Picking a Title

Now, I gotta admit I'm really just speculating when it comes to this topic.  Having never really been published myself, I don't know if my titles would sell or not.  You see these catchy names on book shelves and try to come up with you own clever, eye-catching choice.  Not as easy as you, or I, would think.  I'm sure some books go through multiple tags before actually becoming published.

I read on an agent blog once about the importance of choosing well.  This particular agent said a poor choice for a title will sometimes turn them off before they've even read the query.  From experience, I know some of them ask you to put the name of your manuscript in the subject line of your email.  This places a great deal of importance on what you consider a minor part of your work.

I sit here now on a "me night" as my ten-year-old called it:-) with a rare uninterrupted few hours of writing.  Everybody is out of the house but me and I find myself hooked on the Reese Witherspoon comedy, Sweet Home Alabama.  The title of this movie is perfect.  She returns home to Alabama.  Half way through the movie the song of the same name appears.  It's catchy and it bears meaning to the plot.  Why mention this?  Because I find myself trying to come up with a similarly good choice for my current story.

Like every writer, I envision a colorful book jacket some day baring the perfect label and my name in small letters across the bottom.  Now, it's merely a dream but I'll put as much effort as I can into deciding on the right words for that cover.  Who knows, maybe it'll even become a movie someday.  Now, wouldn't that be sweet?

Word Choice, Word Choice, Word Choice!

God, I struggle with this.  Do you?  I use my word processing program thesaurus like crazy trying to vary my words a bit.  I have a decent vocabulary but it's still hard for me to come up with the right word at times.  When describing setting for example.  I'm not naturally good at description.  I can see the setting and events vividly in my head but just can't describe them always as I see them.  I've gotten better, much better actually.  There are days when I really feel like I have it.  Yet, there are just as many or more days where I struggle.

The hardest part is how much I have to focus to really find my voice and my creativity.  As I've said before here, I primarily write late at night or early in the morning.  Late at night, I'm tired.  My brain doesn't work as well as it should.  I do better in the morning, but I can really only carve out about an hour then.

I just read a blog post by Janice Hardy on describing your setting.  She talked about how it can be awkward if you're too flowery with your character's descriptions.  She's right, but that makes it even harder in a way.  Choose wisely but don't be fake.  Don't go crazy with your word choice.

Again, this is an area I really have to work hard on and have a lot still to learn.

Fly By the Seat Of Your Pants? Not Me!

I'm a plotter.  In all facets of my life, I like to plan, think it through, work out the kinks.  At night, I think about what I'll wear the next day whether I lay the clothing items out or not.  When I leave the house in the morning, I think about the best way to get to my destination and have it mapped out in my head.  I write things down, make lists.  I prepare.

Naturally, I'm like that with my writing as well.  Each work takes a different form.  My first couple of stories, I wrote every last sentence out in a notebook then typed it all on the computer.  Part of this was because of my initial lack of a good computer.  Early on, my typing skills weren't that great either.  I'd bet now I could rival any administrative assistant with my words per minute score.  When writing it all out on paper first, I was then able to adjust and make changes as I typed.  It was a laborious process but worked really well in a way.

Sometimes, I just write or type an outline.  Of course, there are times when a story takes its own path and veers off in an entirely different direction than I'd planned.  That's okay too but I still like to have an idea of the direction I'm hoping to go.

No matter how I document, I have every story in my head from beginning to end and several main scenes in between.  I know my characters intimately, inside and out.  I know their motivations, their backgrounds and their weaknesses.

Sometimes, I'd like to be a pantser but it's just not in me.  I like to control a little too much to let that happen.  So, I'll keep up my plotting and planning and accept it as just who I am.

BTW, as I write this, the television news is full of scenes from Boston as well as West, Texas.  I've never been to either place but would love to sometime.  God be with you all.

Song I'm liking this week, an oldy but a goody and maybe fitting for the week's events:  Landslide, by Fleetwood Mac.

Choosing Your Setting

I talked a bit in my last post about my first novel.  In that one, I created a fictional setting-an island off the coast of Georgia not far from Savannah.  I wanted it to be a place I'd want to escape.  I guess you could say a place of my dreams.  I tried to create the world I saw in my head.  I think I did it.  It seemed easy in a way because it wasn't like there was anyone out there who could wonder what the heck I was talking about.  They couldn't accuse me of inaccuracy because it was my world, no one else's.  It was easy but yet something wasn't right about it.  It became hard to feel anything about the place.  It became boring in a way.

