
Saturday, December 24, 2011
New Year...New Hope...

Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Dealing with disappointment

This isn't exactly a newsflash, but it's the premise for this blog posting. If you are thinking about writing, or if you are currently writing, or if you are already shopping your manuscript, then rejection is something you'll probably have to endure.
After countless hours of drafting and revising, I am still waiting for "the moment", all the while continuing to accumulate rejections.
My stance? Two words.
Oh, well.
There comes a point when you become numb to it (and it takes awhile, let me tell ya'). But that's where I'm at. I stopped counting total rejections (including ALL projects) after sixty. And I've had a dozen or two since then. But in the big scheme of things, why get worked up about it? If we don't quit, eventually someone is going to fall in love with our work.
Here are a few things I do to keep rejection from getting me down:
- Set the work aside and MOVE ON. This is good advice if you are in the process of revising, or if you're stumped on a plot issue, or if you are mid-process of submitting. Set the work aside and move on to another draft. WHY? Because it'll get your mind off of the craziness at hand with the one manuscript, it'll keep you working creatively, and if your book sells, your agent/editor will want to see what else you've got.
- Read books/magazines/blogs on craft. I learn so much from all of you and other writers out there. You can never know too much, right?
- Remind myself of the "why". Why do I write? I write because I love creating stories, I love delving into other worlds, I love putting dialogue together onto the page and seeing what comes of it. The "why" will help you keep things in perspective. (It certainly helps me!)
I'm not saying rejection has stopped bothering me, but I've accepted it for what it is. And I refuse to stop doing what I love because of the little rotter. So...I tarry on....
And so should you!! :)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
My August media break...
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Book Review #1
The first book I am reviewing is Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini. (3 out of 4 stars)
In Starcrossed, Helen Hamilton is the awkward protagonist, who has a hard time fitting it. Why? Well, first of all, she is breathtakingly beautiful. Secondly, she can't stand people looking at her or giving her attention (she gets cramps and doesn't feel well). Then she starts having these horrible nightmares where she's wandering the desert, and she wakes up to find her feet dirty and her throat parched. Along comes a new family on the island, and everyone is talking about them. But as soon as she lays eyes on the exquisitely handsome Lucas, she wants to kill him with this uncontrollable, unexplainable rage. Come to find out, they are both demigods, born of different houses. There's been this raging war where all the houses want to kill each other (and do). Lucas's family think they are the only house left standing. Until they discover Helen, of course. Turns out, she's a demigod...from a different house. Her mother, who abandoned her at birth, sure has some explaining to do! However, she's not around (until the end of the book). While all this is going on, Lucas and Helen hate/love/lust after each other. What to do? Lucas's family decides to protect Helen and "train" her as a demigod. All of a sudden, she has these amazing powers and abilities.
This YA book is almost Twilight incarnate. Lucas and his family even sleep outside her bedroom to "protect" her from those demigods wanting to kill her. There's this fierce attraction to someone she can't have, and Lucas's family is large and very similar to the Cullen family. HOWEVER, with that being said, I couldn't put the book down. It sucked me right in. And I even sat in the car during church because I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN(did I say that already?)! I thoroughly enjoyed the mythology ties, and I really liked Helen as the main character. I thought the whole romance thing was a little shmultzy, but high school girls will love that part of it, I'm sure. The ending is what I had an issue with. It left off at a climactic moment in the story. Of course there's a sequel due out next May, but that's besides the point! Sigh...
It's a nice YA read that will suck you in, disappoint you a bit at the end, but will have you wanting more.
I'm sure I'll buy the sequel next year!
Cheers...
It's summertime...and the writing is easy...or is it?

