Taking It or Leaving It

Writing is like running through the grocery store naked. You bare yourself to anyone standing in the produce section at the time. There’s no hiding behind the watermelons —your imperfections are there for all to see. The same is true for the written word. It’s literally in black and white. But if you want to get noticed, you need to commit to selling yourself.

That's been the biggest challenge for me since I started this journey, networking. I've rather enjoyed being a wallflower for most of my life. So telling people I've written a book feels awkward. In my experiences, there are three categorically-able reactions. The blank stare followed by “Oh that’s nice” move on to the next subject response. The “I have six other friends who wrote books too” response, and the “That’s wonderful! Can I read it?” response.  (My favorite. :)

My first critique was given to me by my biggest fan. My loving, and patient mom. I can’t thank her enough for listening to my incoherent, long-winded ideas as I pieced together my first book. Her compliments provided me the courage to move outside my family for feedback.

I knew that having someone else read my work was imperative. However, I quickly found it’s helpful to let them know what you’re looking for prior to them picking it up. Sure grammar and punctuation errors are important. But if they really want to help, ask them to mark passages that were especially touching, funny, intense… In the same rite, to let you know areas when they suddenly have the urge to take out the garbage.Character development, items that are unbelievable, repeat words, awkward dialogue, adjective overload, inane dialogue tags… If you find someone who provides this type of feedback, keep them close!

I was very fortunate to have met my first Beta Reader (crash dummy for writers) on the Absolute Writer Forums. She read through my first novel line by line. She was so patient with me and absolutely amazing at providing guidance in a positive and encouraging manner. Of course, since then, my novel has changed significantly. But I contribute the growth of this book, and that of my writing skills, to people like her.

With this being said, I think it’s also equally important to trust yourself. If you submit your finished novel for a critique, or to an agent or publisher, and the first person who sees it tells you to change it from third person to first, DO NOT DO IT unless you truly agree with them. Taste in writing styles vary as much as they do in food. And it’s not necessarily that the person giving you feedback is wrong. But maybe as much as they feel one way about it, another person will feel the opposite.

Now, if you’ve received the same suggestion from several persons, then ask yourself what your end goal is.If you want to get published, and several persons within the industry are all telling you the same thing, you’d be foolish not to make the changes. But if your goal is to self-publish and obtain a few books to give to your family and friends. Keep it as is. It’s your story after all.

Several years ago, I received a critique on my first novel from an extremely talented and gifted author who, still to this day, I respect very highly. But being such a newbie, when a suggestion was made to cut the first seven chapters and fill the information in later in small tidbits of backstory, I did it. I was working over fifty hours a week at the time so the change took a year. Once the overhaul was complete, the next four persons to see it -- including two other amazing, talented authors and a senior editor at a huge publishing house, suggested I add the chapters back on. I was horrified.

Thankfully, changing it back to the way it was originally only took a few months. But the experience taught me a lesson I will never forget. And I gladly share it with you. When a radical change is suggested, get other opinions and ask yourself, why you chose to write it that way to begin with.

--- Marlana

Happy Friday, WriteOnCon and CAGI

Happy Friday, Everyone! 

Zombie Kitteh makes me smile. :) 

WriteOnCon wrapped up last month and was a blast. I received some amazing feedback on my first 250 words of RULES OF RODENTIA. I also got a nice comment from Ninja Agent Tangerine that totally made my week!

Now I'm involved in CAGI, a contest offered by Cupid's Literary Connection. And again, I'm receiving invaluable feedback. If you want to take a look at my entry, it's right here. This time the major improvements have been to my query. YA Author Lindsay Cummings offered some great suggestions on query writing on her blog which I strongly recommend you check out. She also made some nice comments about my first 250, which were greatly appreciated. :) 

Marlana also braved the contest world and has a post on CAGI. You can click here to check out her query and first 250 words of CHILDREN OF THE NEPHILIM. She too has received incredible feedback from fellow writers and awesome YA Sci-fi Author Elizabeth Briggs. 

The CAGI contest finalists are announced tomorrow, so we're keeping our fingers crossed. There are some amazing submissions, so I don't envy the judges one bit! Tough job. 

Back to making Beta edits...

The Truth About Writers

I’m someone who can sit for hours people watching. See that guy? His name is Eduardo. Eduardo keeps studying his watch, his bushy brows knitted together. He pulls out his cell phone, punches a few buttons and scowls before jamming it back into his pocket. Is he a Federal Agent? - a hit man? Or maybe I notice a giant truck driven by a very old woman wearing a knitted cap. When she sees me looking at her, she veers down the first side street. Is she in disguise? Or has an injured criminal forced her to drive his getaway vehicle?

