Connecting with Other Writers

This morning Alison Kent has a wonderful post over at GenReality about critique groups and crit partners and such. It really got me thinking about this lonely business of writing, and whether I'm doing enough to connect with other writers. I mean I don't belong to any writing organizations, I don't network on writing forums or other such sites, and I don't go out into the world to visit trade shows or writers' groups or conferences.

In some circles, this inactivity would be the kiss of death for a writing career.

Sometimes I consider doing some of these things. I've even joined a couple online writing things. I was very active in two of these, and if you've been around this blog long enough you know how those turned out (which is to say, not well). I still belong to a couple that I haven't really been active with, but probably should (if I can even remember my passwords after all this time). I've thought about joining RWA or ITW or something like that, but I just can't seem to muster the interest necessary to fork over all that money.

Instead I blog. I visit dozens of writerly blogs every day. I communicate via comments, and on occasion email, with other people in the profession. But is that enough?

You know every time I think this through, I ask myself that question. Sure, I have a couple of awesome beta readers (Hi guys!), but that's as far as that goes. I had a crit parter I met at one of the writing communities, but she disappeared last year. (Literally. One day she just stopped replying to my emails. No reason why. No 'it's been fun, but it's over' note. Just silence.) My BRs are doing an awesome job, but listening to everything around the net, it just seems like I should be doing more.

And then I look at Lynn Viehl. I don't know how many books she's published now (seems like it was around 35 the last time I looked), but she seems to do very well sans the whole 'getting involved' portion of the biz. She doesn't attend conferences, or trade shows, or participate in writing groups. She just writes - and very well I might add.

So what's a girl to do?

I guess I just keep on keepin' on. I write, I edit, I learn from my mistakes. I read other people's blogs and learn from their mistakes. Sure I'd like to have a half dozen people I can trust to read and comment on my work - if only for the sake of validation. (And yes, even hermits like me could use a little validation once in a while.) I love to have an awesome crit partner like I used to have - someone to bounce ideas off of, and kvetch to, and sympathize with - but in the whole scheme of things, it's not necessary. Because in the end, the only person capable of writing my books is me. Connecting with other writers would be fun, but when the books ever get published, they're my responsibility.

Anyway, I still have the blogosphere and all the wonderful people I've met here. You're all helping me whether you know it or not, and I'd like to thank you all for that. Hopefully I'm helping in my own way, too.

What do you do to connect with other writers? Do you have live people you connect with, or is it all online?

Axing Cliches

Yesterday, I was reading Janet Reid's Query Shark and in #100 she brought up a point I know I know, but forgot. Avoid cliches - especially in your query letters. And the instance she pointed to was exactly the one in my own letter. "Discovering the truth..." Ack.

So, that's been chopped. Along with several other unnecessary words and phrases. What I now have is a tighter, cleaner, and more hook-like paragraph (I hope).

In a world where the Union rules everything, Mary Jones was raised to believe she’s nothing. When an underground society known as The Order chooses her for a mission to escape the city, she’s suddenly more important than she’s ever been allowed to know. On the run from the Union Guard, it’s either chancy survival beyond the boundaries of home, or certain death within. Protected by a man she’s not even sure she can trust, she travels through land ravaged by a long-forgotten war, discovering a history the Union wants everyone to forget and an idea worth risking her life for. Mary never promised the Order she’d return, but she can’t be free while the others in her city remain trapped. She just never dreamed they wouldn’t want her help.

I implemented some of the suggestions given in previous comments, but in the end, I just couldn't make some of them work. (btw, I don't have your email addy, Kristen.) With the third limited POV and the voice, giving the hero his own paragraph seemed odd. Everything is from Mary's perspective, and he's more like a 'best supporting actor' than a star.

Anyway, my beta reader is working on Blink (Thank you!), so I won't be sending this out until that's finished. Which gives me time to let this simmer. Meanwhile, I did chop those chapters out of Nano last night, and this morning I resurrected my word meter. (I actually snipped more words, but then added some into the new Chapter One.)

