If you ask my friends and family most of them would say that I struggle with having enough patience…and I’d have to agree.  At least when it comes to the mundane tasks of every day life. 

I absolutely hate when I’m trying to write something down quickly and the pen runs out of ink.  I always seem to drop something when my arms are too full to bend down and retrieve it.  Even standing in line always seems to happen when I’m in my worst rush.

So why, as a writer, have I developed so much patience?

It’s really quite simple.  The publishing biz tends to move quite slowly and there’s really nothing you can do about that, other than develop some strategies to keep things moving forward.

Imagine submitting work to magazines whose open themed issues start at 2014?  I remember subbing two pieces to Hopscotch for Girls magazine way back in 2005 and getting acceptances for June and December 2009.  Yep – 4 years later. 

A writing friend from my critique group received a contract for her mid grade novel from a small publisher, only to find that it took nearly two years before she finally had the paperback version in her hands.

If you’re writing something pertaining to a particular holiday or special time of year, most publications require that you submit your work at least six months prior to the issue in which the piece might appear.

So what’s a writer to do?

Definitely develop patience.  You can’t make it in this business without realizing that the wheels do move rather slowly.

But you can also develop some great strategies to keep everything moving forward.  Here are some things I do while I wait:

1.    Once you’ve sent a query, forget about it.  It’s out of your hands.  Move
       on to something else.

2.   If you have your manuscript out to an editor or agent for consideration,
      work on a different project so that you’ll have it ready to submit.

3.   If guidelines indicate that the publication accepts simultaneous subs,
      feel free to send out multiple queries at once.  With more irons in the
      fire, you’ll have more chances at acceptance.

4.  Revise work that has been rejected while new works are out for
      consideration.

5.   Never stop writing.  (To me, this is key.) 

Many freelancers suggest keeping a dozen subs out there at any one time.  That’s great advice.  Don’t put everything in one piece and wait for word before trying something else or subbing somewhere else.

Writers definitely need a large dose of patience but by developing your own strategies to keep yourself motivated and accomplishing something with your writing, the waiting just becomes part of the everyday writer’s life.

Okay everybody, this is my pep talk to those of you who keep saying you want to write a book but you just don’t have the time…

November is the perfect month to get cracking on that new manuscript or finish one of those files tucked away in a drawer somewhere.  Most people are through with vacations, the weather is heading toward winter and it’s darker out for longer each and every day.

But the best reason to get writing in November is a wonderful, FREE online event called Nanowrimo.  Participants vow to write each and every day, approx. 1500 words, for one entire month. 

And guess what?

By the end of November, you can have logged in at least 50,000 words toward a new book or to finish an existing manuscript.

I’ve done Nanowrimo twice before – the first time I did 37,000 words, the second time only 16,000, but, because of the push to write everyday, I wrote more than I would have without participating.

This year I WILL finish my second adult suspense novel during Nano.

Check it out.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Why not sign up and give it a try?

I hope you all had the chance to attend the Muse Online writing conference.  It’s a free resource for writers of all kinds and includes numerous free handouts as well as real-time chats, assignments, forums for discussion and pretty much anything else that would be of interest to writers of all levels.

A new aspect of this year’s conference were the pitch sessions.  Writers registered in the conference could submit a 100 word pitch to the conference leader in the hopes of being lucky enough to secure a spot pitching live online to a real editor from one of the dozen or more participating publishers.

Luckily, I secured a spot with a publisher and pitched my adult suspense novel.  At the end of the pitch, they asked for a synopsis and the entire manuscript.

I was thrilled!

So I spent the next week meticulously revising, reformatting and tweaking my final draft until I felt it was at its best.  I submitted everything and now must wait 6-8 weeks to find out its fate.

For those of you who say you can’t attend a conference due to travel, expense of attending, can’t take time off or any other reason, this free online conference brings everything you could ever want right into your own home, on your time, at your computer.

Make sure to check it out for next year.  They are already gearing up for registrations for 2010, which begin in November.

http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/registration.htm

It’s that time of year again and writers everywhere are gearing up for the Muse Online writing conference.

