No more NANO But....

 It's still a great month to write a novel!

I signed up for ProWritingAid which is a site to track kind of like Nanowrimo but not quite as good. But hey! They're new and just tuning up their gears. People are asking for a way to connect with their friends and ProWritingAid says it's working on a safe way to do it. 

Now is the time to figure out what to write. (Isn't this always the hard part?) Get an idea and flesh it out enough to create a full novel. 

Ideas I have. I put them in the notes on my phone, there's little pieces of paper all over my desk with story ideas scribbled on them and I have a few novels finished but not edited. So all I have to do is pick one. 

One way to start an idea is to think about the Hero's Journey. Character/Normal world/Challenge or problem. Insert some "what if's" and just write. 

I was listening to the Bookfox on YouTube. He did an episode of how great writers write and talked about Ray Bradbury. Bradbury challenged himself to put down 5 words and through the week create a short story out of them. Start on Monday, send that story out on Saturday. Considering he wrote Fahrenheit 451 in 9 days this might be a great exercise for writers. 

Happy November Novel Month! Let's write! 

BOOK REVIEW - This one was good! The Sun Down Motel

 The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James, Canadian author of mystery, historical fiction, and romance novels. 

This was the first of her books that I've read. 

This one keeps you turning pages. I got the audio version and the narrators ( Brittany Pressley & Kirsten Potter)were spot on. They gave a realistic feel to the characters. If you're a fan of audiobooks, you know how important the voice can be.

The story is about two women, an aunt, Viv, and her niece, Carly, who both have supernatural experiences at a rundown, motel, but years apart. The niece arrives at the hotel to solve the disappearance of an aunt she never met, who went missing years before. 

First, we meet the aunt, Viv, who is hitchhiking to NYC and lands at the motel by accident (or fate?) 

We jump the timeline years later when her niece comes to find out what happened to the aunt she never met. 

Moving back and forth on the two timelines worked really well and was easy to follow. 

Carly, the niece, investigates murders while searching for clues about her aunt. The motel has ghosts from murders and an accident years before, and the creepy vibe comes on slowly but soon weaves its way into the story. 

 I'd definitely give this book 5 stars since it held my attention, gave me shivers, and had me emotionally involved with Carly and Viv. 

All loose ends were tied up with a big twist at the end. Loved it! 

🕮⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Exercising the Creative Writing Muscle.

 

Like the rest of our bodies, our writing muscles need to work out to keep in top form. 

How do you work out that writing muscle?

 You write, of course! 

But.... what? That's the question that hits every writer at one point or another. I have no ideas, I don't have a story idea, I got nothing! 

So, here's the solution. Write badly. 

Yep! Give yourself permission to write the dumbest, more ridiculous thing you can think of. 

Aliens in the school lunch room?

Puppy found at the beach is actually a shifter? 

There's a cult that meets in the woods behind your house? 

Can a butterfly be a shifter? 

You see your neighbor dump a body in the lake. When you get home, that neighbor is sitting with your wife in your kitchen. Together they confess...

A child comes up to you and tells you it's time to go back to your home planet and tries to convince you that you're an alien. 

A brilliant blast comes from the sky, and suddenly you find yourself on another planet. 

     Okay, I guess I have aliens on my brain today, but you get the idea. Just write something goofy and don't worry if it's good or bad. Just write and the light will appear. It's an exercise to get those creative juices flowing. 

Arts Be Crafty: Paint Up that Old Chair

Arts Be Crafty: Paint Up that Old Chair:  Let's face it. Everything can be a canvas. I especially like painting on things. It's a challenge to see what you can fit in the space...

Check out the ArtsBeCrafty link at the top of the page to see more ArtsBeCrafty ideas! 

Query Times & Writing Days

 

25 Queries sent, 8 rejections. 

Still hunting new agents who might be the perfect fit. 

While hunting, I'm writing the sequel. Threshold of Tomorrow. Three chapters in, nine outlined.

Every morning, it's time to hit the keyboard and work for 10 pages. Funny thing is, if I get those 10 pages done, I don't want to stop! Get into that other world and I, like the reader, want to find out what's happening. If I struggle for those 10 pages I feel myself making excuses to do something else. 

