How I Found the Write Path

Click here if you're looking for my Write...Edit...Publish post, but I hope you'll check out my letter to my newbie-writer self before moving on.

Hello everyone!

My post this week is for the How I Found the Write Path blogfest. Go here to learn more.

Letter to ten-years-younger Denise

(((Happy dance)))

After years of carrying your dreams around in your pocket, it's time to get pen to paper!

Well, Denise, when you started out on this writing gig, you had a dream of eventually writing a novel, didn’t you? But who realised it was going to be such a long and difficult journey! Remember how confident you felt at the outset that the world was waiting on tiptoe for the beautiful prose that would drip off your quill! How many years had you spent reading books? You could do that, right? Wrong! 

Your first victim was New Woman magazine. New magazine; surely they’d be looking for new writers? Wrong again! What to do with that first rejection? Well, hide it in a drawer and try not to think about it too much of course. How embarrassing to be turned away on your very first submission. It was time to think a bit harder about that dream.

Give up? Not an option. So, what to to?

Do a few more courses on writing. 

• That Diploma of Journalism was pretty handy for learning how to pitch. 
• Those creative writing courses helped get other opinions on your work. 
• How-to books opened your eyes big time. Who knew there were so many books to nudge novices along the writing journey? You read a heap, but your go-to, can’t-do-without book is, was, and ever will be ‘Writing the Breakout Novel’, by Donald Maas. The first time you used one of his writing prompts, you hit pay dirt. You entered that short story into a competition—and came second! 

(((Happy dance))) 

That dream was getting so close you could feel it, couldn't you? You were getting the idea of this writing gig. Here's where you adjusted the plan. You were going to keep writing short stories to learn your craft until you were ready to begin the Great Australian Novel. Might even help to earn a few dollars along the way to pay for all those books you were buying.

Was it easy getting short stories published? Uh uh, not at all. You learned the hard way, didn’t you, that you have to read the magazine that you’re pitching to. Then chances are they’ve just accepted a story like yours…or something along those lines. About this time you stumbled across 'How to Write and Sell Short Stories' by Della Galton. She taught you how to target specific magazines, taught you the wealth of genres to explore, taught you how to submit after making your story sparkle. The more you wrote, the better your stories became, and finally short story publication could be ticked off your to-do list. 

(((Happy dance)))

And then you discovered blogging. That proved to be a good way to practise writing and to learn about writing from all those author gurus out there. Following a gazillion writing blogs was a fabulous idea, especially Karen Woodward's. Those excellent craft posts - writing scenes, writing short stories, writing novels! What more could a writer ask?

Blogging meant finding Critique Partners. Blogging meant writing at least once a week. Blogging meant sharing what you've learnt and offering opportunities to both established and newbie bloggers through writing challenges.

Now your dream of writing that novel is coming to fruition. After practising your craft by writing several novels during NaNoWriMo each November, you’ve finally finished one to publication stage. It's back from the editor and after re-writes it will be good to go. 

So, what has ten-years-older Denise learnt so far?

• Write a lot, but don't beat yourself up if you don't write every day. Chill time can re-ignite that fire.
• Read a lot, both in your genre/s and out.
• Don't be daunted by best-selling writing. Learn from it. You too can write a best-seller.
• Don't rush into publication. It's not a race, it's a long-term goal.
• Remember, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.

Denise Covey

Writer of romantic fiction - flash fiction, short stories, contemporary novels

Website – http://laussieswritingblog.blogspot.com

Permission granted for the e-book compilation. 

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Insecure Writers Support Group : Why SOME Published Novels Fail to Sell (according to Donald Maas) : Romantic Friday Writers New Challenge :: LETTERS

Hello everyone! Finally, I'm posting again. The madness that is April is over for the A-Zers, and now it is back to the 'normal' business of blogging, for some of us, anyway.

I survived the house move in early April, but my writing time suffered, naturally. I'm back teaching. [Speaking of which, I've created another blog, Free English Resources where I post on many topics -- literature, grammar, punctuation, book reviews, analysis, current Australian curriculum streams... It's open to all. I don't have many followers--that's not the point--but I have heaps of page views, so I'm hopeful I'm putting something back into the educational community.] You're welcome to visit and use the resources if you're interested. I'm also back blogging and setting challenges for RomanticFridayWriters with Donna Hole, who's also been on blog hiatus too, writing up a storm.

Today, for IWSG, my post is about the topic - Why do some published books not sell?

I started thinking about this when reading an article by Donald Maas in the Writers Digest. He's a favourite how-to writer of mine.

We've all seen it in blogland -- at times rather vicious comments when an author's book fails to sell. The blame is often laid firmly at the feet of the book-industry, where some publisher failed to promote the author. Other things to blame -- terrible cover (I had a better idea, but they forced this one on me), horrible blurb (I didn't really write that badly, did I?), the timing was right off (how could they release my book called A Crocodile Ate My Lunch on the same day that a crocodile ate a tourist?)...come on, the list is LONG.

There are many vagaries in the publishing industry and unpublished authors try to learn all they can before that magical day when they sign a contract (or in the case of self-pubbed, they hit Publish on Amazon or wherever).

