Write A Log Line Now!

Welcome to all of you who are busy writing a novel for NaNoWriMo this month. Today is November 8th, so by now you should be well on your way to finishing your 50,000 words. Whether you are working on NaNo or are just polishing up that other MS you've been toiling over, one thing you might consider doing is......

              STOP WRITING YOUR MS AND WRITE A LOG LINE NOW!

You know log lines, those 1 or 2 sentence pitches that both summarize and market your entire 65,000 word novel in 30 words or less? For some people, writing log lines and queries and summaries are all works of the devil. "Why can't someone just read my first pages or first chapter and see if they like it?" us writers sometimes like to think.

The truth is, you may have a good first page, first chapter, first few chapters. But you may also have significant problems with your story. And writing a log line can be a quick way to figure that out.

David Macinnis Gill has a great piece on his blog about how to write a log line. Follow his directions, then write your log line. After you work on it a while, you may come to any one of the following conclusions. And all of these have happened to me at one time or another.

A. Your story isn't that interesting - You may be a lovely writer but this isn't the kind of log line likely to inspire someone to pull your book off of the shelf and start reading. Rethink everything. Honestly, there's no reason to polish up five pound bags of crap. If what you've got isn't interesting, move on.

B. Your story isn't really a story - It's a situation but not a story. Bulldozers that turn into vampires after dark might have been a nice idea, but until you introduce stakes, choices, complications and all that jazz, you don't have much. Evaluate whether or not your MC is really forced to make choices, to change his or her life. Does stuff of great consequence really happen in your story?

C. Your story is really two stories. - You find the log line frustrating to write because it's like you have two stories smashed together. And guess what? You're right. I think this happens quite a bit to people. Sometimes the very best thing you can do is simplify, simplify, simplify. Take out one of the stories. Reduce, rework. Make what you have stronger and better. The log line can help with that.

D. Your story is good - Believe it or not, you may have written something of value. If so, you need to get off your ass, stop procrastinating, stop coming up with reasons not to send your story out, not to finish your story, not to "fill in the blank". Real writers write and ship. After you ship your work, some people will tell you it's no good. But along the way, you will get some instructive feedback about how you can make your work better. You will write more and ship more. Some day, your book will be in a book store or library and you will be answering interesting interview questions like "What time of day do you write?" and "How many drafts does it take you to get a final manuscript?". If your log line shows you your story is good, then stop the excuses and do whatever you have to do to finish the damn thing and go be famous.

The Middle Grades - A Time of Discovery

It happens around third grade. Many children begin to care more about their friends' approval rather than their parents' or teachers'. Recognition of social structure and popularity begin to dominate for many kids in these grades. And in large public school systems, the exposure to diversity provides multiple levels of education and experiences. Kids are sponging it all up.

Their curiosity and understanding of their world is growing so quickly in these middle grade years that it can be exciting and frightening at the same time. Often, the highs and lows cycle quickly, and the ranges of emotional maturity and intellectual ability vary widely among middle graders.

While they are discovering who they are and who they want to be, they internalize their environment constantly. If we use our middle grade voice to reflect that in our writing, we'll connect with our audience.

Most of the students I worked with as a school counselor had an uncanny ability to differentiate B.S. from honesty. And like most adults, my students preferred uncomfortable truths to vague and deceiving language.

Give kids credit. They are perceptive, for the most part. Especially kids who read a lot.

*Step in, The Author*

We help shape these kids lives whether we set out to do that or not. They are curious, observant, discerning, and able to handle thought-provoking literature. So that's what I like to write. But I also include the fun, because I remember the fun of middle grade as well as the confusion.

I believe there's a bit of middle grade in everyone and I think this is why some middle grade appeals to adults so well.

We remember significant moments of our lives from these times. Our target audience is living these moments right now. (In fact, I've got a few middle graders living in my house right now.) So, keep up the good writing as you listen to your middle grade voices, and let's keep giving them exciting and honest literature!

*gulps* The CALL

You've been waiting for this day to happen for what seemed like an eternity. Since the first word fell on the page, until the last. You've done your research and you've queried only agents you know that would be interested in your epic tale. A handful have gotten back to you and requested pages, and some of them have even upgraded to full manuscript requests.

