I have to tell you I think the idea of Healers/Takers/Shifters is brilliant. What gave you this idea and did you know it was going to be a winner? AKA, how did you fall in love with this idea enough to stick with it?
Thanks so much! The idea was a lot of small inspirations that all converged at the right time, but the core idea came after seeing the first X-Men movie. Rogue is my favorite superhero, and she accidentally steals powers by touch. I left wondering what would happen if someone did that with healing. What if they accidental healed people just by bumping into them? That led to me thinking about healing as a magical power, and what if it had consequences and a darker aspect to it. Once I started doing the world building, it all kinda fell into place.

I actually knew early on that it could be my breakout book. It just felt different from anything I’d ever written before. It came together so easily, practically fell out of my head on to the page. It was also lacking the issues previous books I’d written had. It’s hard to explain but it simply felt ready.

Sticking to this one was easy as well. I wanted to see where this took me and how this impulsive girl solved all the troubles I kept thinking up for her. And the more I wrote, the more connected and interesting everything got. It was also exciting to have a book I felt was going to get more than form rejections. How can you not stick with that?

Which character do you relate to the most?
I think Aylin, Nya’s best friend. She’s very upbeat and optimistic, even when things are really bad. She tries not to let things bother her and just accept that life sometimes takes weird turns.
My daughter loves Aylin's name. She started reading The Shifter Sunday and is really enjoying it.

What’s next now the Healing Trilogy is finished?
I’m currently working on a YA fantasy about an undercover spy. I’m trying some new things this time, with a romance, some dual points of view, and a wheels-within-wheels plot. I’m having a blast with it.
Don't you love it when the writing is fun? Good luck with the new project, and thanks for taking the time to visit with us today.

Links:

The Shifter

Blue Fire

Darkfall





 

 About Darkfall:

War has come.

Nya’s the one who brought it. And the people love her for it.

With Baseer in shambles and Geveg now an impenetrable military stronghold, Nya and the Underground have fled to a safer location—without Tali. Nya is guilt-ridden over leaving her sister behind and vows to find her, but with the rebellion in full swing and refugees flooding the Three Territories, she fears she never will.

The Duke, desperate to reclaim the throne as his own, has rallied his powerful army. And they are on the move, destroying anyone who gets in the way.

To save her sister, her family, and her people, Nya needs to stay ahead of the Duke’s army and find a way to build one of her own. Past hurts must be healed, past wrongs must be righted, and Nya must decide: Is she merely a pawn in the rebellion, a symbol of hope—or is she ready to be a hero?

Post Nano Series: Editing/Revising Adverbs and Adjectives

So, what is the difference between editing and revising?

Edit:
a: to prepare (as literary material) for publication or public presentation
b: to assemble (as a moving picture or tape recording) by cutting and rearranging
c: to alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose.

Revise:
a: an act of revising--revision (don't you hate definitions that use a form of the word?)
b: a printing proof that incorporates changes marked in a previous proof

Anyway, here's how I see the two.

Revision--what I do over and over to make sure all the plot holes are filled, the characters are real, well rounded, believable and emotionally endearing, and a host of other things content related.

Edit--I think of this as the grammatical and mechanical final polish. In my mind it doesn't deal with content as much as presentation.

Before you read further, click HERE and read the thoughts of one agent's intern and what makes her reject or request a manuscript after ready your query or MS.

Are you back? Did you catch this sentence in Alyson's post?

The query rocks and I am dying to read the sample pages. I read the material and realize that more time was spent on polishing the query than was spent polishing the manuscript.

We don't want that do we? Over the next few weeks we will talk about specific areas we need to watch for and improve as we revise. This is going to take a long time. So, prepare yourself now. You will go through your novel so many times you'll start to hate it. That's when you take a break and work on something else. The key is to be patient and keep plugging along.

Let's concentrate on this thought today:

...They must have a class that focuses mainly on developing voice and a professor who is a Nazi when it comes to cracking down on excess adverbs and adjectives. Whoever they are, I want to take their class and then kiss them.

Almost everywhere I go, someone is complaining about too many adverbs or adjectives. It drives me nuts because I think, "How can I layer my world to pull in the reader without using modifiers?" That's what adverbs and adjectives are anyway. Simply extra words to describe nouns, adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs.

