Progress Report

Here it is twenty days into National Novel Writing Month and I've written about 12,000 words. Not even halfway there yet and I know I won’t make the 50,000 mark. Joining gave me a not so gentle push back into my writing and I’ve made headway in my novel, but…

Something happened while I was writing. My original outline changed drastically. Don’t they always? Writing is rewriting. here's what happened; a minor character, I had killed off in the outline came back to life and now has a staring role.

Sometimes I think novels write themselves. I had no say in the matter. The character made the decision to live. When it happened, I composed a timeline for him and I must admit the plot is stronger and much more interesting.

Am I the only one who thinks November is an awkward month to hold the novel writing event? My garden required massive attention before frost threatened to freeze the plants. A few early Christmas parties took up several evenings and renovating the basement took priority.

I’m enjoying the pep talks on the NaNo website and intend to keep writing. My motto has always been quality before quantity and I would rather have 25,000 good words than 50,000 gobbledygook words.

Many thanks to my writing buddy, Sue Malarkey, for talking me into joining.

Novel Writing Inspiration

Because I write very detailed outlines, I am not the kind of writer who usually gets stuck in the middle of plots, but am I a slow writer, so signing up for the National Novel Writing Month never occurred to me. I have known several writers who’ve signed up and completed 50,000 words in past years. Writing 1,666 words every day for 30 days straight sounds easy, but I have my doubts.

I was chatting with my friend, Sue, this morning. She has signed up for Nano and encouraged me to try it. Maybe it’s the nudge I need to get me back into the flow of writing daily. Let's face it, I need more than a nudge. A kick in the pants, perhaps.

During the summer, I stopped writing my current novel to edit a completed novel that I had evaluated by an editor and now I need to get back into my unfinished novel.

Will I be inspired to write 50,000 words in 30 days? Well, that's the plan. I have about 125 pages written so far and, of course, another 50,000 words won’t be enough to finish the novel, but I hope it inspires me to keep going.

That seems to be the point of NaNoWriMo. Get writing, keep writing and share your experience with thousands of other writers.  

COMMUNICATION LESSONS

I remember growing up in Willowdale, Ontario in the ‘60s as a simpler time. There were no personal computers or cell phones and communicating with friends happened by writing letters. Of course we had a telephone and, as I recall, we had a party line, which was cheaper than a private line. Our party line family spoke Italian and I would listen in on their chattering, not knowing what they were saying.

During summers at the cottage in Muskoka, several families shared a phone line. Different rings were assigned to each cottage. I think ours was two short rings. I would send postcards home to my father who worked in Toronto Monday to Friday and joined us on weekends. I found a few of those childish postcards in a drawer after my father’s death.

Letters took about a day to arrive across the city and we eagerly anticipated a visit from the postman. Today’s methods of communication are immediate and intrusive. People are too easily accessible. Cell phones ring and people answer them, regardless of where they are or what they’re doing. Whatever happened to the days when people had to wait to communicate with friends and family? Patience seems to be a thing of the past.

I’ve changed with the times and I find myself opening my email account, anticipating chatty messages from friends across the globe. It’s not quite as exciting as receiving a letter by mail, but I still look forward to it. Easier communication methods have made us lazy. No longer do we sit down with pretty paper and inscribe our thoughts with ink. Fewer written letters have reduced the need for proper writing skills. Modern test scores prove that current students’ writing skills are far below that of their 1960s counterparts.

Though rarely face-to-face, people are socializing more. Fifty years ago, culture encouraged modesty and humility. Social networks make us feel important. We share our entire lives online without knowing who is scrutinizing us. Am I the only one who finds this creepy? 

We can chat online via Skype and see each other. We have three-way connections and hand-free phones. Every year something new comes out and everyone rushes to buy the latest gadget. I will admit the computer is far superior to a typewriter and cell phones make me feel safer while driving at night alone, but sometimes I think that progress is moving too fast. I want to slow down and ignore the world around me.

Will today’s technology seem outdated fifty years from now? Of course it will, but thankfully I won’t be here to see it.

Does Your Novel Need a Professional Edit?

