Okay. So… recently I’ve been struggling with my own writing in a big way. First I thought - you know, I just suck at this. I’m just going to stop the torture and quit. And then I found out I sold another book. Which made me think - hey, maybe I’m not so bad at this after all.

Gaw. This business will suck the life out of you sometimes. Won’t it? I wonder sometimes why I torture myself so. I guess because it’s something I really love to do and something I think I can make money at.

Anyway - I digress (NOT unusual) - I was lamenting about my lack of writing and decided I was having “growing pains” as a writer. I think part of my current problem is I’m having a Genre Identity Crisis. I’m not opposed to writing in multi-genres - I do it. BUT, I’m wondering what my true strength as a writer is. I mean, where does my voice and my writing fit in the niche?

A friend (Ames) suggested I try experimenting with different genres. And that is probably the key to this. BUT - how do I go about that? I mean, I’ve tried fantasy and it’s something I like but I clearly suck at world-building (I can say that - it’s my work after all..haha). Science fiction is not for me - too technical. Historical - too much bloody trouble with all the research. Contemporary is easy for me since I can just make stuff up as I go. haha

And then another friend said, “You know, you’re really good at writing dirty.”

Am I? I wondered. She said, “I have to attack my husband every time I read your stuff.”

Hm. Maybe she has a point. Maybe I should just keep writing dirty.

So here’s the question - how do you find your writing niche?

Have you ever slaved over your WIP, edited it, loved it, hated it, edited it some more and loved it again only to read a blurb for an upcoming release that is almost IDENTICAL?

This happened to me just after I contracted DEADLY MISTAKES. I read a blurb for an upcoming book and it was so similar I did a double take and tried to figure out if I knew this person and if she STOLE my book. (I have sense blocked out whomever it was so don’t even ask.)

And once when having a plot session with the Buds, we started on one gal’s premise. I sat up straight in my seat, glanced around to see if it was a joke on me. We had plotted much the same thing for me the year before. It got to where we joked about the similarities by the end of the session.

Of course neither had pilfered my prose or pinched my plot. And tell any writer this and they will in turn say, “There is no such thing as an original story.”

Yes, yes, I know this. It has ALL been done. The trick is to put in your unique spin. What we call “your voice”. You can give ten writers the same outline with detailed notes and wind up with ten wholly different stories thanks to their very own voice.

I once read two New York Times best selling authors’ books (oddly enough back to back w/o deliberately doing so). The books had the EXACT same story line. The hero and heroine’s past relationships were the same. The jobs they both had were similar yet different factions of the government. Hell, even the heroines had the same first name though spelled differently. And lest you think, “well, that can happen” – it was Raine. Not that common a name – right Raine!

But though they were so similar, the stories were so very different. The tension came in different spots. The pacing was focused in different areas and once I got into my reader brain and not the writer/critiquer brain I was surprised to find I enjoyed them both!

Again, it’s all about how you spin it!

Speaking of a wonderful spin on a totally rocking story line and a great book (if I may say so myself)…

Don’t forget – DEADLY MISTAKES releases in print in ONE WEEK!!!

Leave a comment and you can win box two in the Dirty Girl collection described in my previous post. But Wait…. There’s more… you name will go into  drawing for a signed author’s copy of my first EVER print release.

KIMW won last week – check the “about Chica” page for my e-mail addy and send me your snail mail to receive your winnings =)

Raine blogged on Friday about luck or a lack of it and publishing. In the comments, Dennie wrote about some authors selling their first book and some selling their tenth and it sparked the idea for today’s blog post.

Why? Why do some authors sell their first book and some their tenth? Why can’t some authors seem to sell after years of writing, placing in contests, placing in big contests, landing agents, etc? What is it that tips the scale? I don’t have any definitive answers, but I did come up with a couple important points I’d like to share. If you think of some throw them out there.

1. You forgot one of the most important things a writer needs to know. You forgot to push yourself. You forgot that writing is an ongoing learning process. You reached a certain point in your writing process/skills/learning and decided that it was good enough, regardless of what any editor or agent or contest judge might say. Here’s a newflash for you. YOUR SHIT STINKS!

