"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit"

You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. ~ Arthur Plotnik

A while back, I had a friend who would go through my chapters and work her grammar magic to get them in relatively clean condition. This friend was an avid reader, fantastic crit-partner, and incredibly skilled at identifying other things such as characterization, plot weaknesses, and even cultivating ideas for future projects.

In my naiveté, I was stunned to learn she didn’t write for one simple reason, prompted by her own admission that, well, she couldn’t. Storytelling as an art and creative writing simply wasn’t her forte, despite my observational evidence to the contrary.

Several years have passed since then. Now I am a multi-published author as well as a professional editor. Balancing these things can be gruesome, especially if a long break stretches between doing one or the other. For example: I finished my NaNoWriMo project toward the end of November last year. I was creatively exhausted, and more than happy to take December off from writing to work on editing. Now, midway through March, I find it increasingly difficult to get back into the writing groove. I’ve written here and there, but not nearly as much as I wanted to have done by a quarter into the new year. On the other hand, my editing assignments keep coming, and I’m knocking them back with little trouble. Switching from critical to creative is a bitch, because most authors already have a tendency to self-edit along the way. For those of us who edit and write, it’s nearly impossible.

Of course, this is hardly limited to the published editors among us. Well before I edited for anyone, I had a bout of tremendous writer’s block due mostly to the errors I caught in manuscripts submitted for publication, even those that were eventually accepted and published. I’d see my mistakes, I’d be on the lookout for flaws that had been pointed out to me by my editors and try to alter my style as I wrote. This led to a writing stalemate.

Some lessons have to be learned and relearned. I can’t stress this enough—to get any words out, you can’t worry about how it sounds. You can’t fret over word choice or sentence construction, nor can you ignore these things when it comes time to clean up the manuscript for submission. Creativity won’t survive if you keep shoving your work under a microscope. You’ll lose sight in the endgame while worrying over the small things. Whatever you write is subject to change, but you can’t improve anything if your manuscript is blank.

Keeping this in mind is beyond difficult. However, editing fiction and writing fiction are two very different beasts. It seems otherwise because both involve knowing one’s way around grammar and story mechanics. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find your voice after your last manuscript has been edited within an inch of its—and your—life. We’ve all been there.

Interview with Kacey Hammell

I'm turning things over to Ms. Kacey Hammell this week to discuss the love and hardships of all things writing. Ms. Hammell is also celebrating a new release, Illusions, which premiered last week with Decadent Publishing.

MUSES: Tell us a bit about the process behind your debut publication. What did you learn? Is there anything you know now you wish you’d known then?
K. HAMMELL: Going back a few years when I first wrote ILLUSIONS, I wish I understood Isabella Knowles a bit better. I had suffered loss in my life, but at that time, not a parent. It’s a very different loss when it’s a parent. In ILLUSIONS, Isabella still tries to move past the loss of her mother and I didn’t understand her, the tragedy as I thought I had.
This time, in going back to revise ILLUSIONS extensively for re-release, she and I had a deeper friendship and understanding of one another. I was able to let her lead easier and she gave me the same trust.

MUSES: Tell us a bit about your new release. How did it challenge you?
K. HAMMELL: As said above, ILLUSIONS was a great challenge. But beyond just Isabella and I becoming friends, the story challenged me as it was my first and I didn’t want to push the envelope too much. I allowed the characters to lead me but I held back a bit. In writing a first story, I found that I was hesitant to go too outside the box and offend anyone—publishers and/or readers!
But in the end, I’m more than pleased with the story and the sequels to come.

MUSES: How quickly did it take you to realize that writing the book is just the first part in a very long battle?
K. HAMMELL: As soon as I received the acceptance from the publisher, nerves set in and my head spun. *g*
In finding avenues to feature the story, get the blog constantly updated, advertising set up, editing/re-working the story while trying to keep the insecurities at bay, it is very exhausting! LOL
I found the writing/signing paperwork the fun parts! It’s all so worth it though!