Really, adverbs aren't bad in themselves. They're a part of speech, fundamentally no different than any other. Basically, an adverb modifies a verb or adjective to tell you how someone did something. The main problem is, unfortunately, people tend to overuse adverbs. And they're the part of speech most likely to clutter your sentence pointlessly. --io9.com

Example from the web:
He looked at her longingly.
“I love you,” he said passionately.
She quickly glanced away. “I can’t be with you,” she said guiltily.

How many modifiers did you catch? Did you start to get bored? Want to get on with it already?

The over use of adverbs made everything feel dramatic and over the top. It's also classic telling, which although needed at times, can leave the reader feeling like you think they can't figure it out on their own. Showing can draw your reader in faster. I've heard that too many adverbs and adjectives are the sign of a lazy writer. I don't know about you, but I put WAY too much time writing to let anyone call me lazy.

The criteria I use when deciding what to cut is: What is the most important modifier? Can I show it without stating it? I could rework the passage just a bit and get this:

He looked at her from across the table, reached out and took her hand in his.
“I love you,” His voice caught in his throat.
She hung her head to avoid his gaze. “I can’t be with you,” she pulled her hand from his and escaped through the front door.

Isn't that better? The action with the dialogue helps the reader feel what is going on without it being pointed out for them.

It's the same with adjectives. You need them to help ground the reader in your world, but too many will weaken your writing.

Example:

She tossed her head and her long, curly, honey-brown hair bounced softly on her shoulders.

I ask, "What is the most important thing I want the reader to come away with?" Do I need them to know her hair is long more than the color? Or that it is curly? In this case, I think it is better to give the reader the hair color. I can work in the other stuff later. Note on the word softly: hair isn't that heavy, so even if it whipped around quickly(<-- Hah!) it could be described as soft compared to other things. So, I'm going to drop it as well.

She tossed her head and her honey-brown hair bounced on her shoulders. (You could debate on whether I need "on her shoulders" because where else would it bounce? I kept it to give a glimpse of length. The reader now knows it is at least long enough to reach her shoulders.)

I'm getting lengthy here, so let me leave you with links to bloggers who have said it much better than I managed here.


Links--what to look for when revising:

Elena Solodow gives a blow by blow account of what turns her off when reading a first page.

One of my favorites, Janice Hardy, tells us how to use adverbs correctly. She also has a post on Edits vs. Revisions: One on One Death Match.

KM Weiland asks Are Your Verbs Showing or Telling.

Jessica Bell shares Words that make her eyes bleed.

Roni Loren shows us how Friends Don't let Friends Overwrite.

Great Books to help:

by Noah Lukeman

by Renni Browne and Dave King

by Donald Maass

The Age Old Question...Star Wars or Star Trek???

If you've ever bounced around in any forum, you've come across this question. I've seen it many times and my answer as always been the same. Both. Well, now I'm going to own up to what side I'm really on. And, just so you know, it just hit me that I am on one side more than the other.

First, I've always enjoyed both franchises. The worlds are well crafted, easily immersed in, and the characters are believable and endearing. Even the villains. I have probably read an equal amount of novels written about both worlds, watched all the movies multiple times, and there are two Star Wars blankets living in my house. One of them is at least 30 years old. (long story, I'll save for another time.)

However, I was watching a particular movie the other day with my hubby and something hit me up side the head, so here we are.

Star Trek rocks my world.
Here's how I know and what I loved about this movie in particular:

1. I've seen this movie five or six times and I cry within the first four minutes--every time! Maybe it's because I've delivered four babies of my own, but watching a child come into the world while his father leaves it kills me. Sacrifice for the greater good in its truest form.

2. I teared (is that spelled right?) up the first time the camera panned over the hull to reveal the NCC-1701. (Yeah, I know!) I think the Millennium Falcon is awesome, but it's never made me cry.


3. My heart swelled with pride when the Enterprise rose out of the gas surrounding Titan. Inside I was yelling, "Oh yeah, now you're in for it!"

4. When Spock turned down the invitation to the Vulcan Science Academy I was smuggly thrilled. I always wanted him to embrace his human side all through the other series, and this was exactly what I wanted.

5. Bones--Have you read this book? It's one of my all time favorites. McCoy returns to a planet of assassins from his younger days to confront some old personal demons. How can you not love a paranoid space doctor?

6. When Scotty says, "I love this ship! It's so exciting!" I totally agreed. And then he gets to say his famous lines, "I'm giving it all she's got!"