Then it happens.

You receive an e-mail (or a voice mail) and you can't believe it. An agent wants to schedule a phone conversation. That's right, an AGENT WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!

YES, YOU!

You are about to make - THE CALL!!!

Feel free to dance! You've earned it! It's no easy feat to get this far, but through perseverance and hard work, you've done it! But now the most important thing is not to panic, and not to let excitement get the better of you. It's time to put your business hat on.

When I first received the e-mail that my agent wanted to talk on the phone, I couldn't believe it was happening. I remember exactly where I was too when I saw it come in. I had just come back from Cape Cod, and picked up my dog from the kennel only to realize I had no dog food left at home. I was at the pet store, and lo and behold the e-mail came in. I responded almost immediately and arranged a call for the next week.

The first part of the call is all about preparation. It's a great way of calming your nerves too. I'll assume by this time you've done your research on the agents you've queried so you pretty much know what to expect in terms of what they're looking for, what sort of clients they have, and whether or not they are a boutique agency. But now is the time to prepare a list of questions that you can ask them.

Here is a handful of questions that I had locked and loaded for my phone conversation -

1. What did you enjoy most about my work? What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses?
2. Are you an editorial agent?
3. Will I be working solely with you or with someone else at the agency as well? An Intern?
4. How long have you been an agent?
5. What are your most recent sales?
6. How many clients do you currently have?
7. Can I speak to a current client of yours? (this is insanely important. I can't stress how helpful it is to get insider feedback from someone already working with the agent. It's VERY helpful in making your decision!)
8. Are you interested in future works by me?
9. What happens if you can't sell this manuscript?
10. Which publishers did you have in mind for my work? Will you update me on the submission process?
11. Besides the novel, what other routes do you feel we can take this manuscript? (great when talking about merchandising, film rights, audio books, etc.)
12. How much work is needed to prepare my manuscript for submission?
13. Will you help with my proposal?
14. Do you work with international rights?
15. Do you have a verbal or written contract? (although I think now a days most agents seem to have a written contract. It's the best route too. Cover your bases)
16. What is your percentage? Most agents to my knowledge are 15% domestic and 20% international.
17. What would happen if we have to part ways? (if it turns out it just isn't working out. This does happen, as unfortunate as it may sound)
18. What do you look for in a client?
19. What questions do you have for me?

Now I'm sure you can come up with some other questions that are more specific to you, but this is just a general list I had scavenged up. It's better to be prepared though, trust me!

So the day arrives, and you're waiting for the agent to call you. The phone rings, and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is some sort of gibberish that you never knew was in you. Your nerves have gotten the better of you. It's all over! You've domed yourself!

Alright, alright. Calm down. Here's the most important thing to realize. AGENTS ARE PEOPLE TOO! They are JUST as excited to make the phone call as you are to receive it. There's a reason they are calling you, and it's because they LOVE your work!

Let the agent lead the conversation. Be personable, friendly, and throw in a sense of humor. You don't want to come across as a robot. Unless you are one. Then that's pretty cool. Anyway, they are calling you because they want to know if they can work with you. It's one thing for them to fall in love with your manuscript, but they have to know that you aren't going to be some crazy person too. 

Okay, you can be crazy. But not TOO crazy. 

Now the agent is going to be asking you a lot of questions. Think of it as a casual interview. They're trying to get a read on you and how well you know the industry and how it works. And to prepare you for this, I've even drummed up a list of questions I remember being asked across my phone conversations, and some that I had even planned to be asked about!

1. How did you come up with your story?
2. What is your platform?
3. What is your target age group?
4. How are you involved in social media? What is your presence?
5. How would you market your book?
6. What are your goals with your book? What are your expectations?
7. Do you see this as a stand alone, or a series?
8. Are you working on anything else currently?
9. What do you look for in an agent?

If all goes swimmingly, you and the agent are probably having a shockingly smooth and natural conversation! Just when you think it couldn't get any better the agent hits you with this -

"I would love to represent you."

Feel free to dance again.

Okay, okay. That's enough. 

I know part of you wants to just scream YES, but hold on there! Aren't you forgetting you have other agents out there with your manuscript?

