SPEED DATING WITH DIERDRE KNIGHT!

I would but I have an agent!

The idea is intriguing.  Check it out!

Speed Dating to get that agent!

Thick Skinned

Don't moisturize too much!  You don't want to lose the protection of that skin when you send your MS out to be critiqued.   This is the post I promised long ago - not a total slacker but I've been called worse.

Writers write alone.  We construct our worlds alone.  This is an inherent fact.  However if our work never went out then we would be writing and wasting our ideas. 

SO!  If you have even the remotest desire to be published, let me make a suggestion.  GET A CRITIQUE PARTNER (CP).  Or more than one. 

I have two.  Maggie Fechner and Tracey Garza.  I can tell you they are both invaluable and yes, they did meet that night!

When I say a writer needs thick skin, I am not referring to me regarding my CPs.  I have never felt beat down or dumped upon by either woman and have only benefitted from our relationships.  They use the "sandwich technique" (more later) and help with my writing so much I can hardly feel the sting of criticism.

What do you value about your CPs?  And if you don't have one, why the heck not?

Gratitude Is Attitude

At the risk of sounding like Dr. Seuss, Gratitude is attitude.

Did you know more and more people omit thank you from their daily discussions?  No, I'm serious, this happens entirely too often.   

And yet, why would you?  Saying thank you with sincerity shows a sincerity of heart so rare today. 

How you say it doesn't always matter either.  When you show gratitude, it takes little effort but can span miles. 

Who would you show gratitude to and how?  Here are some examples and you take it from there.

God - serving others - His other children without worry about convenience or comfort.

Spouse - doing the little things, i.e. toothpaste on their toothbrush, warming up their towel in the dryer before they get out of the shower, starting the car so it's nice and warm before they leave, making a lunch or a snack for their time away from home, picking up that special treat just to show you were thinking of them.

Child - hugging them often, saying you love them, reminding them how special they are and asking what you can do for them.

Parent - kind words or deeds, helping at their house, asking how you can help them.

Neighbor - taking them a meal when they have a problem in their life, shoveling their snow or mowing their lawn.

What are some things you can do or have done for someone to express gratitude?

I think the most under used words in the English language are Thank You.  Try it out on someone today!

Do You Fear - Fear?

When I was in the third grade I wanted to run for class officer, I can't remember which one, but it involved me getting up in front of the entire grade and giving a speech.

I wrote the speech, dressed cute-as-heck and when it was my turn stood in front of the large group of kids.  My peers.  I stared.  My mouth opened, but nothing came out.  I tried again.  Tears welled up and bam I ran out of there so fast and into the girls' room you'd think I had to throw up. 

They had to cross my name off the ballot.

Since that horrific day, I've made it a goal to take every single speeching engagement I came across and ask for more. 

Fear shamed me.  I don't like shame, so I fight back with preparedness and the full belief that if someone else can do it, then why the heck can't I?  And you know what?  That fearlessness has carried over to my writing. 

Am I scared?  Oh, yes, don't think for a second I'm not -almost-peeing-my-pants with nerves, 'cause I am.  Seriously. Shaking.  But if fear dominated how we moved about the world, I'd never leave my bed. 

So, write that novel - you know, the one you have the idea for but just "don't have the time for" - and submit the sucker, first to critique groups, partners, and betas.  Then, polish it.  Next,  would be to write that query, revise, critique, rinse and repeat.  Then submit.  SUBMIT!  I kid you not.  Get them out there. 

And while you wait to hear on that one?  Start the next adventure, open another document and start typing. 

Four Stroke vs. Two Stroke

Simply put - A four-stroke dirt bike engine and a two-stroke dirt bike engine are vastly different in performance, maintenance and style.  Not to mention meeting the needs of the rider.

I prefer four-stroke.  Why?

4 favorite Pros of the 4:

Great low end torque (can climb up a tree in first gear)

Gas mixing is unnecessary

Bit heavier which helps in stability

Designed for longevity - speed is just an accessory

2 Cons of the 4:

Heavier - more difficult to catch air

Not quite as snappy

4 Pros of the 2:

Snappy (and I mean SNAPPY!)

