Random Acts of Kindness GIVEAWAY w/ The Bookshelf Muse

I think today is a good day to give something away, don't you? :D

Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are doing something wonderful to celebrate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus (which, btw, I've had the pleasure of receiving and am THRILLED to have it on my shelf - check it out!!).

They have started an amazing fest of Random Acts of Kindness. You can go to their blog and enter for chances to win incredible prizes. We've got a little giveaway going on at OA as well.

And, I thought I'd do a little something fun here as well. You know, you always hear that writing is a solitary act...but I don't know if that's necessarily true. So so so many people have helped me along my journey. From the wonderful Jeannie Ruesch who was the first author to really take me under her wing when I was first starting out, to my amazing group of friends and critique partners, to my non-writer friends and family who are always there with their support and encouragement.

When I very first started trying to write "for real", I was mostly on my own. I hadn't met any other writers yet, my husband was traveling a lot for work, and we were living in a new area where I didn't know many people. I got a lot of work done, but A) it was bad lol and B) it was lonely.

This whole writing journey is so much easier with a support group behind me. I don't know what I'd do without my amazing circle of awesomeness :)

So! As my Random Act of Kindness, I think I'll giveaway a $15 gift card to the online book retailer of your choice - AND a pdf or ebook copy of Becca and Angela's Emotion Thesaurus :)

Just leave a comment below with your email addy so I contact you if you win. I'll announce the winner on Friday. :)

Expectations vs. Reality

I always wish there was some sort of device that I could hook up to my head, that would translate all the images up there into words. Because seriously, one of the most frustrating parts of writing for me is trying to get what's in my head onto paper. It either doesn't come out right or takes too long to get down or just doesn't live up to my expectations.

When I first started "seriously" writing, I was living under the dreadful misconception that all I needed to do was sit down and write and I'd be done. I knew, of course, that there would be revisions. But I thought of those more as just checking for typos and grammar mistakes. I had NO idea the work involved in crafting a real, publishable book. I had no idea that the REAL work on a book happens after you get that first draft down.

So I was a bit surprised when I sent my manuscript off to my first crit group and realized that it looked more like picture B up there than picture A :D

Now, when revisions get tough, I just try to remind myself that my manuscripts can and will be like the perfect vision I expect...but they will most likely start out like the reality snowman up there and will take a lot of work to make them awesome :) The important thing is that I keep crafting and sculpting until I get there. Because if I give up halfway through, my poor manuscript will always look like Frosty on a bad day :D

Do your expectations ever live up to reality? What do you do when they don't?

Sometimes the Long Way Around is Best

There is no royal road to learning; no short cut to the acquirement of any art.

~ Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers

 Yeah...I had to learn this one the hard way :D Still learning this one the hard way. I like my short cuts....Just sayin' :D

See, I always think I can get away with scampering across the bridge instead of hiking down the canyon and back up again. My crit partners are generally in the middle of that bridge with big grins on their faces as they toss me over the edge and make me climb. But then, that's what good crit partners are there for :) And hey, at least they stick around to cheer for me as I make my way to the top. No matter how long it takes me.

Just when I think I have it all figured out, just when I think I can take a short cut here or there, just when I think I've got this whole writing business in the bag, something new smacks me upside the head and teaches me otherwise ;-)

I learn more and more with every book. I pick up new "tricks of the trade" and figure out new strengths and weaknesses. I get better and better. But there will always be something new to learn. I might figure out how to do something better, faster. But there are some short cuts that will just never work. There are some processes that work for other people that will never work for me (and vice versa).

Perhaps that is the most important thing I've learned = There are no short cuts and no magic "rules". Just hard work, the love of what I do, and the satisfaction of a job well done....no matter how long it takes me :D

Do you agree with Mr. Trollope? What have you learned while you strive to acquire your art?

And How Writing is Like Dieting

I was going to post this tomorrow, but tomorrow is my turn on the Blog Chain. So, for your reading enjoyment, more ways writing and dieting are alike :D

4. It's easier to do when you have support

Dieting isn't easy. Neither is writing. They are both solitary journeys in that no one can do it for you. No one can force you to type out a few words anymore than anyone can force you to put down that cake (mmmmm....cake...) *ahem* However, when you have the support of a spouse or friend or crit partner, it is a lot easier to get through the bad times, and more fun to celebrate the good times.