Knowing when your manuscript needs a professional editor’s blue pen isn’t always easy. Most writers, myself included, take months, if not years to write a novel. We share it with a writers’ circle and self-edit until we believe it’s as good as it can be.

Then the scary part of querying agents begins. When the concept and sample chapters attract an agent, I happily send my novel off, crossing my fingers and praying that this is the agent who will sign my manuscript to a contract and find a publishing house.

I finished my novel at the beginning of the year and queried between thirty and forty agents. Several asked for partials and one wanted the whole manuscript, but conflicting responses left me confused. I’ve published short stories in well-known magazines in the United Kingdom and won a contest or two so I know my writing is good.

One agent loved the back story, but not the current, while another agent loved the current story, but not the back story. What to do? My novel is a dual time-frame plot with the back story taking place in 1812 Upper Canada and the current story revolving around the descendents of the 1812 characters. 

I decided I needed a fresh pair of eyes and looked for a freelance editor. Since I live near Toronto, I wanted to stay close to home and looked up The Editors’ Association of Canada. My first attempt failed when an editor kept my manuscript for about three weeks and then emailed me to say he was too busy to do the work. He refunded my money and I had to start over. Almost a month wasted.

My second try worked like a charm. I hired Allister Thompson, who quoted me a very reasonable fee. We agreed he would get back to me in a month with a substantive edit and we signed a contract. He kept in touch while he was editing my work and finished in three weeks. He charged less than his quote and sent my evaluation by email.

I admit I was nervous while I read his evaluation, but he assured me that I have the skill to write compelling fiction. He said my characters were well-drawn and the plot interesting. That was the good news. He went on to say that, my manuscript was too long and he suggested I get rid of one character. He included several pages of general impressions and a chapter-by-chapter breakdown, which helped me decide which scenes to keep and which ones needed cutting or editing.

I wrote back and thanked him before I got down to the complicated task of yet another major revision. It wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. By eliminating that one minor character, I got rid of one hundred pages. It took me about a month to complete my revision and I’m thrilled with the final effort.

If your manuscript is having trouble finding an agent, perhaps it’s time to get the opinion of a professional editor. It can’t hurt.    

Life Gets in the Way

I haven't posted anything lately for several reasons. Like the title says, life gets in the way and I've been taking a break from writing. No, I haven't been suffering from writer's block or procrastination. My other half has been ill for the past year with a rash that drove both of us crazy. Doctors just kept prescribing expensive creams that sometimes helped and most often did not. 

After insisting that he be referred to a dermatologist, he had a chunk of skin cut out of his arm and analyzed. Another month went by before we got the diagnosis--Lupus. I think we were in shock for a few days while we processed this information. Of course I went on-line and read everything I could about the disease. 

Fortunately, Lupus can be managed and, because he's had it for at least a year, the waiting period of six to twelve months for a Rheumatologist has been reduced to one month. 

Now that we know what he has and, he can manage the disease with diet and medication, I can get back to my writing. I've been keeping a journal with all my thoughts, prayers and feelings during this time and it's helped get me through a dark period of our life. From fiction to non-fiction, writing can be a form of therapy.

When Good Novel Outlines Go Bad

I work long and hard on my novel outlines, making sure the main character has a goal to work towards, rising action and challenges before a crisis propels the story towards a satisfactory climax.

So why does it surprise me when I find myself wavering off course? I'm determined to finish the first draft without looking back at what I've written, but that came to a halt the other day when I realized my main character was taking a backseat behind the antagonist.

Actually, the antagonist began as the protagonist since he will be in all four books of the series. It made sense while I was writing the outline, but while reading the first draft scenes to my trusted colleagues in our writers' circle, they reminded me who needs to be the main character in the first novel.

Taking two steps back, I realize they're right. Now what? I've written 150 pages. After pondering the problem for a few days, I decide all I need to do is rearrange the chapters, bringing the new protagonist to the beginning of the novel. Easily done since I never use chapter numbers in the first draft. 

Now I feel satisfied with the written chapters, but what about the rest of the outline? I've added notes on the outline where the changes will happen. Should I forge ahead and resolve the holes that crop up as I write or should I take the time to rewrite the outline? What's a writer to do?

