The Ten Stages of Revision Emotions

So this year I've been diligently working on the draft of the second book in my series, MELT INTO YOU. This one is tentatively scheduled to release sometime next summer, but the manuscript is due to my editor at the end of this month.

Well, I finished the draft a couple of weeks ago and sent it to Sara to get her feedback and to make sure I hadn't suffered from the dreaded second book syndrome. *shudders* Luckily, Sara liked the book and only had a few changes she suggested.

A few. But one was a biggie. She suggested I cut the murder mystery subplot and replace it with something different. Not a huge change in word count, but a very significant change with regards to the story's plot. Hence began my journey through the Stages of Revision Emotions.

The Ten Stages of Revision Emotions

Stage 1: Shock (You want me to change what?) or a "Dammit, that makes sense"

Okay, so in the list of revisions, there is usually one, maybe two, shockers. Your favorite scene needs to be cut or something you thought was vital gets the ax. But most of the time with Sara, her suggestions resonate with me in that "Damn, why didn't I see that?" way. Or she picks out things that were niggling at me but that I couldn't quite put my finger on. That's the gift of having someone with an editorial eye. They can see things you can't because you're too close to it.

Stage 2: Blind Confidence - "I can totally fix this."

This is when you get excited. Things don't look so hard or too bad. You just need to change A B and C and you're golden. La dee da, I'm the kickass writer girl.

Stage 3: The "Oh, Crap"

You actually sit down to make those seemingly innocuous changes and WHAM! you've just blasted your manuscript to swiss cheese. Plot holes are bleeding on your pages, threads with loose ends are flapping in the breeze, your characters have been flattened to road kill.

Stage 4: Sticking Your Fingers in Your Ears and Humming

You've hit the denial phase. This can't be done. If I make this change, I'll have to rewrite the whole book from scratch. My agent/editor must be crazy to think I could change this. It's impossible. I'm just going to leave it the way it is and turn it in. I am the writer, so I get the ultimate call on revisions anyway, right?

Stage 5: Despair

This book is a giant pile of stinking baby dung. I will never be able to fix it. I'm going to fade into oblivion and never be published again. How did I think this was a good story?

Stage 6: The Muse Taps Your Shoulder

"Who the hell are you? Oh yeah, I remember you, creative genius. Where the f*#% have you been you stingy, rat bastard?"

Stage 7: The Idea - *cue angels singing*

You're lying there in bed, taking a shower, talking yourself out of eating the entire cake because you're a talentless hack. And then it hits. The Idea. The way that will fix your book and achieve what your agent/editor wanted from this revision. You suddenly see the seemingly obvious fix and realize how dead on that revision advice was.

Stage 8: Mania

This is where you realize you have two weeks to make this brilliant change and you have oh, ten, twenty, thirty thousand words or whatever to write. You eat, sleep, and breathe your manuscript. The ideas flow and you're excited about this story again. Thrilled to see it turn into something way better than what you originally had. It's a high. People may want to put you in a white jacket.

Stage 9: Peace

You finish that bad boy and turn it in. Then you eat that whole cake anyway, but this time, it's because you've earned it. :)

Stage 10: Ah, hell.

You get another set of revisions back and the process starts all over again. :)

These stages also apply to getting feedback from crit partners and beta readers. The key, for me, is recognizing that I will get there. That when it seems I just am not good enough to fix it, an idea will come. But it won't necessarily happen day one after I get my revision notes. My mind needs time to process and stew before tackling things.

So how about you? Have you been through any of these stages? Any other stages you would add?

The Successful Author Blog - Is It A Myth?

Last week I talked about what I learned from Kristen Lamb's talk on social media. One of the things that became a well-discussed point in the comments and then on Kristen's follow up post was the suggestion that authors shouldn't have a blog about writing. Not to say you should never talk about writing, but that you shouldn't have a writing specific blog (like this one, lol.) Kristen's point is that you are only reaching a small niche audience if you stick to writing topics (other writers) and you're missing the opportunity to reach a much wider group of potential readers.

So I totally get her point. Even though, like I said in the original post, I do not regret doing this blog because it has brought me wonderful friends and great opportunities I wouldn't have otherwise.

But this did leave me thinking--okay, so how do I adjust and broaden my platform? Part of what I do is my author blog where I focus more on romance-friendly stuff and photos of hot men on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I'm not blogging here. (My job is such a hardship, right?) But am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?

So of course, I wanted to research who was doing it "right". Which successful published authors had (non-writing) blogs that were interesting enough to make people read it on a regular basis?

I first stopped by some of my favorite authors' sites. Almost across the board, the blog posts are pretty much all about upcoming releases, cover reveals, news about conferences and signings, etc. All helpful information but not something you'd like sign up to read weekly.

But I couldn't really find any stand out blogs from the authors I went to. I could think of a few authors with debuts coming out that had good blogs. I think Tawna Fenske does an excellent job having broad appeal on her blog. Her theme is humor with a heavy dose of sexual innuendo (she does talk about writing some). She's funny and entertaining and the blog gives you a feel for what her writing voice is. It makes you want to read her book. I also think Stephanie Faris does a good job covering very broad appeal topics like Do You Remember New Coke? Though she writes middle grade so her blogging is not necessarily tied to her genre.

I also love Chuck Wendig's blog. He does blog about writing regularly but it's not a "writing" blog. And he's hilarious. Totally subscribe-able. But other than that, where are the multi-published authors who have killer blogs? I gave up and asked the hive mind of Twitter. Here are the suggestions:

Neil Gaiman

Jennifer Crusie

Ebony McKenna

Patrick Rothfuss

Meg Cabot

But really, people had trouble coming up names. Now, this is a limited sample because most of the people who follow me on Twitter are fellow writers. So, like me, they tend to hang out at blogs about writing. But still.

This made me wonder is the successful, engaging author blog that rare? Do readers really care to see more than news style updates once an author is published? Are we all stressing ourselves out over something that nobody else is doing well either?

I don't know the answers to those questions. My instinct is that a non-writing reader would probably be more interested in following a favorite author on Twitter and Facebook to just get to know them organically and in bite sized morsels rather than regularly reading their blog. But that's just conjecture. And if you throw the whole self-pubbing thing into the mix, then you have even more complicated questions because then your online platform is your ONLY way to get to readers. The whole topic fascinates me.

So I'm dying to know what you all think? Which author blogs (non-writing blogs) do you love to read? What are those authors doing right? As a reader, what do you want your favorite authors to blog about? 

Going Digital with Author Stephanie Haefner

Today I'm happy to have the lovely Stephanie Haefner here to talk to us about her experience with digital-first publishing. With all the talk and excitement going on with self-publishing sometimes it's easy to forget that there is another great option that falls somewhere between NY Publishing and self/indie publishing. I'm a big fan of digital-first publishers and have discovered a lot of great new authors that way, especially in the romance genre, so I'm excited to hear what Stephanie has to say about her experiences with an e-publisher.

Take it away Stephanie...

Going Digital!

I'll admit, digital publishing was not my first choice. But once I signed that contract and started the journey to publication, I really felt like I was getting in on something fabulous!

Technology moves so fast and consumers seem to always want what's new and cool and better than what is already out there. And digital book readers were another new gadget to have. Things have changed a lot since I signed my first digital contract, but only for the better! I think people are reading more than ever and partly it's because of digital media. People can read books on their iPhones and other Smartphones. EReaders make it convenient to take a book anywhere. And many libraries are even jumping on board, offering members free downloadable books on their websites!