Get up, walk the dog, and find a snack.... always need snacks!

Happy writing my fellow creatives! 

The Query Journey - Writer's Next Step

 

Book finished, edited every which way and now on to the Query journey. Yay! 

Sure, it's a trial, ego testing, and takes a lot of research. But hey! It's part of being a writer, so I say; Have fun with it. Get to know these gatekeepers. Check out their Query Tracker pages, Websites, Manuscript Wish List, and social media pages. 

I generally do this while the husband watches TV at night since I'm not much of a TV person. 

My first piece of advice is to go to Query Tracker. What a gift this site is to writers. Take a few to watch their videos so you can use the site to the best of your abilities. You can do a free version, but for like $25, you can get so much more. Big plus: You can query most agents right through the QT site. Super easy!

In QT, you can see what genres they rep, how many of what they requested, see their clients, and read comments from others who have sent in a query.  These comments tell you what was rejected, how long it took to get that answer and some people even post the rejection letter. (Is that necessary?) 

When I see an agent on QT that I might want to send my book to I first check the genre. Yep, they accept my kind of book. They I peek at their client list just to make sure they actually rep writers and how big that list is. Not that it's a deal breaker either way but it does give me a little insight. 

Next my favorite research tool in QT; Reports. Here I an set it to Fiction Genre and see how many requests they did for which genres. So if the book I'm trying to get a rep for is Horror. I can see how many requests they did for this genre. If all I see is requests for romance and fantasy, the chances are they're not a fan of too much horror. Will this take them off my list? Not yet. There is more research to be done. 

Read the comments. This part can be surprising. Most are just submitted on this date, rejected that date, or req for full, etc. HOWEVER, some take these slow response times and rejections way too personally and get a little snarky. Please don't do that! Today, they may reject, but tomorrow they may scoop up your next book. 

 There are so many reasons an agent will take a long time to respond. First, their inbox may be overflowing, and they're getting through it as best they can. Second, they might have put your query aside to give it another look. (Yay!) Third, these agents are people with private lives, families, and other agent-y things to do. They assist with R&R for their different clients who have already signed. They need to talk to publishing houses, editors to build relationships. Most attend conferences that help writers. They are very busy people!  

Of course, Query Tracker is only one way to research agents. You can do a web search, type #mswl into any social media platform. Visit their websites and read about which agent is looking for which genre. Do a random search of their names. Check the Writer's Beware site, Publishers Market Place. Look on YouTube. There are many agents and agent interviews on YouTube. My favorite are the Bookends Literary Agency videos. Super informative on how the system works and things writers need to know. 

So while you're waiting for a reply, what do you do? 

• Keep researching other agents to submit to
• Write your next book! (actually, this should be #1)
• Live your life, do fun things
• Relax. Writing is a marathon, and queries are just one part. 

Write on, my friend

Awesome Writer's Group Today!

 If you're a writer, you need a writer's group. Check around in your area and find out where they are. Try them on for size and see what fits you. 

I've done a lot of groups. Some awesome, some not so much. Give them a chance and see what fits. 

In the beginning, I wasn't much of a sharer with my writing. It was just for fun, and I viewed it as personal. As my confidence grew, I evolved into different types of groups. 

Critique group: In most critique groups, you share your work and other writers give their opinions and suggestions. Every group I've been in it was an option if you wanted to read or not. Some groups didn't let new people say anything for the first group which I though was weird. Hey, it's their group. Let it be. 

One critique group I was in, the woman wrote about a man whose truck broke down on a deserted road, and he said the word, "fuck." Two of the men in the group went on for twenty minutes putting down her word. I thought that was wrong, but since it was my first time, I kept my mouth shut. Dialog tells us a lot about the character. Some people use that word. To question if a character will curse in the first chapter? Didn't his use of the word tell us something about him? 

Other writing groups are just writing exercise groups. Where they give you a prompt and you just write. Sometimes it's world-building, journaling, or even passing on the story. (One person writes for 5 mins, passing the sheet, next person does 5 mins, and so on.) Some really creative stuff comes from that exercise. 

Whatever writing group you find, go check it out. Find one that fits. They are your people. 

