The Perils of Being a Full-Time Writer

For the first time, my kiddos are both in school and I have oodles of time during the day to write. I'm not even a full-time writer yet as I work two days a week in my private practice, but that leaves THREE whole days of interrupted free time. Therein lies the problem. I wrote three novels in the past two years, and did it in the one to two hours of time I had in the evening after the kids went to bed. Those one to two hours involved nothing but fast, hard writing--because it was all the time I had to do it. I envisioned that once the kids were in school, I'd be able to multiply that output by ten, and could crank out a book every two months. The kids have been in school a grand total of 5 weeks now, which means I should have another book almost finished, right? 

Not quite. First, I discovered the joy of grocery shopping without little ones underfoot. If you haven't tried it, it's an amazing experience. Next, I thought I'd conquer my possessed laundry basket which never empties no matter how many loads I do. I've seen the bottom of my laundry basket several times in the past few weeks, a sight I haven't seen in years. My to-do list has been tackled, my dogs have have enjoyed walks with me in the morning after I take the kids to school, and I've caught up with friends for lunches and brunches and other food-related outings. The most productive writing time for me in the past few weeks...has been in the one to two hours after the kids go to bed at night.

What the hell? I mean, I'm still writing but not nearly the amount I thought I'd be. Part of it is probably the habit of night writing, and part of it is probably the fact that I have quiet time in the house by myself for the first time in over eight years. Part of me worries that even if I were a full-time writer, I wouldn't be writing more than I am right now--Stephen King would mock my current habits (if you haven't read On Writing, you should). I'm hoping the novelty of being home wears off quickly, and I just ordered a day planner and am going to set myself up on a much stricter writing schedule (NOTE: the day planner itself looks so fun and amazing that I'm sure I'll do an entire post on it once it arrives.)

Anyone else struggle with this issue? Any additional tips you'd like to share? Pretty please. Or just let me know if you're in the area and want to go to brunch. ;)

Writers and Money

I'll wait for you to stop laughing and saying "What money?" Even if you haven't gotten to the point of earning an advance, or even better, royalty checks, many writers earn some money through freelancing, self-publishing, editing services, short story sales, etc. But money earned as a writer will always be different than that earned by those who get a steady paycheck each week. Even in the scenario of royalty checks, it's never a guaranteed amount. So how do you budget or calculate living expenses on uneven income?

Though I've recently made some money through freelance work and by offering query services through the blog, I know a lot about this topic because I've been self-employed for a decade. I run my own private practice as a psychologist, and my income has always varied from month to month. I'm used to the uncertainty principle, and thought I'd pass along several tips that might help with budgeting. NOTE: This is my own personal experience and should not be construed as financial advice. That's what CPA's are for. :)

1. Keep good records. If you're earning money from various sources, such as selling several articles or short stories a year, keep careful track of all your income (and expenses.) Money spent on websites, marketing, editing, etc. will help offset the cost of your total income. You can track this through a program like Quicken or Excel, or you can use an old-school ledger and pencil. Just make it thorough. This will make step 2 easier.

2. Pay Estimated Taxes if needed. I've paid estimated taxes for years, but look at it as a positive thing, because it means my business is profitable. A good accountant, or a reliable tax program like the Business Edition of TurboTax, can help you figure out what you should pay. A good rule of thumb is to set aside at least a third of what you earn for taxes. 

3. Make your budget based on the lowest expected amount of income. After a few months of receiving writing related income, you can probably get away with taking an average of those months to determine your budget, but I use the lowest amount I make in a given month to set my budget. That way, I make sure I'm covering basic expenses, and if I make more than that, it can be added to an emergency fund for unforeseen crises. If no crisis occurs, the money can be used for other things, as mentioned in the next step. 

