Waiting—So Hard To Do

We've been in the market for a new home since leaving New Jersey three years ago. We lean toward the unique, which tends to narrow our options when realtors push house farms with clone homes. So when we recently found what for us is a truly special house and property, we placed a bid. Now we wait.

Anticipation.

As an aspiring author, I do a lot of waiting.

Waiting to hear from my critique group. Did they like my posted excerpt?

Waiting to hear about a contest's results. If, per chance, I final…

Waiting to hear the placement given by the final round agent/editor judge. Will they like my writing? Will they request a submission?

Waiting to hear if a sent query letter results in a request for more. If the request comes…

Waiting to hear from an agent or editor after sending a requested partial submission. Will they want to read more?

Waiting after sending a requested full submission. Will they want to purchase my story?

I doubt the waiting ends once the story is published.

Waiting can drive a writer crazy. I try to funnel the accompanying antsy sensation into a positive and work on another project. I'm not always successful.

Anticipation. Does it boost your energy and productivity or does it drag you down and cause you to procrastinate?

Jura Mountains in France

I would like to share with you some of the lovely places I visited recently when I vacationed in the Jura Mountains in France. The Jura is a department in the East of France that runs right up to the Swiss border. It is part of the Region of France known as Franche Comte and is renowned for its rivers, waterfalls, caves and the mountainous (or I would say hilly) landscape. There are also many sunny slopes covered in grape vines. (Immediately to the West of the region lies Burgundy.)

Historically the area is important for salt production from underground deposits and I visited the salt work at Salins Le Bains a few miles from where I stayed. Not the most fascinating subject you might think, but it was surprisingly interesting.


I also visited the Royal Salt Works 20 kilometers away. From Salins, they piped the salty water in pipes made of hollowed out trees to this impressive Victorian edifice.



The region has been dry recently, so the waterfalls were not at their best, but this one near where we stayed was pretty.




We also visited some the source of the River Loue and the River Lison. These rivers emerge fully formed from caves in the rock and are very impressive. This came as a surprise to me as the river sources I’ve seen near my home in England are springs that bubble up in boggy ground and start with a trickle of water, gathering strength as they flow toward the sea.





The Jura Mountains are not really mountains but big hills, and at the top are wonderful areas of high wild flower meadows full of butterflys and birds. Throughout the area are ancient picturesque villages. A truly beautiful part of the world!

RV Living Mishaps

I thought I might cover some of the things that have happened while traveling in our RV.

The worst thing that happened in our new travel trailer was a water heater leak. It soaked the carpet in our bedroom. What was even worse was the under the bed storage area also got soaked. Everything had to be pulled out and set out to dry. Since the travel trailer was small and we didn’t have much room to lay things out, it was a bit messy.

The worst thing that happened in our first 5^th wheel was an air conditioner leak. This was the reason we traded it in on the 5^th wheel we have now. One of the reasons this was an issue was the ceiling was covered with that stuff that looks like carpeting. I didn’t like the stuff when we bought it and once it got stained it was time to go. Okay, so I wasn’t going to try to remove the stain, sue me. We also had an issue with the air conditioners and duct work. The insulation had fallen down into the venting and the air conditioners were working hard but couldn’t cool the RV. The tech we had come and look at the air conditioners said the venting couldn’t be fixed.

So far, the worst thing in our new 5^th wheel was when my husband forgot to put the steps up and pulled out of a gas station and the steps caught on a huge metal pillar. We didn’t even dent the pillar but it sure twisted our steps. We had to replace the steps but the new ones are sturdier than the old ones so it was a great change.

Some of the problem areas:

1. Leaving the awning out and leaving the RV for the day or going to bed with it out. When the wind picks up it can create havoc with the awning. Or like someone found out this past winter—awnings aren’t made to support snow. We haven’t had this happen because we rarely put our awning out. I’m a wimp and hate sitting outside in the heat during the day or in the evening with the bugs.

2. Forgetting to do a walk around every time before you pull out. This is how we lost those steps. We had our grandson with us and Kevin had put the steps down so I could go in the RV and change Warrick’s diaper. Then we went into the little store and got Warrick some candy. By the time we got in the truck, we had forgotten that the steps were down and we hadn’t locked the RV door. Luckily, we were traveling with a friend and he and Kevin managed to pull the steps back into place enough to put them up so we could continue on our way. Without Kevin’s friend being there with his truck, RV, and tools I’m not sure if we could have gotten back on the road. What we were carrying wasn’t enough and I’m not strong enough to do what our friend did.

