No Fish Story

There are things that happen that we'd rather not share, oftentimes because it might put us in a bad light.  Maybe it's a little embarrassing and not something we're not proud to tell others.

So why a picture of Flounder today?  Because floundering was what I was doing for a few days last week.  I'll be honest and not be embarrassed.  On Thursday I received a double rejection from my editor at Harlequin American.  After seven books for HAR, I fell in the hole.

It's been that kind of year.  I should have seen it coming, but I was holding out hope.  I've been trying since June to hit on the right story.  Apparently my aim was bad.

It took me less than two days to get over it. Okay, those two days were BAD, but by late Friday I'd moved beyond and dragged out a couple of stories from under the bed.  No, not really from under the bed, just not something I'd looked at closely in the past few years.  A phone convo with one of my brainstorming buddies helped me make that final few steps to get over the Hill of Despair.  (I think I own a house there.)  I've already begun working on them and hope to have them ready by the first of January.

So where does the floundering come in?  It happens when revisions are requested and when submissions/proposals are rejected.  It happens to everyone at some time, not just writers.  It's that time--no matter how short or long--when a person doesn't know what direction to take.  Should I do this this?  Or should I do that?  And more than likely, nothing is done.

Rejections, passes, Rs, whatever anyone wants to call them, happen in the writing business.  A lot.  They hurt.  They hurt even when we tell ourselves it isn't personal.  But because our creations, our books, our stories, are pieces of our selves, it feels personal and can be painful.  Many people give up when they don't make the progress they'd envisioned.  It takes a thick skin to keep writing or creating when no one seems to care but us.

And, yes, rejections happen to everyone, at one time or another.  The key is learning how to handle them and how quickly to put an end to the floundering, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and return to forward movement, having learned something--again--the hard way.

Is it worth it?  I think so. :)

Every rejection is incremental payment on your dues that in some way will be translated back into your work.  -  James Lee Burke

Traditions

(from dictionary.com)

tra·di·tion

   [truh-dish-uhn] 

noun

1.  the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs,information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.
2.  something that is handed down: the traditions of the Eskimos.
3.  a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting: The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition.
4.  a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices.
5.  a customary or characteristic method or manner: The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition.

There are probably as many traditions as there are people.  They come in all sizes, shapes, colors, reasons, times, seasons, and anything else you can think of.  We like traditions because the make us feel safe.  Once made, we know what needs doing, making decisions much easier.

We're most familiar with traditions around the holidays.  Christmas, Hanukkah and other religious/faith-based holidays at the end of the year often have the most traditions attached to them.  But we all manage to create more of our own, just for us.

Sometimes we have to adjust traditions to fit something new in our lives.  A marriage can dictate the melding of traditions.  A new baby may mean a change in timing.  As a family continues to grow, new traditions--Santa Claus, the Christmas story from the Bible--are introduced for the children.

And sometimes we make new traditions.  Children grow into adults who have their own children.  Jobs can often mean a distant move.  Divorce or the passing of a loved one are two of the saddest of reasons for the need to create new traditions.  But somehow, within all the changes, we adjust and find solace and peace in traditions, whether old or new.

If you have a favorite tradition, I'd love it if you'd share it, either here on the blog, through Twitter (@roxdelaney), on Facebook or my author Facebook Page.  Who knows?  We may find something that will make the perfect new tradition.

To many people holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance.  - Philip Andrew Adams 

Roadblocks and Re-assesing

A week ago I blogged about the need--especially mine--to make a habit of writing each and every day.  Except maybe weekends.  Today I'm here to say that my determination to begin to make that habit came to a screeching halt.

Something didn't feel right, but I went ahead and started working on the synopsis for a proposal I want to submit--before the official holidays begin and no one is around to receive submissions.  I hoped that maybe if I pushed ahead, that feeling--caused by my own lack of belief in myself--would either go away, or the simple act of forward movement would take care of things naturally.

Wrong.  On both.  As I worked on the synopsis, seeing scenes in my mind, I hit a roadblock.  There it was, smack in the middle of my plot.  It was probably there all the time, but I didn't want to see it.  Fortunately (or unfortunately), writing a synopsis is good at revealing what we refuse to acknowledge.  This time the problem centered around the heroine and what had happened in her past to make her feel and react a certain way.  I thought I had it worked out.  I didn't.  It took several days, but I finally found what she (and I) needed.  I was almost ready to move forward again with real writing, when I talked to a published friend, who recently received revision notes on a book in the same sub-genre as mine.

Uh-oh.  I had another problem.  Was the story too dark?  Had I put my characters through too much, especially before the opening of the story?  Did I need to lighten up a little and give at least one character a little slack?