There is lots to love about digital publishing! Here are my reasons why being published by a primarily digital house is awesome:

     - No need for an agent. Most digital publishers are rather small and accept unagented submissions. (Though my publisher says they are starting to receive a lot of submissions from agented authors.) But this by no means implies that the quality is less. Yeah, they may have to sift through more junk, but they are just as picky. The Editor in Chief fills us in monthly on how many contracts they've offered....which isn't many. The majority are established authors within their house, with only a few newbies. But bottom line, I don't have to share my earnings with anyone!! Well, maybe my hubby! I treat him to a nice dinner every once in a while...it's the least I can do! ;)

     - Prices are great! Digital book prices by primarily digital houses are far lower than print publishers, even those who offer their titles in digital. But that doesn't mean I make less! Oh no! Royalties on digital books are waaaaaay higher than print books! :) I make 40% on every digital copy (net sales). And if my math is correct, 40% of $5.50 is a good amount more than 10% of a paperback that costs $14.95.

     - There is a home for short pieces! Not every story can be written in novel-length. But what do you do with a 30,000 word story? For a newbie, it's nearly impossible to get into a print anthology. And those are far and few between anyway. But digital publishers, they do publish short works. My newest release, Soap Dreams, is the perfect length to read on a smartphone while carpooling to work, waiting at the doctor's office, or while you kid's at practice!

     - Readers who use the Nook and Kindle can buy my books instantly. If they finish one of my books, and love it, they can buy another of my other titles immediately!

And there are some drawbacks too, unfortunately.

     - Primarily digital houses are small and most do not offer an advance on royalties.

     - Books are not on bookstore shelves for people who love to just browse bookstores.

     - You can't really do book signings.

     - Some, but not all, digitally published books are made available for print. My debut was, but there's no guarantee anything else I publish digitally will be.

     - Readers who do not have an eReader are unlikely to buy my book.

A huge thank you to Roni for having me!! All commenters will be entered into a drawing for a digital copy of my newest release, Soap Dreams! And all commenters from every post on my blog tour will be entered in a fabulous grand prize drawing for a signed copy of A Bitch Named Karma and digital copies of both Paradise Cove and Soap Dreams!! Please leave your email address!

Paradise Cove is now available at Lyrical Press and Amazon.
www.stephaniehaefnerthewriter.com

Get the Best Bang for Your Blog

This weekend I had the privilege of attending the North Branch Writers' Workshop both as an attendee and a speaker. While I managed to give a talk on queries and not have a public speaking panic attack (score!), I also was able to stay afterward and hear the lovely and talented Kristen Lamb give her talk on social media for writers.

If you guys aren't following her yet (seriously, where have you been?), she blogs, she tweets, and she is the person behind the #myWANA (We Are Not Alone) hashtag. But anyway, she spoke on how we can maximize and streamline what we are doing online to best position ourselves and our future books in the market.

First of all, let's say that I have not been the poster child for Kristen's advice. : ) In fact, in her presentation, I was a ready example of what not to do, lol. But I am teachable (mostly). So here are a few tips I took away from this weekend.

1. Have your blog title have your name in it.

You want people to know your name, the one that is going to be on front of your books. As Kristen points out, you can't go into the bookstore and buy a book from FictionGroupie. (The same goes for using a moniker instead of your name on Twitter--it's wasting a valuable opportunity for people to learn your name.) 

This is my big sin honestly. I started Fiction Groupie when I was just testing the blogging waters. I didn't even use my name when I started blogging. Then it turned out to be something fun and the blog grew. Well, by the time I realized I probably shouldn't have made the web address "fiction groupie", I had a significant amount of followers and didn't want to start over with another address. But even if you've done this, it can be fixed. The web address doesn't matter so much, but you can add your name back. So as you'll notice above, my name is now in the title. (See, I'm teachable.)

2. Group blogs don't offer you much benefit.

I had never thought about this, but Kristen made the point of--do you know the authors' names of the group blogs you like? Or do you just know the blog name? This wastes your valuable blogging time if no one connects your name with your content. 

I had recently started a Tumblr photo blog with a group of other authors. Over the weekend, I left the blog and set up my own Tumblr site. This is where I post inspiration pics--erotic photogratphy type things, so NSFW but lots of fun.  This one also feeds into my author website under the Hotness tab. ;)

3. Don't do a blog about writing.

*ducks head* Okay, obviously I didn't follow this rule, and I don't regret it. I love this blog and the people I've met through it. And I wouldn't have gotten my agent referral or even the speaking gig this weekend were it not for this blog. However, I totally get Kristen's point. She argues that writers are only a small subset of readers.  It's more productive to blog about other things that you enjoy and that have more broad appeal--things that could expose you to a much wider audience.

4. Don't have more than one blog.

Eek! Okay, so I'm bad for this one too and I'm not changing this anytime soon but I don't necessarily recommend it to anyone else, lol. I have (shh) three blogs. This one, my author blog, and now the tumblr. But part of this is because I didn't follow #3. This blog is a writing blog. I know many of you who follow me are not erotic romance readers. So when I got my book deal, I was in the position of--how do i adjust my blogging to appeal to both my current blog readers and readers who are actually interested in my genre? 

I ultimately decided to not change the focus of this blog but to start blogging two days a week at my author site on more romance (and sometimes racier) topics. For instance, every Tuesday is my Boyfriend of the Week post where I put up (often shirtless) pics of my favorite celebrities. That appeals to some of you and not others. I do plan to start linking to those posts here on Tuesdays and Thursdays to give you the opportunity to read that content as well but as of right now, I don't plan to merge the two blogs. (And the Tumblr site is just for fun. Takes me literally 30 seconds to put a post there and it feeds into the author site, so I don't even really view it as a separate blog.) *rationalizes* 

But yes, I wouldn't recommend the multiple blog to everyone and maybe eventually I'll merge everything and just list a schedule where I say--I'm talking about writing topics on MWF and sexier/fun stuff on T/Th. How would y'all feel about that? Just curious. I'd love feedback on how you feel about a blog having mixed focus?

Also, what do you think of these other tips? What things have you done with your blog that you would've done differently if you could go back in time?

And to get more kickass info from Kristen, she has two great books for writers: Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer and We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media.

And thanks again to the North Branch Writers' Workshop for inviting me to the conference! I had a lot of fun. :)

Getting that Sagging Middle Into Shape

Each section of writing a book offers its unique challenges. The beginning it's all about hooking the reader and keeping them. The ending is about tying all that work into a kickass conclusion and selling your next book with your awesomeness. But in between those two sections is that often flabby middle. This is typically where we lose our way, get stuck, go down rabbit holes, and kind of meander until we get to the "good stuff" closer to the ending. And it can absolutely kill a book. You don't want your reader putting the book down and forgetting to come back to it because your middle was saggy and unfocused. So what can you do?

Ultimately, the sagging middle is about pacing.  In the beginning of our book, we're usually very aware of pacing--don't info dump, jump right in (en medias res), hook your reader immediately.  But then when we hit that second act, we often forget all those components and start shoving everything in that we really wanted to put in the first act, but didn't because of the pacing "rules".  If you do that, however, you're going to drag your middle down.

I'm sure you've heard this before, but every page should have conflict on it, every darn one.  And that includes those in the middle.  And I know many of us can think of books we've read that this is not the case, where the pacing was more languid and subtle and were still great books--but that is the exception, not the rule.

Author Anne Mimi suggests that those books with the slower pacing often fall into one of the following categories:

1.  The book is by an already established author who can get away with more.

2.  The author is dead.

3.  The agent picked up the author over ten years ago or the book was published over ten years ago.

4.  The book was first published outside the U.S.  (Brits are apparently more patient with pacing).

5.  The book is non-fiction.

So, in other words, to give our books the best chance, we need to recognize that we live in a fast-paced, short attention-spanned, movie/internet/iphone/immediate gratification culture.  So even if you manage to hook your reader with a terrific beginning, it doesn't mean the person won't put your book down when things slow in the middle.  You have to make them want to turn every page (and this doesn't mean you need explosions and car chases in each chapter).  And every chapter should end with a hook that leaves them wanting more.  If you can't hook the chapter end, then the scene probably needs better pacing and conflict.

So what happens when you realize your middle is, in fact, drooping?  First, you may want to look at why this could be the case.  

