Category Archives: On the Writing Process

Happy Thanksgiving! And a Note of Gratitude to All of You…

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Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope this holiday (for those who celebrate it) finds you happy and healthy, and grateful for the blessings in your life. I’m certainly grateful for mine; a loving family, great friends, and especially a husband who encourages me to do what I love best: write.

This morning, as I was up working on my NaNoWriMo novel before any other adult had risen (my kids are always up by 6:30, dag nabbit!), I began to think of all of the writing-related things that have happened over the last year for which I am thankful. Wow, are there many! Here they are, in no particular order:

Flash Friday – I participated each and every week in the Flash Friday Fiction contest, first as a contestant and then, for the past quarter year, serving as a judge. This was a contest I’d stumbled upon in the fall of 2013, and here I am, a year later, addicted more than ever to the rush of crafting short (short!) stories, and to the welcoming, supportive, encouraging community of fellow writers that makes up Flash Friday. My confidence as a writer has increased in no small part because of the accolades I’ve received there.

With the Queen of Regency Romance, Sabrina Jeffries
With the Queen of Regency Romance, Sabrina Jeffries

Festival of the Book / Sabrina Jeffries – In March, I headed over to Charlottesville for my very first writing-related conference at their annual Festival of the Book. I delighted in spending an entire day in romance-focused sessions, and got to meet one of my idols, Sabrina Jeffries!

Shenandoah Valley Writers Critique Group – In the spring of this year, I launched an in-person critique group that meets once a month to provide constructive feedback on member submissions, as well as accountability in terms of monthly goals. I’ve met some fabulous people and feel the group is serving us all well.

Virginia Romance Writers – In the middle of the year, I joined my local RWA chapter, the Virginia Romance Writers. In October, I made it to an actual meeting, and met some very wonderful writers, with whom I look forward to developing further friendships.

NaNoWriMo group – This fall, I served as an unofficial (because I missed the application deadline) municipal liaison for National Novel Writing Month, through which I’ve met even more great local writers. It’s been a wonderful experience to both cheer people on and be cheered on as we’ve all worked toward that 50,000 word goal.

Online Writer Friendships – Guess what? Social media is an excellent way to meet fellow writers! Who knew? 😉 I’ve met a number on Twitter and Facebook, and I can say it’s so thrilling to be friends now with people (such as Katy Regnery and Angel Nicholas and many more) whose careers are taking off and whose love for romance matches (or exceeds) mine! Such an inspiration for me to keep going…

A Man of Character – I promised myself I would query agents this year for my first book, A Man of Character. And I did. I’ve sent out numerous queries, and while, yes, I’ve gotten a number of rejections back, I’ve also had requests for partial and full manuscripts, and have learned an incredible amount in the process of crafting a query letter and synposes of varying lengths. The fact that I also managed to send these queries out into the real world, in spite of rejection, is something of which I’m also proud.

A Matter of Time – I also vowed to finish a draft of my second book, A Matter of Time, the book I had started during last year’s NaNoWriMo. And I did!

The Demon Duke – Not only did I finish a draft of my second book, but I’m very nearly finished with a draft of my third, The Demon Duke! This was this year’s NaNo project, and I said I would write the whole thing, not just most of it, so that I didn’t sit on an unfinished draft for months again. By December 1st, I will have written (drafts of) three books! THREE!

Wow. Looking at that list, I’m amazed by the amount of progress I’ve made in this new career path. And I’m so, so thankful to each and every person who has made this writing life possible.

Here’s to 2015 for being the year at least one of my books hits the market, and for continuing to develop and expand the delightful friendships I’ve made this past year. Y’all rock!!!

On Fear and Writing

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fearAs a teenager, I swore I was going to write romance novels when I grew up. I didn’t necessarily see myself as a full-time novelist, but I was convinced that at some point in my life, I would pen love stories.

It took me twenty-five years to make good on that promise, even though I occasionally scribbled down ideas about characters and plots. Why?

Fear.

When I did start writing that first book, I stopped after I was about a third of the way in and put it down for over a year. Why?

Fear.

Fear kept me from joining a critique group for some time, even though I’d long known about it. And fear had me quaking in my boots the first time I ever submitted chapters to that group, though everyone was kind and the response was largely positive.

I remember my veins singing with anxiety and my heart pounding the first time I hit the “Send” button and sent a query to an agent. What had me literally shaking?

Fear.

Sense a pattern? Oh, I know I’m not alone. I know fear is an emotion that dogs most of us at some point or other in our lives. I know fear is often a topic of conversation at writer’s conventions or in writing books, or blogs, or what have you. I know I am not unique.

I am, however, frustrated. All of the things mentioned above I did. I did them. In spite of fear. And I’m still alive. So why can’t my brain accept that and let go of this paralyzing anxiety response whenever I am faced with something new?