4. Use the bucket method for your income. I'm a huge fan of the bucket method, because it allows you to put a little money towards fun things, along with boring stuff like the aforementioned estimated taxes. I have a savings account labeled for each "bucket," so you could have designated accounts for things like taxes, mortgage, etc,. but make sure to include at least one bucket for something fun. Even if you can only put a few dollars in your fun bucket at a time, it will eventually add up. Then you can get that new laptop or go on a weekend getaway--and what writer doesn't need those things (BONUS: that new laptop may even qualify as a tax deduction depending on your situation!)

These are some basic tips, but I'm sure there are plenty more. Has anyone tried any of these, or have any other money tips to share?

How to Be An Olympic Writer

The Olympics are long gone, which is a very good thing for my writing. The nights of endless gymnastics, swimming, beach volleyball, diving, and track may or may not have affected my daily word count (okay, it totally did), but at least a few sports failed to suck me in (I'm looking at you, fencing and water polo). However, there was an upshot to the abnormal amount of time I spent in front of my television--I found tremendous inspiration in every athlete out there. I also noticed similarities between what it takes to be an Olympian and an Olympic writer:

1) Train. Those athletes didn't make it to the Olympics by saying, "I know I have it in me to be an Olympian," and then find excuses about how they didn't have enough time, money, etc. to put in the hours. Using Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours rule (if you haven't read Outliers, you should), these athletes have logged well over 10K hours in training. Michael Phelps should have gills from how much time he's spent underwater. How does an Olympic writer train? Certainly not by saying they know they "have a book in them...someday." They write. Then they write some more. Then what do they do? You get the idea.

2) Be persistent. Not every athlete qualifies for the Olympics on their first try. Those that make it to the Olympics don't always get gold--or medal at all--their first time there. I don't think that's a bad thing, as it can be a powerful motivator. Track star, Allyson Felix, took the silver in the 200m in Beijing. From 2008 until the 2012 Games in London, she trained her ass off and focused on being the very best she could be...and got her gold. Most athletes don't medal, but at least they knew they did the best they could do and were good enough to get to the Olympics. The lesson for writers? Never give up. Keep trying and get better. If your first book doesn't land you an agent or a book deal, keep trying. If you self-publish and the book doesn't sell well, keep trying. Go back to step 1) and push yourself to be the best writer you can be.

3) Hope for a little luck. Yep, even in the Olympic, sometimes winning a medal involves a bit of luck and good timing. I watched a noted BMX racer (yes, I watched BMX too--I told you I watched a lot o' Olympics) go down because of a crash in front of him. One swimmer might hit the touch pad a bit harder than another and get the faster time. Everyone has times when they feel they are "in the groove" and other times when things don't go their way. With the Olympics, athletes have only that one moment, and they better hope they are in the groove. Though not as intense, there is timing and luck involved with publishing too. Even publishers can't always predict which books will be a hit. Sometimes it takes hitting the right publisher, or the right audience, with the right idea at the right time. You don't have control over this, but you do have control over steps 1), 2), and 4), which makes this step more likely to fall into place.


4) Be a good sport. Whether an athlete won gold, bronze, or even nothing at all, most of them carried themselves with grace, poise and humility. Oscar Pitorius, the double amputee track star from South Africa, didn't medal but stood out as an Olympic hero. McKayla Maroney demonstrated great humor over the attention she's received regarding her obvious disappointment at winning silver in the vault. If you haven't checked out the McKayla is Not Impressed page, it's cute (my fave pic is the one of her in the scene at the art museum in Ferris Bueller's Day Off). The lesson for writers? Whether you're a New York Times bestseller, or an aspiring writer trying to get out of the slushpile, treat others with respect and kindness. It doesn't cost anything to be a decent human being, plus I'm a big believer in karma, kismet, and various other k words.

Those are the things that jumped out at me, so I hope you can use those to go forth and become Olympic writers. Did you notice other similarities? Anyone else watch as much Olympics as I did? More importantly, did anyone out there watch water polo?