Okay, off to start the day. Can't sit around forever in my jammies. (Well, I could but I won't.) Have a great one, everyone.

=o)

Next!

And here we go again, with extra query verbiage added:

A foundling raised in a state home, Mary Jones should be a meek servant under the Union’s dictatorship. Instead, she has a tendency to wander where she shouldn’t be, and this time it’s straight into a forbidden store run by a member of a secret society—The Order and they need help. Before she can blink, they decide she’s perfect for a mission they’ve planned for decades. Now, she can either stay home where the Union Guard already has orders to kill her, or she can escape the city to search for traces of mankind outside.

If she survives long enough to return, that is.

Beyond the ravages of a long-forgotten war, she learns freeing her city means eradicating the Union—by herself, if necessary. The problem is: when she promised to free her people, she never dreamed they wouldn’t want her help.

Blink of an I is a 94,000 word speculative :or other pertinent genre: novel set in America’s distant future.

After reading :personalization:, :more personalization:. Almost four years ago, I quit the big city and my life in corporate America to write full-time in the relative solitude of tiny-town Colorado. Since then, I have five completed novels under my belt—Blink of an I being the most recent work.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

(BTW, I don't really space between paragraphs - that's a no-no - I just can't get the blog to indent text without becoming a huge pain in the hiney.)

Better?

.

The Latest Incarnation

Well, after all the work I did yesterday, I scrapped everything this morning and went back to a draft I did several weeks ago. Not that what I wrote yesterday was crap. It was actually pretty good as cover copy goes. I was even prepared to go ahead with it, but when I looked at it this morning, I realized it didn't have the right tone. It wasn't in keeping with the voice of the novel.

So anyway, here's the latest incarnation. There's still something off about it, but I'm so brain-fried I can't figure out what. If any of you want to comment, feel free.

Raised as a foundling, Mary Jones was taught to believe she's nothing and no one. As castes go, she’s just one step above servants and slaves, and she’s lucky the Union allowed her that. But after she wanders across a secret group known as the Order, she discovers she’s more special than she’s been allowed to know. The Order sees something in Mary, a chance for success where so many others have failed. Mary’s only task is to escape the city and find others who may still be free beyond the wastelands, but after learning she’s always been a tool for the Union, she makes plans of her own. She’ll return to see her city free from the Union’s control, whether it wants to be free or not.

*shrug* It's close, but I don't want to touch it anymore for fear I'll screw it up. Like making spaghetti sauce - sometimes you know it's missing something, but you can't figure out what, and then the next thing you know you've added too much thyme and ruined the whole pot.

Taking Advice Albeit Late

As I forge through the rewrite of Blink, I thought I'd take a break and thank those people who told me the beginning needed to start from somewhere else. Of course, that was over a year ago, and I wasn't in a place where I could SEE how right they were.

And how wrong I was to not see it.

It may take me a while, but I can admit when I'm wrong. The problem here is I was too close to Blink to see it. I loved the beginning. It said all the things I wanted to say and got the book moving. Or so I thought.

You see, I was so entrenched in making that beginning work, I couldn't see how badly it wasn't working. Hell, even after I knew it wasn't working, I had a devil of a time rewriting it. As I said before, the old words kept getting in the way of making a new start. I understand... They didn't want to die. But they had to, if the book was going to survive.

Now that they're gone, the story is so much better. A new start made a world of difference. I'm just sorry it took me a year to learn that lesson. And I'm sorry I didn't listen when people told me that truth whether I wanted to hear it at the time or not.

Don't get me wrong. I'm open to advice and suggestions - unless they seem like they're totally out of step with where I want my story to be. In this instance, that was the case, and I was wrong.

I didn't take 100% of the advice, of course. (It's the rebel in me, I guess. heh.) Back then, the idea was put forth to start the book at X point instead of Y. Instead, I threw out Y and created a totally new beginning to lead to X.

Starting at X would be too weird, IMO. And yes, I did try it. It really didn't work. Or at least it I couldn't find a way to write it so it would work. (Still can't. Starting at X seems too jarring - like throwing the reader in at a place where nothing makes sense. If that makes any sense.)