Inspirational Quotes From Notable Authors

I was cleaning out the cupboard below one of my book shelves when I came across an old notebook containing famous people's quotes I've copied over the years. Some of them are from best-selling authors. I've always wondered if authors of classic novels had an easier time writing than I do. Apparently not, according to some of the quotes in my notebook.

Most of my stories begin with a character and then the 'what ifs' come into play. 

          Find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!
         Ray Bradbury

Good advice and here's another one.

          I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.
        Stephen King

Beginning to write a new story or novel can be daunting. Figuring out where to set it, what goal to give the main character and keeping the plot on course can slow us down.


          Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good.
          William Faulkner

          To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.
          Herman Melville

Sometimes we get lost in the writing process, but giving up isn't an option.

          Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
          E. L. Doctorow

It's important to surround yourself with supportive family and friends. Encouragement and praise is something writers feed on.

          It is the writer who might catch the imagination of young people, and plant a seed that will flower and come to fruition.
          Isaac Asimov

What could be harder than writing? Editing, of course.


          Half my life is an act of revision.
        John Irving

Only half! Self-editing is a never ending chore. When is a manuscript good enough to send out?

          It is perfectly okay to write garbage, as long as you edit brilliantly.
         C. J. Cherryh

           I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within.
           Gustave Flaubert 

It's difficult to know what length the manuscript will be when all your little gems have been written down.


          Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long time to make it short.
        Henry David Thoreau

Some (or should I say many?) writers have a primary career and writing is a hobby. Finding your title on the Best Seller's list is usually just a dream. 

          It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous.
          Robert Benchley

Wherever a writer goes, people are always amazed when they learn what you do. 

          People on the outside think there's something magical about writing, that you go up to the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn't like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that's all there is to it.
          Harlan Ellison

And a few final words of inspiration.

          If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn't matter a damn how you write.
          Somerset Maugham  

NOT A BOOK REVIEW

We were out and about this afternoon, doing a few chores and picking up some groceries at Costco. I love to peruse their book section and where else can you buy new releases for almost half the cover prices? I already own The Painted Girl by Cathy Marie Buchanan, so I kept shuffling along, dodging around shopping carts and children nagging their parents for toys and snacks.

And then I saw it--The Accursed, by Joyce Carol Oates. JCO is one of my favourite authors. Who can deny the brilliance of The Gravedigger's Daughter and We Were the Mulvaneys? 

The jacket blurb of The Accursed sounded promising with its Gothic setting, vampires and ghosts set in the early 1900s, but still I hesitated. 

You see, I'd given up vampire literature. I have nothing against vampires. Some of my favourite characters have fangs. One of the best novels I devoured in a couple of sittings was Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice. I read it when it was first published in 1976. I was young and impressionable and there hadn't been any novel like it since Bram Stoker's Dracula. 

I'm sorry to say that vampires have been overwritten and oversold ever since Anne Rice opened the door to modern vampirism.

But there was still something about The Accursed that intrigued me. I loved the cover art and the 600 pages didn't deter me since I love long, historical novels with multiple viewpoints and supernatural elements. My gut feeling told me to buy it, but I didn't, mostly because my hubby hates shopping and he was waiting, not so patiently, with the shopping cart. When we got home I hurried to my computer and looked up The Accursed and discovered that it's a revised and retitled edition of The Crosswicks Horror, which is on my list of must reads.

Thirty years ago, Joyce Carol Oates wrote a sequence of five Gothic novels. Bellefleur, 1980, became a bestseller, but the next two, A Bloodsmoor Romance 1982 and Mysteries of Winterthurn, 1984, were less successful and the final two, The Crosswicks Horror and My Heart Laid Bare, were not published. 

Joyce Carol Oates revised My Heart Laid Bare and it was published in 1998, and now she has revised and retitled The Crosswicks Horror. 

So I've been bitten by the vampire craze once again and I'll be returning to Costco in the very near future to buy The Accursed.

