Snowapocalypse Equals Editing, Writing, and Reading

These are some photo's from the first snow.  We've had two more since them.

It's snowing here.  Again.  It is the first time in a long time that we have feet of snow.  We can't even manage to get or keep the roads clean, schools and many businesses are closed, and I finally told the post office to hold my mail since the street crews keep burying my mailbox.  I am six foot and it is no exaggeration that there are some man made snow drifts out there taller than I am.

But it does give me some great time to do some editing.  I am using three screens to take my manuscript and doing some splitting of the screens to look at all of my beta readers comments at the same time and adjust.  It is time consuming, but lets me see if more than one of my readers didn't like something and it gives me an idea of what a variety of readers pick up on.  Thank goodness I had power the whole time.  Not everyone has had.

Reading manuscripts for my intern position has motivated me to come up with some ideas for my own New Adult.  It has been many years since college, but I think I can figure it out and I have plenty of former students and young family members to ask questions.

And I have been reading some great books too.  I caught up on a Julia Quinn book I had somehow missed.  Now I am reading a New Adult that Saranna DeWylde recommended then I am on to her new release, How to Seduce an Angel in 10 Days.  Her books are written in a way that fun-loving smart people enjoy.

So what do you like to do with snow days? Please leave me a comment.  It helps my Klout score...social media presence number.


Whatever it is, stay warm, and enjoy some hot chocolate!

Back in the Saddle. Again.

Here I go in the world of writing and kind of living again too.  The last two weeks have not been the most productive in the writing world for me. There were pluses and minuses both.  First, I spent some quality time with my son who was home on leave from the Army.  Always a plus!  Great visiting and he helped me with some computer issues that will make me more productive overall.  Then I wasn't feeling well for a week, but I did catch up on some reading.  Since reading is like breathing to me, I never stop it completely, but writing does take me away from it somewhat. And I did get to do a lot of research on authors and the industry too.  I found a neat class that I can use to help me bridge my academic background as teacher to my literary goals.

One thing I did get done was turning in my first report as an intern for Entangled Publishing, LLC's editor, Karen Grove.  She is graciously allowing me to read some of the inbox for the New Adult area of publishing.  It is like Young Adult, but based more for the older teen to early twenties group.  I am already learning a great deal about what is ready to be sent to an agent and what is not.  Plan to apply some of this knowledge to my own work soon.

I have also learned there is more to keeping track of business expenses than I ever want to know.  The idea of having to do it myself for a writing career motivates me to try to make enough money to hire someone else to do it!

So I am off to slay some dragons today. New intern material to review, local writer's contest to help organize, and volunteering at the local school this evening.  I'm reading something.  No surprise there.

Tomorrow, I write.  If the weather is as promised for the rest the week, I may have the opportunity to be shut in for few days and write a lot.  That is exciting to me!

Hope your writing goals get met today!

It's the Superbowl of Writing

This excerpt is taken from a speech I delivered on Superbowl Sunday showing how writing is like football.

This may be blasphemy to admit on Superbowl Sunday, but I am not a big fan of sports.  I know writing, but I had to dig deep and even research a little to get the right sports terminology for the following.

Pregame for writing:  You discover you have an interest, maybe you attend a seminar or writing or join a group, and start practicing by yourself and then with others.  You have to have a place to center yourself and store your supplies, but writers usually call that a special chair or an office instead of a locker.

 

Next you approach the game more seriously.  You've got to make some decisions and determine what specialties to develop.  What team will you be playing for?  Fiction or Nonfiction  Serious or humorous?  Lengthy works or short works.  You need to know which position or area to pursue.  Writers call that genre.

You work on conditioning, taking classes and workshops and attending classes to build up your skills in writing to become a stronger more efficient whole.  Sometimes we call in trainers and support like content and line editors.  Like athletes, writers do timed challenges with writing, we lift heavier loads by adding more depth to our manuscripts, and we keep going to practice even when we don't feel like, have doubts about our success, or get knocked down in critique.  We enter smaller contests too along the way, because writers have that drive to succeed that the best competitors possess.

What about teams?  Some writers will go on to make points on their own. Self-publishing are writing's field goal kickers, they are part of the overall team, but rely mostly on themselves to handle the job.  Others will seek a path of sending our queries to agents and editors to be their defenders on the field of publishing.  Some writers will be good enough to be courted by agents and editors.  Once you join with an agent or a group you learn the rules of the organization, meet the other players, and learn what your own role will be in holding the line in the book world.  Be sure to remember that no matter what type of writer you are or how much work you do yourself, there is no "i" in the team of writing.  We are all here, because someone somewhere helped us along the way. 

