Resilient As A Cockroach

Resilient – that is one of the best terms for a writer. If your not resilient you might as well not try. Writing is not only about telling a story but then telling it better, and better, and getting feed back as to why it is not good enough yet, and then making it better.

If you can’t bounce back from critique you can’t write. If you can’t bounce back from rejection, you can’t write. If you can force yourself to make painful cuts and move on, if you can’t do what has to be done to character, scene, or plot concept then keep on working – you ain’t writing.

So here I am – bouncing back.

Yup – I got rejected again from my number one choice for publishers. Does this mean I’m done? Just like last time I was rejected – Hell NO. In fact, I read the very kind rejection e-mail as ‘WORD” booted up and after sending a thank you to the editor I started writing – just as I had planned to for that part of my day.

This is what it is all about. I’m not frustrated, depressed, or angry… though that might be because I’m cycling… hmm – well never mind.

Twice rejected from the same place and I think I love all the more for it. But now it IS time to move on. Find the next place that could be a good fit for me as a writer and for the tales I want to tell.

Tomorrow, I start down the road again. I know somewhere down the lane their is a house for me. I just haven’t knocked on the right door yet.

The Sweet Feeling of Dread

I have been relentlessly editing for weeks now in an attempt to improve my novel so that I can have a chance of being accepted into the publishing house that I would love to be a member of.

The advice given on my first submission was of great value and opened my eyes to a couple important flaws in my writing style, for which I am grateful.  The edits I am doing are making the novel that much more solid, I have no doubt – but will it be good enough?

I am drawing near the end of the edits now you see , less than a hundred pages, and that sweet sensations of dread is creeping up on me. I am going to submit, should I not get in, I will try another place but resubmitting is bringing a whole different set of parameters of nerves and self questioning than submitting for the first time did.

Maybe it is because I was shown how to make my work better and if I fail, than I failed to be educated, failed to sufficiently better myself as a writer, failed to truly knuckle down and do what had to be done.

Of course, it could just be that when I re-submit I am doing it straight to the guy in charge – no middle man – no buffer – just my words and his red pen of doom.

Ah yes, sweet dread… welcome in. I’ve just put on a pot of coffee.

Not Much To Say But I’ll Say It Anyway

Nothing new is happening in my life right now and that’s just fine by me.

I am diligently working my way through my latest Work In Progress, rereading what I had written before I was forced to abandon it because of the cacophony in my head. I have less then a hundred pages to go,which is about three days worth of re-read/editing. I’m looking forward to getting back into the writing of it, not only from enjoying what I have written so far but because of feed back I’m getting from my new beta-reader on the previous novel with the same protagonist – my paranormal private detective.

My new beta reader is quite good at it, despite this being her first attempt. She is an avid reader however, so I am not surprised – okay, I am a little surprised. She’s picking up wonderful irregularities, noticing small but very valid points, and giving delightful suggestions. Through the feed back on the finished (or nearly so) novel I am encouraged to complete the next.

I am resolved to get picked up by a publisher this year (notice I didn’t say published this year – there is a big window between having your work accepted and the time it actually gets out in the world) and that resolve is only being strengthened these last couple of weeks.

More on Words and Stringing Them Together

I wrote 1,331 words yesterday afternoon.
They were not epic words, full of wonder, but they were important words.
They were words that tied together some free floating threads, words that held a bit of a recap, and words that moved the story that little bit forward allowing me to fall into the next scene.
I had accomplished some small amount.

Sometimes, when I’m writing, I get the feeling that I am rambling on about nothing. I stop and think – will my readers give a damn? I wonder if I’m just filling pages with pointless words. To me, they are not without reason, but I am immersed in the world and the character.
In the long run, most often the scenes read just fine. There are always some spots that need trimming or complete removal when editing time comes but that is expected. I have learned to just keep writing – it is easier to remove what isn’t needed then to realise something is missing, or run into a problem down the line because I didn’t put in the part I thought wasn’t necessary.

This is why I write ‘organically’ because I just have to trust the words I’m putting down are meant to be there.
My advice – relax and write. All the rest of it should be left until you have reached those two words – ‘The End’.

Yesterday, I followed my own advice and sat down a second time to write, even though I wasn’t 100% sure that what I was writing was …. well right. The afternoon session was a bit slow and didn’t come as easy as I like but I ended it with an idea of how it could really take off again. I had stopped there anyway because I felt it was time for a break. When I sat down again in the evening the words came easy I was excited about it and I realised something about the world my protagonist lived in.

I was hoping to write a couple hundred more words to see if I couldn’t get two thou for the day – managed just over a thou in this sitting for a daily total of 2,500.
I also got to talk a bit about a type of magic I haven’t real touched on before – healing. It is one of those magic that everyone expects – I knew my readers

were going to ask -’ we doesn’t he use some sort of healing spell instead of getting his friends to stitch him up?’ and I wanted to give them a good reason. My Muse (bless her devious heart) gave me a good one.
I have set up the next interesting scene and so have a couple thousand more more ready to flow. I wouldn’t have got to this revelation and build up to action if I hadn’t allowed myself to write the stuff before. If it ends up being cut in edits – that’s alright because the words and time were not wasted — they led to the words that did need to be there.

Trust your Muse – Trust yourself – Trust the words.

Two Posts In One Day! – Not really, It is Just A Writing Update

Sometimes, when I’m writing, I get the feeling that I am rambling on about nothing. I stop and think – will my readers give a damn? I wonder if I’m just filling pages with pointless words. To me, they are not without reason but I am immersed in the world and the character.
In the long run, most often the scenes read just fine. There are always some spots that need trimming or complete removal when editing time comes but that is expected. I have learned to just keep writing – it is easier to remove what isn’t needed then to realise something is missing, or run into a problem down the line because I didn’t put in the part I thought wasn’t necessary.
This is why I write ‘organically’ because I just have to trust the words I’m putting down are meant to be there.
My advice – relax and write. All the rest of it should be left until you have reached those two words – ‘The End’.