Is Originality Dead

As I was drifting off to sleep last night, it occurred to me that today was Monday, and I had yet to come up with a topic for my weekly blog. That kept me up for a bit as I debated what to write about. After finally coming up with an idea, I was able to sleep peacefully. When I woke up this morning, I was all set to write about the topic I'd come up with last night. An email I received from Writer's Digest this morning changed my mind.

Having previously entered a Writer's Digest contest, I'm now a member of their email listing. I don't mind at all as they send lots of good industry tips and tricks as well as contest reminders. The email I received this morning was to let me know the deadline for the annual genre fiction contest had been extended. In that email, they made mention of the void left in young adult novels with the conclusion of the Harry Potter and Twilight series. Being an aspiring young adult novelist, that really got me to thinking about my newest trilogy.

When I wrote a book with the tagline 'what happens when the daughter of a mass murderer falls for the son of Satan?', I truly thought I'd hit upon something original. I couldn't have been more wrong. After I posted the first chapter on Wattpad, one of my scenes drew comparisons to one that takes place in Twilight. I can honestly say I've never read this novel nor seen the movies so I have to take the readers' word for it. The concept was also likened to a novel called Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, another I've never read.

In addition to the first two books of what fans call my Unholy Trilogy, I've also posted the first of my four book vampire series. The basic premise is that a vampire prince falls for a human girl who's destined to be his mate. The twist, or at least I thought it was a twist, is that the story contains both day and night vampires. I realize with the Blade movies the idea of day walking vampires isn't unique, but I didn't realize how similar this idea was to something called Vampire Knight.

These two comparisons have really started me thinking. Has originality become a foreign concept? It seems so if you think about it. Many modern movies are remakes of classics and those that aren't remakes follow a fairly predictable formula. Once in a while something comes along that breaks the mold, but it's few and far between. With that in mind, I'd think the same could be said for novels as well, especially in my case.

Keeping that in mind, I've already started to pen my newest novel. I won't go into any details, not because I fear copyright infringement but because I'm content to keep my illusion that it's an original idea.

Is originality dead? Perhaps not in its entirety, but it seems to have taken a beating over the years!

It's Never too late to Remember

Ten years ago yesterday, I was late to work.  I was at home, getting ready to go to my dental appointment to have my teeth cleaned.  Back then, I liked to schedule my appointments first thing in the morning and then go to work afterward. I reasoned it cost me less time from work.  Since then, I’ve undergone a shift in feelings. I now prefer to schedule my appointments at the end of the day so I can have both my work day and my appointment over and done with. 

On September 11, 2001, I was finishing up a glass of tea and preparing to leave when my husband called to tell me a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Being that I live in California, and I had an appointment to make, I didn’t allow myself to fully grasp what he was telling me. Instead, I recall giving some muted response about that being terrible and I’d talk to him later.  The news still didn’t seem particularly grave when I arrived at the dentist’s office. The tiny office was pretty empty at eight thirty in the morning. I do remember Kelly, my hygienist, asking me if I’d heard about the attack on the World Trade Center to which I could only give a garbled affirmative reply owing to the fact that her hands were crammed into my mouth.

It wasn’t until I got to work an hour later that I began to understand what was happening and just how serious it was. All of my coworkers were gathered around the radio atop one person’s desk. Work was forgotten and the mood was somber as we listened to the reports pouring in about not only the World Trade Center but the Pentagon and the high jacked United flights. It all seemed unreal, and I had no idea the influence it would have on my life as well as my writing career.

Like many Americans, my sense of Patriotism heightened after the nine eleven terrorist attacks. I watched the news reports closely and became more emotionally invested in the United States military. It was that investment that prompted me to join an organization that participates in outreach to deployed service members. I made donations to my local veteran’s hospital as well as the United Service Organization and still wished I could do more. I can only attribute this feeling to the fact that it was the first war of my adult life. The first Gulf war took place when I was a naïve teen with no real grasp on its far reaching consequences. With a little more maturity and experience under my belt, I suppose came more empathy and perhaps even a little fear.

Doing more came just a few short years later. The attack of one of our convoys carrying non combat service members and the kidnapping of Jessica Lynch had a profound effect on me as did the kidnapping and beheading of American civilian workers. Overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions, I did what most writers do best when they need a way to express themselves. I wrote. Not only did I write, but I wrote a contemporary chick lit novel entitled Letters from Linc. The crux of the story explores the relationship between twenty-two year old Marine private Todd Lincoln and his new wife, Erica. I wrote the story for me, as a way to purge my soul, and I had no idea just how much it would resonate. So many people felt a connection to Linc and Erica and their story.

