Book Proposals and Queries

I have been on a reading kick of all the books of Elizabeth George I can find. If you like mysteries, I highly recommend her books. Today I've found a book on writing that she's written and her down-to-earth advice makes me want to start writing fiction again.

I know for a fact that there is more money in nonfiction; nonfiction is easier to sell; nonfiction is dealing in facts but can be done creatively so the imagination is involved; nonfiction is easier for me than fiction. In nonfiction, you don't have to write the book first; you submit a proposal and if someone wants to buy it, then you get to work writing. With fiction, you have to submit a query on a completed manuscript. So much work and you don't know if you'll ever sell it.

See, I know all the reasons I should stick to nonfiction, but reading George's book on how to write fiction makes me want to jump right in and begin a new book. I have sent a fiction query (a cover letter telling about me and my writing experience, the book's audience, length of book, premise and theme; a short summary of the book; and two chapters) to an agent and haven't heard yet so I've been working on my three nonfiction projects while I wait.

Actually I'm putting together proposals for each of the nonfiction books. First the table of contents, then the summary, then a bio for me which is already done, then a list of books on the market that are similar to my proposed book and why my book fills a market gap. Add a cover, a cover letter, and a sample chapter and I will be ready to submit.

Right before the Christmas holiday is not the best time to submit as everyone is getting ready for the holidays and won't want to be bothered reading yet another proposal, so I have set a date of January 26 to have my proposals ready, or at least one of them. That gives me wiggle room!! I'm sure I can manage to finish one, and, if I complete two, then I will be so proud of myself. We writers are so insecure sometimes that we have to find all kinds of ways to pat ourselves on the back and bolster our morale.

But then, after I've submitted my proposals and I'm waiting to hear, I think I may try my hand at fiction again. In the meantime, I work at nonfiction during the day and snuggle up with a good mystery at night. Ain't life grand???

Gaining perspective

I continue to write daily. Yippee! I was afraid that, as Christmas got closer, I would mess up and decide to wrap gifts or bake goodies instead of write. So far though I am keeping to my promise to myself to write each day without fail. Of course, I don't have all my gifts bought yet so that may become a problem later on.

The trouble is that I have three projects that I am currently working on. I want to finish them all but, when I am busy working on one, I get an idea for one of the others, so I go back and forth and nothing ever gets finished. Does anyone else have this problem?

I found the name of an agent who is currently looking for the type of non-fiction book I am writing (inspirational) and would really like to finish at least one so I could submit it. Not that I have to complete the entire book--with nonfiction, you can submit an outline and table of contents and a summary for a proposal and, if you sell it, complete the book. So that is all I have to finish now.

I love blogging! I just reminded myself of something that I know and, in fact, have taught in nonfiction workshops and in my online workshop on writing nonfiction, that I only need to get the outline, table of contents and a summary and tentative word count and I will have enough to send to an agent. So, instead of concentrating on the actual body of the book, that is what I'll do!

Sometimes we get so close to a problem we forget what we already know and go off on a tangent. I think that happens not only about writing but about life and relationships in general. So maybe writing a journal or a blog and putting your thoughts down make you look carefully at what you're doing and you gain perspective. Today's blog has certainly done that for me. Hope it's helped you too.

Scheduling Writing Time

I was right! It took me a few days, but I am back to writing at least one hour a day, more when I have more free time.

But this is the wrong way to think about it. I need to consider writing as my job; phone calls, shopping, family matters (unless there's bleeding involved), should not be allowed to interfere with my writing time. That's so easy to say, but what do you do when someone comes to the door and it is your writing time? Or calls. Easy enough to say, don't answer, but suppose it's an emergency?

I could tell family and friends that my writing hours are such and such and not to disturb me at those times. That would lessen the disturbances. Or I could choose hours that are less likely to be disturbed which is what I am going to try. I am going for one hour in the morning before my grandson comes and one hour in the evening after he goes home. That doubles the time I have been spending at the computer and I have so many projects to complete, I need all the time I can get. I'm aiming for one hour on my magazine work and one hour on my books. Let's see how it works!

Back to the Drawing Board

Why is writing such a struggle? I was into a pretty good routine, then took a week off to sail the high seas, and now I'm having a hard time getting back into the groove. It's the same with diets, exercise, volunteer work, everything disrupted because of a week-long break!