Why Writing Isn't Enough

I'm not saying that you can't call yourself a writer if you do nothing more than toil away on your manuscripts for hours, days, even years. However, at some point, most people want others to see their work. Though the joy of writing is what keeps us going, behind it is the hope that others will find joy in our work through reading it. Whether you're writing a family genealogy meant only for close relatives, or you're writing a commercial novel for the masses, at some point, writing means putting your work out there...which can be scary.

It's much safer to keep your writing tucked away on your hard drive, or in a trunk under the bed, because exposing it to daylight invites possible judgment and criticism. Some writers are sensitive by nature, but writing is not for the skin-thinned, so where should you start? I started with a critique group, and think a good critique group (consisting of fellow writers) is worth its weight in gold. Other writers are the best resource (IMHO) for pointing out your own strengths and areas for growth as a writer.You can find them through professional writers groups, conferences, and online message boards or blogs. Use the feedback to make your work the best it can be. But you can't stop there.

At some point, you have to bite the bullet and put your work out there. Whether it's querying agents and editors if you aspire to a traditional book deal, or hiring an editor and then self-publishing, no one can read your book if it's not available. This doesn't mean rushing things. Take your time to write, revise, edit, and polish your book to a high gloss. But if writing and all that goes into making a complete novel is Step #1, make sure you eventually push yourself to do Step 2). Put it out there. 

Which step are you on? Any tips for those struggling with Step 2?

Longhand versus Laptop

Up until now, I've written my novels solely via laptop. Sure, I've mapped out outlines, ideas, and characters in a notebook (okay, so I have notebooks everywhere, and it might be an addiction, but that's a different post), but the actual writing has taken place at my computer. Then I had something weird happen a few weeks ago.

(NOTE: This is not the actual pen used, but I am SO getting this pen one day!)

I had a client need to reschedule an appointment at work, which left me with an entire hour of writing time--except that my laptop was at home. For some reason, I pulled out my legal pad rather than the cute flowered notebooks I usually carry, and decided to write a chapter. The words flew onto the page, and when I typed them into the computer that night, I'd written almost 3K words...in an hour. For me, that's a lotta words, and even though I took shorthand in high school, I also took typing, so I couldn't believe how fast I was. The other strange part was that when I went back the next day to edit, it required way less editing than usual. In the next two days, I easily wrote two more chapters that way. I know there are studies out there about enhanced neural activity and increased memory capacity in writing versus typing, but I'd never tried it out for myself.


Summer with the kiddos has challenged my writing time, but my goal for this week is to get 10K words completed, because I'm excited to finish my new book...and because my agent is waiting patiently for it.;)

Have you tried writing in longhand versus typing? Anyone else notice a difference?

Oh, and Happy July 4th! The Wednesday Query Critique will be back next Wed. 7/11 on my personal blog.

Everybody's Got One

A secret that is. Everyone’s got a secret. What were you thinking?

One of my favorite filmmaking tips is as the director, to give each actor a secret about their character. One they can’t share with anyone, but will inform everything they do in every scene.

Secrets can add depth and subtext to a scene that might otherwise be merely functional, or ordinary. For (a poor) example: A character who is hiding a fear of heights, might try to convince his crush not to hike up to a popular make out spot on a cliff despite wanting desperately to make out with her.

While it works really well in film where we can both see an actor’s face, and hear their change in tone when responding to an innocuous request, I think it can also work well in a novel.

You probably already know your main characters darkest secrets, and maybe even some of their love interest’s or antagonist’s, but what about everyone else? This ties in with my previous post “Why Are You Here?” about every character having a reason to be where they are in every scene.

In this case, having a secret can help give conversations between characters more depth and realism. If you know a character’s secret, it will color everything they do and say. It will make the world feel more real, because the people in it are real. It might even change your main character’s or the reader’s opinion of the character, and that can be used to your advantage when working on stories with mysteries. (And I believe every story should have a mystery, even if it’s not a mystery story, but that’s a whole ‘nother post!)