7. When Kirk meets the older Spock in the cave and Spock says, "I have been and always will be your friend." Aaahhh! That brought back so many dear Star Trek memories.

There were so many more moments, but I don't want to bore you. Believe it or not, I have a reason for bringing all this up related to writing. There have been a lot of posts lately on how it has all been done before. How are we going to write something new and fresh so we can be published?

This movie is prime example that it can be done. I grew up watching Star Trek reruns. Then Next Generation came out and I would plan my whole night schedule around that show. DS9 saw less of me--I didn't like being stuck on a station most of the time I guess. Voyager pulled me back in for a season, but then I married a man who doesn't like science fiction. (I KNOW! He has humored me and accompanied me to every Star Trek movie that came out after our marriage.)

Anyway, Star Trek has a dedicated fan base. We know that world inside out. We know how all the characters relate to each other, what they contributed to their "time" if you will and you don't mess with that. However, this new movie takes all the old characters we love, thows away a lot of history and gives them a new future. The characters have enough of their familiar quirks and traits that we immediately feel comfortable with them, but because of the disruption of the time line we can accept the changes that take place. The old fans are happy with all the inside nods to the lost history, and new fans are brought on board for a new relevant and exciting beginning.

Brilliant. That's what it is. The Star Trek franchise just set themselves up for a bright future indeed. That is what we have to do with our plots. Yes, dorky boy meets girl, falls in love with girl, but girl is in a relationship with the quarterback has been done a kazillion times. Does that mean you can't do it again and have a successful book? No. It will just take a lot of hard work and some really great twists.

Aliens come to destroy the planet. Done before? Oh yeah. So, how are you going to make it feel new? The reader  needs to be kept on their toes and not feel like the same ending is coming. What if the aliens win? (Thinking the Host here.) What next? I don't have the answers for you. But, I believe that we CAN write the same themes that have been done over and over and make them ours. Remember, it's true that no one can write YOUR book. 

Conflict: How much is enough?

I have slowly worked my way through the Virginia Woolf Writer's Workshop by Danell Jones, savoring each lesson.

The other day, I read this lovely clip about conflict.

Conflict is the engine of a story: it puts characters in motion and keeps them going. (Internal and external)...Conflict builds momentum by increasing or getting more complicated. (p 90)

Harnessing the energy of conflict can be one of the most difficult  challenges for beginning fiction writers. (p 91)

I love the phrase "harnessing the energy". I love to read fast paced, action and emotion packed stories. Where does the action and emotion come from? The energy of the conflict. I want to make sure my book is continually moving forward, so I need to spend some time examining the conflict in my wip.

Here are some writing prompts from the book to help get you thinking about how characters and conflict work together.

1. Character and conflict are inextricably connected. To see this principle in action, put different characters in the same situation and see what they do.
--A father tells his child the trip to the lighthouse won't happen. Pick two of the following characters and write a scene for each, showing how their reactions would differ:

• a little boy who dreams of going to the lighthouse
• a little girl who is afraid of boats
• a teenage girl who'd rather stay with her boyfriend
• a teenage boy who hates his father

2. Write a scene involving two friend who have dramatically conflicting desires. Show us the conflict, but do not let your characters discuss it openly. (This one sounds hard!)

I haven't done these yet, but plan to. I'll share them when I get around to it. Instead, I made a list of conflicts in my book from memory in the order that they occur. I found that writing them down started my brain working again. I can see the conflict and have now identified several areas that need more work to bring that conflict out.

Internal Conflict (tension):

Talia--a)Loneliness. b)Battle with self to keep everyone out in order to protect herself and others from her future death, although she needs love and companionship. She is also a naturally loving person so keeping people out goes against her nature. c)Fear of the death she feels coming closer with each day, while desiring to fight for her life. d)Shame or fear of her magical qualities. Why hide them? e)Guilt/shame/remorse for destroying life because it was the "easy" way out of the problem. f)Fear Landry will think less of her for choosing the event from (e).

Landry--a)Need to revenge his father's death. b)Attraction to Talia while suspecting her of being connected to the group he blames for his father's death. c)Torn between his duty as a Royalist and his desire to help and protect Talia.

Landry and Talia--Distrust of Jaron while being dependent on his magical wisdom.

Jaron--a)Desire for revenge. b)Crushing sorrow from losing his wife and son--murdered by the draguman. c)Constant battle for control of his mind with the demon that prolongs his life.

