Learning Center

So you've written or are writing a book. What's next?

You can groan, whine, hide, and protest all you want. The answer is promotion.

But let's call it something more enticing. Let's call it going to parties with readers. Smoozing and grazing. Sharing and entertaining and making a great impression. Why? Because you want to sell your book, not only to a publisher or agent but to future readers.

We all have a Pile of Ideas to be Fleshed Out Later (PITFOL for short). Those ideas come to us in our dreams or reveries, sometimes odd and sometimes useful, most often plopped on a pile (or shoved into a folder), to be dealt with at a later time. Those ideas can molder, they can sink to the bottom of the pile and never be heard from again, or they can fight their way up to the surface (yes!), clamoring to be seen and used. I love how some people can actually have the next perfect idea jump up at them, as opposed to having to hunt through that pile, pushing aside the odd bits and pieces that don’t strike our fancy right then and there, looking, nay, fighting! for the next idea to be worked into their story.

Of course, there is also the danger of getting lost in that pile. Instead of that next promising idea whapping you in the noggin, demanding to be next, you may find yourself sinking into it—in some ways it’s more like a swamp (but SITFOL isn’t nearly as catchy). All of those ideas surrounding you, tempting you with the possibilities—in that way, PITFOL can be a pitfall. In that way, you can find yourself drowning in ideas, not allowing you to concentrate on the most promising ideas right at that moment, so you find yourself foundering, too many glittery concepts around you. Too many ideas! Sounds awful, doesn’t it? (Okay, being just a tiny bit sarcastic.) Surprisingly, it can be.

Scared? Frightened? Shy? Backward?

Does any one of those words describe how you feel about sending out your first finished manuscript? If you want to be published, get over it.

Being afraid to let your work be seen by strangers in the publishing world is normal. Being afraid that it will be rejected is normal, too. But you'll never know if you have a completed gem so quit polishing the thing and get that query letter or email off to an agent or publisher.

‘Once upon a time’, for every good story begins with that line. A busy mother of two decided that she wanted to try her hand at writing. It was a lovely escape from the reality of dirty diapers, midnight, two in morning, four in the morning, etc. feedings, runny noses and long, cold winters.

So she turned on her Tandy computer and let her fingers do the rest. What began was a murder mystery story based on a small lake side community. How it ended…well, it never did. A few chapters into her loving and very apologetic husband accidentally deleted it. Lesson one for the new writer: back up everything, multiple times if possible.

That wasn’t the end of her writing career, however. Only the end of that particular story.

Which list of descriptors appeals more to you?

LIST A
She liked his car.
He had a soft touch.
His jeans fit well.
The sheets smelled.
She tasted sweet.

LIST B
The roar of his candy-apple red Mustang set off a roar inside her (sound)
The silky caress of her floral scarf reminded her of his touch (touch)
Faded Wranglers hugged the muscles of his mile-long legs (sight)
The musky smell of their lovemaking lingered in the sheets (smell)
Her mouth tasted like strawberries and chocolate (taste)

I attended the RT convention in Kansas City earlier in the month, and this is the first time I've gone to that conference via the Day Pass, and didn't attend the whole thing (parties at night, etc.)

I found I liked it a LOT better that way. I really focused on the workshops during the day, and spent the evening with my sister (who lives in Kansas City and who let me bunk with her during the conference). I was able to catch up with my friends at the conference, sit in on various talks, then leave at the end of the day and relax in the "normal world." I highly recommend this approach to a conference (unless you're a party person; I really am not).

Point of view (POV) is a topic that is hotly debated by writers. Ask a group of writers about this subject, and you'll probably find as many opinions as there are writers.

So what is point of view?

Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition, dates the term at the year 1720 and defines it as "a position from which something is considered or evaluated: standpoint".

Other definitions refer to POV as "the lens through which the reader sees the story" or the angle of focus from which the story is told. Ask yourself who is seeing the action and reporting it to the reader?

One of the things new authors should never do is read reviews of their work. Reviews are for the potential reader. They are not constructive criticism for an author to learn how to make their next work better. That’s what you have beta readers, editors, or critique partners for. However, it’s easier said than done not to head on over to Goodreads or Amazon, just to check out your rankings. Once your there, it’s just a matter of scrolling down to check out the reviews.

The rating system on both Goodreads and Amazon are very subjective. To give you an example, I know someone who rates a book 3 stars if they really liked it. They reserve five stars to those authors on their “must buy” lists. I know someone else that if they liked that same book just as much would give it 5 stars. Yet another reviewer will never give a one star or a five star review because nothing is perfect and nothing is unredeemable. I’ve seen instances of friends and families leaving five stars, and on the other end of the spectrum one reviewer, who hates romance novels, will go out of his way to give all romance novels a one star – just because he doesn’t like the genre.

I wish someone would’ve warned me the Romantic Times convention was Survivor the Book Lover’s Version. WOW! I’ve been to some conventions in my time as a realtor and mortgage professional, but I was not prepared for what unfolded at Romantic Times. I’m still exhausted from the madness and mayhem.

Since I was a first timer, I wanted to assess the pros and cons of the conventions and maybe give other con virgins some advice to help them prepare and navigate the onslaught of activity. First and foremost, you need to decide your purpose at the convention. Do you have a manuscript to pitch? Are you there to network? Do you want to mingle with the readers and build a broader fan base? Educate yourself on craft? Learn about publishers? The list goes on.