Cutting the Strings of Success

I've traveled a rough rough creative year. I found out pouring out my soul is not enough for success. That left me leaning against the walls, sobbing (I know, embarrassing but nevertheless true). I ache inside to write something that actually means something to a multitude of people. I still ache for this, but at to this point I don't really know what words will do that.

Publishing work is a tough thing. A writer scrapes down to the bone, and then goes even further, like stripping pieces of your soul and then handing it out. This is a difficult thing to face: a monumental creative effort of mine was like passing out flyers on the corner of some nameless city and, while a few people went into the show, most just tossed the flyers on the ground and moved on.

Very few care. Not an easy answer for an artist. My first reaction was childish. How dare the folks not love my work. How dare they!  There are no gimmicks or tricks in my bag.  I have no pile of money to lean on, no celebrity to tap into. I have to rise up on the merits of my words alone. Blue collar girl here, and few of us really get a chance to say anything. 

There is more to my story. I have integrity. I didn't just slap some stupid and uncomfortable sex on a page. I didn't try to titillate, seduce or toss on some bondage. I went with the stuff that means a lot to me: honesty, humanity, and small town values -- the golden rule, love your neighbors, and be yourself.  Surely this will rise. Surely!

I am really embarrassed right now. Have you ever boasted? I have. I thought for sure I was going to be a player in the writing world. Do you know how painful it is to rejected by an agent because you are just "a midlist author and never are going to be more than that."  To be told by really successful editors that your writing is fantastic but it's not likely to connect. I blindly believed  they were crazy. Then I put the work out there and find out that those voices were not messing with me. They were trying to be helpful. Why did humility have to be such a hard lesson? 

I am pretty sure there must be more truth that no one wants to tell me. They probably think I can't take it, and they are probably right.  I read Charlotte's Web, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Book of Three as a kid and thought surely I will find this magic too. People are going to read my books just like those. Now I am beyond 50 years old, and, guess what? Yet, I am still writing, but I have taken a paring knife and cut the strings to success--this kind of success: the attainment of popularity, profit or both. 

And here I am living the Blue Bird of happiness story. I found the magic of the stories. What I need is the golden rule, to love my neighbor, and to be myself.  I am some pig. I am terrific. I am radiant. I am humble. Love really does take the day and save those I love. And assistant pig farmers find out that that is really what they are and that isn't something to be ashamed of.  Everything shines.

Neighbors, because if you are reading this, you are my neighbors. I hope you find the magic in stories too.  If you want, my book PLUMB CRAZY is on sale on Kindle for 99 cents for my birthday week. I will be back next week with more musing about the creative life.

Here is a doodle for you.

A quote for your pocket.

When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me. Fred Rogers

Plumb Crazy May: My Best Marketing Advice

Hi, folks! Welcome to the blog! This month I am offering a series that shares some of the inside story of my book PLUMB CRAZY (Swoon Romance, June 2014). Consider following the link and giving it "a like" on Goodreads.

Here is a fact: I fell off the couch laughing while writing PLUMB CRAZY. Now, I am living in the tension of "I hope my readers will too." I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas day. You know, will I really get the bean bag chair? This is a bigger story than you think. This is about the power of belief and my best marketing advice.

I remember the excitement of that Christmas morn, and the big let down when I ran to the Christmas tree. Santa Claus dropped unwrapped stuff under the tree. There was no Christmas bean bag chair, and I had been a good girl!  Oh, dear God, my sister was right--there was no Santa Claus. I wailed into a couch cushion. Then my mom tapped my shoulder. She said we should check the attic because bean bag chairs were really big and  didn't fit down cardboard chimneys. Dad pulled down the fold-down ladder, and I scampered up. I found my bean bag chair. I screamed, shoving my face into its buttery softness. Santa was real! All was right with world!

So here I sit, waiting for PLUMB CRAZY to make its way into the world. I am jittery and excited. All I have is belief right now. Will any of my readers fall of the couch like I did?  Will they laugh so hard that their heads ache? Will they feel the "big hug" of knowing Elva Presley?  Writing a book is a very exposing thing, a private and intimate process. The process of publishing a book is the exact opposite, revealed and public.The shift is nevre-wracking for writers.

