Writing is Like...

Writing is like...

An old friend. You have great days together. You have not so great days together and there are times you don't speak at all, but your bond can never be broken.

Writing is like...

A beautiful sculpture. Every curve of stone that makes up an entire masterpiece reminds me of the words, sentences, paragraphs grouped together to create a finished work.

Writing is like...

Your life...a journey that requires growth, change, courage and tenacity to raise above the bumps in the road.

Writing is my touchstone, my own personal playland where anything is possible!

How cool is that?

~AN

Winter Blues

It's snowing again and it looks so beautiful. I don't really have anything against winter, but this season just makes me feel like pulling up the covers and hibernating until spring. The bears have the right idea.

Snow makes it easy to procrastinate about EVERYTHING with my favorite excuses:
"It's too cold..."
"The roads are bad..."
"It's too cold..." ;-)

lol. It just seems easier to stay indoors with a hot toddy and veg. Writing comes easy for me in the winter. At least the cold seems to heat up my creative side. I've got lots of story ideas...maybe too many. I'm currently in between writing projects because I can't decide which one to focus on.

The one thing I don't like about winter is the propensity for colds. I'm pushing the multivitamins and vitamin C, but I'm still sneezing and coughing because those cold germies have already taken hold of my baby girl. *sigh* Where is that hot toddy?

(click the pic for an awesome hot toddy recipe!)

~AN

Friends in Cyberspace!

(photo by clix)

I'm a bit of a loner. I think a lot of writers are, but as an author I force myself to reach out. To make contacts and maintain a visible profile on various social media outlets. I used to fret about what to say or share, until I realized every single post or tweet doesn't have to be profound. It just has to be me. Simple right?

Well, it has gotten easier and now I appreciate networking. I'm actually GLAD to be a part of internet social circles. When I first joined these sites, I never expected to make new friends. I may never meet some of them face to face...hell, I may not ever SEE their face, but that doesn't matter. 

Call me crazy, but I'm thankful for my internet buds that have encouraged me, offered suggestions on my WIP's and listened to my frustrations as a writer. I hope I've been as helpful to them as they've been to me.

You guys know who you are, thank you!

~AN

From the Beginning to The End...

"The End," there's nothing like writing those two words at the end of a story. After months of writing, plotting, editing and re-editing a WIP, it's such a relief to finally be done. And yet, I always feel a little lost after I've submitted the work. It's hard letting go of the characters that have consumed your world for so many months. I've taken almost a week off from writing and now I'm ready to start my next story. I'm looking forward to immersing myself in my current project. I need the creative distraction as I await word from the publisher!

Now, I just have to decide which story to tell. I've got several tempting ideas. I think I'll let the characters in my head duke it out. The loudest heroine's voice wins! I will set up a very brief plot outline and dig in. I love the slight uncertainty of how the book will shift and change as the story unfolds while I write. Most of all I just love being creative. I'm so happy I've found another way to express myself and my passion for, well, passion, love and romance!

~AN

(photo courtesy of Kriss Szkurlatowski)

Quirky Queries

I love writing. I hate writing queries! It's amazing how long I can stare at one waiting for the just the right phrasing and tone. Each one is different and each one takes work. I keep thinking the process will become easier but it hasn't.

Maybe that's a good thing. I know queries are super important and because they take so much effort to write, I respect the work needed to write a good one. And I'm not even sure I do know how to write a good one. But I'm determined to become multi-published, so I will keep chugging away at these queries and hopefully find the right home for my stories.

The following links are great resources:

http://www.sfwa.org/2005/01/the-complete-nobodys-guide-to-query-letters/

http://www.charlottedillon.com/query.html

(photo courtesy svilen001)

Waiting and Writing

Around the beginning of October, I submitted my first completed manuscript. This YA novel will always hold a special place in my heart no matter what happens in NY. This was the baby that made it all clear to me that writing was what I was born to do besides sing. After almost two years in the making, two hundred and seventy-eight pages, countless rewrites and one busted computer later (it fell to the ground right when I could see the ending in sight), I shipped it off. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders as soon as I did, but then a few days later the weight was back and stronger than ever before. I got the email asking for the entire work and I rejoiced, but now I'm back to biting my nails.

What if I missed the mark with my target audience? What if I shipped it off to the wrong editor? And then the big one question … what if my novel is rejected? Literally, a million questions go through your mind. I know writers face rejection and what truly matters in the end is if you keep trying.

Yeah.

I get that, but looking out for every email or envelope in the mail is very, very hard! I haven't shared the details about my YA novel because I almost think it could jinx things. Crazy, I know and I'll admit to being just a little bit crazy. I was up to two in the morning thinking my writing and this book and what I would do if it is or doesn't get picked up. I know for sure I will resubmit and pull all of my hair out (that's a lot of hair)!

Once I was released from Mia's story, all the other characters that have been swirling around in my head began pushing and shoving to make it out next. I love short stories a lot as a reader and definitely as a writer. There is nothing like creating a tale in a week or less and enjoying the sweet success of completing a story. Waiting for word is tough, but becoming published in the meanwhile with my other short stories has helped. I can do nothing but wait and write and try not to wonder every few hours about all the 'what if's'.

I was pleasantly surprised to read the blog post of an editor turned author that finally submitted his own manuscript and discovered what it was like on the other side. His story is worth reading and you can find it here!

Believing in Your Gifts

I’ve always loved three things in my life: reading, writing and singing. But it’s taken me a long time to realize that writing and singing were my gifts. It’s not that I wasn’t told that they were or that in the back of my mind I didn’t know…the truth was I didn’t believe I was good enough to do either. It didn’t matter how well I sang or how many times someone told me how much they enjoyed my performance because deep down I never really believed them. I wonder sometimes what I would have done differently with my music in school if fear hadn’t held me back.


The same went with my writing that began at an early age. I remember getting my first journal and I believe my love affair with words started then. I moved on to stories, plays and poems that I’d scribble into notebook after notebook for only me to read. I was too scared to share any of it with anyone.


In college, I started sharing some of my poems and I can remember being told that I should pursue writing. I thought, “Who would want to read some of my stuff?” I focused on my music, but writing always popped up in creating songs and crafting poetry to express myself.

Now, almost ten years later, I understand that you have to believe in your gifts to really soar with them. You have to let go of your fear to let your gifts grow.

I’m not saying that I don’t still have off days as a writer, but I finally believe that…I AM A WRITER. That’s huge. I got serious about becoming a published author about a year and half ago and now within the last month I’ve been offered a contract for one of my short stories and asked to send in my full manuscript for my YA novel.


Validation does encourage the spirit, but you still have to know within your being that you are your gift to achieve any amount of success. Success is usually based on status and money, but I truly think it should be measured in realizing your gifts and honing your talent to share and enrich other lives no matter what the calling!

Synopsis Anyone?

Everything that I've read or heard about writing a good synopsis is true. Trying to compress almost three hundred pages of material into a few pages is quite difficult. There's a lot of advice online on how to write a synopsis, but some of the things I've read seem unclear.

Like, how many pages it should be. Should it be single or double spaced? Should I open with a question or a funny hook? The more information I read about creating a stellar synopsis, the more confusing the process seemed. I know what the objective of the synopsis should be, but I still haven't quite gotten it down on the paper the way I want.

This is much harder than writing the actual book, but I'm going to keep at it until something jumps off the page that captures the life and essence of my novel.

Wish me luck!