Confessions of a Romance Author

Confessions of Change: The Risks

2012-03-03T16:52:00.002-08:00

Most of an author's career is made up of risks. Writing the book they have no idea fits where in the market. Trying out a new way of writing--pantsing or plotting. Reading the one book they weren't too sure about, but later it changes their outlook on craft.

All these little moments are about taking a change. Jumping out with no net to speak of. And, I've been doing that this year. And I've been seeing progress. Go figure, which may be my motto for 2012. At the moment I have a lot of my plate and I don't have to create busy work.

And all of it, is me taking risks. I've jumped off the cow path *insert any other cliche* and I've yet to fall flat on my face. Trust me, I have before and it hurts. But the thing is, safe doesn't guarantee with any more assurance than taking risks do. Your odds are the same.

So why take the risk? Because I've seen the same people doing the safe thing over and over again. It's not long before they quit or they get disenchanted. At least with the risk you know you are doing your damnedest. Some days that counts more than anything.

True (Tongue In Cheek) Story: Before and After Becoming An Author

2012-02-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

Recently I rejoined Goodreads. I've noticed an interestingthing. Some authors don't rate a book. I completely understand why, especiallyif you are using your author name. It's just like reviewing a book. Someauthors consider that the biggest No-No outside of arguing with a reviewer orbad-mouthing a publisher. Probably a bigger No-No. Of course this has me secondguessing all those stars I rated. And this got me thinking about what I wouldhave said or done before I was an author.

Before:

Omg, did you read such-n-such latest book? I think she literallywiped her laptop screen against her butt. She then sent it to the publisher andthey published it. Because that book was pure grade A crap.

After:

No, I have not read such-n-such book.

Mock the Stock

2012-02-27T06:20:00.001-08:00

Warning: This post only makes sense if you follow the links. Except for the first one which is total shameless promotion.

My alter ego Melissa Blue has been quite busy. Doing crazy junk like self-publishing. Tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen. Due to this hair-brained idea there has been a lot of time spent on stock photo sites. Despite what some people say a cover matters even with an ebook, especially when you are scrolling through thousands upon thousands of books.

Spending all this time going through these stock photos I want to know why isn't there a blog mocking some of them. Ok. Maybe there is and I just haven't found it yet...But, seriously this guy is trying to eat her face. And I'm thinking Nom, Nom, Nom and said in a Cookie Monster voice.

Now this is cute. THIS is hilarious. One big droplet of water to simulate rain.

There's also the definition of sexy. I won't provide links for this one, because O_0. There's the awkward, over-the-top, just plain crazy why oh why did you post that picture? Stock photo sites are the land of milk and honey for mockery.

In the end I guess it's worth it when you find a gem.

The Kind of Conversations in My Home

2012-02-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

Son: Mom, when I was watching Smallville they said Einstein.

I frown. : Do you know who Einstein is?

Son looks at me as if I’m daft.: Yeah. It’s the dog fromBack to the Future.

I go on to explain about the real Albert Einstein.

Blank look from son.: So, he’s Doc Brown’s dog?

I accept that I’ll have to explain this again in a fewyears. : Yes.

Confessions of Change: The First Draft is Art and Magic, The Rest is Business

2012-02-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

For years I’ve struggled with book as art and book as money.I like clear separations. It lets me know how to act accordingly. You know, atwork you act a certain way with your co-workers. At work you act a certain waywhen your boss is standing around. These two ways are an afterthought while athome. So, I always asked myself when was the book art and when was the bookmoney. (Get a very small royalty check, the book is totally art.)

I think I’ve finally answered this question for myself. Thebook is art when it only lives in my head. It’s art when I put togethercollages and soundtracks. It’s art when I pound out that first draft.

And then there is this shift. If the book was really art Icould leave it as is. I could go back and enjoy the story and characters withno thought to anyone else. The book issomething I crafted and because I’ve struggled with art/money, it’s something I’veput no thought towards publication. Because if I’ve thought about publicationwhile writing, the book would have lost its magic and died after chapter 1.