MUSES: What is your opinion on reviews?
K. HAMMELL: As a past reviewer, I respect those reviewers who are respectful of the authors/stories they are reviewing and know that they do lend to the popularity of the work. Most reviewers who review understand how to do it – with tact, respect and comprehensively – don’t let the “power” go to their head and keep things professional. There are many reviewers who are the exact opposite and don’t get my time at all.
Reviews are very much needed to spread the word about publishers/authors/stories.

MUSES: Is there some aspect of writing you find more challenging than another? Can you share what that is?
K. HAMMELL: Seeing my own mistakes is a challenge for me. I zip through a story when writing, I don’t go back and correct anything until the story is written, which lends to there being times when I can’t see every error/flaw. Also, trying to stay within a certain word count or inside of a box (example: for a specific submission call/theme) too limiting. I like the freedom to just write without staying within a guideline for specific theme/storyline.
I find writing blurbs a challenge too. I never get it right on the first try.

MUSES: How much of what you write is from experience?
K. HAMMELL: A lot of it. I hope I’m not the only one that let’s real life into their work. But in writing contemporary, it’s hard not to. Whether it’s personal – tragedies, evenings out with spouses, high points of celebration, friendships – things tend to creep into a story. I think it adds a deeper quality to the story(ies) to sprinkle in some experiences/personal aspects.

MUSES: You have developed quite an Internet presence. How do you find the time to write when you seem to be everywhere?
K. HAMMELL: Scheduling. I’ll use a few hours during the day to do the tweeting/FB posting, discussing real life happenings etc., then write for a few hours. I don’t write every single day, I have found that I can’t unless I’m inspired by a story. Once done one story, I’ll set it aside for three to five days then go back to it to do the self-edits. Once those are done, unless a new story has instantly struck, I’ll take another break from writing for a few days then look at WIP folder and go from there. In doing things like this, I can balance the online presence with writing. For now at least…what works today might not work in six months! LOL

MUSES: What does an author have to do to capture your attention?
K. HAMMELL: A compelling blurb & rocking cover capture my attention first. The story within has to wow me – plot, depth, layers and characters -- in order to continue buying the author. I am a series bookaholic. I love authors who write top-notch characters, settings, adventure that are all a part of a series. I like revisiting characters we meet in book one who get their own stories.

MUSES: What authors have most influenced you in your journey? Do you try to emulate them in your own writing?
K. HAMMELL: I deeply respect authors like Jaci Burton, Nora Roberts/JD Robb, Suzanne Brockmann, Sara Brookes, Cindy Gerard, Cherry Adair, Patricia A. Rasey, and Rosalie Stanton. I have followed their careers for years, some since they began writing, and respect their views and appreciation for their readers and the chance to write continually. Each author has been inspiring to me in the way they handle themselves, the attentions they have for the readers and the consistency with which they write each book. They put their stories and readers first, which is awesome, and I’m never disappointed with anything they write.
I don’t try to emulate them at all, but I do hope that I follow the same type of respect to the readers and my stories as I believe they have in their careers.

MUSES: Tell us a bit about your favorite literary character, and what qualities made him/her stand out as more than just a name on a page.
K. HAMMELL:I have three characters that stand out for me. In all the years I’ve been reading, I can’t pick just one.
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. She is a red-haired, freckle-faced orphan who faces the world with absolutely nothing but the sheer force of her personality.She is feisty, funny and above all unabashedly passionate. I love her. My parents always said I reminded them of her when I was growing up. High compliment indeed.
Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter…perhaps not the most common, maybe a surprising pick, but there is just so much to the man. His exquisite taste, well read, and surrounds himself with utter beauty. Plus being such a vicious and mean killing machine, the most devious within all of the literary world, makes him memorable and formidable.
Elizabeth Bennett, from Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie is such a complex character, but one of humour and spunk. She’ll tell a joke, make provocative remarks and loves to laugh out loud. She is utterly delightful.
MUSES: When you’re not writing or reading, what typically keeps you occupied? What do you enjoy doing in your free-time?
K. HAMMELL:I like to walk/hike with my kids and hubby, we go to the movies a lot and I enjoy snuggling in front of the TV together.

