I simply cannot believe that this year has zoomed by so quickly. As I sit here and review the year, the usual questions fill my mind: Have I accomplished everything I wanted to this year? Is my checklist for things-to-do complete? Can I knock off work and get into the Christmas spirit and head for the chilling wine in the fridge? Of course I can - there's always time for wine...what am I even saying?
I'm sure that everyone does the same thing. If not, then I am the only idiot that does - make checklists, that is - and New Year's resolutions still hold fast in my mind like a mother's scathing words.
For me, my main objective this year was as to get published. And, mission accomplished! My biggest goal achieved and realized, so the rest of the checklist pretty much took care of itself. Not. Checklists are never completed and never over. Like mobile phone minutes, they rollover into the next year.
This year, I made a bargain with myself. If I did not get published by the time I hit forty, then I'd better pack it up for the time being and try again in about five years - or think seriously about calling it quits and come to the realization that writing really isn't for me after all. What a sucky thought, but, let's be practical here: sometimes, there really is just that one wonder of sliced bread and the rest of us have no choice but to be happy with our lot and eat it.
As the time drew near for my impending 'coming of age' celebrations, the crunch was on...like a certain gritted teethed desperation and that underlying hum of a constant and ever-emphatic cuss-fest as I crossed out another day, week, month of being unpublished. To put it bluntly, the words 'fucking-hell' (and varying variants) became my new best friend. My outlook was not looking too bright.
And, then, one day, the good news comes in, clinging right on the heels - weeks, really - before my 'coming of age' debut. Life is brilliant once more, the heart feels light and nothing that happens after that is wrong, ugly or intolerable. Like the appliances, Life's Good!
So, as I rewind the year that's come to pass, I can honestly say that this year, out of a lot of previously disappointing years: I have achieved something! And isn't it amazing how with achievement, you feel inspired? Truly inspired! Not just creatively, but generally speaking. The motivation for striving forward is sparked and nothing can stop you now. However, when writer's block hits you full in the face like a brick wall and you're back, flat on your ass, moaning about how life sucks, the world can be a mean old bastard.
Speaking of which, I am inflicted with that condition once again. The Eternal Knot is proving to be a very challenging story to tell. I know what I want to say, it's just the 'getting there' that's flinging all sorts of obstacles my way. Maybe its the fact that I know it's the last in the trilogy and breaking up is hard to do...maybe.
Maybe its just Christmas and there's so many things to do that my mind is full of food, drink and good company - including creating a new checklist with the said rollover minutes from this year...
Here's to a Merry Christmas and the very best for 2010 !!!
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Monday, 26 October 2009
Gazing At The Ceiling
October is nearly done and I am still waiting patiently in a state of limbo. And, as things in limbo usually go, I find myself once again with an utterly blank mind.
Book three, The Eternal Knot, is complete only in my head - in various bulleted points. It's the in-between fillers that has me stumped. I am precisely halfway through, and being in that position is a lot like being in limbo: you are neither here nor there. And I think the main reason is that in the back of my mind, I'm still wondering what Book One - The Lancaster Rule - is up to.
Yes, it is still with the editor's being hacked to pieces (only in my imagination, of course...I hope) and its like waiting for a condemning verdict to be announced. All other thoughts get pushed out the way as you try your best to ignore the inevitable. At some point soon, I will hear from Them and I will no doubt be spending the majority of my time carefully combing through my manuscript with growing angst as I bend to their wishes...so to speak. I am being dramatic of course, but with nothing else to think about or work on constructively, the imagination is allowed to roam free with varying scenarios of doom.
Being a fastidious perfectionist doesn't help matters either. Knowing there's unfinished business to be dealt with seems to only add to the havoc caused by my lack of inspiration. It's like having your ass flapping in the wind when you've got a few more rungs to climb before you get to the top - its very distracting. Hence the reason for my sitting for hours in front the computer either playing one senseless game after another or gazing hopelessly at the ceiling looking for some scrap of inspiration. So far, I've discovered a secret stash of cobwebs, a few cracks I am sure were never there and that, yes, dust does seem to exist between the cracks in the wooden slats - upside-down. Amazing. Oh, and flies love to poo practically everywhere!
And then, another day passes and I start the whole process all over again tomorrow. What a stressful life I lead...
Try not to laugh too hard to that last comment.
What is even more distracting is that once my editing process is complete and I move on to the next phase in my goal to become the next bestseller, I plan on submitting Book Two - The Master Key - and I'll have to go through the entire process all over again.
Oh, joy!
Book three, The Eternal Knot, is complete only in my head - in various bulleted points. It's the in-between fillers that has me stumped. I am precisely halfway through, and being in that position is a lot like being in limbo: you are neither here nor there. And I think the main reason is that in the back of my mind, I'm still wondering what Book One - The Lancaster Rule - is up to.
Yes, it is still with the editor's being hacked to pieces (only in my imagination, of course...I hope) and its like waiting for a condemning verdict to be announced. All other thoughts get pushed out the way as you try your best to ignore the inevitable. At some point soon, I will hear from Them and I will no doubt be spending the majority of my time carefully combing through my manuscript with growing angst as I bend to their wishes...so to speak. I am being dramatic of course, but with nothing else to think about or work on constructively, the imagination is allowed to roam free with varying scenarios of doom.
Being a fastidious perfectionist doesn't help matters either. Knowing there's unfinished business to be dealt with seems to only add to the havoc caused by my lack of inspiration. It's like having your ass flapping in the wind when you've got a few more rungs to climb before you get to the top - its very distracting. Hence the reason for my sitting for hours in front the computer either playing one senseless game after another or gazing hopelessly at the ceiling looking for some scrap of inspiration. So far, I've discovered a secret stash of cobwebs, a few cracks I am sure were never there and that, yes, dust does seem to exist between the cracks in the wooden slats - upside-down. Amazing. Oh, and flies love to poo practically everywhere!
