Folks, there really is no such thing as a free lunch.  But I have to admit I love discounts, coupons, and sales.  If I feel as though I'm getting something extra I am that much happier with my acquisition.  I wouldn't have nearly as many great books in my library if I hadn't had a coupon or got them at the used bookstore at a great price.  How does that apply to writing, you ask?  It means giving your reader more than they expect.  More twists, surprises, mystery, things that will keep them reading.

I got a call from a friend last night who said, "It's all your fault if I don't get anything done."  I had given her one of my Advanced Review Copies of Feisty Family Values to read and she said she was having trouble putting it down.  That's the kind of news we want to hear from our readers. 

When you go back to edit your story do you look at what can be done to make the character more layered?  How can you make the plot more unpredictible?  Where should the tension be increased or the plot thickened?  These are the types of questions you need to ask yourself in every chapter.  Is there a surprise?  Readers like surprises.  But I personally don't like loose ends when I read.  Make sure things are resolved enough for the reader to be satisfied with the result.  Give them more than they paid for...give them a GREAT read instead of just a good one. 

Good luck on the writing journey.

BD

For those of you that haven't heard about it NANOWRIMO stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it's November.  I don't know how many years it's been going on, but I've never thought I could devote the time to it that it deserves. I was wrong.  Since the beginning of November I have been able to write 10,000 words.  Not quite what the program encourages (in other words I won't meet the 50K they enourage you to write), but I only need about 20K more words to finish my novel.  How cool is that? 

I'm excited that I've been able to make time for it and it's proven to me that you can do it and hold down a full time job, a part time job, and still get the laundry done.  The house is a mess, but my spouse isn't complaining so why should I?  It's only for a month.  What it also proves to me is that there is no excuse to not find time to write, even 15 minutes a day.

An interesting thing happened to me the other day while I was writing.  My husband came in and asked me if I was done writing for the day.  I looked at the clock and an hour had passed, it was bed time.  "I thought you were going to take a shower," I said.  "I did, that's what all that water running was all about," he said.  Hmmm. I never heard it and it's in the next room.  Being totally into the story and hearing the voices of your characters can blot everything out, even the sounds of running water. 

So, no more excuses for me or for you.  Make time to write.  It's well worth it.

Enjoy the journey,

BD

What are your writing goals?  To be published in the local newspaper?  To write for a national magazine?  To have your novel in bookstores?  To write your memoir?  To finish a story that has been in the back of your mind for years? 

All of us needs goals.  The first couple of years I wrote seriously, my goal was to submit something every month.  I submitted short stories and poetry to contests, literary magazines, local publications and small publishers.  I learned a lot about meeting guidelines, deadlines, and editing.  I learned the value of researching a market before submitting and how to take a critique.  The contests were probably the most beneficial because many of them offered critiques and since my writing wasn't cash prize quality yet - it meant a lot to get feedback.  And poetry, well, let's just say that I'm a little verbose for poetry.

I started a couple of novels early on, then the third one hit a spark and grew into Feisty Family Values (the novel that's coming out in February 2010).  To help pay for my book habit I started writing freelance, too, and made enough to allow me to attend a few conferences and writers workshops and learn more about the craft.  Then I approached the local magazine market and found a home.  They taught me to write tight, directed articles and still let my writers voice shine through.  And my interview skills have vastly improved. 

In the mean time I've been working on the sequel to Feisty called Patchwork Family.  National Novel Writing Month is inspiring me to make time for writing every day, so it's progressing nicely.  The first draft should be finished by the end of November.  Woo hoo. 

The point of all this rambling is to show you how I reached my goal of publication. It took a lot of steps to get there and I'm still learning and growing in my writing.  Decide what your goal will be and work toward it.  But be realistic with your goal, because writing, researching and publication take time.  They also take dedication and a amount of luck.  Just don't give up and enjoy the ride.

BD