Old school sleek

Dangerous

Smells like dirtbiking - mixed gas/oil combo makes me drool!

2 Cons of the 2:

Too snappy (I have kids, people)

Dangerous (Remember the kids?)

The sleekness of the design of the two-stroke can now be claimed by the four-stroke now that most dirt biking manufacturers have started making their four-strokes with aluminum frames.  This has decreased the weight and bulkiness of the bodies significantly - becoming more desirable in the racing arena. 

Remember that low-end torque?  This is a hugely yummy feature!  Imagine starting out on a trail in first, almost immediately you reach an incline.  In a two-stroke you almost always have to have a good run at it to make it up the hill.  But not usually so with a four-stroke.  These suckers climb whatever you give 'em and growl for more!

This is particularly helpful in my case.  I ride hard and fast with the Hubs and with four children under the age of 6, I usually have three on my bike - backpacked on and so on.  The oldest rides his own bike.  But the point is, a hill at 40 miles per hour doesn't work when you need to take it steady and not chance tipping over.  Babies are more important than bikes, but in either case, you'd lose both going too fast or stalling 'cause you're not going fast enough.

I have ridden red (Honda) and blue (Yamaha)

Here are the two I'm looking at for next year's riding season.  Cover it in chocolate syrup and sprinkles and we are in Heaven!

Honda CRF230F

I have had this bike before and it is P.H.A.T.!  No seriously.  It has it going on! 

Yamaha 230

I love blue and this bike has stirred all kinds of desires!  It matches my gear perfectly and from past experience, Yamaha is a comparable brand to Honda. 

Hubs usually rides Red.  I'm partial to either and the kids ride either as well.

For a more detailed explanation on the difference between the two please visit this dirt biking blog.

Debatable

So you're thinking that you can write?  I nod, shrug and then admit to myself in the mirror that I have no idea. 

When I read my work I'm dumbfounded.  Did I seriously write that?  I have got to be smacked and smacked soon!  I think, the MS I'm working on now, is so much better! 

- But I thought that about the one I'm disgusted with and the one before that.  

Each time you write, you should have learned something from the one before.  This means each project is better than the last one.  No, not necessarily the premise, the project.  The craft, the plot, the character arc (Thanks Rebecca Zanetti for teaching me that one!), the tone, the ambience of the story.  What about the threads throughout, intertwining the subplots and other storylines you didn't plan on? 

Each book has more layers, more secrets, more discoveries for the reader and - surprise! - you. 

I learn something new with each book and I tell my characters from the ones before how sorry I am that they couldn't benefit from that experience.  The future stories are grateful for their sacrifice. 

What do you find is your weakest writing skill?  How about your strength? 

Hardnosed

Yes, I agree, yesterday's post was rather hard, wasn't it?

But I've been down the road of procrastination.  The only way for me to get out was to tell myself "If you want it, get it.  You don't get to complain unless you do something to change the issue."

So now, I work and work and ignore the chair calling me, or the books I'd love to read all day long and allow myself only a scheduled time for that.

I love what I do, but I know myself and if I'm not hard and disciplined, no one else will hand me my dream.

Procrastination Band Wagon

Everyone is talking about procrastination today.

Here is my take on it.

If you really want it, you'll do what's necessary.  If you're afraid of success, you won't.

That's my Bonnie-ism for the day!

Have a great day!

It Isn't How You Say It...

I follow a lot of agent and editor blogs.  I've said that in the past.

Nearly all of them express concern over how they are rejecting someone.  Sometimes, you just gotta rip the bandage off.

I've received "nice" rejections, which is an oxymoron if I've ever seen one.  And, I've received terse rejections and in a lot of cases, I haven't received anything.  How courteous can one be when saying your work isn't for them?  How many niceties do they owe you?  Or do you expect?  What would make that "no" easier to swallow?  Would anything?  Is there a chance the author being rejected doesn't take it well or can't seem to take responsibility for their own failings?  I ramble. 

From my perspective, I prefer something to anything, whether it's terse, curt, rude, smug, ambivalent, or even sweet.  A "No" in any form is better than not knowing. 

Which leads me to tomorrow's post - Thick Skin. 

