I Totally Get It

“You like me. You really like me.”

It’s been almost thirty years since Sally Field uttered these much ridiculed words during her Oscar acceptance speech for her role in the film Places in the Heart.  This oft parodied phrase has stood an impressive test of time and managed to become firmly ensconced in pop culture. Last week, something happened to me (three times actually) that reminded me of this phrase and gave me inkling as to how Field felt that night if she spoke them in earnest.

I’ve been a writer for quite some time now.  I’ve published articles and short stories in magazines. I’ve entered contests and received modest recognition. I’ve self-published a few novels and spent far more money than I made in doing so. My greatest success by far came when I joined an online writing community known as Wattpad and began to upload my stories to their site.

Since joining Wattpad nearly two years ago, I’ve uploaded several completed novels and gained a large following. One of my most popular stories was Like You Mean It, which told the story of a blossoming romance between a teenage left arm amputee who was once the most popular boy in school and the girl who was the most forgettable ever to walk the halls of their high school. The story struck a chord with fans and made it into the top ten of both the romance and teen fiction categories of most read stories. Encouraged by its success, I shopped it to publishers. When I found an interested publisher, I had to remove the story from the site. Though I made sure to tell readers why it was removed, I received a lot of concerned messages asking what happened to it and why I would take it down and when I would put it back.

In reading past blog posts, you know that publishing deal didn’t come to pass. Rather than put it back on Wattpad when that happened, I decided to self-publish it as an e-book via Smashwords. I’ll still be offering it free of charge, but I want to be able to reach a broader audience. Readers following my Wattpad and Twitter accounts have been kept updated as to my progress in this area. Those who don’t follow one or the other don’t always know what’s going on with Like You Mean It as I found out last week when I received a message from a Wattpad reader asking why I’d removed the book that meant so much to her. When I told her my plans, she was overjoyed and regularly checks my profile page for updates. In fact, she sent me a message just today to ask if I’d post the cover because she’s so excited to see it.

Last week, I also received a private message from another Wattpad reader telling me she’d read several of my novels and loved all of them. She went on to say that she read the series so quickly because she just couldn’t put it down and she looked forward to my next work coming out because she planned on reading it while curled up under the duvet with her e-reader.

As if these two flattering messages weren’t enough, I received an email from a young Wattpad reader last week who told me that Like You Mean It was the first teen romance she read on the site. According to this young lady, she felt a real connection to the novel and the work was so good that she often recommended it others. She wanted to know why I’d taken it down and if I would ever consider putting it back up. Of course, I sent her a reply to let her know of my plans for the story and how to keep updated on its progress.

With each of these messages, two things came to mind. First, I thought of that famous phrase from Sally Field’s Oscar speech. Second, I thought, you know, this could work. Meaning, since there seems to be continued interest, it could turn out to be on a most downloaded list again. Wouldn’t that be nice? Whether that happens or not, I can say one thing for sure; after what happened last week, I totally get it, Sally Field!

The Name Game

As a writer, there are two things I struggle with. One of those is coming up with a title that’s not only interesting enough to catch the eye of a potential reader but also captures the essence of the story.  The other is naming characters. 

I’m so bad at coming up with original and interesting names for my characters that I bought a huge book put out by Writer’s Digest that’s aptly called The Character Naming Book.  My favorite thing about this book is that it gives a large list of names for several ethnicities so that writers can choose names appropriate to the culture they’re writing about which lends authenticity to their work. 

Today, I came across an interesting article on the Today Show web site regarding baby names. The article was about the most popular baby names for the year; at least the most popular names thus far. It seems Katniss is a top choice for a girl’s name. Katniss is the name of the female protagonist in The Hunger Games which is not only a novel but was recently a blockbuster movie. Though I don’t personally care for the name, I am impressed that a literary character was so influential in the baby naming trend for this year. Of course, this is nothing new. Remember when Twilight was a fan favorite, and everyone was naming their daughter Bella?

