Jen's Writing Journey

Let’s start by re-checking our goals for the month. Did you achieve them? If not, what can you do next month to reach your goals?

Blogging

How to Devalue Your Blog and Burn Yourself Out
Men with Pens have done it again. This post about the need to find a blogging schedule that works for you is golden.

The Business of Writing

On Submissions Guidelines
Agent Nephele Tempest discusses the need to find and actually follow each agent’s submission guidelines. If you submit to her on paper, it gets trashed; she accepts electronic submissions only, as it clearly states in her submission guidelines. Really, if you can’t follow the directions to submit, how can an agent feel confident that you have done your due diligence in studying and perfecting your craft? And how will an agent know you will be able to follow revision instructions?

Agents = People. Not Fish
Don’t try to land an agent, says UF/PNR author Stacia Kane. Find an agent. Sign with an agent. But don’t engage in some sort of battle of the wills to master an agent. I will take it a step farther. Whenever someone “lands” a person, it implies to me that they picked the person up in the bar and sealed the deal that night. In the immortal words of Jeremy Piven in PCU, Don’t be that guy.

Publishers Rewrite Book
Matthew Flamm has some less than pleasing news for we writers: Book advances are dropping. However, the big boys are finally seeing that ebooks are the future of reading. They are funneling more resources into ebooks and looking at ways to mine their backlists and employ more freelancers to do the work. I remember reading about cool, futuristic readers who used a variety of electronic means to read their books and news publications. I am excited to see how that future will actually play out.

What Are Your Goals for Writing?
Why do you write? What motivates you to keep writing when everything seems stacked against you? Victoria Janssen explores her motivations.

Craft

Rejuvenating Writing by Not Writing
Feeling overworked and overwhelmed seems to be a theme this week. Here, erotic romance writer Michelle Hasker talks about her vacation from writing. Instead of BICHOK, she is playing tennis. And, the time away from the keyboard has rejuvenated her and made her want to the write again. Maybe the next time you feel overwhelmed, you should take a break rather than forcing yourself to write when you don’t want to. Of course, don’t give yourself too much time off; you don’t want to get out of the habit of writing. But remind yourself that a vacation every now and then is definitely a good thing.

Everybody Wants to Teach You to Write
Sue Lick provides some insight into the mind of the serious writer–and those who want to profit from them.

Fiction

Eight Questions for Writers
These guiding questions can help shape your story into one that people actually want to read. Use them in early outlining stages to ensure that you hit on the important points and have fleshed-out characters. Use them in revisions to make sure you know how to fix what doesn’t work and what to leave alone.

The Anatomy of a Book
Rose City Romance Writers member Genene Valleau explores the process of plotting a book. For some, the idea of plotting takes away all of the spontaneity of the writing process. For Valleau, though, plotting provides the structure she needs to follow the story from beginning to middle and end. She still finds all of the fun discoveries along the way, but she also makes sure she doesn’t get lost.

Freelancing

A Beginner’s Guide to Freelance Business Processes
Lea Woodward lines out some of the basics to get your business going and keep it running smoothly. I mean, how can you stay in business if you don’t have a process to invoice your clients and ensure payment is received on time.

How In-Depth Should Your Business Plan Be?
We know that new businesses need a plan. But we just want to write. Jennifer Mattern discusses the ins and outs of creating a business plan that meets your needs and helps keep you on the right track.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

Most of us are juggling multiple responsibilities: day job, family, housework, et cetera. It can be hard to fit in our writing time, even when we have the best intentions.

I have thought really hard about getting up two hours early to write before work, as some have suggested. I haven’t  ever actually done it, though. I already get up at 5:45 am, so the thought of 3:45 or even 4:00 am just doesn’t sit well with me. I can’t imagine that I would be doing much more than falling asleep at my keyboard.

I know that I am at my most productive from 9-11 am, 2-4 pm, and 9-11 pm. The first two of those chunks fall smack dab in the middle of my workday, so those hours go to the man. But 9-11 at night are mine. I sit on my couch and write while the dogs curl up on the floor or couch next to me and the TV is running for background noise (and a bit of distraction when Supernatural is on).

I make sure I either ignore all the housework during this timeframe or that I get it done beforehand. (With the number of days this month that I have been pulling clothes out of a mountain of laundry to wear to work, I must force myself to admit that I ignore it a lot more than I get it done.)

