I should warn you up front that this is a completely random post that has absolutely nothing to do with writing and everything to do with me finally finding my snark again. With that warning in hand, feel free to read on.
I have three email accounts. Yes three -- one for my writing correspondences, one for spam (you know that address you give the websites that "require" it in order to get past there front page) and one for personal, everyday life. Up until yesterday, it was working well. Three different parts of my life literally contained in three separate boxes. Apparently yesterday, the email gods got their singles all messed up. Either that or I need to take a long, hard look at my spam filter.
Okay, so this morning, coffee in hand, I open up my "writing email" because let's face it, those of us who are querying, critiquing, on submission always ALWAYS go to that email box first. since 11pm last night I have racked in 257 emails. Now, I know I'm popular, but seriously, I'm not that good. It was loaded down with spam. Lots and lots of spam. That got me thinking . . . what does my email say about me? I mean isn't this the decade of "target marketing?" Apparently not, because according to my email, as I will illustrate below, my life sucks.
Without further commentary, I proudly introduce you to my life a la spam:
I am an overweight, middle-aged housewife who is interested in the secrets of losing ten pounds of belly fat. I am depressed and need to seek treatment from a Canadian pharmacy. Lucky for me, said pharmacy will also ship me, free of charge mind you, little blue pills to perk up my husband's sex life. Of course that comes after I peruse the dating sites for singles "my own age." I am in financial ruin and need to consider re-financing my mortgage. That's probably because yesterday alone I shipped hundreds of dollars of adult toys from an amazon account I don't own. But fear not, I have just inherited $2,000,000 from some overseas family that is somehow related to me. All I need to complete that transaction is to give them my banking information. My kids are unruly and needed to be tested for ADHD (said Canadian pharmacy can help me out there as well) I am going to learn two new languages in under one week, and then I am going to buckle down and get my online degree as a health assistant. You know, because that whole law school thing I trudged through fifteen years ago just isn't working out. I need to order flowers for my Dad (because he's such a flower kind of guy) and apparently I am eligible to win free sandwich from Subway for a year. Oh yeah . . . and I am going bald.
So that's what my email says about me this morning. How about you, what does your inbox say about you?
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Defining Moment
I had a defining moment last week, a phone call that literally brought me, pragmatism and all, to my knees. Trying to help, which was pretty much impossible, I ended up with a boatload of extra kids, fielding questions I didn't know how to answer. The house is quiet know for the first time since last Tuesday. My kids are enjoying the last week of school (exams and all) and my niece and nephews are back at home. I sit here, in a kitchen of purely beautiful silence, only to find myself harboring a completely different view of the world.
Now don't get all excited . . . I am still pragmatic, snarky and completely obsessed with Cool Mint Cliff Bars. I still drink way to much coffee, stare at twitter in awe wondering why anybody would be interested in a picture of what John Doe bought at the supermarket, and struggle most days to think up blog topics. My goals (and obsessions) are still the same; they've just been realigned. I still want to be published in the traditional sense, and I will continue to push myself to be a better, stronger writer as a result of that goal. I will no longer worry about trends or where my manuscripts lie in that crest. I take a step closer to the edgy line most of my manuscripts walk and not worry about what some might think.
Most importantly, as I tackle the last of my revisions in preparation for submission, I will remember that one bad critique or rejection does not define me as a writer. I will write because I want to, because it brings me a sense of emotional release. That is why I started down this crazy publishing path in the first place, and that is what I am circling back to.
Now don't get all excited . . . I am still pragmatic, snarky and completely obsessed with Cool Mint Cliff Bars. I still drink way to much coffee, stare at twitter in awe wondering why anybody would be interested in a picture of what John Doe bought at the supermarket, and struggle most days to think up blog topics. My goals (and obsessions) are still the same; they've just been realigned. I still want to be published in the traditional sense, and I will continue to push myself to be a better, stronger writer as a result of that goal. I will no longer worry about trends or where my manuscripts lie in that crest. I take a step closer to the edgy line most of my manuscripts walk and not worry about what some might think.
Most importantly, as I tackle the last of my revisions in preparation for submission, I will remember that one bad critique or rejection does not define me as a writer. I will write because I want to, because it brings me a sense of emotional release. That is why I started down this crazy publishing path in the first place, and that is what I am circling back to.
Friday, June 8, 2012
So You Think I Should be Kinder?
My mother accused me of having a pragmatic view of the word last night. At first, I took it as a subtle insult . . . you know maybe I could be a little kinder, gentler, softer-around-the-edges. After a bit of reflection, I began to understand that my rational, efficient, unidealistic view of the world is what has enabled my to stay sane on this crazy publishing journey.
In order to survive with your ego intact, in order to even contemplate the traditional publishing route, you need to have a pragmatic view of the world. Let's face it, the hard fought yeses in this industry often come on the heels of twenty no's. Whether it be the chapter you spent hours slaving over for a CP to come back and say "yeah . . just not feeling it" or the query rejection that greets you every morning. It could be the four pages of revisions notes that have you swearing and contemplating your value as a writer or the beta read in your inbox that is so flippin' fantastic that you don't ever think you can compete. It is those of us who shrug it off. Those of us that have the ability to put aside a manuscript that just isn't going to make it and start a new one. The ones that can burrow into a honest and harsh critique and pull out the what needs to be changed and tackle it that will eventually see success.
