Dean Wesley Smith has started a series of posts on “Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing.” This week he’s tackling what he considers the myth that “You MUST rewrite to make something good.”

Go read it and tell me what you think.

For myself,  when I compare the reality of my process to Dean’s description of his, they’re not that different. He and I both clean up the manuscript for our 1st readers (though I definitely do more than run mine through spell-check), evaluate their thoughts, make a few changes, and send it out the door.

I think I’ll adopt Robert Heinlein’s business rules:

1) You must write.
2) You must finish what you write.
3) You must not rewrite unless to editorial demand.
4) You must mail your work to someone who can buy it.
5) You must keep the work in the mail until someone buys it.

Interesting stuff. I’ll be following this series.

Who doesn’t love fluffy white kittens?

I’ve heard numerous recommendations for white boards, bulletin boards, note cards and sticky notes for plotting a novel. Systems where you can list your chapters and scenes and then move them around at will. They always sound fabulous until I get home and try to implement them.

That’s when I run up against two fatal flaws:

1. space constraints – I don’t have any place to mount the size board I’d need to deal with a novel in linear fashion (and I’m a very linear person)
2. these are pen and ink functions…and I detest writing by hand.

Sigh.

Recently, I found an answer to my dilemma. Virtual Post-it Notes. Seriously. I think I’m in love! I’ve outlined my WIP, transferred the chapter titles and scene summaries onto color-coded virtual stickies that I arranged on a cyber-bulletin board. Now I can rearrange things as I write. And when I’m ready to do my second draft, I’ll be able to move scenes around on the cyber-board and then restructure the corresponding text when I’m all done. Too cool!!

Warning: If you try this program, be aware–it’s very annoying at first. Post-its pop-up everywhere and are in the way. Sheesh! I thought I’d have to delete the program before I got started, but I stuck to it (haha…no pun intended) and tamed the little monsters. Once domesticated, they’re AWESOME!! (Oh, and there’s a 30-day free trial, so you can play with it before you purchase.)

Okay. I’m now returning to my previously scheduled writing.

My daughter has the best black lab in the world! Seriously. I love that dog. Of course, dear daughter is an exceptionally good dog-momma…she’s trained him well and lavishes him with love.

Here’s to you, MacDubh!

As always, times are in comments. Please add yours!

I certainly do. Of course, I grew up with Flipper (boy, does that ever date me *lol*)

Anyhow, enjoy this slippery friend, ’cause he definitely qualifies as cute…

As a published novelist, a question that pops up frequently in conversations is, “Where do you get your ideas?”

The world around me is a constant source of inspiration, though I rarely stay in the here-and-now for more than a few pages. I’ve published a few contemporary romance short stories, but they were flash fiction (1,000 words or less). If they’d been any longer, I’m positive something “unusual” would’ve crept in. So far, my longer fiction has always been fantasy or paranormal in nature.

I have a duet of short stories titled Glass Magic available through Freya’s Bower. Those two stories began on a cold winter day when the glass in the front door at my office fogged up. You could actually read a sign that had been removed as much as a decade earlier. The phrase “ghost in the glass” popped into my mind and simmered until I was asked to write those stories for Freya’s Bower.

Another question I’ve been asked regards whether my ideas begin as a vague idea or arrive fully formed, needing only to be transcribed and polished. In all honesty, my stories usually start from a seed—a phrase or a picture that intrigues me. The seed will germinate in my subconscious until it’s ready to work itself out through my fingers and onto the screen. I rarely know what I’m going to write until I’m actually in the process of typing. That’s part of the fascination for me—discovering what happens next!

Several of my published short stories began as writing exercises: Take three unrelated words and write for fifteen minutes with the goal of using all three words. Opening Her Eyes began as dragon-rickshaw-bifocals, though you’d never know it to read the final version!