And then, another day passes and I start the whole process all over again tomorrow. What a stressful life I lead...
Try not to laugh too hard to that last comment.
What is even more distracting is that once my editing process is complete and I move on to the next phase in my goal to become the next bestseller, I plan on submitting Book Two - The Master Key - and I'll have to go through the entire process all over again.
Oh, joy!
Friday, 2 October 2009
Waiting...Again
It's October already, how quickly the months go when you're sitting on the edge of your seat - waiting. And at the same time, it drags its ass along causing your nails to end up into little raggedy stumps.
My manuscript is with The Editor.
I feel like a child standing before the teacher who marks your work with a stony face. Whatever thoughts or opinions they have of your work, it leaves no trace of emotion on their features. That is when the mind plays tricks with you and you imagine getting big red X's all over your nicely prepared efforts. I dread to see what my editor has done.
As almost any and every publisher, agent, instruction book or teaching aid on writing will tell you: every book written should be edited. It's like that bitter pill you have to take in order to get to that next step. Even the most acclaimed and well-known authors are not spared the ordeal of editing (that makes you feel somewhat better). No matter how polished it is, it doesn't matter how many times you've read it over to correct mistakes, how many books you've read or opinions you've listened to about your work, once it's in the editor's hands - expect to make some changes.
I say should be edited since they are many out there who would simply refuse an edit. We all have choices, but I decided without question, from early on that an edit for me was a must. As a total novice, this being my maiden voyage into uncharted territory, whatever guidance I received would be welcomed. But, at the risk of making it sound as if my work is crap, an editor will give you an honest opinion of your work and make the appropriate changes or recommendations that you should take in order to best represent and sell your work. After all, I may have explained the process of making the colour red in fifty words and then bored the reader to tears and they'd still see blue. The editor would probably cut it down to ten words and tell you to cut the fluff out and get to the point. You're selling your book, not the colour red.
Since I am yet to experience my ordeal - I've no further comment on the matter for the moment. Sometimes you hear absolute horror stories where your manuscript is chopped to literal pieces; the rewrite doesn't fear any better. I've read many such experiences with growing trepidation. And then, other times, the edits are so minor, you begin to wonder whether you're a brilliant writer after all or the editor is somehow lacking... Regardless of which it is, it must no doubt feel as if someone has taken a knife to your loved one and hacked them to pieces.
But as they will all tell you: Your writing sells the work.
Every day now, irritating you like that uncomfortable strand of wild hair in your nether regions, you think about your work in the hands of The Editor.
You try to ignore it and tell yourself to have a little faith in your work, after all, someone liked it enough to want to publish it - you're not a complete loser. Other times you envision hours upon hours of rewrites and wonder if the book will still make any sense.
Whatever the outcome, my fingers may never grow nails again...
My manuscript is with The Editor.
I feel like a child standing before the teacher who marks your work with a stony face. Whatever thoughts or opinions they have of your work, it leaves no trace of emotion on their features. That is when the mind plays tricks with you and you imagine getting big red X's all over your nicely prepared efforts. I dread to see what my editor has done.
As almost any and every publisher, agent, instruction book or teaching aid on writing will tell you: every book written should be edited. It's like that bitter pill you have to take in order to get to that next step. Even the most acclaimed and well-known authors are not spared the ordeal of editing (that makes you feel somewhat better). No matter how polished it is, it doesn't matter how many times you've read it over to correct mistakes, how many books you've read or opinions you've listened to about your work, once it's in the editor's hands - expect to make some changes.
I say should be edited since they are many out there who would simply refuse an edit. We all have choices, but I decided without question, from early on that an edit for me was a must. As a total novice, this being my maiden voyage into uncharted territory, whatever guidance I received would be welcomed. But, at the risk of making it sound as if my work is crap, an editor will give you an honest opinion of your work and make the appropriate changes or recommendations that you should take in order to best represent and sell your work. After all, I may have explained the process of making the colour red in fifty words and then bored the reader to tears and they'd still see blue. The editor would probably cut it down to ten words and tell you to cut the fluff out and get to the point. You're selling your book, not the colour red.
Since I am yet to experience my ordeal - I've no further comment on the matter for the moment. Sometimes you hear absolute horror stories where your manuscript is chopped to literal pieces; the rewrite doesn't fear any better. I've read many such experiences with growing trepidation. And then, other times, the edits are so minor, you begin to wonder whether you're a brilliant writer after all or the editor is somehow lacking... Regardless of which it is, it must no doubt feel as if someone has taken a knife to your loved one and hacked them to pieces.
But as they will all tell you: Your writing sells the work.
Every day now, irritating you like that uncomfortable strand of wild hair in your nether regions, you think about your work in the hands of The Editor.
You try to ignore it and tell yourself to have a little faith in your work, after all, someone liked it enough to want to publish it - you're not a complete loser. Other times you envision hours upon hours of rewrites and wonder if the book will still make any sense.
Whatever the outcome, my fingers may never grow nails again...
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Traditional or Electronic
The holiday is over and reading the first book by the late Stieg Larsson called The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. A friend recommended this book to me, so as I was in the land of Barnes and Noble, I searched and found. It is a fascinating book, written to hold your attention with detailed care. The pace, while it plods steadily on, leaves you persistently glued to see what the stars do next.
To me, acquiring new books is like acquiring treasure and the wonders of what you would find once you turn the first page. I love books - who doesn't? - and the smell of a new book is like that new perfume you covet, that new-leather smell of those killer shoes, that bright shiny spark of a new lipstick shade from your favourite brand of cosmetics. In fact, to be perfectly honest, I get more of a rush from shopping for a new book than I would with other items, you know, like clothes, shoes, etc.