THE LAST HURRAH OF WINTER

The ground is covered with snow that has hardened to ice, but tomorrow is predicted to be the start of winter thaw. I'm looking forward to seeing tulip buds and hyacinths peeking out of the ground and exploring the back garden to see what has survived and what will require my attention. The garden hides her secrets during the winter months and reveals them one by one as the snow melts and the sun rejuvenates the dormant foliage.

It's my daily custom to feed birds and squirrels from a box, hanging on the branch of a birch tree and, occasionally, I am rewarded by the call of a bluejay or cardinal. My office window overlooks the backyard and these small wildlife offerings help brighten the loneliness of a writer's life. 

I've spent the morning catching up on chores and making a To-do list for the week. Here it is early afternoon and I haven't started on my list, but a fresh page awaits my attention. 

I think it's important during the cold months of the year to create a serene space where my creative juices are able to flow and not freeze like the landscape outside my window. I keep cherished knickknacks close by and my pens are stored in a blue china mug on my desk. A framed Monet print of water lilies and a vision board, showcasing cards and photographs of  people and places I love, share one wall, while the other walls are hidden behind white bookshelves crammed with favorite volumes that have all been read several times.

My writing room is constantly changing to accommodate new favorite items that give me pleasure and help to inspire the inner writer in me.

What are some of the things that inspire your writing?

PRODUCTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT FOR WRITERS

IS YOUR TO-DO LIST A MILE LONG?
If you’re like me, you probably have several projects on the go and you’re feeling a little overwhelmed. I always thought I was a wizard at multitasking, but lately, nothing seems to be getting done at my desk. There are two open files and papers scattered over my desk. There are four pads of paper with notes telling me what needs to be done. Clippings of book reviews remind me that I need to make a trip to the library soon.

I have a long list of To-Do items and some of them I’m looking forward to doing, but I just sit at my desk that’s stacked with folders and lip gloss and nail polish, and procrastinate by refilling my coffee cup and reading the morning paper. Which folder should I start on first?

FOCUS ON ONE THING AT A TIME
It’s so easy to begin one project and put it aside to work on something else, but pretty soon there’s a stack of unfinished work that is demanding your attention. Now you’re wasting time worrying about how and when the work will get done. If the multitasking isn’t working, resort to a more structured method.

If writing is your main means of earning money, and even if it isn’t, make sure your friends and family know that there are certain times you won’t be available to chat or help with homework or bake chocolate chip cookies. Writing is work or should I say hard work?

GET HELP
Outsource some of your non-writing tasks such as housework, shopping, cooking, etc to others. Close your office door, hang up a DO NOT DISTURB sign and let the message machine pick up your calls so you can get to work. But first you need to do a few things. Take a look at your desk. Can you actually see the surface?  Remove anything that doesn’t need to be there including the dust. We’ll do it together.


Great, now I have a clean working space in front of me with no distractions. Just the notes that I wrote this morning for this post are in front of me and I will complete this task before I move on to something else.

PLAN IN ADVANCE
Make a To-Do list and start with the most pressing project, the one that has a deadline or will bring in some cash. If there aren’t any deadlines, start with the easiest task and work your way up to the more complicated ones. I don’t like to plan too far ahead so I don’t make monthly schedules. Weekly and daily schedules work better for me. Make sure you keep that list and all the associated files hidden from view while you’re working. They’re just a daunting reminder of the 101 things that need to be done. Concentrate on one thing at a time. It’s called SINGLE HANDLING. If you’ve been writing for a while you’ll know how long each project should take. Allot a specific amount of time for each task on your schedule, but add extra time for glitches.

GROUP SIMILAR TASKS TOGETHER
If you have several posts to write for blogs, or query letters to editors and literary agents, do them one after another. Working on similar tasks will keep you in that frame of mind and the work will flow quickly. If one task is long, like writing a novel, break it down into smaller chunks.

Writing may be the main part of our daily efforts, but there are other facets to writing that are just as important. Editing and marketing take up a great deal of time and need to be on the To-Do list.  

Allot a specific amount of time to answer emails, organize or research. Taking a trip into the internet can turn into a maze of clicking from one site to another and, before you know it, the day is over. Use a timer if you usually get distracted. Give yourself enough time to message friends and co-workers, and then get started on the real work.