 Writing groups can be inspiring. 

What to do After Finishing Your Book?

 Aside from the polish, edit, polish, edit, round-a-bout... Take two days off. Let your brain drain and your thinking patterns refresh. After all, being neck deep in the world of your story can be draining. I always feel like I've run a marathon when I finish that final edit. 

So, off it goes into query-land. A place of agents, publishers and hope. Let it fly. 

What now? Your next great story, or course! 

From the one I just sent off to query-land, I've got an idea for a sequel. Part of it already mapped out on paper. Three chapters written. 

The issue with that is, will the agent (Please God, send me that dream agent. 🙏) want a sequel? Will they think it's a good idea? I do. 😺 But on something like this, if the agent does want the first book, I'd listen to them on book 2. 

I have another finished book in the drawer. One I really liked, but my beta reader said it had a bit of head-hopping in it. So that's a major edit overhaul. No prob. It will keep me busy. 

So what did I do today? I worked on both of them. What else? 

Tomorrow I may find another agent to query, while kick out another chapter or two on one of these. 

Or maybe I'll just spend the day painting. It's a stress relief. 

What's your plans? 

Lack of Research. - All my fault!

 When looking for an agent, researching what they want and what they've requested in the past (thank you, Query Tracker!) can be a huge help when you're submitting your work to the right agents. 

One piece of advice I missed? Research them EVERYWHERE! 

I made an agent list on Query Tracker. Those I love and those who fit the genre I'm proposing. No one is really second string. I looked them up, and they all seem to be hard-working, agents who are passionate about their authors and books.

But I didn't look everywhere. Today, I put the names of the ones I didn't think wanted my genre, but who I respected, into a search engine.  WhooooHooo! Lots of stuff came up and there were a few interviews and websites where these agents talked about being open to other genres. 

My genre! 

Now I'm rebuilding my query list. With the thought that John Grisham sent out queries to 100 agents before someone bit for A Time to Kill, there's still a chance...

New Project - 2nd in Series or Something New?

 

Once a book moves off the desk, it's time to figure out what's next. 

While writing Threshold of Midnight, an idea for a sequel came to mind, and I immediately started outlining. Just get those ideas down on paper in case - IN CASE - I want to make the sequel my next project. 

I have 3 other manuscripts finished but not edited. Should I just get them edited and out? Or start the sequel that's on the edge of my mind while those characters are fresh in my mind? 

So I need to pick between these; 

1. Threshold of Tomorrow (Sequel to Threshold of Midnight)

2. Eyes of My Killer (paranormal detective novel)

3. To Be A Patriot (Fight back against the establishment)

4. Lucifer (my oldest manuscript - what if you meet Lucifer?)

Which would you choose? 

Leave a comment

Last Minute Writing Panic

 

After weeks (months?) of editing, re-editing, checking and reading, reading, reading my manuscript. 

It's perfect.                      I think?

No, I put so much time into it. I can still see the pages when I close my eyes. Those characters are still here in the room with me, outside, peeking in my windows. 

What does all this mean? I sent a query!

Actually two. 

After watching agents, book marketing and reviews, I started with two absolute favorites. I've followed their careers, the agency, and their YouTube channels. They're not the only ones I follow, but  I do have great respect for them. There are more on my list  to query in the next few days, but this is a start. 

(Note; If you haven't searched "lit agents" on YouTube, try it! It's a wealth of information on the industry.) 

These are my dream agents. 

If they call, you'll be seeing me dancing down the middle of the street. And maybe the grocery store. 

Later, maybe tomorrow or the next day, I'll send to the next on my list. I know publishing is a long game. Very few jump ahead of the line, and we need to respect the rules. 

Check back for updates! 

Writing Interuptions - How to manage them?

One BIG challenge a writer faces is finding uninterrupted writing time. Those few precious hours when you can shut out the world and just write. A place where words flow and your brain is churning out the perfect story.

One way I found to get more on the paper (or word doc) is to schedule a block of time for writing. A time when the house is quieter, the family is busy with whatever and the animals have been fed and walked. 

Ahhhh, that perfect world. 

Can anyone tell me where to find it??? 

