Carol

Since I use this LJ as a sounding board, this is something I've wondered about. I have listened as some people "glad hand" others better than a politician. They "oooh" and "ahhh" over everything people do. I know that people have favorites. I know that some people are capable of doing many things well. But...when a person comments to everyone in their vicinity and boasts nonstop of said people's brilliance, I have to wonder. Actually, I wonder no more. Having heard a few behind the scenes comments from one person known for their simonized interactions, I saw behind their persona. It isn't pretty. Truth be told, they only do this as frontage. In actuality, they dislike much of what they praise. They also disagree with and disregard comments received. In other words, they are disingenuous and a phony.

This is disheartening on many levels. How does this aid the person they gush over? I would much rather a person be honest with me and tell me if something isn't working or even if they say, this isn't for you. Otherwise, what a surprise we will get when we hand our pride and joy to someone of importance only to have them deliver the shocking reality. Then after you go through all of this and return to the person who stroked your ego so nicely, you discover that they can't be disturbed because they are involved with more important issues.

I suppose what it comes down to is being able to spot the counterfeit and hold fast to the true. What bothers me the most is this person admits they shouldn't do it but has an "oh, well" attitude. Boy, are they headed for a rude awakening when they discover they aren't the only one like that and it has been done to them as well.

Honest opinions aren't pleasant, but they are beneficial, and they mark the sign of a true friend.

I just received a crit from a woman who told me that I should not allow my mc's to mutually profess their love for each other early in the book. There is a formula I am to follow. One third of the way in to the story, one mc expresses feelings, two thirds of the way in, the other does, with it all culminating at the end of the book with a ta-da, happily ever after ending.

Okay, first of all, I hate those kinds of books. Can I say that strongly enough? Sorry to step on anyone's toes if you love it. I'll explain. This type of storyboard leaves me frustrated and irritated with me rooting for an unkind death to both of the mc's. My feeling is, they don't deserve someone wonderful if this is how they act for 300 odd pages. And to make me suffer through all of that for a one and a half page reward at the end--cheat!

Why can't the two characters recognize their love and confront issues that try to attack this union? There is still conflict, drama, and uncertainty. What's the prob?

(Shaking head) There has to be an audience for this type of story. There has to be.

I managed to crank out 1,800 words yesterday, which put me over 20,000 total. That is sooo fast for me. Granted it took all day but, who cares? I love this part of writing. You don't have to worry about anything but being creative.

While finishing up for the day, I got a little nervous wondering if I would have enough to fill a book. I thought, hmm, what else can happen to these two, and what would they do if it did, and how would that affect so and so? Oh, the ideas. :) Yeah, I think I'll be able to finish. Did I say, I love this part?

I can't be the only one this happens to. On Sundays, I generally get up an hour or two before I need to leave for church. This gives me enough time to review a chapter or work on a new one. Why is it when you have a limited time frame, you have the best inspirations? I typed like crazy getting the ideas down for one and a half chapters. I could see it so clearly, hear the dialogue and internal thoughts, experience the senses. Definitely a Joan Wilder moment. I managed to get every thought down before needing to dress for church, knowing--Knowing, I would be able to pretty the rest up this afternoon. I know you've guessed it by now, I anxiously opened the folder, looked over my notes and waited for the magical rapture from this morning. Well, if it had descended the way I hoped, you wouldn't have this post to read. *Whiny cry* If only readers could know what writers go through. Okay, whine's over. Let me go back and see if anything sparks (other than the fires burning a few miles away.)

Last night, I went to my parents' home for dinner. My mom told me she had my grandfather's typewriter and asked if I would like to have it. My grandfather had a great writing talent. His letters were so beautifully written. I still have a few of the ones he wrote to me as a child. He even recorded his memories of his life while in the navy and later, fire department, even included a small glimpse of his dating life before and including grandma. *blush* He certainly had the makings of a good novelist. I miss him. Anyway, this typewriter has to be around forty years old and it is still in good condition and works! It isn't the typical black standard mechanical model. It is an antique yellow color and not as bulky as the ones in the museums. I need to find a really cool place to display it and of course, I need to type something really important on it.

I just have to say, I love crit groups. Where else can you go and have a different opinion from everyone who speaks to you about your work? It's like a police officer asking five witness what happened at an accident scene. They all saw the same thing, but no one tells the happening the same. How can that be anything but hilarious? Okay, this attitude in itself shows how much I've grown since beginning my writing adventure. I'll explain.

I've begun a new wip in a slightly different genre. I have the first two chapters finished, but was wary about it fitting into the boundaries. So, I sent it to a crit group. I prepared for everything from, 'don't change a thing' *cough* to 'somebody take that keyboard away from her before she hurts herself.' I wasn't disappointed. I got just what I expected. Honestly.