Last weekend I attended my first ever Virginia Romance Writers meeting, where speaker, writer, and editor Cathy Yardley presented on time management and balance in one’s writing life. One of the topics she addressed? Fear.

I was particularly impressed when she suggested that rather than decrying fear, rather than denying it, or begrudging it, we should look at it for what it is. We should thank it. We should thank our fear, because fear’s basic purpose is that of protection. Fear keeps us from making stupid decisions, whether chasing that wooly mammoth or challenging the MMA fighter who took our parking space. Fear was given to us for a reason.

But thank my fear? Me, who’s always wrestled with far too much of it? I don’t know if I’m there yet. I do know I left that meeting pumped up by both the message and the company; I’d met other romance writers who are seriously pursuing their craft, and I couldn’t wait to solidify my connection with them, to get to know them, to share this journey with them.

Or so I thought. Once home, I felt the confidence start to dissipate. Instead of focusing on all the positives and putting into practice the wisdom I’d received, I started to feel scared. A lot of the women in that room were published authors. Many more had finaled or won contests.

Not me.

When I got an email from fellow VRW members looking to form a critique group, an idea we’d bandied about at lunch, I immediately felt overwhelmed. “I can’t take that on,” my brain screamed. “I’m already leading a critique group here, plus working with several close writing friends, and I’m trying to finish this second novel and start the third, plus I’m querying agents.” Blah blah blah. Within five minutes I’d convinced myself I shouldn’t join the new critique group.

It was only yesterday that I admitted it wasn’t lack of time. It was fear. Fear of not being good enough, fear that maybe these bright women with so much more experience under their belts, with so many more successes, would read my writing and instantly recognize me as a fraud. (My inner Nervous Nelly has a Drama Queen complex.)

Today I wrote to the group and confessed my fear, and said I would still like to be a part.

The good news is, I’m doing stuff anyway. I’m doing it in spite of the fear.

The bad news is, fear still lays me low far too often. Yesterday I received three rejections, including one from an agent who’d liked my query and had requested a manuscript partial. I won’t lie; I got very down on myself. I spent the day feeling miserable, convincing myself landing an agent was never going to happen. I then freaked out thinking about what could happen if an agent did want to represent me (considering I do have a couple fulls out).

See, that’s the funny thing about me. I don’t just fear failure; I fear success.

Am I the only one?

Regardless, I sit here today, proud to say (type) that I’m still doing it anyway. I’m still pushing forward. I’m still writing (7500 words in the last three days alone). I’m still hoping an agent will at some point love my work, and still planning what comes next in case they don’t.

I’m still doing it, even in the midst of anxiety.

For now, that’s accomplishment enough.

The Joy of a Writing Community

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Writers Selfie!
Writers Selfie!

Two years ago, I joined a local writing group. Although I had known of the group for a while and even attended a conference they’d organized in the fall of 2011, joining the group was, for a long time, too intimidating.

When I did finally work up the nerve, I was ecstatic; here was a group of like-minded people, all of whom were writers. Some wrote short stories, some non-fiction, others were working on novels, but all were writers. Sadly, that group disbanded shortly after I joined. For a while, I was on my own again. The good news was, I was working on my first book. The bad news was, I was doing so in isolation. I knew I needed to find writers who were willing to critique my work, and willing to support me in my quest to write and publish. I wanted to do the same for them.

As luck would have it, I stumbled across the Shenandoah Valley Writers, an online group composed of writers from up and down this area of Virginia. I’ve met a number of SVW members in person. I found the Flash Friday Fiction community. I started a new in-person critique group that has attracted a solid group of writers, some of whom were already part of SVW, and others who were new.

My friendship circle is evolving and expanding to include numerous people for whom writing is a primary focus.I can’t tell you how thrilling this is. Many of my daily conversations now touch on writing in some way. Not only is it fun, but it’s helping me feel more like a true writer, if that makes any sense; I discuss and share this craft with others, and they do the same with me.

This week a newish but already beloved writer friend travelled from an hour away to attend the critique group, just because she wanted to see what we did in said group. Afterwards, she, several other critique group friends, and I headed out for a quick bite and lots of writerly conversation. We talked about writing for nearly two hours, people. No one got tired of it. It energized us, it fueled our interactions. It. Was. Awesome.

I want to thank them, and all the other wonderful people I’ve met throughout this journey, whether SVW members or the Flash Friday community or critique friends, or writers I’ve become friends with through Facebook and Twitter (yes, it’s happened!).

My life – and my writing – is so much richer because of you all.

The Difficulties of Transitions – In Writing and in Life

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changes-ahead-exit-signIt’s that time of year. Time when the kids go back to school, my husband goes back to teaching, and I, ostensibly, go back to writing.

