Have. To. Write!

I love reading. I love stories. I love being absorbed into another world where there is action, mystery, or history and a decent dose of romance. And for now, for the most part, I seek these intoxicating places where I can trust not having to be completely devastated by the ending.

This is the same reason why I write. I love going to another place; a place I can make safe, or I can make dangerous, but it doesn’t permanently break me. I can create settings and just vacation in them awhile. I can create characters I would love to really meet, or villains I would rather not.

I tried to give up writing several times, thinking that shouldn’t be part of my roles. It was devastating. I got no more done than before, and I was incredibly miserable.

Though I didn’t appreciate it at the time, these were important experiences. Writing is ethereal, writing is exhilarating, writing is soul wrenching and writing is exasperating beyond belief. One of my author friends shared advice she heard another author impart. It goes something like this. “What advice would you give about writing?” Author’s answer, “Don’t. Unless you have to.”

I already know the answer to that. Yes, I could give it up if I absolutely had to, but as close to ‘having’ to do something as there is, I have to write.

So those of you who have approached me about your own writing (or will approach me J) that is the most important thing to know. Are you willing to appreciate the crazy parts? The unexpected tears, the juggling of family, the writer’s block, the endless hours of editing, the major rewrites, the deleting of thousands of words, the rejection, the publicity, the criticism, the worry that someone will read your work and feel jipped?

If so, HOORAY! And let’s celebrate! Let’s write! Let’s learn more about ourselves! Let’s push past our fears! Let’s trod the vast and incredible social media world and trust that others will understand our motivation to create friendships! Let’s figure out those things we thought we could never do! Let’s add light and hope and beauty into others’ lives!

In the topsy turvy life of a writer, I am so grateful to all my tried and true friends, my new friends, my acquaintances with the potential to be friends, and those in my future I am excited to meet! I have had such fantastic support, thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!

You have a manuscript? Now what?

You have a manuscript! Now what?

I’ve had requests from friends wishing to know more about the writing and publication process. Before anything else, please understand I am at the very tip of this iceberg and am by no means an expert. So having admitted I am a novice, I am more than happy to pass along what advice I have been given about different procedures.

Skipping right to the place where I felt most ‘stuck’…

Finished writing! NOW WHAT?

Celebrate! Every bit of your writing journey should have joy attached to it. Not everything is completely enjoyable, but if you have that underlying joy in the process, come what may, it will be an amazing adventure. I’m not saying there won’t be frustration and pain, but enjoy this journey. So celebrate this step of accomplishment!

Done celebrating and find yourself staring at your manuscript in confusion? I know that feeling. I got there with several manuscripts written and didn’t know what to do next.

(I like to joke that I write for therapy. My settings are happy places I can go to relax and rejuvenate so I can hit the next crazy, super long day. This was particularly important when I had my twins. As soon as I could breathe again, I started writing. With my life prioritized on being a mother, I didn't have time for that part of the journey where you go out and get into a writing club, go take writing courses, go to writing workshops, and so on. I hope you have time for these amazing experiences)

I didn’t know where to turn. Fortunately, I found out my best friend’s brother was an author. I hate bothering people, so it was a while before I had the courage to call him. I shouldn’t have worried. He was wonderful! After chatting with me a while, trying to find out which way I wanted to publish, his advice boiled down to this:

-If you’re going to be self-published, or go with a smaller publisher, or go with a large publisher, you need to make sure your work is as polished as possible. If self-published, between you and the editor, you are responsible for your published content. If with a smaller or one of the ‘big six’ publishers, you want to make sure they don’t have any excuses to throw your manuscript away. HIRE AN EDITOR!

The price range I was given went into the ten thousands. WAIT! Don’t get discouraged! There are also editors out there who are just trying to help others succeed. For a few hundred dollars they can go through, help with broken plots, missing threads, and annoying grammar and punctuation marks.

Editors are not all created equal. And they are just human. Some are better at content, others at the polishing phase, etc. Some want to manage your voice, others want your voice to shine.

Finding an editor can be a process. The most important part is to find one that works well with you. For example, my editor had me submit my first chapter. After I got it back and looked through it, I loved where she was taking me. (Mind you, I had to walk away from her corrections and think about them a day or two to realize she was right!)I hired her to do the rest. Half the money up front, the rest when I was satisfied with my book and ready to send it to a publisher.

(Please understand that throughout the editing process it is crucial to be willing to let go of words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, pages, chapters, even story-lines. Stop hyperventilating! I’ve been trying to estimate how much I’ve deleted and know it is at least tens of thousands. Our work can always be better!)

So go find an editor! How? Call your local literary center. Do on-line research. Talk to those you know have gone through this process. If you have time, attend writing conferences or join a writing organization to network. If you only need copy editing (grammar and punctuation) you can contact your local university’s English department and ask for a recommended graduate student to hire.

During the editing process, don't forget the power of good beta readers. (Members of your writing group, your family, friends and so on.) Having fresh critical eyes on a manuscript helps catch those nasty little flaws. For a fun read about alpha and beta readers... http://tavenmoore.com/2011/alpha-readers-vs-beta-readers/)

A quick re-cap of the basics, since I have a tendency to be way too wordy:

-You have a manuscript done. CONGRATULATIONS!

-Find an editor.

-Get it edited. (Whether for content and copy or just copy)

HAPPY WRITING!

COMING UP SOON…  Done editing? Now what?