Anyway, the new beginning is finished, and I'm almost done weaving the new ideas into the original story. In deleting the old beginning, I had to snip a couple very minor characters, and now I have to get rid of the only other place they reappear. Plus, in the new beginning, I added some information that has to be worked in to later chapters. So far, it's all weaving together wonderfully well.

So, to those crit'ters who offered advice last year, thank you. I apologize for having my head up where it doesn't belong and not taking your words to heart.

Have you ever not taken someone's advice only to find out later they were right all along?

Another One in the Bag

Last night, after a marathon editing session, I finished the edits for Manhunter. It's only weighing in at 77K words, but that'll have to be enough. (Unless my beta readers and crit partner find some spots that need more detail or explanation.) I think it's tight, though, so I'm not sure where anything could be added without jeopardizing the story. But then again, I'm too close to the work to see clearly at this point.

If you write, I'm sure you know how it goes.

Anyway, as always, the offer if open to those of you who would like to beta read for me. If you're interested and have the time, please leave a comment (if you have a clickable email link on your own blog - do not leave your email addy in the comments, please) or email me by using the email link in my blogger profile.

Manhunter (working title only) is a romantic suspense - heavier on the suspense than the romance. The short blurb for it is:

After infidelity drives a trophy wife to take ‘carrying a torch’ one step too far, Agent J.C. Douglas must follow a string of fiery murders across country to catch a killer before the past engulfs them both.

And the one-liner is:

Dwelling on the past can be murder.

I haven't worked on any of the query materials yet, so the longer blurb and synopsis aren't available, but you get the gist.

Now, onward to the next project. The question in my mind is whether to get back to writing Nano, to get back to writing Cut & Dried, or to finally get back to editing AWJ. I've promised myself not to start anything new until I get some of the older projects wrapped up. (Unless, of course, a new idea hits me so hard I have to write it or drive myself nuts thinking about it.)

What are you up to these days?

.

Ummm... help?

I could use a little help this morning. I've been wracking my brains working on my query letter, and I think I have it down, but I'm still a little unsure about the blurb. So... If any of my regular visitors have a minute and would like to look over my blurb for me, leave a comment and I'll e-mail you a copy. (If your e-mail isn't listed on your blog, feel free to e-mail me directly instead.)

In exchange, you'll have my gratitude and just to sweeten the pot, I could throw in some reciprocal help and/or a free book for your troubles. Come on. You know you wanna see it.

Almost Done

With this draft anyway. My CP's got the first chunk, and is reviewing it for typos, gaffs, etc. She's checking to make sure it's clear, and that I haven't majorly screwed anything up. As soon as she's ready, the next chunk will wing it's way across cyber space to her.

All I have left to do until she gives me the edits, is finishing working on the last chapter.

At this point, I only have one thing to say...

Oooo, it's so good.

Having said that, though, I should admit I'm having a little case of the heebie-jeebies about knocking off that last chapter. When it's done, it'll be ready for submission. And what if they don't love it as much as I do. The whole idea is currently freaking me out. I should be better by morning. I hope.

Which reminds me. Since I'm already freaking out, if there are any of you interested in doing a little crit-swapping, let me know. To give you a hint about this book - because I'm still not ready to let the premised out onto the internet - it's set in the near future. (I think it's what Janet Reid calls near-future noir, but I stink at genres.) Say, oh, about 20-25 years from now. It's a deep book about something that has been an issue in our society for the most of man's existence, but has only really become a hot political topic for the past 40 years or so. But beyond the deep topic, there's action, romance, and suspense. It also comes close to making me cry at several points.

Anyway, if you're interested in critting* and want to see the blurb, let me know in the comments or e-mail me and I'll shoot you a copy. (As long as you promise to keep it strictly confidential. I don't want this puppy getting out before I have representation, at least.)

Okay, off to bed before I fall over onto my keyboard and all my lines look like gobbledy-gook.

