Quick note: Click on this link and watch Authors Exercise their ‘WRITE’ to Self-Publish (on CBS Sunday Morning).
Verrrrrry interesting! A short ad runs first so stay tuned. Tell me what you think.
Procrastination and … Broken Hips
Sorry I haven’t posted since … when? Last week? This should probably be a post on procrastination. Thank the Lord I got busy and wrote my article on Margaret Daley for Southern Writers Magazine. It was an easy-write because MD is so inspiring. She’s written more than 80 books. BUT, if I’d put it off, I would have been in a fine pickle. My mother fell last weekend and broke her hip. Yeah, and she procrastinated about calling an ambulance. Fell on Saturday in the drive near the highway while trying to tug her garbage can to the road. I don’t think it was even trash pick-up day. Thankfully, a couple saw her sprawled in the dirt and helped her inside. Don’t ask how; they had to tote her up two levels of stone steps. Then, to make things worse, she suffered through the night until the next afternoon before calling someone. Go figure. She’s a tough one. Always has been.
So, I’ve been in Texas sitting in a hospital and now a rehab facility. No Internet, and I’m certainly not feeling very creative.
If you have a To Do list you’re wagging around, just staring at, trying to get inspired—get busy doing and checking off. Don’t suffer through it at the last minute. Look at me (and Mom). I have purchased TWO Christmas gifts. Oh my! Oh my!
Mom is doing much better. For awhile we were worried. She’s 88, a retired nurse, and you know those retired medical people are the worst patients. She got discouraged and weak the second day after surgery, but since then, she’s been pretty positive and her old self. She’s good at making her own rules, but I’m happy to say, so far, she’s followed directions, instructions and been a model patient. We’ll see what happens.
If you’re ever in unfamiliar territory, and can’t get online anywhere—and that’s been my problem—McAlister’s Deli is an answer to a blogger’s prayers. Plus, they have really good tea and veggie meals.
For 2013, let’s all agree: no P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.I.O.N. and absolutely NO broken hips.
Generosity Breeds … Success?
There’s a huge plus to living in Oklahoma and that is … the Tulsa World. Every Sunday, there are so many interesting articles, we can hardly get through them. They keep us entertained and reading all during the week, until the next Sunday: Book reviews, author profiles, business articles, all kinds of columns.
The first issue of the Tulsa Daily World appeared on Sept. 14, 1905. The banner across the top of the front page declared: “Tulsa, Chosen Home of Prosperity and Opportunity, is a Busy City in a Busy Universe.” Back then, the paper cost 5 cents per copy. Read more about its history here.
One syndicated columnist hubby and I enjoy is Harvey Mackay . You might remember him for his best selling book, Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive. I have that book at home somewhere; I’ll have to track it down and revisit. I enjoy reading books like this and applying words of wisdom to my writing life. Mackay’s September 16th column titled Generosity Breeds Success spoke to my heart. It was about Brandon Steiner and his new book, You Gotta Have Balls. Okay, I agree book titles are getting a little out of hand, but this one accurately describes a guy who’s in the sports memorabilia business. This is one of those wonderful rags-to-riches books we all love. Don’t we? According to Mackay, Steiner has some wonderful quotes and philosophies like:
If you want more money, don’t pay attention to the money. Pay attention to the thing that makes the money.Isn’t it true? If writing makes us money, shouldn’t we pay more attention to our writing?
I’d love for you to read Generosity Breeds Success. Read it now–it’s short and I promise, you’ll be inspired. You may even decide to purchase You Gotta Have Balls and learn all about good customer service. You could come up with an excellent answer to the question: What else could you be doing for your customer/reader? You could come up with an original plan that would brand you in ways you can’t imagine.
I like that Steiner reminds us to focus on relationships, not transactions. To me, that’s the key. I think we should all let relationships, relationships, relationships echo through our brain when we tweet our next tweet!
Have you read Harvey Mackay? Or Brandon Steiner?
