Traveling the seas of publishing

For many of us writers becoming published is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The big catch. The prize is shiny and can be distracting. Once we start, it's not easy to understand the massive seas ahead. I have to say, it is one business not like any other.

Even though I've been writing casually for about 20 years, it wasn't until 7 years ago that I decided I wanted to take my writing one step further. I didn't know much in the beginning, but once on board, some holes poked through. And even today, I'm no expert.

There are things I see now that I never expected before. In fact, I was sort of shocked to hear about them. This most likely goes for all of the professional arts. If you're the creator, there is a sea of opportunity, but you never know what is under it or when a storm will brew. It's the unpredictable nature of it that can scare the pants off you.

Many of the stories we see are successes, which are awesome and those folks should be applauded. Once you're in the open ocean, you know how hard this is to come by. Writing the book is hard enough, but prepping a query and synopsis is like pouring salt into a wound. Once these are to your liking you send it out to agents if that is your path. There are other channels to go into if you chose, but the prep is pretty much the same. Other boats may forge ahead of you and that's okay. It's not easy to watch, but the respect is all the same.

The waiting is difficult. Let's face it, if you are shipwrecked, you are waiting for a sign of rescue. You have sent the message, but the bottle hasn't return. You can check the waves every minute, but it won't help. You need to distract yourself. Get off the usual routine (if you're not really stranded on a beautiful oasis, that means get off social media). Open your eyes and take a walk or visit somewhere new. Take in your surroundings and give your brain the chance to recharge. Don't allow the boat that passed you at the start hold you back. They may have hit a storm as well. Keep going forward and write something new or do something different like weaving palms to build yourself a house.

There will be many false hopes (rejections are never fun), but sometimes there will be a ray of sun through the clouds that may lead to something even better. It may be the lifeboat you are looking for or it may be a glimmer of what is to come. The request may not end up the way you hope, but it may be a sign to show you how far you have come and that something better is on it's way. It could be a cramped wooden fishing boat that will get the help you need to get off the island.

The point is--Publishing is only a small part in your journey to thrive. It is never the same for everyone. There is no right path. In today's world, there are so many different opportunities and avenues to take. You have to decide which one to pursue and even then the first one you think is right may not be for you. The thing is you must try and not ignore the other opportunities. Keep writing, and write for you. Grow and learn. Challenge yourself. Rejection is not failure. That is the hardest lesson to learn. We sometimes seek this acceptance by publishing approval. Writing is subjective. What you can't sell now, may sell in a few years from now. So, be you and write your heart out.

Happy New Year! Has it really been this long. One of my many goals this year is to blog a little more. Hopefully I'll do better, I've been a bad girl at that. I'm also going to focus more on my writing and challenge myself. My many years of rejection have set my path off track. It happens. It can happen a lot more than you like, but learning and growing from it is another focus for me in the year to come.

What is your biggest challenge in your writing journey?

Have a great day!!

Sticking to my gut

Well, with the holidays approaching 'sticking to my gut' could mean a number of things. I'm sure a lot will be sticking to my gut, along with my hips, from now until the new year, but I'm talking about another meaning. Lately, I've been sort of lost and scared. My creativity has gone through spurts. It will flow one minute, and be totally dry the next. This is uncommon for me, but I guess it can happen. I think that with all that goes on in our daily lives, our mind gets distracted, and in my case, creativity takes a back seat. 

I did get to do some revising yesterday, and I thought I was going to cut a whole bunch of stuff, when I realized, I wanted it that way. It's hard especially being a newcomer to really, truly stick to your vision. You want to learn, grow, be accepted, and ultimately win the hearts of agents and publishers, along with readers. This can distract you from your original vision. Things may need to change sentence structure, those gosh darn adjectives, dreaded -ing words, wacky 'was' and so on, but the story-- how do we stay true? 

I have to admit my original vision did need tweaking/tightening, but no matter how much I change it, certain things stay the same. They have to, otherwise it's not my work. In a world full of opportunities for advice and suggestion, it's hard not to get caught up in a tizzy. I know when I started, I craved to know how my story was-- Does it have a chance, how could it improve, and so on.  I got great advice, but also got overwhelmed and confused. I never went through one full revision because I kept changing things to the advice I was given. Now don't get me wrong, advice is priceless, and for me it's my classroom, but too much can make you feel like you're drowning. Never moving forward. You watch others complete manuscripts in record time, land agents, and get published while you're still deciding where to go. How to change it to make it shine while your two year old keeps repeating the word mustang till you say mustang, can bring you down-- make you feel that you'll never be able to be 'in the game', wondering why you started this in the first place. 

I have felt this way, but I have moved on. Everyone's path is different, and things will come to us at different times when we least expect it. Keeping our eye on our prize can fuel the fire, making it hard not to give up. It's hard to 'stick to our gut', but just remember it's yours, it's a part of you that the world may get to see. If you give yourself a chance, you may be surprised. I have a long way to go, but as my one year blogoversary approaches, I realize how far I've come. I know what I want, and how I want my story to be. The awesome advice I get now, I use with a twist of my vision. I take it, and apply it to help my story, not change it. I try not to get caught up in the frenzy, and keep my own pace. It's been a struggle, but I'm getting there.

How do you handle advice?

How do you 'stick to your gut'?

Has your creativity ever taken a back seat?

 Have a great day!

One sentance.

Let me start out by apologizing for my long post on Wednesday but I thought I would get the snipit out there.Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your encouraging comments.  It means so much!

Yesterday, I had to catch up on things.  I finished four chapters in my first draft while I revised the first chapter.  Yes, I am doing things out of order but that is me. I do things out of order.  I am looking into the Snowflake Method for my revision and I am having the hardest time with Step 1.

Step 1. Write one sentance to summarize your novel in 15 words or less. I need to take 80,000 words and condense--holy cow! I know I will do this somehow but how?  I know my main points but condensing them is going to be a huge headache.  I am learning as I go and it only making me stronger.

So, I ask you any of you --any advice.  Have any of you tried this method?  If you have, do have any advice on your approach to writing this crucial sentance?

Also, Thank you to Summer from ..and this time concentrate for  From Me to You Award.  I just posted my recipients the other day.  I was flattered to receive this from two people.  You guys are so nice:)

Today is a short post.  Enjoy your day:)