Publicist? Maybe.

Once you've finished writing your novel, completed the revisions and submitted it to an editing service for review, you have a few more steps to take. Some of you will seek out publishers and literary agents to try and sell your work. And some of you will self-publish. For those of you who self-publish, you will need to find ways of advertising your book.

In today's technology centered world, self-publishing has become easier than ever. If you don't have the money, you can skirt the expense of creating a print edition, and make only digital versions of your work instead. Without the overhead costs of printed books and distribution fees, e-books are fiscally more affordable for the struggling writer. However, there are already millions of books on the market and more come available every day. What do you do to get yourself noticed? Well...that all depends on what you can afford.

Getting bogged down in the business aspect of your writing takes away the time you'd rather spend writing. Google 'book publicist'. You'll have to review lots of different companies and individuals to find the one that works for you. Publicists will vary in levels of experience as well as price. Having someone who knows the ropes and can expressly devote their time and energy to promoting your book is always a bonus. Having a publicist means you can spend less of your time advertising and more time working on your next story.

Of course, you can always skip the paid advertiser and add to your work load by doing all the promotion yourself. Keeping a blog for your book or for yourself as an author. You will need social media accounts so you can reach your target audience. Try seeking out bloggers who review books and ask them to review yours. Keep your fingers crossed on reviews. Writing is very subjective and what appeals to one person may not appeal to another.

Writing a novel is hard work. Publicizing your work is hard too. However, the most interesting part of the entire process is the writing. It's what I live for. I know it's what all writers enjoy most of all. If you can afford a publicist, it may be worth it. If you can't, then you'll have to go the extra mile and promote your work yourself. Just weigh your options and decide what works best for you.

Editor Please!

Hire an editor. I know those are three words you probably don't want to hear, but let's face it, every writer needs a little help checking for mistakes. I'll be the first to admit that I'm so close to my work that it's hard for me to catch simple errors. And sometimes, I don't want to admit to myself that my story's not perfect.

Now while I have a strategy to help with this, it's not foolproof. After I finish a novel, I set it aside for 3 to 6 months and go to work on something else. Then I come back to the previous piece and check it thoroughly for any mistakes. This is part of my personal revision process. I don't recommend it if you have a habit of setting tight deadlines for yourself, but it can work for those of you who don't mind taking a little more time developing your story. I don't send each draft of my work off for evaluation. I like to wait until I've hit draft 5 before I send my manuscript off to be edited.

I used to be convinced that my work didn't need a second pair of eyes. But I have learned that that is never true. Even having a college degree under your belt doesn't mean you're immune to error. I keep a dictionary as well as a thesaurus within close reach of my writing space. I'm a frequent user of spell check and I Google words to make sure I'm using them correctly.

Let's face it: we all have some level of uncertainty about the quality of our work. That's why you should never be afraid to get a fresh perspective. If you don't have a retired English teacher for a mother, then you will have to shell out some cash for a professional editing service. They will check for content errors, spelling and grammar mistakes, and some might even help you fix those paragraphs that made more sense in your head than they do on paper.

How do you find a good editor? The answer is simple...use your favorite search engine. Check reviews of the company if there are any. Ask for references before you let money exchange hands. And start small. If you're testing out an established company or even a new one, I recommend starting with one chapter and seeing what result you get. If you're happy with the service then go ahead and send them the entire manuscript. If you don't like them, then you can try a different business. Finding the company that works for you is simply trial and error. But I definitely recommend using an editor. Because once you're finally ready to sell your work, you want it to have the best possible start.

Not a hobby

Go ahead and call yourself a writer. It's not wrong. If you love it and constantly work hard at it, you are definitely a writer! It's not a hobby. The reason I say this is because there's this idea that unless you've been published you're not a writer. Don't buy into it. Writing like music, acting, or art, is all subjective. Just because this publisher or that agent didn't like it doesn't mean your work isn't any good. It just means those particular people didn't like it.