Julie Moffett lists the following common culprits for the problem.

1.  You revealed too much in the first part of the book, whether that be about your characters or the plot

2.  Secondary or subplots have knocked you off course or run away with the story

3.  The conflict (internal/external/sexual) is nonexistent or weak or there is no real action

4.  You don't know what comes next so you're meandering around aimlessly

5.  The story is boring you or you realize you have major plot problems that are making the story illogical or unrealistic

Alright, so once you pick out why you're middle is dragging, what are some things you can do?

Camy Tang offers these suggestions:

1. Strive for constant change with increasing tension/difficulty--Picture your character driving down a race track, it can't be a smooth, straight road ahead.  Throw a speed bump in her way, then when she deals with that, put something in front of her that is even more difficult to manage (a herd of cows perhaps), and just when she's maneuvered around the bovine, have the wheels fall off the car.

2.  Give the character new information in small pieces--a hint there, a clue here, a fleeting expression across her friend's face that makes the MC wonder if the friend's being honest, etc.  And make getting those clues hard fought.  Don't just have the clues fall in their lap, make them work for it.  Give your reader just enough to want more, but also let them feel like he/she is closer to figuring out what's going to happen.

3.  Keep your character's eyes on the prize--You cannot lose sight of your characters' goals.  Every scene they enter needs to be striving toward whatever goal they are seeking. Your characters should enter each scene with a purpose--what are they trying to accomplish in this particular scene?

4.  Don't be repetitive--Do not have scenes rehash old information.  Each scene needs to add something new.  And this also goes for having scenes that "feel" too similar in setting, content, tone, etc.  If your hero and heroine are always having "let's figure out this mystery" conversations over a meal, your reader is going to get bored.  Change it up.

And one last tip from author Stacia Kane:  

End your middle (or second act) with a bang.

  At the conclusion of the middle, the reader should be unsure of what's going to happen and if they are going to get an ending they want.  Pay attention when reading books, this "end of the middle"  or black moment is usually easy to pick out.  In romance, this is often when the characters have a sex scene (truly ending with a bang, *snort*) that makes things worse, or the bad guy in a thriller looks like he's going to elude your hero.  Basically, the worst thing that could happen--happens.

Alright, I hope now you can dive into those middles and make them svelte and strong.  Now if these tips would only help with my other sagging middle--the one from all that eggnog and pecan pie.

So are you overwhelmed at the thought of conflict on every page (like I am)?  Do you have trouble getting each chapter to end on a hook?  Which books have you read that have been slow-paced but worked--do they fit those criteria above?

*This is a revamped post from Dec. 2009

Writing Contests:Should You Take a Shot?

There are writing contests everywhere. Besides the small ones on blogs for opening lines and flash fiction and such, there are dozens of more formal ones put on by local chapters of writer's groups. These contests usually involve submitting part of your manuscript (15, 25, 50 pages depending on contest) and sometimes a synopsis or query letter. In the first round, your work is evaluated by a panel of judges which typically includes published authors. Then if you final, you move on to another judge--and here's the exciting part--this judge is usually an agent or an editor at a relevant publishing house.

Photo by Reggie Alvey (click photo for link)These contests cost money, which I know makes some think--wait, I'm paying for a contest. Aren't those usually free? But keep in mind that these are often put on by local chapters who have their own administrative costs to run such a venture and this serves as their non-profit fundraiser. The fees are usually reasonable--most around $25. If you enter at the national level, like RWA's Golden Heart, then the price goes up.

So is entering a contest worth that $20-$50 bucks you're shelling out? Well, I entered a number of contests (and won a few!) before I signed with Sara and here are the benefits I see:

1. You get to see your score sheets and feedback from the judges. So basically a critique, in some cases, by a published author.

2. If you place, you now have something to add to that bio paragraph in your query letter. (And I know that bio paragraph gives a lot of unpublished writers anxiety because--oh crap, what the heck do I put in there?)

3. Impartial feedback. These judges are not your mom, your friends, or even your critique buddies whom you already have a relationship with. The judges don't even know your name when they are looking at the manuscript.

4. There are sometimes small cash prizes if you place and your name may be listed in some of the trade magazines like Romance Writers Report.

5. Did I mention that if you final, your entry usually goes to an agent or acquiring editor? Hello, nurse! No slush pile to sit in--your work in front of someone who can make something happen.

On the negative side...

--Winning doesn't guarantee publication. It doesn't even guarantee you'll get a pages request from the agent or editor. 

--Judging, like anything else, is subjective. I've won some contests, finaled in others, and then didn't place at all in a few with the same exact manuscript. 

--It costs money

--If you have a book that doesn't neatly fit into a category, it can be hard to figure out the right section to enter your manuscript in.

And just as a side note, many of these contests are run by romance writers chapters. However, that doesn't mean your book has to be straight up romance. Almost every contest has a young adult category and a mainstream fiction category--as long your book has "romantic elements", you can enter. Here are the upcoming contest for RWA chapters. Of course, there are other contests for specific things like memoirs, screenplays, paranormal, horror, mystery, thrillers, etc. If you want a comprehensive list of a variety of contests, check out this link. Although this site lists last years dates, these contests are run yearly, so check out the provided links on the page to get updated info.

As for me, I enjoyed entering contests. It built my confidence tremendously. There's really nothing like winning and knowing that the judges thought your entry was the best of the bunch. But also, even when I didn't take top prize, I usually received great feedback that helped me improve. So I definitely recommend them.

How about you? Are any of you going to enter any contests this year? For those of you who have done the contest thing, what was your experience like?

*This is a revamped post from November 2009

The Best Writing Advice I've Ever Gotten...

Today I'm hanging out at Sarah Allen's From Sarah, With Joy blog doing an interview and answering burning questions such as:

• What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
• What's my writing schedule like?
• Why I blog?
• And where do I get my ideas?

Come check it out and give some comment love!

And have a wonderful Memorial Day!

The Big Reveal: I Have a COVER!!!!

I'm so excited about sharing my cover with you guys today that I barely even have the patience to write this post. I just want to post the picture and jump up and down like an over-caffeinated tween at a Justin Bieber concert.

So all I'll say is that so far on this publication journey, nothing has made it feel as real as when I opened my email two days ago and saw this cover with my characters images and my name on it.

I'm not sure I've ever felt such a rush. I loved it at first sight. It was exactly what I wanted and I bow down to the Berkley Heat art department. Their covers always amaze me, but seeing my own was seriously a dream come true.

I asked for a couple and for rain (because a pivotal scene of the book happens in the rain), that's about all the input I gave. And this is the ridiculously perfect cover they graced me with.

*drumroll please*

Here is the final cover for CRASH INTO YOU (Berkley Heat, Jan. 2012), which now is also available for preorder on Amazon!

So what do you think? :D Isn't his hand placement so hot?

Guest Post: Previously Published Authors & Their Decision to Self-Pub

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Christine Bell/Chloe Cole, Dee Carney, Cari Quinn, and Dee Tenorio here at Fiction Groupie. These lovely authors are going to talk to us about their decision to venture out into the self-publishing world AND they have been kind enough to offer a big ol' contest along with it! So yay!

And before I turn it over to them, I just want to let everyone know that you should tune in to this blog on Friday because guess what? I'M GOING TO REVEAL MY COVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (**if I'm allowed, still checking on that.) I got it today and am SO EXCITED to share it with everyone. So don't miss that.

Now take it away, Christine...

The Decision to Self-Publish

Thanks so much Roni, for allowing us to take over your fabulous blog today! To celebrate the upcoming release of our erotic romance anthology, Undercover Lovers, Dee Carney, Cari Quinn, Dee Tenorio and I are going to talk about our decision to self-publish and give some insight into how we went about it. We’re also running a mega-contest and will be giving away an ARC of Undercover Lovers to TWENTY random commenters!