So you condition and practice some more with even more dedication.  Somewhere along the line you realize that you have a style or a voice coming out.  You will need to build a platform, so you do reviews for others, and you tweet and Facebook, and network to gain supporters.

Because it's Game Day!  You have a book and it is coming out.  You hope that enough people will buy the ticket and help fill the stands.  You know your family and friends and regular cheerleaders will be there, but you are hoping that your game is good enough that people are glad they came.  You hope your book is good enough to outweigh the opinion of those who you might offend or didn't like your style and write a bad review about your work on Amazon.  Like true athletic professionals you realize you shouldn't say much back in response.  But that’s okay, because your fans will go toe to toe or Facebook or twitter message to message for you.   

You realize you’re the quarterback of this game.  You the one on the field who has the final say on what play to call, what risk to take, and then you take the ball in hand and throw it out hoping your books make it into the hands of the receiver.  Sometimes you reach the audience you intended and sometimes it gets to someone else instead.  But you are selling books.  Touchdown.  *dance dance*

Half time is called conferences or retreats for writers.  You get good food and drinks, meet some famous people, and there's great entertainment.  

And then it's time to go out in your second half and go through the process again.  You will have learned some things to apply and now you have the challenge of coming up with something new. 

After a few books and good sales everyone calls you a winner. I would argue that anyone who began writing and kept on going through all of the difficulties can claim the title of winner, no matter what their sale numbers. 

Even published writers don't always reach their intended receivers on a play and sometimes when you least expect someone or something comes out of nowhere and tackles you to the ground. Genres aren't hot anymore, agents quit, companies close, or the business changes.  Maybe you are injured in the writing world, either by your actions or a rumor by others.   Writers have instant replay too.  It's called networking.  Your good actions are talked about time and again.  So are your bad ones.

Whatever good plays or bad, you can always find writers doing the conditioning and practicing and whatever it takes to keep in the game.

Doing the Next Best Thing

It's one of those days in writer world.  Frustrating.  I am not patient when it comes to establishing a new career as a writer and a speaker.  I want to be perfect at it.  And I am not. 

Of course I wasn't perfect in my last career as a teacher either, but I had been doing it for so long and with enough identifiable successes I felt more secure that I was being successful and offering something to the world. I remember being upset when I was unable to help a student whose home life offered numerous challenges.  Someone said to me, "You can't save them all."  And as much as it killed me to admit, they were right.  I couldn't.  But I could and did try to do the little I could.  I didn't change their worlds overall, but I was able to help them a little.

I am not that point of confidence as a writer and speaker. This world is still a difficult place for me to feel as if I am making measurable headway. Some days I feel like I am floating, untethered and woefully unsure that I will ever offer a contribution worthy of anyone's time or up to the quality of what I want to do.  Overwhelmed, isn't just a word around here.  Yes, I know doubt is something all writers share, as do people in general, but it isn't fun.

Today I ran across a short article about approaching life. Basically the message was nice way to say, "Eat an elephant one bite at a time."  I have heard this before.  But I needed the reminder.  This version was, "Don't set out to change the world, just do the next best thing.  Every day."  It's good advice.

I am off to put a boot in doubt's face, and do my next best thing.



Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robin-obryant/acts-of-kindness

The Roller Coaster of Writing

Just a brief check in blog world.  Been busy doing edits and more edits on my YA Contemporary Thriller Mirror Images.  Really busy.

Right now my manuscript is out to some readers.  It is the first time I have really let loose of it to let people who know me only somewhat see what I have been doing.  I know my book is FAR from perfect and I know it will return with numerous edits for me to do, but I got my courage up to get on the ride.

Near where I grew up is a theme park that used to have a great roller coaster.  It was a simple by today's standards.  Just ups and downs and a few unexpected turns and drops.  And I loved it.  I don't dislike the newer, faster upside down roll over kinds with bigger drops.  I like them.  But I miss the fun of that good old dependable ride.

This is how I approached Mirror Images.  When I started writing it, so long ago I don't want to admit it, the market was flooded with paranormals, dystopians, and of course, vampires.  There was nothing wrong with that, I read and enjoyed them too.  But it wasn't what I wanted to do.