The dogs are sleepy, so they don’t bug me too much unless my husband riles them up.

I’ve been known to drink a Diet Rock Star right before my writing time so that I’m not too tired during those two hours.

What about you? How do you ensure that your writing time is sacred? Are you a lark who can jump out of bed and greet day with 1,000 words before the rest of the family stirs? Or are you an owl who feverishly grinds out words after the rest of the family is in bed? Do you stay at home during the day so you can write around your family and household obligations? And, the big question, does your routine work for you?

Related Posts:

• The Glamorous Life of the Writer
• More on Writing in the Cloud
• Writing in the Cloud
• The Importance of Backups
• Tax Tips for Writers

I hope all of my U.S. peeps are having a good holiday weekend, paying homage where they need to, and enjoying the company of family and friends. I’m doing that and working hard to keep on top of my deadlines.

Back with a regular post on Wednesday.

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A short and sweet pre-Memorial Day roundup.

The Business of Writing

So-N-So Recommended Me
Referrals can be a great way to get an agent to look at your work–but only if they are done right. Here you’ll find some examples of good and bad referrals. Main lesson? Make sure the agent actually knows the person who referred you.

We’ve Terrified the Wrong Half of Y’all
Agent Janet Reid lets us know that those of us reading agent blogs and applying the lessons they teach are doing at least something right. Sometimes, we will take whatever affirmation we can get.

Having a Writing Life…
Have I mentioned that I love Elizabeth Moon? So I was super-excited when I found her Live Journal. Now I could keep up with her releases and her process and maybe find out a little more about her. That’s the coolest thing about the Internet for we readers: we can let our stalking tendencies out a little without really putting anyone in danger. But, that access has led some of us to believe that our favorite writers owe us more access or information or even the next installment in out favorite series. Moon reminds us that no matter how much we love a writers or his or her books, we don’t own them.

Interview with Christina Katz
I can’t get enough of Christina Katz. Her books Writer Mama and Get Known Before the Book Deal have shaped a lot of my ideas about how to conduct my burgeoning writing career. Here, she talks a little more about building your platform.

Fiction

Is Fiction a Type of Fabrication? part 1
Rebecca Emrich starts a series on the nature of fiction in response to an email question she received. She writes both fiction and nonfiction, so she is poised to explore some really interesting aspects of fiction writing in these posts.

False Starts
Jasmine Ahern describes her own personal writer’s block. She is starting strong, but unable to finish. So she went to another writer to get some tips to push past her block.

How to Write a Great First Draft
L.J. Sellers challenges the notion that all first drafts suck. Although sometimes it is important to give yourself permission to just get a chunk of the story out without regard for craft–especially if you are having trouble moving past that section–a little pre-planning will help you ensure that the bulk of your first draft is good. It will still need revisions, but you’ll be a lot closer to a saleable piece.

Freelancing

The Lure of Mother Nature
A lot of us dream of the day we can quit our day job and write for a living. We imagine how gorgeous it will be to work from home, spending time with our families and taking daily visits from the muse. But, working from home can be hard to accomplish. Freelancer Jennifer Mattern talks about distractions and how she deals with them.

Use Your Parenting Experience to Generate National Pitches
In this post, Sharon Miller Cindrich provides tips of how to translate real-life experience into writing assignments. Although she focuses on parenting publications, the concept applies to hobbies, day job knowledge, lots of things. How can you turn your personal strengths and knowledge into stories that instruct?

Writing for the Web: Establishing an Online Presence
Jennifer Applin says if you want to write for the web, you need to be on the web. Most of us look at the websites of established writers and think, “one day…” But, Applin argues that the website is one component that makes the “one day…” possible.

General Writing Tips

More than the Bones
At the Rose City Romance Writers blog, Pauline Trent discusses the necessity of transitions and flow. The key, Trent says, is making sure you have anough filler to move your story and keep its pace appropriate, but not so much that you bog it down.

Punctuate Quotes Correctly
Sue Lick gives a quick refresher on punctuation. Print it out and keep it handy when you proof your work. Your editor will thank you.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

Writers write; authors market.

That is an extreme oversimplification of the publishing industry, but I think it captures one major difference between a write and an author. An author is required to market the heck out of their book(s), unless they are happy to only sell to their family and friends.