(Do you like the picture of my three year old enjoying summer?)
- I take my notebook with me: so helpful!!
- I write in the morning while I'm fresh and newly energized (thanks to sleep and coffee).
- Any rewrites my agent wants me to do, usually happen in the afternoon or evening. (I don't know why. Do I really need a reason for my madness)?
- I don't sweat the small stuff: my kids will only be this age right now. If I set down my writing for a day with them, I make up for it that night or the morning after.
- Journal! (I tell ya', I just love journaling. It's not really about my life; it's more story ideas, outlines, character descriptions, that sort of thing. But I find it really helps.)
There you have it, folks. So, go ahead, grab that corn on the cob and chat it up with family and friends. Just don't set writing on the backburner for too long. There's a world of readers waiting to hold your book in their hands (and I'm one of them)!
Cheers...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
"Almost There"
Do you agree? If your agent writes back to you after almost a year of revisions and says something like, "I absolutely love it! Just a few more tweaks. We're almost there!" what would you be feeling?
First, I admit, comes a tad bit of frustration (at least for me). The whiny child within me wants to yell, "but I'm sooooo tired of rewriting this book! Wahhhhh...." (yeah, it's not pretty). What's also frustrating though is that I've reread and reworked the novel so much that I feel I'm going cross-eyed. I'm not catching tiny errors that I would have caught before. Or I left a sentence or two from a previous draft that doesn't make any sense because that scene has been taken out.
However, I am happy to say that I like hearing these two words. They mean that after a lot of work, it's about that time to send out to editors and see if I get any bites. It's another step closer to this dream of mine really happening. It's exciting and nerve-wracking, and well, hopeful.
Are you "almost there" with whatever you're working on? Maybe you're "almost" ready to send out queries, or you're "almost there" to the end of the story. Wherever you might be on this journey, don't discredit "almost there". Sure, it's frustrating, but focus on the hope of knowing that your goal is just around the corner!
Cheers,
Janice
P.S. I'm going to start posting interviews soon. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Have you taken the time to WRITE today?
Who has time to write??
Um, hello, YOU! That's right. You heard me (I'm writing in my "teacher voice" right now). A few of my friends have commented on how they are "too busy" to write. No, no, no...that is an incorrect answer.
A few years back Laurie Halse Anderson came to our fall Michigan conference. I remember her opening speech, and how she hammered the nail on the head about giving yourself permission to write. Things take up our time. Work, family, get-togethers. I'm not advocating throwing all that out the window. But life is too short for you (or I) to keep proscratinating. That book isn't going to get finished...or revised...or critiqued...if it sits in your head gathering dust. Another speaker at a more recent conference I attended was agent Jennie Dunham. She hosted an early-morning journal session. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed that! She didn't say it had to be specifically your creative piece, but I have been "journaling" my novels since that conference.
Whatever your excuse, throw it in the garbage. I don't want to hear it. Carve out some time. But get something on paper (or computer). I have a set of goals that I have used for the last year or two. These goals work!
Here are some goals of mine (feel free to use them, tweak them, laugh at them, or use them for dart practice) :)
- Write at least five times a week. Do not stop until three pages have been written. (and I give myself permission to write garbage.)
- Participate in a critique group once a month (via e-mail or meeting in person). This helps me check over my work, as well as letting me see others' creative processes. Plus critiquing others helps me turn a critical eye on my own work.
- Read a young adult or middle grade novel at least once every other month. During the summer, I read about two a month, but that's because I'm a teacher. Yay, teachers!
- And this summer, I have a big goal: finish the novel I'm working on!!! (I'm really good at starting cool novels, but then they sit and wait for awhile...
These goals are not set in stone, but I try to make writing a priority. Even during the school year, I try to "journal" my story ideas, or continue story ideas as much as possible. My friend told me about the book, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, and one of the chapters is about people who are extremely successful follow the "10,000 hours" rule. In summation, it's where a person is dedicated enough to spend 10,000 hours learning/practicing whatever it is they are passionate about. That's when they start seeing success take place. (And I'm so sorry to the author(s) if I flubbed on that summation.) The point is that in order for us to be successful, we need to pursue writing passionately and diligently.
So what are you waiting for? Get writing!
Cheers,
Janice
P.S. Hopefully, this post inspired you. I wasn't really trying to be all "teacherish" on you!