I would bet that if you’ve gotten pretty far into writing the book, that most of your characters already have a secret, you just haven’t picked up on it because you’ve been too busy forwarding the story. If you’re just starting your book, or you haven’t seen your characters dropping any hints, try giving them one and see if it perks up one of your lackluster scenes, or changes the way your characters view each other. You might just make a discovery or two!

What about you, do you give your characters secrets? What are some of the ways you add subtext and depth?

My Guest Post over at Rainy of the Dark

If you haven't checked out my guest post over at Rainy of the Dark, head on over: When the Writing Gets Tough, The Tough Get Writing...eventually. Thanks to Rainy for having me! :)

Reading Across Genres

I'm sure you've heard how important it is to read widely in the genre you write. For instance, if you write young adult (YA), you should read a truckload of it to know the expectations and nuances of the genre. YA is typically faster-paced and more action-oriented than say, literary book club fiction. There are always exceptions but you should at least know the rules before you break them. Reading is crucial if you want to progress as a writer. Even Stephen King mentions that he reads as much as he writes during a day.

I agree completely with this, but I'm also in favor of reading outside your genre as well. Though I write YA, I just finished The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht (loved it), and am about to start The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach for my book club. I think reading widely allows you to gain more perspective and opens up new possibilities for your writing. Several women in my book club just read 50 Shades of Grey, and though I'm not sure I want to read quite that widely, I admire their resolve to read mommy porn across genres. ;)

What about you? Do you often read outside of your chosen genre? What was the last book you loved that wasn't in the genre you write?

How to Attain Your Writing Goals

One of the many hats I wear is that of a certified life coach where I assist clients in reaching certain goals (e.g. losing weight, changing careers, finding a partner). I've had several clients whose goals were to publish a book and thought I'd share how general coaching tips apply to this specific goal.

1) Break down your goal into smaller, manageable steps. I like to use the metaphor of mountain climbing--when you stare up at the top of the mountain from the bottom, it can seem like it will take forever to get there and you might be too intimidated to even try. If you focus instead of taking "x steps at a time," you will soon find yourself halfway up the mountain and feel more empowered and confident that you will reach the top. To relate this to writing, if your stated goal is only "Write a novel," you may not know where to start and feel overwhelmed, so the key is to break the large goal into smaller steps.
Better goal: Write 1,000 words per day (or one chapter per week, etc.)
The important thing is to make the goal manageable for you in order to set yourself up for success, and to always include a time frame to push you to reach the goal. When I'm doing a first draft, I set a minimum goal per day which helps me to crank it out.

2) Focus on what you can control. Say you have a goal of wanting to lose weight and your only stated goal is to lose 25 pounds. So many things can impact your daily weight that this goal leaves a lot out of your control, but if you focus on what is within your control, you might come up with a goal of exercising 5 times per week and cutting out refined sugar (NOTE: this goal also incorporates step 1). With writing, your goal might be to "Get an agent" or get published but that is also (sadly) not under your control. What is in your control is writing the best query and book you can, and then researching the industry.
Better goal: Submit 5 queries per week to agents that represent my genre.

3) Surround yourself with supportive people. I once worked with a client who was trying to lose weight, and she complained about a friend who kept pushing french fries at her. This "friend" was not supportive of her goals and frequently attempted to sabotage her. You are more likely to succeed in anything if you have a supportive person at your side. For writers, this might be your critique group, blog friends, spouse, family, etc. If someone is telling you that writing isn't a "real" job or puts down your goals, run away as fast as you can!

I'm also a motivational quote nut and hand out a sheet of my favorites to clients at their first session, so I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

"Whether a man thinks he can, or thinks he cannot--he is right." - Henry Ford

Have you tried any of these yourself? Any other tips that you've found helpful with your writing goals?