Critique Etiquette

I have two steady critique partners... No, I'm not cheating on them.  They are aware of each other, though they have never met (which will change tonight).  I adore both of them, you know.  Each writes different subject matter and motivate me in varying degrees. 

Both women serve in a different role concerning my work.  They are the consummate beta readers and give me honest opinions (I hope).  I also hope I help them with their work.  I'd hate to be as useless as a dust rag in my house. 

I was thinking about critiquing lately and I searched for some info.  Here are some sites to check out:

Critique Etiquette

But I Don't Know How to Critique!

Critiquing Etiquette:  Six Ways to Provide Gracious Feedback

Critique Groups

There is so much information out there, if this doesn't answer questions, Google it. Or read The Writing Circle.

But I wanted most to discuss privacy.  A friend of mine has been working hard on her MS for quite a while.  One day, her husband told her he printed off pages of her MS and took it to work for the people there to read. 

I'm sorry, WHAT?  She had expressed some annoyance and I was downright flabbergasted.

You have got to be kidding me? 

Here is a run down of some do's and don't's pertaining to how you handle and care for someone else's work when you have access/read/critiqued/married to the writer it. 

Please, do NOT print off anything. 

Do NOT give/share any piece or page of it with anyone w/o written permission (no, I'm serious.  Photographers have copyright protection, so do authors).

Do NOT share any of the storyline with anyone, unless you have discussed this with the writer.  This means be vague, if you are asked about it, but don't encourage the discussion - I guarantee Stephenie Meyer's crit partner didn't talk about the work - Ms. Meyer would have been entitled to shooting her (I think : )  ).

Do discuss with your partner the expectations regarding handling of the MS - emailing back and forth, print and red ink, read aloud (some groups do this), blog it, whatever. 

Do respect the value of that writer's work - it is most likely very personal and they may not be ready for the idea to even be shared.

Do be cognizant that we live in a society where people DO steal other's ideas.  It's not common but it happens. 

All in all, as you can see, this post is just about respecting the writer (or artist).  Would you like your work bandied about?

PS.  The above situation might have been grounds for divorce (although, I don't believe in divorce - another blog post), except that my hubs guards my books with a jealousy.  I'm surprised I'm allowed to read them.  He wanted to investigate my crit partners before letting me continue with them.  I assured him, it's all part of the business.  But he isn't one to treat my work lightly.  He loves me!   

Honesty is The BEST Policy... In EVERYTHING

I get up everymorning at 2 am.  The only exceptions are Saturday and Sunday when I lie in bed awake from 3:30 on. 

But Monday through Friday, I'm up.  After pushing every button on my alarm clock, I crawl out of my warm bed and into some sweat pants, a t-shirt and my hubs wool hunting socks - LOVE THEM!!!

I park my butt right down in the office chair and turn on the desk lamp, blinking against the overly bright light.  It's my coffee.  Strapping on my carpal tunnel braces, I do my usual routine to wakeup before I start work - check emails (2), check Facebook, check blogposts and Twitter.  Sometimes, I will compose an email or two, comment on buddies in FB or just stare at the screen until I can motivate myself to start.  This NEVER takes longer than 20 to 30 minutes.

This morning, however, I opened up IE and my home page, Yahoo, showed me a thumbnail view of a report about a Professor catching 200 cheaters in his class.  I was intrigued.  200 students is a lot cheating, a lot immorality.  Maybe it was a mistake?

Watch the video.  I'll wait.  do-do-dee-do-do-dah-do-bee-dee-dee-do-bee-dah.  You done?  

Okay, did you see the second kid who voiced "Everyone cheats in life and in school?  College isn't about learning morality?"  

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  

Kid needs to be slapped, hard!  In this day and age, we see entirely too much dishonesty and I think it lessens mankind's credibility.  

Remember when you could tell a friend a secret and it wouldn't turn up on FB?  Or you could trust another person wouldn't be out to steal your spouse?  What about when banking was about getting help and trusting an institution with your money?  Things have changed and I wonder where the ethical boundary was blurred?  Which generation failed to pass along the importance of honesty and diligence over your fellow human being?  

There is a lesson here, and I am thinking that it might be more obvious than my anger is allowing.  

