Sunday, February 3, 2019

A Little Self Love for a Writer

Recently I edited a book written by an 82 year old man who has lived an incredible life. I can't wait to attend his book launch in April. One of the underlying themes of his story - his life story - was how he lived with the fear he was never good enough. This from a man who has amazing insights and has done amazing things in the world of Canadian dance and choreography.

So who am I compared to this extraordinary man?
First of all, I've stopped comparing myself to other people. Other writers.
I will never be like them.
I am me.

I have written many books.
I have published seven novels and submitted one more for publication.
I was a part of several anthologies.
I have published short stories in magazines.
All along, I knew all this in the back of my mind, but I've never let myself ENJOY my successes. I've always completed one project then bounced onto the next one with the drive to do more. To PROVE myself.

Prove myself to who?
To everyone in my life who ever said, "That's nice, but you should be a..."
To the guy who told me to give up and get a real job.
To the voices deep inside of me that's always told me, "You're not good enough," "You'll never get published," "You'll never be able to write full time."
Fear tells me all those things are true.
Logic dictates I keep the full-time job but write for the joy of it.

The writer in me says:
  1. write
  2. publish
  3. take editing jobs
  4. do a bit of freelance writing
  5. marketing, marketing, marketing
  6. surround myself with the positive - both people and inspiration
So what does a writer do to stay positive and not let the voices get her down?
  1. Join a writing group. I've been a part of one for twelve years.
  2. Join groups that will help with book exposure, events, information and recognition. I've joined the Crime Writers of Canada as well as Writers Community of York Region.
  3. Send books to local libraries to get my name out and offer to do events.
  4. Have books available in local bookstores.
  5. Have an online presence.
  6. Find people to review your books and host you on blogs.
So where to start? Take a deep breath, make a list, and take one baby step at a time.

Keep on reading and post a review for the books you love!

Diane Bator
Author of Wild Blue Mysteries & Gilda Wright Mysteries


Introducing:   Book4: The Painted Lady
The pieces of Christina Davidson's life have built up into place over the past few months, despite the one last secret she's trying hard to hide. When Leo Blue returns to town, then people from her past turn up, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble and the only people who can help her now are the men of the Wild Blue Detective Agency.
Leo Blue can't escape Packham nor the life of a private detective no matter how hard he tries. Six months after the murder of artist DJ Gage, the prices of Gage's paintings soar. When a woman winds up dead and a forgery is discovered in the local art gallery, Leo has to find a murderer and a forger.




Saturday, February 2, 2019

Writing Contests: bad or good? by J. S. Marlo


During my exciting and scary journey toward publication, I traveled many roads. I first ventured into the submission path from where I sent my manuscript to dozens of publishers, most of them through snail mail. Over the following months I received acknowledgement letters, then rejection letters. Some were the standard "we're sorry to inform you--" printed rejection letters, while others were nice handwritten rejections. Still, the result was the same. Thanks but no thanks.

I'd received responses from about half the publishers when a friend and fellow unpublished author sent me a link to a free contest. A new publishing company was about to open its virtual door and it was looking for authors. My friend hadn't finished her manuscript yet, but she thought I might be interested. There were a few obstacles, the biggest one being the deadline. The contest ended at midnight that evening and it was already 6pm. I read the rules. They wanted an email with my name, and the first three and last three pages of my manuscript. Nothing else. No synopsis. No blurb. No bio. And most importantly, it was open to unpublished authors.
 
Getting a first contract is a lot like getting a first job. In order to get the job, you need experience, but you can't get experience unless someone gives you a job. Likewise, many publishers will only accept submissions from published authors or agents, and agents won't take you as a client unless you're a published author. You gotta love catch-22.

Back to the contest... I didn't have much time to think about it, but I figured there could be no harm sending six pages out of three hundred, so I sent it--and forgot about it. A month later, the publisher emailed me back saying I was one of twenty semi-finalists. She now wanted to read the entire manuscript, and if she liked it she would offer me a three-year contract and publish it in ebook. I only had a few days to answer. Well, all the questions I didn't have time to ask a month earlier flooded my mind. The first one being: is that new publisher real? It's hard to find information on a company that isn't in business yet. A nice website with the words "coming soon" under "books" was the only indication I had the company existed... Not reassuring I know.