Dee Tenorio and I have been friends for a while and have talked endlessly about the recent shift in publishing, the phenomenon that is e-pub and the really great (varying, and often confusing) opportunities out there for authors right now. Self-publishing came up time and time again in these discussions. Not so much as an alternative to working with our current publishers, but as a way of increasing our visibility, offering a product that was entirely within our creative control (SO much fun!) and selling more books. Never one to let the grass grow beneath my feet, after several of these discussions, I said “Okay, I’m doing it. I’m writing a novella and by June 1^st, I’m going to self-pub it. You want in?” and she said “Absolutely.”

I’d love to tell you that we had it all worked out from the get go. We didn’t. But we did have the basics. Dee is a tekkie (thank God) and volunteered to handle the formatting and cover design. I researched some tax laws and contracts, wrote up a two page contract and volunteered to handle the finances (as most retailers will not pay to more than one person for a single work*). We also settled on the parameters of the book. We wanted a four story anthology and we wanted it to have a unified theme. Dee suggested Undercover Lovers and I thought it was a brilliant theme. All the stories would be around 20k words, and would feature either a hero or heroine who was hiding their true identity from the other.

Now that we had our ducks in a row, it was time to find two more authors. After bouncing some names around, we settled on our choices and sent a professional email, letting them know that what we were looking to do, citing our publishing credits and asking Dee Carney and Cari Quinn if they would like to join us. They both said yes and we were thrilled! They came in with vigor and ideas and suggestions to streamline the contract and the process and we were off and running.

Because one of the biggest benefits to self-publishing is the ability to write and see your work on virtual shelves very quickly, we wanted to take advantage of that. We set up a tight deadline, allowing about five weeks for writing then another five for editing, formatting and cover art. Due to our collective experience, we felt we could edit for one another in a sort of round-robin fashion. This allowed us to each receive three passes of edits before doing one final pass for ourselves. It worked out really well because each of us has a particular strength in this area. Where one of us might be weaker in grammar, they would catch any timeline issues or plot problems. We had a lot of laughs during the process and aside from jitters (we all wanted to impress one another!) it was as painless as any editing experience I’ve ever had.

Now I’m going to turn it over to my writing partners so you can get an idea of why each of them made the decision to self-publish this time.

Q: Okay chicas, what made you decide to sign on and self-publish this book when it’s very likely that all of you could have sold them to one of your many publishers?

Dee Carney – Honestly, although friends have had great successes with self-publishing, I’ve been on the fence. Although I have one title that’s self-published, the experience wasn’t a great success. I work full-time as a nurse and honestly, don’t feel I have the time needed to dedicate to the marketing, editing, promotion, etc. that is necessary. However, when approached about this anthology--and the opportunity to share that burden--a smile lit my face. Not only was I asked to join a fabulous group of authors, I knew with our combined experience, we have the talent to make this seriously rock. So far, my prediction has come true!

Cari Quinn – I've been interested in self-publishing for a while, but it's not something you can jump into without doing some research. When Dee and Christine approached me, the timing was perfect. I felt confident that they had investigated a lot of the ins and outs and I knew what I was getting into. Best of all, I'd be able to test the self-publishing waters in an anthology with three other incredible authors and we'd be able to cheer each other on to write high-quality stories that worked well with the others. I think (hope!) we accomplished what we set out to do. Plus it was a ton of fun! I loved that we set the timeline and we were our own editorial directors. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, especially with these talented ladies. All three are now on my TBR.

Dee Tenorio- Well, to be honest, as much as I love my publishers, I wanted to have something out a bit earlier than the slots they could offer. Currently, you're looking at a book out—at the earliest, six months after submission and you're competing with the other 4-6 titles released that week. Self-pubbing is a really exciting arena right now and the time was ripe for experimenting. You're competing only with yourself... You know, yourself and the other thousands of books that are out there, lol. But I try not to let odds like that bring me down. It's a new challenge, which, honestly, is why I started with epublishing in the first place. I'm a ground floor kind of girl. :) Getting to write with friends just put it over the top and I dove right in. Plus, well, I had this really great idea about a wounded hero and a woman risking everything to love him… Really now, who can turn down something like that?

Now for our contest! Undercover Lovers is out now, and we’re hoping to get some ratings and reviews cooking on Goodreads, Amazon etc. Today we’ll be giving away TWENTY ARCs of our anthology Undercover Lovers today here on Fiction Groupie! To enter, just comment and leave your email address and preferred format (pdf, epub or mobi) and you’re in. We would love it if, after reading, you would consider taking a minute to give it an honest star rating or review if you have the time (no obligation).

Thanks so much for having us Roni!

*I won’t bore you with contract details, but if anyone has any specific questions regarding that process, maybe pitfalls and things to make sure you include, feel free to ask questions via comments, or email me directly at rcbell64@yahoo.com. I don’t profess to be an expert by any stretch, but I think we all felt good about the end result. 

Thanks so much, ladies, for visiting! And now everyone go enter the contest! :) --Roni

The Book Review Debate (and Some Announcements!)

Last Friday I did a post on writers nitpicking other writers. This post resonated with many of you and raised opposition in others. Some debating went on in the comments, which was great because I always love a good debate. And one of the topics that ended up being debated more in the comments than the actual nitpicking I was talking about was the question of whether or not writers should post negative book reviews.

Some of you choose to do this and say that a) you have a right to your opinion (you do) and that b) you do it in a constructive way (awesome) and that c) you think it provides a service to readers (it does)

However, even with all those points, I personally chose to stop reviewing books on this blog a long time ago and only talk about books online that I enjoyed. If I didn't like something, I discuss it with my friends, not publicly. I just don't mention it publicly at all. (I will never ever promote something that I didn't enjoy just to be nice for the record.)

So why did I make that decision to not post negative reviews?

1. The writing world is SMALL. 

The writer you one-star today may be the writer...sitting next to you at your next writers' meeting, may one day share an agent/editor/publisher with you, may be someone you have to do a workshop with, may be someone who's asked to blurb your book, etc. (Oh, and writers set up google alerts, so anything with their name will show up in their inbox. So don't assume some bestselling author won't read your blog.)

2. Agents and editors google you.

Say an agent or editor is on a fence about your manuscript. They decide to google you to see your web presence (because believe me, they do this, promise). Your website pops up and you have a one-star review talking about one of their client's books or one of the books they edited. You go on about plot holes and a TSTL heroine. Well, you've just told that editor that they don't know how to edit. SO, even if you were constructive in your review, do you think they're going to be as jazzed about working with you? They may think--well, our styles/visions may not mesh.

3. Usually, you don't see bestselling authors reviewing other people's books on their sites.

I take this as a here's-your-sign moment. Why aren't they doing this? It's not because they aren't reading. And it's not even because they don't have time. It's probably because they know better. You don't see other actors critiquing their fellow actors performance in a movie. There are movie critics and movie watchers to do that. It's kind of like peeing in your neighbor's backyard. It's just not wise.

4. The possible consequences do not outweigh the benefit (for me). 

If I save thirty people from buying a bad book, is that worth risking all the above stuff to do so? For me, no. There are wonderful book review sites and blogs out there. I'm a regular reader of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books; Dear Author; and RT Book Reviews. People can find out professional opinions on what someone thought of a book. There are already people providing this service and I don't need it to be me.

So if you still really, really want to do both positive and negative reviews of books online, what are some things to consider?

1. Don't say anything you wouldn't say to that author's face, to their agent, and to their editor.

And I mean REALLY think about if you were standing in front of that author and you're Ms. or Mr. Newbie Writer and they are Ms. or Mr. Successful Author or the editor you're pitching at a conference. Would you have the balls to say what you said online directly to them. If the answer is no, then don't put it online.

2. Consider a pen name.

This is an option that might solve the issue. You can write under your writer name and then have a website where you are BookGirl or something and can review as honestly as you want.