The first thing you want to do is thank the agent for extending the offer. Tell them how excited you are and how much you enjoyed speaking with them. Then tell them you would like a week or so to decide, and that you also need to get back to other agents regarding this turn of events. Trust me, they'll understand. It's business. They know you have been querying other agents, and they probably assumed other agents already have your work. They aren't going to retract their offer just because you asked them to wait a little bit. 

It's a courtesy! And it's very professional of you. Once you say your goodbyes, and you've caught your breath, go ahead and do your third little dance...yeah yeah, go ahead. Do a little jig.

Done? Okay.

Now all you have to do is e-mail every agent out there that has your manuscript currently and let them know that an offer of representation has been extended to you. It's up to you WHO you want to send it to. I personally sent it to agents that had some form of my manuscript (whether a partial or a full). Some of them will get back to you, some of them won't. You might find yourself scheduling a few more phone conversations in the next week depending on how much time you gave. 

Typically, the best mindset is to give around 7-10 days. That should be enough turn around and enough notice for everyone. Not too long. Not too short. 

After another 2 weeks or so, you've had all your phone conversations, and you may have even received a few more offers of representation. The only thing left to do now is decide who you want to champion your book. Now I cant make that decision for you, but I can leave you with a little piece of advice.

Go with your gut. Usually that's the right route to take. That one agent you KNEW you had an awesome connection with is probably the one who is going to work the hardest to sell your manuscript. 

And don't forget to pat yourself on the back - you did good, kid. Go treat yourself to some pizza.

Finding the voice (the ones both in and out of your head)

We're lucky.

We've had years to figure out who we are. We're sort of our own biggest experts and yet, trying to come up with a quick, clean summary of our entire personality can still be pretty tricky. But why?

Because humans are complex. We're layers upon layers of characteristics glued together by an uncountable number of experiences. Now don't get me wrong, I've met some pretty dull individuals in my life, but even those people had at least some level of complexity to them. Kind of.

So many writers (me included) struggle with finding ways to make our characters that multi-dimensional. However, the solution begins with something we've all heard before:

Finding the voice.

(without gifs... sorry)

No, not the one in your head. Although that can be a great source of inspiration. In fact, this entire blog post is going to be a transcript of everything mine's currently dictating to me. The voice I'm talking about is your character's voice--the way the world is filtered through his or her senses on its way to the reader.

Below are my top seven tips I've picked up from writers I hope to be as good as one day.


1. Know your character's history.

Before you write, figure out who your main character is. I'm not talking about understanding that your MC is a thirteen-year-old girl with brown hair. Sure, that's important, but you have to know more than that. And if you don't, well... maybe you're not ready to write your story.

Imagine what school she goes to. What music she likes. Who her best friends are. Why she has that little scar above her right eye. There are so many questions you could ask (298,870,125,182,002 according to the voice in my head) that can help you come up with a solid back story for your MC. This step can take a while, but it's going to help you when you get to one of the later steps.


2. Determine who your character is talking to.

Once you have your character, figure out who she's telling this story to. This is going to severely affect not only what your character says but how she'll say it. For example, I'm choosing to use who instead of whom all the time because I don't want to come off as a grammatical know-it-all. Probably because I'm as far from a grammatical know-it-all as one person can be.

But let's get back to your character. If you want your brainy MC to be talking to a group of like-minded individuals, she may use words and phrases she wouldn't normally use if she were talking to the general public. And if she's talking to the general public, she might want to explain things so they won't feel dumb.

Then again, maybe she enjoys flaunting her intelligence over the average Joe. Maybe Joe got mad at her for speaking down to her. Maybe she wouldn't stop so he threw a soda can at her! HOLY CASSEROLEY, maybe that's how she got her scar!

*ahem*

Sorry. My head-voice got a little loud there. But my point remains--this is where knowing your MC is important.


3. Establish the POV.

This sounds like a simple decision to make, but it's not. The point of view is going to wildly affect how your story is told. A lot of this will come down to personal taste, but don't just decide on first person present because that's what the last book you read was told in.

Figure out how your story will best be told. I've heard editors warn against second person, but hey--if you want to write that, then you go for it. You know what's best for your story.