And what a break: we had choppy seas, a very sick passenger so we had to turn the ship around and return to home port, we couldn't stop at one port because the sea was too rough, and our cabin had to be changed because of an odd odor that couldn't be removed. Holland-America staff were terrific about getting us moved into a great suite which we loved. All in all, we had a great time!

So now it's back to writing. I'm still going thru all the writing newsletters in my email that arrived while I was away. Am I using that as an excuse for not writing? Any port in a storm? I think not. If I can compare writing to getting on a ship--it takes a day or so to get your sea legs, to get used to the rhythm of the sea. I think getting back into the swing of writing is the same. It will take me a few days to get back into my routine. Of course it didn't help this time that Thanksgiving fell right after I came back and I was the hostess this year for the family gathering. I hadn't cooked a turkey in a few years, but all turned out well.

I'm going to try to blog more often because I find that blogging helps me with my other writing. If you don't blog and you feel any kind of writing block, try it. Free writing always seems to loosen up all the words that are waiting to be written, hiding in the back of your mind.

query letters

I mentioned on my last blog that Moira Allen had a book about queries; well, she also has a free email newsletter that is very helpful, full of good info in many articles. One of the articles is about query letters--my "beast" of the moment. Anyway her advice was to include 1) the hook, to grab attention; 2) the pitch-what you are offering like a 2000 page article on how to raise kids; 3) the body, details about the piece of work; 4) the credentials--why you are good person to write this piece; and 5) the close.

So, back to the drawing board for me. I actually (surprise!!) had most of the elements although in a different order, and I find her order makes more sense to me as I rewrite my query according to her advice.

If you're interested in her email newsletter the address is: http://www.writing-world.com

I'd like to get my query out this week as I am going away next week and so won't worry about some agent reading it and maybe I will have a response by the time I get back. It's more realistic to expect a response in 6 to 8 weeks, but maybe I'll get lucky and get one sooner. Whatever, at least I will feel that I have something in the works even though I'm vacationing.

Election over, Thank Goodness

Well, the election is over and I just might be able to get my mind back on my work. I will take time each day to say a prayer for this very young and inexperienced president that he surround himself with knowledgeable and experienced people and keep us as safe as we have been for the last eight years. ( And I hope people will remember that about President Bush; he did keep this country safe from attack.) That said, Obama's on his own. He wanted the job, now let's see what he will do with it.

And I want my job too--that of writing and having other people get enjoyment from my work. So I have to write. NO more excuses. I used to keep a candy jar on my computer desk and, after I wrote so many words, I would reward myself with one piece of candy. I think I'll start that again. It worked very well.

I read my query letter at critique group the other night and received many suggestions. It's hard to capture the flavor of a book in a one page letter. I know you need to describe your book in two or three sentences; if you can't then maybe you don't know what your story is about. Telling the premise and theme of the book is not enough--I did that in my letter. The group suggested that I missed out on telling about the main character's personality in that she always ends up in some kind of scrape even when she's trying to do the right thing. That's what I mean about flavor. If the book is amusing, what makes it amusing? If the book is heartrending, what makes it heartrending? So it's back to the drawing board. Yes, I will include the premise and theme (young girl thinks she can solve all problems by herself:premise and girl finds out that sharing problems makes life easier:theme) but, somehow, I have to capture the flavor of Sarah in a few lines. Query letters are harder to write than the entire book!!!!

I believe Moira Allen has a book that describes how to write a good query letter. I'll look up some others at the library and list them. All the help we can get, right?

Organizing, organizing, and organizing

Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday that I made the choice to write instead of looking at TV and here it is almost ten days later. Shame on me! I have done some writing, but not all of what I had intended.
It's usual for some writers to have several projects going and that is true of me right now. So how do I juggle and determine how much time I spend on each? It probably would be more efficient to finish one and then the next, and then.... But that's a little too orderly for me. Besides I get ideas for one or another at odd times and it's best to use your ideas as you have them or they disappear into the land of forgotten ideas.
Because I care for my grandson daily, my writing time is limited so I don't have the luxury of writing anytime I want. For me it's either early morning or later at night. I have chosen night time and have to set the amount of time I can spend. I usually try to write for one hour, but that doesn't seem to be enough to finish all I want to finish. After all, I am getting older and I'd love to finish everything I have started before I'm called to the great beyond. (That was a joke--I'm not that old!! Well, almost.)
Organization is the key. I know that. I write about it in my e-book 12 steps to Writing Non-fiction. So why am I not organized enough?
Follow my own advice: clean up this computer room so I can sit right down and write without looking for my idea book or my note book or without being distracted by the novel that just happens to be sitting on my desk. Also clearly label my notebooks where I jot ideas and even whole phrases and sentences that I think will fit into a particular book. Sometimes I spend more time looking for stuff than writing. Okay, that's step one and two and I will do that right now.
And I will try to write in my blog more often. It doesn't matter if no one in the whole world is reading it; it helps me figure out where I am and where I want to be.