For those of you who believe in the WoooWooo, Aug 8th is the Lion's Gate Portal. A time when the sun in Leo aligns with the star Sirius and the constellation Orion. 

It's a time when you can manifest the best things. The universe is ready for your requests. 

So, I'm in that final edit. I have maybe 20 pages left and today, Aug 8th I was going to send that Query letter out into the Lion's Gate Portal! Yes! Let the planets align and bring positive energy to my work. 

Great plan? 

Maggie Mittens didn't think so. 

I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop, papers and notes spread out all around me, and here comes murder Mittens. She puts that snout on the back of my laptop and flips it closed. 

AAaahahaha!  Open, check the save, did I lose anything? 

"Go lay down, Maggie." She moves away, picks up her chew toy and I get back to work. 

This is good, brain engaged, recaptured the zone, and words are starting to flow again. 

Bam! Laptop lid closed!  Who's little face is there? 

                                        Yeah, this one. -->

"Out? Wanna go out?"  She looks at me and lies down. 

Back to work...the vibe is still there... somewhere. 

Here comes the cat. She thinks the keyboard is some kind of massage bed. Is it the heat from the keyboard? Or is she some kind of critic? And now? Wait! People are texting me.... 

So much for the Lion's Gate Portal. The frustration has me wanting to lock myself in the bathroom. (and don't think I'm so far from it!) 

Tomorrow is the full moon. Any advice on that? 

Almost there! Or Maybe Not? Yes, No, Yes, No...

 The book is done. 

I've been editing it for weeks. 

Over on Query Tracker reading about agents who are open. 

The book looks good. 

Wait! 

One more read through.... It's 380 pages, so this might take a few days. 

Is it too long? Should I cut it?

Did everything come together at the end? 

Did I wrap up all the loose ends? 

Does the editing process ever end? Oy! 

Check back for the Query letter pain: 

Be unique, but not odd. Write a good hook & make them love you, but keep it business-like. Research every agent. Do they want my genre? Are they open to queries right now? How long have they been agenting? Should I wait until the new moon? 

Excuse me while I go ice my brain.... 

From last Edit to Complete ReWrite

 I'm crazy. 

I was almost there. Loved my story. Only had that basic last edit to go through and then...a light bulb went off in my brain. 

Suddenly I knew.... I had to change something. Add some things,  remove others. Something deep inside clicked. 

So we'll have to see how long this will take. Advice from all the publishers and agents say "Polish, polish, polish." Make your manuscript shine before releasing it into the world. 

Alas, I see room for improvement. Hopefully by the next new moon, Threshold to Midnight will be ready to launch out into the world. 

Agent? Publisher? Or just list it on Amazon like the rest of my books and short stories. You can check the out here! 

Next Book in Edits

 My next book to be released, Threshold to Midnight, is in editing. 

How I feel now: 

Go Indie or Publishing House?

 Like the song says; You can buy your own Flowers. 

Yet still we hesitate. 

Agent - Publishing House - Indie

Okay, getting an agent who can give you a 3-book deal with a movie option would be a dream. The question is; How often does that happen? Really? 

A publishing house probably wants you to have a decent social media following. (Agents, too.)

 Indie? Enough if you want it bad enough. Amazon and Barnes & Noble can get your book out there but you better be prepared to advertise and share the heck out of it. Build a website, an author facebook/TikTok/BlueSky/Instagram... and whatever other platform comes up. Be social and let them love you back. That helps sell books. See what other authors do and steal some marketing ideas. 

 Publishing house? Check them out in every way possible. Make sure they're legit. There's a lot out there that just want you to pay them. I believe the first rule of "never paying to publish your book" still stands. Good publishing houses don't take your money, they help you make money and take a percentage of sales. If a publishing house asks for upfront money, they're a vanity press. Not exactly legit and will probably publish things without the best editing, which will kill your book in the long run. Unless you want to pay a good editor before going to the vanity press. But if you do that, why not just go full Indie? 

Back to agents? My dream was to get an agent to get me a big deal so I could just sit back and write more stories. Is that realistic? I'm sure agents make you work for it, too. 