Of course, I don't randomly buy books. Most of my book buying is with purpose - some are accidental. There are many books out there that I simply do not bother with, let alone look at or even touch in my quest of finding that book. I am sure this applies to many people - my mother-in-law is a classic example. Unless its got fluffy romance and a happy ending, she'll not think twice about reading it. Violence and graphic action are things she will recoil at and curdle her blood...which means my own book may never be read by her. Ah well, I'm hoping the romance side will sell it to her.
Until recently, the main choice has only ever been traditional books: crisp, clean paper bound together by the printers into neat and convenient little compact reading tablets that is the sliced-bread wonder since man first scratched on a wall with a rock. It's every writers dream to get published and see their books bound together as such and displayed for all to see and read. I am no exception.
During my quest for finding a publisher, it was automatic that I sought out a traditional publisher. After all, when you think 'book', you immediately think of that rectangle slab of bound paper with a pretty cover and a come hither title to catch your eye.
But there's an alternative.
Electronic books! The other sliced-bread wonder since man invented email.
The more I researched about them and the more websites I clicked onto that offered electronic books, the more appealing they became to me. I became hooked and eventually, I made a decision to actively seek out said e-book publishers. After all, not everyone can nip across to the nearest bookstore and spend a couple hours browsing through their shelves looking for books, as appealing as that may sound. Practically everyone has a computer tucked away in some corner of their house or permanently affixed to their lap. And everyone loves to browse the internet. Eventually, reading from a screen gives you more comfort than it does from reading off a piece of paper. Of course, there are the die-hards that still love a book to be a book, me included. But times are changing, and so are books.
My decision to opt for an electronic book was not disappointing. A few people have criticized my decision (the die-hards) mostly because they see e-books as crappy little efforts by equally crappy little wannabes and feel marketing themselves small on the internet is the only way they would ever sell their books. That may be true to some extent, but not entirely. So many well-written books by solid writers choose electronic publishing, and quite a number of them end up being published by traditional publishers. Even the old favourite classics are now finding themselves being converted to electronic format for the mass market to read via the e-book reader - a must-have device if you are expected to function in this rapidly developing technological age.
And now that I have acquired just such a device, I have now taken to trolling through the many websites and online stores that offer e-books from the comfort of my own home. I can pore over book blurbs, even read excerpts and reviews before I make the decision to buy, and without a suspicious looking store clerk looking over at me from a counter wondering if I plan to stay the whole day and read the book without paying or have intentions of nicking it. We've all gotten that look as we spend a tad too long pondering over the decision to buy a book or not, to the extent the clerk wanders over under the guise of 'can I help you?'. No, just browsing now leave me the eff alone!
But now, book buying has become that much more appealing.
I now have to get used to the crisp new smell of moulded plastics and digital fumes.
To me, acquiring new books is like acquiring treasure and the wonders of what you would find once you turn the first page. I love books - who doesn't? - and the smell of a new book is like that new perfume you covet, that new-leather smell of those killer shoes, that bright shiny spark of a new lipstick shade from your favourite brand of cosmetics. In fact, to be perfectly honest, I get more of a rush from shopping for a new book than I would with other items, you know, like clothes, shoes, etc.
Of course, I don't randomly buy books. Most of my book buying is with purpose - some are accidental. There are many books out there that I simply do not bother with, let alone look at or even touch in my quest of finding that book. I am sure this applies to many people - my mother-in-law is a classic example. Unless its got fluffy romance and a happy ending, she'll not think twice about reading it. Violence and graphic action are things she will recoil at and curdle her blood...which means my own book may never be read by her. Ah well, I'm hoping the romance side will sell it to her.
Until recently, the main choice has only ever been traditional books: crisp, clean paper bound together by the printers into neat and convenient little compact reading tablets that is the sliced-bread wonder since man first scratched on a wall with a rock. It's every writers dream to get published and see their books bound together as such and displayed for all to see and read. I am no exception.
During my quest for finding a publisher, it was automatic that I sought out a traditional publisher. After all, when you think 'book', you immediately think of that rectangle slab of bound paper with a pretty cover and a come hither title to catch your eye.
But there's an alternative.
Electronic books! The other sliced-bread wonder since man invented email.
The more I researched about them and the more websites I clicked onto that offered electronic books, the more appealing they became to me. I became hooked and eventually, I made a decision to actively seek out said e-book publishers. After all, not everyone can nip across to the nearest bookstore and spend a couple hours browsing through their shelves looking for books, as appealing as that may sound. Practically everyone has a computer tucked away in some corner of their house or permanently affixed to their lap. And everyone loves to browse the internet. Eventually, reading from a screen gives you more comfort than it does from reading off a piece of paper. Of course, there are the die-hards that still love a book to be a book, me included. But times are changing, and so are books.
My decision to opt for an electronic book was not disappointing. A few people have criticized my decision (the die-hards) mostly because they see e-books as crappy little efforts by equally crappy little wannabes and feel marketing themselves small on the internet is the only way they would ever sell their books. That may be true to some extent, but not entirely. So many well-written books by solid writers choose electronic publishing, and quite a number of them end up being published by traditional publishers. Even the old favourite classics are now finding themselves being converted to electronic format for the mass market to read via the e-book reader - a must-have device if you are expected to function in this rapidly developing technological age.
And now that I have acquired just such a device, I have now taken to trolling through the many websites and online stores that offer e-books from the comfort of my own home. I can pore over book blurbs, even read excerpts and reviews before I make the decision to buy, and without a suspicious looking store clerk looking over at me from a counter wondering if I plan to stay the whole day and read the book without paying or have intentions of nicking it. We've all gotten that look as we spend a tad too long pondering over the decision to buy a book or not, to the extent the clerk wanders over under the guise of 'can I help you?'. No, just browsing now leave me the eff alone!
But now, book buying has become that much more appealing.
I now have to get used to the crisp new smell of moulded plastics and digital fumes.