3. Make sure the benefit of what you're doing outweighs the possible consequences.

Determine what you are getting and giving by doing the reviews. Do you have a large enough platform that you are really helping readers? Are you getting good publicity for yourself by doing reviews?

Alright, so that's my take. Like I said in the comments, I have no issues with writers doing constructive, honest reviews, I'm just sharing why I personally have decided not to do them.

Now a few announcements....

• Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of Leah Peterson's 5-minute Fiction Challenge. And I am the guest judging the entries! Prizes are involved. Go check it out and enter!

• And, if you live in the DFW area, I will be speaking at a FREE writer's workshop in Denton, TX on Saturday June 4th. Kristen Lamb, social media guru, will also be speaking. To register, please go here. Here's my workshop description:

• Hooks, Queries, and Closing the Deal -- Strategies on crafting a killer query, determining if your story is high concept, and what to do when you get THE CALL (after you totally freak out, of course.)

Alright, so what do you think of the whole book reviewing debate? And are any of you out there planning  attend tomorrow's 5 minute fiction or the workshop in Denton?

Lest Ye Be Judged: Writers Nitpicking Other Writers

I'm pretty much a live and let live kind of person if you haven't gathered that from reading my blog. When I talk about writing craft, I rarely state my opinion as edict. There are occasions that call for that--i.e. don't query your first book without having someone who is not related to or sleeping with you critique it. But even then, I know there are people out there who did just that and had success.

So I'm starting to get a little bit tired of seeing writers nitpicking other (usually successful) writers on little things. We're all tempted to do it. I know I have tweeted before about words that drive me nuts in erotic romance--for example, moist. *shudder* The word just makes me cringe. But you know what? I've seen it used well too.

It seems lately I've seen more of this sniping than normal. "How can so-an-so be an NYT bestseller but she has all these cliches?" or "How did this person get away with using this trope?" Or whatever.

We all  have the right to be critical of what we read. We've paid good money to buy the story. BUT, I'm not sure that this critical stuff needs to be announced on the interwebs unless you're doing a review. (And that's also one of the reasons I don't do reviews anymore. I explain more on why here.)

It doesn't really hurt the sales of that successful author you're b*tching about. (Ask Stephanie Meyer.) It hurts YOU. It makes you look petty and, frankly, jealous. That author is selling all those books for a reason. Even if they have ten passive sentences on the page or use the word "weeping" in a make-you-gag way or use some tired device--people are reading their books for a reason. And you shouldn't begrudge them that. Their success does not hurt your opportunity for success, so there's no need to try to cut them down.

And this goes for making general statements where you don't necessarily mention an author's name. Imagine tweeting "If I see another Navy Seal hero, I'm going to poke my eyes out." and then people who follow you are writing the story of their heart and it happens to be about a Navy Seal.

Leave the nitpicking to the reviewers and readers. That's their job. Writers need to have elephant skin--but it shouldn't be because their peers are throwing rocks at them. Writers need to support each other and worry about their own writing--not waste time trying to chip away at your fellow authors.  It only makes you look bad in the end.

And remember that no matter what level of success an author reaches--she's still sitting down and slaving away at her keyboard like you are, she's still as passionate about her characters and story as you are,  and she still feels just like you do when her creation is criticized.

*rant over* :)

So where do you stand on this? When you find yourself picking apart a book, do you tend to share your frustration with the work with the world? What do you think when you see other writers nitpicking successful authors online?

Take A Chance On Me...It's For Charity, People

Alright, today I am up on the auction block over at Crits for Water. I'm offering a 2500 word crit for a manuscript and also a random winner will get a query critique. The genres that qualify are listed as romance and YA since that is where I feel my critting skills are the strongest, BUT I'm open to critting any genre (and have critted across genres for others before) so don't let that stop you.

The charity that benefits from this provides clean water to those who need it. Twenty dollars gives one person clean water for a year, so it's a great cause.

So go bid! I promise to give you a thorough, feel-like-you've-been-to-the-doctor-for-a-physical critique. (If you want examples of how I crit, click here).

I have this abject fear that no one is going to bid on me and I'll end up raising like three bucks for this great charity, lol, so please...if you're in need of a critique and you've liked what I've had to say these two years on the blog, then go check it out. (See? I'm not even above begging. Well, I do write BDSM romance, so I guess it's apropos.)

So if you'd like to alleviate me of my paranoia, GO HERE AND PUT IN A BID.  :)

*Auction ends at midnight EST!

If you're not going to be able to do that, then check out my interview over at Not An Editor where I talk about critiquing, how to hone your critting skills, and what you should always do when you get a crit.

And even if you're not bidding, I'd appreciate any retweets you guys want to bestow on me. :)  *gives you the puss n boots face*

You've Got Rhythm, But Does Your Story?

As I wade through my editing for MELT INTO YOU, I'm discovering that one of the big things I pay attention to when doing my read through is cadence, or the rhythm of the words. I think it was Margie Lawson's workshop where I first heard this term used in relation to writing.

We all know about voice and style, but cadence is more the way the words sound in your head as your read them. It's the flow and the music of the prose. It's why I may use a one-word incomplete sentence somewhere instead of something longer. Part of that is my style, but a lot of it has to do with making sure the rhythm works.

And one of the best ways to see if your story has good cadence or rhythm is to read it aloud. A lot of times when we read our own work in our head, our brain naturally skims. Hell, we've written it, we know what's there and what's coming. But this can hurt you because you may be missing places where a reader with fresh eyes may stumble on a sentence. Even in our heads we need places in prose to "take a breath" while we're reading.

Maybe your crit partners point this out, but most likely it's such a subtle thing that many will intuitively feel the little stumble but not really get hit over the head enough to mark it down and bring it to your attention.

So I literally sit in my office and read passages of my book out loud. Pretend you're the narrator doing the audiobook. Does it flow? Does the scene sound how you want it too--pretty, ethereal, hard and fast-paced, sensual, etc?

Not every scene is going to have the same cadence, nor do you want it to. If they're in the middle of the car chase, the words better not read like poetry. So know what your intention is and then see if the rhythm of the words fits what you were going for.

So here are my opening lines of my prologue in my draft. (And yes, I know, a prologue! *gasp* But well, it's there. I like it. Sara or my editor may cut it, which is fine, but for now, this is how the book opens.)

Most of the time temptation climbs onto your lap and straddles you, demands you deal with it immediately. Give in or deprive yourself. Choose your adventure.

Jace’s general stance: deprivation was overrated.

But he’d never faced this kind of temptation. The kind that seeped into your skin so slowly you didn’t even notice until you were soaked with it, saturated. To the point that every thought, every breath seemed to be laced with the desire for that thing you shouldn’t have.  

            And right now that thing was nibbling flecks of purple polish off her fingernails.

So okay, see where you'd take the breaths (hint: breaths happen at commas and periods)? And we're in a dude's head so the thoughts start off short and to the point, but then he gets wrapped up with how much this is getting to him. If you read it aloud hopefully it flows. It did when I went through it.

But do you see where I'm going with the cadence thing? Do you think about this when you're going through your work? Do you read it aloud either to yourself or to a writer's group?


Also, because I forgot to announce on Friday with all  of Blogger's problems, the winner of Elana Johnson's Possession (ARC) is MayDay_Aura! (I'll be emailing the winner.) Thanks for all of you who commented and entered! :)

YA Author Julie Cross: How I Write

 

Hooray! Blogger is working again. Now I can bring you the super fabulous conclusion of our How I Write series this week. Today, YA debut author Julie Cross!

How I Write by Julie Cross

When Roni asked me if I’d like to participate in a guest post explaining my writing process, I immediately told her, “I’d love to, but I don’t really have a process.” And I know Elana Johnson basically said the same thing in her post as well. I’m sure there are plenty of authors out there who can give you a more logical, easy to follow approach to writing a book, but I’m not one of those, however, I DO have some unique methods that 

have been very successful for me.