And now, for the big moment, my best marketing advice. The best marketing thing you can do for your book is write your best possible book. Pour out your soul. Uncover your secrets. Say what only you can say. Write sticky thoughts that readers won't forget. Write something that connects with readers worldwide. Believe and believe. Send it out to readers and let them decide. Then start the next book.

Yes, I know you wanted it to be how to get your book on NPR or something, but I am a truthteller and "soul on page" is what you need. Please come back as I share more of the inside story of PLUMB CRAZY. I hope that you pour your belief into your books this week because I love to read a good book. Love! See you next week!

Here is a doodle: Sun!

Quote for your pocket from Mr. Neil Gaiman. Here is a link to the longer quote because it is a fun read.

I can believe things that are true and things that aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they're true or not.  Neil Gaiman

Chicken by Chicken: One Writer Navigates New Publishing

This is one my favorite series every year: Chicken by Chicken. This is a take on Anne Lamott's BIRD BY BIRD, a helpful writing book. The idea is you take the writing journey one day at a time. You take it one word at time, and that the important thing is always the writing and not the publishing. Writing for me is chicken by chicken. That's how I roll.

Writing is a weird business. I spend a massive amount of time creating a viable story. I have a thousand tricks to place that story on the page. After a long while the writing has become more fluid, more entertaining, simply more. Meanwhile the entire publishing world evolved in a game-changing way while I was learning to write. Befuddled chicken.

The way books reach readers has changed - apps, readers, tablets, etc. Self publishing went from the poor step-sister to to the vogue new thing. Bad for me, I'm a joiner and poor church mouse -- not the self-publishing guru type. Major publishers changed their focus too -- almost exclusively to urban stories for sophisticated teens. Hype, slick, and charismatic stories written by hip young authors rule. I flipped  through my heartwarming, funny and wry  pages written by an ordinary down-home gal and thought: Oh, no!  Poor chicken.

New publishing models have proliferated. Many publishing experts view any new publishing model with a bit of sneering disdain, unless that model become uber-profitable. Then it is viewed as the enemy or the bandwagon. Me, I huddle in corners scratching out my words chicken by chicken and experience unease about the state of affairs.  I want someone to read my words and see if they resonate -- that's about it. A confession:  I don't really care how I reach readers.

I send to agents and receive massive stacks of  no-thank-yous. I realized if I wanted to be published in the brave new world, I'd have to try new things. I looked at self-publishing, crowd-sourced publishing, and indie digital-first publishing. And digital-first clicked -- my fangirl rom-com PLUMB CRAZY is being released in May of 2014 by Swoon Publishing. I think I'm changing my name to Indie Down-home Gal. I'm considering buying cowgirl boots to celebrate.

I am excited!  Can't wait to reveal my upcoming cover!  Meanwhile, I'm still doing what I always do, scratching out words, chicken by chicken. See you next week with more chicken scratch.

Here is this week's doodle:  "Princess Chicken".

A quote for your pocket.

 

I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do or any place I wanted to be more than home. Where I can walk around the yard, sweeping leaves off the slate paths to my heart's content. Sissy Spacek. 

The Keys to Publishing Success -- Elasticity

Welcome to Seize the day! I'm continuing my series --- the Keys to Publishing Success. This week I'm touching on the important key of elasticity.

Elasticity is a physical property of elements to return to their original shape after they are deformed. Writers must have this property to find brilliant success.

You might be smooshed out of shape sometimes, and you will have to bounce back. I mean editors might send you excited emails, and then write back that the accountants said your book isn't viable. Said book may simply sit in your closet for umpteen years after that. Sigh. More stuff can happen. Your new book, the one you worked on for five years, may get one partial request from an agent, and the agent doesn't ever get back to you. You might be strung along by an editor or an agent, rewriting, pouring your soul into your efforts, just to face another no. You might have to shake this all off and start that next book. Elasticity, honey.

There is more to this than you think. Your vision of what being published may be smooshed into the something wholly foreign to you, and you must remold into another vision. Here's the deal. The way books are published may drastically transform in your lifetime. You may get no advance, no agent and see you book as an electronic form only, after dreaming for decades about a physical book and an advance that might buy a beater. Communities may spring up, "incubators" for new authors provided by publishers. These are places to share your work with the world with no pay to you, like American Idol for writers -- many hopefuls, few winners. Self-publishing may transform around you and become a way many authors find their way to publishing success. The bad news, you are as poor as a church mouse. You must work evenings and weekends on top of your day job to gather cash for your endeavor. Elasticity, child.