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Seeing Your Own Name
So, here I am sitting in the guest house in Orlando, enjoying my holiday and having absolutely nothing but a blank slate knocking about in my head. I feel very dense and ignorant - the creative juices have come to a complete standstill. I suppose that is what being on holiday means.
At the back of my mind, I have that niggling little voice that's telling me I need to write something. Anything. Whether its a few more pages of book three or some inane words for my blog. But the mind draws a blank. It doesn't help that there is much to see and much to do and much distractions that split your brains literally into two.
What do I need to feel creative? Its very simple: Quiet time.
For me, quiet time can come in all sorts of disguises, places, or moments. But mostly, it's that time where there are no distractions other than my own mind talking back to me. Yes, it's a little worrying, but I do answer back. Sometimes, I even have lengthy conversations...
Having a computer helps. There's no end of mindless jabber that fills up the noise of everyday distractions and eventually, quiet time slowly pushes itself in. Amazing, but true. And then, while ambling around your favourite websites - webmail, Facebook, etc., hoping to find some inspiration to your story, you just happen to click onto your publisher's website, just to see what's new. And then you pause...
What do you see? Your name. Correction: MY NAME!
I cannot begin to describe to you the feeling you get when you see that. Nor the wide grin that spreads across your face. There, listed among their authors, is my name. Finally you feel as if it's all for real - all that time spent writing, creating, seeking, pouring over their contracts, making sure you made the right decision...finally comes to the point where you say to yourself: Yes, it's really happening. I am being published and my work is going out into the world for all to see.
Then you grin some more and can't stop for some time.
Suddenly, you feel like a writer. Of course, after the first nasty critique you will no doubt receive, you may beg to differ. But for the moment, you're your own dream come true.
And the creative juices start to spout forth and you want to write on any surface that will allow you to. You start to see things, people, instances, moments, everything in a different dimension. I never knew it before, but now I do - or have come to realize - that the dimension is the writer's dimension. You take one step back, retract your eyes inwards and into that 'place' where you simply observe, process, calculate, project... It's like going undercover in plain sight. You see simple actions, phrases, moments in a different light. While you observe, your mind injects varying scenarios as to what would happen should one thing be out of place, if one moment were done differently. If you shifted your viewpoint, your thoughts, your actions...how would that alter things? Before you know it, you've created a whole scene, one that could be used, exploited and enhanced and used in any way you see fit. You start to join that scene with another, then another...and the rollercoaster beings.
Of course, when you've got a shitload of distractions, like shopping for those shoes you saw the other day, well...what can I say? I suppose I should carry on with my priorities and see my holiday through like a trooper. There's always time for writing - after the vacation is over.
At the back of my mind, I have that niggling little voice that's telling me I need to write something. Anything. Whether its a few more pages of book three or some inane words for my blog. But the mind draws a blank. It doesn't help that there is much to see and much to do and much distractions that split your brains literally into two.
What do I need to feel creative? Its very simple: Quiet time.
For me, quiet time can come in all sorts of disguises, places, or moments. But mostly, it's that time where there are no distractions other than my own mind talking back to me. Yes, it's a little worrying, but I do answer back. Sometimes, I even have lengthy conversations...
Having a computer helps. There's no end of mindless jabber that fills up the noise of everyday distractions and eventually, quiet time slowly pushes itself in. Amazing, but true. And then, while ambling around your favourite websites - webmail, Facebook, etc., hoping to find some inspiration to your story, you just happen to click onto your publisher's website, just to see what's new. And then you pause...
What do you see? Your name. Correction: MY NAME!
I cannot begin to describe to you the feeling you get when you see that. Nor the wide grin that spreads across your face. There, listed among their authors, is my name. Finally you feel as if it's all for real - all that time spent writing, creating, seeking, pouring over their contracts, making sure you made the right decision...finally comes to the point where you say to yourself: Yes, it's really happening. I am being published and my work is going out into the world for all to see.
Then you grin some more and can't stop for some time.
Suddenly, you feel like a writer. Of course, after the first nasty critique you will no doubt receive, you may beg to differ. But for the moment, you're your own dream come true.
And the creative juices start to spout forth and you want to write on any surface that will allow you to. You start to see things, people, instances, moments, everything in a different dimension. I never knew it before, but now I do - or have come to realize - that the dimension is the writer's dimension. You take one step back, retract your eyes inwards and into that 'place' where you simply observe, process, calculate, project... It's like going undercover in plain sight. You see simple actions, phrases, moments in a different light. While you observe, your mind injects varying scenarios as to what would happen should one thing be out of place, if one moment were done differently. If you shifted your viewpoint, your thoughts, your actions...how would that alter things? Before you know it, you've created a whole scene, one that could be used, exploited and enhanced and used in any way you see fit. You start to join that scene with another, then another...and the rollercoaster beings.
Of course, when you've got a shitload of distractions, like shopping for those shoes you saw the other day, well...what can I say? I suppose I should carry on with my priorities and see my holiday through like a trooper. There's always time for writing - after the vacation is over.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
The Waiting Game
Choosing publishers is like choosing clothes. If it doesn't fit right, what's the point in buying it. In my journey in selecting publishers, I scoured the long list of many reputable publishers both great and small, not minding if they were publishers in e-books, traditional, print on demand...it did not matter so long as I could get that blasted size 5 and a half foot in the door.
Easier said than done. After all, my foot is tiny compared to most.
Some publishers, I found, only represent a certain genre and nothing else. Reading their submissions guidelines - carefully - is a must. I discovered that many do not publish fiction; many still only publish cookbooks or books on history about some obscure person or event that took place. Some only publish law books, academia, anime and graphic novels, and lets not forget those exciting books on computer programming.
