Andra's Blog

No I didn’t decide to poo-poo oil and coal and go all solar/wind/electric on you.

Nor did I slip into a puddle of green paint.

I did slip, though, into envy.

When I attended the ACFW writer’s conference in 2010, I met a young gal who had also participated in the Genesis contest (different category).

Last night I found out on her Facebook page that hers has since been published.

My reaction was two-fold. First I was honestly happy for her. More stealthy, however, envy entered in through the back door of my psyche and made itself quite comfortable in my mind.

Really?

It’s understandable to be a little jealous of other people’s successes. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel it occasionally.

The problem with envy is instead of concentrating on my own life and success, I’m wasting my time and energy comparing myself to others. I at first thought I could use that envy to push myself to get something published, but then I ran across this:

Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:4 (NLT)

Again, by doing so, I’m not focusing on the right thing. I’m still measuring my successes by others instead of measuring it how God measures it.

Envy is also a symptom of not trusting God with my success. I’m instead depending on my own strength and wisdom and attempting to go about — what I tell everyone is God’s plan for me — all by myself. How much sense does that make?

I like to tell people who write as a form of ministry: always pray before writing a single word. Can you guess whether or not I follow that advice?

You got it. Nope.

Even though I’m longing to see my own words in print — something God has told me more than once is the direction I’m supposed to go — I’m not going about it in the best or most efficient way.

By going about it without God by my side, all I’m doing is floundering. If I were to focus on Him and write with a prayerful, worshipful attitude, I might actually see the very results I’m envying others for achieving.

Faith, Writing | Comments (1)

The 2012 Amazon’s Breakout Novel Award 1st Round is complete. Yours truly did not make the cut. Am I surprised? Not really. In fact, I knew going in I wouldn’t make it.  I simply figured I had nothing to lose by trying.

I believe there are several reasons for not making the cut (and I admit I’m wearing my cynical-colored glasses while I type).

1. I suck at pitches. Boiling down a 75k novel down to 300 words is beyond difficult for me.  I need practice, and that’s putting it mildly.
2. The judging. My book is Science Fiction geared specifically for a male audience. It’s a sad truth that most books are purchased by women. Publishers as a consequence must publish books catered to them otherwise they’d lose money (speaking in generalities, because there are always exceptions). Looking at previous winners, not one was science fiction, and all were more along the lines of chick-lit.
3. Number of entries. Referring to Reason #1, the odds of standing out amongst 4999 other entries made the likelihood of making the second round steep indeed.

What happens now?

Query letter/synopsis/chapter outline time! Yippee (someone shoot me now).

There is one lesson learned here. Submitting to Agents/Editors is no different than the ABNA. I still have to rise above the rest, and this contest showed my pitch wasn’t good enough. I have to make it better. How do I do that? That’s the big question right now. Part of me (and a rather large part) wants to put it off and watch Netflix and Hulu all night.

Since Lent started yesterday, I decided to cut out all refined sugars. Perhaps I should add television to that as well. It may not encourage me to practice writing my pitch, however, because I’m trying to catch up on my reading as well.

Right now I’m reading “A Talent for War” by Jack McDevitt. It’s okay so far. While well-written, there’s a lot of history going on. Thankfully it’s not all narrative backstory, but the main character following his uncle’s historical research so as to figure out why his uncle disappeared. Nonetheless (being an impatient reader), I’m ready for some action!

Contest | Comments (2)

Along with researching agents and publishers, I’ve been thinking a lot about creating a better online presence.

The problem is, how without sounding like some annoying salesman?

From what I’ve read, the commonest advice is to offer something potential readers want and will make them keep coming back.

Okay. What do I have to offer?

It has to be free to start. It could be humor (that one’s easy. My son and husband are always coming up with something). Information and advice is another. There it gets wrinkly. Everything I know and learned has come from someone else. The trick will be to put my own unique spin on it and make it entertaining as well as informative. Otherwise all I’ll be doing is adding external links to every blog entry.

I should care about my readers, and respond in a timely manner to any comments or questions they might have. One way to do that is see myself not as a writer, but as a reader. What do I look for in writer websites/blogs? What encourages me to keep coming back? How can I emulate them, again without being repetitive or plagiaristic?

Yes, I want to sell my writing, but that should the end result of an online presence, not the foremost.

After all, if a reader enjoys my blog, my website, Facebook page and Twitter tweets, then they’ll naturally want to read my books.