The fact that he accepted the "truth" of his statement makes me want to hunt down his parents and ask them what the heck they were thinking when they raised him?  Seriously, smack that KID!   

Please tell me what you thought about it and how you think it shows the degeneration of our society, if any!  Thanks for coming by this morning.

Rant over...

A Little About a Lot.

An aunt once asked me how I know so much.

I laughed so hard, I spit out the water she and I were sharing after our workout. "I don't know much of anything, Aunty."

"You seem to have information on everything!"

"What do you mean?"  I was really perplexed.  I've been told I come across as a know it all, but I really do not think I know very much.  Yes, I have an opinion about a lot.  BUT WHO DOESN'T?!

"Well, you know medical stuff, travel tricks, restaurant secrets, kitchen clues, and just the right way to rock a colicky baby.  You're not yet 30, Bonnie, how do you know it?" 

I remember passing the bottle over.  Wow, I did know a lot but I wasn't an expert on any one subject and I certainly had so much more to learn. 

The answer dawned on me.  "Aunty, I don't know a lot.  I know a little.  I know enough to ask the right questions and get more info on something.  Also, I don't tend to look at a job or career as permanent becuase I'm constantly switching it up, learning new things."

Now, with all the book ideas in my head, I realize that while I'm not the type of person who knows a lot about a little, I'm the one who knows a little about a lot and that makes my books more believable.  Write what you know!  Well, with just enough information to "know" it, I can write about that baby-changing-dirtbiking-lasagna-making-and-eating-radiologic-technologist-from-the-woods-who's-lived-in-Vegas-hotel-manager with a stalker.  If I want I can include genetics, medical transcription work, hunting, eating, exercising, romance, chance, faith, did I mention eating? and kids.  I can keep going but why give away all my secrets?

The point is, it's all been research!  And I've loved the research. 

What do you know or wish you know that helps with your writing?

Withdrawals!

From what I understand it is professional courtesy to inform the agents you have submitted to and have not from regarding a query when you are offered representation and accept. 

I just had to send out nine such letters and it was hard at first.  My husband laughed and said, "Why are you having a hard time doing it?"

I said, "Cause I can't reject anyone well." - I was the girl who didn't date much because I didn't want to chance leading the guys on and then having to tell them no.  "It's like when I have to quit a job, I'd rather not do it."

Hubs laughed hard, rolled out of bed and, as he walked by me and patted my shoulder, replied, "Babe, you were just offered the best job you've ever.  Make sure you let the other 'employers' know you're not available anymore."

He is so cute and smart!  Lol.  In perspective, while I know I'm in a partnership, for those authors who are searching, have searched and/or having given up on seraching for the One, the agent to work with you, you know it is hard as heck.  When you find one, take it from me, it's surreal and slightly hard to believe.  So, on the chance that I dreamed the whole end of last week, I was having a hard time withdrawing my MS.

With a gentle push from the love of my life, I reread my agent's emails for proof and sent out those letters. 

Oh, I hope I didn't break anyone's hearts, cause this MS is good!  (At least I finally think so!)

The Agent Call Or Was It The Email?

I had a flurry of exciting events hit me last Thursday and Friday.  I'm going to address Friday because Thursday is still in the works. 

Briefly, on Thursay I received a call from an editor interested in acquiring my MS.  This editor sent me the information necessary the next morning. 

What to do!  I'd read this very thing a few months ago on an agent's blog I have followed religiously for a couple years and remembered to keep an open mind.

I read the editor's email three times.  I clicked on the new tab for an email and stared at the address line.  Did I want to be an author?  Did I have the guts and faith that I could do it?  I tend to think things through on several different levels before doing it and I realized that this was not something I could allow to sit there while I thought it out.  I'd read the advice and now was the time to act. 

I emailed this agent, in fact the same who'd posted the blog, and let her know what the situation was, exactly as directed.  Then, I went to Costco.  Yes, I went to Costco, are you kidding me?  Do you know that agents tend to not get back to you for 60 days?  No, I'm serious.  Every query I've ever sent out has taken at LEAST two weeks for a rejection, if I ever recieved one.  (I just received a rejection for a book I submitted in early 2009).  I went to Costco with the family, thinking I certainly wouldn't hear from Ms. Gardner until at the earliest that afternoon. 