After writing two stories set in the fictional locale, I decided to change tactics.  I'd read somewhere to write what you know.  My next novel was set partly in Louisville and partly in a lake town.  I gave the lake town a fictional name but it could have been any such place I'd been to many times before.  In a way, this gave me another character of sorts.  Not only was I describing my characters but I was describing the city that's been my hometown the last fifteen years as well as a favorite weekend spot for us.  It felt natural.

I don't think there's a right or wrong when it comes to setting.  It's all about how you describe it and what you do with it that matters.  I may go back to my fictional place on the beach someday.  I do love the beach.  But, I need to hone my descriptive writing a bit first.

Song I'm enjoying today:  Gravity by Sara Bareilles.  A great song for inspiring story.

My First (Novel That Is)!

My very first novel I wrote will always hold a special place in my heart.  It was a complete labor of love and excitement.  At the time, not so long ago mind you, I had this idea of writing escapism.  Something so different from my actual life and something fun.  I made up this fictional island off the coast of Georgia (think Tybee Island).  My characters involved ten (yes, really;-0) beautiful sisters all with green eyes and ebony hair.  They were rich and owned the island, a beautiful plantation home and a bar/restaurant where lots of exciting things could happen.  They were also all really unlucky in love.

Even describing the above seems ludicrous to me now.  There are a lot of things wrong with the above scenario and plot line.  Ten sisters first of all.  A little much, I know.  Not to mention they all basically looked alike.  It was impossible to set one apart from the other.  My sweet mother-in-law told me, very nicely, she had a hard time keeping up with all the characters.  I've always liked ensemble stories.  I get so carried away in the stories of each of my characters I have a hard time letting them go or putting them off until maybe a sequel or two.  That was my problem in the first novel too.

I learned so much from writing it though.  I would never trade the experience.  First, I finished a novel length story from beginning to end.  I shopped it around and queried lots of agents.  I learned about formatting.  I learned about dialogue.  Most importantly, I learned what not to do.

Don't make your characters sound too much alike.  Don't give your story to many characters/plot lines.  Don't make everything too perfect.  Maybe, don't make up a fictional setting (this one I'm still undecided about as I kind of liked the idea).

It was my first and I don't regret one minute or page of it.  I would do it again in a heart beat if only for how much I learned from it.  Still, I don't think I'll do it again.

Writing Research Pitfalls

I've posted numerous entries regarding doing your research.  I've talked about the good sites out there and instructed you to research and then research some more.  Occasionally, during all that well meaning analysis, you come across something that sends you off the rails.  This happened to me just this week.

I have my favorite blogs I follow.  Everyone in the blogging world does.  Late last week, I was catching up on posts on one of the most highly regarded blogs out there and I stumbled across one involving a Q and A with a popular agent at a highly respected agency.  This agency has been on my radar for a really long time, so of course I read with great interest.  The agent was funny and likable and I enjoyed the piece thoroughly.  However, about halfway through, one answer to a question really shook me.  She was asked how much time she spends reading queries and what kinds of things make her reject without even reading the entire thing.  She had some understandable reasons and then she mentioned a plot she'd seen too many times before.  She practically quoted what would be the blurb of my current work word for word.  I sat there stunned.

What do I do now?  I'm halfway through this thing.  I've toiled away for hours and maybe worst of all, I really like it.  It's as close to the real me as I've ever gotten.  It feels natural and it feels like my story.  Do I quit because of one popular agent's comments?  Do I keep going with the possibility it's a colossal waste of time?  Do I assume mine will be different?  That it will be the one that really stands above the rest?

I've pondered these very questions multiple times the last few days.  Finally, I came to my conclusion.  I keep going.  She's one of hundreds of well-respected agents out there.  I may even reach out to her for the hell of it and somehow make it work to my favor in the query.  There are lots of avenues I could take, but giving up on it doesn't seem like the best one right now.  Also, writing anything is better than writing nothing.  As I've said before, practice makes perfect in writing too.  Keep going.  It's all I can do.

Now, I just have to find the fire for this story again and type away, no matter what this agent might have said.  It'll force me to be more creative.  Hey, just trying to be positive here;-0

Song I'm enjoying today.  Highway Don't Care, by Tim McGraw (featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban).  I just really like this one;-) 

Writing Rules for Me

It's spring break in the 'Ville and finally feels like beautiful weather is just around the corner.  Yay!  I love spring and summer!