If you browse "free writing contests", you'll stumble on a huge list. Many are free legitimate contests with legitimate prizes. So, is entering contests a good idea? First word of advice: do your homework. Make sure this is a legitimate contest. Read the fine prints. Make sure your manuscript meets the requirements. What's the prize? Is it worth your time and effort? Is there any string attached or any hidden cost associated with that contest? Like getting a free score for your manuscript only to learn you have to pay a fee if you also want to read the feedbacks from the judges.

That brings me to paid contests. Is it better to enter a contest for which you pay an entry fee? Does it make the contest more legit? Or is it a creative way to scam writers? Again, do your homework, like for a free contest, but also add the question Is it worth the money? In most cases, I'd be inclined to say No, don't waste your money. That being said, a month ago I did something I had never done before,  I entered a paid contest. Why you may ask? That's a fair question.

I stumbled on it in December. It was a short-story creative contest in which they randomly assign you a genre, a subject, and a character. Once they sent me my categories, I had seven days to write a 2,500-word-or-less original story. If I pass that first round, there is a second round, then a third. So why did I shed that money for a contest in which over 4,000 writers participated and I have zero chances of winning? Had I had any glimpse of hope of winning, it would have vanished the moment I received my categories. Genre: sci-fi. Subject: exotic pet. Character: interior designer.

Let's be honest here. I write romantic suspense. My idea of a short story is 45,000 words. I wrote one sci-fi story in my life. Back then I was in grade 8, it was a fanfic (I'm fairly certain the term fanfic hadn't been coined yet), I typed it on an old-fashioned typewriter (that was before home computer), and I shared it with my friends during math class. The only pet to ever make it in one of my stories was a cute little terrier by the name of Snowflake who got lost in a snowstorm, and I based her character on my granddoggie. That's as exotic as I got. And an interior designer? That wasn't an occupation I had ever considered for any of my characters. My chances to make it to round two? Slim to none.

So, did I enter for a chance to win money, a publishing package, writing software, and get a detailed critique? No, I would have ended up with more money in my wallet had I not entered, I have three great publishers, my laptop has all the software it needs, and my editor provides me with plenty of critics. The thing is, I started a new novel over the summer. I should already have finished it, but in mid-August, big changes happened in my personal life--good changes, great changes--but changes that affected my ability to write. Basically, these changes took away my writing time--until last week.

Last week was also when I was scheduled to write that short sci-fi story. The contest forced me to get that writing time back--and write. And I wrote that short story in 36 hours. Am I happy with the result? It's not bad for a 2,400-word sci-fi with an exotic pet and an interior designer  😂 but most importantly, it got me writing again. After I finished it, I went back to my summer novel and finished another chapter. So why did I pay money to enter that contest? To get that creative juice flowing and to whip me into writing again! For me, at that precise moment in my life, it was worth the money. Granted, a kick where I sit might have been a cheaper alternative, but probably not as productive.

Now you may wonder what happened to that new publisher's contest...

Sending six pages was one thing, but the entire manuscript to a self-proclaimed new publisher I knew nothing about entered a different category. I'd heard stories about writers who shared their manuscripts with a critique group only to see their stories stolen and published under a different title by someone else. I'll admit I was scared and suspicious. After all, that publisher had only read six pages. At the time I didn't fully comprehend the power my few pages  might hold. In the end, I emailed my manuscript (and kept a copy of the email). I figured I had nothing to lose since all I was getting were rejection letters...or worse, no letters at all. A few weeks later, I was offered a contract for my novel and assigned to an awesome editor who took me under her wing. Unfortunately, the publisher closed its door a few years later, but then my editor dragged me with her to a different publisher where I published more books. My gamble in that new publisher had paid off. Thanks to that contest, I became a published author, and from there, doors that might have remained closed began to open.

There are lots of good writing contests out there for published and unpublished authors. Don't shy away from them, but be careful and selective. They are not all created equal.

Happy reading & writing! And good luck!
 JS

Friday, February 1, 2019

Welcome to February - the Month for Lovers


http://bwlcanadianhistoricalbrides.blogspot.com/ 


Since February has long been regarded as the month for lovers, it seems only fitting that here at BWL we make this the month for celebrating our historical and time travel romances.

 

BWL PUBLISHING'S FEBRUARY RELEASES
  




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