A Writer's New Year's Resolutions

So - With every new year comes new goals. Here are mine. If you would like to join me in this awesomeness, just let me know and we can work on these resolutions together.

My 2012 New Year’s Writing Resolutions

1. Finish at least one novel – this could be already started or brand new


2. Save up and prepare for a writing conference (if you have suggestions for which conference to attend, let me know)


3. Write something outside my usual genre - maybe a short story or the opening to a novel or something


4. Figure out how I write best by tracking information about my writing sessions – the aim here is to increase my productive sessions and decrease my time wasting sessions


5. E-publish something – There are a lot of advocates for self-publishing out there. So far, this isn’t the route I’ve chosen, but I want to go through the experience at least once to understand the process

Christmas of Fairy Tales

Christmas this year was awesome! As you can see from the picture above, I even got some writerly presents. The two books of fairy tales are really cool. They are leather bound and illustrated. I thank my kids for visiting Barnes & Noble for those. I have been wanting The Pocket Muse books for quite a while also. I also got a little cash to put toward a writing conference (I'm officially saving up to go to one - any recommendations?).

I actually had no idea that The Grimm Brothers wrote 211 fairy tales. Hans Christian Andersen wrote 157. At least, those are the counts in my books. I mean, I've heard of Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs but where was I for the reading of The Boots of Buffalo Leather or Soup From a Sausage Peg? I am in serious need of catching up here.

Good thing I have three kids who would love for me to read them a fairy tale every night. Hmm, looks like I need to make some New Year's resolutions. :)

I write like...

How have I not seen this before?!

I just found out that I write like Chuck Palahniuk, Cory Doctorow, and Isaac Asimov. I put three different stories of mine through the analyzer and that's what I got. Want proof, go here, here, and here. Better yet, try it yourself; see what great writer your work is like. Try it here.

A Writer's Insecurities

OVERCOMPENSATION

Is it really my place to say that all writers feel insecure about their work at times? Probably not. I'm sure that out there in the vast expanse of our planetary dwellings, there live souls who merely need lay fingers to keyboard to create literary works that leave them feeling nothing but joy and pride at what they've accomplished. It's just, I'm not one of them. And lately, my mind has been dwelling on all the negative sides of this art.

I could focus on positive things, like the fact that my book made the Top 5 list on Inkpop.com this November which means that people actually liked it enough to vote for it. That's good news.

Then, there's the fact that since it made Top 5, it is sitting in a nice little stack on a HarperCollins editor's desk somewhere waiting to be reviewed. Another plus.

But then, the little red man with horns and a pointed tail alights upon my shoulder and reminds me that I'm just an amateur. He reminds me that instead of praising my work, the editor's job is to tell me how I can make my craft and story better, to point out all my flaws.

This realization gets my mind spinning around all the things I've thought of that could be improved in my book. For example, my characters probably need more depth more depth. The relationship I've established between the two MCs is weak. I have probably written to the wrong demographic market. The ending is far too abrupt and suffers from several loose ends not being tied up. Some of the characters I introduce don't pan out, like I wasn't even sure I needed them in the story at all. My dialogue isn't memorable. My MC is too good and needs more flaws to seem real. All the time I'm spending writing a knockout sequel will be wasted because the first book won't ever go anywhere. I could continue on.

But alas, I don't honestly know what the best thing for my story will be. Those feelings could be what every writer feels when their book is in someone else's hands. That's why in the end, I wind up coming full circle and still look forward to hearing what the HC editor has to say about it. Perhaps s/he will be able to give me just the right bit of insight on how to make it a much better book. That's what I hope for, I just need to be prepared to receive it. So, although I'm still weeks away from getting feedback on my story, I'll push onward and look forward to finding out how I can become a better storyteller.

On a related note, I'm going to be featured on Inkpop.com during the week of December 26. More on that later.

Hey there, winner.

So, I did it.  I won. This is my fourth attempt at NaNoWriMo and I finally won. And, I learned some valuable lessons in doing so which makes winning sooo much better.