Politics and Decisions

I've fallen down on my promise to myself to get back into writing on a daily basis and I know where to lay the blame! It's the upcoming election. I am so into it that I just have to watch all these pundits predict the outcome and make their recommendations on what the candidates should do.

I am also distressed by the attacks on Sarah Palin who, whether or not you agree with her politics, is a smart, successful feminist! Where are all the other feminists who would be delighted with her rise in a man's world if she were not a conservative woman? Shame on them. She has done what we have wanted for women for a long time and they are dissing her.

I also am distracted by the number of e-mails I get on the election. One in particular disturbed me. I didn't send it on to anyone but it made me think. It posed questions I have had about Obama's past that trouble me. If Obama came from such a middle-class family, how did he afford to go to expensive Ivy-league schools? If it was through loans, how could he have afforded to take a $12000 a year job after graduation and still pay off those loans?
How could he have afforded a trip to Africa and the mid-east while he was in college? Where are the answers?

Anyway, will I not be able to write until after the election is over? With questions of voter fraud in many states (Thanks ACORN) we may not have results for a long time--remember Bush/Gore? I simply cannot stop writing for that long! So it's off with the boob tube, what do those people know that I don't? Many are biased so I can't trust what they say anyway. And it's ignoring e-mails although my husband will certainly complain when the numbers grow and grow.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Writing or politics? I'd better opt for writing. As uncertain as it is, it's more of a sure thing than politics.

theme and premise

The terms premise and theme have always been a struggle for me to understand, but I received a really good explanation a few weeks ago and rewrote a query letter based on what I learned.

As I see it now, the premise is what the story is about. For instance my middle grade novel is about an independent girl who thinks she can handle her problems by herself--that's the premise. The theme shows how she goes about trying to address her concerns alone and how she discovers that sharing and help from others is definitely better than going it alone.

My query letter now starts with the premise described in one sentence and the theme described in two or three.

I had often heard that if you couldn't describe your book in a few sentences, then you probably didn't have a good story. This is what I think "they" meant--that you have to be able to tell what the premise and the theme are before you can even write a good story. In fact it would be a good idea to have a premise and theme in mind before starting to write any fictional piece. Make sense? It does to me.

I think what I will do for practice is look at some fiction I am now reading and try to figure out what the premise and theme are. I expect it will be harder for some kind of novels than for others--for instance for mystery novels, but I may be wrong. Won't be the first time. I'll let you know what I find out.

A New Beginning

I did it. I made a plan today and started working on it. So far I've tackled the first thing on the list, finishing the project that is most complete and finding an agent to sent a query to. Also started to write the query.

Am I proud of myself? Well, yes, because after not writing for a week it was very hard to get back into it. I did everything else possible first, like making the bed, doing the crossword, etc. you get the idea! But I finally started and I have the feeling that tomorrow won't be as hard. Maybe!

Back to work!

Tomorrow I go back to writing. My intentions were to spend an entire week without thinking about writing and, while I didn't exactly take a whole week off--I wrote a book review and an article for the magazine I work for--I did not touch any of my many projects in progress.

Am I ready to tackle them again? I don't know and won't know until I start writing.

The first writing I will do is to make a plan of action. I work much better with a plan and I think my writer's block was due in part to my trying to do to much with too many different projects. Now that my novel is complete (and already rejected by one agent), I need to compile a list of agents for it, write a better query letter, send the query out, and go on to another project.

There are a lot of decisions to be made here.
How much time can I realistically commit to writing daily, preferably at the same time of day?
Which nonfiction project is nearest completion? (That's the one I will start on because it won't seem as if I have ages and ages to go before I finish.)
Which projects are complete enough for a proposal? Make a list of agents who handle that kind of nonfiction. Put together a proposal package and send it out.

