If all you want to do is write, go for it.  You don’t have to get permission or a license.  All you need is a pencil and paper or maybe a computer depending on how serious you take your endeavor. If writing a novel is a future goal, then writing is one way to hone your skills.  Many professionals recommend that you start out small.  You could write an article for the local paper or a magazine, and even consider a blog. Blogs not only improve your writing skills, but also help build the platform and resume you will need later when approaching an agent/publisher.

If you do want to write a novel, you should know it’s hard work. Those people who say, “Anybody can write a book, how hard can it be?” They’ve never written a novel and most definitely never had one published. Writing isn’t just putting pen to paper, but I’m preaching to the choir. Writing is a skill that you develop through years of practice. As I’ve mentioned in another blog, you don’t just wake up one day a brain surgeon,  just like you don’t wake up one day an author. Just because you want it, doesn’t make it so. You have to pay your dues and learn the craft.

When I began this process, I completed my story and sent it to five literary agents. I was really proud of my work, I had a great story. I was now an author. Or at least I thought so until the rejections started flowing. One of the agents did take the time to tell me what wasn’t working-which was pretty much everything.  My dialogue dragged, I had numerous grammatical and structural errors, and I was head hopping. I almost forgot the on-the-nose writing. The only thing she liked was the premise itself. I didn’t know author-eese, What in the world was she talking about? I had to back track and learn the proper way to write. I have to admit, I’m still learning, but I now know exactly what she was talking about for each of the areas she cited.

Another thing to keep in mind, your first novel probably won’t be a masterpiece. This is true of every writer of every first novel. That does include Nicholas Spark and J.K. Rowling. Keep in mind you are learning the craft as your write. You will need to understand how to work dialogue, pace your book, construct a plot that is plausible and cohesive, build tension, and create characters that your reader likes and can relate to. Experts say it takes about 10,000 hours of writing to prepare you to write a publishable novel.

I don’t meant to discourage anyone. I just want to make sure you know what you are getting in to.  Most books take 5-10 years to get published.  I’m on year 5 so maybe I’m approaching the finish line 🙂  I sure hope I was a fast learner. If this is what you want to do, improve your skills by reading and writing. Yes you need to read. I would also recommend that you take classes, attend seminars, research, and join writing groups (Scribophile is a great option). You will get there. The biggy is DON’T GIVE UP!

-Jan R

So I’ve finished my first draft and am officially in the revision phase. From everything I’ve read, I need to step away from my work for a month or so. That’s really hard for me since this novel has taken up the majority of my waking hours over the last year.

I know my major weaknesses are Character Development and Description, so I thought I would take this time to research and learn as much as I can prior to picking up my manuscript and beginning the arduous process of revision. While I think it will be fun in a way, I have no doubt it will offer challenges as well.

When I started writing, I had a great premise and even though I didn’t do a character arc, I had a really good feel for my characters, and how I thought they should look and act. Once I started writing, I found my characters were taking on a life of there on. I know that sounds crazy, but if you’ve ever written a novel, you know exactly what I mean.

It’s like they came alive, and were leading me in the direction they wanted me to go. Some of my characters changed considerably. I must confess, I didn’t stop them. I kept writing and let things play out to the end.

What I discovered was some of the changes were good and some were not so good. I will be taking a closer look at my characters during my revision and try to figure out what worked and what didn’t for each of them.

During this process, I need to remind myself that characters are not sacred. If I need to sacrifice a character to save my story that’s okay. I can’t allow them to run the show.

This leaves me with three options:

1. Make my characters play the role they were meant to play.
2. Fire the ones that aren’t working and create new ones to take their place.
3. Let the misguided characters continue to ruin my story.

I’m not sure if a character outline would have helped or not. They went from being the people I planned, to the people they wanted to be.

What do you think?

-Jan R

So it’s been a crazy week so far. I live in the hurricane Mathew zone, and we had no power or internet for the last two days. It was like an unplanned camping trip. We do have a generator, so we didn’t have to rough it in the sense that many of our neighbors did, but it was definitely an inconvenience.

I was so thankful to all of our friends who reached out offering encouragement, a hot shower, and a warm, comfortable, place to stay.

We are so blessed, and don’t really realize how much so, until it is taken away.  Going through a situation like this, only reminded me of how much I take for granted. I pray that we do not become so complacent with our everyday lives, that we forget to Thank God for the favor he has lavishly poured on this nation.

Stay safe, and for those of you who are still dealing with the aftermath of Mathew, you are in my prayers.

-Jan R

You would think after five years, I would have this one figured out. Well apparently not. I have been having sections of my novel critiqued for the last 6 months. I seem to have the same issues over and over which is very frustrating.