My imagination has driven me nuts for most of my life. I found early on, if I wrote down the silly notions that entered my head, the fog would lift and I could feel normal. For a while at least. But later in life as a full-time mom, wife and employee, I didn’t have time to doodle in notebooks. So I stowed away my ramblings hoping the stories bred from every day living would leave me be. It was pointless. With age the problem worsened. Characters now found me, whispering in my ear in the dead of night.

Sound familiar? Perhaps this is why most writers like other writers. We understand poor eye contact, spaced-out looks and seemingly short attention spans. We know if another writer has drool dribbling down their chin they aren’t having a seizure. They’re probably just riding a giant winged-horse in a sky with two suns.

There is a simple solution that will help a writer stay focused. Write! Give those pesky characters their voice. Give up TV, sleep and talking on the telephone. For me, I started cutting coupons, feeding my family beanie-weenie and went part-time. Okay. So I’m fortunate that my husband isn’t a picky eater. But the bottom line is a writer must write. This isn’t a curse but a rare gift. Embrace your Eduardos knowing most people will see only a Bob.

--- Marlana

Perfect Pastimes: Books and Baseball

"No game in the world is as tidy and dramatically neat as baseball, with cause and effect, crime and punishment, motive and result, so cleanly defined."       Paul Gallico, sportswriter and novelist (The Poseidon Adventure) 

Enjoying the lawn at Hammond. Twins win!

 This spring I’ve been bouncing around Florida with my family, catching as many Grapefruit League games as I can before the inexplicable summer drought of professional baseball settles over the Orlando area. (We’re heading to Tampa to catch Twins vs. Rays later this month- that’s as close as it gets. No minor league team either. Really.)

We been to a few stadiums now. We’ve done bleacher seats, and we've done a beach blanket on the berm. We plop down somewhere, then someone sings the National Anthem and that’s it-- the outside world disappears, and a simpler universe unfolds as the home team runs on the field. 

That’s how it feels. Like cracking open a new book. Every game presents a new cast of characters, favorite heroes and villains. Pitching duals, rivalries, batting orders are subplots. Every inning is a new chapter. 

Mom and Dad. :)

"The game's isn't over until it's over." Yogi Berra, player and manager

    
Strategy makes for plot twists; a well-timed change-up, a bunt, a sacrifice fly— every action a potential game changer.   The story could climax with a three-run homer, or the unbeatable closer taking the mound.

Or say the game is a snoozer. Seven innings of watching your zombified home team getting blasted by a team with a killer lineup. But this is baseball, so you keep watching. There's always a chance.   

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the god***n plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all." Earl Weaver, Manager, Baltimore Orioles 

Two of my favorite kids with ATL's Cory Harrilchak

And vocabulary? I’d wager baseball has the finest collection of jargon on Earth. Baltimore chop, Fungo, Chin music, Balk, Screwball, Dugout… these words are just fun. Period.

Both favorite books and baseball can make me feel like a kid again. They’re both experiences that are fun to share. I relived the joy of The Monster at the End of this Book with my daughter, and I’ll probably re-read Charlotte’s Web with her when she’s a little older.

These stories are a constant— just like watching a baseball game. Which, of course, leads me to this quote:

"They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come."  

Terrance Mann, Field of Dreams

Outdoor Invigoration & Spider Webs

If I ever feel start to feel bogged down working on my revisions, I head outside. After all, my WIP takes place in the deep woods, so the sights, smells, and sounds can really help recharge my mind. A refreshing stroll through my backyard can invigorate me enough to return to the scene waiting on my computer inside.  

Luckily my husband knows this about me. When fog rolled off the lake this morning he said I had to go look at the side yard. Dew had settled on hundreds of cobwebs weaved through the trees. The sun hit the scene just right and every spider’s haunt refracted beautifully. Now, since there are spiders in my WIP, I was thrilled to see it. A little creepy, yes, but mostly it was awesome. I took a some pictures, here a few…

 This is also why I have a bird feeder. Watching the birds, small critters and occasional raccoon also helps me flush out my woodland world. 

I have a few friends who are incredibly motivated by music when they write. Still others claim the books they read push them to write better scenes. Do you have a go-to muse that helps you write through a tough page?

I’m someone who can sit for hours people watching. See that guy? His name is Eduardo. Eduardo keeps studying his watch, his bushy brows knitted together. He pulls out his cell phone, punches a few buttons and scowls before jamming it back into his pocket. Is he a Federal Agent? - a hit man? Or maybe I notice a giant truck driven by a very old woman wearing a knitted cap. When she sees me looking at her, she veers down the first side street. Is she in disguise? Or has an injured criminal forced her to drive his getaway vehicle?

My imagination has driven me nuts for most of my life. I found early on, if I wrote down the silly notions that entered my head, the fog would lift and I could feel normal. For a while at least. But later in life as a full-time mom, wife and employee, I didn’t have time to doodle in notebooks. So I stowed away my ramblings hoping the stories bred from every day living would leave me be. It was pointless. With age the problem worsened. Characters now found me, whispering in my ear in the dead of night.