Some authors do blog tours once their book is released, supplying books (or asking the publisher to) for giveaways on the blogs. Some do physical book signings or events at local bookstores. And some use Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo Groups, and newsletters to keep their readers apprised of upcoming releases.

Romance writing duo Moira Rogers is doing an early blog tour, giving away copies of Cry Sanctuary, book 1 in their Red Rock Pass series, to generate excitement for the release of Sanctuary Lost, book 2, on June 9. I’m hosting the ladies for an interview and contest on Pop Culture Curmudgeon this Friday. Find out more about it here.

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[digg=http://digg.com/educational/Essential_Links_for_Writers]We’re halfway through the month already. How have you done with achieving your writing goals so far?

The Business of Writing

Where Have All the Bookstores Gone?
Obviously, you must sing this title to the tune of Paula Cole’s Where Have All the Cowboys Gone. No? That’s just me? Anyway, Sue Lick gives some insight into the death of the independent bookstore. It is sad to lose these connections to books and writers.

5 Lies Writers Believe about Editors
Jeremiah Tolbert shatters some myths, and provides some amusing examples to help writers better understand editors. Use this post to guide you when perfecting your craft and submitting your work. And, when all else fails, buy an editor a drink. You never know what will work.

Copyright and Consumer Digital Rights, Part 2
At Dear Author, we get an interesting survey of court cases that affect our ability as writers to own our words and our ability as citizens to access those words freely. If you missed part 1, read it here.

Why a Pre-publication Web Presence Is Important
A writer can’t go anywhere on the web without some discussion of platform, it seems. And Christina Katz would remind us that platform is not just web presence. But web presence is an important component, and Yen, who works in publicity at a publishing house, provides the reasons to get your web presence going sooner rather than later.

Kiss of Death: Quitting the Day Job
Wendy Lawton of the Books & Such Literary Agency discusses the potential pitfalls of quitting your day job.

Is Your Day Job Good for Your Writing?
Another perspective on the issue of keeping your day job.

I’m torn on the whole day job issue. The Keep It and Ditch It camps make good arguments. What do you think?

Fiction

Critique Partners
As writers, we all reach the point where we need someone else’s opinion. We can ask our friends to read our works and give their feedback, but there is no substitute for the opinions of another writer. The writer can not only point out flaws, he or she can also suggest specific ideas to help fix the flaws. Jill James describes the relationship and what makes it work. For more on critique partners, also read this post describing J.R. Ward’s and Jessica Anderson’s critique relationship. Finally, budding romance writers can find critique partners on the Harlequin website’s writers forums.

Write Your @ss Off Day

What are you doing tomorrow? You could spend the entire day focusing on your writing. The New York Writers Coalition has dubbed May 16 as their Write-a-Thon. They are offering events and workshops to help writers connect and perfect their craft. This blog post offer ways to participate in the Write-a-Thon without going to New York.

Freelancing

30 Days to Become a Freelancer?
This post leads you from 0 to business in one month. It is structured such that you can perform a short task each day around your day job.

How Much Are Examiner.com Authors Really Earning?
This post from Writers Weekly is included on honor of Writers Worth Day. It is so easy to go for easy writing gigs that don’t pay well but offer the option of earning more in the future or great exposure. But, is it really worth it?

An Interview with Successful Freelancer and Author Kelly James-Enger
This interview tackles the tough questions of freelancing, from when it’s okay to take a low-paying gig to how much haranguing an editor will stand for when you just want to know if you can move the idea to another venue.

General Writing Tips

A Twisty Little Story from Sandra…
This post from Chip MacGregor’s blog highlights the importance of craft in writing. Anyone can write–anyone can slap words on a page. And some of them might even have enough natural talent that it works pretty well. But those who work at learning how to write, how to query, how to work with an agent and publisher have the best chances for success.

Back to the Drawing Board
Agent Rachelle Gardner discusses the importance of rewriting. It can be frustrating to rewrite or to begin again from scratch, but sometimes that is just what you need to do.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

This Friday is Writers Worth Day, a celebration of the importance of placing an appropriate value on the work you do. The annual event was created by writer Lori Widmer, and she gives the background and details on her blog.

