Wednesday, May 20, 2009
May 2009 archive
When was the last time you trusted your intuition and wrote from your gut instinct, not an outline, character chart or Hero’s Journey worksheet?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
5/19 WIP Tip
I started reading a new book this morning that I thought I wouldn’t really like but tried it anyway. I’m about two chapters from the end now. I’m already planning to re-read it this summer. What’s the last great book you read and what was so great about it? More importantly, what single element was the best and how can you bring it to life in your own work?
Monday, May 18, 2009
5/18 WIP Tip
Spring has officially sprung here in Ohio as I spent the afternoon cleaning up my garden in preparation for the new summer plants. How are/will you ‘spring clean’ your writing career?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
5/17 WIP Tip Sunday
Because behind every writer is an impressive set of goals…
Make a writing plan for the upcoming week. Take into account your schedule and obligations. How many words or pages will you finish?
Share your goals as comments so we can cheer you on. You can do it!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
5/16 WIP Tip Saturday
Published author? Click on the “For Authors” tab above and request 1, 2 or all four author interviews for WIP readers. We’ll send them off and schedule your responses as an upcoming post. Feel free to pass us along to your other published friends. Everyone loves an author interview!
Unpublished author? Click on the “Contact Me” tab above and send me your most pressing writing questions. Craft, business, creativity…hit me with your best shot! I’ll use your questions as upcoming posts.
Friday, May 15, 2009
5/15 WIP Tip
Today’s WIP Tip is courtesy of a Nora Roberts quote:
“Writers write. You can revise a page of dreadful writing, but you can’t revise a blank page.” – Nora Roberts
Today, finish at least a page of dreadful writing. Force yourself to write through the doubt, the repetitive words, the uncertainty.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
5/14 WIP Tip
Settling in to write is sometimes a struggle if there are lots of things going on in your life. Find a ritual to do each day before you write to signal your muse that it’s time for business. Maybe it’s a cup of coffee, maybe lighting a candle. Possibly a little meditation or clicking on the iPod.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
5/13 WIP Tip
Interesting fictional characters are made of real people quirks. Today, observe someone and try to figure out what makes them tick.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Another Free Book Contest for May
The Long and Short of It Book Reviews is hosting a free book giveaway for every day in May. I know we’re well into the month but there’s plenty of time to get your name in the mix!
The Long and Short of It Book Reviews Get Caught Reading Month contest
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
When Rejections Aren’t All Bad News…
At the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference I attended about a month ago, I sat in on a great session with an editor with a magazine I love. He mentioned a topic he’s interested in covering, and within two hours, I had a fully-formed query ready for him. At his request, I sent it in.
Standard reply time is 3-5 months to queries. An hour and a half later, his reply dinged in my inbox. He liked the idea (obviously, because he gave it to me LOL) and would pitch it at the next editorial meeting. I had really good hopes and dreams for this article. It’s a super-easy topic for me because it’s something I deal with often as a write, and I know plenty of authors who’d love to be quoted for this article. Seemed like cracking into one of my dream markets was only a matter of time.
The editor sent me a couple more notes in the past few weeks, keeping me updated on the article status. Yesterday I got the hatchet. I’m not calling it an axe, because it’s not fully dead. To make a long story short, he loves the idea and is interested but the head editor isn’t so keen about it right now. Seems they have some backup at the magazine and no room for my idea (at the moment).
He kindly requested that I send the query in again in January when openings might be more plentiful and the topic more timely. You can bet it’s already sharpie’d on my calendar.
The lesson here is for all authors: don’t take rejection personally. Even without the thoughtful editorial note, I would have taken a form rejection as a sign my idea wasn’t right for the publication or that I’d need to rework my approach.
Besides, things are really rolling on the essay/memoir front, and I don’t really feel in the mood to take momentum from that by needing to line up interviews for this article. I know, I’m fickle. I’m grateful for such a helpful editorial response. But the rejection/resubmission request is writing fuel in a good way.
What’s the best rejection you’ve received? What made it so great? We’d love to hear.
It's pretty simple, really. I'm a writer who loves writing about writing, and sharing all the tricks of the trade with other writers. And when I'm not writing, I'm thinking about writing. I have a hunch you know what I mean :)