Writers Unite!

Tags

agents, difficult journey, Natalie C Parker, not alone, publisher, publishing journey, reach out, support, thoughts, writing

I have recently reached out to a fellow writer, who is sitting in a similar place in her publishing journey as I am.

It was hard. Like nerve-wracking WHAT AM I DOING hard.

It shouldn’t have been. But as I waited for her to reply, I wondered if I should have just stayed silent.

Well, so as not to keep you in suspense, she did respond and we have been talking and it was the best thing EVER!

For a while now, my brain has been chewing on a new thought, and I came to a strange conclusion about the writing community. In my experience, we are a very supportive group. All those in the query trenches ban together to cheer each other on. We applaud the requests and boo the rejections, always pushing each other to never give up. It’s amazing.

Then someone gets an agent…or signs with a small press…

and it’s like we put them on a train and wave as they leave. They’ve made it.

Right?

When I lived in the query trenches, that’s what I thought.

These authors disappear into the mist of everything is awesome and we go back to trying to get to where they are.

Life in the light of having an agent/publisher can be a bit like swimming in an ocean. Alone. You can get a bit lost. The initial excitement fades and you find yourself staring out at a world you don’t know. Once again, you’re sitting at the beginning of a path you worked so hard to find, one you think you should be able to navigate, but can’t.

At Midwest Writers Workshop last month, I met the author Natalie C. Parker (her books Beware the Wild and Behold the Bones sound fabulous!) and she talked about keeping your friends after you are published. But more than that, she talked about the support system she created for those authors who had an agent, but no book deal, those living in the land of waiting. Go visit her website here and learn about The Agented Author Hook-up. She talked about how everyone’s publishing journey is different and how we need to learn from everyone’s experiences. Watching others move on…get agents, sign with publishers, get book deals…is hard. It can leave us feeling not good enough.

However, agent/author relationships don’t always work. Publishing doesn’t always go as planned. Writers wandering the land of waiting…for a deal…for their book to come out…for news from their editors…for a message from their agent…need support too. We need to connect with others who are dealing with the same frustrations and struggles, the same possible disappointments, the same victories.

Why is it that once you sign, you become a hermit? Don’t sit in limbo all alone. So many exist there…waiting. There is no riding off into the sunset to a happily ever after.  There’s just another path to take. Another mountain to climb. The work never ends. We never truly figure out what we’re doing. We never beat the monster that is self-doubt.

Wow. If that doesn’t make us all question our chosen career path…

BUT…

We are never alone. If you feel that way…reach out. The writing community is full of great people who understand. Authors form groups to offer support for the crazy debut year…find them. Agented authors still waiting for a deal? Go see Natalie’s web page and sign up. We write alone, but publishing takes a whole lot of people.

I’m glad I reached out to my new publishing buddy. Together we shall take on the challenges.

 

And The Nestpitchers are Off!

Tags

#nestpitch, agents, dreams, never give up, writing

Nestpitch agent round has begun.

My team #TeamEggsellent has five entries. We critiqued, and we cheered! I’M STILL CHEERING!

Those fabulous writers have revised and revised, and now the day has arrived. Go see here.

Who will get requests? Anyone? We’ll have to wait and see. I know all the writers from all the teams are holding their breaths, possibly pacing, maybe comfort eating, and pretty much doing everything they can to NOT think about it… CAUSE THAT’S POSSIBLE!

Last night the flutter of nerves attacked me. I got slightly attached to these people and their work.

I want happiness for them, for their dreams to come true. I also know that it might not be their day. The perfect agent for them may not stop by. For this is the way the wonderful world of writing works.

Everyone out there who writes, who works at bettering their craft, who never gives up… the dream will become a reality.

Requests… or not, all the participants are on their way. This is just a step on a longer path. And if you ever need someone to walk with you on the road, come find me. I love the journey!

So dance! Be happy! One step at a time. One day at a time. One word at a time.

You can do anything.

 

Writer’s Unite

Tags

agents, EL Wicker, Self-publishing, support, traditional publishing, writing

Writers write. And write. And write.

But we don’t do this for the heck of it. We have things to say, stories to tell, characters in our brains THAT WON’T STOP TALKING!

Finally we have a complete manuscript. WOO HOO!!!!! Right?

Maybe. But what do we do with it?

Self-publish? Traditional publish? Find an agent? WHAT?