It seems easy to value freelance work–you charge by the word, by the hour, or by the project. You set your rates based on a review of what others are charging for the same work and the level of experience you have. Sometimes you choose to discount for a worthy cause or a special vehicle.

But how do you value your work on a book, especially your first book. If you are writing under contract with an advance, you know what your worth is. You can assess the level of pay by dividing the advance by the number of words, pages, or hours you will devote to the project. You can factor royalties in there, but remember that many writers don’t earn out their advances, or if they do, they earn a small amount over the advance. Not enough to factor into their income planning for the year.

If you are not writing under contract, you are working on blind faith that someone in the publishing world will see the value of what you have written and offer an advance that matches your worth. I know that most writers are so excited to get an agent and/or a contract that they may settle for a crummy advance and crappy terms (that, of course, is when the agent steps in and counsels against a crummy deal).

And a lot of book writers continue to keep a day job because the money they earn writing isn’t enough to support their families.

What will you do this week to ensure that your writing is valued? How can you make sure you earn what you are worth?

Related Posts:

• Book Review: Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanny
• Writing Roundup, July 22
• Writing Roundup, June 24
• Writing Roundup, May 9
• Writing Roundup, April 18

And, another work week for the 9-5 crowd comes to a close. I wonder if this song lyric would be true of me if I did not have a day job to do in addition to this crazy writing thing: “I wake up every evening, with a big smile on my face, and it never feels out of place.” (from Gives You Hell by the All-American Rejects)

The Business of Writing

Writing as an Identity
Is writing who you are or what you do? Agent Nathan Bransford explores why most writers seem to believe it is who they are.

Author-Agent Agreements
Agent Rachelle Gardner has started a series that describes what happens once she decides to request more from an author who has queried her. This installment covers the written and verbal agreements that may be made between an author and his or her brand-spanking-new agent.

American (Author) Idol
This is an interesting look at the cult of the author that has built up on the Internet. It is a balanced exploration of both the good and the bad. What do you think? Is it about the author or the book?

Fiction

The Fake-Book-Idea Factory
Jody Wallace writes fantasy, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. She often gets asked things like, “When are you going to write a real book?” Now, we all know that her books are just as real as any others out there, so that is not the point of including her guest at Powell’s Books. Instead, she talks about the process of generating ideas.

Crafting the Paranormal Romance
As this is what my current WIP is (paranormal romance, or PNR), I found this post very interesting. You can apply the steps here to any genre, though.

Freelancing

Marketing Tips
A new season means a new approach to marketing for freelance guru Jennifer Mattern. (All of a sudden, I feel as if I’m announcing a fashion show. But not as a serious announcer with a love of fashion. Rather, I’m taking on a very Janeane Garofalo-esque persona. And I don’t mean to sound sarcastic about this post, because it had some good ideas that can help you break out of a marketing rut.)

Prepare for Problems
We all know that things will go wrong when we least expect them to. As writers/business managers, we need to ensure that we are prepared for likely obstacles so that they don’t completely derail us. Allison Boyer offers some potential problems and solutions.

Hey. You’re Not Romantic At All.
Aspiring writer December Gephart describes through example the beauty of fiction. She doesn’t believe in soul mates in real life, but she sure does believe in romance in writing.

General Writing Tips

Discovering and Developing Your Voice, part 1
The ladies at the Blood-Red Pencil have a post that will help you find your voice as a writer. They ask questions that will guide you in learning the hallmarks of voice and using them in your writing.

Errors will Ruin Your Chances
I wish we lived in a world where this went without saying, but 30 Helens and writer Sue Lick agree that proofreading is important.

Showing versus Telling
In her untitled blog post, Robyn Campbell looks for guidance in (a) showing instead of telling and (b) knowing when it is right to tell.

Related Posts:

• Writing Roundup, October 23
• Writing Roundup, September 11
• Writing Roundup, September 4
• Writing Roundup, August 28
• Writing Roundup, Aug. 14

I’m looking for a web host. I would like one that is easy to use, supports wordpress, and is cheap. Please comment with your recommendations. Thanks in advance.

Related Posts:

• I Finally Got My Domain
• More on Writing in the Cloud
• Writing in the Cloud
• Agents to Follow on Twitter
• Portability

My post on How to be a Healthy Writer was included in this weeks Carnival of All Things Weight Loss, hosted at the Body and Fitness blog.

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