Just when I think I have the “into” word figured out, I get a critique back citing it, because it was used incorrectly. I’ve developed some friends/ followers on the critique site I use. One of those friends commented just recently, “you’re consistent, I’ll give you that.” Unfortunately, she meant consistently wrong 😦

So I did some research, to hopefully put this one to rest. Thought I would share my findings with you. I have no doubt, I’m not the only person with this problem.

“Into”    is a preposition that expresses movement or something toward or into something.

• I fell into the puddle.
• I put the money into my pocket.

“In to”   is the adverb “in” followed by the preposition “to”. They aren’t related and only happen to fall next to each other.

• She came in to pick up her laundry.
• He went  in to see if it was true.

A quick check if you’re still questioning your decision…

Look at your sentence and replace ‘into’ or ‘in to’ with ‘where’. If the second half of the sentence answers where, then use ‘into’.

If that doesn’t work, replace the ‘in to’ with ‘in order to’. If it works, use ‘in to’.

“Into” answers ‘where’.

• I fell ‘where?’-into the puddle.
• I put the money ‘where?’-into my pocket.

“In to” is short for ‘in order to’.

• She came  ‘where?’-to pick up her laundry. That doesn’t make sense. It answers ‘why’ not ‘where’.
• She came ‘in order to’-pick up her laundry. Uses ‘in to’.
• ——————————————————————–
• He went  ‘where?’ to see if it was true. Again that doesn’t make sense. It’s not answering ‘where’ but ‘why’.
• He went ‘in order to’ see if it was true. Uses ‘in to’.

Hope this clears thing up. I won’t be making that mistake again 🙂

-Jan R

I read an article recently that described openers and finishers. I had never really thought about it, though if I had to identify with one of the two, it would definitely be finisher.

An opener is someone with grand ideas, too many grand ideas. They get bogged down and jump back and forth between projects, never to finish one, or they allow themselves to become discouraged and quit before crossing the finish line.

A finisher as you may have all ready guessed, finishes what they start. They primarily stick to one project at a time and move at a slow consistent pace until they have completed their work or met their goal.

When I read this article, I couldn’t help but think about ‘The Tortoise and The Hare’.  The Hare was enthusiastic and fast but he allowed distractions(other projects for my analogy) to get in his way, and he looked for shortcuts to help him catch back up. Of course, we all know how that went.

The Tortoise on the other hand, stood at the starting line with one thing in mind, finishing the race. He didn’t try to take any shortcuts(which could result in inferior work). He was in for the long haul. He wasn’t giving up.

Since my adventure began five years ago, I have read numerous stories from well known authors about their journeys to becoming published.  The one common theme in all of their stories was perseverance. I put so much time and effort into my craft, I can’t help but feel discouraged at times. It helps and encourages me to know that I am not alone but in great company.

If you have a high quality, marketable piece of work, persevere and you will eventually find an agent and get published. Kathryn Stockett wrote, ‘The Help’ over a five year period of time, then had three and a half years worth of rejections-60 in all. It was agent number 61 who took her on. The book spent 100 weeks on the best seller list.

The agent that took the time to work with me, always ended her critiques with don’t give up.

We all know who won that race. Are you an Opener or a finisher?

-Jan R

As a writer, have you ever stopped to think about the contributions you make to society. You’re not a Doctor, Lawyer, or Engineer, you are a Writer/Author right? I think many times we get so invested in our work and coming up with a viable manuscript, that we don’t take the time to pat ourselves on the back for the joy and satisfaction we bring to others, or the importance of our role in society.

I recently responded to a blog post, and while I was answering the question, I got to thinking about all of you writers out there. I wondered if you had any idea the number of lives you touch in a profoundly positive way. The service you provide to your readers.

When I was growing up we were very poor. My father was killed in an accident when I was 12, leaving my mom with 6 children to raise on her own. Needless to say, we were not going to Disney World. As a matter of fact, my world would have been pretty bleak, if it hadn’t been for my love of reading and the numerous novels that took me on adventures far and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I remember my first novel was ‘King Arthur’, pretty heavy for a kid, but I loved it.

I’m not that young girl anymore, I can go to Disney World if I want to, but my love for books and the sense of adventure has never left. That was something cultivated by my mother, who I’m sure, loved reading novels for the same reason.

My mother is elderly now, and due to extensive medical issues, unable to get out and enjoy life and experiences that she once could. That’s okay with her though, as long as she has a good book to read. Her books take her to places she could never go and as long as she can read, she is never just stuck at home.

I wrote this blog as a ‘Thank You’ and a reminder of how important you are. I’ve provided stories from my personal life, but there are millions of people out there with the same story.

Know that you are important, you are needed, and you provide a vital role in our society!

-Jan R