4. Vary the distance.

I learned this at my first conference. I'd never even thought about it and when Jordan Brown was talking to the crowd about this concept, it blew our minds. The distance he was talking about was directly related to the POV. Third person will allow more wiggle room for the distance. First person present will be very limited. Here's what he meant:

Every line you write needs to push the story along. Every line needs to be carefully chosen so no space is wasted on the page. A rhythm needs to be established and within that rhythm, we can step further away from or closer to your MC's head-voice. For example, you may write a line like this:

The last few leaves could be seen on the tree's branches.

With this, we're pretty far out of the MC's head. We're not getting a smattering of voice here, but we are finding some important information about our character. You'll understand what I mean when you get to the next tip. Back to our story. The next line you write may take us closer to getting in the MC's head. Sort of like:

They dangled by their stems like little swatches of brightly-colored fabric.

Now we're getting an idea of what our MC is noticing. We're closer to hearing that head-voice. Which leads us to the closest we can get--inside the character's mind. Just take a listen:

The red was wrong. Too much crimson. A color like that would never look good as a pair of socks.

Now we're hearing what the MC is thinking. That head-voice is coming through loud and clear. However, staying here too long can be almost be burdensome. We don't want to read a book where we stay the same distance away from the MC no more than we want to read a book where every sentence has ten words, do we?

No, we don't, head-voice, so shut up.


5. Find out what's important to your character.

So many of the decisions you'll have made by now are going to be based on what's important to your character. Let's say she absolutely hates watermelon flavored candy but she'd do anything to save a calico kitten. Knowing this is going to help you figure out what she'll notice around her. And even more importantly, it'll help you figure out what she won't notice.

I know we've all heard to write through the MC's senses. Tell us what she sees, hears, feels (without using those filter words, of course) whenever possible. However, if you choose to tell us all of those things all of the time, we're actually getting less of what's important to your character.

In tip number four, our MC noticed the leaves first. And then the colors. And then her mind went right to the red and how the color would be awful as a pair of socks. We've read three lines and I already know quite a bit about her. If I were using her as my MC I'd know why she thought that about the crimsony red because I would've developed that part of her back story.

Think about how you personally describe things. I'm extremely visual and I've got a nose that borders on bloodhound. If I were describing something, I may talk about how it smells and how it reminds me of the time our dog ate tinsel and pooped out silver-lined turds.

Okay, so... I'm not really sure what I'd be describing there. My head-voice says cafeteria meatloaf. He may be right.


6. Be authentic.

This is where research will come in handy. You need to understand how your character would actually speak. This will be determined by time period, nationality, age, intelligence, and so many other things. I wish there was an easy way to go about finding all of this out, but there's not. If I wanted to write a character who lived in 1800s England, I'm going to have a heck of a lot harder time than if I chose 1980s Tennessee. Because I've got that one down pat.

My fellow MGMinded bloggers have written some great advice on middle grade voice authenticity. If you haven't read those posts, go do that.

Now.

And then when you're finished reading those, go read some books. Like, a lot of them. And in your genre and target age range, too. When in doubt, take advice from those better at it than you. Which is exactly what I've been doing my entire life. I'm ignoring my head-voice right now because I'm pretty sure it's saying something mean.


7. Be patient.

The hardest one of all to master. Don't get frustrated if you don't nail it the first time around. Very few do and many who say they did are lying buttholes. So keep at it, explore different methods, don't be afraid to fail, and enjoy the journey of finding the perfect voice.

Story Ideas and How to Make Them Stand Out

With nanowrimo just days away, I thought I'd write a fun post about how to come up with great new story ideas! Not how to plot or to plan, but some ways to spark a new idea or to make sure your already-there-spark is unique. Because who wants to spend months writing and revising and querying a book just to find out it won't stand out in the crowd?

Step 1: Know what's out there.

Note: I put this as step one because it's the most important to me. I don't always do it first.

Sometimes we come up with the COOLEST IDEA EVER… only to find out it's been done to death. There are remedies to this, of course. You can write about your sparkly vampires if you are knowledgeable in the market and know how to make it unique. But first you have to read—a lot.

