How Do You Know...?

A question brought up at a group awhile back prompted me to blog about a subject you don't hear discussed often.

How do you know when your work is ready to submit for publication?

This is a great question, because oftentimes we feel something is ready to send off...after all, we've revised and edited it numerous times...and yet, it might not be our best effort after all.

I feel I know my work is ready when I read it (for the fiftieth time already!) and I am caught within the story's spell. It no longer feels like I am reading my own work that I've struggled with in the attempt make every essential word perfect, every metaphor fresh and clever, every mention of dialog captivating. I am in time and place with the character. I feel as if...well...as if I'm reading someone else's novel. An author I admire, even.

There are paragraphs where this is not the case--places where sentences don't seamlessly mesh, awkward and sharp as crevices between stacked rocks along a pier. A reader doesn't want to go on, can't go on, because there doesn't seem to be a smooth place to step.

I may spend hours on a few sentences, rearranging them, chiseling each phrase until it says exactly what I want in the most astute manner. But the payoff is big. The next time I read through, I'm no longer stopped by sentences that drop off into a thrashing sea. I've made a stone bridge. It's strong, it's durable, and it's traversable.

Perhaps you depend on the help of a writer's group, or have a trusted and keen-eyed reader. I have that as well. But in the end, only you can feel satisfied enough with your work. Only you can decide when it's time to take that gigantic step and submit your work.

Put away the piece you're writing for a few weeks. Pull it out with fresh eyes, pretend you're a reader. Do you become so focused on the story everything else falls away? Are you so engrossed that you suddenly realize it's three in the morning and you have to get up for work in a few hours? If so, you may be ready to take that leap.

How do you know when your work is ready? When you feel you can't go any further to improve upon what you have written.

Casinos and Writing Similarities

I must confess—I like to gamble. When my sister comes to visit, which she does frequently, we head out to a local casino, about thirty miles away. It got me to thinking how much writing and playing the slot machines are similar. (I suppose this is relevant to other games, but I still can’t master craps or video poker.)


The anticipation of driving up to the casino is akin to the anticipation of writing a book. You’re starting fresh, you have high hopes for doing well that afternoon, and you look forward to what’s coming. When you begin the process of either, it’s exciting and interesting.

Mostly though, what I find comparable is the suddenness of winning or losing at both. One book is swooned over by the editors and sells well. The next sale is rejected by the same publisher. Or you get great reviews, even awards, for one story. Hardly anyone likes the subsequent one. Your writing life can be turned around on a dime, good or bad, with a phone call or an email. The same goes for the games. You win, you win, then you lose. You can be down to your last dollar and Boom! you hit the jackpot. This has happened to me frequently. I think I’m done playing the slots then I get a huge payout, enough to keep going for hours. Another parallel came to mind when I put up my backlist and one original novella for sale online. Some days I had 50 sales on the Kindle, Nook, Sony or iPad. Then, I’ve had 225 purchases show up next day.

I can’t say I really like how precarious slot machines are or how tenuous success is in the publishing world. Sometimes I wonder why I do either. Sometimes I think there are a lot more important things in life to be devoting my time, money or energy to. Yet I’m guessing they’re both in my blood. Okay, truthfully, I can go months without setting a foot in the casino. But that’s not so with writing. For over twenty years, I have not stayed away from a manuscript for that length of time. I’m thinking only once did I not write for three full weeks and that was when I was on vacation in Italy. (And then I read on the beach, in trains, on airline flights, which improves my writer’s skill.)

Of course, it goes without saying I’d much rather be bitten by the writing bug than the gambling one. Though the adrenaline rush comes from both for me, I guess I’m just lucky (pun intended) I get it mostly from my writing career, even with its ups and downs.

By: Kathy Shay

Welcome 2011

Happy New Year, friends. How will you start off the new year? I've been working on editing my manuscript. It's exciting to see the developments as I progress. The only problem I'm having is setting aside time to actually work.

With the new year, our group will be embarking on a new chapter as well. I think we all have high hopes for a successful and fruitful year. Fresh ideas, cooperation and understanding will be expected to this end.

I'm going to change the day of my blog because I've picked up a waitressing position Monday evenings. This is after hostessing for the lunch hour as well. Wednesdays will be better for me with my new schedule.

To start the new year off well, I'm asking everyone to bring their top five goals for 2011. By sharing our goals, the consensus may be helpful in guiding us toward completing these goals.

Just call me Pinball Brain

Does the title have you guessing? I hope so. Let me elaborate here.

Lately with the stress of life as the mother of three young adults who don't drive, part-time restaurant hostess and now waitress for two evenings, I feel my life's control slipping away from me. One case in point? I missed my blogging obligation yesterday.

Between taking a short morning nap, working the lunch hour and the returning to waitress the evening shift, I didn't get much of my planned work completed. I didn't have enough time to make dinner - it doesn't help when I don't plan it ahead of time. The laundry still sits (it's only mine and I'm not running out). The powder room didn't get its weekly clean either.

I can say that I've got a manuscript ready for submission to a second publisher - the publisher I've dreamed of writing for most of my life. My first try at a synopsis turned out to be the back-of-the-book blurb. Now, after confering with my critique friends, I've got a decent synopsis, a query letter and the first few chapters ready to go. Of course, I couldn't get my husband to understand the need to keep working on it. He thinks that since I have the work in one place, I can sit on my hands and wait for a response before working on anything else. EEKKKK!!! Do they ever get it? I think mine's only going to get it when I can show a sale.

To top it off, today's list hasn't been completed either. Maybe that afternoon appointment wasn't necessary today. Then again, it was and I do feel better for having it. So, the list piles up. With a commitment tonight, when am I going to get things finished?