Sound familiar? Perhaps this is why most writers like other writers. We understand poor eye contact, spaced-out looks and seemingly short attention spans. We know if another writer has drool dribbling down their chin they aren’t having a seizure. They’re probably just riding a giant winged-horse in a sky with two suns.

So yes, I will settle it once and for all. Writers are weird. And if you’re reading this? Weirdo! -(- Or, you know one and are hoping this is a helpful guide on how to deal with them.) Well worry no more. The solution is quite simple. Write! Give those pesky characters their voice. Give up TV, sleep and talking on the telephone. For me, I started cutting coupons, feeding my family beanie-weenie and went part-time. Okay. So I’m fortunate that my husband isn’t a picky eater. But the bottom line is a writer must write. This isn’t a curse but a rare gift. Embrace your Eduardos knowing most people will see only a Bob.

--- Marlana

Taking a Critique on the Chin

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

This is the tale of how I eased myself, ever so gently, into the world of critique. And how critique has become an indispensable tool.

For two years now I’ve been hammering away on my book.What began as a tiny seed of a story sprouted into a notebook filled with scribbles. Then I actually put my fingers to a keyboard and, Viola! – I wrote the first ten pages of my novel.I thought they were pretty good (SPOILER: they needed lots of work) but I was craving another opinion. Now what?

Enter the world of Critique

Family! Okay, so I started with baby steps. The first person I showed was a cousin of mine. We wrote stories together when we were kids. I got some encouraging words: “Some parts are really good, nice description!” Thank you, Nate! That was exactly what I needed.

I pushed forward. I wrote chapters. I wanted more feedback. Maybe I should explore other avenues beyond Cousin Nate? After all, if I want to be published, I am going to have to show my pages to non-relatives.

Writing Group #1

I joined a local writing group in Sioux Falls. And though many of us wrote in different genres, I met people wired like me. Everyone battled the same affliction— the inability to turn off our wandering, creative minds! Recognize this? -- Those whispers that come to you at night that only go away once they’ve been written down?

We’d read our pieces out loud. My voice shook the first time and after a load of helpful suggestions, I left that night feeling inspired and ready to work. And work I did. I was getting pretty far along on my first draft.

Professional Conference Critique

A pamphlet came in the mail. There was an upcoming writing conference in Black Hills, South Dakota. Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) had an impressive group of speakers lined up. I knew I had to go. There was also an opportunity to have your first ten pages critiqued. Did I dare? I was already going to the conference, and if I was driving five hours anyway, why not have a published author, an editor or agent look at my work?

The conference arrived. My critique would be given by none other than Alexandra Penfold, editor at Simon and Schuster Publishing. Cue the flip-flopping stomach and regrets of drinking that third cup of coffee! I made the mistake of glancing over the pages I’d submitted. Ugh. My “polished words” morphed before my eyes into amateur ramblings. My throat went dry and I wondered how I’d talk. Could I just nod my way through?

They called my name and I sat across the table from Ms. Penfold. First – she was so nice! And she doled out the best advice I’ve ever received. Real, book changing stuff. My novel started with my protagonist sulking. Ms. Penfold suggested I start my story in a point of action. –Why not start my novel with the event my protagonist was sulking about? *Forehead Slap!* Best of all, at no point did she hint I should step away from the laptop and consider knitting. She even gave me a compliment on my writing style. When I walked away from the table I actually felt good. Again, critique inspired, not deterred.

The OWLs – Osceola Writing League

A year or so after my 1^st conference critique I moved to Florida. I joined a new writing group, completely dedicated to children’s writing. A collection of writers, that I quickly discovered, were leaps and bounds ahead of me in technique, experience and the art of giving a good critique.

This wonderful group gave me my first, truly gut-wrenching critique. My chapter was too long— sixteen pages for a Middle Grade? Seriously? Also my voice was weak. Ouch. Way too many “be” verbs. Too many “saidisms.” Say what? But there was also positive stuff. I had some nice descriptive passages. Colorful characters, good dialogue. I was told, “It’s because there is potential here that we are being so critical.”

I nodded, sat back and listened to how they critiqued each other’s work. So much time and thought had gone into these crits. The bruises I felt about my first critiqued pages faded with this realization: These guys were good. They were going to help me and that is what I wanted.

Stronger writing, stronger backbone.

Bottom line: Critique is invaluable, though sometimes it can sting. But if you can handle it, your work will be better for it. And those compliments sure feel good when you get them. Your goal is to craft the strongest manuscript possible. The chapters I've worked through with my critique group are much stronger. Also, critiquing their work in return exercises my brain in a whole new way. This all helps me in the end.

----Rina