The Waiting Game

Dear Humans of Earth,

The Waiting Game- A period of time after you finally get yourself to push that blasted print button and give your precious novel out for review. This is the time when your so tired that you don't even have the energy for hair pulling and those annoying what if questions. Ha Ha until a few weeks later when you haven't heard one thing about that novel. That's when the fun begins.

Outlining future steps- easily done but not so easily followed. If every time I created a checklist for stages of editing and review and stuck to it. I'd be at this point in the game ages ago. However, my novel would not have been as good if I followed those checklists. I am the kind of person where I like lists, itineraries, I like having an idea of what I want done and when. However, that in no way means I will follow them exactly, they are just guiding steps for me.

Patiently waiting time. Now you just sit around and wait. Or you could be one of those annoying people that start working on another book. I however am going to be a lazy person and bask in the accomplishment of where I am and catch up on my sleep and entertain thoughts that do not relate to my book. It's quite nice actually. Since it's the holidays it's a good time to spend time with friends and family, do some decorating and baking! My favorite baking and if possible baking with loved ones.

I love the holidays! The temperature, the cheerfulness, the food, family and friends. It's not a bad time to go through The Waiting Game either. At least there's plenty of things to do in the interim.

Thank you for reading RawLitCom: True Confessions of an Aspiring Author.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Trust

Dear Readers,

 Trust for me is one of the most important things to a writer. When I hand over a copy of my book to someone it is the ultimate act of trust. I love my family and friends, I trust them with my life, every time we get in the car together I trust them to do the best that they can. When I eat food that they provide I am trusting that they haven't poisoned me. I know I can talk to them about anything. But when I hand over four years of my life, my heart and soul, my dreams. That is a tough pill too swallow.

I've blogged the summary of my journey through the editing process, well now I'm at the point where I need different eyes. My book doesn't have any major errors, the plot line is sound, and my printer is ready to rock. Yet here I am sitting in front of my computer trying to convince myself to push print. 

I am thinking hey if I start printing now I can have it all hole punched and bound tonight or tomorrow and hand it over on Thanksgiving. Still haven't pushed print nope I am sitting on a hardwood floor writing this. Hoping I absorb some courage. So far it’s not looking great.

I've been thinking and looking forward to this moment for years. Waiting for the day when I feel secure enough in my book to share it with the most important people in my life. Well I'm secure in my book but not in myself. What if they hate it? What if they think it’s ridiculous or pathetic? What if it’s just not good? What if questions suck. Maybe I should wait until its ready. When is it going to be ready? I ask myself. When its published maybe? Yeah not even then would I be secure enough.

It's time to shut up and put up. Time to push print and trust those who love me.

Thank you for reading RawLitCom: True Confessions of an Aspiring Author.

Editing Take 3

Dear aspiring writers or people who are just bored,

You have gone over your work a number of times and now you honestly can't think of how to make it better. What is missing? What needs to be expanded? Is it perfect yet? It is now time to share your work with a trusted individual. This person (mine is a she) she will go through the grammar and spelling not exactly what I need but I'll take what I can get. I'll write up notes and questions for her so she'll use that part of her brain to tell me what needs work.

Of course the second you print out that copy you start thinking of changes, ideas, and so on. Then you’re stuck with going over and fixing those changes so you can give her your best work but then it’s like 'that's a waste of paper. Eh I'll just remember what I want to change.' Ha ha I bet you didn't write those ideas down and no longer remember. Biggest lie we tell yourselves 'we'll remember'. But I never do.  

When it's time to read her notes and changes, sometimes I agree sometimes I don't. Update your hard drive you go. Now the question is there anything else you can think of before handing it out to more trusted individuals? For me this is my family, I previously did a post one this.

Sometime during this process if you want to publish you need to start writing your synopsis. I will be doing a post of this as well soon. And of course your query letter. Whether or not you find a publisher that excepts unsolicited work or a literary agent you'll need to write these.

Thanks for reading RawLitCom, True Confessions of an Aspiring Author! 

My Book Update

Hello,

It occurred to me that no one would check out my book on Wattpad if they didn't know what it was about. So here's a mini synopsis.

Everyone has secrets, who knew I had so many. 17 months after witnessing her father murder, Alex is hunting them until she meets a man who tells her about her estranged mother. Alex goes to the Sanctuary a place for her to learn about her heritage. While there she makes new friends and enemies. News of another hero who is out in the world being hunted by monsters. Alex, Ametia, and Jason are sent to St. Louis a city Alex swore never to step foot in again. Alex now has a new mission, find Jason's sibling before s/he is killed. But once they locate her they are far from being done. Ellie is owned by a world renowned thief and master con artist. In order to free Ellie from Zane's clutches Alex has to make a deal with the devil.

FYI this story is completely 100% mine so no touchy touchy and passing it off as yours.

Family and Friends

Dear readers,

When you are aspiring to beat the odds and become an author. Not only getting published but people loving your work. It doesn't happen very often and only to the very few. It takes a lot of courage to pursue this accomplishment, it is also a lot of stress. The chances, the heartache, and maybe even the joy of never giving up. You read the success stories, J.K. Rowling she has mentioned how publishers denied her over and over. And now she has a theme park based solely on Harry Potter. Becca Fitzpatrick, she wrote the 'Hush Hush' series. She tried over and over for years. She re-wrote again and again until one day she got accepted.

Support systems are so important to a writer’s psyche. They encourage us, they hold onto our hopes and dreams even when we hate our books and are on the cusp of giving up. My mom was the first I told about my writing, she helped me name and create my first characters. I kept writing and writing eventually I scraped that story to be worked on at a later date. And then I got a new idea, I wrote the first 30 pages and gave them to my mom to read. She said it was amazing. It really wasn't but it gave me the strength to keep going and that was four years ago. I now have a finished first draft of that book and I am now working on editing it.

The only other person I trust with my writing is my best friend. I gave her 50 pages almost a year ago and she said it was good. My book is not at all in her genre but it means everything that she stuck it out, read it, edited it, and on the last page wrote an idea of where it should pick up. That penciled in idea meant more than I could ever say. She didn't have to keep the idea flowing. Her mind didn't have to keep going with the story when it ended. But the fact that it did said more than any word ever could.

But not everyone has the amazing support that I have (Thank you God). Sometimes you have to be your own support system and have those silly 'hang in there' kitten posters. There are always writer encouragements on Pinterest. Writing down why you love writing for when you start to despise those imaginary friends of yours. I do this as well. I keep quotes from authors who were once like me a normal girl with a dream who is now living the dream.

Keep the faith my fellow aspiring writers!

Thank you for reading RawLitCom, True Confessions of an Aspiring Author. Leave comments below.