Thank an Editor Day is Today!

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editing, editors, love, support, Thank an editor, thoughts, Twitter, writing

Editors.

The writer’s best friend.

The writer’s saving grace.

They take our words, those piles of thoughts and descriptions, and help us form them into the best story it can be. From grammar to word choices to story development, from cutting scenes to adding scenes, editors push writers to dig deep, to make sure our characters grow, to make sure our story is told in the best possible way. Those gifted individuals inspect every word, delve into the story line and rearrange scenes, take a scalpel to our manuscripts and help us put them back together.

Without editors writers would be lost.

Jump on Twitter today and #thankaneditor. They do so much work and deserve thanks. Here’s a fun way to do it!

I’ve worked with a few editors. I have enjoyed it every time. We become a team, working together, passing ideas back and forth, and celebrating when we get it right.

Rarely do these fabulous people get praise or acknowledgement. Editors have a huge role in the journey of the creation of a book. These talented word whisperers are a gigantic support to authors.

Go thank an editor. Tell them how awesome they are. Make them smile. To all the editors out there who work so hard…

Have a wonderful wordy day.

 

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#Magicday… Support

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be there, believe in each other, cheer, decisions, magic, Magicday, smile, support, togetherness

The magic of support and I’m not talking bras here, kids, but emotional.

The simple phrase “I believe in you” is the most magical words one can utter.

We all…I mean ALL from children to teenagers to adults…choose our paths, make decisions based on what we know, what we feel, and what we want out of life. Sometimes the path is good and other times it doesn’t work so we find another road. However, even if those choices don’t lead us to where we want having someone tell you to follow your heart, to do what feels right to you, and be true to yourself is priceless.

It’s magic.

Magic that leaves a lightness in your soul, a bit of bright in your mind to drive away any self-doubt.

When someone is happily treading their path, taking whatever bumps and detours with a smile, telling them why you think it’s wrong isn’t helpful…or wanted.

Support each other, even if you think they’re headed down the wrong road, because in the end it’s their life not yours. And it might be exactly where they want to be.

Cheer.

Encourage.

Be there.

We’re all in this together and this life is too short for lectures, doubt, and bad feelings.

Happy Magicday! May you find a bit of sparkle to make you smile.

And if you have time…a new scary Kathy-story is up on Jolene Haley’s blog today! Go read it here!

Writers Unite!

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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.

 

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.

 

 

A Day of Joy and Sadness

Tags

acceptance, be you, doubt, rejection, support, thoughts, writing

Yesterday brought me two extremes.

I cried tears of joy, squeeeeeeing uncontrollably, one moment and fell into complete sadness the next. {HUGS} to those friends, who let me into their lives and shared their emotions.

How strange life can be. How weird and unpredictable this world we live in actually is. Living the life of an artist, brings an uncontrollable element – other people. Those who create beauty either with words or paint or whatever exist to share what they do and with that comes the fabulousness of acceptance and the devastation of rejection.

We can’t do what we do without people to receive it. And we want people to read our words, experience our art. And, lord help us all, we want people to LIKE what we do.

Therein lies the problem. That bad review… that rejection waving the red flag of failure. In our minds, we know not everyone will like what we do, we know the rejections will come. And no matter how many you get, they hurt! Our hearts scream that we’re not good enough. But we can’t give up, I mean take a day to shovel chocolate in your face and feel like an utter waste of space, sure. Then get up. Find friends who can remind you how awesome you are (and listen to them, people, they know stuff). Because the person who is wiping away tears of joy one day might not feel so hot the next. The despairing person licking the bottom of the carton of ice cream at 3 am might be celebrating a victory hours later.

I’m hovering somewhere in-between hope and giving up completely. I’m cheer leading for my friends. I’m CPing. I’m working on short stories, because they’re fun. I’m waiting (not patiently) for a new story contest to be announced… AH! And then panic because what if I enter and I suck! *breathes*

As I linger here in limbo, I take stock of my victories and sit with my doubts. If my life means forever cheer leading? That’s okay. I will continue to critique others’ manuscripts, because, when someone says that my comment helped them make their story better, I sit up straighter and smile brighter.

But I won’t ever stop writing. I won’t ever stop sending my words out into the world, hoping someone loves them. That darn dream.

The world is weird. The life of an artist is strange, unexplainable, a roller coaster of emotions. Get on the ride. Enjoy it. Relish the fact you get to ride even when turns evil. For all my writer friends, (and we won’t dwell on the sad fact that most of them exist on Twitter) stay awesome, keep supporting each other, share encouragement, share your words.

In the end, figure out who you want to be and BE THAT PERSON. You can’t ever fail at being you. EVER.

 

Let’s Talk about Stress… Bay-bee

Tags

Believe, friends, hope, self doubt, stress, support, thoughts, writing

So… yesterday, I kinda freaked out.

