Check Your Stinge at the Door

Quotes about writing being a solitary effort abound.

I both agree and disagree with that assumption.

Yes, actually typing and plotting is all about me, myself, and I. But being a solitary writer is both lonely and selfish. The writing community is bursting with awesome people looking to help one another. Looking to commiserate over that rejection letter? Need a free beta reader to look at your book? Want some advice on what to say to an agent?

SEE THE WRITING COMMUNITY. Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc. are FULL of writers helping out writers. Critique Circle is a great example--and a site I'm trying to make a comeback on.

But don't just participate one-sided. Build relationships, offer your own critique services and advice. When you get published, you won't find yourself standing alone, but backed by a network of friends who will provide that ever-so-helpful-yet-evasive word of mouth that tells people "Buy So-And-So's book! It's amazing!"

Build relationships, guys. Don't write solo.

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement on August 3rd-- or just take a gander to the right sidebar. That's right--a CONTEST is coming, a CONTEST is coming!

My Plan of Attack

According to Pat Benatar, "love is a battlefield."

                                    

Which, I suppose, in some way it is. Especially in the paranormal YA books. Except I think there is a much more difficult, frustrating battle: The Editing Wars.

Why not just "War," you might ask? Well, there are lots and lots of battles involved. Like the Battle of Plot Points and Skirmish At Adverb Ridge. Toward the end of the Wars you might find you have at least 15 different drafts of your novel saved somewhere on your computer. Right now I have 8. And I just started editing.

                                      

Yuck.

When editing, it's incredibly important to step away from your manuscript. For at least a month. Seems like a horribly long time, doesn't it? The urge to finish your book and throw it out there for publication is so strong. Resist, resist! The time away allows you to come back with fresh eyes. It makes a huge difference.

So, here's my plan of attack in chronological order because I am a fan of organization:

09/08/2014 -- Finish Draft 1, send to beta readers
BEGIN PLOTTING SEQUEL & WRITING QUERY LETTERS
11/01/2014 -- Receive feedback from betas, start editing like mad
11/15/2014 -- Finish Draft 2, review
12/ 01/2014 -- Final check for any formatting errors
12/02/2014 -- Send out query letters

                                      

Pretty simple and to the point. This process and its length varies from author to author. But the one constant should always be a beta reader. Their input is invaluable. If you don't have someone you can trust to honestly critique your work, consider joining an online writing community like Critique Circle. It's amazing what another pair of eyes can pick up.