Stefan--a)Pressure to rule wisely at such a young age. b)Sadness over his father's illness and then death. c)Fear at losing his cousin to this strange new world of magic.

Shishali (prounounced Shh-SHA-lee)--Free of inner conflict (Is this possible? I couldn't think of any for her.) She knows what she wants and has no regrets. Very animalistic desires and instincts. Perhaps her only inner conflict would be her need to satisfy all of her desires.

Kansisi (pronounced Can-see-see)--a)Guilt and remorse. He is not a bloodthirsty being, and yet he has led the draguman in the destruction of entire planets to satisfy Shishali. b)Desire to make Shishali happy although it means acting contrary to his own nature.

Nysyk (pronounced NI-sic)--torn between his childhood friend--Kansisi--and desire for Shishali.

External Conflict (Action):

Talia--a)Accused of being a spy/traitor. b)shunned physically and socially by her hometown. c)Fight scene with Shishali.

Landry--Searching for Talia before time runs out and being met with dead ends at every turn.(tension)

Talia and Landry--a)Life and Death situation on the tram. b)Air chase through Joharadin to escape the draguman during the invasion. c)Waking the dragon (tension). d)Hand to hand combat with the draguman. e)Creating the governing laws and consequences for the new guild of mages. f)Planning to travel to Jaron's homeworld to gather more data on how magic and science can work together in harmony.

Jaron--a)Physical attacks on his body as the demon tries to gain control. b)His body is deteriorating after using technology, magic, and the demon to extend his life (he is in his 300's). None of these things can keep you alive forever and he is at the end of his limits.

Nysyk--Fight with Landry and Talia and ending with the dragon.

Shishali--a)Trapped in a dream with Talia. b)Fight with Talia.

Q4U: Do you think I have too many for a 86,000 word novel?

The Wisdom of Virginia Woolf

I picked up The Virginia Woolf Writers' Workshop: Seven lessons to inspire great writing by Danell Jones at the library yesterday. Danell wondered what it would be like if Virginia Woolf taught writers' workshops and turned it into a book,and used the diaries, essays, correspondence and fiction of this literary legend to find the answer.

Although I am only a few pages in, I have already found gems that I want to share. I'll admit that I've never read anything by Virginia Woolf, so I don't know if it is her voice I like, or Danell's. Whoever it is, their voice speaks to me (and I'm adding Woolf to my list of authors to check out at the library).

Writing, she warns them gravely, could be the easiest part of the task. Sticking to the routine when every force in the world will try to steal it--or try to make you feel excruciatingly guilty about wanting to write--can be much tougher. She must encourage them to resist the fierce emotional traps that will try to get in the way of their creative life. They must, especially if they are women, she warns, be prepared for a fight. They must even be prepared, she adds in a slow, solemn tone, to kill.

Kill? The next few paragraphs talk about how writers, women especially, have to kill the selfless, giving caretaker who always puts everyone else's needs ahead of their own.

"Had I not killed her," she warns them, "she would have killed me. She would have plucked the heart out of my writing."

I suffer from writing guilt. Daily. Almost by the minute. I have always believed that my greatest work as a woman would be to raise happy, well-adjusted, intelligent children capable of not only surviving this life, but contributing to it. I still believe that. I love my children, but writing consumes me.

There are so many things going on in my head that I have to write to stay sane. Unfortunately, my writing has become an addiction (an obsession at best), and it pulls my attention away from my children, my husband, my friends. I want to hide at home for two reasons: 1. To write and 2. to not embarrass myself because all I talk about is my writing. My friends must be so tired of hearing about it. (You have no idea how I try to keep my mouth shut, but it just spills out anyway!)

Several times this year I found myself wishing I never started this novel. *gasping as I stab the thought out of my breast* Other times I've wished I could just click save and say, "My family is more important so I'll finish this when my kids are older." But I can't. I've tried.

I know my poor husband wonders if I'll ever be "normal" again, and it worries me. If I get picked up by an agent and become a real honest to goodness author, life will change and I don't know if we are ready for that. I want it more than anything, but it is as scary as being rejected by every agent out there and never seeing my name on the cover. And, if I never get picked up, I don't know how to turn the characters and their stories off that are running through my head. Do you think meds for multiple personalities would do the trick?

