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.

This is What Happens

The inner voice that guides your actions and decisions-everyone has one. Some of us have one we choose to ignore, but we have one all the same. Sometimes you ignore that voice and nothing happens. Sometimes you ignore that voice, and it comes back to bite you in a big way. This is a cautionary tale of being bitten in a big way.

For those of you who don’t recall, I recently shared the exciting news of being signed with a publisher to release my first young adult novel. You may have noticed I specifically omitted mentioning the name of the publisher, and it wasn’t because I wasn’t allowed to name them. It was because I was ashamed for ignoring that inner voice telling me accepting this offer was a bad decision.

The first time I heard the voice regarding this matter came when I was doing a review of the publisher’s web site. It had a few typographical errors that raised a red flag to me. A publisher looking to establish himself as legitimate should convey an image of professionalism and instill confidence in their abilities.

My nagging voice of concern grew a bit louder when I did a little more in depth research on the publisher and found the only client signed to their agency was the publisher. Trying to be fair, I checked out the summary of the publisher’s book. While the book seemed moderately intriguing, I was again bothered by some errors with grammar and punctuation. I was even more bothered to see the distributor the publisher used was a self-publishing site. I excused it by saying the publisher may have started out self-publishing and then decided to expand to mainstream publication.

Another concern arose when I could find no record of other authors working with this publisher. Normally, I’ll take to writer friendly websites that contain ratings on publishers and agents as well as feedback from other authors as to their experiences. None of this existed, but I chalked it up to the fact that the publisher was too new to have anything in the database. There are some industry experts who caution writers not to get involved with a new publisher. Rather than being the guinea pig for a house that could flop, writers are advised to focus their efforts on working with those with a proven track record. I’ve always disagreed with this. Everyone has to start somewhere, and that includes publishers. Why not give them a chance? With what I’ve put myself through lately, I’m starting to change my stance on this.

More concerns surfaced when the publisher was quick to respond to me sending in my manuscript. Most agents and publishers will take weeks or months to respond due to the high volume of submissions. Having discovered so many issues, I opted not to respond to the request for my manuscript. That is, I initially opted not to respond. When the publisher sent a second email asking for the book and expressing a strong interest, I pushed aside that voice of reason and sent it in.

There was the first of many mistakes I made in this journey. I should have replied with a polite thanks but no thanks. Instead, I let my desire to be published and the overwhelming sadness in my life drive me to make a poor decision. This publisher’s interest came less than a month after my father unexpectedly passed away, and diving head first into this gave me a new sense of purpose and something to focus on other than my loss.

When I received the offer to publish a mere week after sending the novel, I couldn’t totally block the nagging voice. I asked some savvy questions about the editing and publishing process.  The answers I got seemed satisfactory and the publisher always responded timely to my concerns and questions. And the big sticking point was that the publisher never asked me for any money. Asking for money upfront is always a bad sign. Against my better judgment, I allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security and agreed to sign with them.

My first big moment of regret came when the publisher sent me the editor’s mark up. There were a number of things the editor changed that went beyond correction of spelling and punctuation errors. One of the greatest concerns I had was the fact that the editor, based in the United Kingdom, changed several of my phrases to reflect the language of that region. Despite my novel being set in the United States, the editor changed the word friends to mates and crazy to mad, among other things. Having read the mark up, I went running for my lap top and dashed off a letter to the publisher expressing concern. I asked if these were things I was going to be forced to accept and reminded the publisher we’d agreed I would have the option of either accepting or rejecting any changes. The publisher assured me the decision was mine and even went so far as to say I could change the story back if I wasn’t comfortable with the changes.

To be fair to the editor, there were a number of things pointed out that I felt were viable and would improve the story. However, there were just as many things I couldn’t and wouldn’t accept. I changed some things and not others. After spending weeks working on this, I sent the revision to the publisher late last night. Along with the requested revision, I sent an email explaining what I disagreed with and why. Given the amount of time the editor spent working on the story, I felt it was only fair to explain why I’d overruled the suggested changes.

Imagine my surprise to open my email this morning and find a scathing reply from the publisher accusing me of lecturing them and being difficult to work with and telling me they knew this would happen when I started asking questions at the initial stages. Of course they knew it would happen! I asked those questions to avoid this very thing. I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time or money. The publisher went on to point out that if I’d signed with a “big six” publisher I wouldn’t have any input and wouldn’t even know about changes until after the fact. Again, I was fully aware of this which is what motivated my decision to work with a smaller house. I wanted to have a voice in the creative process. To me, it feels like I was offered that voice only to have it silenced when I had the nerve to use it. The publisher ended by saying I had three choices: 1) publish the way I originally sent it in and take my chances it could have errors, 2) deal with the fact that the editor’s changes were going to be incorporated into the work, or 3) terminate the contract.  Ironically, this electronic tirade was laced with grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.

Moral of the story? That nagging voice inside you exists for a reason. When it’s telling you to listen to the red flags, listen to the red flags! This is what happens when you don’t listen.

The Problems with Editors and how to Avoid Them

If you’re a writer, or if you know one, what I’m about to say is something you’ve heard before in one way or another.

Being a writer is great. Sharing your writing with people, though equally great, is taxing on your nerves. Letting people read your work is like letting them see you naked, and I don’t just mean you hope they’re going to like what they see without focusing on the flaws. I also mean you’re exposing yourself to people in a way you’re not always accustomed to or comfortable with. That’s particularly true when it comes to accepting criticism of your work, the constructive and the destructive. For many writers, their work is so personal it’s difficult to accept it could be flawed.  That novel is your baby, and you won’t tolerate people putting your baby down.

