Category Archives: Writing
Who said writing is the hard part?
This month, I’m working on editing (read rewriting) one of my urban fantasy novels. I wrote the first draft late last year.
Now, when I write, my first draft is always short. My characters are faceless beings, walking around a foggy space — naked. They have few feelings, but man, do they get stuff done 🙂
So I’m used to editing and rewriting in the second round to flesh out the story.
Well, I decided to take EditPalooza with SavvyAuthors.com (great site, BTW).
I get to work with an editor and another writer.
So, the first assignment was to read my draft from start to finish, without picking up the red pen.
OMG.
Horrible.
I almost cried.
My first draft is completely below my quality standards of a first draft.
So, nose to the grindstone. My goal is to drag it screaming if I have to, into a more acceptable thing.
So far, I’ve been doing pretty good. Slower than I hoped, but I’m pretty much on track.
Q4U:
What do your first drafts look like?
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Changes and Resolutions
2010 rocked. I hope 2011 will bring even more great things to everyone.
I plan to keep doing what I’ve been doing all along — writing, learning, working on my degree. Not to mention being a mom 🙂
So, to start, I’m doing Editpalooza through Savvy Authors
For the month of January, I’ll be working with a dedicated critique partner and an editor to get one of my novels into shape. It’s currently in pretty horrible first draft form. Lesson 1 was a complete read through from page 1 to The End. Oh, man, is it in bad shape.
So, for the next two weeks, I’ll be concentrating on rewriting the darn thing. It’s bound to be interesting.
Then, I’m going to start submitting to NY Agents once more. Let’s hope this time around I’m a bit luckier, LOL.
What do you have on your resolution list?
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Contests Pro’s on entering
So, you’ve decided to enter some contests. You’ve polished your first pages/chapters until they shine. You’ve found contests that give feedback, with at 
least 3 judges, and final round is with editors and agents.
Good luck.
So now, what can you expect?
The feedback from first round judges is normally pretty useful. Sure, sometimes you’ll get the judge who was having a crappy day and took it out on your pages, but overall, it’s usually a great experience.
You got a critique from experienced people.
Now, you advance to the next round.
Congrats, you’re a finalist. One of the few.
You’ll probably get feedback from the agent/editor judges, though it won’t be very expansive. It’s still usually enough to see what a professional thinks of your work, and the area’s you need to improve.
This is invaluable.
BUT, keep in mind, as with everything in this industry, it is also subjective opinion.
Now you get the call. You won!
The agent and editor both want a full.
Are you ready?
This leads me to the con’s about contests and traps to avoid.
See you next time.
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Contests: To enter or not (part 1)
I always see questions about contests around the net. Are they worth it? Do you get anything out of them? What are the drawbacks? 
So, I thought I’d share my experience from both sides of the fence (entrant and judge)
First, my suggestions:
-Why are you entering? To win? To get feedback? To get in front of an Agent/Editor?
Know your answers to these questions before picking the contests to enter.
If you’re entering just to win, remember, tastes are subjective. There can only be one winner.
From the judge’s perspective, I try to look at each entry as its own, without comparing it to anything else (published, my own stuff, or the other entrants). Since the contest coordinators send a checklist, with points for very specific categories, it’s pretty easy.
Still, I can only state my opinion on the categories. Some is technical, some is craft, and some is concept.
Are you entering to get feedback?
Most contests offer feedback. Most judges are a mix between published and unpublished writers. This isn’t a bad thing. Your feedback will be different things each judge specifically thought to point out. It’s almost like a mini critique (although some can be more expansive).
Keep in mind, as with any critique, it is subjective opinion.
Also, I would suggest only entering contests who give each entry at least 3 judges. That way, you get more feedback, and there’s a tie breaker. If all three say something, you probably want to look at it. If only one of the three mention something, it could be spot on, but it might fall in the ‘opinion’ area.
Are you entering to get in front of an agent/editor?
Most contests have agents and/or editors as final round judges. This is great.
But for two things.
1, you have to get to the finals.