Not long after the novel was released, revelations about the conditions of our nation’s military hospitals began to surface. I was appalled to hear our beleaguered hospitals were nothing short of squalid. Overcome with a combination of rage and sadness, I made the decision to donate 100% of the royalties from the sales of Letters from Linc to our nation’s military hospitals, a decision still in practice today.

As a result of this decision, I’ve had the privilege of meeting people I might not have otherwise met and doing things I likely wouldn’t have done. I’ve appeared on radio and television in the name of this cause. I’ve shared it with veteran’s publications who’ve shared with their readers. I’ve participated in events designed to bring awareness to issues our troops are facing and even had the honor of meeting local veterans with amazing accomplishments. I’ve spoken on the telephone with an aspiring congressman keen to improve things for our vets, and I’ve made friends with people involved in veteran’s organizations designed to provide the best opportunities for vets coming home from the war.

Ten years ago yesterday, when I stood in my kitchen, I didn’t know what I’d be inspired to do or what I’d accomplish. Though I’d rather have the ability to rewrite history and undo this tragedy, I can take comfort in the creation of something good from something so senseless. 

Wonder if it Would Work

As I think I've mentioned before, coming up with an interesting writing related topic each week can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. If I'm lucky, a fabulous idea will strike me a few days in advance. Sometimes, an idea is just dropped in my lap. Others, like today, it's a combination of the two. For the record, I'd planned on posting this topic before starting out my day with a rejection letter. However, given that I did receive the aforementioned rejection letter today, it seems only fitting.

For some time now, I've been attempting to secure an agent for my latest and greatest young adult novel. Having drafted the novel, as well as two of its sequels, and having gotten rave reviews from my target audience, I thought I may as well give it the old college try. After all, it's been some time since I tried to secure an agent so why not go for it again. Armed with my new confidence and matching attitude, I drafted a respectable query letter, complete with the attention grabbing first line. I'm disappointed but not surprised to say the rejections have poured in. To be fair, they've  now slowed to a steady trickle, but they're still coming.

I've long said I wish I could get my internet fans to start a campaign to publishers on my behalf. The idea is that my target audience can show the publishers a demand for my work exists. Then it hit me. Maybe I could revise my query to include their views. Here's what I've come up with:

Dear Prospective Agent:. 

Electronic books are the wave of the future as evidenced by the existence of many fine on line book sharing sites. How would you like to represent a young adult fantasy novel with a huge following thanks to these sites? Before you pass, you should know this is a book that's already amassed more than two hundred thousand reads and consistently ranks in the top twenty of the most popular lists across a multitude of categories including paranormal, fantasy and teen fiction. Still not convinced? Check out what readers are saying. 

This book should be published. I would so buy this book. I feel guilty being able to read this book for free. Why would anyone reject this book? The publishers need to have their heads examined. Vampires are overdone. This is original and so much better. Your editing is always spot on. You leave us guessing at every twist and turn. Each chapter leaves me wanting more. There's just the right amount of action and romance. You're way better than Stephanie Meyer any day of the week. When you publish these, I want an autographed copy. You should be more famous than you are, and your books should be made into movies. 


 Given that I've received thousands of similar reviews, I could on like this for a while, but you get the picture. If you're ready to represent a young adult novel that asks the question: what happens when the daughter of a mass murderer falls for the son of Satan, then this is the novel for you. 


I'll be looking forward to hearing from you. 

Respectfully,
Desperate Writer

There it is. So, what do you think. You think it would work? You think I could pique an agent's interest with something so in your face? I don't, but I wonder...

Here's to 1,000 More

First, let me apologize for failing to post a blog last week.  I was stricken with a rather nasty illness and in no mood to do any type of writing.  And you know it’s bad when I can’t bring myself to write! That being said, I’m feeling much better now and ready to wow you once again with my literary prowess.

If you’ve been reading this blog since the beginning, you know that late last year I joined an online writer’s community. With my young adult manuscripts having been rejected by agents and publishers alike for so many months, I decided I needed to find a way to reach my target audience and see if they agreed with the countless rejections that had come my way.