The mindset has to be thus: It’s not about me or my books, per se, but about pleasing my readers.

One thing that sucks about writing and desiring to publish is that my writing succeeds or fails based solely on the opinion of others. That said it’s something I chose (sort of) and knew going in, so I really shouldn’t complain.

So far I have several ideas:

1. Book reviews. I’ve wanted to do more of these, and I could certainly use the practice. That I read a lot makes this fairly easy. It’ll also help garner more readers, because if they’re well-written enough, the authors may link the review on their own websites.
2. Humor pieces. There’s a blog I read (Literary Agent Steve Laube) and every Friday he writes an entry called “Fun Fridays”. He’ll either add a humorous Youtube video, or fun facts. For me, I’ll likely dedicate Mondays, because who couldn’t use a little laughter on Monday?
3. Continuing my publication journey. I’ve written a few entries in an older blog dedicated to the pitfalls of pursuing publication, and received some very good responses to it (One even went so far as comparing me to Erma Bombeck. Yeah, I’m as shocked as you are). Apparently I’m fairly humorous when describing rejections. Good, because I have a feeling there will be a lot more of those.
4. Faith. Seeking publication is a journey of faith. I’ve learned more about God and seen my faith grow ever since I decided to pursue it. There were a lot of bumps and bruises from falling on my face, but I learned more from those failures than I ever will from my successes. Perhaps others can learn from them as well – without the bruises. And laugh at my obvious ineptitude.
5. Write more. One entry a month simply won’t cut it (my average of late). People’s time is short and precious, and if I’m not consistent – no matter how good the entries are – they will lose interest.

Now it’s your turn. What would you like to see me write or add to my website? As an incentive, I’ll send you some free stuff.  I’m thinking some pens and bookmarks, or a free critique of the first five pages of a novel, short story or article. Your choice.

Blogging, Marketing, Promotion | Comments (2)

When my son doesn’t want to go to school or church, he’ll at first try to run away or cling to something. Then he’ll argue or cry. In the end when he realizes he won’t get his way, he’ll capitulate with his eyes big and teary, head hanging low and lower lip glued to his chest.

What I know and Tom doesn’t realize until later is that he ends up having a great time. One time I dropped him off at Sunday school, and I had to make the Sunday School teacher hold on to him so I could leave. When I came to pick him up about an hour later, I had to almost drag him away.

Much like my son, I, too, have a difficult time going where God wants me to; at least not without a fight, and teary-eyed moping at the end. Intellectually I know he knows best, and not once has he ever been wrong. Still I fight and argue. I wonder sometimes if he shakes his head and wonders why he even bothers.

This morning I read how another author is being published by Marcher Lord Press, and it finally hit me. My novel won’t be one of them. It’s taken too long to hear back. In the last week, I’ve received emails in some of my writing newsletters about how to write the perfect query. I even have an opportunity to get a free* professional critique from Writer’s Digest.

That was my second hint (or at least it finally got through my stubborn skull), that I have to seek out other avenues for publication. I’ve read through the latest “The Christian Writers Market Guide,” and found nearly a dozen prospective agents. I’m also reading “How to Write Attention-Grabbing Query Letters” by John Wood.

Now comes the hard part: Convincing myself I can write a good query letter. If I don’t, then I self-sabotage. By thinking I can’t write a good query letter, then I certainly won’t. I have to believe I can. John Wood’s book is very informative, and I’m learning a lot. Once the query is as good as I can get it (as picky as I am, that will take six months), I will send it off to Writers Digest for review. After that, it’s tweaking for each agent and sending it off with a fervent prayer.

I have to remember it’s all in God’s hands. If my novel is meant to be in print, he will lead me in the right direction. I just have to be willing to follow instead of being forced to. Ha! That’ll be the day.

*Free only in the sense I had to upgrade my current Writers Market subscription for $20 to get it along with a few other perks.

Faith, Life, Publishing | Comments (2)

I read a while back that to help gain interest of publishers and agents, a writer should have endorsements from other authors. Taking that advice, I asked Amy Deardon if she’d be willing to write me one for “Traitors,” but only if she felt it was good enough. I also asked if she found any boo-boos to let me know.

She kindly agreed.

A few days ago she mentioned there was a consistent mistake I’m making that’s reducing the tension in my story, and she would explain what it was if I wanted her to.