Do you think it would help if I got to bed at a reasonable hour and didn't have a need to take that morning nap? Probably. Will I be able to do it tonight? It doesn't look like it. Have to drive all the way out to Charlotte and pick up my van from rhe repair shop.

I think one of the events that have tipped the scales toward the feeling of my brain being a pinball in my skull was the near misses I've had with deer for the past three days. Every day I have encounter a deer running in the path of my car, my heart stops beating and my nerves stretch tighter and tighter. My body feels so strung out it's hard to fall asleep.

Someone suggested I try not to drive at night. I responded, "How will I get home from work?" Answer - "Husband?" My response? "Yeah, right."

So you get the drift. I hope this blog is entertaining as well as a warning to others not to let their lives get to this point. Why do I want to stop the pinball?? The holiday season is upon us, my favorite time of year, and I don't feel festive. I want the season to go away. So NOT me. Thanks for letting get this out of my system.

New Horizons

Here we are almost a month out from the conference and I'm lovin' it. I finished editing a short piece and sent on to the Publisher...now I'm just killing time, doing the patience dance. Which consists of working on my WIP, plot( I know... weird huh.) and getting in touch with my writing side.
A first happened to me a few days ago I was having coffee with a few friends, when two of my characters demanded face time. A story I put away months ago because I worked myself into a corner and couldn't see a window to crawl out. And there they were with a proverbial window.  Gotta love the way the subconscious works on ideas silently in the background. 
So now I'm writing more and working more than ever. Thanks to the conference and the extra boost of writing energy. 
Here I am with a schedule, some sparse outlines and creativity dripping from my fingertips. Write On, Write ON!

Going With The Flow

I've begun to feel more comfortable with the changes in my life. I can take frequent trips out-of-town with my son and still be productive and have unexpected fun.

Did a reading for a publisher while I was gone (have computer, will travel). I also had an opportunity to see a small production musical with short notice and had a great time.

Did I spazz out because I wasn't working on my book? No. Why? I knew that my time would be less structured away and allowed myself the break. I knew when I returned home to my (somewhat) normal routine, I'd have plenty of time to work on it.

My new M.O.? Take a deep breath and step away to look @ my options. If there's no actual deadline, I can get it done @ the pace I set. I'll continue to work steadily every day. When I get a request for my work, I'll be almost ready if not finished.

Why make myself sick with what if's? Not gonna happen! I know I'll be successful.

Write On Rochester Kicks off!

Last night was So you wanna meet an Author... The room was full, the people were engaged and the speaker...charismatic. Jessica Andersen brought the attendees into a world of publishing and craft. Exploring the possibilities and rationalities of why author's write. Seeing old friends, making new and networking, networking, networking. The pitch sessions went off well, Rhonda Penders from the Wild Rose Press made the experience simply and enriching.  If you are still on the fence about what this conference can offer you think again, come down before 9 am Radisson RIT, Rochester, NY for the all day workshop today. www.lcrw.org.  I can't wait to get into the workshops. If they are half of as interesting as last nights getting to know you, then today with be mind blowing.
Write On Rochester!

Crisp Breezes, Blue Skys and a Sprinkle of Puffy Clouds

It's in the air, all around us. Fall is approaching fast on the horizon and it feels decadent.  For me, this is the season for writing. Probably a throwback to school days and such. But this week, creativity was like a tidal wave which gobbled me up and plopped me on a surf board to ride the wave. Seven thousand words I wrote and I have the itch to glue my butt to the seat and get lost in the story today, at this moment.
So thank you Crisp Breezes, blue sky and puffy clouds for heralding in the wave of creativity because I'm loving it. Hope each of you get swept away in your stories as well.

Where does the time go?

In the mad rush of summer, realizing the time is slipping away is always a disappointment. Here we are in mid-august, school will be starting soon and for some of us lucky the Write On Rochester! Conference is right around the corner.


Jessica Andersen is scheduled to give two workshops for LCRW on Sept 17&18 and I'm thrilled. The workshops are on World Building and Pumping up your writing. As a paranormal fiction writer these topical are right up my avenue. But this could be for any genre in any style from children's to YA to Adult to... the spectrum is broad.

If you think it's not worth it, think again. This conference isn't about an all day workshop; it's about networking. There will be editors, writers, readers and such. Support, information on what to do and what's going on. At one conference I went to in the past, they were saying it's about the elevator time. Normally you run into editors, publishers and the like at Conferences and it's the elevator time, that is important. You have 25 words to get your point across. 25 words, commercial to say what you need to say for that one person to remember your book.
Conferences are more than just the speakers, it's the experience, the knowledge you gain from going. So if you are in the Rochester area,and are a writer come out for the weekend. Find out how Jessica Andersen went from a PHD in genetics to an award winning Author and her secrets. Find out what it's like to have elevator time, to network, to pitch your ideas. Come have an experience you'll remember always.

Check out LCRW.org for more information.

Write What You Love

Steve Yates posted on his personal blog about the saying "write what you know," and how we know more than we think we do.

I'd like to add here that we also need to write what we love.

I think sometimes people get into writing to make a name for themselves or for the money (hey, some types of writing pay well after all). Some people write novels they think will sell well because they're the subject du jour (think YA vampire novels or MG wizard novels). Some write to please others (memoirs to leave for their children) and some people write to get their frustrations out (angst poetry).

There is no terrible reason for people choosing to write. Expressing thoughts and ideas through artistic media deserves accolade. Especially when it is done so well we don't even notice the message being delivered, its subtlety like dew on a rose.

But I think, too, it's important to write we what enjoy writing, even if it will never be seen by anyone's eyes but our own. Even if the subject matter is "overdone" or "badly done." Like watching television or reading a book, it's an enjoyable escape. A privilege, really. Because when we have a moment of time to ourselves, why should we waste it on just anything? Why not write what we love and see where it takes us?