The first thing I did when devising a plan for this post was to ask a couple of important people if they could summarize my writing process:

1.      First up was my agent, Suzie Townsend and her answer actually, really helped increase my own self-awareness, believe it or not. I’m learning and teaching right now. I especially loved how she admits that even agents and editors find scenes they love and also find good enough reasons to cut those beloved scenes. We all must learn this lesson.

“Julie's first drafts tend to run a little long--they have this wealth of character details, worldbuilding, and backstory that allow a reader to really know everything about the story. They also allow Julie herself to really know the characters too. Even some of the minor characters--they're completely alive with a unique history. It's awesome. Of course, the next step is to look at that draft and see what details we could possibly remove to keep a page-turning pace.”

“There are definitely details I've loved that I've said, "maybe we should cut this because ultimately it doesn't move the plot forward," but those are great scenes that might be used in later books or kept for a deleted scenes section of her website. But in the end, the fact that Julie knows all of those details about the characters and the world comes out in the final draft. Even when we remove certain scenes, the heart of each character is still in the manuscript, and that's one of the reasons it's so easy to fall in love with her stories.”

2.      Next up for questioning was my editor at Thomas Dunne Books, Brendan Deneen. He wrote up such a nice answer, I’m almost embarrassed to put it here because obviously, I’ve done one thing very well… fooled him into thinking that I actually know what I’m doing *evil laugh* Just kidding. He really gets me, as a writer, and that is kind of awesome.

“Julie’s writing process is similar to my creative process, which is largely gut-based.  She has ideas and needs to get them out, almost to exorcise them, and that’s why her first drafts are like reading a young adult Faulkner novel (and that’s a HUGE compliment since Faulkner is one of my favorite authors).  Then, we work together to clear away some of the dense underbrush, and we end up with something that’s more like a young adult Hemingway novel… clean and amazing and genius in its apparent simplicity.  Julie’s gut instincts are a thing of beauty and I wouldn’t change her process for anything.”

As a disclaimer, I have to say that many editors out there would probably be driven crazy by a writer like me. Pure insanity at times. Anyway, here are some of my philosophies that may help you along in your process.

·         DRAFT 1 Philosophy—There Are NO Rules!

1.      I don’t limit my creative flow in these early stages. Not even a little. Those of you that have kids will like this analogy. I used to use bribery with my three monsters. Like if I needed some quiet writing time last summer, the first couple times, I’d make a deal with them, give me an hour or two of quiet and then we’ll go to the pool. Even if they try their hardest, I’m gonna get interrupted, cutting my hour in half and they’re gonna have to do something REALLY bad to keep me from taking them to the pool. So, that kills the rest of the day. What I found works better, is to take them to the pool first, get all that energy out and then hope the quiet time will come on it’s own, without force or restriction.

2.      Brendan (my editor) reads chapters as I write them. He did this from the beginning. It’s kind of “our thing.” After he originally rejected my manuscript (twice), he came to me saying he liked the premise… as in the one sentence tagline that tells you my MC watches his girlfriend die and jumps back two years in time and gets stuck there. We threw everything else away and started over with that premise, one chapter at a time. I didn’t plan on following the same procedure with draft 1 of book 2, but he asked to read some early on and we just kept going that way. And I like it. It makes writing a little less lonely.

3.      Sharing your work during the process is a personal choice some people avoid like the plague. But we aren’t talking about the avoiders, since I’m not one of those. With my series, and any early readers, the feedback doesn’t come in documents marked up in word review. It happens in a short phone call with my older sister or a text message from Brendan… here’s one I got a few a weeks ago after he read chapter 35 of TEMPEST book 2: “Wow. Bold choice. But the explanation afterwards really works.”  

Or this one: “Ch 32 is probably the most emotional one in the book so far. Tears in my eyes.”

These little tidbits of info keep me going and give me some insight. And I know when he uses the words, “bold choice” we will most likely be looking for other opinions on that particular plot point… but later. Not now. Now there’s no rules.

·         DRAFT 2 and Beyond—Reality, Necessity, Forward Motion, Organization, Fact Checking

1.      Outline changes for next draft—I usually start making a list of notes based on my 1-3 early readers. With TEMPEST 2, I chose Brendan, my older sister, and my agent (I should note that Suzie doesn’t like to read until it’s all finished cause she’d hate me if I left her hanging 2/3 into the book and I kinda LOVE that about her).

2.      Removing Plot Threads—I always have too many subplots, too much complexity, and have to figure out what to remove as far as plot elements. Extra scenes will come later. Extra words will come later.

3.      Line edits—this is where Brendan usually will take the whole revised document and edit for me, on paper and mail it. This will include word choice and grammar and sentence structure and all that. A LOT of clarification type stuff.

4.      Another round of Test Readers—For TEMPEST we used a couple of interns at FinePrint and a friend/family type reader. For book 2, we will probably use Brendan’s new editorial assistant who gave me such nice compliments on book 1 and has asked to read 2 ASAP. Possibly the UK editor or one of the awesome people over at Summit Entertainment. And probably my husband and one other family friend.

5.      Rinse and Repeat—steps 3 and 4 are done over and over again until it’s declared ready and until we’ve exhausted every FinePrint intern and assistant available along with all the St. Martin’s awesome people and Roni Loren, herself, of course. And yes, I made some MAJOR changes beyond draft 3 of TEMPEST. I’ve changed/cut scenes and plot threads… even characters. You have to keep an open mind all through the process and know when to dig in and when to step back.  

I’m open to any and all question so go ahead and hit me with em’… whatever you’d like to know about my experience and any tips I might not have mentioned.

Julie lives in central Illinois with her husband and three children where she works as a YMCA Gymnastics Program Director. She never considered writing professionally until May of 2009. Since then, she hasn’t gone a day without writing. She's represented by Suzie Townsend with FinePrint Literary Management. TEMPEST, the first book in her young adult trilogy is set to be released in the US, January, 3rd, 2012 (St. Martin's Press). TEMPEST has sold in a total of twelve territories (all forthcoming) and has been optioned by Summit Entertainment (of TWILIGHT fame). 

Tagline: "Jackson thought he had all the time in the world with Holly. Until time took him away from her."

My Ten Steps to Novel Completion

Photo by Seth Morabito

So Monday we had the lovely Elana Johnson describe her out-of-order, stitch-it-together style of writing. Seriously, just reading through her steps could send my brain into a panic attack. But alas, it was a great example of something I've learned while hanging around with other writers--we all have our own way AND there is no right way to write a book.

The only right way is what works for you. Sometimes it can take a while to figure out exactly what that is. And even when you think you've got your method down, it's still good to keep reading craft books and exploring because you never know what new trick my help you or enhance your own method. But on the same note, don't try to force yourself into some method just because it seems like the cooler/more organized/more professional/more interesting way of doing it.

I've accepted that I will probably never be a plotter no matter how much I love office supplies and looking at those color-coded storyboards people do. It's just not how the creative part of my mind works. But that doesn't mean I've given up on learning to plot a bit more ahead than I do now. I just have to find the right method that works for me.

So anyway, because I find other writers' processes infinitely interesting, I thought I'd share mine today since I just finished my latest book and it basically followed the same method I used for writing CRASH.

1. When the seed of a new idea comes to me, it's usually in the form of a character and their backstory. Plot almost never comes to me first. So I sit and let it stew for a while. When I feel I have enough to go with I write out the character sketch--basically a bullet list of the person's background, where they came from, what has shaped them, and what they want now. 

2. Since I write romance, next is usually the hero or heroine (whichever didn't come to me first). I think--what kind of person would absolutely not be who my other character wanted in their life right now. : ) I basically look for the conflict between them right from the start to give me my setup. 

3. Once I have those in my head, I ruminate over how these two people are going to come across each other. Are they already in each others' lives? Are they from each other's past? Strangers? etc. This will usually be my first chapter inciting incident. I may write down some really vague ideas of bigger conflicts in the book, but it's more in a brainstorming way. 