Because most lists start alphabetically, one automatically starts at the letter A, then moves on to B and so forth. I set up an attack plan and portioned out a few hours in the day to launch my onslaught. After careful reading and background checks, I had my list completed and sent out as many queries as I could, careful to disregard those that stated they do not accept multiple submissions. Now, it took me a while to figure that one out. I thought at first they meant that I shouldn't send them a bombardment of submissions, hoping that they'd get the point and read my manuscript. What I dufus I was. It simply means that if I submitted elsewhere, not to bother sending to them. And, believe it or not, there are many publishers out there who do just that. Which really makes it hard when you're in the submitting process.
Most publishers, after an initial confirmation notice via email that they have received your submission, will take at least one to three months to reply to you with either a yes or a no. Now as a first time writer seeking out a publisher, that is hard work and if you don't have the patience, don't bother being a writer.
The waiting game is the hardest.
Because your conscience (well, mine in particular) does not allow you submit to someone who does not accept multiples, you spend the majority of your time waiting for a response from the publishers who are not so strict in their guidelines. While you wait, you think all number of things. Like missed chances, the shrinking time frame as the limited opening for submissions passes by, wondering if you worded your query letter right, did you offend someone by being too frank, did they think your work was crap and they just tossed it... On and on you drive yourself mad with these thoughts.
Somewhere during my waiting game, I made the decision to cancel my vanity press option. It was hard to do, but I knew it was something that I needed to do in order to prove to myself that I was a writer. That I didn't need to pay to have my work printed because it was good enough for someone to actually want to publish it.
And still I waited...
Then the replies started to come in drips and drags: No thanks, not what we are looking for at the moment. And one by one, you cross names out from your list.
And then one day, just when you thought people had completely forgotten about you, just when you think about your next plan of attack, a reply comes.
You read it twice, just to make sure you've seen correctly. You read it carefully, just like the first rejection letter you receive. You read it once more and then the grin spreads across your face and you can't stop grinning for the rest of the week.
Yes! Someone finally said yes!
To make things even more special, its a yes from one of the publishers you were hoping would say yes.
Life is good once more and you feel blissfully loved.
Easier said than done. After all, my foot is tiny compared to most.
Some publishers, I found, only represent a certain genre and nothing else. Reading their submissions guidelines - carefully - is a must. I discovered that many do not publish fiction; many still only publish cookbooks or books on history about some obscure person or event that took place. Some only publish law books, academia, anime and graphic novels, and lets not forget those exciting books on computer programming.
Because most lists start alphabetically, one automatically starts at the letter A, then moves on to B and so forth. I set up an attack plan and portioned out a few hours in the day to launch my onslaught. After careful reading and background checks, I had my list completed and sent out as many queries as I could, careful to disregard those that stated they do not accept multiple submissions. Now, it took me a while to figure that one out. I thought at first they meant that I shouldn't send them a bombardment of submissions, hoping that they'd get the point and read my manuscript. What I dufus I was. It simply means that if I submitted elsewhere, not to bother sending to them. And, believe it or not, there are many publishers out there who do just that. Which really makes it hard when you're in the submitting process.
Most publishers, after an initial confirmation notice via email that they have received your submission, will take at least one to three months to reply to you with either a yes or a no. Now as a first time writer seeking out a publisher, that is hard work and if you don't have the patience, don't bother being a writer.
The waiting game is the hardest.
Because your conscience (well, mine in particular) does not allow you submit to someone who does not accept multiples, you spend the majority of your time waiting for a response from the publishers who are not so strict in their guidelines. While you wait, you think all number of things. Like missed chances, the shrinking time frame as the limited opening for submissions passes by, wondering if you worded your query letter right, did you offend someone by being too frank, did they think your work was crap and they just tossed it... On and on you drive yourself mad with these thoughts.
Somewhere during my waiting game, I made the decision to cancel my vanity press option. It was hard to do, but I knew it was something that I needed to do in order to prove to myself that I was a writer. That I didn't need to pay to have my work printed because it was good enough for someone to actually want to publish it.
And still I waited...
Then the replies started to come in drips and drags: No thanks, not what we are looking for at the moment. And one by one, you cross names out from your list.
And then one day, just when you thought people had completely forgotten about you, just when you think about your next plan of attack, a reply comes.
You read it twice, just to make sure you've seen correctly. You read it carefully, just like the first rejection letter you receive. You read it once more and then the grin spreads across your face and you can't stop grinning for the rest of the week.
Yes! Someone finally said yes!
To make things even more special, its a yes from one of the publishers you were hoping would say yes.
Life is good once more and you feel blissfully loved.
Friday, 28 August 2009
Rejection is Hard
In all the books and websites dedicated to the daunting quest of seeking out and finding the right literary agent or publisher to suit your manuscript, it will tell you exactly what to do and how you need to do it: How to format and create a submission query or cover letter, a book blurb, a synopsis...it will even tell you the proper forms of etiquette that you must follow so you do not offend the prospective agent or publisher. All of this is backed up with a long list of reference materials, including publications from individuals with impressive credentials that you can source to help you on your way to becoming that next big name on the best-seller's shelf.
But when it comes to rejection, they glean over it with flowery words that hope to encourage you to 'chin up' and take it in stride. They tell you to use rejection as constructive criticism and not to take it personally because, remember, the agent or publisher wades through thousands upon thousands of submission queries. So, unless it is properly written (after all, you are supposed to be a writer and your words: shud reflekt yur wurk), or catches their eye, or holds their attention, they toss it in the slush pile, trash it, or reject it on the spot. So, don't take it personally.
Yeah, right!
Of course its personal! Your baby that you conceived, created, and gestated in your mind for long months - years, even - has just been told its ugly, the wrong sex, and probably born in the wrong place at the wrong time by the wrong mother and looks nothing like you. It's like getting the proverbial slap in the face as you blink in disbelief for several minutes while you read and re-read the extremely politely written rejection letter. In general, the most popular choice of words tend to be as follows:
'...We have received your query and first three pages of your manuscript and have reviewed it with interest. However, we regret to inform you that it is not what we are looking for at the moment but wish you every success in the future...'