3. Not knowing how big of a truck you’ll need to pull an RV. Those old RVs were really heavy and the first one we bought was way too heavy for the Ford F-150 we had. I swear, we were popping wheelies as we tried to go up a mountain just outside of Morgantown, WV. The new RVs are much lighter but people still tend to want to buy a bigger RV than their present vehicle can actually pull. Some salespeople will address this issue.

4. Not being aware of how much it can cost to get towed if you happen to break down. We broke down outside of Flagstaff, AZ on our way back to Nevada in April. We managed to get to the next exit but there weren’t any services. It took several phone calls to find a tow truck that would come and get us. Several of the companies I called refused to consider coming that far out of Flagstaff to get us. Add in the fact that we would both need a ride in the tow truck and that we were pulling an RV—well, not all tow truck companies can handle it. That tow to the closest RV park cost us $375. If it hadn’t been for my smart phone, I’m not sure how long or how many 411 calls it would have taken before I found a tow truck company.

5. Not knowing how to use all the features of the RV. Kevin has his areas of expertise and I have mine which we’ve accumulated over years of traveling and living in RVs. Make sure the seller shows you everything about it. Ask questions.

Denise Pattison

News Over A Holiday

Hi!
Hope everyone in the U.S.A. has fantastic plans for the July 4th holiday tomorrow and for those who live in other countries--have a great week ahead!

Like many writers, I work two paid jobs, one as an Enterprise Admin on a computer network and another as a writer. I won't even mention all the unpaid jobs we are all working. So this week, I'm taking the entire week off from my day job and hoping to catch up on some writing-related tasks.

My latest historical mystery, A Rose Before Dying, just came out (yippee!) and I was thrilled with the initial sales which far exceeded my puny expectations. I just hope the trend continues. However, like most writers, there's barely enough time to catch my breath between projects. Especially since most of my projects overlap. This week, alone, I'm hoping to either finish or get near to finishing the first draft for a Christmas season novella, and I've got to dive into revisions for a paranormal romance for my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, with the hopes they will like the revised version enough to accept it.

Time management is always such a problem for writers, particularly when many are working two (or more jobs). There's the ideal of what you should be doing, i.e.

• Always be writing a new manuscript
• Have another manuscript you're editing/almost ready to submit
• Have a third manuscript (or more) floating around at publishers/agents (pick your poison)

That's a rough row to hoe. In fact, I've rarely been able to manage it, since it takes me about two years to write a book and edit it sufficiently to submit anywhere. I find that some years, I'm doing nothing but writing, followed by a year (or more) when I'm trying to edit what I've written to get it in sufficient shape to get it critiqued and then submitted...somewhere. This has led to a herky-jerky writing career with huge gaps between book releases. Very unsatisfying.

But what can you really do about it? Considering I have (at most) 4 hours a night to do all my writing, editing, critiquing (for my crit groups), promotion, and submissions, that's not an easy answer. While 4 hours sounds like a lot...it's not. Generally, what with dinner and other necessary activities, it ends up being more like 2 hours.

Time Management
What I'm trying to do to conquer the beast:

• Promotion - don't do promotion in the evenings, do it at odd times, instead. When I get up in the morning, lunchtime, etc.
• Writing - 1 hour per weekday, all other tasks not withstanding, weekends as possible (I do need some down time considering I have two high-pressure jobs and occasionally, my mind just blanks out on me if I don't)
• Critting - 1 hr, 2 days per week, (more if I'm bored or have time)
• Editing - as demanded by publishers, or 1 hour per day

As you can see, that's going to add up to more than the available hours, and it is difficult to switch gears between editing and writing my own stuff, but oddly, not critting and writing. So there are some psychological issues there (which may just be my own stodgy brain).

However, we shall see if I really can keep riding this time management beast to the finish line, or if I wind up with my usual: year of furious writing/year of insane editing schedule.

How do you manage your time? How rigid are you about making yourself meet self-imposed time slots?

A WRITER’S JOURNEY BY VONNIE DAVIS

This is my first post on Voices of the Heart, and I’m thrilled to be a regular part of this dynamic blog. I’ll confess to stressing out for weeks over what I could have to say of interest to other writers. Odd for a writer to admit, but there you have it.
Many of you are published; many are not. Even so, collectively we are all prodding toward publication. Even those of us who are published carry a heavy dose of “fear baggage” with us on this journey. We have a strong fear of what if I can’t get another book published? What if I can never move up from a small publisher to a large publisher? What if I stop growing as a writer? Angst. Insecurities. Fears. We’ve all got them in one form or another. It is these creative insecurities fueled by our ambitions that form our sisterhood.
If I were to dole out advice to new writers, I would lay it out in bullet format.