But now when I open up that Word doc I’m looking at thatsucker thinking how can I get this baby sold. I have to make sure the story is readablefor one. I go through each sentence and make sure they are clear and concise. Ilayer plot, character and scene. I dothis until I think the story is actually ready to be read by someone else. Isend it off to a CP. They give it back. I go through the book again and maybe afew more times until I think I could probably sell this.

There is nothing magical or artsy fartsy about anything ofthis. Not for me. It’s looking at thebook as a product to be sold. I take what I believe is its selling point andwrite out a query and synopsis. If thiswas about magic and art I’d make an alphabetical list of all the publishers outthere and start to send it out. I’d accept the first contract offered withoutan attempt to negotiate better terms.

Since that’s not whatI do, I know this part of the process is all business and I’m fooling myself tothink it’s otherwise. Now I know there’llstill be an overlap. I get to the lastpublisher I’ll actually let publish my book and I’m going to start to feel bookis art. I can’t get the book to work even after crits and revising, that babywill be art. Refer to small royalty check—art.

For me, this small separation makes all the difference.

Butt In Chair Hands On Keyboard: Cautionary Tale

2012-02-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

The WIP has not been going well at all. I've done all my frontwork--did a collage and made a soundtrack. I've written out the GMC and ablurb. I've got character details written out. And still nothing sparked.

This is where thetrouble started, because I decided to format an e-book. I know enough aboutHTML to not get too lost when people start speaking in code. I did a littleresearch and hit a goldmine. Guido Henkel did a wonderful series on formatting ane-book. Step by freaking step he tells you how to get your book from a documentto an e-book.

Easy as pie.Right?

Of course not,because I am the inspiration for Murphy's Law. For example, I spent hours uponhours trying to figure out how to make a particular file in Jedit (a wonderfulprogram that lets you code) into an html. Hours. A little more research and allI had to do was type .html at the end of the file. Ok. I was still game forthis. I mean, if I learned how to do this... I don't know, I could conquer theworld.

Got the book allready and roaring to go for the simple step of finding and replacing all "" ' ... and anything else that requires an English to HTML translation.Turns out you need plugins. I did some more research to find out what specificplugin I needed. Download. Find out that plugin needs a plugin. Ok. Still game.Download. THAT plugin needs a different plugin. Turns out THAT entire plugin issort of useless without a totally different kind of plugin.

Rinse and repeatfast forwarding a few hours. I AM STILL GAME, DAMMIT! I find and replaceeverything. I backtrack a bit to turn all my sentences into real paragraphs orreal paragraphs according to HTML. I open the file in my web browser. Somethinghas happened and all my sentences run together. I've got dialogue back to back.Something like this: "Hi, Jane. How are you?""I've been writtenby a bunch munch. So I'm doing fine."

It's not thecomputer's fault. The computer only does what you've told it to do. So, ofcourse, I did something because I'm game. I assumed if I formatted theparagraphs this meant, you know, Paragraphs. If I had double checked my Englishto HTML translator I would have known this spelled doom for the entire book.

Desperate, becausemy gut instinct was screaming at me, "You'll have to do everything allover again." And a voice that sounds a little like Inigo Montoya startswhispering, "Back to the beginning." I search far and wide for asolution that will undo the Format Paragraph Legion of Doom. There's nothing inthe Help installed on the program nor at their website. I start searching theforums they have to see if anyone else was as Game as I was.

You guessedit...of course not. I now start copying and pasting to see if I can leap fromfile to file, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping the nextcopy and paste will be my leap home.

Refer to Murphy'sLaw. I have to start over, all the way back to the Word doc.

That's ok. I'vegotten this far despite all the mishaps. I AM STILL F***ING GAME DAMMIT!!!!!