LEARN TO SAY NO
Are you the one who always gets drafted into helping others? That was me until a few years ago. I didn’t like to disappoint people, but since I’m not the type to ask for help, my favors were rarely reciprocated. If the favor doesn’t compensate you financially and it will eat into your writing time, think before you say yes. One way to stop the good deeds is to charge money for your time. Just say, “I’d love to help you, but if it’s during my working schedule, I charge so much an hour.” My guess is you won’t be asked to do favors anytime soon.

 
There are three things on my list that I need to do today. The first is to write this blog. I can cross that one off. And next I must critique novel chapters for two writers from my writing circle. Once I track the changes and comments, I’ll send them off, one to Florida where a member spends her winters (lucky lady) and the other locally.

One thing I know for certain is that my To-Do list will never be finished.

So how do you organize your To-Do list?

HOW TO AVOID A WANDERING FIRST DRAFT

TO PLOT OR NOT TO PLOT

A plot is a daydream that a writer uses to craft a novel. Many books have been written on how to write a first draft, how to create interesting characters, how to write natural dialogue and how to beat writer's block, but the one thing the 'HOW TO' books can't agree on is when to plot the novel.

Some books insist that a writer should spend weeks, maybe months, writing a detailed plot, including spreadsheets of characters' descriptions and their backgrounds. The other books suggest that plotting inhibits the creative flow of a novelist. The information is conflicting and confusing. So what should a novice writer do?

A NOVEL IS A JOURNEY 

Why do so many many novice writers never finish their novel? Most writers start out with a two-page outline and run out of steam or ideas or encounter writer's block. Writers must know where their plots are going. If you were taking a long car trip, you wouldn't leave without a detailed map or GPS tracker. A novel is like a journey and if the writer plans in advance, the ride will be much smoother.

The excitement of beginning a novel without an outline can be hazardous to the writing process, sort of like jumping into the deep end of a pool without knowing how to swim.

 WHY PLOT FIRST?

If your memory is a sieve like mine, you may want to get all your ideas on paper before you begin to write your novel. Knowing what is going to happen allows the writing process to flow without stopping to work out any glitches. I don't believe a writer needs fifty to one-hundred outlined pages before they begin to write. I've done that in the past and realized when the novel was finished that I didn't use half of the notes or research I spent months working on.

There's something about jotting down initial plot ideas with a pen and paper that I find stimulating. I love to fill a notebook with ideas, character sketches and research that is relevant to the novel. This is what I use to craft a formal outline in the computer. 

I like to create scenes separately, because it's hard to know how long each chapter will be when it's written. I don't number chapters until I'm finished editing the first draft. So, scene by scene, I draft what I hope will be an outline that takes my characters on a journey that a reader will enjoy. I write a paragraph or two about what happens in each scene. For point of view, I decide which character has the most to gain or lose and detail the conflict he/she encounters.

BEFORE YOU PLOT YOUR NOVEL 

A writer needs to know the characters inside and out. A page describing each character in your notebook will come in handy when you forget what color eyes they have or how tall they are.

You need to know the main character's goal and what obstacles will get in his/her way. What motivates the main character to keep stumbling through hundreds of pages to achieve that goal?

EXPECT TO DEVIATE FROM THE PLOT

There's no such thing as a perfect first draft, but the more plotting and researching you do before writing, the less editing you'll need to do later. It will also allow you to write a manuscript that doesn't end up looking like the dog's dinner during the editing process.

Don't stop writing to make those brilliant changes you suddenly think of or you'll lose momentum. Jot ideas down in your notebook and keep writing until you finish the first draft. Taking the time to craft a scene-by-scene outline will save a writer from abandoning an unfinished novel.

What is your favorite way to plot a novel?   

VALENTINE'S DAY BOOK LIST

In Honour of Valentine's Day

I'd like to pay tribute to a few of my favorite romance books. Romance novels were a big part of my life when I was much younger and I still remember many of the plots and characters. Scarlett O'Hara's headstrong disposition kept me riveted through Gone With the Wind's one thousand pages. The shy and humble unnamed heroine in Rebecca was closer to my personality, but I didn't appreciate her until my adult years. I preferred feisty heroines like Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet.