My sis, mom, and I are all doing this diet together. We text every morning to report our weight loss from the day before, we call or text when we are feeling weak and tempted, and we celebrate with each other when we've overcome a temptation or dropped another pound. And when my mom is here, she walks the track with me. So much easier to have people to do this with.

Same with writing. I have awesome writer friends that I call, email or text every day - we report our word counts, our weak moments, our good news. We set up write-a-thon times and chat while we write. It's just easier to share this journey with those who are doing it too.

5. You can't compare journeys.

Everyone's journey is different. What works for one person might not work for someone else. My sis tried Nutrisystem. Loved it. Lost a ton. Same with Atkins (we've tried them all :D ) Me...I hated those diets. Did horribly. I did like Weight Watchers though. Did well. Now we are on the same diet. We are both doing well. But she's lost more than I have. My friend has lost more than I have also.

Does that mean that I'm doing poorly? Does it mean I won't meet my goal weight? No, of course not. I am still being successful and I will continue to succeed. It just might take me a little longer to get there.

Same goes for writing. Some people go the self-publishing route and make millions. Others do the exact same thing and barely break even. Some query and query and query and get no where even though they have a spectacular book. Others query five agents and get signed immediately. Does that make one writer better than the other? Not necessarily. Does it mean that writer will never reach their goal of publication? No, of course not.

It just might take a little longer to get there. People's success comes to them at different times. Comparing yours to someone else's does nothing but discourage you. Focus on your own awesomeness.  :)

6. If you give up, you'll never reach your goal.

Bottom line, whether you are dieting or writing, you've got to stick with it. There are going to be tough times. There are going to be temptations to quit. There are going to be people who are doing it better and faster.

But only one thing is absolutely sure....if you quit, you'll never reach your goal. Your waistline will stay the same, your manuscript will never be completed.

As long as you don't give up, you have succeeded. 1 pound or 1 page at a time, you will get to your goal. Just keep at it. :)

Blog Chain - Expect the Unexpected

Today is my turn on the ol' Blog Chain again, and this round's topic was chosen by the absolutely amazing Sarah, who wants to know:

What has been the most unexpected part of your writing journey up to this point? What has happened that you could never have predicted? Has it been a help or a hindrance?

Awesome question. And the short answer: EVERYTHING :D

Everything about my writing journey has been unexpected. From how much I truly love it, to how much work is involved, to how many rejections one really does get (my first novel numbered close to 200), to how long (and sometimes how fast) things can happen, to the absolutely amazing friends I've met along the way.

I started out with the very misguided misconception that I could write a book, edit it a few times (myself of course, after all, I have a masters in English, I shouldn't need help, right?), send it out, and get signed within days. My first attempt at querying didn't, unfortunately, break me of this thinking because I actually lucked out and received a few requests off my horrible query letter...and one was from none other than the Godmother of Romance herself, Roberta Brown (who wasn't even accepting queries at that time but who read mine and requested a full). 

Awesome, yes. Good for my ego, yes.  Realistic, no. I was rejected, of course, but with a very nice, personal letter that praised my writing. But, it didn't take too long to learn that querying doesn't usually go as smoothly and my journey was going to be a lot longer than I thought :)

So, yeah, really EVERYTHING about this journey has been unexpected....but I can't think of any of those things that has been a hindrance. Not even the never-ending waiting and crushing disappointment. All of it serves a purpose. I've grown incredibly close to some truly amazing people while we support each other through the lows and celebrate the highs. The long hours spent working and rewriting and shredding have served to hone my craft into something that's actually publishable. I wouldn't trade a second of it. It's helped make me the writer I am now and is shaping the even better writer I will become. 

Sometimes the unexpected can be fun - like signing with my NF agent within days of querying her, getting a request from an agent or publisher I thought I had NO shot with, or meeting another awesome writer bud. 

Really, I've come to expect the unexpected along this journey. You just can't plan for anything that's going to happen, because even the things you KNOW will happen usually happen in a completely unexpected way :) 

Bottom line....I've learned to just sit back and enjoy the ride :)

What has been the most unexpected part of YOUR journey?

Make sure you stop by the ever awesome Eric's to see his answer from yesterday, and stop by Margie's on Friday to find out what she didn't expect :)