Giving Your Characters A Little Perspective

I consider myself many things: writer, mother, small business owner, wife, dog lover, etc. One unexpected label I earned last week was World Class Laundry Folder (those who follow me on Twitter already know this--and that Carolina Valdez Miller is my long lost laundry twin). My 7-year-old son's teacher had assigned an essay in which they had to write about someone who was special to them and why that person was special. Though honored that my son chose me, I was floored when his teacher told me the reason why was my ability to fold "not one, but two loads of laundry at once." Seriously. She thought it was hilarious. Of all the things he could have picked, it wasn't my ability to whip up a mean man-n-cheese or my willingness to repeatedly lose to him in Wii Olympic Snowboarding (I don't try to lose by the way--I just suck at it). No, it was my folding expertise that awed him. I even asked, "You know mommy's a psychologist right, and that I help people." He responded, "Yeah, but you're really good at folding."

[NOTE: These are not my actual folded towels, because I can fold circles around whoever folded these.]

I realized that from his perspective, he's never seen me "be a psychologist" or interact with clients. He sees me, well, folding. I am going somewhere with this. Every person in your life has a slightly different perspective about you based on their own interactions with you, as well as their own 'personal lens' or way in which they view the world. How we see ourselves doesn't always match up with how other people see us. This can be tricky when writing, especially with first person POV. The writer must be able to convey how each character views the main character (MC) solely based on the dialogue and expressions of those other characters.

Unlike the MC in a first person POV, where we are literally 'inside their head', we don't know the thoughts of the secondary characters--only what they say and do. This isn't always a bad thing. For instance, it's a great way to add in conflict, such as when the MC misunderstands the actions or words of other characters and drama/comedy/murder ensues. However, it also demonstrates the need to understand each of your secondary characters really well before you get them down on virtual paper. The 'lens' of the best friend will be different than that of the potential love interest and the sworn frenemy, etc. You want each character to be three-dimensional and believable to the reader. In my last book, several people told me how much they loved one of the secondary characters--I loved him too, so it made me happy that others found him 'real.'


How do you make sure all of your secondary characters are three-dimensional? How do you give them unique perspective?


Now if you'll excuse me, I have some laundry to fold. Check back tomorrow when I'm starting a weekly query critique giveaway over on my personal blog! :)

All It Takes Is One Yes

As writers, we've heard this saying many times--at least I have. Those words kept me going, especially during the times that I wanted to hurl my manuscript at the wall, or chuck it entirely, in order to finally start that epic vampire space monkey series. Luckily, we unpublished writers tend to be a persistent bunch. We keep going and persevere despite the brutal work hours, non-existent pay, and lack of a 401(k). Our love of writing and the amazing support from fellow writers power us through the ups and downs of this crazy business.

"All it takes is one yes," is true, and sometimes that yes turns into more than one yes, and your world turns upside down in the span of twenty-four hours, and it feels like it's all happening so fast, when in reality, it wasn't fast at all. It was years--years of blood, sweat, tears, and words. Drafted words. Edited words. Revised words. Deleted words. So remind yourself of this phrase as often as necessary. Keep working, keep writing, and keep revising, and most importantly, "Never give up!" You'll never get that "yes" if you quit.

I will kick off 2012 with my official "How I Got My Agent" story, and my awesome agent will be doing a Q & A on the blog as well. My blog Sisters have some exciting things brewing as well, and I can't wait for them to share with you. We here at Sisters in Scribe will be taking a brief holiday break from now until after the New Year. We wish you all a wonderful holiday season, and an amazing 2012! :) 

   

The Problem of Being a Visual Writer

I literally dream my book ideas. They play out like movies in my head while I sleep--vivid, engaging movies that makes me say "Whoa, cool," when I awake (because I can't speak more than two words until I've had coffee). The problem comes when I try to translate said dreams onto paper (er, laptop).