I realized I missed the old mysteries and thrillers of my youth.  I loved how empowered I felt when I followed the clues and figured out who the bad guy or killer was in my Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys novels.  I had loved and still recommended  to students all the teen thriller books of Lois Duncan who wrote I Know What You Did Last Summer and other books that now seem cheesy, but I loved them.  I also liked that the books were short and even somewhat predictable, because having a "friendship"  with the books was enjoyable.  I read other types of books growing up and I learned, bettered my mind, challenged my ideas, and cried too over them.  It was like with people in my life, who had done of all of these things too.  I enjoyed all of the experiences, but when it came to picking my friends in books, I didn't want to learn or be challenged or always be involved in some drama.  Those mysteries and thrillers were my friends I could depend on bringing me joy.

So I really gave some time to determining what had made those books appeal to me to the point I remembered them after all of the books I have read in my lifetime, and I have read a lot of books in my forty-eight years. I thought when I started at the beginning of Mirror Images and I still think there is still a place for these books in the lives of young readers living in this current world.  Anything that can show young people that using your mind to overcome obstacles is the most important message I think a book can give beyond modeling the way to love and show kindness.

I looked at what I loved, books with suspense; who I loved, the thousands of resilient wonder young people I had worked with in my years as a teacher; and I thought this is what I can do; help others enjoy a book about teens who face obstacles and use their brains to figure out what to do.  That's real life over and over.

On the surface my book is about a serial killer in a small town.  But I think it's a book about growing up, loving and hating your family, falling in love, working your first job, being with friends, using your mind, making really hard choices, and learning to believe in yourself and others when everything and everyone says something different.

Right now I am enjoying my ride in the writing world.  Some days I go up higher than I have been before and others drop quickly down much lower than I ever wanted to be. Sometimes it is the same day and I repeat my ups and downs.

Like a real roller coaster, the twists and turns and climbs and drops will surprise me.  I am often a little afraid of where I will go next.  But this is the ride I bought the ticket for and I am gladly on it now.

In real life as a writer, I need my hands to type, but in my mind I choose to stop holding on tight the safety bar.  I am throwing my arms straight up to the sky and laughing and screaming with joy for the whole ride.

Just a quick Howdy Doo!

It's just a quick Howdy Doo from the G. Aliceson Edwards writing world on how I am doing with my 2013 professional goals.  It's already the fourth after all.  It's kind of repeat of my last blog post, but it reminds me what I want to accomplish.

New Year has rolled in with me hurrying to finish the "final" draft of Mirror Images before I force myself to stop editing and give this book out to some beta readers.  Yeah, I have been working on this book forever.  (I did write others while I was working on this one. )  But I am determined to finally achieve the level of quality I want for this book.  This day has been a long time coming, because I suffer, as many writers do, from insecurity that my writing shouldn't be read until it is perfect.  Silly, since I taught for the years about the value of drafts and feedback.  Physician heal thyself and all that.

After Betas return comments, then I will choose what to change or possibly what to keep the same in my quest for improvement.

Then I contact more agents and editors in a query frenzy.   Yes, I really am going to push toward the publication goal. Doubt be danged!  (I try not to cuss on social media.)

During some of the action above I will be designing my website.  I blog, tweet, and Facebook, but have never gotten to the website phase.  It is here.

I spent December giving away free presentations to schools and groups.  Now I have more scheduled and some decent paying gigs too.

This is my January 2013.  I hope you have great plans for your own.

I do a lot of dancing during my writing breaks.  Check out this cool Facebook  account and find the Hokey Pokey Shakespeare style.

It's 2013, Baby!

It's an extremely cold and icy day to begin the 2013 year, but I am totally looking forward to this day and the ones beyond.

My husband and I just discussed some of our joint goals of what we would like to see accomplished as far as our housing plans, finances, health, and travel.  It helps us to know what we are shooting for!

Writing wise...I have already determined my January goals week by week. 

They are:

Finish the edit on Mirror Images.
Strengthen my writing contacts with a road trip to critique and write-in.
Send M.I. out to beta readers.
Attend meetings and critiques.
Develop Website while waiting for beta reader responses.
Develop list of agents and editors to query.
Edit in Beta suggestions or ignore.  
Send in queries and already requested FULLS.

Then make a new set of goals for February.

Now I need to work on accomplishing my first goal.  Later!