Stop by and say hello! I’m guest blogging at Jill Archer’s today. I’m sharing my tips for dealing with doubt.
Me and The Doubt Monster – At Jill Archer’s Blog
doubt
Harry Truman – Whip Master and Yet More Snow!
I know I shouldn’t complain about the snow since it’s February. But c’mon already.
Anyway – today over at the Scribes I talk about being accountable – The Buck Stops Here. Need motivation when you’re slacking off or have tips to share, stop by! And don’t expect me to go easy on anyone. No one cracks the whip like me. And believe me, I have no problem chastising myself when I deserve (which has been quite a bit lately!).
For those of us in the storm’s path, I wish tomorrow looked like this:
And doesn’t end up like the horror show of October 2011.
Stay safe everyone!
Flying Monkeys and Cat Cuteness
Happy Friday! Want to hear more about Mystic Storm? Please join me today at the 7 Scribes and find out why I say – When in Doubt, Throw in a Flying Monkey . . . or Three!
Also, our new cat Nene has settled in nicely. Here she is on my lap.
Guest Blogger:Donna Shields- Do You Remember the First Book You Ever Wrote?
Happy Friday everyone. Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes today. We have a special guest – Australian Visual Artist, Glenise Clelland. Be sure to leave a comment. One lucky person will win a copy of her book – LOVE FALLS IN LOVE WITH LOVE.
I also have a special guest blogger today. My fellow Soul Mate sister – Donna Shields. Donna will also be visiting the Scribes on 2/17 to answer our interview questions.
Take it away Donna!
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Do you remember the first book you had written? I don’t mean the first published. I’m talking about that first completed story. The one you shoved under your mattress or stuffed onto a shelf in your closet never wanting it to see daylight again. So afraid to show your masterpiece to the waiting world.
After a while, you get brave. Maybe join a critique group or sign up for a writing workshop. And little by little, eventually you make connections and show off your baby. And that’s just the beginning of the nail-biting experience.
Secrets of Jenkins Bridge is my baby, my first love of writing. And just like your first child, you have a very hard time letting your story go. And that’s me. Even though I already have one published novella, it’s just not the same as this one. I have taken my time with Secrets of Jenkins Bridge.
My experience from the beginning was a bit backwards. I began writing it in the fall of 2007. Within six months, I had finished, edited it, and sent off a query letter to Harlequin. Mind you, this story was vastly different back then. It had only taken them two weeks to reply back requesting the full manuscript. I was over the moon! I sent it in and waited. And waited. About a month later, I received a reply. A semi detailed rejection. And being the first, it hurt. A lot. I did the worst thing a writer could ever do. I tucked it away and didn’t write at all for almost two years. Please don’t do this. I’m still kicking myself in the bum for wasting all that time.
But, I eventually began to write again. I joined a critique group whom I wouldn’t give up for anything now. I revamped the story and passed it along to my critique partners. They really helped in so many ways. I also joined Savvy Authors and took some workshops. And finally finished Secrets of Jenkins Bridge November 2011. My editor loves it. She can’t wait to see it published.
My advice to new and unpublished authors? Don’t ever give up on your dreams of writing. Keep going. Join a critique group. Take a workshop. Polish that baby and learn that eventually you will have to let it go and rejection is part of the process. Before you find the perfect home for your special story, you will go through a few rejections. But, you can’t become published if you don’t write.
You can find me:
At my blog: http://donna-realworldwriting.blogspot.com
On facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/shieldsdonna
On Twitter: @Donna_Shields
On SMP’s Author Blog: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/
You can buy Secrets of Jenkins Bridge at: http://soulmatepublishing.com
Coming soon to Amazon and Barnes and Noble also.
Thanks Donna!
How about you? Have you ever been tempted to give up your dream? Or even take a break for a while?
The Revision Blues
Greetings and TGIF. Please remember to visit me at Seven Scribes for my Friday post. This week – book vs. the movie version.
So draft one of The Undead Space Initiative is done. Yay me! Now on to the hard part. Draft clean up.
Right now, I’m still in the first chapter.
Why? (Especially after almost 12,000 words a week for a month. At that rate, I should be halfway done with revisions.)
Because I let myself get bogged down in doubt (the crappy monster is at it again). I thought I was writing more of an urban fantasy with strong romantic elements.
But then, I decided to play “what if”. What if I moved the meeting of the heroine and hero up to the beginning of Chapter One – so it’s more like a romance?
A little slicing and some dicing later and now I have two versions of chapter one. Eek!
After a few slaps to the head and a week later, I’ve realized what I’m doing. Avoiding revisions. I don’t need to obesses over the first chapter. I can deal with that later. Geesh.
So moral of the story – don’t play “what if” during rough draft clean up. Save that for later, when you’ve given the book to your first readers. Then torment yourself!
Casey Wyatt 