Must-Read Advice for Writers
21 Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Writing: Must-Read Advice for Writers at All Levels
By Robin Black
This article appeared on The Review Review website -- and my Facebook feed -- last week. After a particularly long and work-heavy month, I was taking a morning of downtime and actually managed to read an article I'm interested in. Yay! I found Black tips encouraging at a time when I'm struggling to handle my workload, deal with medical issues, and still manage to be enthusiastic about revisions on my current novella. It's not easy. But the validation of seeing some of the things I'm trying to tell myself reiterated from an experienced author helped me see that I am on the right path. I'm not delusional. This really is how I should see the world. And yes, "it will get better" is just as much a fact as "the downtimes will come again." Everything has its season; isn't that what Solomon said? :) Here are a couple of the tips I found particularly helpful:
" The best you can do is the best you can do. There’s a fine line between learning from other authors, and trying to be them. Be yourself. There are more than enough different types of readers out there for us all. I can’t tell you how much time I have wasted wishing my work were more 'hip' and 'edgier.' And every single moment was indeed a waste of time. I didn’t even like much of the writing I wanted to emulate. I just liked the attention heaped on the people who wrote it. Write the book you’d most like to read – not the one you think will win over the editor du jour."
How often I have done this! I have lamented not being as good as so-and-so. I've lamented not being able to get my work in front of some big-time agent or editor. I've worried and wondered and agonized over the quality of my work -- and not believed my wonderful editor and critique partners and readers when they say they love it. It's got to stop! Can I doubt? Yes. Can I do it for more than a few seconds? No. As my daughter is fond of saying, "Ain't nobody got time for that."
"You cannot write the pages you love without writing the pages you hate. Nothing that you write is pointless, useless, or unnecessary. The product requires the process. The good days may be more enjoyable, but the tough ones are the ones they’re built upon."
Amen! Telling myself this was the only thing that got me through a period of severe writer's block (and yes, it does exist -- denying it doesn't make it so) over the last six months. I spent so much time agonizing over every word that I trained myself to have panic attacks when I sat at the computer to write. It has taken a lot of time, effort, and patience with myself to come out the other side, and still my confidence is more shattered than intact. That's okay. I'll get there. But it means going through the bad days as well as the good days -- and not being afraid to do so.
The final piece of advice speaks for itself, in my opinion. And, honestly, doesn't just apply to writing. Think about it.
"Don’t believe there are rules. There is only advice. There is only opinion. There are only my experiences and yours and yours and yours. . ."
Check out the full article and all of Black's tips here.
~ Ella
*Photo courtesy of AnimaTigris.
My Sexy Saturday: Dirty Little Secret
Welcome to my very first My Sexy Saturday. MSS is a weekly blog hop where authors post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words from one of their books based on a theme, which this week is "Bump N Sexy!" That's right. We're talking hot 'n' heavy sex where you just can't wait!
Dirty Little Secret begins with just such an encounter. Alex and Cailin meet on the dance floor -- and what happens next is oh so sexy...
* * *
Turning for a last look at the crowded dance floor, she followed him down the long hall, berating herself for the stupidity of the move but unable—or unwilling—to say no. Something deep down in her soul, some gut feeling she thought she’d lost when her marriage fell to pieces, trusted this man. Maybe it was the way he seemed to read her mind, to know what she needed before she did. The way he anticipated every move, as if even a breath didn’t escape his notice. She’d never felt like the center of a man’s entire concentration. She wanted more, wanted to bask in the intensity of Alex’s attention.
And the occasional employee passing them assured her they weren’t completely alone. If she screamed, someone would hear. Wouldn’t they?
A wide, heavy door marked, appropriately enough, OFFICE waited at the end of the passageway. Alex knocked, and a dark-haired man with classic playboy looks opened the door. The surprise on his face eased more of her worry. So this wasn’t a regular occurrence; thank God, even if she did want to sink through the floor in embarrassment.
“Damien, could I—”
“No problem.” The man didn’t ask for an explanation, and his cheeky grin said he didn’t need any. “Just lock up when you leave.” He nodded politely at Cailin before turning to walk back the way they’d come.
Alex gave a rueful snort and dragged her inside. The minute the door clicked shut, he had her backed against its unforgiving surface. “I’m sorry,” he whispered roughly. “I need—”
Cailin kissed him before he could finish.
* * *
Dirty Little Secret (and it's sequel, Naughty Little Christmas) is on sale 25% off, this month only, at All Romance ebooks, so be sure and grab your copy soon to find out all the dirty little secrets Cailin and Alex must overcome. You can read more about the books in the Secrets To Hide series here.
And be sure to check out the other My Sexy Saturday blogs here, with lots of other great snippets of "Bump N Sexy" scenes. Enjoy!
~ Ella
Kisses and Prizes...and Kisses!
Hop on over to Angel Payne's blog for this year's New Year's Kisses Party for an excerpt from Naughty Little Christmas (Damien and Harley's first kiss!) and a chance to win a ton of prizes. Damien's excerpt is live today, but the contest lasts through January 2nd. Enjoy!
There are also excerpts over on What's on the Bookshelf and Harlie's Books (look at that, another "Harley"!) today with a chance to win a $25 gift card and a copy of Dirty Little Secrets. Be sure and check those out as well!
~ Ella
Blog Visit: Get What You Want, Part 1---Are We Being Busy or Fruitful?
Kristen Lamb talks about getting a handle on the demon of time. Great blog!