Books for kids, teens, & those who are young at heart

Category: Anecdote (Page 22 of 31)

Confessions of an Author: Rejection

Confession #4: Rejection might be the one thing that makes me quit this whole business of publishing.

Rejection. It’s something every author faces time and time again. It’s fear inducing, debilitating, soul sucking.

I think for most authors the writing journey begins in a blissful place. Inspiration strikes. You decide, I’m a writer…or at the very least, I’m going to write something worthy of publication. You write, and write, and write. Probably a lot of bad stuff, but you’re not aware of how bad it is; in your blissful ignorance, you keep going. Maybe even stumble upon some good writing.

You begin sending your work out, probably before it’s really ready for mass consumption. But again, you’re ignorance keeps a buffer around you. Publishers reject you. No worries! They don’t know what they’re doing; they just passed up on the next J.K. Rowling. They’ll regret it one day. Maybe one rejection has some encouraging words. That’s the thing you latch on to. The ego of the innocent feeds off of it.

Then reality hits. You realize, maybe my work’s not that good. I need to actually…ahem…revise! Those people who rejected you might actually know what they’re talking about. Still, you persevere. Okay, rookie mistakes. Buck up and keep improving.

You work, work, work at creating, honing, revising. Your writing benefits from all the hard work. Maybe you join a critique group, get some positive feedback and productive criticism. You begin to thrive as a creative person. You feel like your work is actually ready for mass consumption…and just maybe others will think so too.

With your improved knowledge of writing, you realize it’s a good idea to study up on the business side of publishing as well. You learn how to write an effective query, target your submissions, what your looking for in an editor or agent. You check and double check that you’ve spelled all the names right, that the grammar in your letter is perfect, you have the right sample pages included. You hit send (or if you’re doing it the old-school way, apply the correct postage).

Now comes the waiting. The incessant checking of emails/mailboxes. The nail-biting. Commiserating with writer friends over the process of having stuff out there. Then the rejections start rolling in. You try to focus on a new project. Keep your mind off the hole your email inbox is burning in you brain.

Your stomach is in a constant state of queasiness. You starve yourself, too sick to eat, and then gorge yourself on chocolate and caffeine. More rejections roll in. Time limits pass, and you get rejected by query expiration date, no reply required.

Sure a lot of good stuff happens along the way. Meeting other writers, forming great working relationships and personal ones you keep forever. A few close calls with a dream agent or editor. But there’s still so much rejection.

Even if you land a publishing contract, it might not be what you were always hoping for. You sign with a small press or decide to self-publish or get a low advance. Maybe you did land a great contract, but then the big reviewers don’t like your book or ignored it all together. Maybe your sales fall short of expectations; you don’t reach as many readers as you hoped. Your option book doesn’t get picked up.

Rejection, rejection, rejection. The old death by a million paper cuts (and you don’t even use real paper to write anymore!). And it hurts. Gives you days where you’re not sure if you can keep going, deluding yourself into thinking you can make it as a writer. Keeps you from revising because it’s just going to be crap anyway, no matter how much you work at it.

I guess a lot of writers don’t even make it to this point. They gave up back a handful of paragraphs ago after the first rejections. What keeps you going? Your love of a character, the way you can escape into a world you’ve created, an insatiable need to succeed, the fact that you’re a glutton for punishment.

Whatever it is, you keep going. Right…it’s worth it to keep going? The punch in the stomach with that email that sends you into a downward spiral. “Thanks for thinking of us, but we’re going to have to pass on that manuscript you’ve spend months, years, decades working on. The one that you poured your soul into. The one that has blood marks on it from where your heart leaked all over it. Yup, that one. It’s not good enough for us. Don’t worry, publishing is a subjective business. It’s not personal.”

Yet every single one of those rejections is personal to you. The story you wrote is deeply personal. You maybe even put more work into that than you did into your own life.

So what do you do when you’ve traveled down every single path you could find and came up with dead ends? Well, I guess you start over. Get a spark of inspiration. Feel the tingle of a new story…of hope…in your fingertips. And you do it all over again. Right, you do it all over again. You’re a writer. That’s what you do.

What kinds of rejections have you faced in your writing career? And what keeps you going back for more?

Lodging a Complaint

Complaining is self-indulgent. It’s annoying. And worst of all, it’s boring. But, I’m writing this blog post on a Sunday while The Boy naps. I’ll probably be working tonight editing a manuscript that isn’t mine. When all I really want to be doing right now is snuggling up under a blanket with the book sitting on my coffee table, neglected.

There’s so many reasons why I have no business complaining. Last September I was lucky enough to be able to leave my office job to focus more on taking care of The Boy. Now my job is reading and editing other people’s stories. My schedule and my workload are determined by me. I don’t make as much money as I did in my office job, but money isn’t everything, right?

I have a solid roof over my head. A pretty nice car. A wonderful husband who works full-time, vacuums, does the dishes and laundry, and is a fun and loving father. Last year I had two books published.

Who am I to even utter a single word of complaint? I’m human, that’s who I am. I have bad days. I get tired and whiny. Some days the to-do list exceeds the number of hours in the day and my energy level to get those things done.

So official complaint lodged…I’m moving on. Focusing on the great stuff instead of the stuff that sucks the life out of me. A new year meets a new perspective. That is, until I feel like getting whiny again!