You might find that you have to reshape what your are writing to meet the needs of the marketplace. You may love writing literary fiction but have to give it up to write a little contemporary middle grade novel. Maybe you will have to take your love of folktales into space. Perhaps your wonderful Biblical story will have to have a modern day retelling. And maybe it's all over for your vampires , and you have to write about a club of sociopaths in high school who engineer the other students to suit their life-sucking needs. Your creative self must be ready to transform . Elasticity, folks.
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I hope that figure out a way to be elastic this week and turn the key of publishing! See you next week with one more key!
I'm eschewing doodles this month for pics. Here is this week's pic: "Pretty."

 Here is a quote for your pocket:

The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.  Albert Schweitzer.

The Keys to Publishing Success -- Fellowship

Hi, folks. I'm continuing my series on publishing success. This post is all about fellowship. You may have just guessed I like The Fellowship of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Gold star to you! To be successful at writing, you need a fellowship. This is better than a team. I think the component that is a game changer here is that when a fellowship forms, inception happens. I'm talking about the science fiction kind of inception in which shared dreams lead to amazing places.

Shared dreaming to me is the best parts of the creative journey. It's exciting to be a first reader on a project that is sizzling with wonder. It is thrilling when someone in your sphere makes waves in the publishing world. The bottom line, when writers band together magic happens. As the shared dream grows, more happy folks join the band -- agents, editors, publicists and finally the major expansion -- readers. Joining a fellowship is a sure key to getting published. Working alone is not a good way to readers. Band together with a fellowship of writers to influence the world in powerful ways.

How do you join a fellowship? The first thing you have to do is read a lot, so you know what you like and what has potential. Next, you have to be willing to be generous with your time and knowledge. Try to help everyone in your sphere succeed. Don't despair if there is nowhere to join. You must step up. If no one will lead a fellowship, be willing to do it yourself, even if you were once voted most likely not to lead. Avoid anyone who wants to bring you down and disses your creativity. Always huddle with the encouragers. Look for people who love work, not folks who like wine, cheese, gossip and no work.

I hope you are you are sharing your dream. I hope you are sharing the dream of others. If you are, success is barreling your way. Yay! I will be back next week with another publishing success key.

This week I'm sharing doodle photographs: "Texas Highway."

Here is a quote for your pocket.

The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are. C.S. Lewis

The Keys to Publishing Success -- Reinvention

Hi folks, I'm continuing my series about the keys of publishing success.  This week I'm going to talk about reinvention. I've observed this several times from unpublished to well-known writers -- an interesting phenomena. I call it it reinvention.You might need to reinvent yourself to find publishing success. What does this mean?

Perhaps you have longed to write the great American novel, but no one is interested in your work. A little middle grade story is bubbling on the back burner, and YAY!, you write it and you become an international success story. You've written twenty romance novels and can pay for coffee but then someone is murdered in your story -- you run with it, and YAY!, your award-winning crime thriller is soon optioned. You might be writing picture books but then you get an idea for a World-War II drama, the book takes off, and YAY!, NYT Bestsellers List and your name become best friends.

The pressure of failure is what pushes you toward success. Don't let repeated failures dishearten and overwhelm you, instead consider reinvention. If things haven't been working out, perhaps it is time to jump ship to another genre. Reinvent.

Reinvention works this way too. Some writers have a butterfly thing going on. They are crawling around like a caterpillar, writing any copy they can get paid for, but miraculous changes are happening within them.  They take their lunch breaks, wake up early in the morning and stay up late at night to plunk out their stories. They write all day and then go home, and write the stuff of their souls. The day comes when they self publish and find themselves paying off the mortgage of their home in a matter of weeks. Reinvention is afoot.

The pressure of missing the boat keeps these folks focused.  Don't be afraid you'll never get there, your efforts are not in vain. Let yourself dream and hope. This is the cauldron of reinvention. You're not languishing, writing that catalogue copy; you're adding nutrients to your coming transformation.