 First decision: decide what name you will write under. Yours or a pen name. Start promoting that name. In your writing career, you will push a book, but ultimately and most importantly, you are selling yourself. A personal example, if I may. I have always hated my first name. How many times have I heard, “Vonnie? Is that with a V or a B or C?” I decided I’d write under something more feminine and easier spelled: Renee, Isabella or Olivia. But, by the time I was ready to submit, I already had my blog, facebook and twitter accounts under Vonnie Davis. I already had a handful of people who knew me by my real name. Would I lose them if I were suddenly Renee Davis? So, decide upfront what name will my writing persona have?

 Start a blog. Make it a direct reflection of yourself. If you love scuba diving, include pictures to showcase that. I love flowers and traveling. Vintage Vonnie reflects those interests. Make your blog readable. If a black background with green printing floats your boat, know that some visitors to your site won’t stay long. I’m a busy writer who devotes an hour a day to visiting blogs and leaving comments. If I have to squint to read your post, I’m not staying. You have to decide which is more important to you, cool fonts and colors OR attracting readers and, thus, a following. Work hard to increase your readership by hosting other writers, having contests/giveaways and changing things on your site on a regular basis.

 Utilize social media. Facebook. Twitter. Also, set up a website. You must sell yourself and promote your books. Your publisher won’t do it for you. Writing is the easy part of this journey. Self-promotion is time consuming, costly and painful. Can you tell I hate it?

 Present a professional image so potential readership takes you seriously. Get an email account in your name. Do you want your fans to email you at toejam @ yahoo? Or drank2muchagain @ hotmail? If you want to be a professional writer, project a professional image.

 Join groups. If a writers group is in your area, join. Join online writer groups. Get a critique partner. If you feel insecure about your writing abilities, find a mentor.

 Take online classes to improve your craft. I started college as a grandma, majoring in English with a concentration in Technical Writing. I earned all “A’s” on every paper. I knew HOW to write. What I didn’t know was the CRAFT of writing—character development, character arc, internal and external conflict, zippy dialogue and conflict resolution. Oh, and don’t even get me started on point of view… Believe me, swallowing my pride and admitting my ignorance was a painful process.

 Research. Research the publishing industry. Which publishers want the sub-genre you write? What are their submission requirements? If they don’t like books over 90,000 words, don’t write a 128,000 word manuscript.
Will you want an agent? Research them. Pay attention here! Never, ever pay an agent! If an agent charges reading fees, RUN! If an agent charges you a monthly retainer fee, RUN! If an agent charges you for editing services, RUN! Find out how accessible an agent will be. How soon will he or she respond to your emails? You want to be treated as a person, not a potential dollar sign.

 What you write the first time does not have to be perfect. Nor will it be perfect the second or third time. Writing is rewriting. But here’s the thing: don’t rewrite the spirit of YOU out of your book. I used to think I had to have every word, every comma, every emotion perfect in a scene before I could move on. I used to go over and over that scene until I thought if I had to read it one more time, I’d throw-up. And the results were awful. My book lacked spark. I’d rewritten my sense of humor and my gentle nature right out of the manuscript. My husband, also a published author, told me to write the whole book and then go back and start rewrites. I’m a born fiddler; I have to keep tweaking things. Taking his advice took some real effort. Professional growth always does.

 Taking all I’d learned after that painful “boy, do I have a lot to learn” moment, I wrote my debut novel, STORM'S INTERLUDE, in three months. My agent loved it. We went back and forth with edits until she was satisfied. Two weeks after she started “shopping it out,” I had two contract offers—and one delightful rejection letter from a Harlequin editor who said I wrote very much like Linda Lael Miller. What a compliment!

 As soon as you submit, take a breather for a couple days and then start another project.
STORM’S INTERLUDE comes out July 15th. I already have a full-length manuscript and a novella (38,000 words) before editors. I’m half-way into another book. Write. The more you write, the better you’ll get. It’s a journey of starts and stops, joys and tears, dreams and nightmares. Frankly, would you want it any other way?

I Dreamed a Dream

Dreams come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. Sometimes we reach a certain age and think our dreams are done. We missed the boat. Whatever cliche you want to use. But, sometimes we need to remember that dreams come true at any age. It is never too late to reach your dreams.

