Not Easy As Pie

You know the saying, "Easy as pie." Cliche and all that. But I don't think anything in life is easy as pie. I love writing. I mean, love it with a passion. But I hate all the crap that comes with it. I hate marketing. I don't feel like I'm good at it, or I don't know where to start, or everyone currently wants to read a BDSM book about a kid's step-brother's dragon, and I don't write books in any comparable category to what's HOT. But even people who write what the public wants still have to throw themselves out there--into the fire. And sometimes I wonder why I do it, because writing is like a scoop of pain mixed with pleasure (like love). Then I remember I love it and without writing there'd be too much pain or too many characters talking in my head with nowhere to go.

My love of writing came from my childhood. As a kid I used to disappear to my room and play with paper dolls for hours. Some of them I cut out of the Sears catalog. I named them, created families, dialogues, and elaborate stories for my paper dolls. I created apartments out of my bookcases for my Barbie dolls. I wrote stories down, never finished them, but the stories still came to me. I loved to read and write, but I never made As in English. I always made Bs. I struggled with thoughts of my writing not being good enough (I still struggle with this). I wanted to be perfect (I still sometimes do). I still have to tell myself perfection doesn't exist. The authors who have made it did so because they're bulldogs like JK Rowling who worked their asses off and didn't take no for an answer. They didn't let rejection get them down or the 20th pushed back deadline or the fact that procrastination seems to flow through their blood (I don't know if Rowling procrastinates, but I do--way too much).

My book is supposed to be out on the 29th. I'm hoping it will at least hit Amazon by then so I can direct you all to the link. Writing and publishing a book can be frustrating in so many ways. I've had to depend on other people to edit, proofread, and market my book. I've had to wait for layout, for the cover, but in the end I know it will be worth it. I've worked with some great people over at Booktrope on The Devil Within: Nikki Lutz, JC Wing, Sheri Williams, Greg Simanson, and not to mention the layout team and Jesse James. These people know what they're doing as I stumble my way blindly in the dark trying to figure it out for the first time. Publishing a book is the equivalent to waiting for a big bowl of ice cream after you finish your food; you know it's going to taste so good but first you have to eat your Brussels sprouts (I do love Brussels though, so maybe this isn't the best analogy)

All of this to say, I'm still hoping The Devil Within will be out by June 29th. Stay tuned to this site to see if it is. And don't forget to sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bo4ILP.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenegreene

The Devil Within is on Goodreads

Today I approved the layout for my book, The Devil Within. So exciting. I looked through the book, and it looks like an actual, real-live book now. I'm so impressed and excited, but I know the job is not over. Now the key is to find people to read the book!

And speaking of the book, I thought you all might like to hear the official blurb:

When nine-year old William loses most of his family in a car accident, he is left alone with a religious zealot of a father. As a result of his father's abuse, William blames himself for his family's death and becomes convinced the devil is leading him astray. The backdrop of life in a rural Alabama town in the 1960's sets the tumultuous scene as William struggles to cope in a world no child should have to face on his own. Will William be saved or will he succumb to the devil within?

 

I went ahead and added it to Goodreads with an expected publication date of June 29th, because that's when I'm hoping it will come out. Click the image below to add it to your to read list!

 

 

I'm madly working on my newsletter, and I hope to have one out by the end of the month. You can still sign up any time, and you may be lucky and receive a free copy of one of my books!

Signup here for my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bo4ILP.

Lots of exciting news coming! Plus, in my newsletter I'll have sections on books I've recently read and other up and coming authors you may like! Stay tuned for that.

To Pen or Not to Pen?

I had a productive week.  I did my first beta read for another aspiring author, and I found I really enjoyed the process of reading someone else's work and sharing my input. I do worry about hurting feelings, as I've always had a hard time with criticism, but at some point you do have to move on from that, and learn how to accept constructive criticism.  Otherwise, you'll never get better as a writer or fill in the blank____________, whatever you want to achieve.

Now that I'm done beta reading, I'm turning my attention back to my work.  I received input from two betas on my work, and they both liked it! YAY!  They had suggestions, and so I'm going to work on rewriting the first couple of chapters, working on a few minor errors, and then I'm going to send it out for more beta readers.  My goal is to publish it, even if it is self publishing, by the end of 2014 or early 2015.