Transitions have never been easy for me. I didn’t fully comprehend or acknowledge my difficulties with transitions until after my two children were born. Both times, I fell down a deep rabbit hole of incapacitating anxiety. Yes, I attribute a lot of that to biochemical changes in my body and brain. But in the middle of it, while I was scouring the internet for information to try to figure out what was going on with me, I stumbled across something called Adjustment Disorder. Yes, really. When I read the list of symptoms, I thought, THIS IS ME! (Of course, my family might tell you that’s what I exclaim every time I read about some sort of illness.)

Not dealing as well with huge transitions such as adding a baby to the family makes more sense to me than having issues with transitioning back to school, especially since this fall transition means more me time! Well, I’ve never claimed to make sense.

The first week everyone was away, I felt uncomfortable. Irritable. Ill-at-ease. Overwhelmed with all I could and should be doing. And I procrastinated on about everything I could, except for playing Facebook games. Whoops. This week is already better. I managed at the end of last week to submit my first book to a contest. I’m feeling motivated again. I’m setting goals. I’m starting to believe I can do this again.

It got me to thinking of the importance of transitions in writing, as well. Nobody wants to feel jarred, jumbled about, confused, or disinterested while reading, right? Authors endeavor to create cliffhanger endings and seductive intros to each chapter, and rightfully so, as we want to stay hooked throughout the book.

Transitions are key everywhere – in writing and in life. Not only do you need strong chapter beginnings and endings, you need strong middles. You need sentences that naturally lead from one to another, so that you draw your reader into your words and make them want to stay there. You need paragraphs that transition seamlessly from one to another, that are given in logical order. You need book sections that make sense, a finite and clear-cut beginning, middle, and end.

Luckily I think I’m better at transitions in writing than I am at these real-life ones. Maybe. I hope. I guess time, and readers, will tell.

What are your tips and tricks to managing transitions, in fiction and/or in life?

The Golden Heart Awards: A Newbie’s Experience

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The coveted Golden Heart necklace
The Golden Heart necklace

Apparently when I decide to put myself out there, I go all in. Why else would I enter the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest, also known as the Oscars of the romance world? OK, maybe the Oscar part refers more to the RITA contest, run at the same time, which awards published authors with one of the most coveted recognitions in the romance writing arena, but still – winning a Golden Heart is HUGE and often leads into one’s manuscript actually getting published.

Why would I enter such a prestigious contest? Because I’m a noob and didn’t know any better? Maybe. But also because I said I would send A Man of Character out this year. I promised myself that I would pursue publication in one form or other by the end of 2014, and I wanted an early start. It was a good deadline to set, and a great learning experience.

Was I surprised that I didn’t final? No, especially once I read that a) those who final must earn scores of 9 and above (out of 10) across all categories, and that b) one probably shouldn’t enter unless they’ve won other smaller writing contests and gotten lots of feedback from a variety of people. Of course a teensy weensy part of me had hoped I’d magically grab that brass ring, but no such luck. I’m good with that. I have a long ways to go in this career, and I’m still very much a beginner. This is my first book, and while I love it, I KNOW I have lots of room for improvement across the board.

Last week I got the judge’s scores back. I’d forgotten about that – I knew this wasn’t a contest that provided feedback, so I figured once I didn’t get that phone call on March 26th, that it was just done. Nope. While you don’t get detailed commentary, or any commentary at all, you do get the basic scores from the five judges who read your work. I’m not allowed to reveal them in detail, but after communicating with RWA for clearance, they told me it’s OK for me to speak of the scores in a general sense while discussing my experiences.

Let’s just say my scores are an excellent reminder that a lot of this writing business really IS subjective. Because one judge, whom I’ve affectionately nicknamed the Paula Abdul judge, loved me across the board. A second, my own Simon Cowell, was apparently not a fan. The other three judges had me at what I’m assuming is in the C range for most things (not sure if I’m interpreting the middle ones correctly, but we’re going with that) – enough to maybe – maybe – make it through a 1st audition on American Idol, but not to get me anywhere close to the Hollywood rounds, much less the Top 20.

What struck me most was the discrepancy in scores for my writing ability. Apparently one either loves my writing style, or…doesn’t. Well, OK, again, that was mostly the Paula vs Simon scenario. Still, it was a good reminder that you can’t please everyone (and that I have much to learn).

What I wouldn’t give to know what was behind the scores – to know why I got the scores I did. But for that, this isn’t the right contest. In fact, it was a pretty big leap to jump into this contest at all, considering how little real-world experience I’ve had with my writing being out there for judgment/critical review. So I’m proud of each and every one of my scores. Because they are affirmations that I’m trying, that I’m working, that I’m willing to DO this.

In the meantime, I’ve started a local critique group, have entered a contest sponsored by the Virginia Romance Writers, and will be looking for other ways to get feedback on my work.

And rather than focusing on the Simon Cowell scores, I’m going to highlight the Paula Abdul ones and hang them up near my desk, to remind myself that at this stage of the game, someone already loved my book. Straight up.