As writers, how can we improve our customer/reader service? Any ideas?
IWSG: A Save That Didn’t Save
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Today is Insecure Writers Support Group Day, the brain child of Alex J Cavanaugh where a whole lot of writers post about their insecurities (or encouragement), once a month, and get support from fellow participants.
Ever been kicked in the gut? Not really, physically kicked, of course, but sure hurts like a physical kick. Ever worked all day for nothing?
Yesterday was my write at the library day. I had planned to do the edits suggested by my TWRP editor. I arrived at nine with lunch in hand, planning to spend the day and make headway, if not complete the process.
Simply put, I was making slow, tedious progress, giving a lot of brain power to my revisions and feeling pretty good about them. It’s my custom to save every few minutes, just a habit I’ve developed over the years. Unfortunately, my so-called saves didn’t do their job. I have nothing of my edits. Not one well-thought-out, improved word. I’m so ticked. But worse, I feel defeated and I hate feeling that way.
A few weeks ago, I had computer problems. It’s possible there’s still a glitch. How do I find it?
Have any of you experienced a save that didn’t save? What causes it? Why? How can I avoid it?
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CONTEST CRITIQUE: Read it and Learn!
Earlier this year I entered the first 50 pages of a romantic suspense in a contest. I didn’t win or place, but I was given a critique by others who write and read mysteries. I got that critique back over the weekend and thought I’d share it with you. Before I received the following critique, I tweaked, changed the title, did a little revision and submitted the first chapter and a synopsis to Love Inspired Suspense. You can read their rejection at the end of this post.
Hopefully, you can learn something from the judges comments as well as the rejection. Mainly, how interesting it is that several people can read the same thing and come away with vastly different opinions.
For those of you who have never entered your manuscripts in contests, this is pretty much what you receive. Sometimes less. Read it and weep, or get your first chapter ready for a contest. One way or another, they can lead you to publication.
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Please note that, even among publishing professionals, preferences in style and content are subjective. These notes are only suggestions and reflect the opinions of the judges. We hope you’ll find them helpful.
Title: Death Makes it Right
Author: Jessica Ferguson
Character:
Judge 3: Rudd and PK both seem like interesting characters. I was more drawn to Rudd than to PK. He seems well-intentioned and honorable, as well as likable. She has a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Maybe understandable since her dad was just murdered, so I’d give her the benefit of the doubt for a while longer. The reporter doesn’t seem very well fleshed out. The story would be stronger if she were depicted in more depth and complexity.
Setting:
Dialogue:
Judge 2: The scene where Rudd barged in on P.J. and Lori was a good example of this authors command of dialogue.
Plot:
Judge 1: I like the idea, but it was so rushed that I didn’t have time to appreciate any particular aspect. I’m guessing you have some passing familiarity if not expertise with the trucking industry, so I would encourage you to incorporate more of that into the plot. As it is, it’s fairly standard fare, and nothing about it really grabs my attention.
Judge 2: Started fast and continued to move. The scene where Rudd and PK embrace at the reporter’s apartment seemed contrived. Also, it was hard to imagine the protagonist allowing the reporter to follow her into her hotel room. Other than that the plot flowed well and worked.
Judge 3: An interesting premise. I’m interested to learn who killed PK’s dad and Randolph, interested in what will happen between Rudd and PK. (I can guess, but I’m still interested.)
Suspense/Tension:
Judge 1: Again, too rushed. There’s no time for me to become apprehensive about something before you bull onto the next section. Slow it down, let me wonder about things for a bit.
Judge 2: Building suspense and creating tension is one of this writer’s strengths.
Judge 3: Tension/suspense were handled well. In a few places, it might be heightened by slowing down a bit.
Conflicts:
Judge 2: Plenty of conflict.
Judge 3: Plenty of conflict, which arises naturally from the situation. Telling us a little more about the situation would engage the reader more; we understand that she’s mad about her father’s murder, but it would help to know why she thinks Randolph is behind it. There’s plenty of information that can be legitimately withheld from the reader, but we need some of this background in order to understand what’s happening.
