IWSG: Fail Big

{Note to followers: if you want an email when a new post goes up, go the the left column and subscribe for emails. Thanks.}

Insecure Writers Support Group

 Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the the May 6 posting of the IWSG will be Eva Solar, Melanie Schulz, Lisa-Buie Collard, and Stephen Tremp!

<><><><><>

It's been said that Michael Jordan counseled his fellow players to play big and screw up big. If they played timidly for fear of the mess-ups, they'd stop playing. 

I think writing is the same way. If you don't try to go for the gold, you'll settle for sand. If you don't try to write a query or a synopsis, for fear that you'll fail, you will most assuredly fail. So instead of trying to protect ourselves from failure, we'll get nothing done, nothing finished.

I know I've looked all the things I need to do to get my MS ready for querying, and I get really discouraged. Look at all the ways I can Fail Big! But I'm going to Play Big. If I crash and burn, I'll have learned what not to do.

Source

• Finish the story
• Polish the story
• Get beta reader input
• Polish again and again if necessary
• Write synopses and queries
• Research agents who might be interested in the story
• Etc. 
 

There's a lot on this list that could be epic fails, but I'm going to Play Big.

So what are you going to do to Play Big? I promise I'm interested in what you have planned. ;-)

March Tip: Five Helpful Links on Queries

{Note to followers: if you want an email when a new post goes up, go the the left column and subscribe for emails. Thanks.}

Source

Querying is always a daunting task for writers. Here's some of the latest posts I've seen about them.

What No to Do When Querying K. Whipkey has a great list of dos and don'ts.

The Hunt is On: How to Find an Agent Janice Hardy has six steps in the process.

And some oldies from the Books and Writer's Forum. If you've ever been curious about a writing forum, this is the place to be. The Research and Craft and Writers Exercises folders are golden. (Can you tell I'm a member? ;-)

Advice Please! Dig around in this one. Though is specific to Fantasy writer Julie, there's a lot of general info, too.

Query Help Dig in this one, too. Check out the query checklist for some lovely advice.

Query Based on First Twenty Pages This is a great resource, too.

Next Week: I'll have four more lovely reads to review. See you then! ;-)

Blurbing, and how to do it...

Many readers think that writers just tell stories. Writing books takes a lot of time, effort, diligence, and craft to get the story down on paper so that readers can enjoy it.

But writing doesn't stop there. Once a book is written and polished, a writer has to sell it to agents and publishers, not to mention to readers. ;-) Doing all that requires many hours of painstaking work writing in very different forms. Query letters must be constructed to catch agents' attention. Synopses are written to show the scope of the story to publishers. And if all those obstacles are overcome, writers must construct blurbs or back-cover copy to catch a reader's eye.

Ruth Harris says it's never too early to start on a blurb. Check her 8 Tips for Writing That Killer Blurb. for more on her methods. Harris describes good blurbs as a "...little bit act, a little bit craft, a little bit commercial poetry.

Joanna Penn's How to Write a Back Blurbs for Your Book  uses examples to help explain what blurbs must do.

Mark Edwards explains that a well-written blurb/product description helped his book rise to #2 at Amazon.co.uk. Check out his five steps here: Product Description: AKA The Blurb

And Marilynn Bylery's Writing the Back Cover Blurb for genre-specific hints.

<><><><><>

So, now for my turn. Here is a first try at a blurb for FRIENDLY FIRE.

Our deepest wounds  come from those who should be our greatest protection.

At least that's what Laura Grace Chandler wishes were true, but she knows the look of a child whose parents are MIA from her many years of teaching. And though she thinks her time binding up the wounds is over, she finds herself caught at ground zero when she looks into Samantha Smith's eyes. 

And now, Laura Grace must act, do whatever it takes to heal the abuse Samantha has suffered. Just when she has finally won her battle to adopt Samantha, she finds her biggest and most devastating battle is yet to come. 

Let me know what you think. Does this hook you? Of is it too wordy?   Come on, be brutal. I can take it... ;-)

<><><><><>

Be sure to check out award-nominated author Lori Benton's latest book--The Pursuit of Tamsen Little John  that goes on sale today. Lori is a finalist in The Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Book Awards for 2013 in Inspirational Romance for her debut book--Burning Sky--and a finalist in the ECPA's 2014 Christian Book Awards for Burning Sky. Be sure and check out this up and coming author. I interviewed her August 20, 2013.

Once the Book is Written...

Every time one of my friends asks how the book is going and I say I'm closing in on a complete draft, they inevitably say, "Oooh! When will I be able to buy it?" (sigh) And I have to explain to them that it doesn't work that way. But for some reason, their eyes glazed over after I explain the differences in macro and micro edits. How long it can take to find an agent, writing loglines, queries, synopses, etc. All on the top of producing a complete and polished final (if there is such a thing) draft...And so it goes. I'm still at the tiniest of first steps--I'm nearly done with a rough draft.

There are other writers who have explained that so well and one of them is my fellow WFWA member, Kerry Ann Morgan. Check out her latest blog post--I've Entered the Fight...er...Submission Club. She tells the truth with such comedic flair!

Also check out this announcement. The Bookshelf Muse has moved to Writers Helping Writers and celebrating with a great give away.

FRIENDLY FIRE Update:
Part 1--Dreams is now in complete rough draft stage. Currently it's being read by some fabulous writers and non-writers to see if it makes sense to anyone else but me. ;-) John has read 3 chapters and only stumbled on one sentence. Guess what? He was right, it needed moved. (Have I reminded you lately that I love that man?)

And I have a potential logline or one sentence that sets up the story's beginning.
When a retired, childless widow meets a troubled foster child and steps into the breach, she realizes abuse is rampant in her home town—and she’s at ground zero.

What It Takes to be Published and Some Links You Might Like

 

Congratulations, Patty! You won a copy of BURNING SKY. Lori will be in touch with how to get it. ;-)

 



Nearly every time I say I'm a writer and that I'm nearing the end of a complete rough draft of my first novel, someone says, "Oh, that means we'll get to read it next year, won't we?"

Er...no. But I also know that when we read books like eating popcorn, we don't have an appreciation of what it takes behind the scenes to get the story into our hands. I know I didn't, but I do now. Here's the best explanation of what it takes that I've ever read. The author is Joanna Bourne, a RITA-winning historical romance writer who knows how to write well and has the ability to teach and explain the craft behind the words. Check out her recent post at her blog post, What to do when you've done what you do. [BTW, if you like historical romance, be sure to check out Jo's Spymaster Series. I promise you'll like them.]

So in answer to my friends' questions on when they can read FRIENDLY FIRE, it will be a while. ;-)

Here's another great post for writers who are having trouble taking the oft-said advice to "Write everyday."  This is from SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) at Red Room--There Are Only Two Things to do Every Day. Susan's excellent advice is for all writers, but especially for those who have gotten themselves tied into knots with unrealistic expectations. [Thanks, Cody, for that lovely link.]

And now for the last bit of wisdom I have to share today...In the last couple of years there has been a concerted effort by bloggers to steer away from the copyrighted images that flood the internet. This is from Lara Lancombe [whose debut book, DEADLY CONTACT comes out on November 1] who suggests:

After you run a search on Google images, click the wheel icon on the right of the page.  Then click 'Advanced Search.'  Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and you will find 'usage rights' as the last option under 'Narrow your results by.'

Click on 'usage rights' and you can tell Google to only show you images that are 'free to use, share or modify, even commercially.'

And that's what I did to get the great image for today's blogpost. ;-) [Thanks, Lara!]

And two for the road... The Writing Tools of 20 Famous Authors and Handy Advice. Enjoy! ;-)