The Christmas Tradition of Decorating Cookies

Fortunately there was no licking of the ladies or men this year at the annual Christmas cookie decorating extravaganza. Looking back at that old post from 2008, I realize I’ve been making cookies with my twin-not-twin sister’s kids for many years, since the lady-licking nephew was two and a half years old (the same age The Boy will be next year at Christmastime).

Well, now that I’m feeling old (are traditions supposed to make you feel old?), here’s the cookies from this year’s efforts.

My sister's cookies...she's such a show-off with her crazy good cookie decorating skills!

My sister’s cookies…she’s such a show-off with her crazy good cookie decorating skills!

My younger nephew's cookies...I'm guessing that sleigh covered in all that white frosting was one sweet cookie!

My younger nephew’s cookies…I’m guessing that sleigh covered in all that white frosting was one sweet cookie!

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My niece’s cookies…the big snowman (saved to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve) and the angel are my favorites.

My older nephew's cookies...love the eyes on the gingerbread man!

My older nephew’s cookies…love the eyes on the gingerbread man!

And here are mine!

And here are mine!

What holiday traditions did you partake in this year?

The Liebster Award

 Thanks to Meradeth Houston over at the Write Stuff for passing on the Liebster Award to me.

What is The Liebster Award you ask? 
Well, it’s an award given to up-and-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Think of it as a virtual pat on the back. A bit of recognition for doing a good job and encouragement to keep going.
And let’s not forget the bloggers that have been blogging for a while and have great blogs.

In the spirit of the award, let me just take a minute to plug my blog. I’ve added a bunch of sharing buttons all over the Observation Desk, so I encourage you to click on those. Also, note the sidebar where you can subscribe to the blog. All you have to do is type in your email address and you’ll receive an email when a post goes live. I promise I do not use your email address for anything else. Finally, you can click on the RSS feed in the coffee cup up in the right-hand corner to add the Observation Desk to any reader. Okay, on to the questions!

1. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would purchase?

Definitely a Ferrari…a red one, like Magnum P.I. drove.

2. Is there something unique about you that you’d like to share with the readers?

I used to be quite the jock. I earned 12 varsity letters in high school for soccer, basketball, and track.

3. Where is your dream place to live and why?

Well, I actually like the small city I live in now (corny, right!). There’s a nice green downtown, lots of beaches, and most importantly my family is nearby. But if I bought a second home, I think it would be in London.

4. What do you find is the most difficult part of the writing process?

For me the hardest part right now is breaking through all the fear and self-doubt and just getting the story written. Writing for publication is a tough, tough business to get into, and it’s hard not to let the fear paralyze you.

5. Tell us something about yourself that we don’t know.

I get very, very nervous about showing my emotions in public.

6. Do you have any pet peeves?

When you smile at a stranger to be polite, and they don’t smile back. So rude!

7. Do you have any special habits you do when you write?

Unlike with sports, I really don’t have any special habits for superstitions when it comes to writing. I do like to have tea while I’m writing, but I don’t absolutely need it.

8. Did you ever write your friends or family members in your books?

Yes. 🙂 *evil laughter*

9. What is your favorite drink?

Well, tea I’ve already mentioned, so I’ll say that Riesling is my favorite wine.

10.  Who gives you the best encouragement to keep writing?

My 13-year-old nephew, who is also a writer (and his mom, my twin-not-twin sister).

11. Do you have a critique group or a special author circle?

Yes! I have a local critique group I meet with once a month and a few writer friends online as well.

Okay, the last part of this award is to list 11 random things about myself.

My favorite Harry Potter book is Goblet of Fire. I used to be a puzzle magazine editor. When I was three years old, I told everyone I was a boy because I wanted to play baseball for the New York Yankees. My elbows are double-jointed. I once pierced my own belly button. The last book I read is Kimberly Sabatini’s Touching the Surface. I have really weird dreams all the time, some of them lucid. My favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh. I could eat pizza every day. I publish under my maiden name. How many is that? Apparently I’m not very good at counting…okay one more. My favorite person in the world is The Boy, of course!

I now have the pleasure of passing this award to two fabulous bloggers and authors: Kay Lalone, author of “Ghostly Clues” (who you met earlier this week on the blog) and Tonja Drecker, author of “In the Shadow of the Eagle’s Eye” in the upcoming anthology “Real Girls Don’t Rust.”

I’ve asked them both to answer the above questions, and instead of giving 11 random things about themselves, share their 11 favorite books!

Celebrating Elixir Bound’s Release Day

Did you even wonder how an author celebrates the big release day of her debut novel? You might think it’s all caviar and champagne, but it’s generally more subdued than that.

Here’s a picture essay of how I celebrated the release of Elixir Bound.

The celebration began early when Elixir Bound showed up on Amazon a few days before the official release day.

On release day, I had to work at my office job in the morning, but then I got to hang out with The Boy for a little while before it was naptime. Time with The Boy is always my favorite time of the day.

The hubby presented me with flowers when he arrived home after work. The Boy had turned one a few days before and really liked when we said in a high-pitched voice “Happy Birthday!” So all day the hubby kept saying “Happy Book Release Day!” in a funny voice, much to the amusement of The Boy.

My 13-year-old nephew and my twin-not-twin sister threw me a surprise party, complete with a framed copy of Elixir Bound’s cover. I was tickled pink that my nephew was so excited for me!

And there was a festive ice cream cake!

Proud mama with her book baby!

I also had a special post about how I became a writer on fellow Muse author Meradeth Houston’s blog. Thanks to everyone who has shared in my journey of becoming a published novelist. I appreciate all the well wishes and support. And keep buying those books!

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