Once the news settles in that you're still that same insignificant spunk bubble as you ever were, you draw out that long list of A-List agents and strike their names out in bright red ink...a little too roughly, but that's beside the point. All you can think of is the time you sat and wasted as you investigated each agent, seeking out which one was best suited to represent you and the genre of your book, reading their bios, the books they have sold to publishers, the agency's track record in the literary world... All of that time wasted!
Then, reality hits you and those annoying little encouraging words about keeping the chin up pops back into your head and you begin again.
And again...
When desperation hits after each new rejection letter or email, you begin trolling the websites of other authors - you know, those famous ones with the fleet of books tucked under their armpits that have been published by those prestigious publishers you can only dream of attracting. You read the snippets and tidbits of their early years, how they handled rejection, what they did to get through it. All it takes is one agent to have faith in you, to take a chance. You then begin to feel good again, motivated into going on.
By then, you have also re-read your manuscript twice and made more changes, hoping to lure the ever-keen eyes of an agent with your fantastic skills with the written word.
Then, the last query letter has been sent to the last name on your list of agents and the waiting game is over. You've followed all their guidelines, excluded those that do not accept multiple submissions (that's a tricky directive that needs more explanation since at first, I had not a clue what that meant), waited the required time (the usual 1-3 weeks or 1-3 months) before moving on to the next submission query. And still you've no agent who cares to represent you.
Against all your better judgment, you then create a list of prospective publishers and the whole process begins again. You tell yourself you don't need an agent, you can sell yourself just fine to any publisher out there. Boy, do you feel so wrong when the wave of rejection replies come in. But by then, you've become a seasoned submitter and you can whip up a cover letter with your eyes closed and rattle off a book blurb like a movie trailers' voice over. Rejection becomes a new tune, a background beat that keeps time with your daily creative routine.
And every-so-often, you hear the record screech off the track like fingernails on a blackboard and you look back at the vanity press option...
And go hmmm...
But when it comes to rejection, they glean over it with flowery words that hope to encourage you to 'chin up' and take it in stride. They tell you to use rejection as constructive criticism and not to take it personally because, remember, the agent or publisher wades through thousands upon thousands of submission queries. So, unless it is properly written (after all, you are supposed to be a writer and your words: shud reflekt yur wurk), or catches their eye, or holds their attention, they toss it in the slush pile, trash it, or reject it on the spot. So, don't take it personally.
Yeah, right!
Of course its personal! Your baby that you conceived, created, and gestated in your mind for long months - years, even - has just been told its ugly, the wrong sex, and probably born in the wrong place at the wrong time by the wrong mother and looks nothing like you. It's like getting the proverbial slap in the face as you blink in disbelief for several minutes while you read and re-read the extremely politely written rejection letter. In general, the most popular choice of words tend to be as follows:
'...We have received your query and first three pages of your manuscript and have reviewed it with interest. However, we regret to inform you that it is not what we are looking for at the moment but wish you every success in the future...'
Once the news settles in that you're still that same insignificant spunk bubble as you ever were, you draw out that long list of A-List agents and strike their names out in bright red ink...a little too roughly, but that's beside the point. All you can think of is the time you sat and wasted as you investigated each agent, seeking out which one was best suited to represent you and the genre of your book, reading their bios, the books they have sold to publishers, the agency's track record in the literary world... All of that time wasted!
Then, reality hits you and those annoying little encouraging words about keeping the chin up pops back into your head and you begin again.
And again...
When desperation hits after each new rejection letter or email, you begin trolling the websites of other authors - you know, those famous ones with the fleet of books tucked under their armpits that have been published by those prestigious publishers you can only dream of attracting. You read the snippets and tidbits of their early years, how they handled rejection, what they did to get through it. All it takes is one agent to have faith in you, to take a chance. You then begin to feel good again, motivated into going on.
By then, you have also re-read your manuscript twice and made more changes, hoping to lure the ever-keen eyes of an agent with your fantastic skills with the written word.
Then, the last query letter has been sent to the last name on your list of agents and the waiting game is over. You've followed all their guidelines, excluded those that do not accept multiple submissions (that's a tricky directive that needs more explanation since at first, I had not a clue what that meant), waited the required time (the usual 1-3 weeks or 1-3 months) before moving on to the next submission query. And still you've no agent who cares to represent you.
Against all your better judgment, you then create a list of prospective publishers and the whole process begins again. You tell yourself you don't need an agent, you can sell yourself just fine to any publisher out there. Boy, do you feel so wrong when the wave of rejection replies come in. But by then, you've become a seasoned submitter and you can whip up a cover letter with your eyes closed and rattle off a book blurb like a movie trailers' voice over. Rejection becomes a new tune, a background beat that keeps time with your daily creative routine.
And every-so-often, you hear the record screech off the track like fingernails on a blackboard and you look back at the vanity press option...
And go hmmm...
Thursday, 27 August 2009
The Search Begins
So, spurred on by encouraging remarks, my next plan of action was to seek out agents, publishers or editors - or any one of them that would give me the time of day. All I needed, like every unknown writer of the No-Name Brand variety, was a foot in. Even a toenail would be nice. But because I was such a No-Name Brand with practically no experience whatsoever in the great big world of publishing, I did some oops' and oh-oh's.
I wouldn't so much as call them major oops, since having walked into it with my eyes wide open, I knew what to expect. Yes, like many, the temptation and the lure of self-publishing drew me in. But I have to admit, my experience with self-publishing or vanity publishers was not unpleasant at all. Aside from the fact that you had to pay them for services that traditional publishers would not even dream of charging the writer, the input and advice they offered me was invaluable. It made me look again at my manuscript with more scrutiny.
I re-read it and re-read it until I knew it by heart. Then I changed sentences, added more paragraphs, fixed grammatical errors, sentence structures and deleted unnecessary words and in some places, deleted entire paragraphs. I was now happy with it, but not sure I wanted to proceed with the whole self-publishing route. At the back of my mind, there was that niggling little voice that told me my work was not worth anything if I had to pay to have it published. So I went back online and scoured the networks for agents/publishers and or editors.