Now I'm not saying that you should avoid revision or learning proper technique, or that public opinion is always wrong. I'm simply saying that one man's opinion shouldn't define you or your work. So you're not a household name like John Grisham or J.K. Rowling, so what? You could be. Time is on your side. Be confident in your skills and abilities and just keep pounding the pavement. Wether you're planning to self-publish or attempt acceptance by literary agents, the important thing is not to define yourself by others descriptions.

Next, remember to treat your writing like a job. Even if you already have a 9 to 5 and you can't do it full time, work hard with the time you do have. Read other people's books or short stories, not to steal ideas but to see the different writing styles and techniques in action. Write, revise, edit and be open to criticism. Be mindful of the changes you make based on critiques. The end result will always have your name on it and you should be proud of the final product. Be careful not to compromise the story you want to tell, but never forget that sometimes changes can also improve things.

I'm getting a bit off topic here, so I'll restate my point and call it a day. Call yourself a writer. Dont be afraid of your accomplishment. Finishing a novel is something to be proud of. It's a long and difficult process. Write and write often. Work at writing the same way you work to earn your paycheck. It's not a hobby. For writers, writing is their life.

Writer's Conferences

This is an excellent topic. I actually attended a writer's conference when my husband was stationed in Hawaii. The registration fees and travel can be a hardship if you don't have a lot of spare cash on hand, especially if the conference is far away. But I found the experience to be worth the trouble. You get the opportunity to meet accomplished writers from various fields. There are seminars you can attend. Some of the sessions may be helpful to you and others not so much. The good thing about it is you can make your own schedule and only attend the sessions that you think will be most beneficial to you.

The writers who attend are all at various stages of their career and writing process. Some haven't even started writing their book yet, while others are there to get feedback from other writers. And for those of you who have finished your work, literary agents are usually in attendance. For an added fee (yes in addition to your conference registration) you can get the opportunity to pitch your work to one. Yes, you are paying for the privilege but it's better than the query letter-rejection system that seems to be in place. The agent pitch sessions are highly sought after and tend to sell out quickly.

In addition to the standard conference session and the agent pitch option, some conferences offer something along the lines of mini-author bootcamps. They call them retreats or something along those lines. For another $500 to $5000, depending on where the conference is held and who is presenting at the retreat, you get the privilege of showing your work to a small group of like minded people. And by like minded I mean other writers. You each share your work in exchange for criticism which may improve your work before it's ready for publication.

The writer's conference is a learning tool, but it's also a networking asset. In the modern publishing climate, trying to get your work noticed by the reading public is a time consuming and often stressful process. You really need all the help you can get and who better to turn to than someone who as been down the same road? If you need support and encouragement, who better to offer it than someone who is in the same boat with you and paddling upstream with their bare hands?

You Might Think It Strange

I love to watch T.V. I know it seems strange for a writer to say, but it's true. I'm not a big fan of the reality television craze, but I have indulged in a few shows. My mom and I used to love Project Runway. We would get on the phone and watch the show together as we discussed the designs and how we disagreed with the judges' opinions. We still love Chopped and my biggest guilty pleasure is Real Housewives of Atlanta (my mother not so much). I've fallen behind in my reality t.v. watching in the past year, but that just goes to show you I'm not an addict.
    What I really enjoy are crime dramas. In Plain Sight and Criminal Minds are at the top of my list. Yes, I do realize that In Plain Sight has been canceled, but that doesn't keep me from watching the episodes over and over. I love shows with creative writing, quality acting and a spirited character. Everyone loves to be entertained, but my mind has to be stimulated for it to work. Stories with obvious plot holes get under my skin. I spend the whole show complaining audibly to the television on how stupid or unrealistic something like that is.
   I do like a romantic element to a story, but I don't like it to be the main focus. I need explosions, gunfights and a good high speed chase to get my blood going. Of course, you've got to work hard to impress me. I'm one of those people who mentally rewrites the endings to movies if they don't like how they turned out. I'm the kind of person who talks during the movie. You won't have to shush me at the theater, but I do like to ask questions. Like "why didn't they just pick the lock instead of breaking the window" or "why aren't there more cuts on the body after they jump through a window". And yes I do know that most broken glass in movies is just spun sugar, but why pay make-up artists if you aren't going to try and trick my eyes a little? I make sarcastic jokes and comment on how impressive a really unique and clever line was delivered. I discuss the movie afterwards with my spouse, who nods and smiles like he's really paying attention, even though I know he's not.
   I'm a writer and a reader at heart, but even I need moving pictures with sound every once in a while.