She emailed me back today and said that although she is enjoying the book, she’s found a consistent mistake that reduces the tension, but that it was a big enough problem it would take some work to fix it. My response was to email her back and nearly beg her to tell me. it’s not mere curiosity, but a fidget-in-my-chair eagerness to know what that is.

It’s funny how I no longer tense in horror at the possibility of criticism, or even take the blows with quiet grace. Instead I’m banging at the proverbial door for it.

Does that make me a glutton for punishment, a slight case of masochism?

Or perhaps I want to see my novel as perfect as can be before it’s released into the public.

Soon (I hope) I will have yet another editing project to add to my list.

In the meantime (so I’m not checking my email every three minutes for the author’s advice), I’m going to continue on with my Nanonovel.

From the Just ‘Cuz Files:

I’ve decided to reduce my inventory of “A Reason to Hope” by offering it at a 55% discount. See my Products page for more info.

Editing, Marketing, Promotion, Writing | Comments (2)

Most of us know what makes a good story. Even if we have no idea what’s going to happen from one scene to the next, we have certain expectations. Almost everyone, however, couldn’t begin to articulate those expectations. We just know.

As a pantser (writing by the seat of my pants with little to no planning), I’m one of those who couldn’t tell you the basic structure a story must have in order to work, except that it must begin with intrigue and tension, and the end – denouement – must be exciting where the protagonist reaches the brink of death or a terrible loss.

Several months ago, Amy Deardon, Author of “A Lever Long Enough” offered to send me a free copy of her new book “The Story Template – Conquer Writer’s Block Using the Universal Structure of Story” as long as I took the time to write a review.

Having thoroughly enjoyed “A Lever Long Enough,” I jumped at the opportunity (and receiving a free e-book didn’t hurt).

What I knew intuitively about structuring a story, Amy spent months studying both books and movies to tie down what every story needs in order for it to work. I’ve read other books about the “Three Act Structure,” but for some reason I always skimmed through it a bit bleary-eyed. Odd for someone who loves math, don’t you think?

I think it was due to not wanting to be constrained in any way while writing my story. I feared it would take away any uniqueness I might add because I would be too concerned about structure.

Amy, however, described it in such a way that it was more of a revelation: “So that’s why it worked (or didn’t)!” As she described in her book, every person’s face is structured the same way, but every face is also unique in a thousand different ways. Stories work the same way.

Knowing the basic structure of a story can truly free the writer to concentrate on the finer details such as characterization, plot and setting. As the title suggests, knowing the structure of a story – and even a chapter – can help with writer’s block. The writer can simply ask, is this part of Act 1 and I need to move on to Act II, or am I already trying for Act III before I’m finished with Act I? Instead of killing creativity as I always fear, Amy’s advice and exercises can instead free it. In fact, as I read through it, I found myself brainstorming ways of fixing errors in my existing work in progress, and I anticipate using her exercises in my future manuscripts. I might have difficulty creating a detailed story board with index cards, however, because my four-year-old son might find it more interesting than his Legos. That said, I happily add Amy’s book to my library of must-have books on writing.

Uncategorized | Comments (4)

Just ask a cow.

Yet that’s what writers are required to do if they want to sell their books. Develop a brand, something that sets them apart from every other writer out there. Something (or things) that will attract potential readers and keep them coming back for more.

It’s a horrible thing to ask (demand) of a person who — in general — is anti-social by nature. It’s not enough to merely write, find a publisher, and write some more. Now we have to create a Brand before we even hook an interested publisher.

I recently watched a show entitled “Genius Minds” on the Science Channel about an autistic lady named Temple Grandin. Since a little girl, she always had an affinity for animals. She understood them, because, like her, they have no grasp of abstract concepts. She empathized with the cows especially when they were herded into the chutes to be branded. They bounced around in terror, potentially injuring themselves and others, until the headgate closed on them. They immediately calmed down. When she was in college , she created something similar for herself, which she used when feeling overwhelmed or out of sorts. She called it the “hug machine.” It was so successful for her, that it’s now used for other autistics to help keep them calm.

What does that have to do with branding? Other than the fact they’re used to brand cows?

Because I’m not a cow. I’m not like Temple Grandin where I would find something like that comforting. I see it as constraining. I don’t want to be branded, to be known as one thing and one thing only.  I’ve seen other authors who’ve gone from one brand (or genre) to another and it either failed dismally or it took years for it to catch, because the author had to find a whole new set of readers.