Anyway, enough about that and on to writing.  There are lots of rules to writing and there are lots of resources to finding them.  This post is not about those.  This is about having your own rules for your writing.  I'm gonna share a few of mine.

First and foremost for me, always a happy ending.  I know this will make my reading predictable to a certain degree but I'm okay with that.  I prefer reading books with happy endings and feel so frustrated when there's no resolution at the end of a long story.  I can list several well-written books that disappointed me at the end but they were bestsellers and lauded by critics.  Some people like that.  Remember, there's something for everybody and I doubt I'm the only one who feels this way.  This doesn't mean there won't be sad things occurring or deaths (yikes!) but there will always be an acceptable resolution for the primary characters.

Second, is the use of a certain type of profanity.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I employ a great deal of colorful language, some that even others might consider inappropriate; however, there's one in particular I choose not to use and it starts with God.  This is my personal preference.  It's a little more difficult than you might think to leave this one out.  Men in particular seem to favor it when angry or frustrated.  Just means I have to be a little more creative;-0

Finally, I don't use infidelity as a romantic plot point.  It always has negative consequences in my books.  It is a plot point frequently but not for the two main characters.  It may have led them to their current circumstances or be an issue in their past, but that's all.  I don't personally want to romanticize infidelity in marriage.

I have other little rules I follow too.  I like my writing spicy but I stop at crossing certain lines in order to keep it mostly mainstream.  Still, the above are my big rules.  I hope it doesn't make me sound self-righteous.  I don't judge others for employing them, I just don't choose to myself.  Just like I don't write fantasy or sci-fi.  I have to narrow the scope somewhere and I think it makes sense to have your own ideas about what you're comfortable with.  Who knows, I could look back at this ten years from now and wonder what the heck I was thinking.  I'd like to know if there are certain rules other authors follow.

Song of the day, and this is an uptempo one!  My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark, by Fall Out Boy.  Makes you wanna dance on a warm, sunshiny day!

Writing and Blogging, Blogging and Writing!

Why blog?  It's a good question I asked myself for more than a year.  Probably the most troubling thing for me when I started researching how to get published was the whole put-yourself-out-there thing.  Market yourself!  I probably read that a hundred times.  Why should I have to market myself?  I often asked myself this.  Wouldn't this be the reason why I'd get an agent?  Yes and no.  An agent-and granted I don't yet have one so speculating here-markets you to publishers.  Their job is to get your foot in the door of major publishing houses.  They answer your business questions and guide you through what I imagine is a complicated process.  Having recently moved, I think of them just like I do my fabulous real estate agent.  I would never want to go through the selling then closing process of a house without a realtor.  Likewise, I don't imagine I want to go through the publishing process alone either.

What I don't think an agent is responsible for is marketing.  Their not in public relations.  Sure, they have ideas and if a publisher picks you up, they (the publishing house) will do some marketing of your book.  I think:-)  You will have your own role in marketing yourself.  I still don't have this thing figured out.  I'm still learning too <grin>!

So, back to my dilemma.  How do I start this now?  It's not easy for me.  I'm an intensely private person, hence the hopefully catchy moniker.  I'm not on Facebook.  I'm not on Twitter.  I don't have a website.  Although, I am open to all three eventually.  Frankly, Jessica is boring and that's the way I like it.  I'm decidedly content with my husband and kids, role as a soccer/baseball mom and day job in mental health.  Still, writing is a passion of mine and has become even more so as I continue on in the process.  I want to have books out there bearing my name.  It is my ultimate dream and goal.  So, if I have to get involved with social media as one way to do that, I will.  Blogging is the first step for me and I'm finding I like it.  Fitting it into my life isn't always easy, as evidenced by the sometimes long gaps between my posts.  When I first started exactly two months ago, I thought I would do it nearly everyday.  I quickly learned that's not always possible.  Now, I shoot for 2-3 times a week.  If you've checked out my Time Management post from January, you'll remember that impossible daily schedule I blogged about.  In it, I only leave myself 90 minutes for writing and that was if I went to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour of 11:00 to start all over again at 6:00 the next morning.  I need my sleep, people, or I'm useless to anybody.  If I blog, that cuts that time down drastically.  So, I think 2-3 days a week is reasonable.

If this blogging thing goes well, and I get an agent or closer to published, I'll consider the other avenues of marketing myself.  I'm open to whatever I need to do to get my books out there.  I'm determined to make my dream happen!:-0