Aside from my plan, I may not do any writing for a while, but just thinking about being organized revitalizes me. It's kind of like cleaning off the desk, getting the pencils sharpened, and starting with a clean slate.

In my nonfiction workshop, I stress organization as being the key to writing successful nonfiction and I have ignored my own advice. But I'm getting back on track. Here goes!

The Dark Side of Writing

I am in a writing dark place. No will to write. No desire to write. I have so many unfinished projects and I am convinced I will never finish them. What a waste of my time to have started them at all. I could have been out have fun instead of slaving at the computer for another incomplete manuscript. So what now?

Instead of fighting this bad feeling (I think it's called writer's block), I have decided to take a week off. No thinking about writing, no worrying about getting an agent or a publisher, I'll use the computer to check e-mails and blog and that's that. I've set a date (Monday, September 29) and I will go back to writing on that day and work for at least an hour. Never mind if all I write is drivel--I will write. Period. And I will write every day from then on until I complete one project.

There-just having set my date makes me feel better as does giving myself permission to take a break. My optimism is coming back. I know I will write again--not writing is like not eating to me. It's part of who I am. I will write and I will find a agent and a publisher who love my work, but, for now, I will enjoy this week of relaxation.

Editing and Letter-writing

I just read an article about editing to get rid of non-essentials. Some I knew and regularly adhere to; another I need to work on.

Adverbs are taboo to me. I have learned to let descriptive words and verbs take their place. For instance: Sarah's whole face drooped. "Do I have to go?' she asked instead of Sarah asked glumly, "Do I have to go?"

I also try to leave out the parts that I know I wouldn't read if I were the reader and not the author. Sometimes whole passages have to go. After all, if they don't drive the story forward what use are they?

One thing I never gave much thought to was overuse of forms of "to be." Sarah was on top of the table. They were going to the store. I'm going to look through my work and see if I overuse those words> if so, out they go!!

I wrote a letter to the editor and saw it in print yesterday. I was so incensed by a columnist's tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Sarah Palin, ridiculing the names of her children, the fact that she breast fed her children and other items that are private and not pertinent to the national election, that I dashed off my letter. Let me say that it's good to see your name in print wherever it is. Letter-writing is a great way to express yourself and get your name out there.

Looking over the above paragraph I realized that I unnecessarily used forms of the verb "to be." Here are the corrections: "A columnist so incensed me with her....." ".....other private items that are not pertinent....." I may have my work cut out for me!! If you look over your writings and find out that, like me, you need work in this area, I'd love to hear from you. We can commiserate.

By the way, you may remember my apprehension about my first hot rocks massage. Let me say that there is nothing like it I'm hooked!

Trying Something New

Saturday night and I'm looking forward to two days off from my babysitting duties. I love my grandson to distraction, but two days to pursue my own interests, even if it's laying around reading all day, sounds so good to me.

Tomorrow I am going to have the first hot stones massage of my life and I'm a little apprehensive simply because it's something new that I know nothing about. Isn't that true about so much in life? I mean we can't know everything about everything, but it's hard to either ask for information or to just go ahead and try something new.

For any writer who's reading this, it applies to writing genres too. For instance, if you're a writer of fiction who's never written nonfiction, trying your hand at an article or a book about something you know about or are interested in learning about could be a way to refresh your writing. Vice versa too. I've written a lot of nonfiction stuff, and I can't tell you what a delight it was to write a novel for middle-graders. What fun. Now I'm back to writing nonfiction again but looking forward to trying something else fictional too.

Sometimes you just have to jump into the unknown or you get stale and there's nothing worse than stale, done-two-million times-before writing.

Proposals

Haven't blogged for awhile because I've been busy writing!! Well, that's my business. I've done some magazine work and sent my middle-grade book out to an agent and am preparing a proposal for my nonfiction book on saints. Whew! And, in the middle of all this activity, we celebrated Nick's 75th birthday with Elvis singing Happy birthday to him. It was fun.
Which brings me to the point of tonight's blog--we are never too old to do something that we've dreamed of doing but couldn't because of life's circumstances. Look at me-70 years young and I'm submitting novels and proposals with high hopes of getting them published. My first books were not published until I was over 60.
You're also never too young to pursue a dream--look at all the young (really young from my perspective) entrepreneurs who are starting very successful business.
Age is just a number.
I have finished two sections of my saints book, enough to send to an agent or publisher, so out come the rules for writing a proposal. Succinct cover letter with my writing credits, addresses, numbers included; table of contents with chapter summaries; synopsis; author bio; and sample chapters. Oh, and a handsome picture for the cover of the proposal.
That should do it, so I'd better get to work.