Journal Challenge

   When I was in school, my English teachers made us keep a journal. It was a composition book that we had to write in at the start of every class. She would give us a topic and 10 minutes to think about it and write. We usually had to write at least one page. It was my favorite part of English because it was the most creative thing we really got to do.
   At the end of the year the journal would be returned to us. Most kids just threw theirs in the classroom trash, but I took mine home. And I still have them. I love to scan the pages from time to time. It's interesting to see how I saw the world when I was younger. Almost everything was certainly more simple then. Of course, there were times when I made things more weird and complex than they really had to be. Of course, the real problem I had with journal topics was that once I found a good one, I couldn't stop writing. The teacher's timer would ding and I'd have to stop in the middle of a sentence.
   The point I'm trying to make is that I can still look into those old books and find new ideas in the old ones that I started. As I get older, I see those same journal topics differently. Even if I never get to write the story those journal entries inspired, the ideas are there. So, I thought it would be fun to give you a journal topic. I'd love to see what you write, but you don't have to share it. I always found those journal topics fun. Choose one or both of the topics and see what you come up with.
Topic 1:
  What would you do if a time traveler broke down in front of your house? They can be from the future or the past.
Topic 2:
  If you were a muppet, what would you be and why?

Writing Process (Part 2)

   I'm sure we all remember being in school and being taught the steps to the writing process. In case you've forgotten they are: Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Proofreading and Publishing. Now depending on how your brain works, you don't need to do them in that exact order. Of course, you can't publish (that is show off your work) until you've actually written something. But other than that, the order can change a little bit.
   Sometimes I start on a draft and do a little revising and proofing before I prewrite. How is that possible? Well, maybe I have what seems like a great idea in my head, but once I start reading it, it sounds crazy. Maybe crazy isn't the right word. Let's just say there are some serious holes in the story. I fix these holes by doing a post-draft prewrite.
   I put the title at the top of the page and then I summarize what I have written so far. I try to break the story down into parts. The setup/the beginning, the middle/climax, and the end. The setup is all about the characters and who they are. I try to decide what each character's history and motivation is. What are their skills. This is also where I finalize what I want them to look like. It's also a good reference for if I forget how to spell a name or who is related to whom.
    Next I skip to the end. I think about how I want the story to end. I think about how I want the characters to change and what I want them to have learned. I think about what objects I want them to find and how these things help them defeat the villain or grow as people, etc. Then I go back to the middle and try to write what needs to happen to get the characters from the start-up to the end. This doesn't have to be some long, drawn out thing that takes up 10 pages. For me, it's usually 3 pages or less of sentence fragments. It's basically a reminder for what I want to have happen, in case I get stuck or forget. Even though it's my own outline, I don't use everything I've put on it. I treat the ideas like suggestions. I still love to have a little bit of spontaneity when I sit down in front of my computer.
    Now if you prefer to have a 10 page outline of exactly what you want to say before you start writing, that's perfectly fine. Everyone works at their own pace and in his or her own unique way. The most important thing I learned after attending my first writers conference, is that there is no single perfect way to write. Because writing came easy for me I just assumed that it also came easy to everyone else. But writing isn't science. It's art. People like different kinds of art just like they prefer different kinds of books. Some artists adhere strictly to technique while others push the boundaries of convention. Writing is the same. It allows each of us to approach the art in our own way.