Speaking of that: Follow Me!  I'm on twitter: @laurenegreene, and I'm going to start actually taking advantage of my twitter account, my Google+ accounts, and my Facebook accounts and using them as a way to market my material.  Since, I'm going to self publish I will need to market myself.  I still don't get twitter.  Does anyone understand this?  I'm going to have to have my teenage nieces and nephews show me what you do, and what the hashtags are for.  Apparently, I'm not with the times, but I know you need social media to market yourself as a writer in this world.  Technology is such a huge part of life these days: there's no use fighting it!

Speaking of writing: pen name or no?  I'm debating staying with my regular name, or going to my pen name Ellie Greene.  I have a writer's page for my pen name, but my twitter account is my name. I like Ellie Greene, because it's a play on my name, but I like my name too, because...you know...it's my name!

Who would have thought there are so many details when you're trying to get published?  I have been out to Amazon and read several books on there, and there are people who have not even edited their material. I can't imagine that, because I've been working on my book for two years. I feel like I have poured so much of myself into this project. In an ideal world, one of my queries would land me a real life publishing package, and I wouldn't have to self-publish, market myself, and try to add more hours to a day that I know is only going to last 24!  In an ideal world, I'd also immediately land a movie deal and instantly be a millionaire.  One can dream, right?

But it feels good to live your dreams.  It feels good when I write.  Even if no one is going to read it, and even if it's a huge flop, it's what I love to do and that makes all the work worth it.  I would love to get to the point where my work does well.  I'd love to self-publish one book after another and make my living through the written words.  In the meantime, I'll take doing it part time.  I'll use my hour in the morning to edit my work, to blog, and to research how to become a successful writer.  I'll use my hour at night to read, so I can get better and better at the art of writing.  And maybe one day, I'll make a name for myself.  Until then, I'll be content with what I have and with the simple fact that I can write when I want to and do what I love, and no one can take that away from me.

*Follow me on twitter @laurenegreene and like my Facebook page:   https://www.facebook.com/elliegreenewrites -- Have your friends and family follow me too!!!

Form Letter Rejection

Lately I've been writing.  I've been editing.  I've been attempting to write a "good" (by whose standards?) query letter.  I've started querying agents.  This process seems to be: a) long, b) tedious and c) totally, utterly frustrating. 

I think one of the hardest things for an author is to try to have their work published.  I may be a superb writer (I'm not--I'm still learning every single day!) and have no chance of getting my work published if an agent doesn't look at it and feel it will sell in the world of what everyone wants to read.  Plus now there is self-publishing.  Is it even worth it to go the route of traditional publishing? 

I say, yes, because the publishers can market your book, get the word out.  The fact is, most first time authors do not even see any royalties off of their books.  They sell a few copies, and most of that money goes straight to pay for the editing, the print job, and to pay all the people who helped by not giving you a BIG FAT REJECTION!!!

As you can tell, I received two rejections yesterday.  I know in the scheme of things this is not a big deal.  I've just started out and rejections are part of the business.  Plus, the rejections came so quickly it told me my query letter was really not up to par.  I worked on the letter, and I think I have a bit of a better format.  Some people query 50 agents at a time, but I'm doing about 5 at a time, because honestly I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING!  I wish I was in the publishing or editing business and knew even an inkling of the information about how the publishing world works. 

I have read a lot of blogs lately, including the blogs of the agents I've queried.  These blogs contain great tips for writing query letters, getting recognition, and not giving up when you receive those little rejection slips.  Agents are bombarded with query letters, and if yours does not grab their attention right away, or stand out as totally amazing, then it will go in the Slush pile and receive the automatic REJECT notice.  Rejection is part of life, and I'm getting used to it.  I just have to polish and make it better.

Here are a few of the websites I've been reading about query letters.  I received rejections from both of these ladies, who were probably way out of my league anyway:

Bent on Books: Jenny Bent of the Bent Agency.  I'd loved to be signed with her, as I've read on Writer's Forum she is simply amazing to work with.  On to the next project!

Pub Rants: The Nelson Agency.  I queried Kristin Nelson. 

Back to the chopping block....

An Update for the Weary

This week has been busy and hectic, and I haven't been writing.  Writing at all is better than no writing at all. I've been slowly editing my first draft of my book.  I'm not ready to send it anywhere yet.  I've been slowly working on my second work, plus a short story that seems to be going nowhere fast.  The key word this week: slow. I'm thinking about entering some writing contests too, but I haven't quite gotten there.  I receive emails almost daily from Writer's Digest about some contest or other, and I think maybe it would be a good way to get some recognition making it easier to be published in the long run. So what have I been up to if I haven't been writing or working out or blogging:

Mostly I've been reading.  I'm trying to finish Cloud Atlas.  I absolutely love this book.  Second great book I've read in a row, after finishing Heart of Darkness last week.  Apparently the movie, Apocalypse Now, is based on Heart of Darkness (Oh how I love Wikipedia!).  I'd like to see it, as I never have.  I spent some time with a friend from Taekwondo trying to pull it up on his Netflix, but alas Wi-fi failed us.  There's so much riding on technology these days: such as your next good flick! 