-Know what books are huge in the market, this means for year and years.

-Know what's new in the market, read books that came out this year!

-Know what's selling (the best way to do this is follow publishers marketplace, unfortunately that costs money (but I believe the lunch email is free), so if you can't do that follow things like #MSWL, agent and editor blogs and follow lots of authors and agents on twitter.)

-And lastly, I suggest that you know what's also being queried. Follow contests on twitter, even if you're not entering. Often, the judges will post what they see a lot of which is very important information. Read the winning entries. Critique others when you have the chance.

When you know the market you'll know exactly where you stand and probably what not to do in your manuscript. Avoid over used tropes, instead put a fun spin on stereotypes. Don't write something super close to SUPER AWESOME BESTSELLER. Even if the story you want to write is close, still write it—just find a way to make to different.

Step 2: The Spark

This is the hardest part of the process. The part that I can't really help you with. I'll point you in the right direction in case you're a bit stuck, but mostly you've got to find your story yourself.

Finding the spark can be done in many ways. It can start with a character, a concept, a full plot or even just one single sentence. Sometimes it comes from dreams. Sometimes from watching a movie you loved, or wanted to love but couldn't. Often it's a "what if" scenario. I like to think about new perspectives of old stories. Like Grendel from Beowulf (GRENDEL by John Gardner) or the wicked witch of the west from Wizard of Oz (WICKED by Gregory Maguire).

What ideas interest you? What story do you wish people knew but don't? Was there a story you loved the idea of but it didn't do it justice? How can you take that idea and make it new and exciting?

One way I sometimes come up with ideas is…. Wait for it…. PINTEREST.  I love looking through random pictures and seeing all the stories inside them. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes, with the right brain… it can be worth 50,000 (or more!)  I found this Pinterest profile while searching for pictures for my own story boards and I love it. It's so diverse and inspirational. Looking for a new story spark? I bet you'll find something if you flip through some of these pictures: http://www.pinterest.com/kelseypaigeh/

Whatever it is you choose, whatever your story, the most important thing is that you are passionate about it.

Step 3: Fleshing out the spark

Yay! Now you have a story spark! But what do you do with it? Some sparks are big, with full plot lines and some are teeny-tiny little ideas you're not really sure where it'll go. Here are some of the most important aspects to flesh out before your story is really ready.

Main Character- Who is your story about? Gender, age, personality, family, past experiences. I'm not one for detailed planning, especially with character, just an overall idea of who your character is and what they want and why, is enough.  How is this character unique? Why do you want them to be the one to carry the story? Be excited about this character, don't make them just a blank face.

Setting- Don't forget setting! This can be a great way to make an average idea stand out. Set the story deep in the Appalachian mountains (modern or not), in the middle of New York City, on the Caribbean coast, Japan, Russia, Africa…  Even a contemporary novel can be set somewhere unique. Sometimes settings you don't know firsthand are hard to pull off. As long as the setting is strong, it doesn't have to be ridiculously out there. Just make me remember it!

Plot- What happens? What does your character want and what's stopping them? What happens if they fail? Writing out a pitch or a full query is often really helpful to me when it comes to finding out what this story is about. Especially when drafting quickly, like for nanowrimo, it's important to have a few major plot points set out so you don't get stuck or end up having to back track.

Other characters- one of the things that pull me in as a reader are new characters. A fun best friend, a quirky new character needed to help the character on the way, family, and most importantly… the antagonist. Some of these can be found once you start writing, but having one or two ready and waiting is a great way to keep the story moving, and the antagonist is generally an integral part to the plot so having the opposition developed it also helpful.

Ideas come easier to some people than others. Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses is the key to success (in much more than just writing). If you're good at low-key stories, keep at it. Just find a way to make it unique, whether by setting or a new perspective or an interesting concept (current or historical events/issues for example.)

Just love what you're writing, that's number one. Then find a way to make it marketable.  

How do you come up with story ideas?

Oh! And I'd love to hear what you're writing for nanowrimo. :D

Less Than Three Anti Bullying Conference

On Saturday, October 19, 2013 I attended Less Than Three Conference, an Anti Bullying conference. Heather Brewer created Less Than Three Conference because she went looking for anti bullying conferences to speak at. When she didn't find any, she asked why aren't there conferences for this? She quickly changed the question to why am I not doing this?