I tend to write more like a screenwriter. I hear the sounds happening around the scene and see the exact spot where the light filters through the trees, just like in the dream. I have the picture so clear in my head that I don't always feel the need to translate it, as though my reader should be psychic. A beta reader will make a comment about something they didn't understand, and I'm like "Well, clearly the intergalactic space station is perpendicular to the planet, which is why the three suns rise in the formation of a isosceles triangle." Okay, it's not that bad but you get the point.

Then, I came across this great article by Patricia Wrede. She talks about how writing a scene is different than filming it, and though you can never make it read the way it would be filmed, you can have an enormous impact by how you write it. It's something I'm still working on, and I found this article really helpful.

Has anyone read this article? Anyone else out there a visual writer?   

Retreat Fatigue

Next week, I'll be posting all the details (and hopefully pics) of the best writing-related thing I've done in my life. Due to averaging 4 hours of sleep for the past 5 nights, then being snowed in at the retreat yesterday and getting home later than expected, I'm way too tired to write coherently at the moment. I can say that the other writers and editors/agents I spent 6 days with are some of the coolest people in the universe. If you ever get the chance to go to a retreat, I highly recommend this one, hosted by Cicily Janus. Okay, off to drink more coffee and/or try to talk my kids into playing Sleeping Beauty--I can sleep while they try to wake "the princess." Think it will work? 

Scrivener Heaven

I finally bought it for my Mac! I'll admit I'm not even halfway through the tutorial and have a lot o' learning to do before I'll feel comfortable with it, but it's SO cool. You can create a separate "file" for each chapter so that you can move sections of your manuscript around, which should make revisions/edits much easier (hey, a girl can dream, can't she?). The virtual corkboard is also something I can't wait to try out, even though I'm more pantster than plotter. You can test drive Scrivener here for 30 days free.

As my blog Sisters know, I'm not the most technology-proficient person in the word (e.g. I still don't know how to do much on my smartphone, aside from, um, calling people). But this program seems so intuitive and fun that I might actually get the hang of it sooner rather than later.

Anyone else out there use it? What's your favorite feature? Any tips for a newbie?

Top 5 Things an Agent Looks for in a Query Letter

I attended Writer's Fest this past weekend, which happened to be held at my all-time favorite bookstore, The Tattered Cover in LoDo (lower downtown for you non-Denverites). It was jam-packed with writerly folks (as in standing room only) when intern Anita Mumm from Nelson Literary Agency took the stage. NOTE: For anyone not following Kristin Nelson's blog, Pub Rants, stop now and go follow it...but come back. Anita discussed the "Top 5 things They are Looking for in a Query Letter," as well as what they're hoping to see more of at their agency:

1) Is the book the right genre? This seems obvious, but Anita said the audience would be surprised how many queries she receives for genres they don't represent. This agency reps commercial fiction, literary fiction, women's fiction, young adult, middle, grade, SF/F and memoir. Bottom Line: Do your homework before submitting.

2) Strong Voice. Ah, that elusive voice. It's hard to define but every agent knows it when they see it. Basically, the voice of the query should reflect the voice of the book (e.g. a humorous book should have humor in the query).

3) Is it a hot topic? They're looking for the "next big thing," and Anita joked that this does not mean vampires. Specifically, the Nelson Agency is seeking dystopian, post-apocalyptic, steam punk, sci-fi/fantasy, contemporary YA romance, Southern fiction, MG and YA with a strong boy MC, MG horror (seriously), and the more broad "strong literary fiction with a commercial bent."

4) Is the query concise but thorough? They want to see your plot summarized in a clear and understandable way. If the query is sloppy, they'll know the book is likely to be as well. Make sure to include relevant publishing history and note why you are querying the agency. However, Anita cautioned not to overdo the flattery. Stating that you met one of them at a conference or follow Kristin's blog is more professional than "You're the best agent that ever existed, and I'm naming my first born after you."

