by Sarah | Oct 16, 2012 | Critters, Writing, writing tips
When I first started this writing journey I had no people.
No, that’s wrong. I had two people.
My two people were (and still are) amazing. They remain today as my Alpha readers, keeping me going when I wane in energy. Pestering me for more words, more characters, more stories. Those people, they are my first people. My first line of defense in story writing. The ones that say “Um, wait…wha?” if i screw up a story line or a character in some way. They keep me on my toes and eager to write.
But a writer needs more than Alphas. Needs more than two people (ok, 3 if you count my hubs, but he doesn’t read romance) cheering you on.
So I found a group. A small group, but they were great peeps. In my first novel-writing foray before ebooks took over and before I ever managed to reach anything resembling a sell-able novel, they were good to have around. They were there to critique, but I rarely took advantage as I was new, not thick-skinned, and just didn’t understand the importance. One person among them (the one that brought me there) saw my novel and gave me critiques. They were harsh. Looking back, they were fair, but to my naivete they were very harsh.
After a couple of nibbles on the novel, 3 rewrites and no takers I started something new. I walked away from 5 years of effort to try something new. At the same time that writers group sort of drifted away into the wind. No one went to the forum, all was quiet and eventually faded into the depths of the internet. I’m still friends with two or three of them on Facebook, but for the most part we’ve parted ways.
Fast forward to about 6 months ago. Changing Tracks had made the agent rounds, I was still waiting on word from a couple of agents and not sure where to go next. I had started working on The Tribe, but not much else. I’d joined a couple of those writing challenge things, but one had faded into the background (but is now active again, I may participate) and the other…well, they screwed me and my friend over and so we walked away.
My only connection to any sense of the writing world was the #amwriting thread on twitter. One random day I happened to catch a tweet about a blog post called “Beta Readers, Critters, and Editors Part 2A“. I didn’t know the author but all I could think was “Wow, I could use some of THOSE” and thus I clicked the link.
The author had me rolling in laughter talking about DFL (Dumb F***ing Luck) and how that’s sort of what it takes to get a good critter. I responded immediately because I’d just recently posted on twitter about needing some good critters.
Turns out seeing that tweet and clicking on that link gave me the best dose of DFL I’ve ever had. The original author (Jennifer James) formed a group of critters – 8 people, half published, half not. We formed a support group of sorts. We push each other forward, we let each other know about submission calls, or our experiences with certain publishers, bounce ideas off each other and, of course, critique the hell out of each others pieces.
In the 6 months since I met them I’ve been published in horror, received a contract for Changing Tracks (technically 2 contracts, I turned down 1), I’m currently waiting on a response for another horror submission I put in (I know, horror and romance, aren’t I a BLAST?) – and I’ve got one heck of an amazing critique going for my other Historical Western Romance (Masked Hearts) that I’m hoping to sub by the end of the year (Yeah, I totall <3 you, Sabrina).
I used to think I could make it on my own. That stumbling through this world of publishing could be done just because I’m awesome. Turns out, I had to find the right group. With the help of some DFL, and some wonderful people, my entire writing career has changed drastically in 6 months time.
I never could have done it without them.
And I wouldn’t ever try again.
Have you found your people?
by Sarah | Aug 16, 2012 | Books, Changing Tracks, Critters, Writing, writing tips
While I’m blissed out at having an empty house during the days now (post on that soon)…it’s also leaving me to face everything I need to do all at once. That often leads to me getting overwhelmed when face with sheer numbers of responsibilities.
Key among all my ‘to-do’s these days, layered in with cleaning and sewing and shopping and blogging and fixing my social media outlets and more cleaning, is editing.
Editing Changing Tracks to make it shiney before it goes to my editor who will help make it bright as the sun.
Editing and Critiquing my crit-groups work.
Writing my short(er) novel.
Reading/using/doing-more-editing-based-on notes from those critting my stuff.
Did I mention I’m overwhelmed?
And a little buried under?