Also, at work I've been quite busy the last couple of days.  I didn't get home until almost 6:00 last night.  All hopes I had of an evening run were squashed, when I sat on the couch with an Amber Ale and I could not force my body to move.  It took all I had to walk up the stairs and read to the kids, much less eat, although Hubby did make some incredible enchiladas.

Speaking of kids, Number One was allergy tested yesterday.  It's about time!  He has dust mite allergies, tree pollen and grass.  Dust mites!  This is bad news for Hubby and me who are notoriously bad cleaners.  Have you ever looked at how much dust mite covers cost?  Gees!  So now Number One is on Flonase and a daily pill for his allergies.  Maybe this will rid him of his almost constant sore throats and headaches.  Here's hoping.  We'll probably wait to invest in dust mite covers until Number Two has been tested (next week).  We already know from experience that Number Two is allergic to cats and dogs, so we'll just wait for his back to light up like a Christmas Tree!!!

Running, I didn't have a good, witty lead in to this subject as it is getting me down.  My running days might be numbered. I want to do a 5K in April, and in fact I've already commited to doing one.  Taekwondo is on a short break this weekend, so I'll see how a few good runs feel on my leg.  I haven't run since last week, and my leg feels great.  I just keep reinjurying it every.time.I.run, and I've had some people (MY DAD) tell me that I should quit running and start cycling.  My answer to that, oh so maturely, is, "I don't wann!"  I love the way running makes me feel.  I love the accomplishment.  I've done the cycling thing before (in college), and I liked it but running just makes me feel different: liberated, free, like I'm flying.  I can't exactly explain the feeling, but it's wonderful. 

I'm sorry if there are misspellings in this edition.  For some reason Blogger Spellcheck has decided it's time to quit, even though I'm not done writing.  Not thinking there will be a weight loss or exercise edition this week, as I've been too busy eating Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, thus not following my own advice!!!

Writing: The Next Step

So I finished my novel.  I sent it out to a few close people in my life.  I received feedback from some, mostly good, but as my Dad says that could be because they're close to me.  I've received two sets of revisions (thanks Aubrey and Mike!).  I'm waiting on more.  I did read through Aubrey and Mike's revisions, and I've thought of a few changes I could make to the novel before sending it off.  I'm in the waiting period between completion and revision though.  I'm letting it sit and ferment, like a fine wine. 

Sending it off: Scary!  This is the process I know absolutely nothing about.  I need to attend some writer's conferences or something.  I need to figure out where to go from here.  I need to find a dart set to hang my rejection letters on.  Yes, I need to revise the book once or twice before that point, but research is always a good place to start.

I began last week by joining Writer's Market.  Stephen King recommended this site to me, and when Stephen King talks you listen (Okay, yeah, you're right it was not a personal recommendation!).  And one of the best authors of our time was discovered through Writer's Market: Stephanie Meyers the author of the Twilight Series.  See, I probably do have a chance. 

With Writer's Market comes all these email advertisements for Writer's Digest, and because of my crazy busy schedule I  haven't had the time to actually peruse Writer's Market.  I've just had the time to become annoyed with the junk mail filling my inbox.  I need to take the next step and start researching agents. 

The thing is: I love to write.  I would love to become published and make millions of dollars becoming the next Louisa May Alcott or Joyce Carol Oates or Jodi Piccoult, but let's face it, that's not the reason I do it.  I do it for myself, to release thoughts that have nowhere to go, to scribble down on paper the ideas that fill my head, to give a home to the characters who live inside of me.  I have a deep seated desire to write.  Sure, it would be nice to become the next best thing, but that's not why I do it.  I do it because I love it, and you should always try to do what you love to to do. 

It would be completely amazing to become a total sensation and to be able to live off doing something that I love to do.  Something I consider a hobby.  Something I consider totally cathartic.  Something I consider as part of myself.  Amazing, but probably not so realistic.

We'll just have to see where to go from here. I'm going to keep on writing.