Thinking about this trend got me to thinking about the possibility of being part of the naming trend. I am a writer after all. I may not be famous yet, but I’ve been told more than a few times that my books would make great movies. So, why not? Yes, I was at one time suffering from a serious character naming deficiency, but I think I’m cured. Don’t believe me? Here are some of the female character names in my more popular works: Fallon, Lauren, Tarilyn, Gwen, Danni, Chelsea, Marcy, Corina, Daphne, Angelica, Wendy, Kara, Shirelle, Mina, Megan and Lucy.  And for the male characters I’ve used:  Lucian, Griffin, Christian, Simeon, Sebastian, Tate, Darren, Justin, Nick, Ethan and Solomon. Not bad names, if I do say so myself.

I may not have the fame I need right now to start a baby naming trend, but who knows? Maybe one of these days I’ll pen a bestseller with a character name or two that will strike a chord with readers, and I’ll be a major player in the name game trend. Maybe not. Either way, it’s fun to think about. 

How Dare You

I’m a writer. That’s no secret.  It’s not my day job, but anyone who knows me, especially members of my immediate family, can attest to how much time I spend on my work.  My books are like children to me, and I love my characters so much that I laugh and cry with them.  The first time I killed off one of my male leads, I cried so hard I swore I’d never do it again. That’s how much I love what I do, and I know I’m not the only author who feels this way.

That’s why I’m always appalled and disgusted when the word plagiarism rears its ugly head. Taking the work of another and claiming it as your own is deplorable and hurtful and lower than low.  There have been a number of novels I’ve read where I’ve liked them so much I’ve wished I'd written them. I’ve also often really enjoyed certain scenes in novels and had the same feeling, but I can safely say I would never lift these passages and try to pass them off as my own.  Not only is that unfair to the author who invested so much time and emotion in creating the original work, but it’s illegal and unethical and immoral.

One time, at least that I’m aware of, I found myself the victim of plagiarism. A young author posting a story on a Justin Bieber fan fiction website of all things took several scenes from my story Like You Mean It and inserted them into “her” story. She not only copied scenes, but she used the same premise. An alert fan brought this to my attention and after months of working with the site, the story was taken down and the author banned from posting, under that name anyway. With the anonymity provided by the worldwide web, there’s no guarantee she’s not already at it again.

The outrage I felt over this is still quite fresh in my mind, and my husband can confirm the many screeching rants I subjected him to regarding this issue. Sadly, plagiarism will never go away, but it never ceases to anger me as it did last week when I learned an “author” named Jordin Williams was found to have plagiarized work from not one but two published authors. It was found that several of the passages in Williams' novel were taken directly from the works of legitimate authors Tammara Webber and Jaime McGuire. When confronted with this accusation, Williams initially denied writing the novel and claimed it was the work of a ghostwriter which smacks of fraud since Williams claimed to be a ghostwriter turned author. Since then, Williams has gone into hiding. No one can find the once ubiquitous web presence she had. Anyone who purchased Williams’ novel, Amazingly Broken, is urged to return it for a refund. 

When I first heard the name Jordin Williams, I had no idea who she was. My Twitter feed was abuzz with the news that she was not only a fake but her identity was in question. I took to the web to find the information in the preceding paragraph. Now, it’s only right to mention that in the United States all persons accused of a crime a granted the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law.

All I can say is if this person really did this, and I say this on behalf of all authors who’ve spent countless hours, days, months and even years working on our stories, is how dare you! 

Time Flies

As a writer in the twenty-first century, I’m always looking for non-traditional ways to create and expand my fan base while still trying to explore conventional publishing methods.  One of the ways I’ve been most successful at this is to join an online writing site and post my work for fans to read free of charge. Though I’ll admit I was skeptical of how well this would work, to date I’m up to nearly 7,500 followers with that number growing every day.

Although I make my work available to readers free of charge, I’ve never given up on the dream of mainstream publishing. Since joining this site, I continued to pursue writing contests designed to increase chances of publication. In fact, the grand prize of two of my favorite contests is having your novel published. I also kept doggedly sending out queries to secure a literary agent who could help me realize this dream.

My perseverance paid off when I was able to find an agent for my most recently penned paranormal young adult romance novel. I not only found an agent but an agent with a solid reputation and proven track record. Still, I approached this with cautious optimism. Having been down this road before without much luck, I wasn’t ready to let myself believe this was finally going to be my chance.