I especially love historical novels 

They transport me to other places and eras. The first classic romance I read at age twelve was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which was to be the catalyst to a genre that would sweep me away to foreign countries with castles and manor houses and brooding gentlemen, hidden secrets, family curses and sometimes insane wives locked in the attic.

I prefer happy endings, although some of the greatest love stories end tragically. I still have a second edition of Jane Eyre with yellowed pages and black leather binding, which I found in a secondhand bookshop many years ago. Unfortunately the text is underlined with pen (don't blame me) and it isn't worth much, but to read from this volume makes me believe I am part of C. Bronte's world.

The following list of great romance novels is not in order of preference

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Possession by A. S. Byatt
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James



I know I've left a few romance novels off my list 

Anything written by Georgette Heyer and Rosamund Pilcher deserve to be mentioned. I'm sure you've noticed that my list of great romance novels does not include books with vampires and werewolves. Please don't judge me. I really do love horror novels, but my list is for human lovers only.

Since my adolescent years I have held a fascination for Pre-Raphaelite artists and poets, probably because they represent Gothic romantic themes. Many of the titles on my list are Gothic novels that I never tire of reading. The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott is a poem so I left it off the list, but it's breathtaking.

Do you agree with my list? What is your favorite romance novel of all time? ♥

ELEMENTS OF A GOTHIC NOVEL

It's that time of year when snow is falling and wind is howling through the bare branches outside. I find myself snuggled in a comfy chair, wrapped in a throw blanket, sipping hot tea or wine while I read a Gothic novel. There's something about cold winter nights that draws me into the pages of Gothic books. 

The formula of a good Gothic is a combination of elements. Atmosphere is crucial--the ancient graveyard at night, the crumbling castle or dark mansion, the misty lake, a black dog baying at the moon and gusts of wind blowing out candle flames. A woman in distress, an oppressive male threatening the heroine and a supernatural presence that might include omens, curses or ghosts are essential.

My introduction to Gothic Romance began when I was a young teenager. Staying at a friend's cottage in Muskoka and trapped inside during stormy weather, I discovered rows of leather-bound classic novels on a dusty bookshelf and immersed myself in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I was hooked and went on to devour other Victorian Gothic treasures including, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Even Sherlock Holmes found himself lost on the moors in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.

When I was a few years older, Edgar Allen Poe drew me into darker horror that led me to H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King and Anne Rice. The first Gothic novel is considered to be The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. I'll never know how I missed reading this one, but I'm off to the library today to borrow it. I found a list of the best 250 Gothic Books of all time on goodreads and I was surprised to find that I've read a great many of the titles with the exception of the more recent novels.

Modern Gothic novels continue to delight my love of horror. Susan Hill's ghost novels are short, but frightening. I discovered The Woman in Black many years ago in a secondhand bookstore and read it every winter. Last week I ordered two of her other ghost tales, The Small Hand and Dolly, and the former is wonderful. The Small Hand is similar to The Woman in Black in that it suggests a ghostly child touching the main character in a way that is so creepy I got goosebumps. 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is another favourite novel of mine. Of course I cannot leave out one of the best Gothic horror novels of all time--The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. 

Most of my writing reflects my love of Gothic themes and my bookshelves are filled with novels containing tales of terror and otherworldly thrills. My corner of the world is expecting a storm tonight that is predicted to be the heaviest snowfall in five years. I'm looking forward to my cozy chair, a glass of wine and losing myself in a Gothic novel.

Do you have a favourite Gothic novel?  

EMBRACING REJECTION

IT HAPPENED AGAIN YESTERDAY 
The dreaded rejection letter from a literary agent. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually glad I got a rejection. I realize that literary agents are busy people, but too many of them have resorted to the: I'll only respond to queries that interest me excuse for not writing back. Even a standard rejection message would be appreciated.

