J for Jotting (Notes)

No matter what, I almost always have either my phone or my tablet near me. I never know when inspiration will hit and I would need to jot down notes. I think it is important for a writer to always have something around to write down notes and thoughts. Who knows when inspiration will hit. One of the biggest lies a writer tells themself is that they will remember something. Most of us have fifty things going on. We have jobs, kids, pets, chores, errands, the list goes on and on. Sure, in all that jumnle, we may occasionally remember that random little detail about our story, but chances are it will get lost.

Do you carry around anything to write notes down on?

I is for Indie Presses

There are a lot of indie presses out there now. Some are good and some are bad, the trick is to find one of the good ones. I know I intern for one of the good ones, and have applied for jobs at a couple others, but really what can the writer do to make sure they are submitting their work to a good press? According to Writer Beware you need to watch out for:

• Does the press charge you any money?
• This would make the press a vanity press
• Do they solicit or spam you?
• Most reputable presses will not do this
• Are there complaints about the staff or press?
• If there are a lot of unhappy authors, there is probably something shady going on
• What are the  staff credentials?
• You want someone who knows what they are doing working for you
• What is the website like?
• If there are a lot of grammatical or typographical errors, what makes you think they will properly edit your work?

The list goes on to mention several other things to watch out for. Check out their site for more information on not just indie presses, but other areas important to writers.

H is for Humor

I can't stand to read something that is totally serious. This is the main reason I probably stay away from most non-fictions. I need to be able to laugh a little when reading. The hard part is, I don't think I'm very funny. I'm not sure I can inject humor into my writing. There are times that I try, but I feel as though it falls flat and I don't know what to do about it.

Sure, not everyone has the gift of gab. I feel, as a writer, I should be able to show different aspects of life in my writing, including the funny moments.

Do you like humor in what you read? Do you ever have trouble making what you write a little funny?

G is for Genre

Last time I talked about the fantasy genre, today I want to talk about genres in general. Usually I just read and write romance and fantasy/sci-fi, but I have been reading contemporary novels more often. I also enjoy very specific biographies (mostly about the English, French, and Russian aristocracy, or Audrey Hepburn or John Lennon).

There are many different types of genres and sub-genres that are written and enjoyed by people. I can't imagine ever being constricted by just one genre forever.

What is your favorite genre? Do you prefer mixing different genres together?

F is for Fantasy

Fantasy is hands down my favorite genre to both read and write. Right now my main writing focus is a romance, but the story that holds my heart is my fantasy. To me the main enjoyment of reading is escapement and what better place to escape to than a fantasy world. Think about it. There is a reason books like Harry Potter, Twilight (though technically paranormal), and Divergent are so popular.

Something about the world of elves, witches, dragons, and other creatures keeps drawing me in. Almost every plot idea I come up with has some form of fantastical element to it. I used to try resisting it, but eventually I just gave in.

What is your favorite genre? Do you have a weakness for fantasy?

E is for Editing

I mentioned yesterday that I have a problem editing while I write. This may partly be because I love editing. I am trying to get a job editing fiction and wjoes work better to practice en on than my own?

I am trying hard to break out of this habit though. Editing belongs after I get a finished draft down. If I dont wait until then, I would never finish a manuscript. My many unfinished works on my laptop os a testamemt to this.

None the less, editing is important. A writer should have a good relationship with their editor because they are going to be working together for months polishing the work to the best it can be.

Do you have problems with editing?

D is for Drafts

Every author goes trough multiple drafts of anything they write. Personally I am doing a first draft that no one will see then a second draft that I will start sharing with my writing group. Based in their feedback, I will work on my third and fourth drafts.

The first draft is the hardest for me, because I want to get all of my ideas out at once an make everything perfect. I am trying to break myself out of the habit of constantly editing, but it is hard going. I think if I can keep up not editing I will be able to finish my first draft of my romance by June. By December I want to be on at least my third draft.

Are there any special processes or habits you have when you write your drafts?

C is for Characters

Characters are one of the most important aspects of a book. Just like great actors can carry an okay film, I believe amazing characters can make a reader forget about a cliché plot. On the other side of things, even an amazing story won't save a book from characters that the reader can't connect to or don't like.

Personally I like having all of my main characters to have aspects in them that I would admire. Jessica in my romance is headstrong and stubborn, if not a bit naive and Mina in my fantasy is strong and goes after what she wants, even though she as quick to judge.

Characters are too important for a book to not put a lot of thought into.

Do you think characters are very important? What makes them that way?

B is for Blogging

B was a really hard letter for me. It isn't that I had a hard time thinking of a work, but there were too many interesting words to explore: bildungsroman, biographies, blog tours, the list goes on and on. But I eventually settled on blogging.

I started blogging two months ago now and though not everyone I know understands why I blog, I enjoy it so much. Having started blogging, I have come into contact with some amazing authors and bloggers. It also lets me explore topics that interest me and start conversations about them with other people.

What is your favorite part of the blogging world?

A is for Agent

Many people feel having an agent is an important step in getting a publishing deal. Sure there are plenty of successful authors without agents, but in order to submit to many publishers, you have to do it through an agent.

Personally I want to have an agent there to help figure out which publishers to send to and negotiate a better contract for me. It could be a little difficult for me to find someone, because I would prefer to use only one agent for everything. I'm not sure how many agents would be willing to represent both romance and YA/NA. Those are very different categories. But I will search high and low when the time comes.

From what I understand many people who originally worked in editing migrate over to agenting and vice versa. I have considered doing this later in my career. The role of an agent seems to be an interesting one, but I am sure not everyone is suited to become one.

A to Z April Challenge and Camp NaNo

Hey everybody. April is going to be such a crazy month for me. A lot of writing going on. I will be participating in not one but TWO big events that take place all month: A to Z Challenge and Camp NaNoWriMo.

I hope you guys really like my posts because the A to Z April Challenge will have me posting Monday through Saturday with a different letter of the alphabet for each day in alphabetical order. There are a few Sundays where I will be posting some author interviews, so you will need to love me to deal with me posting almost every day for a solid month. The theme I am using for the challenge is Publishing/Writing. This is more or less keeping with the theme of my entire blog. Can I admit that some of the letters were really hard to think of things for, so don't laugh at some of the stretches I make.

Camp NaNo, on the other hand, you won't really see the results any time soon. I am signed up to write 15,000 words by the end of the month. This is on top of the writing for the blog. I know for many writers, 15,000 words may not seem like a lot, but I am a notoriously slow writer.

I am excited to challenge myself with these too. This will definitely be hard and I am looking forward to it. It will be especially challenging when this will probably be the most writing I have ever done in one set of time. Wish me luck!

Will you be doing Camp NaNo or A to Z April Challenge?