(*Edited to clarify)

CP or BR

CP (Critique Partner) or BR (Beta Reader)? Which is which? What do they do and which do you need? And how do you show your appreciation?

From my perspective, and stop me if I'm way off base here, a CP is someone who is also a writer. They read your work, mark the hell out of it, provide useful suggestions on style / technique / story. They are people for whom you do the same. A CP also provides moral support, industry news, and a shoulder to cry on when you've just gotten about the worst rejection ever and you feel like you can never write another word. (My CP and I also swap books via mail, but that's not a requirement. It's just fun.)

A BR on the other hand may or may not be a writer. Look at these folks like your test group. They're going to read your book to make sure it makes sense to the general public. They like to read, and they read whatever genre you write. (If you're writing thrillers, and you've got a beta who only reads romances, how much help are they really going to be, other than any romantic subplots you might have?) These are people who you can trust to be totally honest with you. If they think a scene is pointless, they're going to tell you. (Which pretty much leaves most family members out of the BR group.) If possible, these folks also look for typos and errors. I have a computer-tech friend who is one of the best proofreaders I've ever seen. :waves: If I've got a problem, she's probably going to find it and point it out - just because when she reads, they jump out at her like flashing neons signs. They are also people who can provide intelligent commentary, but sometimes the best they can do is say "This part is really good" or "This part stinks on ice" which at least gives you a flag about a scene. Your CP can help you from there.

Most CPs are also BRs. Not all BRs are also CPs. Most people just don't have that much time to devote to a hard critique. A quick read with a few notes? Sure. But don't expect too much from your betas or they'll be finding less taxing things to do.

Since BRs may or may not be writers also, they might not have anything for you to read in return. It's my belief that whether CP or BR, the relationship should be reciprocal in some fashion. My CP and I exchange our work and it's mutually beneficial in that way, plus we tell each other about contests, share research about agents and publishers, swap books - but even if we didn't we're at least putting in the same amount of effort for the work received. With a BP who doesn't write, you have to go the extra mile to make it worth their while. Sometimes just reading your new book is thanks enough, but let's not get a big head and assume this is the case. One thing I've done in the past is to send books. One of my BRs sews a lot, so I sent her some nifty needlework books I had. Find out what kinds of things your BR likes, and treat them to something nice.

Generally, I use BRs and CPs at the same point in my writing process. I don't like to send out work before I've polished it to the point where I think it could be published as is. (And when I've gotten to that point, it just means I can't see where the problems are by myself any more.) Some writers, though, like to beta test scenes or chapters. Others like to get critiques as they go. As with anything, you have to make the determination for yourself.

So, do you have a CP or several? Do you send your work out to BRs? When do you let other people read your work? Inquiring minds want to know.

Annoying Devices

I hate to say it. I read an incredibly annoying book last night. (Which shall remain nameless because I don't think it's typical of the writer.)

The reason I mention it: There are certain things I don't like to do as a writer and those things mainly stem from what I don't like to read.

- Don't give me the first book in a trilogy, and make it so it doesn't have an end - leaving me to buy the next two books so I can find out what happens.

- Don't throw sexual tension in the middle of an action scene. If the building is on fire, and he's trying to stop the fire, he shouldn't have time to wonder how her skin tastes, and how big a tent his pants are turning into.

- If you're writing a suspense or a thriller or anything that seems to be driven by the plot, don't throw in a romance as an afterthought. Stick to the plot. The readers KNOW he's going to bag the babe - you made it pretty obvious with the tenting pants in the first chapter - what we don't know is if he's going to defeat the bad guy. (Because you left the answer in the next two books - which aren't even in print yet. Dammit.)

- And finally - if you have to make your MCs hate each other at the beginning, at least resolve it with some finesse. I know you only have 80-100K words to wrap this sucker up, but please find a better way of doing it than 'they have the hots for each other even though they hate each other, and then suddenly he admires her spunkiness and she admires... ' I can't even remember what it was, it was so lame.