MUSES: Any harsh realities would you wish to impart on aspiring authors?
K. HAMMELL:Rejections are a part of the business. Take them, feel that initial sting for an hour or two, then brush them off. Find another publisher to try. If one publisher gives you feedback (not all do), then re-read your story, look for what details they give you and revise if you agree. Never think your story is absolutely perfect and discount what the publisher(s) has to say. Really look at your story for the aspects they found flawed and think about revisions. Getting a rejection is hard and they sting. But in the end, they are sometimes the best advice an author is given.

MUSES: Where can readers find you?
Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
Email
Goodreads

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us, Kacey! Wishing you many sales on your new release!

Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit

If you've ever attended a Weight Watcher meeting or any such support group, you're probably familiar with pearls of fortune cookie wisdom. Aside from "Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit" -- which is a favorite of mine -- I was often told, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

These adages might be old, but that doesn't make them wrong.

It's very easy to get discouraged in this business. No matter how well you write, there's someone else who's at a place you want to be and can't get in, or someone who doesn't write as well whose Amazon's rankings tower over yours. You can spend time you don't have and raise hopes you can't afford to raise only to fall flat on your face.

But the old adage is right. Quitters never win, and if you're determined to meet a certain goal, no matter the obstacles that pile in your way, there's nothing preventing you from ultimately reaching it. Don't let the rejections, bad reviews, negative feedback, and so on halt your journey. Most authors have a working understanding of what they do well and what they need to work on. Find yourself a crit partner who excels at something with which you need help. Target your weaknesses and don't blanch when people give you honest feedback. It might smart at first, but learning where you need work and focusing on perfecting your craft will always pay off.

You're Gonna Carry That Weight

Going viral.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good? The act of being or having gone viral is relatively short-lived. People have incredibly tiny attention spans. If an author loses his or her composure over a negative review, a backlash can be expected, but it has an expiration date. A few months pass, and while your name might remain at least fleetingly familiar, it would take a trip to Google for a reminder. Granted, that might not exactly be reassuring, but soon people will be talking about something else.

The bad? Yes, for a while, if you have amounted bad publicity, you will be the topic of gossip and e-water cooler chatter. There will be people who remember you, and not fondly.

The ugly? Some of those people who remember you are those you don’t want remembering you.

Reputations are incredibly fragile things. Repairing any amount of damage, if at all possible, isn’t easy. Ask Robert Downey Junior if you think otherwise.

Ultimately, the reputation you have can and will shape your relationship with publishers. If you’re a difficult author to work with, word can well spread between houses. Where the important things are concerned, the Internet doesn’t forget. The relationships you forge, the people you encounter, the readers you inadvertently piss off, the tweet you shouldn’t have tweeted, the comment you made in a fit of anger on a blog…these things can all come back to haunt you.

The shield of a computer monitor can provide the illusion that professionalism isn’t an essential. We have to be mindful of ourselves as public figures, even if we’re not traditional public figures. Our business is with our readers, and readers who don’t respect the author are not likely to provide their patronage.

Guest Author Charlene A Wilson

Today we have Author Charlene A Wilson here at RtM.
I asked my favorite question ...

What is the hardest part of being an author for you?

When I read the question, I sat and thought about all the editing I’m going through right now with my Aumelan series.  Cut the unnecessary adjectives, avoid adverblys (yeah, my own word there to remind me to hate the “ly” words), check for run-on sentences, axe the dialogue tags…  You know the drill.

Not to mention the final edits I went through with the first two books of the Chronicles of Shilo Manor series—insert commas, add “and”s to the “then”s…  Thank goodness I’m past that as Cornerstone Deep is published and Cornerstone Deep Echoes will be released tomorrow; both a mile stone and an awe striking moment for me.  Are they really the best they could be?  Will I ever really know?  Sometimes I wonder if my work will ever be good enough.  But, I did my best, look forward to the next, and am getting better with each.

Then, I realized something.  The question wasn’t what I thought the hardest thing about being a writer was.  It’s, “What is the hardest part of being an author for you?”  That made me think. 

I always thought of writer and author as being synonymous, though people seemed to select one or the other with purpose when then they talked about the craft.  So, thanks to Romancing the Muses, I decided to look into it and find out, once and for all, what the difference between being an author and being a writer really is.

