Why I've Been So Quiet

My sincerest apologies for being silent for more than a month but the month of December is always monstrous for me and things tend to slip through the cracks. This past December was a bit more time consuming for me because my best friend in the entire world got married! *Claps* And I was actually her Maid of Honor. It was a beautiful day, she looked breathtaking and by the end of the month, I was pooped.

Anywho, I haven't really been writing much but lately, that has changed somewhat. I've added another couple thousand words to a bit of Caleb and even some to Caylee. A few of my other WIP's are coming along as well. Slowly, but coming along nonetheless. Usually, for me, writing is an escape from my daily monotonous life. Breaking up the tedium with pockets of creativity and new secret worlds no one knows about, can criticize, poke holes in or destroy because it is all in my head and generally, what I say goes. . And I love that I am able to step back from my life and live this other full and complete life without even having to leave the safety of my own home. But some time ago, writing became something of a chore. Not a bad chore per say, but I wasn't sitting down to write for pleasure so much as 'needing' to get it out. Other writers understand me when I say that. Alas, for the past couple of weeks, I've been feeling excited about getting home and sitting down at my laptop and spending time with these wonderful people inside my head. It would be sacrilege not to tell their stories.

So I've drawn the conclusion that I will just keep writing There is no 'until'. I write, therefore I am. And there is nothing more beautiful than that. -- A.

P.S. A little teaser/snippet of Caleb will be coming soon! Next blog post is alllll about Caylee!

Writer's Block & a Quick Update

Recently, I've been going through quite a loooong bout of writer's block.

*DUN DUN DUUUNNNN*  Yes, I know. Booo, hiss and all that jazz. That being said, I do believe I've gotten over it. Or I'm pushing through it, at the very least. And I have to say that I am very pleased with the writing I've gotten done. It isn't much but, what I have gotten done feels like it'll be key to the progress of Caleb's first book.

The title of this series hasn't come to me just yet. However, it will include Death or some variation of the word, as Caleb will die once, if not more, in each book. I plan to have six books, but as of now, I do not expect this series to exceed seven books. Alas, things change and I may want to add ten more.

And now, a quick snippet of some of the things I've just written for Caleb! 

“Are you sure you want me to come upstairs, Caleb? I mean, I am Jailbait and all that.” She pulled the left corner of her bottom lip into her mouth then, her teeth making an appearance for the briefest moment.
    “Let me see some identification.” I’d leaned into the desk by now, putting my face about a foot from hers. She grinned full on and pulled out her wallet, sliding her ID onto the counter between us. I picked it up, examining it unnecessarily. I’d already known she was legal. I also knew she liked that I was a cop. “I think I’ll hold onto this. You’ll get it back in the morning.”
    “That’s assuming I’ll be there until the morning.”
    “Oh, you will.” Giving her my best charming smile, I pushed away from the counter and swaggered  my way to the elevators, closing the doors and riding it up to my floor. I had every confidence that she’d be knocking at my door in less than twenty.
    As it turns out, I was wrong. She made it in less than ten.

Six Reasons To Seek Outside Help When Editing YOUR MS

Okay guys, let's say you've - like me - been a HUGE fan of writing for a long time. You've even started several books over the course of five or six years, but - also like me - you've only actually finished one or two full manuscripts. When I say 'finished', I mean your MS is 80k or more words.

Now, let's say you've - like me - called yourself editing it on your own, revised, changed, went over it with a fine-tooth comb and FINALLY, you think you've gotten it SO perfect, you think it couldn't get any better if some form of deity has written it themselves -

 I'll get into the several reasons why you'd be wrong in a second. -

and you think, 'Yes, I'm going to send off a few query letters'.

No. Just no. No matter who you are, what you write, published, unpublished, Indie or self-pubbed - SOMEONE ELSE - meaning not YOU - NEEDS TO TAKE  A LOOK AT YOUR MANUSCRIPT AND QUERY LETTER BEFORE YOU SEND ANYTHING OFF TO ANYONE. 

Reasons why: 

1. As authors, we already think what we write is amazing. We think we're so genius, G-d has touched us with the ability to write magnificent MS's and any agent/publishing house would be lucky to sign us. *Shakes head* Sadly, no. 
2. Not everything you write is a hit, not everything you write is sell-able, there isn't a market for everything you write - NOT EVERYTHING YOU WRITE IS GOOD. And yes, it chafes your a*s like a fluffer-nutter and no, people may not always be kind when telling you these sorts of things but you HAVE to hear it sometime.
3. Other people - once again, not YOU - know what they like to read, how they like to read and what they want to feel when they read. You cannot, cannot, cannot trust your own eyes, emotions and judgement when it comes to editing your MS. Obviously, you're biased. You wrote it, therefore you love it. 
4. When you edit your own MS's, there are going to be several mistakes that you missed, overlooked - or sometimes you may leave them on purpose (builds character for your MC or it is how a certain character in your MS speaks) sometimes those work and sometimes they don't. More often than not, they don't. 
5. You may not notice it, but you can easily over-write a MS. Case in point: my very own first MS is north of 140k words. No publisher ANYWHERE is going to pick up a debut more than 100k words. As evidence of my MS STILL lying untouched on my hard drive. Also, too many adjectives, similies, metaphors - all those add up in word count. And too many words is a problem. Ideal MS length is between 80k and 110k and 110k is pushing it. Books that are too long probably won't get read. No one wants to be intimidated by the size of a book on a shelf before picking it up.
6. Your MS can ALWAYS get better. You may be among one of the most creative minds on the planet but no one is perfect and everything can get better. A little tweak here, a revision there can make any great MS amazing. Don't be too proud. Every book gets edited before publishing and rather than seeing a bunch of red ink all over your precious baby, take the time and have a few friends peruse it. Have some margaritas with your girlfriends, a couple beers with the guys, lunch with your author friend or a night out with your bookclub and get it done. 

Prime example: I haven't touched my first MS in months because of Caylee and Caleb. I, too, thought it was perfect, sent off dozens of badly written queries for it and got sad like clockwork over the next 6-12 weeks when I got all my NO's and refusals - or didn't get any, in some cases. The moment I went back and started reading the first chapter, I found twelve mistakes in the first 750 words. It. Was. Crap. Crap, Shit, Garbage, a Hot Toddy - whatever you prefer to call it. Why, you ask? Because I didn't get anyone to look over my query BEFORE I sent it and I didn't let my impromptu editor look at the full body of work BEFORE I stamped it as done. Now, I'm in the middle of shaving about 80 thousand words off it - words, I now know I did NOT need - and making it presentable. Which is just a BUNCH of fun.

To avoid hacking away at your precious MS - like I am - be cautious when you write and pay closer attention when editing if you choose to self-edit. As you know, I am still unpublished and in no way should my reasons be followed to the T but  it is because I remain unpublished that I'm almost 80% sure that you should at least have someone take a second - or twelfth - look at your MS and/or Query letter.