Research

I can't imagine being a reporter or daily column writer. It is hard to find the time or topic for a daily report. Although I suppose if it's your job, you find the time and your editor gives you the topic.

Since I last wrote here, I completed my middle grade novel and sent it off to an agent who had commented on it favorably a few years back and had given me some advice. In the rewriting, I followed her advice, so I hope she will like the result.

And, yes, I said years. I don't know why people (non-writers) think all you have to do is sit down at the computer, put down your ideas and bingo! there is your book. They don't realize the research and rewriting, rewriting, and more rewriting that go on for fiction or nonfiction.

When I was writing my non-fiction books, I used to think that all the time I spent on research would end once I began writing fiction. Not so. In this novel I had to check for what is normal weather at various times of the year, what insects would be around at various times of the year, judicial appeals and how much time someone would spend in jail for embezzlement, asthma attacks, and dementia. The idea is that no matter what you write you have to have accurate information.

One of the members of my critique group did mention that some things will be taken on faith by the reader. So if I'm writing about a horse who saves a little girl's life, readers will accept that even if there is no written record of anything like that ever happening. Readers want to believe; if something isn't too far fetched, they will accept the concept. That said, it's good to know what the reality is before you expand on it to make sure you're not getting too far into the realm of the unbelievable.

Seeing through the Character's Eyes

Josh and I walked to the Dollar Store today in the rain, both of us carrying umbrellas. It was a real thrill for him to hold his own grown-up umbrella. His delight made me wonder when do we, as adults, lose the capacity to feel delight over the simple things in life? Do we get so jaded that we need more and more to enchant us?

Looking at the world through Josh's eyes has changed me. When I was raising my own kids, I didn't seem to have the time to experience the wonder of their childhood--unfortunately parents get so busy with working, keeping house, making drs appointments, chauffeuring, etc, etc, that they often don't get to savor the magic moments. I wish every young parent could read this and know that it's okay to let the housework go and to plan fewer activities and just enjoy the time with their kids and view he world through their eyes.

So, I have to ask myself, have I written my novel looking through my character's eyes? Am I seeing the world as a 13-year-old would see it or as I, an adult, would see it? I've tried to remember how I felt at that age-of course, it was a long time ago, but some feelings stay with you forever, especially the angst of adolescence.

writing a summary

I'm trying to write a summary of my middle grade novel to send to an agent. I believe it's harder than writing the entire book. I know I have to give a general idea of what the book is about and not to go into the minute details, but everything seems important to me!! So I thought I'd use my blog today to get my thoughts in order.

All right, I know I have to have a hook in the first few sentences that will make the agent want to read more.
Then I have to run through the most important parts of the book: the most dramatic, the funniest, the ones that inspire the most emotion and get them in some order.

I also know that I must tell how the book ends--no leaving the agent hanging. Also mustn't forget to mention how long the book is and the audience it targets.

Now that I think of it it's not much different from when I was pitching my nonfiction books.

There, just writing that down has helped me. It's time to get busy doing, not thinking about doing!

If I like my book (and I do) I need to keep in mind that my summary is meant to make others think they might like it too. I need to do it justice.

permission to read

Went to lunch today with two friends--it was so nice to be with adults. Not that I don't love my grandson whom I care for five days a week--I do more than I can ever say. BUT, there's a lot to be said for conversations that don't include dinosaurs, Thomas the Train, and garbage trucks.

We talked about books we have read and I was surprised to find that my friends feel just as guilty as I about taking the time to read during the day. There's so much that needs to be done, not just around the house, but volunteering, keeping up with friends and neighbors, cooking, exercising, and on and on and on.

Do I really need an excuse to just sit and pick up a good book? I'm a writer and if I don't read, how can I write? How can I learn how to make my writing more interesting, more pulled together, more realistic if I don't study other writers by reading their work?