Now, of course, authors write.  And, of course, writers can author.  But, according to DifferenceBetween.net, “A writer is a person who writes a book, article, or any literary piece, while an author is essentially the person who originates the idea, plot, or content of the work being written. If you are writing a novel or short story based on a plot developed by self, you get to be known as the author of the novel. And if you are penning down someone else’s ideas or stories, you will be known as the writer of the work. Being a writer is at times easier than being an author. The reason being that an author has to create, develop, and communicate an idea, while a writer has to only communicate somebody else’s idea.”

“When it comes to writing books, a person becomes an author only when the book is published. If your work is unpublished, and even if the idea is purely your own, you will still be considered as the person who wrote the work. And when your work is published you get to be known as the author of the work. So if you write a lot, but never get them published and out to the public, you remain a writer.”

Okay.  That didn’t totally make sense to me since a script-writer writes scripts and is known as a writer and not an author even though it’s published.   But they also say…

Isn’t that wonderful?  I finally got an answer to a question I never really gave much thought to.  And the answer to how I should be answering my question, “How do I answer Romancing the Muses’ question?”….  Right, so I found out that what I considered the hardest thing about doing what I’m doing isn’t the hardest thing about what I am.  But, we’ll go from here…  (If you’re not totally confused by my line of thought by now, don’t worry.  I’m confused enough for all of us. *wink*)

Being the creator of my stories, I’m calling myself the author of them.  And in the creation process, I guess I would have to say the hardest thing would be making sure it all lines up.  Stories can flow and practically write themselves when my characters and I are in sync.  I’m one of those authors whose characters talk to them.  They let me know what they should be doing in their lives.

But, getting it all properly laid out and flowing freely to where it makes sense to the reader can be difficult.  We have to make sure the timeline fits—Let’s say I’m writing chapter fourteen.  I have General Hilton in Sun City coming unglued and blowing up at Chad for endangering the population by introducing his people’s energy vampirish ways.  But, in chapter fifteen, Chad is still in the World Beneath the Rock trying to convince the Leading Fathers of Aumelan to trust the people of the Sun with their secret.  He hasn’t traveled to the World Above yet.  Not good.

I double, triple, quadruple checked to make sure characters stay in character.  I’d hate to have Mianna, a daughter of an Arylin colony and avid follower of the Goddess of Love, scoff at someone worshiping their God.  Or, timid Mandy take on her reincarnated twin’s characteristic, who’s far beyond any five year old, of explaining the spiritual progression a soul. 

There is so much that goes into the process of crafting a book.  So much more than I ever dreamed of before I decided to take on this career.  Would I trade it for anything else?  Not a chance.  Whether you call me a writer or an author, I’m here to stay.  The Chronicles of Shilo Manor will keep growing…Cornerstone Deep Destiny is in the creation process now.  Aumelan will hopefully be ready to submit later this year.  Here’s to new worlds, hard work, and loving it.

Author site:   (http://CharleneAWilson.com)

Blog:    (http://CharleneAWilsonblog.blogspot.com)

Facebook:    (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Charlene-A-Wilson-Romance-Author/162568770441255)

Twitter:   ( http://twitter.com/AuthorCAWilson)

LinkedIn:    (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/charlene-a-wilson/15/989/1b8)

Learn To Live With What You Are

Nearly fifteen years ago, I knew a woman who managed an online fanfic archive for stories devoted to the notorious creation of Thomas Harris. If that name is not instantly recognizable, try this one on for size: Hannibal Lecter.

That’s right, ladies and germs. Arguably fiction’s most renowned cannibal has—or rather, had—a modest fanbase. Heck, parts of those forums might still exist. I don’t know, I don’t check. The woman who ran this particular archive (we’ll call her Clarice just for grins) saw roughly the same appeal in Hannibal the Cannibal as others see in Erik from Phantom of the Opera. The grotesque, the tragic, the star-crossed…and for those of you who have read Thomas Harris’ work, that interpretation is not off base.

What struck me then about this woman was she was very grounded, and she didn’t shy from handing out business cards with her name and fandom association. To some of us, the things we do alone with the glow of a computer monitor is a very private affair…even if we’re not looking at porn or doing anything other than write a scene between our two title characters.