AGENTS TELL WRITERS TO BE PROFESSIONAL WHEN SENDING QUERIES, but how professional is it to ignore a business letter asking for representation? And that's exactly what a query letter is--a business letter from someone who has been writing their novel for several years and taken the time to research agents who have signed clients with similar books. More and more agents are accepting email only queries and the SASE has become obsolete. Like most writers I keep a detailed list of agents that I have queried. The list consists of the date the query was sent, the agency, where they are located, the agent's name and if the query contained sample pages and/or a synopsis. As soon as I hear back, I write down the date and add YES or NO. YES, if they've requested a sample or whole manuscript and NO if it has been rejected. I have to admit that more than half of the list is filled with question marks.

A literary agent who I sent a query to last September (five months ago) had requested 30 pages. I didn't hear back and placed a red question mark after her name on the list. Out of the blue, the other day, I received an email from her apologizing that she had kept the query so long and she would have an answer for me in a week. I suppose she was wondering if I was still looking for an agent and I wrote back to thank her for her message. I told her that in the interim I had made some changes to the manuscript and developed a stronger platform.

THE MARKETS ARE CLOSING FOR NEW WRITERS
Most large publishing houses are now closed to unsolicited manuscripts, which leaves the writer with two choices--find a literary agent or self-publish. I've heard so many horror stories from writers regarding self-publishing that I have no desire to try it. 

WHAT CAN A WRITER DO TO GET AN AGENT TO NOTICE HER WORK?
The query is the first thing an agent sees, so make sure it's perfect. Before you write the query research agents' blogs and websites to see what they want and personalize your query to each agent. Make a connection by telling the agent why you have selected their agency. Was it something they said in an interview? Have they represented authors' books that you love or do they specialize in helping unpublished writers find their niche? Let them know if you met them at a writers' conference or if they were recommended by another agent or author. 

Pitch the story in 3 to 10 sentences, but don't give the ending away. It should read something like the blurb on the back cover of a novel. Introduce the main character and explain something interesting or different about him/her. What is the main character's goal? Write an exciting incident that propels the plot into motion.

Polish the query and make sure the spelling and grammar are perfect. If their blog says they don't like gimmicky queries, don't start out with: What if... Tell them if you have published short stories or articles in magazines or newspapers. Enter writing contests and tell them if you've won any. If you have a solid platform tell them why you are the best person to write the book.

Don't query a mile-long list of agents at once. Query a few, then wait a few weeks to query a few more and write a question mark beside the names of the agents you haven't heard back from.

DON'T GIVE UP!
Whenever I receive a rejection I allow myself a few minutes to feel sorry for myself, then I remember that I have a darn good manuscript with a fresh untold story and I will find the right literary agent some day. 

I always respond to a rejection to let the agent know that I appreciate he or she taking the time to get back to me. We're all busy and, unfortunately, social media has deprived some of us of manners. No longer can a writer believe the adage: No news is good news.


 

 

Is it Writer's Block or Indigestion?

MY UNFINISHED MANUSCRIPT HAS BEEN SITTING ON THE SHELF FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS and trying to get back into it has been harder than pulling teeth. I've already blogged about procrastination so I won't go there again. I did read over the one-hundred-or-so first-draft pages and was pleasantly surprised to find the brief beginning of the next chapter in my computer. It was almost effortless to get back into it and I was reminded of a how-to book, I think it was On Writing by Stephen King who advised writers to stop writing in the middle of a sentence so you can pick up where you left off the next day. If you haven't read his book, go and buy it right now. The best advice I got from On Writing helped me get over the guilt of reading when I thought I should have been writing. He said, "If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write."

I wrote about four pages yesterday and stopped in the middle of the scene, knowing I would be able to jump back in today. Unfortunately I had to keep pausing while I was writing to look up historical facts and dates. 

I know from personal experience that if I get stuck for a long period of time, something is seriously wrong with the manuscript. It might be the plot or characterization, but when major writer's block halts the progress I know I need to make some major changes.

SOMETIMES IT'S NOT WRITER'S BLOCK, but just a snag and a change of scenery is needed. Puttering in the garden or taking a walk clears the mind. Clearing the clutter off the desk is a must. I can work if the clutter is behind me, but not around me. I tend to be very hard on myself. I used to think the first-draft should be perfect. I've lowered my standards now that I've been writing for almost twenty years.