The Carolina Cobra at Carowinds

This is the roller coaster we ride as authors. The ups thrill us as we hope for our future as best-selling authors and then reality hits and we plummet. We read and find motivation and remind ourselves that those who persevere can and do get published.  All we need to do is stick to our chosen routine and keep plugging away with our writing while avoiding those emotional traps Woolf mentioned. My traps are--guilt, self-doubt, fear of failure, fear of success, exhaustion, and even anger. Sometimes I am so angry about this whole process (yes I know that is dumb, but that's how I feel sometimes). Why does it have to be so hard? Why does it have to take so long? Why do we have to have our feelings crushed under the weight of the task (and future form rejections, or worse personalized ones!) while feeling the overwhelming urge to share our stories with the world?

I think I am slowly learning the answer to some of those questions, but I want to know what you think first. What are your emotional traps and why do you think we have to struggle through them?

What comes next?

Now that I have successfully written a complete story and decided that I am a writer, what comes next? Research. There is so much to learn about this industry. Luckily, there are lots of resources available to help any aspiring writer. Last month I began 'collecting' blogs and websites that I feel to be informative and enjoyable dealing with the world of writing and publishing. The idea is to educate myself with the terminology, process and secrets of the trade to gain every possible advantage. I've also been reading how to books on writing, editing, submitting, and getting published. There are so many great books and sites out there, and I know that I've only scratched the surface, but here are some of my favorites so far.

Books:

• Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by David Gerrold Science fiction "is about what's possible," while "fantasy is about what's not." Writing for both these genres is a lot like "playing with a set of Lego bricks," Gerrold says: you're creating your own world, but you have to work within a logical framework.
• Characters and Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing) by Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card presents practical, in-depth instruction on how fiction writers can make the best choices in creating characters and handling viewpoint. The author shows how to put original yet realistic people into fiction.
• The First Five Pages: A Writers Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman The difference between The First Five Pages and most books on writing is that the others are written by teachers and writers. This one comes from a literary agent--one whose clients include Pulitzer Prize nominees, New York Times bestselling authors, Pushcart Prize recipients, and American Book Award winners. Noah Lukeman is not trying to impart the finer points of writing well. He wants to teach you "how to identify and avoid bad writing," so that your manuscript doesn't come boomeranging back to you in that self-addressed, stamped envelope. (I LOVED this book!)
  
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, 2nd Edition: How to edit yourself into print by Renni Browne, Dave King Renni Browne, veteran of William Morrow and other publishers, founded the Editorial Department in 1980 to teach fiction writers the techniques professional editors (many of whom have gone independent) use to prepare a manuscript for publication. In this book, she and senior editor Dave King share their accumulated expertise in a series of brilliantly compact lessons.
• Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript by Chuck Sambuchino Featuring more than 100 example query letters, proposals, and synopses, the 3rd edition of Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript gives you more detailed and concrete instruction than ever before! This new edition features expanded instruction for e-mail submissions, updated formatting and submitting guidelines, insider tips from agents and editors, and much more. Increase your chances of publication by submitting your manuscript the right way--let this book be your guide.

Blogs and Websites:
I was about to make a big list and remembered that I've already done that! See the sidebar. The Nathan Bransford is one of my favorites. You can also join his forums to converse with other writers. And then there is Scott Westerfeld whom I adore (Uglies, The Midnighters, Peeps, So Yesterday)! He also has a new forum and a new steampunk book out called Leviathan (now out in the US). I'm on the wait list at the library.

I have recently found some new blogs that I have not added to the sidebar as yet. Here are a few that I am browsing.

Daily Writing Tips
Mike's Writing Workshop
Writing Forward

So, now I am working on making my book as close to perfect as possible before approaching an agent. This is where the really hard work starts, and it is my focus for the next three or four months. By the summer I hope to be at the point to take the first and perhaps most terrifying step--trying to get a recommendation or two from some of my favorite authors. My understanding is that if you can get a well known author in your genre to read your work and give it a thumbs up, you will have a better chance of having your manuscript looked at. Remember, according to "The First Five Pages" an agents job is to see how many books they can toss from their pile.

Anyway, I think this sounds more terrifying than approaching complete strangers (the agents), because I would query an author that I have a relationship with through my years of reading. I have already picked a handful of authors that I love and respect their work. My biggest problem is getting past the "who am I to bother them?" syndrome. I know they are busy and probably get asked "favors" all the time by us new aspiring writers. Then again, they seem so normal and personable on their blogs... Eh, it all comes back to what do I have to lose? Nothing.

Now, to stop reading and get back to writing...