Admittedly, the fight against branding is an excuse. I keep asking, “What do I have to offer that will keep them interested enough that they will buy my product without feeling pressured to buy it?”

Everything I’ve learned I’ve learned from others. I know a lot , but I’m not an expert at much — unless you want to know how to survey land. Even then, there are thousands more who know more than I do. There’s nothing unique I have to offer except my stories.  Unfortunately, that’s not enough anymore. I have to sell myself.

*shudder*

But it is what it is. As much as I might hate it, it has to be done. My reticence, fear and lack of confidence has more to do with not knowing how to even start marketing. At Barnes and Noble the other day, I spotted “Guerrilla Marketing for Writers.”  I’m only 20 pages into it, and I’m still feeling overwhelmed. I will continue to slog ahead, however, because the desire to publish is greater than my fear of putting myself out there. I will simply have to fight my anti-social tendencies.

Hopefully getting branded won’t hurt too much. Once I figure out what it will look like, that is.

Marketing, Promotion, Publishing, Research, Writing | Comments (3)

I appreciate the writer who sits down and writes an outline of a book, spends days researching, creating the setting and discovering everything there is to know about every major character. I can see how all the preparations before writing a single word of the story itself results in a more solid plot with relatively little re-writing later.

I’ve tried it, and it made me go stir-crazy. I simply don’t have the patience for it. I prefer to write by the seat of my pants and see where the story goes with each successive paragraph.

Right now I’m flying high by the seat of my pants with my nanowrimo book. The plot has twisted in surprising directions more than once already. But that’s part of the fun for me. I only hope that the tangents don’t get too far off my original plot that I have to force my characters to do odd things to get them back on track.

On the other hand, if not, I’m not concerned. The point of writing 50,000 words in November is to write, even if it means I write total [censored].

There’s a line in “Finding Forrester” with Sean Connery where he said, “The first draft you write with the heart. You rewrite with your head.”

I’m writing with my heart right now, and it’s (mostly) ignoring my head when it tries to interfere.

The joy of writing has eluded me for a long time, and I’m thrilled to have it back. This is why I started writing in the first place. Let’s hope it lasts well into December

Now while my son watches Wall-e and my husband cooks supper, I am going to disappear yet again into my book. Bu’bye!

Uncategorized | Comments (2)

Nanowrimo began almost seven days ago now. I’ve not been keeping up with the minimum word count of 1667/day. More like 1000/day. I’m okay with that so far. I still have 23 days to catch up.

I also decided that I’m not going to worry about keeping up with people on the internet anymore. It sounds anti-social, and perhaps it is. But I keep going back to when I originally caught the writing bug and wrote my first novels. I did it when I was alone, meeting no one’s expectations but my own.

For the first time in a while I’m writing a story that excites me. I decided on a fantasy. It’s a story that’s been bouncing around in my head for a while, but one I didn’t think worthy of a book. After a while I decided, why not? No one ever has to see it. Why not write for me and me alone for a change?

It’s one that developed after reading another fantasy by author Mary Brown called “Dragonne’s Eg”. The only similarity between her story and mine is that the main character is in charge of returning a dragon’s egg to its rightful home.

My character, however, has no idea she has to take it where it will be safe. She steals it from her master in the hopes of making a better life for herself. She isn’t even aware it’s a real egg. Nor does she care.

I can also work in another friend’s idea of writing about ambition, and Loraine’s idea of fighting the lies we grew up with. Sorry, Mom, no wacky robots in this one. Maybe next year.

Writing | Comments (2)

What am I doing? Wracking my brain for an idea for Nanowrimo. Do I want to write fantasy? Another science fiction based on an existing character? An alternate reality? Try my hand at suspense or even — gulp — historical?

Maybe I’ll simply use the writing.com story app and see what it gives me.

I know what I really need to do: Stop worrying. The more I fret over whether or not I can come up with a story, the less likely I’ll come up with one.

After all, my first novel began with a single word: Redemption.

My second was based on a simple theme: the importance of duty.

Oh! I know! You can help me. Give me a word or theme, and I’ll write a book based on it. Sorry, no prizes. On second thought, if I succeed I’ll send you a copy of the finished book. Eiither electronic or hardcopy I haven’t decided yet (after all the idea is less than a minute old). Sound like a deal?

Writing | Comments (4)

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