So, I hereby give permission to myself and to anyone who's reading this to read whenever and wherever they like. No apologies or excuses necessary.

the good, the bad, and the ugly

Went to the Botanic Gardens today to see the butterfly pavilion. So many butterflies of all colors. Took a handout on how to grow a garden that would attract butterflies and I thought that would be a great idea until I read that you needed to make sure the larvae had enough to eat. I just wanted butterflies--not the caterpillars or the chrysalis.

Like life, I guess. Wouldn't it be nice to have all the beautiful parts and none of the ugly? And writing too. If we write only about the surface things and don't dive into the parts of our lives/ feelings/soul that aren't as nice we get meaningless prose that anyone can write. But, it's hard because writing exposes so much about us and if we write about the ugly, it's like running through the neighborhood naked. Do I really want to expose myself? Do I really want to write?

Maybe that's why I do well at nonfiction- just the facts, ma'am. But fiction is another story--my characters have to be real people with all their warts out there for all to see, and in order for me to know about those warts, they have to be my warts too.

creativity

What a time my grandson Josh and I had today. A friend had sent me an e-mail of hands painted to resemble a zebra, a bird, a peacock, soccer players, a piano player, and other animals and people. Josh, of course, wanted to try painting his hands. Me too, for that matter! So we mixed confectioners sugar icing of different colors and made our hands look first like black and white striped zebras and then with dabs of green, blue, white, and red, our hands were beautiful peacocks. Best of all, we were able to lick our hands clean.

Creativity--how clever of the person who made up the wonderful images for us to copy. Just looking at plain old hands in a different light. Makes me think that when I write it would be helpful to look at a same-old, same old situation from a different angle or from another person's point of view and maybe see something that I've never seen before.

For example, how would a very neat housekeeper have looked at our mess of icing that ended up all over the dining room and, as I discovered later, the living room as well? How would an artist? Or a person who has never has a loving relationship with a parent or grandparent?

critique groups

I've come to the conclusion that my critique group is what keeps me writing day after day. Whenever I keep procrastinating by playing just one more game of solitaire, I remember that group day is coming and I should have something to share, so it's back to the computer.

Critique groups can be very good or very bad. The one I'm in now is good--I get constructive criticism and it's given to me kindly! I've been in groups where the participants didn't get along all that well and tended to be a bit more blunt than they needed to be.

I try to keep to the same rules I used as a teacher during parent-teacher conferences- always say something nice first, then say what could be made better and how I think it could be changed to make it more readable and I always offer it as an opinion that may or may not be right. That's how I want to be treated and the golden rule applies here. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Applies to life in general, not just critique groups.

I also like to tell others what I have learned from them. One person in our group is great at making all her characters sound different from one another so you would always know who is talking even if she didn't mention their names. I've gone back over my novel and realized that a few of my characters sound exactly alike so I'm in the process of individualizing the way they speak. A man will be a little more blunt, an elderly lady will use words like my dear girl and heavens, and so on, making them just a little bit different from each other.

ideas are the beginning

I'm having a lot of fun writing my middle grade novel. It's a lot different from what I usually write which is nonfiction. Nonfiction is getting the facts straight and yes, writing them creatively, but not quite as much fun as making up characters and seeing where they will lead you. So far, I have only earned real money from my nonfiction writing, but I've had a great time with my novel and, who knows, maybe someday someone will pay to read that too!

I also like essay writing which I do get a chance to do when I write for Posh, NM, a local magazine. I sometimes write the introduction article and that's fun too and can be very creative. I put in facts, but I get to be a little silly and, I hope the readers think, humorous.

All writing is creative because you have start with an idea. My nephew wrote a terrific book about sunflowers- Now where did he get the idea to write about sunflowers?? Same way we get an idea for a piece of fiction. Something someone says or does stirs our curiosity and away we go.
The first book I ever had published was about math magic tricks. I saw a man performing magic with numbers and I just had to learn how he did it. Then I started making up math magic trick and just had to get them down on paper. Idea led to book led to publication.

The trick is not to let our ideas get away from us. I keep a pad and pencil by my bed because it seems nighttime is when I get my best ideas. If they aren't written, they will fly away. Of course, I've let a lot of ideas slip by me because I can't read my writing in the morning. So, if I think it's truly an awesome idea, I put the light on to write it down instead of scribbling in the dark.