I still can’t believe this conference is offered for FREE.

Unfortunately, it’s too late to join up for this year but I’ll try to post interesting information once the conference is over.  It runs all next week and I can’t wait to log on and meet agents, editors and fellow writers, all while compiling tons of new information.

Also, I got selected as one of the lucky writers who can pitch their novel to a publisher.  Of course I’m pitching my adult suspense novel.

Keeping fingers and toes crossed that it’s something they’ll be interested in reading.

So I needed a new modem.  Go figure!  My DSL provider only took a couple of days to come to my rescue and then my connection was up and running again like new. 

You’d think that would have been it.

But nope – I’ve been having issues with my computer ever since.  After cleaning the drives, defragging them, running a full system virus scan, running a spyware system scan and checking every possible area for problems, I’m convinced that Outlook Express has been the culprit.

For the past three days, I’ve been reading and responding to all my email accounts online, rather than downloading them to Outlook, and voila – no freezing.

I’m still going to get someone to look at my lifeline to the internet and see what can be done, but I’m just glad I’m finally able to get online and stay there.

How do you all handle your internet issues and interruptions?

Well here I am again at the library (thank goodness for their 1 hour of free internet/day access) to write a quick post.

My internet decided to take a hike on Tuesday morning after having worked properly for a while and then…poof…nothing.  I can’t stand it!

With a limited sixty minutes of online time for an entire day, I again realize how much I rely on this marvelous communication tool for my writing.  I could spend an hour a day just doing research, another hour reading ezines and blogs related to writing, another hour sending emails and checking listserves and at least another hour writing.

Okay, so I can do the writing part without being connected to the world wide web.  But I feel like someone has taken away my security blanket or something. 

I need my internet back!

So tomorrow my DSL provider is supposed to come over and figure out my problem and fix it.  I hope it isn’t anything too serious and that I’ll be up and running by tomorrow afternoon.

I’d love to hear how any writers out there cope when they go offline. 

Is the internet as important to your writing existence as it is to mine?

Just wondering what all you writers out there think about movie adaptations of books?

More often than not I’ve heard the complaints after the movie ends about how the book was “so much better” or how the movie “didn’t do justice” to the book.  I must admit, I have found that disappointment myself, particularly with some of the Harry Potter movies as well as some mad-for-TV movies from several of Mary Higgins Clark’s suspense novels.

As an avid reader, I definitely visualize what I read in books and create my own versions of the characters and settings.  But that doesn’t distract me from what film makers do in the movies.  What I find the most disconcerting is how much of the books often get left out. 

I wonder, if I only saw the movies, and didn’t read the books first, if I would still feel confused, as if important pieces were missing?

Whenever I write, particularly novels, I have such vivid pictures of my characters – where they live, what they wear, how they sound, that I imagine I would have some difficulty with a movie version, particularly if I wasn’t given some creative input.

Yet, I think it must be a real kick for an author to see their stories unfold on the big screen, complete with all the magic of Hollywood. 

Having your book made into a movie does open up a whole other audience for your stories.  Many people will not have read the book, yet want to see the movie.  Many who have read the book will also want to see the movie.

If like me you’re an avid reader, then books, with their beautiful language and distinct voices, can never be replaced by the movies.  You will always choose to transport yourself to other worlds through the prose of your favorite authors.

But…despite the fact that not all movies do justice to the books on which they are based, I still think I would like to see one of mine on the big screen one day.

How about you?

I’m so happy to announce that “The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate”, a book by Donna St. Cyr, was released on August 4, 2009 and is now available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.

Published in paperback by CBAY books, “The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate” is a mid-grade novel following the adventures of Robert Montasio and his sister Janine as they solve a mystery using different kinds of cheeses.

Donna St. Cyr is a colleague, a cyber friend and a fellow writer.  We both belong to an online critique group called the Blue Quills.  I had the pleasure of reading the first draft of the cheese syndicate adventures and am now waiting expectantly for my paperback copy to arrive in the mail.

