Been there. Done that.

Some days when it seems like forever since I’ve heard from an agent, and my queries are hanging out in cyber space, I catch myself wishing I’d started this writing endeavor a little earlier. It’s such a long process.

But then I wonder what I would’ve written about? Newspaper reporting and suburban politics, twenty years in Corporate America, having kids, juggling career and family, losing loved ones, friends that come and go at different stages of life . . . These are life experiences that form the building blocks of believable situations and characters – the meat of story-telling.

I’ve been more places, seen more things, done more things than younger writers. Maybe younger writers put in more research hours. Maybe they don’t “write what they know.” Not sure. But today, at least, I’m feeling like more might be better. More been there/done that.

Heading west

Just made my reservations for the RWA annual convention in Anaheim, CA this summer. This will be my first conference, and I'm hoping to meet a lot of people, have fun with my critique partners and pitch two completed novels to editors and agents!
I already know it's a great location, and I'll be in good company. So conditions are right for a successful event. Just need that agent thing to come together! Fun times ahead!

Under construction

It's coming soon! My critique partners and I spent an entire day over the weekend setting up a website. We've got our domain. Now we're playing with layouts and content – posting pictures and articles and blurbs about our books. So excited to see it all come together. Hope you'll check us out when we go live, hopefully some time this week!

website workday

Just scheduled an all-day work session with my critique partners! Yay! Can't wait. We may do a little reading and critiquing that day, but mostly, we're going to design a website. Since we all write some form of romance, we're teaming up to create one site that will give each of us an online presence in addition to our individual blogs.
Published or not, agents and publishers say all writers need to build a platform and start reaching an audience on line. Yes, it takes away from writing time, but it's part of the bigger picture, the whole package.
Already we're building a backlog of ideas and articles to include on the site. Key lime pie, anyone? Watch for a great recipe from J that ties right into her novel set in fabulous Key West. We'll introduce ourselves, our stories and our characters, and share blogs and thoughts on writing, romance and publishing. And, hopefully, we'll have a little fun in the process.
Stay tuned!

New Year's resolution

Let's see. Here's an easy one. My goal for 2012 is to get published.

Oh, wait. I can't control that. Okay, my goal is to get an agent. Darn. Can't control that one, either.
Well, I guess my resolution will have to be to keep going – keep writing, keep revising and editing, and keep meeting with my critique group.
Not as easy as it sounds. With busy schedules it's hard to get together even once a week with my critique partners. It's hard to convince my spouse I'm not wasting my time because I'm not entirely sure that's true. It's hard to justify the amount of time I'm spending on my writing with no income to show for it.
Typical writer's angst, I suppose. As I write this, I'm reminded of a favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption. The main character (Andy) tells a fellow inmate that hope is a good thing. His friend responds that hope can drive a man crazy. I have to agree with both of them. Hoping can be exhausting. But to not hope, is to give up.
So, I hereby resolve to continue reading and writing, to keep exploring and learning and, above all, to not chuck it all in the trash and stop trying.

Christmas memories of a child bookworm

I passed my first bell ringer for the Salvation Army yesterday, and last night, I saw several homes in my area already decorated with Christmas lights. So as I pondered what to write today, my thoughts turned to Christmas.

When I was in third or fourth grade, I received one of the best Christmas presents of my life – I got an entire boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books.

I loved these books. By the time I received the set, I’d already read all the books, probably multiple times. But that didn’t matter. The fact that I had my very own collection was a really big deal. The books smelled new and were in perfect condition, and fit together inside a special display box. And I cherished them. They captured my heart and my imagination.

I remember Christmases in the Big Woods with only a peppermint candy stick in a sock stocking for Laura and Mary, and the Christmas that Laura got her rag doll, Charlotte. There was the Christmas on the prairie where Mr. Edwards crossed the swollen creek, and the Christmas when Almanzo braved a blizzard to get home to see Laura. (Probably the first ‘romance’ I ever read!)

Today, the collection is still complete, though the pages of the books show their years with yellowed edges, a few dog-eared. I rarely flip through them anymore, and they didn’t seem to touch my daughter the way they did me, although she, too, has always been an avid reader. These books from my childhood are still part of my library, sitting in a place of honor on my shelves, and I love having them.

woo-hoo

Woo-hoo! Cha-cha-cha. Woo-hoo! Cha-cha-cha!
That's the sound of me doing a little dance. Just completed the "final" edits on my manuscript. It is d-o-n-e. Done!
Now it's time to hit the contests and send the queries. Calling all agents . . .