Some books are published on the evidence of several best sellers by the author. I've just abandoned A Casual Vacancy a little over halfway through. I like to read books with bad reviews just to get my own take on them, but I feel like I wasted several late nights which would have been better spent reading a 'good' book. (I don't usually say negative things about books, but Rowling's sales won't be impacted one whit by my opinion). J K Rowling didn't have to worry about whether her book would sell or not--her huge audience would buy it anyway, even though I couldn't find one likeable character out of the dozens of characters she bombarded the reader with in the first few chapters. I hated the foul language, I didn't care for the plot at all and could care less how it turned out (I hear a lot of the characters die, but do I care? Nuh.) I love books about village life by writers such as Rosamund Pilcher and Sybil Marshall, but this one I feel was written for its shock value. Of course, you may have read it and LOVED it, so ignore me.

My point is, there are lots of reasons a book sells or doesn't sell, but it is universally agreed (and Maas makes this point) that 'Great novels not only draw us in immediately but command our attention. They not only hold our interest but hold us rapt.'

Let's get to and write a novel like that. If we don't we have only ourselves to blame if it fails to sell.

I'll list some of the culprits Maas declares may be responsible for a published book failing to sell:

1. Timid Voice - this DOES NOT command attention.
2. Untested Characters - Make sure your characters show spine, take courage, have high principles or face their deepest fears.
3. Overly Interior or Exterior Stories - Be the god of your story world. Interior stories need dramatic outward events. Dramatic outward events need to create a devastating interior impact.

I'll finish with another quote from Donald Maas: 'Runaway success comes from great fiction, period. The publishing industry may help or hinder but cannot stop a powerful story from being powerful.'

But really...there's no failure per se, there are only disappointing sales...

Click on the badge above for more posts for Insecure Writers courtesy of Alex J Cavanaugh.

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Now, if you want to flex your story writing muscles this May, RomanticFridayWriters has a challenge for you. 

LETTERS will be the central theme of our May challenge. You can use letters any way you like. 

'Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.' van Goethe.

Multi-generic writing is popular ATM, probably always has been. Multi-generic writing includes embedding other text types within your prose/poetry. Within prose you could add letter/s to/from lovers, letters could form the bulk of your story. You could add other text forms  -- dea th certificate, diary entries, appointment calendars, a found note..be as creative as you want!  Your entry will be a free-flowing story interspersed with whispers from the lives of the lovers. A poetic entry could be interspersed with the same type of texts -- let your imagination have free rein.

HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS:

*One of the lovers may have gone away - to work, to war, has left the relationship, wants time out...

* Someone has been left at home - fretting, upset, determined to save the relationship, determined to have revenge

* Perhaps one of the lovers wants a holiday by themselves, (not unusual these days), and the one left at home is furious, feels unloved, or relieved to have some time out too

These are scenarios that just pop into my head. Your entry may use all/none of these suggestions. It is your story, your way, your era...just let's go back to a romantic element in whatever form we write for this challenge.

You can sign up now, or you can wait until you've written your story. Entries to be posted on Friday 24 May - Sunday 26th May. 

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Insecure Writers Support Group Post - Are we open and transparent in our writing? Or does fear rule us?

Hi my friends! 

Do you struggle to be open and transparent in your writing, or do you keep a firm lid on your emotions?

Are you scared of putting too much of yourself 'out there' in your writing?

Are you scared of making yourself vulnerable? 

If we shield our most private ideas, insights and feelings we run the risk of our work coming out bland.  If vulnerability and fear rule us, we are not present in our own writing to the fullest extent. The reader will tell.

I'm in the third edit of my Harlequin-esque novel. I'm at the stage where I'm examining the story to see if I've gone deeply enough, been true to myself, true to my characters. Have I thought outside the square? Have I been too comfortable, too blase in my words?

At this stage of editing, I've been reading a few 'how-to' books, especially  Donald Maas' new tome - 21st Century Writing. Maas always has great advice and is always about digging deep, then digging deeper, upping those stakes. He wants us to make our characters cry - make them suffer - make them vulnerable.

Am I too afraid to do this? There's a fine line between authenticity and vulnerability, but that is where the best writing happens, according to Maas.

But sometimes we're just too afraid. Fear of others' judgment stymies us.  

We can let too much of other's opinions influence our work--not discriminating between what's right and true for our book and what's coming from fear of displeasing another (we seem to think everyone knows better than we do) --will avoid writing about certain touchy subjects, diluting their chapters until nothing substantial remains.  

As hard as it is, we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable.

The more vulnerability we bring to the page, the more joy and authenticity it will have for us and our readers.  If we embrace this vulnerability, 

we will believe in ourselves more...eventually.  

I'll leave you with a quote from  David Bayles and Ted Orland's excellent little book, Art & Fear. 

"Fears about art-making fall into two families:  fears about yourself, and fears about your reception by others.  In a general way, fears about yourself prevent you from doing your best work, while fears about your reception by others prevent you from doing your own work." 

Click on the badge to read more posts from IWSG.

Take time to be joyful to me today, as today is the day my husband and I move house. 

My Max Brenner Hug-a-Mug of hot chocolate. 

• If you'd like me to come visit you during the A-Z (I want to visit my friends once a week to catch up on their posts), please leave a comment. Makes it easier to comment on my phone when I'm in transit--which is where I do most of my blog commenting. 

All the best A - Zers!