Though I joined the site in December of 2010, I didn’t begin posting my first story until February of this year. Early reviews were good but slow to come in. I was a bit discouraged until I realized I needed to give a little to get a little. In other words, I couldn’t just post my story and expect the readers to flock to me. Being that I was an unknown author on a popular site filled with an endless supply of top notch stories, I needed to network to build my audience. In all honesty, I should’ve considered this much sooner than I did. If you think about it, networking on this kind of web site is akin to providing an agent or publisher with a marketing plan for your manuscript. Still, the light bulb finally came on and I was off and running. I participated in numerous forum discussions in which authors read and commented on one another’s work. At one point, one of my friends jokingly pointed out I was the eleventh most active person on the site. I never confirmed this, but I believe her.

My zealous approach to gaining exposure for my novel has paid off tenfold. I’ve steadily gained a fan base that I’m pleased to say continues to grow each day. My fans, I’m delighted to say, are rabid in their consumption of my story. Of course that’s a compliment. They devour each post in short order and always ask for more. I never imagined I’d have any fans that weren’t confined to my friends and family so this has been a real treat. Because many of these fans are young and a lot more computer savvy than I am, they maintain blogs and websites in which they feature their favorite authors and books. I’ve had the privilege of being interviewed by three such webmasters which has given me added publicity for my work. I’ve even had the pleasure of one of the site reviewers reading my story and giving it an exceptional review which they posted on their blog as well as Face Book. And speaking of Face Book, I’m always getting friend requests from my fans, which I’m happy to accept.

When I started this journey, I only wanted affirmation of my talent. I wanted someone to tell me I was good and I wasn’t wasting my time. Today, I’m proud to say, I’ve gotten that and so much more. My participation in this site has far exceeded my expectations.

As of the writing of this post, I have 1,005 confirmed fans. Here’s to 1,000 more! Thanks Wattpad.

Reality Bites

If you recall last week, I discussed my feelings of dismay for the closing of Borders book store. The loss of my beloved Borders is the end of an era and a damper on my dream of mainstream publication. Yesterday, I saw the reality of this loss first hand.

Like many of you, I wear more than one hat. I’m not just a writer. I’m a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend and so on. It was in my capacity as mother that I had cause to find myself in the vicinity of Borders. I wish I could say it was because my children wanted to get some books before the doors close for good. I wish I could say that, but I can’t. The truth is, my fifteen year old daughter needed a ride to the movies, and the theater is a few doors down from Borders.

When I pulled into the parking lot to drop her off, my eyes were drawn to Borders. Subsequently, my heart sank to see the huge black and yellow going out of business banner draped across the top of the building. Signs taking up every piece of imaginable window space proclaimed amazing deals with nothing held back. As much as it pained me to do it, I went inside. The idea was to peruse the writing for publication and writing improvement section to see if I could snag a few good deals on books to better my craft. Ironic I know.

I was thoroughly disgusted at what I found inside. No, the inventory wasn’t picked over and the place wasn’t in shambles. Instead, it was crawling with people who were no doubt in search of bargains, and this is what steamed me. Where were these people when Borders needed them? Why couldn’t they be bothered to come in and buy books then, keeping not only Borders afloat but keeping authors afloat as well?

Now, I’ll be the first to admit when it came to music and movies, Borders’ prices were inflated, so a fifty percent reduction on these items caught my eye. However, music and movies were only a small part of their substantial inventory. Books were their bread and butter, and their retail was comparable to that of other book stores, though a bit higher than say Target or Wal Mart. That being said, I couldn’t always find what I wanted at those discount chain stores, but Borders rarely let me down. On the few occasions they didn’t have a book I wanted in stock, they could order it for me and have it shipped to their store for pick up so I didn’t incur the shipping cost.   

With the invention of devices like the Kindle, e-books have taken off. In turn, these more affordable and accessible alternatives to the paperback have driven brick and mortar book stores out of business. Borders was just another unfortunate casualty in the reality of evolving technology. I understand, but I still think it could’ve been spared its fate had consumers cared more about the written word than the latest gadget or the cheapest prices. Keep in mind, sometimes you get what you pay for.

Either way, Borders bites the dust and reality bites!

End of an Era

Welcome back, everyone.  For those of you who faithfully follow my posts, you know I took last week off for a much needed family vacation. While there were no computers along for the trip, and I didn’t do any writing, I still had a clear topic in mind for this week’s post. However, you know what they say about the best laid plans and all.

Thanks to the invention of smart phones, my husband and my child still received their email during our vacation and still had unlimited internet access. I have to confess I’m still living in the dark ages with my old pink metallic flip phone, but that’s neither here nor there. It was an email my husband received during our vacation that compelled me to rethink my blog post this week. The email was from Borders Book Store announcing the store was formally closing and therefore having a going out of business sale.