Before I go any further, I should be clear. Editors can and do serve an important purpose when utilized appropriately. I just think we need to reshape the definition of what an editor is. For me, the editor can be that second pair of eyes that will catch the things I didn’t, usually a missing word or misspelled word. I’m sure I speak for many writers, myself included, when I say I don’t always catch the mistakes because my brain knows what’s supposed to be there which is what it allows my eyes to see. I’m also appreciative when the editor can point out the holes in my story. Chances are, if the editor is confused when reading the rest of the readers will be too. I’ve also recently discovered I have a tendency toward repetition of words, which an editor was able to catch and help me address.

My problems with editors are these:

First, I don’t appreciate it when an editor takes my story and turns it into his own. A suggestion to change a word here and there or tighten up a scene is one thing. Taking my paragraph, or even just one of my sentences, and making it his definition of better is something I take exception to. For instance, I had a line in my story which read ‘Danni didn’t have the heart to tell Marcy she had no chance of getting a date with Nick’.  The editor changed my line to read ‘Danni lacked the courage to tell her friend there wasn’t any hope of Nick asking her out’. Okay, I know what you’re thinking. This sounds like a minor change. Why am I getting so worked up? I’ll tell you why. Number one, this is my story. I liked it my way. Number two, and on a more serious note, the characters of Danni and Marcy are seventeen. Danni is the main viewpoint character. Having been a teen once and being the parent of two teenage girls, I can tell you for a fact they don’t say they lack courage. This book is targeted to teens. Therefore, I want the protagonist to sound realistic.

Second, in speaking of my issue with editors, is how often I find their opinions will vary on the same subject. One editor told me that when use said tags in dialogue, publishers only want to see the words said, asked, and the occasional answered. As in, ‘I’m hungry,’ Mary said. The reason for this being that use of any other tag was telling the reader how to interpret the dialogue and writers should always show and not tell. After formatting my recent novel this way, a different editor suggested I invest in a thesaurus so that I could learn other ways to describe the said tags! According to this editor, reviewers and publishers wouldn’t take kindly to the repetition and readers wouldn’t be able to get a feel for how the characters were feeling when they spoke the words. Are you kidding me here?

And the differences don’t stop there. One editor says not to hyphenate time. It’s seven thirty, not seven-thirty. Another changes all of my instances of time to include the hyphens. This editor says don’t use adverbs, especially not in describing dialogue. Don’t say John spoke angrily. That editor says I have to use the adverbs, especially in dialogue, so that readers will know John was angry when he spoke. The most perplexing suggestion of all was the editor who told me I should never use contractions in the narrative of a novel and should confine them to the dialogue only. Having never heard this before, I took to the internet for some research only to find I’m not the only writer to receive this little nugget. My research also uncovered that using contractions in narrative isn’t the taboo some editors believe it to be. Many successful novelists employ the use of contractions in narrative passages, which means… You guessed it! The use of contractions in this instance is subjective and one of personal preference.

My third problem with editors is the nature of their job. They’re supposed to take a writer’s work and make it better. No other artist has to suffer this torture. No one told Michelangelo how to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. I’m sure no one told Picasso that blue was a terrible color and devoting an entire period to it was pointless. Okay, to be fair, these artists are deceased and I can’t ask them if they endured these crude suggestions. However, I’ve never heard of this happening to any other kind of artist, only to the writer. 

So, what’s the point of this rant other than unloading some no doubt obvious bitterness? It’s to educate the writer. If you haven’t learned by now, you will learn that writing and publishing that writing is a subjective business. One man’s trash truly is another man’s treasure. Most successful authors have tales of rejection. Very few make it big right out of the gate. Having a polished product can increase your chances of getting published, but it’s no guarantee. If you want to use an editor, do so but be clear to the editor in what you want as well as what you don’t want. Ideally, you should find an editor who shares your vision of what editing should be. Following these tips and tricks will improve not only your novel but how you feel when that novel comes back full of mark ups.

Good luck and happy editing!

A Step in the Right Direction

Last week, I talked about my reasons for being away from writing for so long and my decision to put my best foot forward and move on.  I must confess that since that announcement I haven’t done any creative writing.  I gave it the old college try yesterday only to be delayed by the fact that it’d been so long since I’d turned on my computer that it needed to go through endless updates.  By the time the updates finished, I’d lost the motivation which was for the best given the busy afternoon I had.

Despite this minor setback, something did happen that I’d consider a step forward. I was offered a publishing contact for my first young adult novel, Like You Mean It.  Having been in this business for so long, I took a cautious and practical approach to considering this offer. You know what they say; once bitten, twice shy.

After a bit of soul searching and some fishing for feedback from family and friends, I decided to go for it. I’ve signed a contract with a small start-up publisher which will make this book available in both electronic and print format.  The publisher and I are already working together to launch the first of many marketing strategies designed to reach a larger audience and make the book an even greater success.

Though it’s not in my nature to be optimistic, I do have some hope this book will have, at the very least, some modest success. The story was already released in its entirety to a large online audience who’ve been clamoring for a copy. Upon signing the contract, I had to remove the novel from that site. In doing so, I informed fans of my reasons and was met with an overwhelming show of support and promise of sales. 

Although I appreciate the support, I like to temper my budding optimism with a healthy dose of realism. I’m not going into this venture with the expectation that I’ll become a best-selling millionaire whose books are turned into blockbuster movies. The only thing I want, that I’ve always wanted, is to reach people and touch their hearts. I want people to feel they can relate to my stories while at the same time getting lost in them.

Would I like to be a best seller and turn my passion into something more? Sure; who wouldn’t? I’m just happy to have met my smaller goal of getting back in the writing saddle. I’d say this qualifies as a step in the right direction!