You read all the time about women who think they lost their chances to have a baby and suddenly they are pregnant at 40 something. You read about an artist or writer being "discovered" in their 70's or 80's or beyond. It can happen tomorrow, but not if you give up today.

Don't let your dreams die because you think life passed you by. Dreams are fragile but durable things. Strong enough to hold our every wish. Dreams come true every day. Sometimes we forget that.

And sometimes we have to be reminded of that fact:

Britain's Got Talent - Susan Boyle

Emotional Structure

Thanks to another blog, I found a Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot: A Guide for Screenwriters by Peter Dunne.  Don't let screenwriter turn your novelist away.  It works for no matter the format.

Peter Dunne separates the script into two parts:
1. Plot
2. Story

Plot is what happens and not just what happens but what happens to the protagonist. 
Go ahead and read that sentence again.

Plot is what happens and not just what happens but what happens to the protagonist.

So you have the witness to a murder or business collapse or anything else that is outside the Protagonist.

Onto number 2-- Story:

Story is what it (the plot) does to the who it's happening to.

These two parts are the units of a novel or script. 

Then you merge these two parts.  Your no-doubt dashing hero must find the murder of the local football hero.  He heads out to interview the boy's mother, his high school girlfriend who broke his heart when she married his best friend.  He plans to act professional and friendly without warmth, the way he always treated her, also known as his defenses.  When he gets to her home, those skills fail him but he has to find the murderer so he must use another tactic, use another skill.  This is a risk for him because it diverts him but he wants to get back to normal. But something else happens and his past habits aren't working for him and he has to learn new tools.  If you were a smoker or know a smoker, you're aware of the promise to quit but then something happens and you lit one up?  His weakness is being exposed.
He might be unaware but he must change or fail. 

This leads to our story's climax's when the character learns something.  Here the emotion has changes because the hero has broken down his walls.  Now he's a better healed person for it.

History, Reality, and Fiction

Recently, I posted an article on my blog titled "The disappearing pieces of my childhood." I posted it because of a lot of reasons: a news story on CNN, conversations with my young niece and nephews, and more.

After that post, I thought even more about how whether writing historical, contemporary, or paranormal "we" can capture snapshots of time and save them for the next generation.

In one of my books, I had a very specific idea of who the grandfather needed to be. And as he formed more and more in my head there were elements of his character that after I wrote him, I recognized them. They were pieces of my own grandfather. Any member of my family who reads that story will automatically recognize the hat and suspenders. That's a personal part of my life captured forever.

The same can be said for technology, pop culture, and history itself.

I think one of the most interesting uses of pop culture I've read was the use of Elvis Presley as a vampire! Loved it. I'm from Memphis, TN...why didn't I think of that?

When I decided that writing was a part of me that could not be denied, I wanted to tell "my" stories. I didn't realize that although they are told in "my" voice, they are all of "our" stories.

Every time one of us plots around a news story, writes a historical or contemporary, or writes about vampires trying to commit suicide in the sunlight of Italy we're introducing a reader somewhere to something. Food. Travel. History. Science.

I guess as long as there are writers, nothing will disappear.

For all of the writers out there, do you see yourselves as historians?

When Sales Prompt a Sequel!

Because of popular demand, I'm working on The Deadly Fae and The Winged Fae, sequels to The Dark Fae.

Alicia's always known she's different--that she can recognize the mischievous fae when they show up to "play" with the humans. Only now she's faced with one highly annoyed dark fae and she's certain he knows the truth about her. She can see him, which means her life is forfeit.

Add to that, his sister arrives, who wants to play, too. And their mother, the queen of the Denkar, will want Alicia's head, once she learns what Alicia can do.

And all because Alicia was attempting to rescue her friend, Cassie, on their beach excursion at South Padre Island, from the wicked fae. Now, Alicia has really gone and done it--and she's thinking she should have let the fae have his fun. Her friend's broken heart would be a lot easier to deal with, than Alicia losing her life.

But it is too late for regrets. As soon as she threw the soda at the dark fae's chest, she had declared war on the fae. And he is happy to take up the challenge.
******

Oftentimes, I get a lot of fan requests for certain characters, which prompt me to write a sequel about those characters. But this time, the sales are just so phenomenal for The Dark Fae (70 to over 100 books per day at B&N alone), I'm inspired to write another couple of stories in the fae kingdoms.

In The Winged Fae, title may change:

We're back to South Padre Island in the opening...and one mischievous fae...

What fae would ever be bold enough to enter another fae-claimed territory (although humans think they own it), and believe she would not have to face the consequences of her actions?