A few days ago, while cleaning up my computer and going through some old files, I took notice on the dates of  the correspondence between me and my agent. I was surprised and a little sad to find it was a year ago this month that I signed with him. One year has passed since that first thrill I felt at finding a good agent. Make no mistake, my agent is still good. Maybe the book isn’t as good as we thought. Or maybe I’ve missed the market trend again. Who knows? The editors’ opinions are too varied for me to say with any certainty.

All I can say is that it has been one year this month since I signed that contract in the hopes that things were looking up, and I’ve discovered something that’s all bitter and no sweet. Time flies whether you’re having fun or not! 

Guess that means it’s time to get myself in gear and take the bull by the horns. Stay tuned in coming weeks for more on this topic.

Could I be that Good Someday?

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you know last night was the season finale which came on the heels of last week’s shocking episode. For the record, I haven’t read the novels nor have I watched the television series. However, my husband is a rabid Game of Thrones fan.  On the strength of the television series, he purchased the entire set of novels and recently started reading them.

The problem with watching the television adaption before reading the books is that he was just one of legions of fans whom I hear were shocked at what took place at a wedding scene last week. At the time my husband was watching last week’s episode, I was in my room working on my latest story. Despite being at opposite ends of the house, I could clearly hear his reaction to the scene, and when it was over, I got an earful about it. My husband asked me how a writer could do that to fans and kill characters they love. I laughed.

I can’t speak for all writers, but I hate to kill my characters. My characters are like my children. I created them and they have value to me. The one and only time I killed the love interest of the protagonist, which was the plan before I even began writing the story, I couldn’t stop crying. I cried so hard at Will’s death scene in Extraordinary Will that I swore I’d never kill another beloved character again. To date, I’ve made good on that promise to myself, but this whole thing has gotten me thinking.

One week later, Game of Thrones fans are still talking about the wedding episode. Videos have been circulated via social media showing the reactions of fans, like my poor husband, who hadn’t gotten that far in the books. The author has made media appearances addressing the readers’ reactions and what they mean to him.

Seeing all of this unfold put me in mind of the Harry Potter mania and made me wonder if I could be that good someday. As a writer, there’s no higher compliment than to have people so emotionally invested in your work and your characters that what you do to those characters evokes visceral reactions. I’d love to have this kind of reaction to my work and know that it means so much to people that they not only can’t stop talking about it but even go so far as to take it as a personal affront when I harm one of the characters.

While thinking about this, and hoping to one day achieve this level of success, I received a message from a young fan who’s read my Unholy Trinity series on Wattpad. Below is the message she sent me, which I didn’t alter in any way.

Trish, I want- no I need you to know how much I love the Unholy Trinity series. Me and my best friend are so obsessed. I have read all of it twice, and me and her will send quotes from the books. We wish so dearly all these characters were real. :D She called dibs on the twins while I called dibs on Simeon We are childish like that but I love all the characters so much, I never want the series to end but I know unfortunately it will. Thank you so much for writing this story because I can't live without it anymore. I re-read all of my favorite chapters so much. I can't express how much I need to thank you for writing this. I am completely and utterly in love with Simeon. Thank you for creating him. Thank you so much.  Also I’m sorry if what I just wrote isn't perfect because English isn't my first language. Thanks again.

This message couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. It gives me hope that I’ve made the right decision to abandon traditional publishing methods in favor of making my work available electronically. More importantly, it gives me hope that the answer to the question is yes. Maybe I could be that good one day.

Time to do This My Way

It was nearly five months ago that I entered this year full of optimism for my writing career. I had a good agent who believed in my latest young adult novel. I’d managed to build a substantial online following that included thousands of fans. The entries were in to my two favorite novel writing contests, and I felt confident about both of them. There was no way this wasn’t going to be my year to do big things.

That plan hit a huge snag in February at the sudden passing of my father. In losing my father, I lost my inspiration for a time. Add to that the fact that during this time, I was notified I hadn’t advanced in one of my two favorite writing contests, and I was a mess questioning my commitment and drive to this second career.

Things seemed to looking up a couple of months after my dad’s passing when I received an email from a publisher responding to a query I’d forgotten I’d sent. The publisher was interested and asked for the whole novel. Feeling somewhat buoyed, I dipped my toe back in the waters of writing and started penning a new novel my fans had been asking me for. My writing career really seemed to be back on track when the publisher offered me a contract which I accepted.