During the course of my quest, and might I stress that I concentrated mainly on the respectable and credible websites only, I came across a site called Preditors and Editors - P&E for short. Their site offered invaluable information and helped me to source many credible establishments. Then I hooked into absolutewrite.com, a forum-based site where writers can get together and share their thoughts, experiences, and aspirations with other like-minded people. Through them, I could then investigate each new agent/publisher via their Writer's Beware forum. It was like striking gold. Their knowledge and experience was invaluable! It was like having a fully-detailed map that took you to the end of the rainbow.
While keeping the option for self-publishing wide open (but the purse string tied tightly), I began my journey into the confusing realm of submission guidelines: query letters, synopsis, book blurbs and marketing strategies. For the better part of six months, my world revolved around creating the perfect query letter and synopsis after each submission was rejected. And with each rejection, you start to wonder if you've categorized yourself into the wrong genre, if the first three chapters were too dull, if you worded your query letter wrong, if, if, if...
As my list of literary agents who rejected me grew longer and longer and the agents left to tackle grew shorter and shorter, despair and dejection began to fester. I am sure I suffered as most new writers do when they start out. That thought alone would boost my spirits and once again, I'd plough on.
And on...
Self-publishing was starting to look really, really good...
I wouldn't so much as call them major oops, since having walked into it with my eyes wide open, I knew what to expect. Yes, like many, the temptation and the lure of self-publishing drew me in. But I have to admit, my experience with self-publishing or vanity publishers was not unpleasant at all. Aside from the fact that you had to pay them for services that traditional publishers would not even dream of charging the writer, the input and advice they offered me was invaluable. It made me look again at my manuscript with more scrutiny.
I re-read it and re-read it until I knew it by heart. Then I changed sentences, added more paragraphs, fixed grammatical errors, sentence structures and deleted unnecessary words and in some places, deleted entire paragraphs. I was now happy with it, but not sure I wanted to proceed with the whole self-publishing route. At the back of my mind, there was that niggling little voice that told me my work was not worth anything if I had to pay to have it published. So I went back online and scoured the networks for agents/publishers and or editors.
During the course of my quest, and might I stress that I concentrated mainly on the respectable and credible websites only, I came across a site called Preditors and Editors - P&E for short. Their site offered invaluable information and helped me to source many credible establishments. Then I hooked into absolutewrite.com, a forum-based site where writers can get together and share their thoughts, experiences, and aspirations with other like-minded people. Through them, I could then investigate each new agent/publisher via their Writer's Beware forum. It was like striking gold. Their knowledge and experience was invaluable! It was like having a fully-detailed map that took you to the end of the rainbow.
While keeping the option for self-publishing wide open (but the purse string tied tightly), I began my journey into the confusing realm of submission guidelines: query letters, synopsis, book blurbs and marketing strategies. For the better part of six months, my world revolved around creating the perfect query letter and synopsis after each submission was rejected. And with each rejection, you start to wonder if you've categorized yourself into the wrong genre, if the first three chapters were too dull, if you worded your query letter wrong, if, if, if...
As my list of literary agents who rejected me grew longer and longer and the agents left to tackle grew shorter and shorter, despair and dejection began to fester. I am sure I suffered as most new writers do when they start out. That thought alone would boost my spirits and once again, I'd plough on.
And on...
Self-publishing was starting to look really, really good...
Monday, 24 August 2009
A Title is Born
Having a good title for your manuscript is everything!
It sells the book, it draws the reader to look at it...it is the book. Giving the book a name is like naming your child (not that I'd know anything about that, but you get my meaning). And sometimes, its like naming your kid Cuthbert when clearly its Theopholus.
I remember buying so many books and being duped into it - solely because the name drew me in. What was on the cover belied its real name of Dull, Boring, and lets not forget: What The F Am I Reading? How many of us have gotten swindled that way?
And how many of us have found that perfect title to match that perfect book? I am hoping that my book is among those. In fact, what writer doesn't hope for that?
After writing the manuscript, I needed creative input - desperately. But not randomly. Since depending on my husband to read it was like depending on rain to fall in the desert - though I hear its been known to happen - I, instead, asked my friend who gave me that strategic kick in the first place to read it. However, her daughter used stealth tactics, grabbed it, and couldn't put it down. I remember feeling very happy about that - she practically raved about it. Talk about getting the right sort of inspiration to continue writing - and a little ego boost never hurt. With encouragement like that, public nudity didn't seem all that bad.
But the best part...she gave me the title! And so The Lancaster Rule was born.
I owe it all to her if the book sells on the name alone! Thanks J - you always rock!!
It was a fitting title, considering the content matter. Future fiction meets old world meets scary big bad world...I could go on but why spoil it, right?
I was happy with it. Very happy. And, it set the theme for the two future books I had planned on writing. Hence, The Master Key and The Eternal Knot were conceived in my already cluttered mind.
That aside, and ego nicely rubbed by J's rave reviews and - finally - my husband's (he didn't fall asleep!!), my next thing on the check list was: How to get it published?
Good question...
It sells the book, it draws the reader to look at it...it is the book. Giving the book a name is like naming your child (not that I'd know anything about that, but you get my meaning). And sometimes, its like naming your kid Cuthbert when clearly its Theopholus.
I remember buying so many books and being duped into it - solely because the name drew me in. What was on the cover belied its real name of Dull, Boring, and lets not forget: What The F Am I Reading? How many of us have gotten swindled that way?
And how many of us have found that perfect title to match that perfect book? I am hoping that my book is among those. In fact, what writer doesn't hope for that?