Heather Brewer giving her keynote speech

And thus Less Than Three was born. It's name not only comes from the fact that the symbol makes a heart, but also because when bullying funding was offered, less than three schools accepted. LESS THAN THREE! A change has to be made and that's what Less Than Three is all about.

Bullying is such a hot topic because it's everywhere. It's in schools, at home, and online. Kids can't hardly escape it. Even adults experience it. So 21 MG/YA authors and 250 attendees came together to talk about bullying in four panels: Bullying in School, Self Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Bullies & LGBTQ.

Author Jennifer Brown defined bullying best in the Bullying in School Panel. She said it takes three things to comprise bullying:
1.) Intent to harm
2.) An imbalance of power
3.) Repitition

If someone says something once it's mean, twice is rude, and three times, that's bullying.

From there the discussion continued into speculation about why kids get bullied. A lot of times kids that are different from the norm, get teased. And sometimes all it takes is one negative comment to make someone feel bad about themselves. But just because someone is different doesn't mean they brought the bullying on themselves. Heck, even skinny, beautiful people have problems. There's so much pressure from society and we are so obsessed with celebrities and perfection, that we develop unrealistic expectations. These thoughts and words can be alienating and lonely.

The crowd during Heather Brewer's keynote speech

Loneliness is often what makes bullying feel so painful, where the power is often lost. But there is strength in numbers. Talking to trusted family members or friends can help the bullied gain back some of the power. Adults can help by not only listening but also by setting an example. Adults need to show the world that bullying is not okay. If you see someone being bullied engage that person and just talk to them. Not necessarily about what happened but about other things too. Give them a safe environment and let them know someone cares. It takes away the loneliness and the power the bully has.

It's shocking that there isn't a single school out there that doesn't have bullying. But some deal with it better than others. The more people that band together and speak out against bullying the better. Groups of people can make a difference. Individuals can too. It'd possible to call out bullying to people. Most people don't want to be mean. If you politely show someone they've crossed a line, many times they will stop. Everyone is somebody, and a lot of somebodies is a force to be reckoned with.

The Cyberbullying panel
From left to right: Sarah Bromley, Carrie Jones, Mari Mancusi, Lisa McMann, & Shannon Messenger

Bullying isn't just in person though. With the internet, smart phones, and social media, bullying has taken on a new form. There's so much hatred online. It's so easy to see a screen name and not the person behind it. Someone shouldn't have to worry about what they say and do and how others might hurt them. Unfortunately that is the world we now live in.

The important thing to remember is not to feed the trolls. It's best not to engage the bullies online. If you don't respond, the bullies will lose interest because they aren't getting a reaction from you. You're no longer fun to pick on. But you can take it a step further. If you don't like the direction an email, tweet, blog post, or message is headed STOP READING. Remove the bad from your life. Thankfully it's a lot easier to close a browser tab than to get away in person. A good general rule of thumb online is to ask yourself:
1.) Would my grandmother be upset if she read this?
2.) And will this come back to haunt me?
If you answer yes to either of those it's probably best not to post.

Unfortunately when someone hears the same negative things over and over again whether in person or online, sometimes they start to believe them. And because of this, people often don't believe the good things and the compliments when they come. No matter how many times someone tells them.

Self-bullying panel
From left to right: Rachel Caine, Ellen Hopkins, T.M. Goeglein, Cheryl Rainfield and Cole Gibsen

In response to the self hate, author Cheryl Rainfield told the audience "You don't deserve to be hurt. Don't deflect love. Trust it and let it in." Ellen Hopkins added, "Look at how other people are reacting to you for things you may not see in yourself. There's no such thing as perfect, it's different for everyone. Find what you love about yourself."

But it's often hard to understand ourselves let alone what others are going through. If we haven't been there how can we understand it? This is a common phrase people use to deflect help. But the knowledge from books can help. "It's important for us as readers to go through those tough experiences (in books) so we understand what others go through," author Rachel Caine said. And this is the power of words, what gift writers can give to the world. To share experiences and make others feel less lonely.