If you love adventure, great heroes and worlds made up of unique characters, you’ll love “The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate”.

To order the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Cheese-Syndicate-Donna-St/dp/1933767103

To find out more about Donna St. Cyr:
http://www.donnastcyr.com/index.html

Pick up a copy of “The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate” today.  You won’t be sorry.

Okay, I know most of you read the title of this post and said, “come on, what’s so positive about another rejection?”

There’s a positive side to everything, even rejection, if you look for it.  Here are a few I’ve come up with after years of submitting (many acceptances but many more rejections):

1.        You’ve submitted to publishers that aren’t suitable for your piece.
            Read published works by houses to get a feel for the tone/style/
            voice/subject/length etc. already published by them.

2.        What was the reason for the rejection?  I received several rejections
            from a popular national kids’ magazine but when I started getting
           the reason (enjoyed your poems but unfortunately this issue is full),
           I knew they liked my work and resubmitted until I finally got 2
           acceptances.

3.        At least rejections mean you’re subbing.  Many writers write but
            unless you sub, you’ll never realize that dream of becoming published.

4.        Did the editor or agent give you feedback?  Take the hint, revise and
            rewrite and sub again.

5.        If one of your pieces continues to get rejected, perhaps it isn’t ready
            to be subbed out.  These rejections can wake you up to the fact that
            a particular manuscript may need reworking before it’s ready.

6.        Who’s doing the rejecting?  If you’ve subbed to high end publishers,
            try smaller, less known presses first.  You have to start somewhere
            and the bigger the publisher, the harder for a newbie to break in.

7.        Did you follow the guidelines?  Some writers get rejected because
            they didn’t send what the publisher was looking for.  Don’t let that
            be you.  Do your research.

8.        Remember, they aren’t rejecting you, they’re rejecting one of your
            many pieces.  Don’t give up!  Keep subbing.

I will even go as far as to say that rejections can be a good thing.  For me, rejections make me push harder to do my best possible writing and to keep subbing.  If I hadn’t followed that advice, I wouldn’t have many of the acceptances I have managed to receive.

I don’t have a publisher for my debut suspense novel…yet.  But I’ve put it through a critique group twice, hired a professional author, published repeatedly in the same genre to critique it and I’ve revised and rewritten until I’m now certain it’s my best version of this story.  I’ve also researched publishers and agents.  I’m currently tweaking my query.  I’m not taking the chance of getting any unnecessary rejections.

Rejections are tough to handle – some more than others.  But take heart and learn what you can from them.

This year, in the area where I live, the weather has been unpredictable and summer has been a long time coming.  Finally though, we have had several days of beautiful, sunny weather.  That got me to thinking about writing.

Am I a summer writer or a winter writer?

I can honestly say that it isn’t difficult to hunker down in front of the computer on a freezing cold day in February as the wind blows gusts of ice and snow across the wide expanses of my back yard.  Writing all day is a great excuse to stay cozy in my pjs and drink coffee or hot chocolate all afternoon.

But as I let the bright summer sun warm my skin and as I smell the fresh morning air and listen to the happy, chattering birds, I feel rejuvenated and energized.  The days are long, the breezes cool and the pace can be whatever I choose.

In the winter, I find that I have more deadlines and more projects on the go at times, partly because I write plays for my studio’s drama department and partly because I’m one of those people who gets more accomplished the more I have to do.  In the winter I don’t mind being indoors – in fact, I rather like it when the temperatures outside dip below freezing.

In the summer, I become a different kind of writer. 

On sunny days, I love sitting in a park or on the shore of a lake, notebook and pen in hand.  The tranquill pace and sounds of summer inspire me to create new projects and to revel in all my new ideas. 

On rainy days, I hit the computer and work on revisions, research and rewrites.  I read writing newsletters and blogs.  I do what I call my “indoor” writing work.

So am I a summer writer? 

You betcha!

Am I a winter writer?

Absolutely!

I’m a writer…period.  No matter the weather or the circumstances, I write.  The only way to get those words down on paper is to sit there and do it.

So are you a summer writer or a winter writer?