All of the above. It’s as simple as that. Well, one person shouldn’t do all at once for one manuscript. That would be crazy. But choose a path, a path that makes you happy, a path that isn’t too hot or too cold, but just right. And no path is easy.

I know writers with agents. I know authors who self-pub. I know people published through small presses. I know someone who got an agent and then a book deal, someone who self-pubbed then got an agent.

The possibilities are endless!

The one thing to remember is we all write and together we make this business great.

Me? I tried agents, but that never felt right. Self-pubbing is too scary for me, I want someone to help me on the way. So I’m trying small presses. They’re out there. They want your manuscripts. Why not? That path feels good under my feet.

Having an agent? Awesome! A BIG high five to those who catch someone’s heart with your words. It’s great to have someone by your side.

Not having an agent? Fabulous. You got this.

Self-publishing? Wow! You go. I think those who get their books out there themselves are the bravest people. They get it edited. They work with people on the cover. They market. They DO IT ALL! And get all the money.

And here I want to mention a new writer friend, who is bravely setting foot in the land of self-publishing.

E.L. Wicker’s first book will be released on December 21st! I was honored to be included as a CP and can tell you what a fun story it is! Vampires. Witches. Great characters. And magic, people, magic. Now I haven’t seen the polished words, but I can’t wait.

Go see the cover (it’s pretty!) and sign up for the giveaway here.

Self-pubbed, traditional pubbed, agented, unagented… whether you enter contests or just query, we’re all in this together. I will cheer for you as you travel whatever writerly path you choose. I’ll share what I learn from my journey, if you share what you learn on yours. Deal?

GO! GO! GO!

Writers unite.

 

 

After the Craziness… Midwest Writers’ Workshop

Tags

agents, Midwest Writers' Workshop, self doubt, thoguhts, writing

I survived my first writers’ conference.

Last Thursday I drove to Muncie, where I met up with two Twitter friends Rena @originallyrena and Jamie @Jamie_Adams22, and attended class after class after class. Wow!

I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea how I would react. And my reaction was not what I ever would have guessed.

Let me begin by explaining… I did not sign up for a query or manuscript critique or to pitch to an agent. I was looking for a low stress experience. The agents were great. They weren’t set before us and then whisked away under heavy guard, but mingled among us, ate with us, chatted. Seriously, did those brave souls feel at all like prey? When an agent asked to sit at our table after dinner one night, we nearly fell out of our chairs. The faculty was amazing, always willing to talk, to share what they know. Our knowledgeable teachers burst with insights and facts.

By the end of Friday, my head buzzed.

By the end of Friday, I wondered what the heck I thought I was doing mingling with all the cool. I am not cool.

By the end of Friday, the amount of talent in the room made me want to curl up in a corner. Listening to the agents, I suddenly realized they would never want to represent me. I slipped further into a dark place the more words of wisdom shuffled into my head.

This was the last thing I expected. Granted I had no clue how I would react. I hoped for more of a “Yea for all the info! I can do anything! I am ready to write!” But sadly, no. I was overwhelmed. I was intimidated.

I questioned the very idea that I could be a writer.

Weird. I know. And my dear friends jumped to my side telling my I was crazy. I was a writer.

I am a writer.

One of a writers’ constant companions is self-doubt. Tucked away in my living room cut off from the world, I shove the doubt in a dark corner, but faced with the plethora of writers out there in the real world…

ALL looking for that agent…

ALL looking for that book deal…

ALL hoping and wishing and having SO MUCH TALENT…

The demons hiding in the shadows of my mind jumped into the light, waving their twisted limbs and flashing evil grins.

I listened to every piece of wisdom. I talked to other writers (yes, people I didn’t know!). I had a good time. I learned writerly stuff. I was lucky to get to hang out with my Twitter buddies and get to know them better.

I arrived home with my mind spinning and my little friend self-doubt sitting on my shoulder. But I don’t have time for him and all his depressing talk.

I have blogs to do, tours and a review. I have two stories to edit for Reuts. I have a manuscript to revise ONE LAST TIME before pitchwars and sending it off into the world. I have a story to write for the PEN and MUSE blog for their haunted house collection. Ahem… Sign up for that it sounds SO FUN! I am waiting to hear about a short I sent off months ago. I am waiting to hear about a ms.

So self-doubt… GO AWAY!

I am a writer. Without the words I would be nothing.

Anyone else, dear readers, who have had a strange reaction to things like writers’ conferences? Or is it just me?

FYI- I have begun to reread HP to make myself feel better. And there is chocolate.