An assassin royal winged fae of the Mabara Fae kingdom.

With a message.

In The Deadly Fae:

Lady Sessily is a member of the Denkar royal house of fae, a dark fae, but she is an outsider in many ways. It all has to do with her occupation. She's a master assassin, only no one knows it, and she aims to keep it that way.

Until a dark lord comes to see her about a job and though she refuses to take part, he refuses to take no for an answer.

This time, she could easily lose her life, and to her utter annoyance, even her heart--to one mysterious man who is like no other!

***
I've written sequels to books and then not sold the original, so I stopped writing sequels! What about you? Do you write a series of books, or just have an idea and wait for the first book to capture the hearts of readers before you write the next in the series?

Or do you concentrate on stand alone titles?

Actually, even though these new stories in the fae series, are stand-alone titles. I like to be able to read books out of order myself, so I try to write my stories that way also. :) So what do you do? Or think about series and stand alone titles?

Have a super day!!!

Terry
"Giving new meaning to the term alpha male."
www.terryspear.com

There's always another side to the story

I've been having a lot of physical problems for the last year or so. Early in 2010 I started to have severe leg cramps and hip pain. I tried all the usual remedies: bananas, tonic water, shoe inserts, potassium pills ... you name it, I tried it. I visited a series of 'ists' -- podiatrist, gastroenterologist, orthopedic surgeon, dermatologist (I was also inexplicably battling a skin infection that would *not* go away). I saw a gynecologist, spine specialist, neurologist, herbalist, chiropractic. I tried different physical therapies, accupuncture (which was so amazingly painful I almost passed out), I did hydro-therapy, deep tissue massage...

You name it. I saw the doctor, I tried the therapy. I finally ended up with another neurological specialist who ordered a new round of blood tests. They took 8 vials of blood and did every possible test imaginable: Lyme disease, Epstein-Barr, etc. I had a spinal test for MS. I had electroshock tests. I had MRIs. They found that yes, my spine is deteriorating (no news there) and that I have a bit of a malformation of the left hip (again: no news there). But the overall result? It's now about 18 months later and the conclusion is that I have a 'non-specific neurological disease that affects the hip and back muscles."

So what does this mean? It means there's at LEAST two sides to every story: The good news is, I don't have ALS, Parkinson's, MS or another chronic wasting disease which can be diagnosed through blood tests or tissue tests. The bad news: I don't have ALS, Parkinson's, MS or another disease that can be diagnosed. I have one of those "it's not this, so maybe it's that" disease. No one can tell me how it might progress, what the prognosis is, what to do to mitigate it.

I'm not complaining, mind you -- this is not life threatening, it's just painful. I've been able to adapt somewhat. I only get a few hours of sleep because of the pain, but I can nap in the afternoon and get by. I can't exercise the way I used to: no more 2 hour walks for me! But I can take two 45-minute walks, as long as I rest in between. I can use deep heat for the cramping, I can take ibuprofen when the pain gets bad, and I can do anything I normally do -- I just have to be careful and pay attention to my body and if pain starts, I've got to stop lest the cramping begin.

This entire medical journey has made me appreciate people who deal with chronic disease. Medicine is really an art, not a science and it's so important to be proactive in your own care. It's a team effort ...

Sort of like editing and writing (you *knew* I'd bring this back to writing, didn't you?) I've heard authors express ... chagrin (for lack of a better word) ... about the editing process. They struggle with the edits they get back from their editor and they worry if they're making the story better or not. I've been lucky: I only had struggles with one or two editors in all of my 20+ books. Did the struggle make the story better? I don't think so, but I learned a lot about the publishing house during the process (long story best told over drinks in a bar).

It's so important to have a good team on your side during the publishing process, especially if you're going the Indie (self-publishing) route. You want a good cover artist, a good editor/reviewer, a good product at the end which means good formatting, a nice package, a great story. It's all about a team. I think some authors can do it all but I can't. I've been hiring people to help me with my Indie books and I'm so glad I did because the finished product is something I'm very proud of. Check out my Amazon store and compare my two Indie books (Penance and Vengeance) with my other books there. I'm happy with what's transpired.

So here's to teamwork and taking charge of your life and your writing -- enjoy it all, have fun with it, take the lumps with the lauds, and keep looking forward. There's always something new coming up!

NOTE: I may not be posting next month at my scheduled time. It's smack in the middle of my move, so if I miss, I apologize. But my computer may be in a box somewhere on the Interstate and I don't know if I'll have time to blog. Figure I'll be back in August in my new location -- whoo!