Like all thingsthat require a learning curve, the second time around is much easier. I don'teven breathe anywhere near the Format Paragraph Legion of Doom. I get throughall the steps. I save. I open the file in my internet browser.

And there is myfirst e-book. It needs a little tweaking here and there, but...I've got ane-book, dammit. I finish the rest of the steps, which involves checking yourcode in various e-book formats. And the book is still there, needs a littletweaking...but an e-book, dammit.

The moral of thestory--Butt In Chair Hands On Keyboard.

Confessions of a Romance Author: Avoid Writing At All Cost, Redux

2012-02-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

It has been way too long since I last confessed...

1. You make a deal with yourself that if you can win Spider Soltaire–four suits–three times in a row, you’ll finally write a few words.

2. You try to convince your doctor you have carpel tunnel and can’t type. *He didn’t give it to me, damn him.*

3. You know, I always wanted to put my personal library in alphabetical order.

4. Your house is actually clean, but of course when you finish you realize the baseboards need another run through.

5. Maybe your daughter’s personal library needs to be put in alphabetical order.

6. You google Belly Button Lint.

7. You take your books out of alphabetical order and put them by copyright date. If it’s the same copyright date then order then by author. This takes time. Lots of time.

8. You consider calling everyone in the yelllow pages just to tell them “Have a great day.” No, you don’t know them, but it’s called WIP avoidance for a reason.

9. Finally, you concede to writing at least one page. Who knows you might end up with two.

But first, you need to google “How to make bread from Scratch.”

The Power of a Series

2012-02-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

A part of me despises series. Things happen sooooo sllllloooooowwwwww. The payoff hangs on the authors ability to write a good ending. Still to this day my favorite Supernatural quote is, “Any chaped ass monkey can write a beginning.” And it's true. You can hone and and hone until you're fingers bleed the beginning. It is the unspoken promise of things to come. It takes a completely different skill set to take that promise and fulfill it, because let's be honest, fulfill is subjective. I think that's why no matter the ending Joss Wheadon writes he'll have polar reactions. The writer in me can look at Buffy and Angel and think, Wheadon never lied. Buffy wanted above all else to be a regular “girl.” (And Angel wanted to be the people's champion.) She wanted the biggest hangups of her day to be the boy she was dating or what she would wear to such-n-such party. The ending of Buffy definitely fulfilled that promise. Yet a part of me felt disasatisfied because I'd never see it.

(Do I need to pontificate on Angel's ending? )

I read through and angsted every release of the Fever series. I remember my local news station focusing on a kid who dressed up as a boy wizard for Halloween. I then saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie. The summer of '07 or '08, I waited for my pre-ordered copy. I read it in one day. That ending fulfilled me. But, that's not necessarily what fulfilled me.

This thought kind of hit me sideways as I listened to Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. (SPOILER!!!) (No, really a huge freaking SPOILER!!!!!!!!) At this point, Dresden is gearing up for the final fight and he's turning the weapon/sign of authority into THE ROD. (No, not the bibical one or the bibical sense sort of rod.) And I'm thinking, if this was the first time I'd read the Dresden files I wouldn't get why this moment had such importance. I wouldn't be IN on the inside knowledge. Very much like Spike donning his leather coat again in season 7 of Buffy, or Barrons' letting Mac know what the monster is in his “basement” is, or Dean letting Sam make the decision to let Satan ride him hard and put him up wet, or hell, Rachel calling Ross while she's on the plane to Paris. All these times being a fan of the series I could know and feel THIS MOMENT means something more.

It's the inside joke of people who have been friends for ages. A word can send these friends into hysterics, because they know the context. I think that's the appeal of series. You can say, “OMG, she's doing it again” and convey a world of frustration. Or say, “OMG, HE was the bad guy” and everyone on the IN can say, “INORITE?” Hell, even knowing what the hell, INORITE is can tell you the context of the conversation.