As you know from previous posts, that publisher and I are no longer working together. In the interest of being diplomatic, I called it creative differences though I truly felt the publisher misrepresented themselves. During this time, I’ve never mentioned the publisher’s name. Interestingly enough, I never even mentioned its name when I was asked for a partial and then a full and then ultimately signed. In hindsight, I think it was my sixth sense telling me not to mention it since it probably wouldn’t work out.

Well, I’m a little sad to say my writing career has taken yet another blow. This one, I didn’t see coming. I didn’t advance to the next round of the second writing contest I’d entered. Now before you go thinking my ego is that over inflated, I have a reason for being surprised and saddened. Last year, I made it all the way to the finals with a novel I didn’t think was as good as this one and was told by these same editors I had amazing talent. Guess I missed the mark this year.

After a few days of licking my wounds, I’ve come to a decision. It’s time to take matters into my own hands, redefine success and do what I can to achieve that goal. In this digital age, it doesn’t make sense for writers to rely on publishers to make things happen for them. Yep, you guessed it. I’m joining the ranks of those self-publishing electronic books. Not only will I be able to maintain complete control over the content, but I can reach an even larger audience as more and more readers abandon traditional print books in favor of e-reading devices. In theory, I could even make a little bit of money, which wouldn’t be bad but isn’t what motivates me.

All I want, all I’ve ever wanted, is to tell the stories the way I want to and to give readers stories they love. If I make a little money then that’s what I call a win-win. Someone once said if you’re doing something you love, you never have to work a day in your life. I’m not sure that’s really true for writers. You have to work to make your dreams come true. I’m ready to do that work on my terms. Who’s with me? 

Life Imitates Art

Anyone who knows me, or who’s taken time to read this blog, knows that I’m a writer. Only some of you know about my obsession with teen related television shows, movies and books. Okay, maybe obsession is a bit too strong, but I do enjoy them tremendously. I like to think that’s what gives me an edge with writing young adult novels.

In the last few months, I’ve been sharing with you the ups and downs of both my personal and professional life because like it or not, one does correlate to the other.  Just last week, I told you about a decision I made to walk away from my first publishing contract because of “creative differences” with the publisher.

One of those creative differences had to do with the content of the story. Prior to signing, I asked the publisher if there was a plan to change any of the content of the story. Not only was I told no, but I was told the publisher loved the book and thought it was perfect the way it was. When the editor the publisher employs sent me the manuscript full of changes that were more than the occasional misspelled word or missing punctuation mark, I was both shocked and saddened. After much back and forth with the publisher, I walked away. I couldn’t allow my name to be placed on a story that I didn’t feel I’d told. Sure, it was my characters and plot and setting, but it wasn’t the same. The changes had a big impact on the feel of the story which I couldn’t live with so I walked away.

Yesterday, my fourteen-year-old daughter and I finally got around to watching Thursday’s episode of Glee that was still on the DVR, and one of the story lines struck a chord with me. After spending a year of her life working on her first music CD, one of the characters was told her CD wouldn’t be released if she wasn’t willing to show more skin for her cover photo. Asking her to do such a thing contradicted her religious and moral upbringing. After much soul searching and some wise counsel from family and friends, she decided to pull out of the recording contract and release the CD on her own. 

Being fresh off a similar struggle in the literary world, this story touched something in me. It also got me to thinking about how many other artists have been affected this way. The story this character faced in Glee mirrored that of Martha Wash who provided the stunning vocals for the C&C Music Factory nineties anthem Gonna Make You Sweat. Martha was allowed to sing but not featured in the video due to being overweight. Then there was the sad story of Milli Vanilli a nineties singing duo that had the look the record label wanted but couldn’t sing a lick. It wasn’t until after they won a Grammy that it was discovered they’d been lip synching at every appearance. We all laughed at them at the time, but you have to wonder how much they’re to blame. These poor young guys probably got caught up in something they didn’t know how to get out of.  Artists are also expected to fit into this nice eye catching box as you can see on any American Idol themed talent search. Only The Voice actually forces judges to hear the contestant and make a decision before seeing them.

Like the character on Glee, I made a decision that was right for me. All I can do now is wait and see what I can make of that. In the meantime, it’s both comforting and amusing to see art imitating life.