No biggie, I do this every once in a while when life seems impossible, when what I want is an inch (or a million miles) too far out of reach, and I begin to doubt my ability to grab hold of it and make it more than a dream, but a reality.

This goes for everything, not just writing. Everyone has dreams. Everyone has self-doubt, whether a tiny speck or a mountain stretching into outer space. We all struggle. Some of us might explode in rage. Others will curl up in a dark corner and throw M&Ms at themselves (my chosen method of “dealing”). Tears will roll. We will attempt to comfort with food, or perhaps working out (I suppose those people do exist).

But what we should do is talk. Let it out into the world. Somehow, when all our worries and fears are set free into the universe they lose their power. So after I sobbed hysterically, draped over the arm of my couch, I turned to my friends on Twitter and FB. I tried not to unload all of my fears, keeping my pity party to a minimum, but got enough out there that I got responses. Really, when we say things out loud, we want someone to say something back, kind words of encouragement or an acknowledgement that we are not the only ones struggling.

Writers united yesterday to give me a bit of a pep talk. One I desperately needed. One I will need again, I am certain. My wonderful CP even sent me a love-filled e-mail (WHILE ON VACATION, so I felt special). Twitter. Facebook. A day with my writers’ group allowed me to have fun and not think about all the problems spinning in my head.

So, when I sat down to revise last night, I got through two chapters and the problem chapters lurking in the beginning of the manuscript, well, I had enough faith to know that I would get to those and do the best I could.

That’s the magic… believing, doing the best you can. It works every time. And when it’s too hard to believe in yourself, others will carry you for a moment, allowing you to drink of their faith, of their joy. I hope I add as much magic to the lives of others as they have given to mine.

Will my dream ever come true. I honestly don’t know, but I HOPE, and will always hope. Thanks to all my friends… my cheerleaders, without them I would still be tossing chocolate at myself, muttering incoherently, while curled up in a corner. I hope you know who you are. I shall bake you all a cake.

When stress hits, find your support. It’s out there. Always believe.

 

 

Magic of Support

Tags

friends, magic, support, thoughts, Twitter, writer's group, writing

All artists, whether we paint with words, colors, or sounds need support from other artists, from those who understand what it’s like to have images and characters and melodies drifting through our minds.

When I speak of what I’m writing, when my voice rises to a fever pitch as I dive into what is exciting or frustrating … my hubs expression goes blank, his eyes glaze over, he reaches for his phone. So I stop talking. Art is a solitary experience. So much of it happens in the dark corners of our minds. Non-artists don’t understand and many of them just don’t want to. When I first started writing, almost ten years ago, I didn’t have any idea that this I-love-to-be-alone-please-don’t-make-me-interact-with-people girl would someday NEED people. But it happened.

I have a wonderful writer’s group … The Summit City Scribes. When I was invited to a meeting, I was scared. I knew these writers would be able to spot a big, old fraud. I wrote words, but I wasn’t a writer. I went because I knew it was time for feedback, for comments, no matter how it might hurt. The thing is, it didn’t hurt, it helped. I grew as a writer. I found friends to talk about writing and THEY TALKED BACK WITH EXCITEMENT! Bingo! Simply magical.

To my Scribes friends … THANK YOU! I love getting together with all of you. 🙂  You have made me a better and happier me.

Through my Critique group, I learned how every writer needs social media to be able to promote themselves. Uuuuummmm … great, I have nothing to promote. Hello, just me. Technologically challenged, I was leery. I joined Twitter about two years ago, clueless. As I tiptoed through the tweets, I finally figured it out. I could make writer friends without leaving my comfy pants or house! THIS IS BRILLIANT! Suddenly, I was interacting with other writers. I was entering pitch contests, sharing all my frustration and nerves with SO MANY OTHERS! Everyone understood. I had found my people – and I didn’t have to find a portal to another universe to get there.

But it’s more. Have a bad day writing? Twitter friends will cheer you up. Panic sets in because of queries? Twitter friends will send you chocolate. Don’t want to look at those words you wrote yesterday certain they suck? Twitter friends will pat you on the back and say, “So what? Words sometimes suck, but you can make them better!” I have met so many writers who are willing to swap queries and pages, and stories, offering great critiques. I have found CPs (critique partners), who are so great! When I need to share my worries or triumphs, I go to Twitter. Someone is always there. I just hope that I am doing my part. That I am one to help spread the understanding, the good feelings, and I pray that my critiques measure up to the ones I have received. Twitter has saved my sanity. That sounds … well, weird, but it’s true.

To all my Twitter friends … THANK YOU! I couldn’t live each day without you. You mean so much. 🙂

I am happy to be a part of the marvelous world of writers in my critique group and my Twitterverse! Where is your support? Are you twittering or in a group? Could you live without it?

Not me. Magic is real. It lives in our peers, in ourselves. SPREAD THE MAGIC!