Pacing:
Judge 1: The rushed quality is absolutely burying the good aspects of this book.
Judge 2: For the most part the pace flows well. It bogs down a little after they leave the reporters house on their way to his apartment.
Judge 3: Generally good. A little rushed in the beginning, a little slow with reporter. I’m sure she’ll play an important role, but right now, it’s not clear what that is.
Voice/Writing style:
Judge 2: The voice was sharp and crisp. “His breath fanned her face.” “His eyelids were tortured by unshed tears.” “The oppressive humidity was like a blanket covering his face.” Sometimes things were overstated: “He acted dazed.” The reader can see that.
Judge 3: The voice is good, fresh but not intrusive.
Grammar & Mechanics: THIS IS HUMILIATING! I KNOW HOW TO SPELL!
Judge 1: Generally fine. It should be “All right,” not “alright.” Also, watch your verb-noun agreement.
Judge 2: Some words are misused, but probably editing oversights: grown for groan; on for own Directional words (up, down, over, etc.), unneeded prepositions and words like “that” are overused. Also used adverbs when not needed: nervously looked, A few missed punctuation marks (periods, commas) but overall, ok.
Judge 3: Generally good. Needs another pass for typos and tightening.
Additional Notes:
Judge 1: Rewrite this, and take your time with each section. You have a strong voice and good writing style, but that’s being washed away with your rush to get to the next scene.
Judge 2: Could be a contender.
Judge 3: No additional notes.
And here is a rejection I got on the same manuscript, revised BEFORE I got the above critique, and retitled:
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Dear Jessica,
Thank you for participating in the Love Inspired Suspense Fast Track and submitting BETRAYED, but I don’t feel like this project is right for LIS. While I think the idea of setting this story in the trucking world is interesting, your heroine came off as unlikeable. Our readers want a heroine they can relate too, and P.K. is much too combative. I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you. I recommend reading some of our books to get a better feel for the Love Inspired tone. We appreciate your submission and wish you the best of luck in your writing.
All the best,
Emily Brown
Editorial Assistant
Love Inspired Suspense
Holiday Deaths
I always feel sad about deaths during the holidays. My dad passed away on Dec, 2, 2000, and of course, it affected our Christmas–especially since his birthday was Dec. 23rd. Even though I think of him every day, every holiday season I especially remember him. I always tried to buy him more gifts than he really needed just because I thought, since he was a Christmas baby, he got cheated on birthday gifts.
This Thanksgiving, three of my favorites passed away. I’ve always been a Zig Ziglar fan. I have a few of his books and admired his words of wisdom, his positive way of looking at life, and his encouragement.
As Ziglar put it, “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
He challenged people to think creatively and outside the box.
I’ve blogged before about my favorite bad guy–Larry Hagman. I watched him in the popular TV sitcom I Dream of Jeannie long before he became J.R. Ewing. Daughter and I were stunned to hear of his death during Thanksgiving. We watched the new Dallas and we were looking forward to the next season. We marveled at how J.R. Ewing never changed; he was just as mean and conniving as always. I guess we thought J.R. would live forever. We often form opinions about movie stars based on what we see on TV or read in the newspapers. I think Hagman was pretty quirky in real life, but he was married to the same woman for 59 years. As far as I’m concerned, that man deserves a gold star! Dallas won’t be the same without J.R. Ewing and they sure better not try to replace him–the way they did Ms. Ellie!
Deborah Raffin became a fav of mine when I watched her in Once is Not Enough, a movie based on the best selling book by Jacqueline Susann. She played January Wayne, a young woman who goes from poor-little-rich-girl to tragic heroine, as she searches New York and Los Angeles for a man just like her father, Mike Wayne, a glamorous movie producer. Love, love, love the drama! What I didn’t know about Deborah Raffin was that she and her husband launched Dove Books-on-Tape in the mid-1980s. The company’s first best-seller was Stephen Hawking’s opus on the cosmos entitle d “A Brief History of Time.”
Are you familiar with any of these people? Did they influence you in some way? When you think about it, TV personalities are a study in characterization. Comments?
Thought for the Day:
“Even in tragedy, God through His word offers hope for those who seek and believe. It starts with the promise of a better tomorrow, of life everlasting, of eternal peace. It’s called faith, and it offers hope where none existed.” – Zig Ziglar
Post Thanksgiving
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Things have been hectic at my house. My laptop has been on life-support so I’ve been using hubby’s. I haven’t wanted to do too much surfing with his. 
My step-son came in from Denver with his fiance’ (dressed in black) and our daughter (in green) came in from Lafayette. Since I was already in Lake Charles because of the BWG conference, hubby came in from Yukon. Then like a whirl wind, we all went our separate ways. Yesterday hubby and I drove the 10 hours back to OK in two separate cars. Not fun.
I think I’m too old for hectic!
I’ll post more later. Just wanted everyone to know I’m still kicking and wondering about your Thanksgiving, your NaNoWrMo, your latest writing project.
Let me hear from you.
An Interview with ME!
I love romantic comedies. Last night I watched You’ve Got Mail for the 100th time, laughing and smiling at all my favorite lines.
And today I feel like Greg Kinnear who played Frank, a columnist, who, with a cheesy grin, fawned over his own work.
My friend Jeuron Dove interviewed me for his blog. You can read it here, and picture me with my cheesy grin. Glad you can’t see me.
We’d love for you to leave a comment!
Good News Galore
There’s so much to tell you, I don’t know where to start so I think I’ll list in linear fashion.
If you read my previous post, you know that I received a blog critique from marketing consultant, Laura Barnes. I was really nervous about it because I’ve never considered my posts or my blog very professional. Most of the time, I feel like a whiner. Laura gave me a great critique with some wonderful suggestions. I’ve put some of them into action. Read what she had to say and feel free to make a few suggestions of your own. For info on how to submit your blog for her critique, go here.
Second, I spoke at the BWG conference. I even had print copies of Hearts, Hearths & Holidays. What fun to have a book to sign. Three people who’ve read my story, A Child Was Born, said I made them cry. That was exactly what I’d hoped to achieve but thought I’d missed the mark. Even now, I keep rewriting in my head. Anyway, I took twelve books and sold six.
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| Author/Editor Linda Yezak & Jess |
I was the second speaker, and so glad to get it over with so I could relax and listen to the others. Honestly, I loved speaking. I always do–even though it’s scary when I first look out among all those faces staring back at me. What do they need? What do they want? How can I help? I wish I could get each and every one of them motivated to write daily, research markets, sell. No matter how much we share and teach, it’s really up to them. And basically, that’s what I told them. They have to make up their minds to grab their dream. My title was: The Power of the Made Up Mind.
After the conference, I checked email on my B’berry and had a message from an editor who wrote:
“The committee has completed the evaluation of your story, Peace of Heart. And, I’m very pleased to say that they have allowed me to offer you a contract. Congratulations!
If you accept …”
IF I accept? Really!
That’s my good news. I’ve signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press and I’m looking forward to making the editorial changes, seeing my cover, and sharing the happenings and happiness with you.
More later.
Blog Critiques, Anyone?
Laura Barnes of Laura B. Writer gives blog critiques from a marketing perspective with the help of two graphic designers. She has great insight and gives very helpful suggestions about how to make a blog more appealing to readers. November 12th — it’s my turn to be critiqued.
For info on how to submit your blog for her critique, go here.
I decided to get a blog critique because it’s time to look more professional. I’m sure Laura’s suggestions will point me in that direction.
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I wanted to post info about the writer’s conference w/pictures, but I can”t get my pics to load on hubby’s laptop. Remember? Mine is in the shop. I hope my techie man can save it–I’ll let you know tomorrow.
I had the best time speaking to BWG. And I have some great news to share … later!