So anyway. I try not to do any of the above. Sure, I'm writing thrillers and the book last night was a paranormal romantic suspense (with a twist of lime) - but I think books should have some reason to them. Heck, the writer made me suspend my disbelief about the paranormal aspect, but she dropped the ball on the romance and the suspense.

What annoys you while you're reading? (I mean other than typos.)

P.S. I'm not saying I didn't like the book. Most of the other stuff I could forget about while I was reading, and was only mildly annoyed. The ending, though, killed the whole experience for me.

News and Updates

If you haven't heard by now, Miss Snark is retiring from blogging. It seriously sucks, but I don't blame her. She's done a lot of work - battling ignorance and evil wherever she found it - but it has got to be a drain on her. I can't imagine putting up with the tons of emails, the occasional snerty commenter, the weight of thousands of wannabe writers looking at you for advice. Whatever she does in the future, I hope she excels. (I'm sure she will. Whoever she is, she's one sharp gal.)

On another front, BookEnds is doing their Query Critique. Very helpful stuff from these extremely bright gals. (I'd link directly to the posts, but they don't seem to have them all in one place. Just scroll down, and you'll find them.)

Jennie Crusie over at Argh Ink has an excellent post on How to Start a Writing Group. Her suggestions for critique questions, though, would also be helpful during the editing process. Questions we should all be asking ourselves about our writing. And her suggested questions for synopsis critique are very helpful for anyone laboring over writing their own synopsis.

Oh, and we have a new member in the Novel Race - Home Thoughts Weekly. Welcome to the race.

Now for the update portion:

I got some words out on AWJ. While it doesn't sound like a big deal, I haven't written any new words on it since the middle of April. I can't believe I was a toad for almost a month. I should be horse-whipped (with a real horse).

I got back to querying this week. I sent out five queries to respectable agents, and within 24 hours, got back one rejection. We'll see if I ever hear back from the other four - since they were all equeries and I'm collecting a large number of what we call 'non-responders'. Strangely, the agent who rejected me within 24 hours was a member of that group when I queried him for Spectacle. Dare I hope that his taking a moment to respond this time means Caldera sparked him a wee bit more than Spectacle? Be still my heart.

I sent two short stories out in submission this past week. Haudego went to Abyss & Apex Speculative Fiction, and Fire was entered in the Pagan Fiction contest. A&ASF has a two-month response time (their website says one month, but their auto-response said two) so I should be hearing something by the end of the summer. The Pagan Fiction contest wrote me a note back saying they were passing the story on to the judges, and the winners will be announced in February 2008. I guess that means Fire is shelved for now. By that time I'll probably forget I even entered the contest and if I win, it will be a total surprise to me.

How are things in your world?

Bombs Away

I took the plunge and shot a hook off to LitAgent X's "Got Hook?" critique. I sent her the latest version of my hook for Spectacle. Here's hoping she 1) posts it and 2) doesn't tear into it too bad.

But hey, even if she doesn't post my hook, the whole thing should be very informative.

So, is anybody else taking the plunge?

CP Found

Well, that seemed simple enough. I've gotten offers from two potentially wonderful CPs, which should be plenty of reading for me to do. Hopefully, it'll be enough eyes looking over my work to tweak it to a Chrysler Building shine. And hopefully, I'll be able to help them in return.

Now we'll just have to see how the relationships work out.

Wheeee.

For all my trepidation, I'm pretty jazzed about the prospect.

The Great CP Search

Diana Peterfreund, although she doesn't realize it, talked me into looking for a Crit Partner. Hell, she doesn't even know me, and she talked me into it. And that's saying something.

So, according to Diana, looking for a CP is kinda like looking for a mate. I spent a really really really long time looking for my husband, so I don't anticipate this to be a short process. I was very picky then, and I'll probably be just as picky now. If you're looking for a CP, picky is the best way to go. You don't want someone who isn't compatible giving you suggestions about your work. Seriously. I put a long time into writing a book... I'm sure as hell not going to rush the CP thing.