Maybe that's what series are: a shorthand, a short cut to connectining groups of people. On some level we love that inside joke or the ability to have one. Also, I think that's why series irriate me. I know on some level I'm agreeing to go on this ride. It's a commitment. The writer has to prove to me it's worth it. I've agreed to go on this ride and then the writer does something that I cannot go back to this series for.

But the possibilities for the writer from the author's atandpoint? Goodness. It's endless.

Do you like series? Hate 'em? Have you written some? Plan to write some? What are some of your favorite “inside jokes?”

Confessions of Change: If Jiminy Cricket Had No Soul

2012-01-25T09:22:00.001-08:00

Sometime around June of last year I got a booster shot of ambition. It pumped about a million gallons of adrenaline through my system and I was impervious to fear and doubt. It was wonderful a time.

The shot wore off around October where I still had a gazillion things left on my massive writing to-do list. I couldn't complete them. Not by December. Even if I did complete the massive writing to-do list, I didn't have enough CPs or Beta Readers to get me where I wanted to be March of this year. Even if I did get all trillion and one books critted who is say a publisher would snatch up the book. In summary, fear kept right on pointing out the obvious while wrapped warmly in a blanket of insecurity.

That's fear's job. Its entire purpose is to inform you of possible danger ahead.

You: I'm going skydiving.

Fear: Are you nuts?

I feel it breathing down my neck all the time, especially today. The book isn't coming together. The heroine's voice isn't right. I've only scratched the surface on both of the characters GMC’s and who they are. Fear is informing me of the possibility this book might suck eggs. I'm in danger of making a complete arse of myself if I show this book to anybody. Hell, if I show my writing to anybody, ever.

If I do decide not to write today or tomorrow or ever, I can't blame fear. Fear has never tied my hands. It doesn't have hands. Fear is in essence a thought. (Or think of it as Jiminy Cricket if he had no soul.) Have you acted on every single thought you've had? So why listen to a thought wrapped warmly in a blanket of insecurity? Acknowledge the thought and move on.

Me: Yeah, the book might suck eggs. All my books might suck eggs, but I'm writing them anyway.

Fear: But--

Me: Thanks for the concern. Gotta get to work.

In summary, don't let my newfound determination make you think I don't feel fear creeping up to whisper in my ear. I do. Absolutely. But fear isn't going to check stuff off this year's massive to-do list. From the last post you should know I like doing that.

Confessions of Change: Ya Gotta Have Goals

2012-01-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

I made this massive list of goals last year. Massive. Icompleted every goal. I'm convinced 90 percent of the success is that I knewwhat I needed to do every day. Oh, there was plenty of complaining, doubt, hemmingand hawing, but in the end I completed every goal. Even the ones that were justicing on the cake.

What made the goals achievable?

Component One: They were written down. This seemsrudimentary. Some people have wonderful memories. I'm not one of them. Somepeople can walk into a grocery and get everything they need and stick to thoseitems. I'm not one of them. (Even if I write down a list.) Some people get nosatisfaction when they cross something off on their to-do list. I am totallyone of them.

So, I wrote down my goals. I even went so far as to postthem on Romance Divas Goals Thread. Other peeps commented on the thread withencouragement, which was Tony the Tiger GREAT! Yet, giving updates on where Iwas, what I was doing and how that would get me one step closer to completingmy goal was the key. Which leads me to the next step...

Component Two: BE SPECIFIC. I repeat, BE SPECIFIC! Saying,I'm going to write 1,000 words a day is again Tony the Tiger GREAT! What am Iwriting 1,000 words on? A blog post, a book, a comment on one of the blog's Ifollow? Or worse, much worse, the shiny new idea that came to me in the middleof the night.

A proper goal: Finish the first draft of The One I Want bymid-March or the end of March. Write 1k Monday-Friday until book is complete.

Or as I put it in my handy, dandy business proposal:

Overall Goal: Complete full manuscript of The One I Want bymid-march or the end of March.