I still don't have the answer to that, but I'm going to beg for a few minutes of my friend's time, give her a quick overview of my problem, and see what she thinks.  Any other time, I might have busted through the roadblocks without too much thought, but this time I'm treading on new ground.  New sub-genre and a new line, meaning new "rules" that have not yet become familiar to me.

Hopefully tomorrow will find me back at writing the synopsis and still able to have it done in time to send before the holiday break.  The one good thing about all of this is that I've come to know my characters even better, and that's sometimes something that doesn't always happen until almost too late.

Keep tuned in.  Updates on the re-invention and expansion of my writing coming later.

First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!  - Ray Bradbury 

It's Here!

Yes, it's really here!  It comes once every week, and it's what sometimes---make that often---gets me through to Friday and that TGIF we all adore.  If you haven't guessed what this is about, you aren't paying attention.

It's Hump Day!

I know, I know.  It only means we're at the middle of the week, not the end, and the weekend is two (and a half) days away.  But once midday on Wednesday hits, it's all downhill with Fab Friday only a quick slide away.

The trick is knowing how to psych yourself into the joy of Hump Day and to know how to use it to your best advantage.  So here's some things to think about as you make your way through this week's---and every week's---Wednesday.

1. Did you make a goal for this week?  It doesn't matter what the goal was or what it involved...from cleaning to exercise to writing to shopping to reading to resting to--  You get the picture. ☺  If you did make a goal, this is a great time to assess how it's going. If you've made progress--any progress--congratulate yourself and keep going.  If you haven't, then what are you waiting for?  There are still 2+ more days to work toward it.
2. If you've already accomplished what you'd hoped to this week, you deserve a break!  Take a little time to do something that makes you feel good.  Give yourself a reward!  It doesn't have to involve money (although it can!), but it must be something you enjoy.  Indulge yourself, if only for a few minutes before life calls you back again.  After all, it isn't the weekend yet, just the halfway point.
3. Ask yourself what else you need to do before Friday ends the official work week.  More than likely, even if you reached your goals, there'll be other things waiting in the wings that need doing.  This is the perfect time to decide how to spend the rest of the week, so you'll have time to enjoy the weekend.  Because isn't that what weekends are all about? 

For those who don't work a regular Monday thru Friday week, simply adjust to fit your schedule.  If your days off are split, decide whether to use the first one or the second one when judging progress.  (Hint:  Using the first may give you a little more time to work on whatever it is you need to do.)

Why, in the middle of the most stressful season of the year, with Christmas and New Year's sneaking up quickly, am I suggesting a focus on goals?  Because getting things done without going crazy is hard work.  Why not make time work for us?  If we become so mired in what to do, instead of what's been accomplished, we start to lose steam.  Wednesdays are the perfect time for taking a breath to look at what's been done and what yet needs to be done.  Remember, bite-size  pieces make anything easier.  If nothing has been accomplished so far this week, from this point on, a little focus and work will go a long way to being able to enjoy the weekend.  So get busy, and then slide on down that hump to TGIF!

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." 

- Beverly Sills

 

Creating Good Writing Habits

It would be hard not to notice that Christmas is fast approaching.  Weren't we just Trick-or-Treating on Halloween?  The next thing you know, not only will Christmas be over, but New Year's will be almost gone.

If you're a traditional New Year's-ist, this would be a perfect time to start thinking about those Resolutions.  After all, even if the rumors of 2012 being the end of life as we know are true and aren't simply a marketing thing, there's a lot of time to live between January 1 and December.  Why not get a head start now, instead of waiting until the last minute of 2011 to decide on what to improve?

Right now, instead of focusing on those every-year self-improvement resolutions (weight loss, exercise, and the rest), I want to focus on writing resolutions.  Why?  Because I'm in desperate need of creating some new habits and sticking to them, and if I start now, I can make some headway.

The #1 writing habit I need to make and stick to is writing every day.  While it's true that I do some kind of writing each day, whether it's emails, blogs, or the real stuff of putting stories to paper, it's the latter that I need to focus on the most.  It simply isn't something I've managed to make a priority.  This isn't something new.  I've been grappling with this for several years, so it's become something I'd really like to conquer.

So here's my Resolution/Goal for 2012:  I will write every day, Monday thru Friday.  At least a page.  Three pages would be even better.  More than that would be a miracle on an everyday basis.  If possible and life allows, I'll write on the weekends, too.

Anyone with me on this?  Are you like me and have trouble carving out time to do what really should be done when it comes to writing?  Then take your pick of whatever writing habit you need to create, and let's start it today.  I'll check back in next Monday to post if I've had any progress, and so can anyone who's joining me.

"The way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson