Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

Latest Youtube Videos

Interview with Sarah Pekkanen
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Sarah Pekkanen

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, ever since I was a kid, when one of my favorite things to do was to sit in my bedroom and write books on three-ring binder paper. A few years ago, my niece borrowed one of my old Nancy Drew books and discovered a letter tucked inside – I’d written it on Raggedy Ann stationery (oh so professional!) and it was addressed to a publisher, asking when my book, titled, “Miscellaneous Tales and Poems” would be in stores. Now I carry that faded old letter with me every time I go to New York to meet with my publisher, as a reminder that dreams really do come true.

Q: Your debut novel, The Opposite of Me, was a hit! Where did the inspiration for Lindsey’s story come from?

Thank you! I’ve always been intrigued by the complex relationships my friends have with their sisters – and I always wanted a sister of my own. Since my parents didn’t cooperate (though they gave me two terrific brothers) I imagined what it would be like to be a sister – a twin, no less – and I tried to make the relationship of my main characters, Lindsey and Alex, as juicy and competitive and loving and tangled as possible. I’ve heard about twins who are so close that they create their own language, and can feel each other’s pain from miles away – but I wondered what would happen to twins who were completely different. What if two sisters had nothing in common, but were constantly being compared? How would that shape their relationship?

Q: When I was reading your novel, I kept thinking I would know what would happen next, and have to say I was surprised more than once. Why did you decide to give Alex more bad news when it came to her diagnosis?

Samantha – I’m worried this might be a spoiler. Do you mind if we rephrase the question or leave it out?

Q: Do you plan on writing another novel continuing the story of these two sisters?

I don’t have plans for a sequel at the moment, but definitely wouldn’t rule one out! My second book, which is scheduled to be published next spring, tells the story of a 32-year-old woman named Julia Dunhill who discovers her husband has woken from a dramatic and sudden medical trauma as a completely transformed man. It’s similar in voice and genre to The Opposite of Me, so I hope readers who liked my first book will enjoy it every bit as much.

Q: You had the opportunity to work with Jennifer Weiner when your book was set to be released. How great was it having her to help promote your work, and how flattered were you that you had her on your side?

Oh, my gosh, it was beyond any story I could ever dream up! Jen Weiner is simply the most amazing, generous woman in publishing. Perhaps even in the world! We have the same editor, and Jen read an early copy of my manuscript – then she endorsed it in an incredible way. She actually gave away hundreds of copies of her books to people who pre-ordered The Opposite of Me a week before it was published. I’ve never even met Jen in person, but she sponsored this huge giveaway – which prompted USAToday to interview me – because she remembered what it was like to be a debut author (excited and anxious and overjoyed!) and she wanted to help out another female author. I’m in awe of her kindness and I can only hope to pay it forward some day. And I’m dying to meet her in person, even though I’m such a fangirl I’m sure I’ll embarrass myself by getting all weepy, or I’ll spill a drink on her in my excitement.

Q: How were you able to break into the writing industry?

I didn’t have any real connections, so I just wrote my book, then I wandered around bookstores reading the acknowledgement sections of books I liked to find out the names of agents (authors usually thank their agents in the acknowledgements section – and if they don’t, you probably don’t want that agent). I complied a list of names, came home and Googled the agents to get their addresses, then sent off a one-page query letter which described my book to the agents. Most agents have public websites that tell you, step by step, how to submit a query letter for a book. They’re not in hiding; they really want to discover new writers and if you write a good query letter, you’ll get a good response.

Q: I saw on your website that you have a humiliating story of how you got a literary agent. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to open the page, but I am quite curious to hear this story! Can you give us a little background?

One author I admire is Karin Slaughter, and in her book she thanked her agent Victoria Sanders. So, I sent a query letter to Victoria and a week or so later, she emailed me back and requested my manuscript. Then I thought, “I’d just better check out this Victoria Sanders.” So I wrote a note to Karin via the address on her website, introducing myself and asking if Victoria still represented her. Literally two minutes later, I got an email back that began, “This is Victoria Sanders. I check Karin’s email when she is on her European tour….” I literally froze and even stopped breathing, but thankfully the next line said, “Don’t worry, I’m checking you out, too!” I ended up signing with Victoria – and we still laugh about it!

Q: How long did it take you to write The Opposite of Me?

Nine months – but I had long stretches of time because my two older kids were in elementary school. Now I have a baby, and the writing is coming more slowly because my schedule is so much busier! Still, I squeeze it in whenever I can.

Q: Where would your dream vacation be?

Any place that can provide a sunny beach, an unending stream of fruity frozen drinks with little umbrellas, a stack of books, and David Beckham to rub oil into my back! My husband can come along, but he is not allowed to complain about David Beckham. If he does, he’ll be sent back home (the husband, not the Beckham).

Q: What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Write one page a day. You’ll finish your book in a year! Sometimes it’s hard to write because the self-doubt sets in – the voices in our heads can be really cruel, can’t they? – but the main thing is to get those raw words down on the page. Once you’ve got a draft, you can reshape it into something special – but just getting the words down in the first place is the key.

April 26, 2012
Leave a comment
Interview with Kathleen Long
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Kathleen Long

Why did you want to write Chasing Rainbows?
Hi, Samantha! Thanks for letting me visit with you all at CLP today. Chasing Rainbows is truly the book of my heart. I never fully understood that phrase until I sat down to write this story. Much of Chasing Rainbows is based in truth, so the writing journey was emotional and personal for me.

At the time I wrote the book, I’d been writing romantic comedy and romantic suspense, but longed to write a bigger, deeper book. My father had died suddenly, and I found myself writing a story that mirrored much of my emotional journey. In Chasing Rainbows, Bernie’s father dies in exactly the same way my father died. Her grief makes her realize she hasn’t fully dealt with the grief of losing her daughter, much like my own life. Although the emotions are based on my own, the characters and their individual stories are pure fiction, offering what I hope is an entertaining mix of quirky characters and poignant moments.
With Chasing Rainbows, I wanted to write about one woman’s journey out of the fog of grief back to a life full of possibilities.

What is the hardest part about writing for you?
For me, the hardest part of writing is starting the story. While I don’t plot out every single detail of a book, I need to know where each character is headed and why. If I’m not fully immersed in the characters and their motivations, I find it difficult to write quickly, and I love to write quickly. Writing fast is the process that works best for me. Once I have the foundation of the story ready to go, I’m set. It’s that initial brain work that takes the most time, and considering I spend much of my time negotiating deals with a stubborn six-year-old, quality brain time is a precious commodity in my world.

What is the most rewarding part of being published?
The most rewarding part of being published is two-fold for me—the personal and the professional. Personally, being published is the achievement of a life-long dream. I’m proud that I set a goal and worked hard to succeed. I studied my craft, studied the markets, entered contests and attended conferences. I did my homework. My greatest joy is in knowing I’ve set an example for our daughter, letting her know that dreams can be achieved if you’re willing to work for them. Professionally, the most rewarding part of being published is the contact with readers. I love receiving reader mail and hearing one of my stories struck a chord with someone. There are over one million copies of my books in distribution worldwide. That’s a humbling number. I’m very fortunate to do what I do.

Are you currently working on another novel?
Yes! I’m currently working on the first book in what will be a romantic thriller trilogy centered on The Body Hunters, a group of private citizens who use their skills and capabilities to pursue the victims and criminals society has forgotten. The first book, Vanished, will be released in April. Vanished is the story of Grace Arthur, whose young daughter disappears in exactly the same manner in which her sister vanished years earlier. When the police declare her daughter’s disappearance a case of parental abduction, Grace joins forces with The Body Hunters to bring her daughter home.

Do you have a writing routine you try to stick to?
Before my daughter was born, my time was my own. I primarily wrote in the early morning, but if I was in the thick of a story, I had the freedom to write for fourteen hours straight. I no longer have that flexibility, so I’ve had to relearn my process. For a while, I tried to write late at night. That didn’t work out very well. Now, I’m back to morning writing, working on my portable keyboard as soon as I return from walking my daughter to school. My rule is a minimum of 1000 words when I first sit down. Anything after that is gravy. When the book is flowing, the word count piles up, but even on those tough writing days, I make sure the first 1000 words happen before I shift gears to anything else on my to-do list.

How important do you think blogs and/or social media are to authors?
I believe blogs and social media are very important, but that’s just my opinion. They don’t work for every author. I think an author’s approach to social media depends on their personality. For me, blogging and social media provide a means to build relationships, and I think book marketing—like any other sort of marketing—is about relationship building. That being said, I am not the most active blogger or social media whiz in the world. Far from it! I do what works for me, and I’m happy for the friendships and contacts I’ve made.

I used to maintain my own blog and tried to post something every day. Then I realized writing my blogging was cutting into my creative writing. I phased out the blog. I miss that communication with readers, and think about going back to it someday, but a daily blog isn’t what I need most at this stage in my career. Right now I need daily page production on the next project…and the next…and the next.

What is your advice for aspiring writers?
My advice for aspiring writers is always the same. Learn your craft. Study the markets. Educate yourself. Network. Read. Write. Most importantly, never quit!
Thanks for hosting me today, Samantha!

February 23, 2012
1 Comment
Author Profile: Lennie Ross
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Lennie Ross

Author Name: Lennie Ross
Website: http://www.lennieross.com/
Blog: http://www.lennierosswrites.com/
Bio: Lennie Ross writes a blog on dating in Los Angeles called Lennie Ross Writes and works as a researcher, story editor, and story consultant for other screenwriters. Under a pseudonym, she wrote several screenplays for Playboy’s now defunct film division, Indigo Entertainment. She has also written several romantic comedy and suspense thriller feature film scripts. Her screenwriting credits include: writing and hosting a documentary on asthma; writing, producing, and starring in her own sitcom pilot, and writing and starring in her own play, I Think I’m Falling In Love With You. Lennie wrote two episodes of the Japan-Canada co-production animation series, Cyber- Six, and has had several TV movies optioned.
While pursuing a screenwriting career, Lennie has worked as a producer, talent agent and assistant casting director for roughly ten years. Prior to her adventures in the screen trade, Lennie wrote advertising copy for print and television, and fashion and travel articles for regional, national, and international publications including Beautiful B.C., Canadian Inflight, Adventure West, Pacific Northwest, Western Living and Vancouver Magazine.

Title: Blow Me
See my review for Blow Me
Bio retrieved from lennieross.com

February 7, 2012
Leave a comment
Interview with Nancy Volkers
Updates

Interview with Nancy Volkers

Q: Have you always known you wanted to write?
A: Definitely… writing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

Q: What was the first piece of “real” writing you did?
A: I wrote an illustrated Halloween story in kindergarten – one long run-on sentence! It started out “There once was a witch and she had a black pot and one day a pumpkin came and stole the pot….” I don’t remember the rest, but I remember that the witch and pumpkin reconciled in the end.

Q: How long did it take you to write A Scottish Ferry Tale?
A: It took about six months to complete. But the first draft was done in a month — I wrote it as part of National Novel Writing Month, in November 2008. Then I went back and added more to the story.

Q: Can you describe your novel to readers in 20 words or less?
A: Young woman grapples with issues of head vs heart, fairy tales, love and chocolate cake. A handsome Scot helps.

Q: What do you find to be the most challenging part of editing?
A: Flow. I want the story to flow, but I’m very much a “day in the life” writer — I want people to see the characters as people, doing things that real people do. Sometimes that means spending five chapters on a two-week period of time, and then skipping ahead months into the future. It’s tough to strike a balance between recounting too much and leaving out important bits.

Q: How did you celebrate once A Scottish Ferry Tale was published?
A: When the first proof arrived, I screamed – a happy scream. 😉 I didn’t have any specific celebration, really. But I celebrate a little bit almost every day — when I get an email from someone who’s been touched by it, when I see people purchasing it, when aspiring novelists ask for advice.

Q: Are you working on a sequel?
A: I’m dealing with formatting issues, back/front matter and the cover, but the sequel is finished. It’s called Scotland by Starlight, and should be available in early 2011.

Q: You live in Vermont, a state that has been on my travel wish list for years. Why do you enjoy living there?
A: It’s gorgeous, and I love the four distinct seasons (five, if you count “mud season” between winter and spring). Being outside in nature is important to me. The state is like one big small town — people are tough and independent, yet always willing to lend a hand. And there’s a sense of community here that’s invigorating; people still trust one another. Add in local foods, beer, wines, and art — it’s just a wonderful place to live. (And billboards are against the law, so when you drive on the interstate, you can see the mountains!)

Q: Where would be your dream vacation?
A: I’ve always wanted to visit New Zealand.

Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?
A: Get messy. Don’t expect perfection in the first draft, or even the twentieth. There’s a great essay by Katherine Patterson (Bridge to Terabithia) – she lives in Barre, Vermont, which is known for granite quarrying. She says that the first draft is akin to quarrying the granite – you’re just trying to get something out of the ground. It won’t be pretty, so don’t expect it to be. Once you’ve done that hard work, the grunt work, you can start sculpting and turn your lump of granite into something amazing.

Also, seek out people who can provide constructive criticism, not just pats on the back. We all love to hear kudos, but your writing will change and improve if you are willing to consider other points of view.

February 3, 2012
2 Comments
Daniella Brodsky Interview
Updates

Daniella Brodsky Interview

Q: Why were you drawn to fiction writing?
A: There is a wonderful quote by Lorrie Moore’s “How to Become a Writer,” about this: “First, try to be something, anything, else. A movie star/astronaut. A movie star/missionary. A movie star/kindergarten teacher. President of the World. Fail miserably. It is best if you fail at an early age—say, fourteen. Early critical disillusionment is necessary so that at fifteen you can write long haiku sequences about thwarted desire. It is a pond, a cherry blossom, a wind brushing against sparrow wing leaving for mountain. Count the syllables. Show it to your mom. She is tough and practical. She has a son in Vietnam and a husband who may be having an affair. She believes in wearing brown because it hides spots. She’ll look briefly at your writing, then back up at you with a face blank as a donut. She’ll say: “How about emptying the dishwasher?” Look away. Shove the forks in the fork drawer. Accidentally break one of the freebie gas station glasses. This is the required pain and suffering. This is only for starters.”
I tried to be practical out of university and get a business-y job in publishing, but I discovered very quickly I had a calling and nothing else would do. I started to tell people I was a novelist, doing this “international licensing thing” on the side. In a week I had a job assisting a writer.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
A: Easy—the first draft, when everything is possible and you’re research grows the story by leaps and bounds every day. There is a point when you hit the sweet spot and you just know it’s working…I can’t help but feel there’s a little magic that happens there.

Q: Your first novel, Diary of a Working Girl, recently became adapted into a feature film. Beauty and the Briefcase, starring Hilary Duff, premiered in April. How did you receive this exciting news, and what was your reaction like?
A: When I found out Hilary Duff was going to play this character—my very first character, inspired by my new journo-in-the-city adventures at the time—I nearly fell off my chair. She was such a wonderful pick! What she did with that character was amazing; she really made Lane her own. Hilary, like Jennifer Aniston, is a fantastic physical comedian, and that was key to her portrayal of the character as a lovable girl.

Q: Did you have input on the adaptation, such as selecting actors?
A: I got to see the script and comment on it, and I got to see early on who they were considering for the parts. But I wouldn’t want to play too big a role because they’re the movie experts! And I’m thrilled with the final product.

Q: Your latest novel, Vivian Rising, follows a character after she loses her grandmother. Where did the inspiration for this novel come from?
A: Vivian Rising began to take shape a year after the death of my best friend and grandmother, Sylvia. When once again head-on with the blank screen, there appeared a woman named Viv, locked in an ensuite bathroom, faced with the terrifying prospect of losing the one person who’d always cared for her. She had her own unique circumstances and sensibilities, but we shared our grief and the seemingly unanswerable question: “now what?” As the novel unfolded, it became an ode to the grieving process that at one point or another we all go through. Along with a gigantic thanks to the influence and support a grandparent can be, my wish is that the novel provides a flicker of promise—that the hopeful place we emerged from can once again be ours if we learn to adjust to the inevitable realities of loss and change.

Q: How long do you take to research your characters or plot before you begin writing?
A: For me, the best way to create characters is to dump them into the action and see what they do. Sometimes later on, I’ll create some backstory, in the character’s own voice, if I feel they need some filling out. Sometimes you wind up using that actual text, sometimes it just serves to help you know the character better, how they would act and feel in situations that arise, what their motivations are. The general research for the story and plot is ongoing and in many ways drives the narrative. For instance, in the novel I’m writing now, gardening is a key metaphor throughout. Until I do that research, I wouldn’t know what options I have to work with. For this particular book, I’ve also read books about male psychology, motherhood, babies’ eating, sleeping, and learning patterns, pregnancy, the history of feminism, and of course, tons of wonderful novels!

Q: How many projects do you work on at a time?
A: It really depends. Sometimes three books at once—one in the morning, one at lunch, and one in the late afternoon. Often you have one book at some edit stage while you’re working on a draft of another. I find you learn a lot from one project, which then illuminates something in the other one. But sometimes you’re so focused on the one book you’re spending all your time writing, interviewing, researching, and reading about it.

Q: You are from New York but now live in Australia. Why the change?
A: Love, of course! Plus travel is the best food for novelists…

Q: Where is one place that you would love to travel to that you haven’t visited yet?
A: Can I say “everywhere I haven’t visited yet?” If not, Italy and Thailand.

Q: What are you currently reading?
A: In addition to about twenty pounds of non-fiction that I lug around with me everyday, I just ordered three books from Amazon: Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Timber Creek, Faulkner’s Absalom! Absalom!, and The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. I have been exploring a lot of the Australian authors, which are new to me, and in the past few weeks I’ve read Truth, The World Beneath, and Rhubarb. I like to switch around between genres—the best-written of each have so much to teach writers. This week I finished Sue Miller’s When I was Gone, and I dove right into Candace Bushnell’s Four Blondes after devouring her novel One Fifth about a month back.

Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?
A: Read, read, read! And write, write, write! Don’t wait, just start now!

January 22, 2012
Leave a comment
Author Profile: Elsie Love
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Elsie Love

Author Name: Elsie Love Website: http://www.elsielove.com/index.html Blog: http://skirt.com/e-b-loan Bio: Elsie Love lives in the western suburbs, a mere stone’s throw from the great city of…

January 5, 2012
Leave a comment
Interview with Lauren Clark
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Lauren Clark

Lauren Clark FAQ

Did you always wanted to be a writer? Yes. For as long as I can remember. Of course, my parents always remind that I also wanted to be an Indian princess named Tiger Lily, but that dream was more short-lived. On a serious note, I do have fond memories of spending my summer days toting stacks of books back and forth from my house to our town’s library. It always seemed like a magical place, with endless stories to get lost in.

You worked as both an anchor and producer after graduate school. How did that influence the writing of Stay Tuned? So much! It was an accident, really, getting into broadcast journalism. I always thought of myself as a behind the scenes kind of girl, but after my first day on the job, I loved it and stuck with it for the next 6 years. Working in television is never boring. There’s always a story, always the next show. The camaraderie in the newsroom is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. It’s like living in a big, loud, mostly happy, very dysfunctional family every day.

What gave you the idea for Stay Tuned? True story: A few months before I took my first television job as a part-time health reporter, the two main anchors at one of the local television stations (who were romantically involved) got into a fistfight. They were outside the building, in the station parking lot. Shortly thereafter, they were both fired. In the months that followed, the two of them bantered back and forth in newspaper editorials, threatened lawsuits, and fueled all sorts of crazy retaliation stories. I never forgot about that incident and always thought about what might happen if such a fistfight happened on air, during a newscast. What would happen? How would it be handled? Who would fix this kind of mess?

What did you learn from being on air? It’s very humbling, really. As a producer, especially, you are in charge of what’s being put out there—the news stories people watch and talk about each day. It’s a big responsibility to get it right. Not just sometimes, but all of the time. There were many sobering days—car accidents, house fires, school shootings—and those stories should be told with sensitivity and care. It’s someone’s son, daughter, or parent. Everyone matters.

What was your most memorable experience as an anchor or reporter?
I was on set during 9-11. I remember sitting there with our weatherman and waiting to be cued to go back on air after the commercial. CBS cut in and showed footage from a plane crashing into the Twin Towers. It was surreal and awful. We were all in shock. It didn’t seem possible. All I wanted to do was go home and hug my son.

Was it a difficult decision to leave television? Yes and no. I loved so many parts of broadcasting. I was able to meet fascinating people – Vice Presidential Candidate Geraldine Ferraro, then-New York Attorney General Elliott Spitzer among many others. I adored the people I worked with, especially the folks behind the scenes. I was also fortunate enough to win several AP awards for anchoring and reporting.

On the flip side, I worked crazy hours (2 am – 10 am) and, as is typical in the industry, I received very little vacation time. I anchored every holiday (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, you name it) and wasn’t able to spend much time with my young son. After more than six years, I “retired” from TV news. It was then that I really started to get serious about writing fiction.

How long did it take to write Stay Tuned? About five years, all said and done. I wrote several other novels before that—and those manuscripts will never see the light of day! When I began Stay Tuned, I had just given birth to my second son, so my writing time was very limited. After putting it away for several years, I picked it back up about 12 months ago, brushed it off, and had an editor-friend look it over. We made some changes, tweaked the story, and fine-tuned the plot. A few months back, I was offered a contract with a small publishing company. Another friend introduced me to the talented and fabulous Emlyn Chand at Novel Publicity, who helped guide me through the entire publishing process. It’s been a wonderful journey!

What’s next? A sequel or a stand-alone novel? Dancing Naked in Dixie is next (stand alone title) and I’m so excited to share that it’s been selected as a finalist for the 2011 Chick Lit Writers “Get Your Stiletto in the Door” Contest (Winner will be announced December 20, 2011.) Here’s the link: http://chicklitwriters.com/stiletto-contest/stilettocontest/stiletto-winners/

Dancing Naked follows the story of a talented but scattered travel magazine writer who returns from overseas only to find out she’s on the verge of getting fired. To save her job, she reluctantly accepts an assignment in the Deep South. She’ll be writing an article about Eufaula, Alabama’s annual Pilgrimage event, which is a long-standing spring tour of antebellum mansions (the location is featured in the Reese Witherspoon’s movie, Sweet Home Alabama). Upon arriving in Eufaula, Julia falls in love with the area, its cast of charming characters, and her handsome tour guide. When she discovers that a developer has big plans to buy up many of the historic homes and turn the area into a tourist site, it’s up to Julia to save the day.

What is your writing schedule like? With two growing, active boys and a busy husband, finding time to write is like looking for a missing Lego piece in a houseful of toys (Moms should appreciate that!) I often get up very early and write while everyone else is asleep or go to the lovely campus of our local university and shut myself in a study room. I love it there because I have to shut off my phone and I don’t have the password for an internet connection! No distractions! Of course, I do frequent two or three local coffee shops and draw inspiration from my daily dose of caffeine and good friends!

Who are your favorite writers? Favorite books? Gosh, there are so many! My all-time favorites include Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella, Jodi Picoult, Alice Hoffman, Jennifer Weiner, Chris Bohjalian, John Grisham, Amanda Eyre Ward, and Lisa See. I also love Lisa Scottoline, Janet Evanovich, and James Patterson. Favorite books include: Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, and Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (this is a children’s book that I’ve read over and over to my two boys).
What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Read. A lot. Write. A lot. Revise. A lot. I’m not joking.
Anyone can write. Writing well is different. It takes focus, tenacity, and determination. I’ve heard Stephen King quoted as saying, “The first million words are practice. Malcolm Gladwell, in Outliers, says, “It takes 10,000 hours of purposeful practice to become expert at anything.” Just to be clear, at 4 hours a day (28 hours a week), that’s 7 years. I’m not quoting the experts to scare anyone or be a harbinger of doom. It’s the truth.
Pick up a copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s brilliant and so true and funny in so many sections. My copy is ragged and well-worn! If you’re serious about becoming an author, learn as much as you can. Read blogs and books about the craft, network with other writers, or go to a writer’s conference. Edit your work. Proofread. Be professional, always. And above all, write!

January 3, 2012
2 Comments
Guest Post by Ella Slayne
For Writers

Guest Post by Ella Slayne

From One Writer To Another…
(I admit that a lot of this is easier to say rather than do but the tips below are things I try to work towards. I don’t always achieve it but they serve as reminders and hopefully keep me on a relatively sane track – LOL!)

Believe in yourself.
Writing takes guts. So if you’re already doing it on a regular basis, or even on and off, you should give yourself a pat on the back right now! As writers, we expose our creative selves and that can leave us feeling vulnerable. We take part in critique sessions and submit query letters, always hoping for some positive feedback, for some praise, ultimately a publishing contract!
And if we get a rejection or some negative criticism, we try and suck it up and move on from it. But somewhere in between taking the feedback and pushing forward we may find that our self-esteem take a little knock, and over time those knocks create a bit of a chip or dent which can get bigger and bigger until it seems that although we keep writing, we begin to doubt ourselves and the worth of our work.
So I say this: don’t look to others for validation that your work is worth something. Criticism is vital, yes but don’t make the mistake of thinking that a rejection for example, somehow means your work is not valuable or that you have nothing to offer. You do! And the biggest trap you can fall into is self-doubt. So take a moment to give yourself self-worth because after all your own self-belief is the most important. Without that, you have nothing to offer the rest of us!

Don’t be stubborn though.
Believing in your work doesn’t mean that you should be stubborn or a stick in the mud! It’s easy to be attached to the manuscript you’ve written and you should be, I mean if you don’t care about what you’ve written, why should anyone else right? We all have paragraphs, descriptions, character development or a plot twist that we’re proud of and that’s great, but if you are consistently given the critique that something’s not working or that you should cut a significant section of text, don’t just flap it away as irrelevant because you particularly like that bit, or it took you hours to write it. You won’t learn anything by simply disregarding feedback you disagree with.
Instead I try to be flexible (and this is not always easy I admit). I take time to explore why the reader may not have felt the same way. Usually there is a reason and it may just be that I need to rewrite it or move a piece of text to a different place in my book (maybe even save it for a different book altogether).
Ultimately a writer’s goal is to communicate efficiently and to as many people as possible. We don’t always get it right and that’s why the opinion of others is imperative in helping us hone our craft.

Network by all means, but do it your way!
This is a real problem area for me because I’m naturally quite shy, even in cyberspace, so ideally I would prefer just to publish my books and then shut-up! And I could do that, it’s true, but in reality very few people would know about my book, let alone read it.
We all know it’s out there, the new-age of social networking: Facebook, Twitter, blogging etc. Even if they are not your thing, you can’t avoid them, so it seems to me the best option is to embrace them.
I started a blog, signed up on Twitter and created an author Facebook page in an online networking frenzy! It felt great at first, I was tweeting and updating my status all the time and doing a lot of online socializing!
Then I read articles and blogs about the do’s and don’ts from writers and the publishing world and I became frustrated and confused. Because just like many aspects of writing, it’s all subjective; when one agent says they don’t like to connect via twitter, another will happily do so, when one writer says they welcome all comments on their blog, another will say don’t bother to comment unless you have something meaty to offer. What’s the famous phrase? “You can’t please all of the people all of the time….”
These online forums can be a brilliant resource, but they are not without pitfalls because it can be a nightmare trying to navigate around online networking etiquette. You can drive yourself crazy trying to worrying about whether you should return every Twitter follow or comment on every blog you come across.
I think the key here is to do what feels right for you; create your own networking style and be true to yourself.

December 6, 2011
5 Comments
Interview with Irene Woodbury
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Irene Woodbury

Hi Irene! Below are my interview questions. Thanks!

Can you describe A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis in twenty words or less?

A bizarre girls’ weekend in Las Vegas evolves into the darkly funny midlife crisis of forty-something newlywed Wendy Sinclair.

What made you want to write this story?

I always wondered what it would be like to go on a weekend trip and not go home. What would I do? What would the people back home say? Where would I live? Would I get a job? What kinds of people would I meet? Instead of actually doing this, I wrote a novel about someone who does it. I got to live out my fantasies through Wendy.

Why did you choose Las Vegas as the setting?

I spent a lot of time there as a travel writer. I found the city incredibly interesting and wanted to learn more about it. Writing this book gave me the opportunity to do that. Plus, I think the characters have traits in common with Las Vegas. They have attractive surfaces, but are complex and troubled underneath. Las Vegas is like that: a glitzy, frivolous surface with plenty of deeper, darker aspects to it. So, the characters and the setting complement each other.

What was the most difficult part of the writing process for you?

Writing with my heart and my head. You have to think everything the characters think, and feel everything they feel. It was hard to sustain that level of focus and intensity day in, day out, for five years.

Do you think you want to write a sequel?

I would love to pick up the characters at the end of Slot and take them further. I miss the creative-writing process–escaping into a make-believe world for hours each day. But it’s a big commitment. It would probably take three to five years, so I’d have to think it through.

How did you get started in travel writing?

On a vacation trip to London in 2000, my husband talked me into helping him with a travel story. I took over and wrote 40 pages. I never thought I’d enjoy travel writing, but I loved it. A couple of months later, the story ran in the Los Angeles Times. So the credit, or responsibility, goes to my husband.

What are you currently reading?

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

What are some top Vegas attractions you would recommend?

The Lion Habitat at MGM Grand
The Conservatory at Bellagio
Jersey Boys show at Palazzo
Love show at Mirage
Spa Mandalay at Mandalay Bay
View of the Las Vegas valley from Eiffel Tower at Paris

What have been some of your favorite travel destinations, either to visit or write about?

London was my Number One destination for a few years. The stories I did there are some of my favorites. I also loved working in Las Vegas, Paris, Dublin and Madrid.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Find out the preferred length of whatever it is you’re going to write, and stick to it! Don’t do what I did and write a 175,000-word novel that has to cut by 35,000 words so that agents or publishers will be interested. It just adds extra work and anguish.

November 24, 2011
1 Comment