1. Complete outline of TOIW by end of January.

2. Start collage and complete by the end of thefirst week of February.

3. First week: aim for first turning point innovel.

4. Second week: Rinse, repeat, except aim forsecond turning point.

5. Rinse, repeat.

6. Rinse, repeat.

7. Complete book.

Component Three: The next factor for my success hadeverything to do with common sense—I sat down and did the hard work. I couldhave made glitter graphics shoot out of my business proposal every time I addedsomething to the list. (Not a bad idea for next time.) But it would meannothing if I didn't sit down and get to work. There's no magic bullet for hardwork. (Maybe coffee.)You either get it done or you don't. You can choose to sitdown and attack one of your goals or choose not to.

Component Four: I had a deadline for each and every goal. Isometimes finished early. I sometimes had to push back the deadline. Either wayI gave myself parameters to get it finished in.

Component Five: Last but not least, and what I think is oneof the most important factor for success, don't curl yourself into a fetalposition if you don't achieve a goal. Life happens and that turns the writingturns into shittake. Nothing really happens but you can still hit a brick wallin the story and the writing turns into shittake. About a million other thingscould happen to waylay those well-planned goals. The thing is none of thesegoals went up on a mountain top and came back down on stone tablets. Thedeadlines can be adjusted. You can go back to the second step of the goal. Youcan take a break and read or watch TV or even shower. If you feel your kneesbuckling and your spine curling then it's probably best if you took a break.The goals aren't going anywhere.

The important things is to make goals. It gives yousomething to focus on and a barometer on what you're doing work wise,especially if a lot of the work has nothing to do with spitting out a wordcount.

Confessions of Change: Bitter is not the new reality

2012-01-21T13:55:00.001-08:00

* The first change must be an attitude change.

* When I say you, I mean the universal “you” or more specifically me.

If you focus really hard on the numbers, the odds of getting published, the natural instinct is to just accept the fact you have a better chance at winning the lottery. Some people don’t like that comparison because the lottery is a numbers game.

Writing a readable book is much easier to achieve than picking random numbers and hoping a machine picks the same random numbers. Going a step further, writing a readable and marketable book is also easier to achieve, especially if one understands that a good percentage of the books submitted can barely pass the readable stage. You’re odds are simply better.

The more you focus on the numbers, the odds the more likely you’ll end up curled into the fetal position, rocking in the corner and sucking your thumb. Or, become bitter. Extremely, no holds bar bitter. But, the more you focus on the numbers, the odds the more you lose sight of a simple truth. The kind of truth that makes the numbers, the odds a moot point.

There is a lot in this business you can’t control or understand. Accept this as a universal truth. You can’t force someone to publish you. You can’t force a reader to buy your book. You can’t make yourself a bestseller. There is no magic bullet.

Fortunately there is another simple truth that makes this point moot. There is a lot in this business you can control and understand. You can choose to focus on this universal truth to help you unfurl from the ball in the corner. You can choose to take all the passion you use to be bitter and burn the fuel into something you can do.

This isn’t Zen or warm and cuddly advice to lessen the impact of the numbers, the odds. It’s pragmatic advice. You can both sit around and be bitter and despondent or you can read a book on craft. You can do a ton of research to find out the actual percentage of novels a publisher contracts or you can sit down and write. You can put more writing tools in your writing toolbox. Will this magically get your books contracted, read or lauded? Nope, you still can’t control that. You can write out goals of the things you can control and meet or even exceed them.

Because I think it needs to be said, adjusting your attitude doesn’t mean you can’t dream and dream big. You simply have to ask yourself what are you doing to make that dream happen. And then do it.

Confessions of Change: I Relapsed

2012-01-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I made a declarative statement on how I’ll be declarative in my statements from now on. I made forceful, self-confident statements for some time. I put out my ideas and theories without filter. I shared the knowledge I thought I had about the craft of writing. And then, like most young adults, I realized I didn’t know jack.