So I say look at the hand of cards you have been dealt today, pick out the one with the most potential, and play it for all the value it's worth. I already got mine picked out! And remember, tomorrow we all get a new hand.
In order to survive with your ego intact, in order to even contemplate the traditional publishing route, you need to have a pragmatic view of the world. Let's face it, the hard fought yeses in this industry often come on the heels of twenty no's. Whether it be the chapter you spent hours slaving over for a CP to come back and say "yeah . . just not feeling it" or the query rejection that greets you every morning. It could be the four pages of revisions notes that have you swearing and contemplating your value as a writer or the beta read in your inbox that is so flippin' fantastic that you don't ever think you can compete. It is those of us who shrug it off. Those of us that have the ability to put aside a manuscript that just isn't going to make it and start a new one. The ones that can burrow into a honest and harsh critique and pull out the what needs to be changed and tackle it that will eventually see success.
So I say look at the hand of cards you have been dealt today, pick out the one with the most potential, and play it for all the value it's worth. I already got mine picked out! And remember, tomorrow we all get a new hand.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The Good, the Bad, and the Plain Old Weird
I have met some of my closest and most encouraging writing friends online. We have pushed each other to write that first sentence, laid out the brutal truth about crappy scenes and even shared a virtual toast when one of us achieves a milestone. I know their writing so well that I can fill in that missing word they accidentally left out of a sentence. I can gauge their moods my the shortness of their emails and know just from the ping of an IM if they have hit that infamous writing wall.
What I didn't realize, until one old and trusted critique partner pointed out, is that my faithful writing friends know very little about me. So, in an effort to correct that, here are a few little known and albeit useless facts about me.
1.) I am deathly afraid of the dark, which is kind of amusing because my latest project is YA Horror. I sleep with the closet as well as the bathroom light on. And yes, I still check under the bed each night. (You can thank Stephen King for that)
2.) I hate, and I do mean HATE, clowns. I don't know why. It is not a rational phobia, nor have I ever had a bad circus experience. I just simply hate clowns. (Again, I have funny feeling I can thank Stephen King for that)
3.) I have a passion for historical romance, particularly anything set in the colonial period. I suck at writing it, trust me I do, but I absolutely adore reading it.
4.) When I was five, I broke both my wrists (five bones in total) tying my show on a moving swing. What can I say; I was just plain old stupid back then.
5.) My most prized possession is the tie my boyfriend wore to our first semi-formal dance our Sophomore year. No, I don't harbor any long-lost feelings for him, and yes my husbands thinks it is silly, but somehow that yellow and blue silk Ralph Lauren tie represents a rite of passage for me -- going from the girl who played soccer and wore pig-tails to becoming someone a boy would want to ask to a dance.
So there it is, a little glimpse into who I was and where I am now, crazy phobias and all. What about you, got any interesting facts about yourself you would care to share?
What I didn't realize, until one old and trusted critique partner pointed out, is that my faithful writing friends know very little about me. So, in an effort to correct that, here are a few little known and albeit useless facts about me.
1.) I am deathly afraid of the dark, which is kind of amusing because my latest project is YA Horror. I sleep with the closet as well as the bathroom light on. And yes, I still check under the bed each night. (You can thank Stephen King for that)
2.) I hate, and I do mean HATE, clowns. I don't know why. It is not a rational phobia, nor have I ever had a bad circus experience. I just simply hate clowns. (Again, I have funny feeling I can thank Stephen King for that)
3.) I have a passion for historical romance, particularly anything set in the colonial period. I suck at writing it, trust me I do, but I absolutely adore reading it.
4.) When I was five, I broke both my wrists (five bones in total) tying my show on a moving swing. What can I say; I was just plain old stupid back then.
5.) My most prized possession is the tie my boyfriend wore to our first semi-formal dance our Sophomore year. No, I don't harbor any long-lost feelings for him, and yes my husbands thinks it is silly, but somehow that yellow and blue silk Ralph Lauren tie represents a rite of passage for me -- going from the girl who played soccer and wore pig-tails to becoming someone a boy would want to ask to a dance.
So there it is, a little glimpse into who I was and where I am now, crazy phobias and all. What about you, got any interesting facts about yourself you would care to share?
Saturday, June 2, 2012
LEAVING EDEN
Most of my blog followers know me as a YA Contemporary Writer, and I am. I love all the angst, and drama, and the swing of emotions that plague the teenage years. I write YA contemporary with a passion, fueled my my own memories and a deep need to pour my crazy emotional swings onto paper.
What I also love is a good horror! So, although I ride solo when it comes to all things contemporary, I partner with the talented (and a tad bit twisted) Lindsay Currie when it comes to writing my YA Horror. I promised to share some quotes from our joint project. LEAVING EDEN, as soon as revisions were done. Well the revisions are done and the teasers are now LIVE on our joint website www.yawriters.com! Hop on by and take a peek -- with the lights on, of course:)
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