4. Once those three things in place, I'm ready to write. I tend to obsess over the first line--not because I can't come back later and change it, but this sets the tone for me and gives me a bedrock to go off of. The first lines in every book I've written haven't ever changed during my editing. (Now my editor might change those once she gets her hands on them, but we'll see.) 

5. Then I write. I usually don't know what's going to happen beyond the chapter I'm currently working on. I just write until I'm done with what's in my head then I spend time thinking through "what happens next" usually while I'm lying in bed at night or in the shower, lol. Somehow that's my best thinking time. 

6. I DO NOT write out of order even though sometimes when I get stuck I would like to. My brain goes into ctrl-alt-del mode. Out of order doesn't compute for me. After I finish a book, I have no problem going in and adding scenes in, but when drafting it's all A B C in order. 

7. I edit as I go. I'm trying to get better at this and I think I did do somewhat better on this last book, but it's another ingrained part of my process that's hard to fight against. So basically what I do is when I make a major plot change or some other major adjustment, I save a new draft with a number (i.e. WIP2, WIP3) and fix it to fit that. Want to know how many versions of the one I just finished I have? *checks  hard drive* Fifteen. No lie. While drafting I made big enough changes along the way to save a new draft FIFTEEN times. 

8. The good news about #7 is that I'm usually left with less dramatic rewrites at the end because I've been rewriting the whole time. The bad news is this means I draft SLOW. This last WIP took me six and a half months to finish the draft. And I'm a bit on edge the whole time I'm drafting. I never feel truly settled until the draft is done. 

9. I edit big stuff first--tightening up plot threads, going back and adding things earlier to foreshadow things at the end, etc. Then I line edit. (I'm going to try Margie Lawson's Deep Editing this time, so that will be new.) 

10. I send it to betas after all of this because I cannot get feedback while I'm drafting, it screws me all up. I have to be completely done before anyone else sees it and offers and opinion. Then I send it away and await the editing suggestions from the pros while I start working on another project.

So that's my neurotic, painstaking method. Anyone can relate to me? Or does this stress you out like Elana's method stressed me out? 


And stop by Friday and hear from YA author Julie Cross about her writing method, which is totally different from mine as well! :)


And the WINNERS of the 5 page or query crits from me from Friday's contests are...Rachel Blom and Tory Michaels!!!  Congrats, ladies! I'll email you. And thanks to everyone who entered the contest. (The winner of Elana's book will be announced on Friday.)

Author Elana Johnson on Writing Out of Order

Today, I am super excited to welcome YA author and super blogger Elana Johnson. Seriously, I don't know how she gets everything done. Just take a look at her bio down below. I'm convinced she has some superhuman power to put more hours in the day.

But today she's here to talk to us about her writing method and writing out of order. Just reading this post almost caused me to break out in hives because I'm such a chronological writer, but I find it SO interesting to hear how other writer minds work.

So without further ado, here's Elana... (and remember to comment on this post and leave your email address because each commenter will get a chance to read Elana's debut YA dystopian POSSESSION!)

Writing Out of Order

Okay, I’ve been saying this a lot in my verbal presentations, but it might be news for some of you out there. (And I think Larry Brooks is going to roll his eyes—I took a class from him on Saturday that pretty much struck down how I draft. Ha!)

But anyway, today I’m going to talk a little bit about my writing strategy. Which, is, uh… I don’t have a strategy.

Here’s what I do:

1.      I have a scene in my head. Usually this comes after many days of thinking about either a character or a plot element that sounds interesting to me. 

2.      I sit down at the computer and type out the scene. Often it includes stuff like [Later this will be important] or [The next day]. These bracketed things get highlighted in yellow. The document gets saved with something like “Echo in the kitchen” and saved in a folder on my desktop. 

3.      I repeat step 2 for 10 scenes, 15 scenes, whatever. Sometimes I even email myself the scene because I’m not on the right computer. No lie. 

4.      At this point, I think, “This might be a book,” and I copy and paste all the individual scenes into a brand new document into the order they should be in. 

5.      I play surgeon and stitch the scenes that are near to each other together by searching for the yellow highlights and writing needed material. 

6.      I work backward to the beginning, usually writing chapter one after I’ve written anywhere from 50 - 100 pages. 

7.      After I have everything stitched and the novel “started,” I can work linearly to the end. 

8.      BUT, I write the query letter first. Since I don’t outline, I don’t really know what the end of my novel is. So I’m staring at the first 75 – 100 pages, and I need to know where I’m going. The query letter helps me clarify that. 

9.      After the query is done, I get back to drafting the novel. 

10.  Ta-da! Writing out of order is as messy as it sounds.  

So what about you? Do you write in order from beginning to end? Or are you comfortable just getting the story out no matter how it’s done?

Elana Johnson’s debut novel, Possession, will be published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster) on June 7, 2011. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for free download. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog and WriteOnCon, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers. Elana is represented by Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary.

Thanks so much to Elana for stopping by and make sure you answer her questions above in the comments and leave your email address if you want to have a chance to win an ARC of POSSESSION!!!!  (Also, in case you breezed by her bio, look again--her book on querying is available for FREE download, people.)


*Contest available for those in the U.S. and Canada only (sorry!). Entries will be accepted until midnight (central) tomorrow. Winner will be announced in Friday's post.

The "THE END" Celebration - Win a Critique!

So after many, many (don't want to admit how many) months, today is the day I will finish my draft of MELT INTO YOU, the second book in my series! I still, of course, have a lot of editing in front of me. But drafting is by far the hardest and longest part of the process for me since I'm an edit as I go person despite my best attempts otherwise. So I always feel more comfortable and relaxed once words are on the page and I can change them and mold them into what I want my story to be.

This one is the longest book I've ever written. I'm typically an underwriter who adds words during edits. I think I added 5k to CRASH INTO YOU when I edited. This time, it's going to be interesting to see how it goes 'cause this draft looks like it's going to wrap up at 103,000 words. Eek! (The first book is 93k.)

But in honor of reaching the lovely words THE END, I'm offering up two 5-page or query critiques today!

So, if you would like to be included in the contest, just include your email address at the bottom of your comment. The contest will be open until midnight (central) on Sunday night. If you'd be kind enough to retweet it as well, I'd appreciate it. 


So do you prefer drafting or editing? What do you do to celebrate when you reach THE END?

Career Insurance: 5 Ways To Sell Your Next Book Before It's Written

Photo by Sem Vandekerckhove

When we're writing a book, we often have the end goal of getting an agent or publishing deal in mind. If I can just sell THIS book. That's our focus. What happens beyond that is gravy, right? 

Well, yes and no. Unless you're writing the next blockbuster of the century, one book does not a career make. One book is just the gun going off at the starter gate. If you want to do this for a living, you need to anticipate that you will be putting butt-in-chair over and over again to write more stories. And you hope that editors and readers keep buying said books.

So one of the purposes your initial book (and every book after that) has to serve is to sell the next one. You want your readers/editors turning that last page and thinking--OMG, must have the next one!

There are a few ways to go about doing this. It can depend on the genre you're writing and if you're doing single-title vs. a series or trilogy. But here are some strategies to close the deal on the next book before it's even written.

How to Sell Your Readers on the Next Book Before It's Even Written

1. The writing must be so amazing you take the reader to another place.

This is number one no matter what. Great writing. Period. If this isn't there, you've already killed your chance for next time. This is why I caution people about jumping in and self-publishing their first novel. I look back at my first novel and cringe. Had I put that out there, my name would be attached to that level of writing. Ack! So keep in mind that ANYTHING you put out there with your name on it can either pump up or sully your reputation as a writer. Therefore, make sure you only put the best product out there.