So I stopped making declarative statements. Why? I started to feel like I sounded pompous and arrogant. And plus, I didn’t know jack. I think, I believe started to filter into my vocabulary once again. I started to feel like I sounded meek and uncertain. Fast forward a few years later, I do know what I believe and think. I also know I can be wrong. I can change my mind about something. That’s not arrogant or pompous.

So, what am I going to do about it? I’m going to reclaim the declarative. I’m going to do it on my blog to have a record, because what’s the point of having a blog if you don’t use it?

I will also figure out a way to fix the way the text looks on here.

Then I’ll be back and be all declarative.

How You Can Tell Book Is Not Baby, Redux

2012-01-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

By all the things you can do with, in or to yourbook that you cannot do with a child without serving a life-long prisonsentence. Here are just a few tell-tell differences:

1. Sell it

Go ahead and put a baby up on Ebay. Give the Feds24 hours before they come knocking on your door.

2. Use Backspace On

If your child has a button like shape any whereon their person please take them to a doctor. Though you can use this buttonliberally within your MS. You can even select the entire MS and then click thisbutton.

3. Censor What It Says Publicly

Cute as a button baby will one day, several daysspaced out over time more than likely, say something in a room filled withpeople that will make you want to crawl into the deepest, darkest cave to dieof embarrassment.

4. Place Under Bed Or In A Closet For SeveralYears

Something like number one would happen.

There are plenty more differences, but these arekey. Do you have anymore to add?

Scenes From De La Casa Loco, Redux

2012-01-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

Cast List:
Mama Loco (MC)
Little Miss Diva (LMD)
The Charmer (TC)

This scenario happens at least three times a week.

TC walks into the room. ML notices he is wearing the same pants as the day before.
ML: Change your pants.

TC: But I like these pants.

ML: You like them so much they can stand up in a corner by themselves.

TC: * sighs * I can’t find any other pants.

Having just done the laundry, ML knows this for the lie it is. ML gives TC The Look.

TC: Please!

The Look continues.

TC: Please!

ML’s face is starting to hurt and wonders if her mother was right, your face can get stuck in that expression.
TC sighs, leaves the room and comes back with different jeans. Because ML is wise to TC’s tricks she checks his backpack. The “favorite” pants are in there. The Look ensues as she takes out the pants.

End Scene

ML is reading book. LMD walks into room and stands there staring. ML marks page and closes book. ML makes eye contact with child as a silent way of saying you have the floor. LMD just stands there. Not saying a word.
ML: Yes?

LMD: Mom?

ML: The last time I checked my stretch marks.

LMD: Mmmmooooommmm! * She is a pre-teen. So this is said often with exasperation. *

ML: Did you need something?

LMD: * shrugs * No. Just wanted to see what you were doing. * Then leaves the room. *
ML stares blankly at door.

It should be noted this happens every time ML is reading quietly and the children take turns. It is often imagined they stand outside the doorway doing paper, rock scissors to see who goes first.
End Scene

End of Sneak Peek into De La Casa Loco

The Last and Only Writing Advice I’ll Give, Redux

2011-12-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

And ever and ever and ever. (Maybe.) When I first started writing I used to give out tons of advice. I was excited and I wanted to tell everyone what worked for me. I was one of those parents who just had a baby and decided it wasn’t insane at all to send you 27 pictures of their new bundle of joy in a 5 minute time span. Yes, I had to be stopped. Now things are a little different.

Warning: I’m about to abuse the words “some+____” and “that.”

But to my point, the advice I have is simple and complicated. Have you ever read something or seen something that made you go, “Yes! That!” It can also be: I felt that. I thought that. I’ve done that. I’ve said that. It’s keen to someone hitting a tuning fork and every molecule in your being is vibrating at how it resonates. The tuning fork isn’t set up to only go off with deep, profound that. It could be having a character stub the feck out of their toe and cursing. And of course, there’s a child standing right there. (Its why no matter how well worn the ‘they’re standing right behind me’ joke is it’ll get a chortle.)