Headaches

   Have any of you ever gotten headaches related to writing? I've heard of people getting headaches due to writer's block, but mine go beyond that. If I go too long without writing, I get migraine-type headaches, and nothing seems to cure them: nothing save writing. I've tried everything from aspirin to sleeping in a dark room with a warm compress on my forehead.
   I've been getting these headaches for years and I know they aren't normal. I've often wondered if other writers experience these things or if I should get my head examined. Of course, whenever I think about mentioning it to my doctor, I worry that she'll just consider me crazy or ignore my complaint, so I just don't say anything. I think I'm just too embarrassed to mention it to a professional. Until now, I've been too embarrassed to mention it to anyone other than my husband and my best friend.
   When a headache strikes, the pressure builds like soda in a shaken bottle, only my head doesn't explode. I end up spending one sleepless night after another until I write something. It doesn't matter what I write. It can be a letter to my sister-in-law, a journal entry or a couple of pages in a novel. All I need is to relieve the pressure in my head and the pain subsides. Then, I crash.
   I usually don't dream and I wake feeling like I just closed my eyes. It's never enough sleep. It's barely enough to keep me functioning. I have to say, the headaches were really bad when I was in college. Between work, school and parenthood, I almost never had time to write. And scholarly assignments for class did not count toward headache relief. For years I felt crazy. Sometimes I still do. In school we studied great writers. Some died at early ages for no reason at all and I began to wonder if they suffered from headaches too. Or if what killed them was something else and medical science just wasn't advanced enough to figure it out back then.
   As long as I write, I can keep the problem under control, but I feel like I'm just putting a band-aid on a bleeding gash. It could all be nothing or they could be the sign of some greater problem. Who knows? Maybe I'll one day get the courage to look a doctor in the eye and say, "I'm not crazy. I just want to make sure my brain's not going to explode", or something like that. Even if I didn't get headaches, I think I would write just as much, if not more than I do. I love writing. It's the most natural thing I've ever done. I define myself by it and I don't ever want to give it up. Headaches or not, I think I'd go crazy without good stories in my head.

Inspiration

   I know this is going to sound cliche, but I can find inspiration anywhere. I can never tell what's going to spark an idea. I once wrote the rough draft of an entire novel because of a line I heard in a movie. That unfinished work is still sitting on my shelf awaiting revision.
   Of course, I get my best ideas from listening to music. Sometimes it's the lyrics, sometimes it's the music, and sometimes it's a combination of the two that get my creative juices flowing. I get ideas from dreams and I mentally write scenes while I'm in the shower.
   Keeping up with all these ideas can be a bit of a chore. I can't stand forgetting a little spark of what could later be genius, but it has happened once or twice (meaning a lot). In order to solve this problem, I keep notebooks nearby so I can quickly write my thought and ideas down. Unfortunately, I'm terribly unorganized, so there are about 15 notebooks floating around my house and I'm always losing my pens. This means I usually end up writing my thoughts down with my children's crayons.
   I always go back and rewrite them with pen or type them and keep them in a sort of 'catalogue'. Actually, it's a 3-ring binder that's about 4 inches thick. And in case you're wondering if I've ever had moments when I my mind is blank, the answer is never (well, hardly ever). The fact is my mind has been bombarded with ideas ever since I can remember. I never know what's going to spark my next idea. And I never know when I'm actually going to have time to write, but thank goodness for the 'catalogue'. Over the years my little idea book has gotten crowded, but I don't mind. It just means that I'll always have something to do.