I also used to believe that a novel should be written from start to finish. My last manuscript had a duel time frame and I wrote it entirely out of order. In fact, when I finished a chapter somewhere in the middle of the book I was thrilled to discover that I had completed the manuscript.

I'm not the first or last writer to suffer with writer's block. Some great authors admitted having writer's block. Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway did, but considering what happened to them, maybe I'll just say I have indigestion and go for a walk.

FINDING MY GROOVE

I seem to be at a crossroad with my writing. I have a completed five-hundred and forty paged novel and another unfinished manuscript with one hundred first-draft pages written. Every writer knows that she must put a finished manuscript away for several weeks/months before tackling the editing process. Mine sat for many months before I came back to look at it. 

I'm happy to say that most of what I read was good. The bad parts were pretty glaring and easy to fix. I've written a query letter and tomorrow I'll email the query and the first chapter to an agent who represents some of my favourite authors. 

So I've reached a crossroad and I find myself hesitating to get back into the unfinished novel. It's quite an exciting outline that I wrote twenty years ago. It's been waiting a long time to be heard and, since the outline is long and detailed, there shouldn't be a problem so why am I procrastinating?

In my case, procrastination is my middle name. I'll always find a way to avoid doing something that scares me even if I have to resort to cleaning toilets. I already did that this morning so I'm looking for something else that needs attention. Why am I afraid of getting back into the new novel? Fear of failure, perhaps, or fear of success. Every writer wants to be successful and admired, but there's a lot of responsibility that goes along with success. Each new novel must be better than the last. These days a novelist must have a blog and a website and keep them up-to-date. Marketing is essential and best-selling authors must travel across the country or even the globe promoting their work. Unknown authors must work just as hard, if not harder, at promoting their novels. All these things take time away from the process, the creation of words. The reason we write is because the words in our heads demand to be heard. 

I have a writers' circle next week and know I must write a new chapter to read to the group. I've been away from the manuscript for several months now and I think the best way to get back into it is to read what I've written. I'll try not to edit as I read and hopefully the words will start flowing and I'll find my groove. If not the toilet will need cleaning again by then. 

LOOKING AHEAD

I LIKE TO THINK OF EACH NEW YEAR AS AN ARTIST WOULD A BLANK CANVAS.

Past mistakes and shortcomings are ancient history and January allows me to move forward towards successful enterprises. Looking back, I had a few accomplishments. I won second prize in a writing contest and My Weekly asked for minor changes before they would consider buying a short story.

I spent almost all year seeking an agent for my novel. A few asked for partial manuscripts and one requested the entire novel. I had some conflicting advice, but nothing that really helped. Early this month, I was discussing the non-fiction author's platform with my friend, Tina, and a light bulb went off in my head. Surely an unpublished fiction author requires a platform as well.

Beneath the Surface is a dual time frame novel that takes place during The War of 1812 and 2012. Following the Revolutionary War my United Empire Loyalist ancestors were driven from their land in what is now Lower Manhattan. The 1794 Jay Treaty stated that the Loyalists were to be compensated for their lost property and many were, but the U.S. reneged and my ancestors were never compensated. Many law suits were brought forward over the next century, but nothing was settled. There is no statute of limitations on property, so, are the current heirs entitled to cash rewards? Maybe, maybe not, but it does make an interesting platform that I will use in the novel and my query letter.

We've had a ton of snow so far and I often find myself curling up in a cozy chair with a good book and a cup of tea. I did a lot of reading this year and several of my favorite authors published novels including, Barbara Erskine, Susanna Kearsley and Maeve Binchy, who passed away last year. As usual I have a stack of unread books, fiction and non-fiction waiting to be read. I'm currently reading Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, which is set in 1870s New York society.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A PRODUCTIVE WRITING YEAR

Hopefully I will be selling a few short stories and signing with a literary agent. I don't make New Year's Resolutions, but I have promised myself that this year I will keep my office tidier, eat less chocolate and blog more. So far I haven't kept any those promises, but there's still eleven and a half months left in 2013.