The news of Borders’ closing wasn’t a shock. For some time now, we’ve all known it was coming. Still, there was this tiny part of me that hoped my location would avoid foreclosure. It’s Borders’ fault for instilling this hope in me. Not long after the closures were announced, I was in their store and cashiers were still recruiting customers to join their rewards program. On hearing that, I thought to myself there was no way they’d still encourage people to participate in this program if they were actually closing their doors. Fat chance! I suppose that’s what I get for assuming, since you know what they say about that too.

To finally have official confirmation of the looming loss of Borders is a hard pill to swallow. Ever since I’ve been in this literary game, my dream has been to see my books in print and lining the shelves of Borders. Now that will never be. My one small measure of comfort is that I did twice appear in magazines I was able to purchase from Borders. In 2005, my name was listed in an issue of Writer’s Digest as being an award winner in their annual literary awards. I made quite a fool of myself jumping up and down in the periodicals section when I saw my name in such a prestigious magazine. In 2009, I landed a feature article in Writer’s Journal, a magazine which Borders carried.

It’s not just the loss of Borders that has me reeling. There’s a bigger picture here that I can no longer avoid facing. For a few years now, I’ve been watching industry articles tout e-books as the future of publishing. Likewise, I’ve witnessed an increasing number of e-book publishers springing up to meet the growing demand of Kindle customers and the like. I’ve known it was coming, but like my knowledge of the impending closure of Borders, I’ve turned a blind eye to this trend. It’s the purist in me that makes me do this. For me, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of holding an actual book in your hands. And e-books certainly don’t have the smell of a new printed book that I love so much. An author can’t sign an e-book. A signed e-book isn’t going to sell at an auction for more than four thousand dollars as did a recently discovered, signed copy of Gone with the Wind. Not to mention, the evolution of electronics in literature seems wholly unfair.

Can you imagine any other industry in which everything will be one hundred percent electronic? How about baseball or football?  Instead of playing on the field with actual equipment, players could engage in a simulated game. Perhaps even from the comforts of their own homes negating the need for stadiums and depriving fans of the joy of seeing their favorite players and maybe even having the chance to meet them. Before you dismiss it as a preposterous idea, consider the evolution of music and movies. In your lifetime, if you’re as old as or older than I am, did you ever imagine a printed book would go by way of record albums or the eight track or the Beta and VHS and cassettes? Remember when camcorders first came out? Besides being costly, they were clunky and awkward. Now, a cell phone can double as a video camera and these devices are absurdly affordable.

Am I overreacting? Probably. Am I being a bit overdramatic? Most definitely, but I think I’m entitled. The closing of Borders feels like more than the end of era for me. Much as I hate to say it, it feels like a blow to my dream of mainstream, traditional printed publication. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

Here We Go Again

I'm sure you recall me mentioning last week that I've decided to take the plunge again, the literary plunge that is. I've decided to see if my writing's improved enough to secure a literary agent.  As you know, I've thus far waffled back and forth about whether or not I really want an agent and whether mainstream publication is really my goal. 

Last week, I was cautiously optimistic given that my first foray into this produced an immediate result from a rather reputable agent who asked for the manuscript. I'm disappointed to report I was right to err on the side of caution. It took only a few days for her to respond that she couldn't offer representation as my project wasn't ready for publication. I did find it encouraging that she was amenable to previewing any additional projects I had provided my writing improved. Of course, I found that perplexing too given that my target audience is clamoring for me to publish this book so they can have a copy of their own.

Immediately following this rejection, I received several more in rapid succession.  Most were very polite form replies in which the agents professed to be lacking in time or in passion for my project to take on new clients. Given how saturated with submissions today's agents are, I fully understand this. Understanding doesn't equal acceptance.

Having received one rejection after another is somewhat disheartening. It reminds me that writing is a business and my dream is subject to the whims of another. One of the joys of self publishing is that I maintain all creative control and see a realization of the dream. And let's be honest, self-publishing is no longer as stigmatized as it once was.  Still, there's that part of me that craves mainstream success.  Not to mention, I'd like to see someone else hocking my product for me.

So, in the interest of achieving my dream and setting that example, I suppose I'll forge on for now. And I only have one thing to say.  Here we go again.



Author Note: No blog will be posted on July 26 so this author and her family can take a a much needed vacation. I leave my house and my dogs in the capable hands of the sitter while I leave reality behind. See you in August!