One of my current works-in-process was born during a drive with my husband to admire the fall foliage. A tree sprite popped into my head and asked what would happen if she married a human and they had a daughter? Because of that question I imagined Nimue—a feisty teenage girl who is stuck between worlds. She’s definitely not human, but she’s not quite Fae either. As if those teenage years aren’t hard enough…

Finally, there’s my newest release, The Silver Casket, a story created by my fascination with my own Scots heritage. What would happen if a lonely, contemporary American woman were transported back in time to 15th century Scotland? I’ll never tell—you’ll have to read the novella to find out, but it was a blast to write!

So…Where do you find your inspiration?

I love dogs. Don’t know that I’ve ever met a dog I didn’t like. If I did, I’ve buried the experience like a particularly smelly bone.

In honor of my doggy friends, I’ve decided to devote the next few puzzles to breeds I’ve known and loved. This guy is a probably a Husky, while MY dog was a Malamute, but I’m happy.

Here’s to you, Kodiak Kootenai!

Who doesn’t love an adorable panda? I’d plant bamboo in my yard for this little guy to snack on!

Have you ever wondered where an author was when she made the leap from reader to writer?

Would you believe my very first novel began in a tree house on the slopes of Mt Rainier? It’s true. I kid you not.

Dear Husband’s sister and her hubby were visiting the Pacific Northwest from their home in Colorado and had arranged for a stay in a tree house. They kindly invited DH and me along for the experience.

There must have been something magical in that mountain air. My muse broke free and gifted me with dreams of druids and dragons.

I snuggled in a hammock and dreamed up characters and plot. Mind you, I didn’t have a clue about story or craft, but ignorance is indeed bliss. If I’d known just how clueless I really was, I’d never have had the courage to begin this journey!

Six years later I’ve published two novels, two novellas, and had my short fiction included in several anthologies. I’ve also been blessed with representation from a well-respected literary agency. Not a bad track record.

Of course, the story I dreamed that day in the tree house has never seen the light of day—totally clueless writing rarely does. However, my muse and I have developed an awesome relationship and I’m delighted she decided to come out and play.

So what about you? Where were you when your muse broke free?

In honor of my new release, here’s my fabulous cover art in puzzle form!

Come chat with me! I’ll be at Coffee Time Romance & More Chatters today from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm EDT (4:00 pm – 7:00 pm Pacific time)

Ask me about my recurring themes (dragons and faeries *lol*) and new additions (time-travelers *ahh*) or anything else that crosses your mind!

I’ll be giving away a copy of Glass Magic, as well as one of my latest release…The Silver Casket.

Can’t wait to chat with you!!

Here’s another question from the interview I completed last week. This one touches on a bias I run across far too frequently…that e-pubbed writers aren’t *really* published.

The Question:

How would you respond to the “prevailing wisdom” that “serious” writers don’t write for the web?

My Answer:

Serious writers learn their craft. Sometimes that education comes from academia, sometimes from spendy writers’ workshops, sometimes from hiring a freelance editor. None of those avenues was available to me. I had earned my Masters Degree years earlier and had no desire to return to college. Costly avenues like Gotham or freelance editing were beyond my means. My critique workshop, Wordos,  gave me a great start, but they only critiqued short fiction. I wanted to write novels.

I found my education in e-publishing.

My publisher saw promise in my writing and was willing to work with me—as long as I was willing to sweat blood and learn. I was blessed with an amazing editor. Her skill coupled with my willingness to revise produced two novellas and two novels that I’m quite pleased with. They’re not my best work—that’s still to come, but they’re the best I was capable of at the time.

Because of the great foundation my e-pub gave me, I’m now represented by a fabulous agent with a well-respected NYC agency. I’ll admit, I’m hoping for a print publishing contract, but I’m also proud to be part of the e-publishing world. I’d like my career to span all available avenues of readership.

Serious writers follow the best path they can find. Most importantly, serious writers write.

Discussion:

What are your thoughts on the subject? Do you think e-published writers are second-class citizens in the literary world, or do you agree that e-publishing represents a different but legitimate business model?