Thankfully I’ve found EditMinion that helps me do side by side with my chapters. It’s in beta version, but if he adds some more areas to the editor it’ll be just about perfect. The other online-editor I’d been using you had to click for each area and it didn’t let you do side by side, just pulled out the relevant sentences. With the minion I can get on my hubby’s computer and split screen minion vs. manuscript and just hit everything that needs hit.
Talk about a time saver. I have a wonderful critter helping me out with line edits – but this gives me one more layer to tackle before I send my baby off.
Now if I could just find those extra 10 hours in the day to get everything else I need to do.
Do you know where those hours can be found?
by Sarah | Aug 3, 2012 | Books, Changing Tracks, Critters, Masked Hearts, Writing, writing tips
Line edits are awesome…
When it’s someone else’s work.
If the paper, book, webpage, word doc, whatever it is that’s in front of me was not written by my own hand I can swoop in and find the errors in an instant.
No problem.
When it’s my piece?
The one that I’ve worked on for X amount of years?
What errors? I don’t see them?
No, there’s a comma there don’t you see it? Oh wait, it’s all in my head isn’t it? Damn.
I miss far too much.
I’ve tried the tricks.
I’ve changed font.
I’ve printed it out on paper.
I’ve put it on my nook.
I still miss those suckers because my brain inputs them where my fingers did not.
But – it’s time for me to line edit.
Thank goodness I’m writing another piece in between. One chapter at a time with the line edits because I get cross-eyed and confused way too easily.
You want to do my line edits? I’ll trade you evenly – I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.
by Sarah | Apr 22, 2012 | Critters, Writing, writing tips
“The best writing is rewriting.” ~ E. B. White
That is so absolutely true. The first draft of a literary project is rarely presentable, whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, or somewhere in between. My writing tends to be a “stream of consciousness” sort of event, words jotted down as the imaginings unfold.
While I’m writing, I taste, hear, smell, see, and feel the same things that my characters are feeling. I interpret it from their unique and distinctive perspectives. I tell their story as I see it flowing through their eyes. My characters and I are experiencing the story, together. I am their emissary. I am their ambassador to the reader.
I can’t just hook my readers into my brain so they can watch it like a movie, however. I need to make the life of my story real for my readers, too.
That, my friends, is where a good critique writer (“critter”) comes in to play.
It’s the critter who tells you to change your verbiage (“was” and I are still locked in an on-going death match). It’s a critter who detects that storyline or timeline flaw. “How did that character leave when he never showed up?” They’re the ones who listen to your sentences and taste the flavor of your imagery.
The best critter is someone who is your paramount cheerleader. They want you to write, to succeed, and to accomplish your goal. They motivate you. They yell at you to write when you really just want to cruise Facebook. They call for the “PowerHour” of writing that gets you one chapter closer. A good critter helps you write YOUR story. Not his or her story. The good critter offers positive and negative feedback.
A critter is your battle buddy, your writing partner, and your shoulder. They’re with you from the start, and they’ll be with you until well past the end.
Sometimes they’ll make you cry. Sometimes they’ll make you laugh.
The best writing is the writing done when you’ve truly found what it is you want to say and paired it with what it is you need to say.
Writing is the tangle of your mind and imagination, let out for the world to see. Successful critiquing is the untangling of that knot, so the world can truly see each beautiful strand.
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Fiona is a Work-At-Home-Mom with two lovely daughters and a hyperactive dog. She is currently writing a romantic fiction novel and fending off The Muse at every other opportunity, while staring at the growing pile of “Good Ideas” that are beginning to litter her home office. Fiona has worked as an Analyst in the Army, a computer systems engineer, and is currently working as a “jack of all trades” in marketing and business operations. Fiona’s blog, The Writer’s Block (http://fionadruce.blogspot.com), archives her on-going struggle with writing, her thoughts on writing, and the very important random topic that comes to mind at 3 am in the morning and must be published.
I am very happy to welcome today’s Guest Post Author, Fiona. She’s a new friend, and a new crit partner I have found in this vast world of the WWW. We appear to be kindred spirits and I’m very glad she came by to visit today!!
When I first started this writing journey I had no people.