Twitter and edits

I was never a big twitter user until the past month or two. Mainly used my book blog id, chatting with authors and other bloggers. So, I recently decided to start another twitter account under my pen name. I was tweeting a lot under my usual name about writing, edits, and so on. I have met some wonderful writers on there. They are all so supportive and motivational. One event that takes place quite a bit on on there is an event under this hashtag #1k1hr. Your goal is to write 1,000 words in an hours along with the other writers. A time is chosen, everyone plops their butts down, and we get writing. At the end of the hour everyone reports back how much they wrote. Its very motivational. I took the time to participate in 3 of them the other day. I of coarse had to go back and edit all those pages, since its all about getting the ideas out and worrying about the edits later. So yesterday was a day full of edits.

As I am editing this WIP, I can really see a change in my writing. In my last story I had a lot of POV (point of view) issues. I have that down this time! Woo! Or at least I have not caught any. I am wording my sentences better. Not so many he, she , him, her's starting my sentences. I am hoping I have less telling. That was an issue I was faced with in my last work.

It feels nice to see improvements in myself. I can't wait to write my next story and see how much I change in that one too!

Big Step

I feel like I took a big step yesterday. I have a fabulous author friend whom I chat with all the time. She is awesome and has given me wonderful advice. She listens to me whine and yet, keeps talking to me.

So, one thing I have done is I am going to start thinking of this as my job, not a hobby. I am going to put hours into this on an almost daily basis. Such as tonight, I am finishing up edits (yes again!), getting ready to send off for final submissions. This week, I am going to work on new WIP and hope to have it completed in the next week or two. Work on it, edit it, and so on. That way, if more rejections come in for my current work, I am ready to send something else out. Eventually something will make it, right?

So, my big step. To some, you may just laugh, but I created an e-mail account with my pen name. So now, I have my new persona! It feels crazy, but this great and wonderful author friend says it is a good idea. It will help me set myself up with this pen name, and it will be an email strictly for my writing. It almost makes this feel real, if that makes sense at all.

This week I am also participating on a writing event on Twitter. The event is called #haulassdraft. Basically, you haul work yourself as hard as possible on current work in progress and tweet updates with that hash tag above.

Wish me luck! Current WIP is at 3,400 words. I want to be near at at least 8,000 by the end of the week.

Final Edits...I Hope!

I am done! It feels good. At this point I think my edits are done for this book, well unless it gets contracted and it needs editing, then I will gladly do it. I worked on all the feedback I received from both rejections. I think my story is great. Now, I just need to find a few places to submit.

This however is my last time, my last attempt for this manuscript. I don't want to get obsessed with one work. I had an author give me some great advice. Edit it, sure, but work on something else too. So, last night when I was almost finished with edits, I found myself bored. So, I opened up a new word document, and a few hours later, there sat over 2,000 new words on a fresh idea. As I started this new work, I could see improvement in me. From advice I got from the rejection letters, I knew what mistakes to not make in the beginning this time. I am so excited about this new piece and I can't wait to write it and see where these two characters are going to go. I am thinking of setting it up with characters that can then go onto their own books. I love reading books that have several in a small series. That is my goal.

So, my current plan is to submit some more, and try to not take to long to write this new story. And guess what, if anyone is reading this, you get to come along. Maybe I will even out some excerpt up. :)

Getting Rejected

I wanted to take a moment to write about what it was like to be rejected. I have to admit the first rejection that came in hurt. I did cry my eyes out and felt like a failure. Submitting your work is really putting yourself out there and you have to be ready to be rejected. I had let myself get to excited about the prospect of being published to realize it just might not happen. When that first letter came, I put the kids to bed and myself and just ended the day. I woke the next morning feeling better but still sad. My daughter asked what was wrong so I told her. She gave me the best advice.

Just because they didn't like it mommy, doesn't mean someone else won't.

Hard to believe a 4 year old can be so smart!

So, the second rejection came this morning. To be honest, I was a little surprised to be rejected. I had previously heard they liked what they had read and I thought maybe this one was a 75/25 shot since they had liked it. Nope, they turned me down too. And guess what, it didn't hurt. Nope, not one bit. I was ready for it this time. I mainly wanted feedback from them so I knew what I needed to do to improve as a writer.

So, my brain is full of ideas now with suggestions from these two companies. I am sure there will be more rejections in the future, but that's all part of this career right? Put yourself out there and someone is either going to say yes or no.

My journey so far.

So I have a dream to be a writer. Its always what I have wanted to do. Finally with the kids are getting older, I have had time to write again. Next year my daughter will be starting school, she is my youngest, and I will have a lot of time.

So, I thought it would be fun to blog about my journey as I hopefully one day get publsihed.

I submitted my first work on May 5, 2011 to a publishers. I have been waiting to hear from them. During the time I had been waiting, I had realized I had laid all my cards in one place. So I decided to submit to another company too. I didn't want to submit to to many places being as this is my first time being out there. I was turned down two weeks later and given reason. I set the letter aside and decided to wait on the other company to see what they had to say.

Well, I awoke this morning and had their rejection letter too. They pointed out a few different things. So, I have a list of things to work on now.

I have been back and forth about just putting this story aside and working on something else. Several people who have read it, liked it and want to see me make the changes and continue forward with it. So, I have brainstormed and thought of ways I could do this.

So, its back to the editing board. Time to work on this and see if it can go anywhere. I know I have it in me. I was not given rejections that said my writing was horrible, never do it again. They were merely suggestions on where it would have been catchier and so on. So, I think that is a plus.

So, I hope you will go with me on my journey. And maybe, just maybe I will have wonderful news to report on here!