My Writing Process

   When I write, I love to listen to music. What I'm in the mood for often affects the tone of the story. As the minutes turn into hours, my ears drown out the lyrics and the artists' voices. My mind slips into a sort of trance where I don't even notice the passage of time. I become so immersed in my own story that it's more like watching a good movie than work. And that's the way it should be.
    For me, writing is as sensuous as delving into a piece of still warm cake. I wrap myself with words the same way I wrap my tongue around a pasty. For me, writing has always been easy. The ideas and words come naturally. Sometimes, I don't even have to think. As long as I have a pen and a piece of paper, my hand knows what to do. I've spent hours scribbling chapter after chapter with my subconscious seemingly in charge of my brain.
   Now, writing won't come easy for everyone. There are writers out there who struggle with getting their ideas onto the page. I've been to writers conferences where one of the featured speakers told us that if you write spontaneously, with little or no planning, that you're a hobbyist, not a writer. That just isn't true. Some people need to spend hours or even weeks planning their story before they start and others can just start writing. I believe what separates a writer from a hobbyist is the revising.
   Without revision, my work isn't ready to be shared. No matter how strong my euphoria after finishing that first draft, I restrain myself from showing it off until I've at least had time to check the spelling and grammar. There are as many missing words as there are mispelled words and misused ones. What I like to do is a quick edit for proofreading. I check grammar and spelling and then print out a hard copy. Once I've done that, I show it to my family and closest friends. Then I label it, bind it, and put it on the shelf for a minimum of 3 months. After that I come back to it and read over it for a full revision.
   Without the words being fresh in my mind, I find it easier to be more objective. This is where I add or remove passages, reorder parts of the story and fix any errors in character descriptions. I ask myself questions about the story that I think a reader would ask and try to use the text to answer them.
   Revising is the most tedious and annoying part of writing, but it is the most necessary. It didn't take me long to learn this, but it did take me a few years to figure out how to do it well. And even after it's all said and done, I always feel like there's room for improvement. I never feel as if I've done a good enough job. I just know that there's something more I should have said or that the book needs one more once over. But at some point, I have to stop and call it done. I send it off for independent editing and, let's be honest, I take their suggestions with a grain of salt. If there is some glaring technical error, I fix it. But suggestions about my story are just that, suggestions. And I don't have to use any of them if I don't want to. I'm not so arrogant that I don't consider the other person's ideas. I've simply learned that it's my story and I have to be satisfied with the final product. If I try to please everyone else, then I'll have nothing that I'd be willing to stand behind.

Where Do I Begin?

The questions I get asked most are "How do you do it?"; "How do you find time to write a novel with 3 kids?"; "How do you write that much?"

I usually just shrug and respond with an "I don't know" or "I just do." This doesn't really answer anyone's questions, but to really explain my writing process would take forever, and let's face it, it would probably bore people to sleep. With 3 children and all the daily things a mother has to do to keep her family functioning, how do I find time to write? The answer is actually quite simple. I make time.

When I was in school (before I had the responsibilities of motherhood) I had more free time. I would write whenever I felt like it. I would tune out my teachers and scribble chapters in my notebook. To my teachers, I'm sure I looked like the studious child who was taking detailed notes. I would spend my entire Saturday writing free hand in spiral bound notebooks and not eat or drink for hours. I ignored the world and immersed myself in worlds of my own creation.

Now, I schedule time to write. If you'd asked me 10 years ago about scheduling hours to write, I would have told you that I didn't find it necessary. And back then, I didn't. I would have told you that chapters written during scheduled hours feel forced and that the reader can tell when you didn't enjoy the process. The truth is, writing on schedule does sometimes feel forced and if you don't edit and revise, the reader will know.

Of course, having children doesn't allow me the luxury to drop everything and seclude myself in a room for 10 hours a day like I used to. I have meals to make and fights to mediate and punishments to dole out. And while my children don't necessarily want to nap at 12 or 2 o'clock every day, or go to bed at the same time every night, I send them to their rooms for quiet time anyway. Nap time isn't just a temporary jail so I can pen a few words. It's the time I use to do laundry and dishes and balance the budget, etc. Some days I don't get any writing done at all. Some days, when I have the time and the peace and quiet to focus, I don't feel like writing or I have horrible writer's block and I can't work, even though I want to. What do I do when that happens? I give up for the day. I take a nap or watch T.V. and wait until another day.

I set overly ambitious schedules for myself to try and finish as many chapters as I can in a month. If I write one chapter a day, I should finish a novel by the end of the month, right? Wrong! Life happens and by the time the end of the month comes around, I'm 20 chapters behind schedule, with another novel coming up to be written. I solve this problem by pushing the new work back to the next month and doubling up on chapters in order to catch up. I typically fail miserably at this. I don't enjoy missing my own deadlines, but I do take pleasure in finally finishing a project.

My satisfaction is usually short lived, because the task of turning an idea into a well developed story isn't complete. I then have to move on to the next step in my writing process. What is "My Writing Process?" I think I'll save that for another post.