I remember once being very embarrassed showing anyone anything I’d written. Anything. Even an innocuous scene between friends. Therefore, the idea that someone would not only confess to their pastime, but advertise it to strangers was beyond me. Even now, though I have grown bolder and less discerning who knows my dirty little secret, I find it hard to believe I’d do the same given Clarice’s circumstances. Heck, when pushed, I’ll confess to writing “paranormal romance”—despite my vocal assertions that erotic romance writers ought not be ashamed.

Yet more than the labels that come with our craft is the mindset of where we are versus where we need to be. I highly doubt Clarice still hosts that website. It’s likely lost to the Ghost of Internet Past. Regardless, it was a stepping-stone. A place marking where she was in her writing career to where she went. In my case, I got my start in Internet publication in the same vein as so many others: in fan-fiction. I was ashamed to admit it until I stopped writing it, but I’m not ashamed anymore. Regardless of what it means to me now, it meant something to me then. I knew I wasn’t going to do it forever, but when I was at my happiest, I don’t think it would have bothered me. You go from that to the world of actual publishing—with its actual deadlines, actual editors, actual royalty statements, and actual panic attacks—and a lot of what you hear isn’t where you are, rather where you’re not. You’re not agented. You’re not a NYT Best Seller. You’re not making what you want to make. You’re not, you’re not, you’re not.

I think we get lost in the are not’s, and some of us have forgotten to learn to live with what we are, and how what we are builds into what we become. There is no race on this thing. If you love it, you stick with it. If you don’t love it, ask yourself why you do it. Is it for who you are or who you want to be, and if it’s the latter, are you satisfied being what you are, knowing it’s a necessary step to getting you where you want to go?

"Et tu, Brute?"

As writers, we focus on making the intangible tangible. We strive to describe things that have never really been successfully described—emotions with definitions completely subjective to the individual emoting them, yet still somehow universal. To some, love might mean “never having to say you’re sorry.” Someone like me would amend that to something like, “love means saying you’re sorry when you mean it and not giving a damn what it does to your pride.”

As an editor, I see manuscripts from authors who have a killer story that falls completely flat due to lack of character. It’s the difference between the original Star Wars trilogy and the travesty that was the prequel films. Unlike the first films, many viewers didn’t care for the characters because they weren't complex or well-written. If they cared at all, it was because they were instructed to.

RedLetterMedia released three crushing multi-part vlog reviews of the prequel films that completely dismantled the protest of any apologist. One of the ways RLM demonstrated the inferiority not only as a part of a once golden franchise, but a movie at all, was asking fans to describe a character by their personality rather than appearance. For Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa, this was a piece of cake. For Anakin Skywalker, Qui Gon Jinn, or any of the other prequel characters, it was near impossible…without putting some thought into it.

I’ve heard people complain about the acting in the prequel films, and in so, casting the script as a secondary problem. Liam Neeson a bad actor? Natalie Portman? Ewan McGregor? Hayden Christianson has been remarkable in some roles. Perhaps he wasn’t the best fit, but an actor is only as good as his script. Natalie Portman is a phenomenal actor, and anyone who thinks otherwise should go check out Black Swan.

It’s all in the writing.

The key element of the prequel films is betrayal. At the end, Obi Wan is screaming at a dying Anakin, telling the audience how he feels rather than showing it. And because he feels this way, we should as well. In the next scene, though, he’s just fine. Betrayal is something you can’t shake off, especially if it’s done at the hand of someone close to you. In my experience, it’s hollow and sad with little shocks of anger here and there, but really more just a blanket of nothing. It has left me uncomfortably numb—much more like Harrison Ford’s reaction at the killer’s identity in The Fugitive. If you’ve seen that movie, you know what I’m talking about.

No matter the genre—the fact that this particular example came from a science fantasy film notwithstanding—the power of story is the ability to make the most outrageous scenarios accessible to the audience. It doesn’t matter where the story is set or what it involves; a good writer will make it a human story. So look at your writing. Look at the language you use when describing love, sadness, loss, joy, excitement, betrayal, and so on. Ask your friends if they feel the intended emotion, or if they just know it’s there. Knowing and mastering the difference will only strengthen you as an author.