Hooray! The tomatoes are ripening. There’s nothing like a salad with fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes. Unless of course it’s sweet corn on the cob with a side of freshly sliced tomatoes…yummm!

Enjoy!

I was interviewed the other day in preparation for an upcoming speaking engagement. I thought this question and my answer my make an interesting topic for discussion.

Note: I’ve modified my answer from the actual interview since I’m not reproducing the entire questionnaire here.

The Question:

Do you need an agent to get started [in publishing], and if not, at what point do you think one is most useful?

My answer:

It depends on your path. You don’t need an agent to sell short fiction or for e-publishing, which is a totally different business model from traditional publishing. If you’re writing novels and your heart is set on one of the big NY publishing houses, then you need an agent.

The best time to find an agent is when you have a novel that’s polished and ready for submission. Here’s the sticky point: you may not recognize when that criteria has been met.

I wrote my first novel without benefit of craft knowledge. My husband read it. My best friend read it. My daughter read it. They were all so proud that I’d written this massive story they couldn’t see straight. They certainly couldn’t give me knowledgeable critique.

Based on their benediction and my own glow of pride, I queried numerous agents. Looking back, I am totally unsurprised that I received only form letter rejections, but at the time I was frustrated beyond belief.

But you know what? That frustration proved to be the catalyst that turned me into a real, honest-to-God writer. I had two choices: throw up my hands and wail, “It’s not fair! No one will give me chance!” or suck it up and figure out what I’d done wrong. I chose the second option. I found Oregon Writers Colony (OWC) and began taking classes. I accepted an invitation to Wordos–a Eugene, Oregon critique group, and drove two hours each way to and from Eugene every Tuesday night for eighteen months. I accepted contracts with a brand new, nobody-has-ever-heard-of-them e-publisher who provided me with a gifted editor. I listened to every comment my editor made and absorbed as much as I possibly could. And…I wrote.

When I finished my first contemporary young adult novel, I decided it was time to try for an agent again. I sent my novel out to beta readers. Not my husband, best friend, and daughter. Oh, they read it and loved it, but the readers who helped me decide if it was ready were writers with NY contracts and unpublished writers who understood plot and characterization.

When my query letter and synopsis had undergone a similar vetting, I began my agent quest, and this time I received personalized rejections. But I also received requests for partials and fulls, and one fine day…an offer of representation.

Discussion:

So what about you? Do you agree with my assessment of the agent question? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see this little guy at my neighborhood park!

How cute is he?

I’ve had a hectic week. My computer died and I had to replace my hard drive. Unfortunately, the old one was fried, so there was no data to be retrieved *sigh*

Fortunately, I have an external back-up, which while it was a few days old, was still a life saver. The moral of the story? Back up frequently and completely!

In celebration of having my computer back in my hot little hands, here’s a dose of dazzling color to stimulate your senses.

Enjoy!

I've had a hectic week. My computer died and I had to replace my hard drive. Unfortunately, the old one was fried, so there was no data to be retrieved *sigh*

Fortunately, I have an external back-up, which while it was a few days old, was still a life saver. The moral of the story? Back up frequently and completely!

In celebration of having my computer back in my hot little hands, here's a dose of dazzling color to stimulate your senses.

Enjoy!

You know how you’re always wishing someone would tell you the secret to success in publishing? Well, hop on over to Deadline Dames and read Devon Monk’s letter to her younger writer-self, Dreaming by the Tracks. As always, she’s got a lot of wisdom to share.

Thanks, Devon. You’re an inspiration to me, and while I’m walking my own path, I’m studying yours. Thanks for sharing your journey.

You know how you’re always wishing someone would tell you the secret to success in publishing? Well, hop on over to Deadline Dames and read Devon Monk’s letter to her younger writer-self, Dreaming by the Tracks. As always, she’s got a lot of wisdom to share.

Thanks, Devon. You’re an inspiration to me, and while I’m walking my own path, I’m studying yours. Thanks for sharing your journey.