When Heather said, "The right people will find you. You will find your people." it stuck with me. It's such a powerful statement. The right people won't make fun, they will accept, they will stand by, they will help make a difference.

It's hard to do what's right. It's hard to ask for help. It's hard to be a voice. But that's what it's going to take to stand against bullying. Lots of people doing those things. Being the example. Acting as a support system. Making a difference. While we certainly don't have all the answers on how to fight bullying, we came a long way during Less Than Three. We shared great ideas. We created a support system. We showed the power and strength in numbers. And that is a great start.

For more awesome pictures and quotes from Less Than Three check out the hashtag #LessThanThree.

I've shared more of my experiences from the conference as well as some of my personal story about being bullied on my blog. Feel free to share your stories, experiences, and ideas below. Let's help spread the word and make a difference.

The Less Than Three authors trying to figure out how to make the less than three symbol for the photo
Back Row: Rachel Caine, A.S. King, Cheryl Rainfield, T.M. Goeglein, Susan Colasati, David Levithan, Lisa McMann, Dale E. Bayse, Andrew Smith, Carrie Jones
Middle Row: Alethea Kontis, Carrie Ryan, Shannon Messenger, Heather Brewer, Ellen Hopkins, Mari Mancusi, Jennifer Brown
Front Row: Cole Gibsen, Jody Feldman, Sarah Bromley, Antony John

Do You Want To Be A Real Writer?

I had a friend who wanted to be a writer. He and I would exchange our writing every once in a while for critiques. When we met, he would talk with wonder and excitement about how great it would be to someday not have to work at his regular job. Instead, he would stay at home and write full time. He would be a REAL WRITER.

There was just one problem. He didn't write. Or rather, my friend didn't write enough. When he did write, it was pretty good stuff. But then, weeks (sometimes months) would go by without any significant progress on his manuscript. It wasn't writer's block that was hounding my friend. It was life. 

Writing can certainly be a side thing, like a little hobby you work on occasionally when you can. BUT, if you've never done more than occasionally pick up the violin as a side little hobby, don't get frustrated when you aren't all of a sudden playing first chair at the symphony.

I heard John Mayer, the singer songwriter, give an interview in which he talked about the writing process for his most recent album. Remember, that at this point, Mayer was already a multi-Platinum selling artist who had written hundreds of songs, performed thousands of times, and practiced many thousands more. He said that whenever he writes a new album, he generally writes a dozen or two dozen bad songs before he starts to write something good. He said, there are no shortcuts, and when it comes to writing (songs) nobody starts by getting off on the 12th floor.You have to work your way up. You have to start bad, give yourself permission to write bad songs and then work up from there.

If you want to write stories for a living, I'm betting you can figure out a way to do it...someday. It probably takes a little talent and probably takes a little luck. But, be sure of one thing. What it takes more than any of that, is hard work. This can't be about wanting the writer's life, whatever that is. It's got to be about writing. If you really want to write, then you will find a way to write in those little cracks and creases that show up each and every day.

We no longer live in a patronage society. There aren't people unloading buckets of cash so you and I can sit around and amaze them with our supernatural romances about vampire bunnies. If you know of a writer out there "making it", chances are high that they've encountered the same obstacles you and I encounter. The writers who have made it didn't get there through a life of Victorian privilege. Nope, they had to figure out how to write given all of the excuses you and I sometimes make for not writing.  Regular job? Check. Kids that you have to bathe and feed? Check, check. Errands you've got to run and bills you've got to pay? Check, check, check. Spouse who doesn't really understand why you're spending so much time doing something that probably won't make you a dime? Check, check, check, and checkmate.

These real writers overcame all of the many obstacles to being a 'real writer' by writing their brains out whenever they could. And as unglamorous as that sounds for you and I, it is what you and I need to do.

And if in your heart, you are a 'real writer', then the thought of writing whenever you possibly can doesn't scare the hell out of you; it makes you smile, it gives you joy.

So.........Write. Revise. Show your work to people who will tell you the truth (and the truth is, you and I aren't that good yet). Rewrite. Revise. Edit. Repeat the cycle over and over again.

And never stop.  Happy writing!