This advice is about making connections. Little ones. Big ones. It’s about knowing you are not alone. It’s about taking every moment where you felt doubt, happiness, sadness, fear and loathing and using the feck out of it. It’s about being vulnerable. I don’t mean weak. I don’t mean opening up a vein. I mean the courage to lay out your humanity in words. And humanity
is nuanced. It’s surprising. It’s predictable. (I’m talking about all the times you ran into an ex or aformer anything looking like road kill. That’s predictable.) (I’m also the loudest person a room was probably ignored a lot as a child.) It’s wonderful. It’s ugly. It’s every adjective in Webster’s and even the Urban dictionary.

So, that’s the writing advice. The last I will ever, ever, ever give. (Maybe.)

What’s the best/worst advice you’ve been given? In hindsight, what’s the best/worst advice you’ve gave?

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

To you and yours and theirs and everyone's.

Imagine The Most Awesome of Awesome Fist Fight

2011-12-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

*spits out blood* Yeah that's how it felt trying to get my website to merge with my blog. I have since given up this harmonious notion. For me, it ain't happening. I gut punched godaddy in the DNS and still nada. I wrestled with blogger's custom domain thingie. That bastard has a serious left hook.

So, I gave up the notion they'll ever reside in the same Internet sphere. But I didn't give up. I zigged and zagged and went to weebly. I'm still tweaking my website but by God it's there. HA.

At Some Point In Your Life...

2011-12-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

You just have to accept you may be techno-deficient. If you can see this blog, let alone this post then I've fixed the problem. If you are reading this from http://www.sofiaharper.com/ then I have officially turned amazing. If not....ARGH!!!!!!!!

Clean and Company Clean

2011-12-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

The large stacks of books are a staple in my living room.Either on the small end table or on the floor by the couch in easy reach.There's also a toy or four my son has left. My DD has her own stuff lyingabout. The area rug...sigh. I swear I vacuum at least once a day, but itdoesn't look it ever. With all this I still consider the living room clean. IfI'm not tripping over it and it won't grow fur, then it's fine. This last ruleof thumb keeps the house pretty clean.

Until the moment company is on it's way over. At that pointthe house is atrocious. Everything seen and unseen needs a wipe down. The toysmust go. So do the books. The couches cushions and pillows needs a good fluff.I crack open a window; spritz the air with air freshener. I don't care if Ihave to break out tweezers that area rug is going to looked vacuumed for once.After thirty minutes of running around like a chicken with its head cut off thehouse would then be company clean.

I revise the same way. I revise and fix all the things I can find wrong with the story.Depending on the WIP, I may believe the story is the best story I've everwritten vs. I have no idea what's wrong with this sucker. I send it out to geta verdict. Go through it again. Send it out one last time. Fix it and believeit is the best story I've ever written. I write out the synopsis or add in thedetails if I wrote it beforehand. I put in an actual editor's name in thequery. I save the document to the publisher's specifications.

And then I think, this is actually going to be read by aneditor. Sheer panic ensues. This is going to be read by an EDITOR. Anylines I trip up over gets cut. All the off color jokes that probably were onlyfunny to me gets cut. I add a little more here and there. I whip the font intoshape. I triple check the margins. I make sure all the chapters follow a consecutiveorder. There have been times I've had three chapters eleven. An EDITOR is goingto read this keeps going around in my mind. When I get to the point where I'mfine with every single word then the story is ready.

So, there's ready and then there's submission ready. Myguess, the story lives in a nebulous unreal world until that moment. I don'tget it, but then again my house is clean until company is coming.

Is your house clean until company is coming over? Is yourWIP ready until you're about to send to an editor or agent?

Sweeps Up Dusts

2011-12-06T15:22:00.001-08:00

I'm making changes. Switch stuff up. Mainly trying to figure out why blogger hates wordpress so much.

So...whatcha think?