Tying up the Loose Ends

Today I have to work on fitting a piece of information into the beginning of my middle grade novel. Because smoke alarms play an important part in one of the final chapters, I have to mention them sometime sooner in the book so the reader will suspect that the alarm will go off before it does. And if the reader doesn't even know the smoke alarms are there, how can he ? It's just part of tying all the ends together.
I guess that's why reading for content is different from editing. My grammar etc. is fine, but I'm finding little loose ends here and there. Even tho the book makes sense to me, I have to make sure it makes sense to the reader, giving just enough information and not too much. Readers like to make their own judgments so you can't tell them what to think. For instance in this case I will mention smoke alarms in a passing way. When the main character starts to do something that might set the alarms off, uhoh---the reader can guess what will happen. At least I hope so.

How time flies

I just wrote a long blog on how much time has passed since I wrote anything on my blog and I posted it on the wrong site!!! Guess I'm not so smart on how to do this blogging yet!Suffice it to say, the time slipped by before I knew it and that goes for all my writing. I have to make up my mind to sit at the computer everyday for at least an hour. This free writing really helps to get me moving so perhaps before I begin working on my books, I will blog. Once the fingers start flying over the keyboards, they are ready for anything my mind will give them.

The waiting game

Had a busy day today-took care of my 4 year old grandson which is always a tiring but oh so very enjoyable treat.
Still, as tired as I am tonight, I did some work on my middle grade novel, The Stranger in My House. Except for a few changes and additions, I believe I am finished with it. Although, as any writer knows, you can always change, add, and delete, ad infinitum. The work is never good enough, but you have to know when to call a halt to rewriting.
I started this particular novel over 10 years ago and it placed third in a contest. Then I just dropped it and began writing nonfiction. One day, a friend who had read the manuscript asked me what I was doing with it. I answered, "Nothing!" Her question got me thinking though and I pulled it out of oblivion and began reworking it.
It's amazing how much I have learned about writing since I first wrote the story. I'm really glad I put it away for so long. It will be much better for the time it spent in the back of my mind. I hope I've learned a lesson from that. It's always best to sit on your writing before returning to it. (Not for ten years !!!) But a week or two may give you a different perspective and help with rewriting.

constructive criticism

It seems to be working. Free writing on this blog, just saying whatever comes to my mind, has spurred me to begin working again. Hurray!
Met with my critique group this evening and got some good constructive criticism. It is a good group. They always say positive things before honing in on what could be changed for the better. Sometimes, in groups like this, people are afraid to say what they think because they don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. It's a talent to be able to put criticism positively. It's also a talent to accept criticism because it isn't always easy to hear that words that have come pouring out of you are not quite right.
But, if I never share my work with anyone else, I'll never get different viewpoints. Not that I have to take every suggestion, but others can spot stuff I may be too close to my work to see. That's true whether it's my writing or when I'm making big life decisions. It's always good to get a different opinion.

Overcoming Apathy

My second day blogging and, not only am I struggling to get my thoughts together for this message, I'm also trying to get motivated to get back to work on my actual writing. Writing is like anything else in life--you need some get up and go to get started, even if it's just to clean the bathroom or make yet another boring dinner.
I'm at the point in my first novel where the writing is getting tighter and tighter and so it gets harder to fine-tune. I thought it would get easier, but my inner critic keeps telling me there is more work to be done.
I've tried all the suggestions on getting past apathy (otherwise known as writer's block)--rewards (orange candies are my favorite), free-writing on any topic, asking a friend to critique, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera as the King of Siam once said to Anna, but some days nothing works.
At a writers' conference I attended, a speaker gave each of the attendees a button. "That's to remind you," she said, "to get your butt on the chair and write no matter what."
So I think I will take her advice and do just that. (Actually free-writing this blog has gotten my brain and fingers working again!! I may just be ready to get down to business!)

A Beginner

Well, here I am blogging!!! I sit at the computer wondering what to say; for a writer, I am curiously at a loss for words!
This is another step I'm taking into the world of technology and I feel a) proud of myself for trying something new; b) a little nervous about sending my thoughts out to the world. (After all, most of my writing so far has been facts, facts, and more facts put together creatively, I think, but facts none the less. So this type of writing is new to me.); and c) energized. Hopefully, no matter how old I get I will never lose the feelings of anticipation and excitement.
So let's see where this leads us. I had originally wanted to blog to share what I have learned from my writing successes and failures with others in the writing field. That's what I will do, but not today! Today I congratulate myself for taking this first step and becoming a BLOGGER!!!!!!