Bottom line? Check it all out. Spend a day (a week? a month?) reading reviews on all the ways. Read agent reviews and pub house reviews, and find out what other authors whom you respect are doing. 

Homework makes the Dream work. 

5 Ways Not to Lose Your Story Ideas

 I'm driving to the day job, watching the road, thinking about the other drivers and the landscape around me. 

SUDDENLY! 

I've got a story idea. It's rolling around in my brain. Building up. Getting legs and growing. Yeah, I like this story idea. I want to run with it. 

However, I'm driving. Not able to write anything down without crashing my car. Options? Pull over somewhere and put notes in my phone or scratch it out on one of the ten a gas receipts flowing around in my console. Do I do this? Naw, I'll remember and take notes when I arrive at work. 

I pull into work and there goes my brain. I'm not even out of the car yet and my mind is thinking about workie things. Did I write this brilliant story idea down? No. Do I remember it hours later? No.

5 Ways Not to Lose Your Story Ideas

1. Always carry a notebook. These are easily purchased in any store (Dollar Store, too!) to keep in your purse or your car. Make sure there's a pen or pencil with your notebook. 
2. Notes on the phone. I use this feature for a lot of stuff. From work passwords to reminders and grocery lists. It's a quick easy place to write it down if you have no pen or paper. 
3. Learn to use the voice recording feature on your phone. I think that comes with every phone on the market now. On the iphone it's called Voice Memo. I moved this to the top of my aps so I can easily click it when needed. --> At the red light and never while driving. :)
4. If  unable to get it down any other way think of key words. Like building anything online a key word will help trigger your brain into remembering. Don't use generic words like rain or road. Think of something more story specific. If the story is about a woman who meets a prince that turns our to be a serial killer use something like killer prince. Story about aliens landing in a backyard of a hippy. Use alien hippy. Whatever is more exact but short. 
5. Repeat your plot/idea out loud over and over. Then again and again. Repetition is one way to memorize things. Saying it out loud helps cement it into your memory. 

Be Prepared and save those ideas! 

5 Steps to Complete NANOWRIMO

 

The challenge; Complete 50,000 words in the month of November.  Don't worry it can be done without panic. 

First: Check out all the good stuff on the official NANOWRIMO website; https://nanowrimo.org/ They've got lots of inspiration and things to get you writing. 

Second: Plot your NANO attack. I don't mean plot your novel but you can if you're a plotter (not a pantser?) I mean plot your work time. Think of your life and where you can get uninterrupted time to write.  I once got up a half hour early to win NANO. That book is now up on Amazon: Soul Mates A Different Kind of Love Story At that time in my life I was in work by 8:30 am so I got up at 6:30 am and wrote for a half hour to an hour depending on how the story was moving. But it was getting up at that hour that gave me time to dedicate to my goals. 

So plot out your writing time. Make it a time when you can have some uninterrupted writing time. I chose morning before the family woke up but if you're more of a night owl go for it. What's your perfect time?

Third: Assemble your space. There's nothing worse than having to get up and clear dishes or toys off your table before getting to work. Truthfully, that has tanked my writing sessions more often than not. Got a desk? A table you can squeeze into a corner or any place you get on your laptop, tablet or however you write and be set to go when you sit down. Make it yours, make it comfortable and make it a place you want to go. 

Fourth: Get down the bones. Write your story. Get up & go to your special place and write. Decide if you're a plotter or a pantser. This is probably something you already know if you're been writing a while but the one thing to know is you don't have to be exactly one or the other. You can combine it. 

I get an idea and first write the blurb of the idea. You know that first inkling of a story that comes to you? Not the whole story but maybe a bit of the direction you're going. The blurb is kind of like that thing on the back of the book or in the book description that gives you a bit of the bones of the story. It doesn't have to be a lot just enough for you. If you like to plot then write down that outline. You don't have to follow it but if it gets you going, then great. If not, then change it as you go. The writing rules at this point are your rules. 

Fifth: Tell people. Join a NANOWRIMO group in your area. Find other writers either in person or online for encouragement and to help keep the NANO alive in your vision. Life gets busy and sometimes our goals fall to the sidelines when that happens. Connecting with others with the same goal can keep you on track. 