5) Is the author confident? There's a fine line between arrogance and being too humble, but they want to see that you have confidence in yourself and your work. On one hand, you don't want to say "I'm the next Stephen King and you'd be an idiot not to take me." (NOTE: this was a literal sentence Anita received in a query) I don't even consider that arrogance--I consider it being a jackass, but Anita is more polite than me. On the other hand, what she sees WAY more of is the opposite end of the spectrum. Things like "I've never published anything, but hope you'll consider me anyway" or "This is my first query letter, so please forgive my mistakes." Again, even if you're not published (like *cough* me *cough*), you want to project confidence in your work. 

Anita also conducted a sample pitch session of what not to do, which was highly entertaining. Note: when asked how long your ms is, your answer should never sound anything like "Well, I have 30,000 words written so far." For more on how to pitch, see our earlier post here.

Hope this is helpful and happy querying!

Clichés - They Sneak Up On You

So this week I'm pointing you to an awesome post on Avoiding Melodrama by Writing Deeper from Adventures in Children's Publishing.

This post is one of the best I've seen on explaining melodrama and cliché, and how you might be using them without even realizing it. Need proof? Here's the opening quote for the post. It literally stopped me dead in my tracks and lightbulbs went on when I re-read and absorbed it.

"Beware of clichés. Not just the ­clichés that Martin Amis is at war with. There are clichés of response as well as expression. There are clichés of observation and of thought – even of conception. Many novels, even quite a few adequately written ones, are ­clichés of form which conform to clichés of expectation." ~ Geoff Dyer

What are you waiting for? Go. Read. Learn.

Skiing and Writing Part II

Around this time last year, I described my weekend skiing experience, which could best be summed up as:

I've spent a year waiting to redeem myself and trying to live down the jokes about calling ski patrol from a GREEN RUN. For those who don't know skiing, green runs are easy. Really easy. For example, this weekend my 6-yo described the green runs as "boring, baby runs," and went off on the non-baby blue runs. Whatever. I'm not going to say I made it past a green run this year...BUT there were no calls to ski patrol, and there was not a single time when I resembled the above picture. It's all about the baby steps, and I'm a better skier than I was last year, which brings me to writing. I'm also a better writer when I was last year. No, the magical writing fairy did not visit me. But here are three similarities I've found between skiing and writing.

1) Learning from the experts makes a difference. I shelled out money for several writing conferences last year in order to learn more about my craft. They were worth every single penny. When I went skiing this weekend, I spent money on a private lesson. I learned more in an hour and a half than in the past ten times I've been on skies. If money is tight, there are a ton of writing-related blogs and agent blogs that have a wealth of information at your fingertips.

2) You have to fall to get better. This may be just me, but sometimes you have to let yourself make mistakes in order to grow. One of my biggest struggles with skiing (besides staying upright) was making parallel turns, instead of the pizza wedge turns I normally use to snowplow my way down the mountain. This is the first year I've been able to do them, thanks to my wonderful ski instructor. But in order to do them, I had to play with the edges of my skis, and the first time I tried it, I fell. That fall taught me a ton as I finally understood the technique, and made real parallel turns after it. In writing, you have to give yourself permission to write that terrible first draft, include enough adverbs to make Stephen King cringe, and have so many "just"'s in your manuscript that your FIND function explodes. It's okay. "Just" use your mistakes as learning experiences, rather than seeing them as failures.


3) Comparing yourself to others is not helpful. Sure, I could dwell on the fact that my 6-yo has been skiing twice and can already ski circles around me. Or the fact that my hubby (who also skies better than me), decided to try snowboarding this year only to have his instructor tell him that he was the fastest learner she's seen in all the years she's given lessons. Whatever. I could also obsess over writers who only had to send out five query letters and got five offers of representation. Or published their first book and made a gazillion dollars on sparkly vampires. The only comparison you need to worry about is with yourself. Are you better than you were last year? Are you making progress? I'm continuing to grow in both skiing and writing. Would I love to be able to hang with my son on the blue runs next year? Absolutely. Would I love to be able to say I have a book coming out in the next year. Yep. But I know I'll get there. One step at a time.

