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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How do you cope with Rejection? Here's a happy ending for you! Plus a writing challenge and blogfest.

You open your email, and there it is...the Subject Line that you've been checking feverishly for months, weeks, days...but do you like what you see?

When you receive a rejection letter or email, what do you do after you finally open it?

a) Yell, scream, sob, and vow never to put yourself through that pain again.
b) Keep on reading, hoping there is some gem you can take away from the experience and use in the future.
c) Decide that you don't care...that agent/editor just didn't get it! They're so dumb.
d) Look skywards and thank that agent/editor because you know you can make your ms even better...and send to someone else.
e) All of the above...(sometimes we go through stages)

One publishing house's criteria for judging submissions. Reading this may help you get published in 2013!

If/when you get a rejection letter for a work you have submitted, do you know why your story didn't make the cut? These days you may not even be told your work is rejected -- you may hear deathly silence. At times you can pay a fee to receive feedback; this is a great idea. For a small fee you can see how the team at the publishing house judged your work and either found it wanting or will accept it for publication.

All publishing houses will have their in-house criteria, but I'm sure they will have many similarities. This is the criteria for one Australian publishing house's team of editors:

1. INTEREST - Does the story hold interest? If you can't wait to get to the end to find out what happened, score ten points for the story. If you can't get beyond the second paragraph, score one point.
2. PLOT - How clever is the story? Is it unique or does it copy other stories that you are aware of? Does it have a clear plot line that leads you inexorably to the end or does it waffle and go off on unimportant or unnecessary tangents that add little to the story? Allocate no points if there is waffle. 
3. STYLE - Does the story please? Is it easy to read or is it 'clunky'? Is the style appropriate for the plot? How consistent is the use of language? Is the style consistent throughout or does it change unexpectedly and without reason?
4. CHARACTER - Character development in a short story or a flash fiction work is especially difficult. Not quite so difficult in the novel. However, if you empathize (or detest) a character in 1,000 words, then this deserves five points. If the character is inconsistent or cannot be imagined, give a rating of one.
5. SETTING - There is little space for describing setting in a short story or flash fiction work. However, if you can see the setting in your mind's eye, then this deserves five points. If the setting is inconsistent or cannot be imagined, give a rating of one.
6. GRAMMAR/SPELLING - Work submitted for publication should NOT contain any spelling errors (except the odd typo (1-2 typos per 1,000 words is acceptable). Poor grammar is less acceptable. If the story contains no spelling errors and there are no apparent grammatical errors, then score five points.
7. PUBLISH? - If you would like to have read this story in a publication, score five points. If you would be peeved to find that you paid money to read this story, whether is a novel, an anthology, a magazine, score it zero or one point. If you are uncertain, score it somewhere in the middle. 

• I hope this helps when you are submitting your work. Perhaps it will help explain a rejection or two...

RomanticFridayWriters kicks off the new year with a new challenge - New Year! New Love! If you'd like to participate, read the details below and SIGN UP when you've written your story! Open to all!

get the InLinkz code

You are a writer if you are writing

Sounds simple, doesn't it? But that's the simple truth. I've seen debates online where writers wonder if they should call themselves a writer if they haven't been published, or if all they've got to show for years of their lives is a pile of rejection emails/letters and files of stories/novels that no one seems to value. And they begin to feel that both they and their work are valueless! Being reminded of how many times JK Rowling had her first Harry Potter manuscript rejected just doesn't do it for them any more.

'I'm not a writer! I've just been kidding myself!' they cry.

Well, I'm hearing you! Been there, done that, but there is a great Australian drinking song (we have plenty of these!), which goes 'I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down...' ad infinitum or ad nauseum (depending on your taste in music!). Love those fighting words. Words to live by if you're a writer. What brought this on? No, I haven't been drinking, I've been thinking! It's not midday yet!

I love Susan Breen's 'The Fiction Class', based on her work as a creative writing teacher in Manhattan. I was checking out her blog this morning and came across a wonderful interview with a fellow teacher/author Sonya Chung, who spurred me on to write my blog today. She says students always ask “When did you know you were a writer?” One of the best answers was: “You are a writer when you are writing.” No kidding. THAT is “how it feels” to be a writer.

I'll let Susan Breen be my inspiration today. She published her first novel after 25 years of marriage, 4 children and hundreds of rejections! I've got heaps of rejections to go yet!

Go writers!