My heart stopped when I got home and saw an email indicating interest.  Truth be told, I screamed at my husband much the same way I screamed when I fell down the stairs pregnant.  He and the kids ran up.  My cheeks hurt from the smile.  "She's interested!"

"Get her the information, now.  I got the kids."  He said.  He smiled and kissed me.  My hubs.  Did I mention that I adore him? 

I clicked send. 

Rachelle Gardner of WordServe Literary offered me representation!  I am extremely excited and more than a little nervous.  When you have an agent, it's not just you now.  It's someone else who is a partner in your career, thus there is a person on the inside with the information to help make your dreams come true. 

She said, "Now you write and let me handle the business end."  I can do that! 

About 60% of my writing time has thus far been spent in the "selling part".  Researching publishers, researching agents, researching, researching, querying, querying,.  Now, I can cut the agent searching out and save that time! 

More writing is on it's way. 

Talk about a motivator!  This is how prayers are answered!

Community DOES Mean Family

I follow author Jennifer Walkup and found her post today inspiring and to the point. 

Make your way there and dig deep.  Are you guilty of any of this?   

Counting Our Blessings and Our Words.

I'm winging it today on the post. 

The simple fact that I can sit here in a warm house, working on a computer in cozy wool socks (married to a hunter, people) and listen to my baby gaggle to his older brother while my hubby sleeps is a multitude of blessings all rolled into one beautiful moment.

I have tons of these moments throughout each and every day.  But I don't always take the time to express my gratitude for them.

I know who I thank daily.  Who do you thank? 

Here is a small list:

God - for the many blessings and trials in my life and for my family.

Hub -  for taking out the garbage and rubbing my shoulders when I start to feel faint.

Kids - when they do something that is great that makes me feel pride and when the do something they aren't supposed to help me learn patience.

Mom - I am who I am because of her.

Friends - each one has a different job and duty and, most importantly, place in my heart.

Work - frankly, everyone needs one right now and I'm greatful to have a job.

Military - I'm sitting here, safe, because this country is protected and that's the plain and simple fact. 

What are you thankful for and to whom?

NaNoWriMo - Not a disease

I sincerely love the idea of NaNoWriMo.  I don't love the month, but my hub is a hunter and nothing works well in November but bullets flying and blood gushing.

What do I love about it, you ask?  Well, like Mother's Day, it forces those among us (us being writers) to acknowledge the need for time to write. 

Mother's Day is the only day I get told how awesome I am as a mom, given chocolates and given a breather from Mommy-things.  Someone cooks for me and celebrates moms!

So, during NaNoWriMo, we get to say "Hey, there is this National Novel Writing Month and I have to participate.  I have to write 50,000 words in 30 days, can you help me out?  It's only 30 DAYS!  Please!  and 30 days doesn't sound long, does it?"  We don't have to bargain hard, because most people don't understand what 50k entails - even if it isn't edited, coherent or particularly understandable. Even if most of it is one long sentence.  It doesn't matter! 

So to write 50,000 words in 30 days you need to meet a goal of 1667 words a day.  If you need a break, schedule it beforehand. 

For instance, I don't write on Sundays.  So I would need to take out 4 days from my calculation - 26 days and dvide that into 50k.  This comes out to be 1923 words a day. 

When I'm writing at a good pace and still meeting my normal deadlines and responsibilities outside of writing (remember, I'm an author parttime, a medical transcriptionist full time, a mommy overtime, a RS Second Counselor parttime, a wife overtime, a critique partner times three, a judge times two, a blogger, a fan, a reader (almost never, wah) and an attempting-exerciser), I pound out an average of 2,500 words a day.  Editing days I can cover a good 50 to 60 pages.  But this is if nothing else gets in the way.

In NaNoWriMo, you take upon yourself that the other stuff will be set aside for the month and you will be an author only.  I gotta say, I didn't add hunter widow up there, but I don't do NaNoWriMo mainly because of that.  There is no way I'm going to get a committment from my hot-blooded hub to not go kill something to chop up and put in our freezer.  Not going to happen, so why fight it? 

GOOD LUCK NANOWRIMOs!  I'M ROOTING FOR YOU!