Personal Pick Me Ups...

I think that every person (writer or not) deals with days they are down, grouchy, cranky, and completely bitchy. It happens. It's part of life. When I am in an exceptionally bad mood I can't focus. Not on my writing. Not on cleaning the house. Not on anything. I'm not really good for anything but sulking.

However, one of the ways I have learned to combat this crankiness is to focus and think about things that make me happy. I also try and do things that I find relaxing (right now I'm listening to a brain sync meditation track by Kelly Howell--www.brainsync.com and I'm blogging.)

I journal. Regularly. On the back inside cover of my journal I've written notes to myself. Things like remember if you are bitchy then pause, breathe deeply, and imagine Pelegra. That almost always calms me down. I've written things I'm thankful for. I remind myself that writing is my dream and worth every second of effort. Most importantly I remind myself to believe. Believe in my dream. Believe in myself.

Anyway, so I suggest that you have a happy book--a small notebook with happy thoughts--or even just one page. something you can go to for a personal pick me up.

I've also taken to buying inspirational prints. Technically I think they are motivational prints and I realize that sounds cheesy but I really like the two that I have. One of them is of rings left in water after a drop has fallen and says "Serenity: the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." and the other one is of a dock looking across a body of water at a mountain and says "ambition: the world makes way for those who know where they are going." Oddly enough I bought both of them at Blockbuster.

So when I am down I read my notes to myself and study my prints and they help me remember to keep working toward my goals and believe that I can accomplish them.

The Magic Words

Requested Material. Two. Magic. Words.

Ok, so there are other magic words we all wish to hear, like "I love your book I want to publish it" but hey, baby steps.

For right now the magic words are requested material. Out of the slush pile, or well maybe at least moved to the top. I hope.

I mailed off my two submissions today, to the agents that requested them from the Willamette Writers Conference. I used priority mail so they should have them by Friday at the latest.

So now it's the waiting game...

Things I 've learned the past week or two...

Having plot problems? Yeah, me too. Every time I think everything is worked out Aiden throws me for a loop.

Well, I went to the Willamette Writer's conference this weekend, which was a blast! I recommend it to anyone serious about writing. I picked up a really fabulous book. Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon.

This book will help you through those plot problems, characterization, editing, preparing to submit and a whole lot more. I got it for $15.00 from barnes and noble well it was $14.95 or something like that. Elizabeth Lyon was also at the conference, very nice lady.

My point is that we can all use a little help once in awhile, or if you are new to the world of submitting you may need a lot of help, lol. The thing is you may not realize that you need the help. I was doing things that I wasn't aware of until I read about them in this book and re-revised my chapters.

I received several good pieces of advice this weekend. One of them really stuck with me.

If you are creating a world know it 100% and show 15%. This was from Agent Kelly Sonnack.

That got me thinking. I feel like I know Pelegra 100%, but do I really? That is the question. Well after I got home from the conference (I only attended Friday) I thought about that. And thought some more. I spent a year planning this series before I started writing it. But did I record all of the details that I thought about. No. Big Mistake.

Know the world you are writing about. Know your characters inside out and backwards. So I've spent the weekend recording all of the details that I did not previously write down. Do I know my world 100% yes. But I also discovered I needed to make some changes to up the realism factor. As real as a fantasy with travel by refrigerator can be.

So now that you've listed to me babble on I'll summarize my main point.

Know your characters. Know your world. Know your plot. Get help (critque groups are great) and yes you can learn to be a better writer from a book. However, in your editing craze keep something in mind. Keep you in mind and your characters. If, in your aim for perfection, you edit the passion out of your writing then you have defeated your own purpose (Hence I'll be rewriting the first chapter --again). So if you break a few "rules" but the story is better and the character stronger then leave it up to an agent or editor to decide what to change.

Ok. I think I'm done rambling now.