To that end, if you're looking for a CP, please take the time to read through my blog posts. If I sound like someone you'd want to read and someone you'd like reading your work, me a line. I'm opinionated, but I'm not bitchy. (Well, most of the time... It depends on the person.) I'm honest, sometimes brutally so, but I'm not honest to be cruel. If I think your work truly sucks, I'll tell you in the nicest way possible. I expect the same in a CP. Otherwise, be prepared to have me point out flaws, suggest wording, and ask questions. Probably lots of questions.

I write in spurts, but I'm not looking for someone who'll read as I go. That would be too cruel. I change a lot along the way. I have a completed manuscript that probably needs a fresh set of eyes (namely Caldera) and I'm pretty much hoping that whoever I find has about the same. It's a thriller. Here's the blurb from my query letter (ya, ya it needs work, I know I know):

Beneath Yellowstone National Park simmers a volcano 2400 times more powerful than Mount St. Helens. Dr. Mykaela “Myke" Hughes knows it will erupt before the year is over, and she has a plan to avert the destruction—if she can secure the government's blessing, if she can enlist the aid of one taciturn park ranger, and if she can foil an eco-terrorist's plot to protect nature at any cost. With all the 'ifs' confronting her, one thing is certain—the volcano will erupt. The matter at hand is how devastating that eruption is allowed to be. Time is running out, not only for Myke Hughes, but for us all.

If it sounds interesting to you and you're ready to swap chapters, email me at the above address. (ETA: I guess I'm the only one who sees my e-mail addy at the top of my blog. D'OH! Leave a comment and I'll get back to you. Sorry about that.)

Negative people who write books with a crappy sense of life need not apply. We wouldn't work well together. Also, if you seriously disagree with anything you read in this blog, think hard before offering to beta. I weave a lot of thought and philosophy into my books. Additionally, if you're a capital E environmentalist... Umm... Your time would be better spent elsewhere. As the blurb states, the villian is an eco-terrorist (aka rabid environmentalist with a capital E).

Now, if I haven't completely scared everyone away... I'm game if you are.

(And to the one person who offered to beta for me, if you've read this and are still interested, email me and we'll talk.)

Critique Partners

Yes. I'm jumping on the bandwagon for this particular topic. I really can't say it better than Diana Peterfreund did this morning, so I'm not going to try. (Heck, even Miss Snark had a few words about CPs in her blog yesterday.)

Nope. This post is about taking care about who you ask to read and critique your work. Diana hit the nail on the head at the end of her post, when she admonished those people who think critiquing is all about putting the screws to other writers or about 'helping the competition'. Feh.

When I first started this business of writing, I wandered the internet looking for knowledgeable people to provide assistance and encouragement--people for whom I could provide the same service. I was naive. I figured if a group of people got together and called themselves writers, they were and they would know what they were talking about. And I got what I deserved for being so damn gullible. I don't even remember the site anymore. (I'm repressing it.) But let's just say it looked innocuous and helpful. And maybe some of the members there were. I, however, didn't find them. What I found were people who were happy to flay any other writer stupid enough to fall into their midst.

I found one writer who gleefully told me she was going to use my words--verbatim--in a story of her own. I found a group of Stygian witches who ripped into my work as if it were human flesh to cannibalize. It was a bloodbath. Needless to say, I left shortly thereafter with a nasty note to the site owner reminding them what they could do with their writing site.

That was two years ago. I haven't tried to find a critique partner since then. Instead I do what Snark says NOT to do. I have a small group of friends who read my work. They aren't writers. They're just intelligent people who like to read. They're people I trust to tell me the truth - and if my work needs work, they tell me so. I cherish every one of them. But they aren't writers. They can tell me what works or doesn't from a reader's standpoint, but they can't tell me those things from the standpoint of someone who's also trying to get published, or who has been published and is passing along the wisdom they've gleaned from experience.

So, I'm finally getting to the point where I'm thinking about considering trying to find another writer (or writers) to crit my stuff. It's a big step for me. You know what they say: "Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me." I don't relish the thought of being burned again.

So, I'll be waiting on the edge of my seat to see what Diana has to say in her next post on CPs... Stay tuned.