GO NANO! You've got this! 

Here....Comes....NANOWRIMO! Ready?

 
No, not ready and have no idea what story I'm going to tell. Could be anything at this point. 

Does NANO have to be fiction?  

    Why? The writer is in control so write what you want. Do you know how to calibrate antennas? Write a how to book. Love to cook and have a closet full of recipes? Write that cook book. (Don't forget the yummy photos) Got a life to tell us about? Write your memoir. Like making up stories and adventures? Write fiction. 

    I write fiction. So I'll think up some kind of murder, adventure or paranormal something. 

    I think it was the movie, The World According to Garp, where the man (Robin Williams 💔) sees a pair of gloves on the side walk and it prompts him to write a story.  The moral here; Ideas are everywhere. 

    When my kids were young and we'd go to a restaurant, or anywhere we had to wait, we'd play a What if game. I'd challenge them to find something in the room and I'd tell them the story about it. Pick up a spoon? Well, I'd say. This was the spoon that George Washington ate his oatmeal with on the morning he crossed the Delaware to fight the British in Trenton, NJ. In fact, since Martha gave it to him, after breakfast he put it in his pocket for good luck. He lost this spoon during the battle and it lay in the dirt for decades. Then when they were building this restaurant a workman found it and put it in the sink of the restaurant. And here it sits, on our table. George Washington's spoon. 

    The kids loved this game as sometimes the stories got pretty silly. (Don't ask how we time traveled and peeked in an outhouse to see Mrs Lincoln on the potty. Yes, some stories stay with you.) Soon the kids were making up stories and asking me to pick the item. Creativity explodes!

    The point is that there are ideas everywhere if you're looking. Remember to keep the "What if" in the front of your brain. Look around, take a walk, eyeball that stranger in the supermarket and think what secrets could be hiding in his closet. 

Okay! Don't scare people by staring at them! 

Be discrete. 

    Think of all the myths and stories there are out there. Can you bend them & take the winged Pegasus and make him human? What if? Or read the news and put something sinister behind the scenes. What if an angel lost his wings and was forced to earth to pay for his sin? (Wait, I already did something like that!) Someone gifts our heroine a plant and as she takes care of it she begins to see messages printed on the leaves. Magic or gaslight? 

    So look around, open your mind to the possibility that anything is possible and get ready for NANOWRIMO! 

  

Drop the Ego & Write What You Want

 It is said some people come into your life and quickly go, others stay a while and leave footprints on your soul. 

My late friend and writing buddy left a footprint I carry with me in my writing: Leave your ego in the back seat.

Translation? Don't let the worry of what others think stop you from writing your story. 

The ego is that thing between us and others. What will they think if I write this? Will they think I'm gross? A freak? Some kind of weirdo? To which writers should respond; who cares! 

Some will love your stories, some will hate them. You can't please everyone so don't let it stop you. Write what you want, critics be damned. 

My one book, Soul Mates (A different kind of love story) had a first review that stole my heart, "I laughed, I cried, I loved this book." 

A few reviews down, "this is about animal abuse." 

Note: it's not about animal abuse it's a story of a dog who goes through a tough time and get's rescued. I've worked in dog rescue for over 15 years and have seen a lot of sad stories and helped to save hundreds of dogs. I've seen and heard of more animal abuse than anyone should ever see and none of it gets any easier. Your heart breaks a million times as you bring in the starving, hurt and mentally damaged pups. We make them better and adopt them into good homes. I'll take that heartbreak because it keeps their hearts beating. 

Did I respond to that comment about animal abuse? No. Did I want to? Of course! First of all I believe the reviewer didn't finish the book because the dog wins in the end. Besides that? I'm not here for their opinions. I just here to tell a story. Many stories. If If I take that stuff as a hit to my ego, that ego might whitewash my next story. 

Who cares what cousin Suzy might think or how your Auntie might judge your book poorly. They didn't write a book and you did. 

YOU DID IT! 

First they judge you, then they laugh, then they're telling people how they know you. 

So toss that ego in the back seat and write on. 

P.S. The dog in that picture is doing great. Here's what she looks like now. God Bless the Rescuers.