2, I’ve found, as a writer, agents and editors judging a contest are sometimes more critical than if you just query them. They’re looking specifically for everything wrong, rather than with a query, they’re hoping to find enough right to offer for it.
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It can’t get better than this
So, I got my very first review a few days ago. I remember last month, right after Dragos: Burned came out, I went through this queasy period, just 
knowing all my reviews would come in saying I sucked.
The artist’s emo inner diva 🙂
Not only was the review absolutely glowing, I got 5 out of 5 cherries.
It so can’t get better than that.
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Superman and Grooves
As I sit down to begin Dragos 3: Blazed, I can’t wait to hit the keyboard. Book 1 went fast (like superman fast). Book 3 has caught me, I can’t wait to write the characters. I know the plot.
Book 2, on the other hand, was a pit of mud mixed with quick sand. It took me forever to get the first part down.
Now, I’ve written enough to know every book is different. But I still don’t have that connection to Scorched that I would like. The funny thing is, everyone tells me it’s wonderful, better than book 1. But I’m just not feeling it like I did Burned, or like I’m feeling Blazed.
Go figure.
I guess we’ll see what my editor thinks when she gets back to me, right? 🙂
Anyway, I’m off to start pounding the keyboard with my newest tale…
~mumbles bye, head already in the clouds of Blazed.
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Release Day, Yay!
Okay, so here it is. Dragos: Burned is live. I’m nervously fidgeting, wondering if people will buy it. Will people read it? Will they like it?
What if everyone thinks I suck?
See, us neurotic writers are truly beyond help. The thing we dream of most also scares us deeply.
I love my story (obviously). Not to say I couldn’t find plenty of things to still edit. Luckily, I’ve heard this is a common mentality.
But, especially this being my first, I can’t help but worry over my fledgling child out there in the world all alone. And I can’t help but worry that no one will enjoy it.
Like I said, call me neurotic.
So, if any of you do read my story, and you do like it — I would really enjoy hearing from you 🙂
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Aaaarrrggghhh!
Learning ‘All About Marketing’. Wow.
Who woulda thunk there was so much to learn about such an innocent seeming topic. But with any publisher now-a-days, E or New York, they’re all asking authors to carry a heavy part of the marketing bucket.
I think my brain’s about to explode.
But I’m learning. And soon (hopefully for the love of sanity) it will become a familiar thing.
I read a great document sent to me by my publisher. The one thing stressed above all others was the time.
As authors, we need to get the most bang for our buck–not just money, but time.
So right now, Marketing is taking up a lot of time. But as I get the hang of it, I’ll find new ways to use the time to set up, then be able to keep the ball rolling with little effort. It’s finding that ‘downhill’ that I’m working on now.
You tell me, what is your favorite way to market?
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If you ask me again…
As a writer, we all experience this at least one time in our lives:
“So…” blushes and silence.
“Yes?” we prod.
“So, where do you get your ideas?”
Us-bangs head against the nearest hard surface.
I love Jeff Foxworthy and his ‘You might be a redneck if…’ jokes.
You might be an author if the above question makes you want to rip your hair out, or the hair of the person asking such a question.
But as a reader, I also understand. The amazing things writers come up with is astounding. The written word is as limitless as the imagination.
My novella coming out October 8th, Dragos: Burned, essentially came about because of two things– my love of all things dragon, and the spark of an idea I had.
What would happen if a dragon shapeshifter and a fireman fell in love?
Well, right there told me it was going to be a paranormal romance.
I had been pushing my personal boundaries and trying to write (and be comfortable with writing) sex scenes. So, I decided to include some of those.
Then it became a paranormal erotic romance.
***See how my brain progresses 🙂
So, I sat down to write my 1 sentence per chapter\scene outline.
When I got done, it had turned into a novella, not a novel.
Sure, I could have pushed for a novel, but the shorter length worked for me.
My ideas normally start with a character. For example, my historical paranormal romance came about because–my love for all things big cat (tigers) and my love of kick butt heroines in historicals. So, I made my heroine a princess in a matriarchal clan of tiger shapeshifters. And the hero? Well, she had to track him down and drag him home.