What baby steps have you taken this year, either in writing or any challenging recreational activities? 

3 Common Mistakes I Found While Judging a Writing Contest

I was honored when asked to return as a judge to a regional writing contest this year. After judging for several years, I've noticed a trend in things that I've found with contest entries. And let me start off by saying that it's WAY easier to judge than to write. Just because I observed these things in the writing of others doesn't mean that I'm not guilty of doing them myself. As anyone in a critique group knows, it's easy to be objective about a book...when it's someone else's book!

Here are the 3 most common mistakes I found:

1) Starting the story in the wrong place. In the contest entries I reviewed, the writer often started out by showing the MC (main character) in their ordinary world before getting to what made the story unique. The result was, well, ordinary. This isn't the place for the character to sit and reflect on their life, or to start a normal day. Cut this part out and get to the unusual part. If you don't hook the reader in the first paragraph, you probably won't, and you definitely won't hook them by describing how the MC brushes their teeth. (NOTE: None of the contest entries began with a character brushing their teeth--or any other body parts. Any examples are fabricated entirely by moi.)

2) Telling instead of showing. This is something that every single writer out there has struggled with at one time or another. If you haven't, please leave a comment below and let us know your secret.
Telling: Jack was so angry that he threw his glass of orange juice at me, then emphatically stormed out the door which slammed loudly behind him.
Showing: Jack's hand tightened around his glass of orange juice. I ducked as the glass shattered against the wall. "There's your daily dose of Vitamin C," he said as he walked out the door. (Not perfect but you get the idea)

3) Over-writing. Adding multiple modifiers to your sentence does not make it stronger. In fact, excess adjectives and adverbs take away from the impact of what you're trying to convey. Remember Stephen King's quote, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." It's a case where less is more. (TIP: use the FIND function in Word to search for -ly words. This catches a ton of adverbs)
Over-writing: The scorching, sizzling sun blazed brilliantly overhead, causing a cascade of sweat to drip down my already overheated body.
Simplified version: It's flippin' hot out.

Do any of these ring a bell with you? Any other common errors you've noticed in your own first drafts?

The Subjective Point of View and Narrative Distance

I came across two amazing posts this week that were too good not to share. These are must-reads for the writers out there, and I highly recommend following these women (I mean following their blogs, not following them--that would be creepy) .


Juliette Wade of the Talk To YoUniverse blog wrote an amazing post about expressing a character's judgment using evidential adverbs and modal verbs. When I wrote the first draft of my first YA, I was guilty of using a lot of the "she saw" or "she felt" descriptors. This post breaks in down in a simple and understandable way.

Janice Hardy from The Other Side of the Story discusses narrative distance in your POV, and the pitfalls of using distant and close POV's. I learned a lot of this through trial and error writing my first two novels--one in a much more distant POV  than the other. I think narrative distance is partly a matter of personal preference, but I'm much happier with my new novel which is written in a close POV.   

COOL CONTEST ALERT:
Also, totally unrelated, but too awesome a contest not to mention: the uber-amazing Nathan Bransford is hosting a first paragraph contest of epic proportions. The winner will get a partial critique by his equally amazing agent, Catherine Drayton of Inkwell Management AND a signed advance copy of Nathan's book, JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW. (NOTE: There are already approximately one bazillion entries, but someone has to win, so give it a shot!)

The Steps from Completed Manuscript to Published Book

Today I'm going to direct you to a list of steps (25 no less!) that are the process through which your book goes from fledgling manuscript to published book. It's over at the amazing Guide to Literary Agents blog and is provided by literary agent, Regina Brooks, of Serendipity Literary.

The list demonstrates (a little too well) that writing the book is only the first of many steps in becoming a published author. But the remaining 24 steps can't happen without that first big one. I'm on Step #3--my new manuscript is in the hands of my awesome critique partners, and I can't wait to revise it. My question for the day: Which step are you on right now?