2. Cliffhangers (but not shameless ones!)

This is a delicate balance. Cliffhangers are absolutely awesome for making your readers desperate to have the next book, but be really careful with this. A shameless, brutal cliffhanger also runs the risk of pissing off a reader. I have seriously stopped reading an author when I feel like I was taken for a ride then left hanging on the edge with no resolution at all. Each book has to have ITS OWN ARC. You have to tie up the main threads of the plot in that book while still leaving unanswered questions for the SERIES ARC. Those arcs are two different things. Do not twist up all that tension and then leave the reader in a knot. Give them some relief.

3. Main characters that are strong and interesting enough to keep readers coming back for more. (Series--same hero/heroine.)

If you are going to write a series that follows the same main characters, you have to create heroes and heroines that are knock-you-on-your-ass interesting. (And humor helps too. I find myself more drawn to ongoing characters who are funny/sarcastic and entertaining.) Following the same people for one book is a big enough commitment, so for me to follow those same people for another two, ten, fifteen books, they better be amazing. You have to create a character with so many layers that you can continue to peel back with each new story. 

4. Secondary characters that the reader falls in love with. (Series--different hero/heroine, same world.)

If you want to write a series, especially in romance, this is vital. For instance, my books are part of a series but each book is its own complete love story. Therefore, CRASH INTO YOU's story is about Brynn and Reid. Then MELT INTO YOU is about Reid's best friend Jace, who was introduced in book one.

When readers finish one of my books, I want them asking, "When does this character's story come out???" You don't want to plant a character just for "sequel bait". They need to have a good reason to be in the previous book, but make the reader want that person's story. Readers were loving Jace and anticipating his story before Melt Into You was even written. Another good example is Adrian in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series. He's such a likeable character that you want to know what happens to him. So now he has his own spinoff series.

5. A fantastic author voice.

This can get me every time. If I love the author's voice--the wit, the style of writing, the way they can put together language--I'm going to line up to buy whatever they write. This is why even though I don't read science fiction, I still picked up Lauren Dane's Undercover which takes place in space. I love her voice and her stories, so I'll follow her into genres I may normally not pick up. 

So when you look at THE ONE BOOK you're trying so hard to sell, try to find what is going to make someone want to buy your next book. Editors usually want to make multi-book deals, so give them a good reason to take a chance on you. :)

Now, you guys tell me, what hooks you into wanting to buy another book from that author? How do you feel about cliffhangers? And which authors/books have you read where you absolutely couldn't wait to get your hands on the next one (like you're on Amazon within ten minutes of finishing the book or your schlepping out to Barnes and Nobles in your pajama pants)?

Recommended by Four out of Five Authors: Do Blurbs Work?

This journey to publication has been full of excitement and learning new things at every turn. One of the things I'd never given much thought to was blurbs--not the summary of the book but those little quotes from other authors that decorate the front and back of the book. So when my editor asked who I had in mind for blurbs, I was like uh...*blinks* *clueless grin*

Yeah, this is when pre-published networking comes in handy. Of course you (or your agent) can ask authors who you are a fan of but who are total strangers to you to blurb you. You may get a yes (in fact, I've gotten a few yeses that way), but you also may get a no because a) everyone's busy and b) if that author has no connection to you they may not be all that motivated to go out of their way. So if you can ask someone you've already met or established some connection with or know through a local writer's group, you're already one step ahead of the game.

This is one of the reasons I was able to get a quote from the fabulous NYT Bestselling author Shayla Black. We share an editor which helped, but Shayla's also in my local RWA group, so I'd already met her a few times. And I know how busy she is, so it's hugely generous for her to take the time out of her schedule to read my book and give me a blurb.

Another blurb I just received recently was from the super fab Jo Davis. She's in the sister chapter of my RWA group so I had never technically met her, but I had attended a workshop of hers at RWA Nationals that I found super helpful (and introduced me to her books). So when I emailed her to request the blurb, I felt  less intimidated because I was able to personalize it a bit and not be just like "you're books rock! please, please blurb me." : )

The other blurb I have is from Tiffany Reisz, who is my agency mate. Tiffany just happens to be a super nice and generous person, so we didn't have to twist her arm to give me one. : ) I'm just sad I didn't get to blurb her back (her book comes out before mine), so I have to wait until SEPTEMBER to read her debut THE SIREN. *stamps foot impatiently*

Obviously getting blurbs is a huge deal to the writer. I get all giddy and smiley every time one comes in and I find out that an author I really admire liked my story. It's like writer crack.

But here's my question: Do you think blurbs matter to the reader? When you put your reader hat on, do you give any weight to the quotes you see on the cover?

I think I usually pay attention to what the quote says because it gives me some idea about the book--"sizzling" means something different from "creepy". So it can give you a quick idea of what the tone is of the book. But I'm not sure I ever paid attention to WHO was saying those things before I became a writer.

Here are my blurbs and some of the books of the authors who were kind enough to blurb me:

"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author

“With her debut erotic romance CRASH INTO YOU, Roni Loren has penned a sexy, sizzling tale that is sure to have readers begging for more! I can’t wait for Roni Loren’s next tantalizing story!” –Jo Davis, author of I SPY A DARK OBSESSION   

"Watch out. Roni Loren, just like the men in her books, knows how to keep you up all night. Crash Into You is sexy as hell and goes into the dark places other writers shy away from. I can sum this book up in one word--Damn!" -Tiffany Reisz, Author of The Siren and Seven-Day Loan

So what do you think? Do these entice you to buy my book or do you not pay attention to blurbs? Whose on your "dream list" of authors you'd want to blurb you?

Overediting: Sucking the Life Out of Your Story

Photo by fotologic (click pic for link)

I had the pleasure of attending my local RWA chapter meeting last year and hearing author Catherine Spangler talk about "Writing Right".  She gave a great overview of the most common writing mistakes she sees when judging contests and critiquing.  We've talked about many of them here, but one that stuck out for me was the mistake of overediting.

She said sometimes she sees work where the writing is technically good, clean, and flows, but there is no life in the work.  Writing is ultimately a passion driven practice.  That's what we're doing when we're drafting; we're letting our creative juices and excitement about the story spill onto the pages.  This is the essence of a our writing.

And oftentimes, when we put our editor hat on and go back through our work, we become story vampires--sucking the lifeblood from our words.  We polish and cut and rearrange, we nix the adverbs and dangling participles, we make sure no dialogue is buried.  These things are all well and good and you want to edit and rewrite and polish.  But you also don't want to do so much that you leave your story pale and gasping for air.

This can be one reason why you see some people finaling in contests all over the place but then never convert it to a sale. They may have hit every line on that contest score sheet perfectly but if there's no oomph to the story, it's not going to sell.

I'll tell you a big secret. CRASH INTO YOU--you know that book that got me my agent and book deal has *gasp* some adverbs and incomplete sentences and probably too many "just"s. I may have even used a non-said dialogue tag on occasion. Oh and that whole "don't overload with backstory or use flashbacks" rule--well, every other chapter in my book takes place ten years earlier (Backstory! The horror! OMG!) Shh...don't tell. 

I'm not saying you shouldn't edit and be tough on yourself and know the rules. But by making sure things are perfect to the point of following every rule is going to drain the lifeblood from your pages.

Think of it like chicken soup (or in my case, gumbo).  Your grandmother's always tastes better than Campbell's (well unless you're grandma can't cook).  Campbell's is technically perfect-every ingredient precisely measured, the cooking exactly timed, taste tester approved, but it's sterile.  Your grandmother, on the other hand, after years of practicing her craft, can throw in a bit of this or that and always make it taste great.  Why?  Because she put her heart and her own spin on it.  This is what needs to be in our stories.

So make sure you edit and cut and revise--those things are absolutely necessary.  But take care not to take the magic out of your book.  Keep the heart of your story in tact.  

So how about you?  Have you ever been a story vampire and overedited?  Have you critted work that seemed like it was written well but lacked that spark? Have you ever read a great book that definitely broke the rules?

*This is an revamped post from Jan. 2010