Ideas are everywhere. I remember a time I’d hear that and snort. No they aren’t.
The key is to train your brain to see them. And then, WRITE THEM DOWN. I don’t care if you have a photographic memory. The best ideas will slip through your fingers before they’re fully formed.
If you WRITE THEM DOWN, they’ll linger in your subconscious, growing and adding to themselves until one day, they’re ready for your inspection.
As authors, it’s our job not just to write, but to constantly cultivate ideas.
Just as we learn the craft, we learn how to see nibbles of ideas in everything around us (or, in my case, inside my wild imagination).
Happy writing.
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New & different, but not too different
I always hear agents and editors talking about how they want something new and different.
Then, they add, but not too different.
What’s a writer to do? How do we find that line?
Obviously, I’m still working on that.
But I think, over the years of reading agent blogs (See the links for some of my favorites) I’ve come to get at least a slight grasp on the statement.
As a reader, I love seeing the common tropes I’ve come to expect from the genres I love. If I pick up a romance, I darn well want to experience the tumulus, rocky relationship, and the falling in love to their happily ever after. If I pick up an urban fantasy, I want that heroine to kick some major butt, but occasionally show the alpha hero her softer side. I also want to watch how she wraps him around her pinky–not in the way that he’s whipped, but in the way that he treats her with softness, and respect.
So as a writer, I think one of the most important things is knowing the tropes of the genre you write in. As long as you have what the reader expects, the playing field is yours baby 🙂
Q4U: What’s your take?
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This is how we do it
I know there’s a song with that line. But, since I primarily listen to country, that’s about the only bit I know.
If you talk to twenty writers, and ask them about their road to publication, you’ll get twenty different answers. So, I can only comment on me.
Like most, I’ve always been in love with the written word. I’m a voracious reader, devouring a novel a day (speed reader). About five years ago, after being a stay at home mama for a couple of years, I sat down one day and announced to my husband, I’m going to write a book.
He looked at me with a smile and said, “Go for it. You’ll be great.”
Little did either of us know how long and arduous the journey would be. I started a book, hated everything about it, and soon lost interest.
About a year later, the voices in my head demanded attention and refused to shut up. It took me a while to get a good portion down on the page. I still hated it, and tried to revise and revise those first three chapters. Finally, I found out about critique groups.
Those first experiences were horrible.
But with time and patience and great people, I began to find my way.
To date, I have completed 2 Urban Fantasy novels, 1 Paranormal Erotic Romance Novel, 1 Novella, and 1 final draft of a YA Fantasy. I have others in different stages of completion, I’ll get back to them eventually.
For about 9 months, I’ve been querying my UF novel. Sometimes there is good news, other times not so good. I have to take it as it is.
And now, I’m going to be published in Paranormal Erotic Romance. They’re even interested in buying more of my novellas, the continuation of the Burned series, and others that I have “In The Works”
Whoda thunk?
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Busy bees…
Dang.
I admit to being a fast writer. Still working on my drafts being cleaner, but there’s improvement with each new story I write.
Recently, I got a request from an editor for one of my erotic paranormal romance novellas. And one of the novels (different editor).
Then, there were these calls for submission for a couple of anthologies.
Short stories?
Hell, not me.
I’ve managed to write a grand 1 (one) short story when trying.
But this, erotic romance, I’ve found I can do. I mean, I sat down this past week and wrote 2 short stories and submitted them to different anthologies.
(PS. Hoping to hear soon, but we all know publishing, right?)
So what makes it so different, that my fantasy, urban or otherwise, and my romance, paranormal of course, just seems to require a longer medium? But erotica I seem to be able to cut shorter?
I’d think plot, but some of my readers specifically commented that what they liked most about my stories was the plot.
Any ideas readers???
…And, hopefully I’ll have some good news to share in the upcoming months. Then, I’ll get to bug ya’ll to read my stuff 🙂
Amber Kallyn 