Here's the thing, none of it hurt my feelings. *beaming* I knew I was in unfamiliar waters, so why should I be surprised that I had errors. I've been in crit groups long enough to know you can't take it personally. This is the one place I feel comfortable saying that. Having read samples of work from those who critted me, it was easy to say, ah, she says this because this is what she does in her work. Yes, someone wanted to change things that would also change my voice. Like I said, I read her work and I recognized this immediately. It's not that her voice is bad, but it won't work for me. Fair enough, I suppose.

After sorting through all of their suggestions, and let me just say, for anyone who is willing to take the time to crit another person's work, you have to appreciate that and be grateful. Anyway, while reading their crits, I saw many things to toss to the side because it isn't what I'm going for. This is not a literary piece, this is a light, quick read. You know, beach trash. Oh come on, you write it too or have at least read it. Like I was saying, after sifting through stuff that won't work, I found some really useful information that will help. I still don't know what to do with that little pile in the corner that I haven't figured out yet. You know the one where half the people love it and half the people hate it. Hmm, maybe I'll compromise and keep it but tone it down. At least, til I get another response. Oh, and did you know that 'til' is a rouge word. Ya do now! Haha, too funny.

So, the moral here is...just because you don't like everything, it doesn't mean there isn't value to it.

I guess it shows in my speech, I know it shows in my actions.

I have a question for the group. What has happened to common decency and good manners? I remember hearing of a time when children were taught to look people in the eye and say hello, boys were also taught to shake hands. If you didn't do this, you were promptly escorted to the bathroom, sternly reprimanded, and taken back out to do it again, and this process would be repeated until you did it correctly.

The reason I bring this up is, I sent an email to someone and told her that her actions, which seem to have become a habit, have insulted me on numerous occasions and asked that she stop. Not only did she not apologize, she has completely ignored me. So I wonder, is this to be considered acceptable? If so, may I ask, why?

I had a scare today. I went to get my laptop during lunch, and it was gone. I ran to my boss and asked if he had moved it while I was teaching a class. No. I looked all around the room where I keep it. Nothing. Because I can see all the comings and goings of anyone who comes in the school (when I don't have a class), I generally keep my memory stick in the case with the laptop. If the computer was stolen, I was in deep trouble. As I raced to my car, I tried to think of all the people I had sent snips to. Being secretive with my new wip, it would be completely gone. I peeked in the car window and there it was, sitting on the passenger seat with both doors unlocked. I couldn't believe it. Omg, I felt like one of my children had gone missing. I have never done that before and I think it's pretty safe to say, I won't do it again.

First, I would like to say, Thanks, Jen for letting us share in your excitement.

Having followed along with her through the query process, it has helped bring things into focus for me. When I began querying, I did what most people do. I searched each agent's lists for the genres they represent. I only sent queries to those particular agents. I innocently thought, this is simple. They want historical fiction, I write historical fiction. Done deal.

May I say, when a rejection letter is received, it is hard to not take it personally. It doesn't matter what the reason, it still feels like it's you they are rejecting. The most popular of the reasons for a no is generally, 'wasn't a right fit for me'. Okay, I admit it, I always thought this was a rather lame way of getting rid of a writer. But after talking with Jen and hearing the things she has been told, I see what agents mean by this.

I asked Jen what it was about her story that made this agent say yes. When she told me, it was all clear. If other agents were looking for the same thing as this agent, they were right, my ms was not a good fit for them. Just so you know, this doesn't ease the sting. But it does make it easier to accept.

So, now the trick is finding that little something they look for. I know, I don't think anyone has found that needle in the haystack yet, either.

And when we started, we thought writing the story was the hard part!

Okay, I'm bored, so I have a question for everyone. How much wood would a woodch... oh, sorry. I did say I was bored.

Seriously...what drives and feeds your passion to write? Is it a burning passion to share your story, a desire to better your communication skills, or do you have no better way to spend your time and this fills the gaps nicely? These are just suggestions, feel free to list your own.

For me: Honestly, it started as a way to better my communication skills. I had/have a horrible time explaining what I want to say. I'm certain it still shows. I thought I would write a small scene (Jo's exercise of the month, (s)). I would play around with it until it expressed my thoughts clearly. If I did this often enough, my brain would respond better when I wanted to do this orally. I don't know if my thinking has paid off, but my 'exercise' has certainly progressed. *shrug*

So, that's me. What about you?

That's 6.2 miles. My daughter competed in, and completed, her first marathon. YEA JENNIFER!!! Woohoo!!! She and a friend decided to do this two weeks ago, and she even went out of town for the week before the race. She had no training for this. That's right, had to start with the biggie first. That's my girl, jump in head first. She said they did this one to finish. They're planning a 5K in May for speed. Nope, doesn't get that from me, but my grandfather was like that. I guess it skipped a couple of generations.