After writing the manuscript, I needed creative input - desperately. But not randomly. Since depending on my husband to read it was like depending on rain to fall in the desert - though I hear its been known to happen - I, instead, asked my friend who gave me that strategic kick in the first place to read it. However, her daughter used stealth tactics, grabbed it, and couldn't put it down. I remember feeling very happy about that - she practically raved about it. Talk about getting the right sort of inspiration to continue writing - and a little ego boost never hurt. With encouragement like that, public nudity didn't seem all that bad.
But the best part...she gave me the title! And so The Lancaster Rule was born.
I owe it all to her if the book sells on the name alone! Thanks J - you always rock!!
It was a fitting title, considering the content matter. Future fiction meets old world meets scary big bad world...I could go on but why spoil it, right?
I was happy with it. Very happy. And, it set the theme for the two future books I had planned on writing. Hence, The Master Key and The Eternal Knot were conceived in my already cluttered mind.
That aside, and ego nicely rubbed by J's rave reviews and - finally - my husband's (he didn't fall asleep!!), my next thing on the check list was: How to get it published?
Good question...
Thanks and back to the beginning
Hey to all who have joined me in my trek into the great big blogging and literary world. My thanks as well.
I need now to channel my random thoughts and form them into words that, hopefully, will hold your attention. A friend mentioned that I should write about the whole process of being published (I still can't say that without mentally jumping up and down and doing little restrained happy-dances) and everything else that comes with that. I suppose, that's a good enough start - and speaking of which, I would need to start at the very beginning.
Writing is something that I've always done - but never seriously thought about doing. It's like a very personal journey into yourself - and something very close to public exposure. Think running around naked in the middle of a crowded room and everyone seeing what you had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - and that dessert you had two days ago. I never could get past the idea that if someone else read my work, they'd be walking around in my head rootling around and running amok in it. I'm not talking the mandatory works of literary masterpieces that you had to show your teacher...I'm talking those personal, brilliant sparks of light called walking into another world.
So, my random, half-hearted attempts at public nudity lasted for the better part of twenty-something odd years. And as each year passed and each new book was read, I kept thinking that I could do it too. And trust me, there were some books I read, not mentioning names, bored me to death and made me wonder how on earth it ever got published. So last year, when my desire to become an exhibitionist became so great, and to the blunt encouragement of another friend, i dived in and started writing. And writing...
Three months later, I had my first rough manuscript and I felt positively jubilant! All my half-assed attempts seemed to mould together to form into this one story. As I finished the last words in the last chapter, something repeatedly told me that I needed to continue...it needed a part two...and a three. In my mind, part two was already forming and the shadows of part three was coming together. The words trilogy kept nagging me. Before I could re-read what I had done, part two was already being birthed. I felt positively inspired! But I had to rein myself in and concentrate on getting part one ready for reading. My first draft was done a week later, printed off and presented to my husband for reading. He simply tossed it aside and said, "Yeah, okay."
I gaped in insulted horror as my manuscript plopped onto the chair with piles of clothes. But I was not deterred... My husband falls into the category of 'needs-book-to-fall-asleep' and I knew my book was not for the droopy-eyed.
It would be read!
I need now to channel my random thoughts and form them into words that, hopefully, will hold your attention. A friend mentioned that I should write about the whole process of being published (I still can't say that without mentally jumping up and down and doing little restrained happy-dances) and everything else that comes with that. I suppose, that's a good enough start - and speaking of which, I would need to start at the very beginning.
Writing is something that I've always done - but never seriously thought about doing. It's like a very personal journey into yourself - and something very close to public exposure. Think running around naked in the middle of a crowded room and everyone seeing what you had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - and that dessert you had two days ago. I never could get past the idea that if someone else read my work, they'd be walking around in my head rootling around and running amok in it. I'm not talking the mandatory works of literary masterpieces that you had to show your teacher...I'm talking those personal, brilliant sparks of light called walking into another world.
So, my random, half-hearted attempts at public nudity lasted for the better part of twenty-something odd years. And as each year passed and each new book was read, I kept thinking that I could do it too. And trust me, there were some books I read, not mentioning names, bored me to death and made me wonder how on earth it ever got published. So last year, when my desire to become an exhibitionist became so great, and to the blunt encouragement of another friend, i dived in and started writing. And writing...
Three months later, I had my first rough manuscript and I felt positively jubilant! All my half-assed attempts seemed to mould together to form into this one story. As I finished the last words in the last chapter, something repeatedly told me that I needed to continue...it needed a part two...and a three. In my mind, part two was already forming and the shadows of part three was coming together. The words trilogy kept nagging me. Before I could re-read what I had done, part two was already being birthed. I felt positively inspired! But I had to rein myself in and concentrate on getting part one ready for reading. My first draft was done a week later, printed off and presented to my husband for reading. He simply tossed it aside and said, "Yeah, okay."
I gaped in insulted horror as my manuscript plopped onto the chair with piles of clothes. But I was not deterred... My husband falls into the category of 'needs-book-to-fall-asleep' and I knew my book was not for the droopy-eyed.
It would be read!
Friday, 21 August 2009
August 2009
Bear with me folks, I'm so new to this whole blogging thing but here goes...
For anyone who's interested, I've written a book (yay!!) called The Lancaster Rule. A sort of sci-fi romance deal - the first in a series of three. I've completed the second one but its yet to see the light of day as I hack through it once more. The third is half-way complete...but I'm getting ahead of myself. LR is expected to come out in the spring of next year. As things draw closer, I'll keep you all posted. For now, I guess, this will be called my intro into the great big world of blogging.
For anyone who's interested, I've written a book (yay!!) called The Lancaster Rule. A sort of sci-fi romance deal - the first in a series of three. I've completed the second one but its yet to see the light of day as I hack through it once more. The third is half-way complete...but I'm getting ahead of myself. LR is expected to come out in the spring of next year. As things draw closer, I'll keep you all posted. For now, I guess, this will be called my intro into the great big world of blogging.
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