One more group has spent years at a desk job and haven't written much at all, but they have read, and read, and read. One day the life changes. They lose jobs. The spouse leaves.  Tragedy broadsides. It's time to reinvent, and the results are amazing.

Wrapping up, try something new, keep slogging forward, or finally write that book. Reinvent.

This week is another photo: "Texas Big Sky".

 

A quote for your pocket: 

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. C. S. Lewis 

The Keys to Publishing Success -- Innovation

Hi, folks, this month I'm going to talk about the keys of publishing success. I hope this series of practical advice helps you. First, you have to understand something important. Writing and publishing are not the same thing. You can be a very successful writer without being published. Think John Kennedy Toole or Emily Dickinson -- tragic but informative. This series is about finding publishing success, writing success is whole other topic.

One key that opens publishing doors -- innovation. It will propel your work to readers. There is no question. Innovation will open the doors that have previously been closed to you. To leverage innovation, you must learn to recognize opportunity and seize it. Writing is professional skill and you need 10,000 hours of informative practice to become a master. Once you can write, it is time to connect your stories with readers. This is the moment to innovate. Don't get me wrong, traditional still works. If you are connected to the traditional publishing world -- related to folks in publishing, have an MFA, lots of publishing contacts for whatever reason, or are working in publishing, use that. If not, the pathway to innovation will open up  new worlds of opportunity.

What is innovation? It is about going in a new direction that no one has thought of yet. Here are three suggested pathways: writing innovation, market delivery innovation, and  connection innovation. This is a broad topic but hopefully these quick snapshots will get your started.

Writing Innovation:  You can write. You are knowledgeable. Turn a genre on its ear. Grab hold of tired vampires and see them in a light as never before.  Dig into an old story like Frankenstein and unearth a new modern day Prometheus. Merge together two different genres in a way that has never been done before. Jack Kerouac, Phillip K. Dick, J.K Rowling ... these are people who dazzle to me. Be a game changer.This kind of innovation takes writing chops and throwing out the rule books. Are you up for this?

Market Delivery Innovation: The way people are reading books has irrevocably changed. Educate yourself about these changes. Jump on wave. Find the sharpest newest forms of self-publication. Check out the Innovations in Reading Prize winners from the National Book Foundation. Investigate Amazon, Smashwords, self-publishing and the future of self publishing. Many traditional publishers have ebook imprints now that don't require agents for submission. This is a market delivery revolution. Educate yourself and innovate to publish.

Connection Innovation:  This is about building a connection with readers in an innovative way that leads to publication. Your connection will be all about what is of core importance to you. I like Michael Hyatt as guru on the subject of platform. He can help you reach out to readers.  I also think you should check new ways readers are connecting online -- weBook, DeviantArt, ABCtales, Authonomy, Wattpad... there are a ton of different ways out there and the freshest most innovative ones aren't on this list. They are being invented right now. Take connection risks and innovate.

I hope that something here gets your work to readers. I hope that doors swing open for you! Good luck. I will be back next week with more on

This month I'm posting photos instead of doodle: A way up. 

Here is a quote for your pocket.

Doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results, is the definition of crazy.— Unknown

Watering

Hi, folks! We are having the biggest drought ever here. Folks are losing plants all over the place. One of my bushes in the front yard is looking mighty parched. I'm not sure it is going to make it. It needs extra care. So what does this have to do with writing? The thing about the drought we are experiencing is that it is likely a sympton of climate change and not just an isolated event.

I feel this huge shift in the writing industry. No one seems to know what is going to happen. Online books are driving down book prices. It seems like fewer people are reading than before in recent history. Libraries are disappearing. We are in the midst of a huge "climate change" event in terms of books. It's hard to narch forward when the ground is shifting under you.

This is the season and time to be inventive, to be entreprenurial, and to be evolutionary. These are the skills that will propel you forward in a changing times. I ask you this week to take risks, to open yourself up to revolutionary ideas. Don't worry if you are a mouse at heart. Mice are very adaptable. I tell myself this a lot.

Peace, friends. Good things are ahead if you are willing to go with the flow. Open up.

I call this week's doodle: "Oahu".



Human knowledge has been changing from the word go and people in certain respects behave more rationally than they did when they didn't have it. They spend less time doing rain dances and more time seeding clouds. Herbert Simon