Please don’t misunderstand me, dear writer. I’m not saying your writing sucks. I’m saying GET OVER YOURSELF.

Which leads me to….

2. Get over yourself. Everything you write is not gold. Your wonderful, fabulous, splendiferous idea is completely and wholely unmarketable except maybe in a very tiny epublishing niche. Sell it to them or shove it under your bed. MOVE ON. Rip those cobwebs from your eyes, wake up and smell the white powdery stuff. This ain’t art baby, it’s a business. Your baby ain’t no squawling infant, it’s a product. It’s Tide, or Downy, or Cheerios or Starbucks…..

So what do you do when the business side wars with the creative side? What do you do after you wake up and smell the reality? I think I’ll save that for next Monday. In the mean time, any other reasons you can think of that the average writer might not be able to tip the scales in their favor?

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I’m almost at the LSB Authors blog if you’re interested in another chance at a Total Bitch Kit (and some socks and an autographed coverflat of Hands On).

I might as well blog about this. It’s something I read a few weeks ago, and it’s been bothering me ever since—so let’s get it off my ample but suppley firm bosom, shall we?

I was reading a post by an established author on ‘What to Do When You’re Feeling Jealous of Other Writers.’ And no, I wasn’t sitting around brooding or feeling envious—I just happened to come across the post. It looked interesting and, in truth, contained some valuable advice.

But I hit the skids when I read one part of the article. It made me do a serious double-take. Basically (and I paraphrase), the advice was this:

“Sometimes another author’s success is just due to the luck of the draw. Suck it up and get back to work.”

Of course, my initial response to this statement was, “Well if it’s all about luck, why the hell should I bother?”

Let’s be honest. Most of the books out there on the market have a reason for being there—they’re helpful, or inspiring, or funny, etc. Most successful authors work very hard for their well-deserved success.

But we’ve also read our share of books that make us stop and say, “This got published?!”

So let’s just say some successes ARE due to ‘luck’. Where does that leave you if you’re just not a lucky-type person? There are people like that, y’know. I’ve been known to wear that badge myself (stop that laughing, Amie). You can sweat and bleed and write your little buns off until you can’t write no mo’, and in the end just have somebody say, “ah, well—bad luck, old girl?”

And yes, we’ve all heard the comforting expressions…”the harder I work, the luckier I get”, or “real talent will find it’s way”, etc., etc. But they’re not true, are they? There simply isn’t enough room in the publishing world for everyone, even with a bit of talent and the will to keep at it.

Destiny? Fate? Karma? Fairy dust? Self-confidence? Right place, right time? Because this person deserves it and that person doesn’t? All used as rationalizations. But as a speaker I heard once said, “I’m successful because the sky is blue. You might as well believe that, because it’s as good a reason as any.”

The statement by that author really bothered me, obviously. I’m beginning to wonder if that’s because it may be true.

I’d be interested in hearing opinions about this. Show your cards, folks—what do you think?

First off, thanks to everyone for sharing.

Second my winner, chosen completely at random by someone who has no idea what the hell I’m doing, is…….SHELLI BELLI STEVENS! *throws confetti*

And last, Melissa, Mechele, Estella, Karin, Bernita, Sunny Lyn, Mel and Bailey if any of you ladies would like an autographed copy of the cover for Hands On, send me your snail mail address at spamless at amiestuart.com and remember I’ll be doing this again on Monday at LSB. No you don’t have to think of new stories/yes you can copy and paste *snort*

When I was growing up, my hero worship consisted of posters of the swashbuckling adventuresome archaeologist, Indiana Jones, hanging on my wall.

Now that I’m all grown up (ha!), things haven’t changed so much. I still have Indy hanging on my wall. And Aragorn. And Jack Sparrow.

I have a confession (aside from admitting I have posters on my wall - hey they’re in my office, NOT my bedroom!). :)

I’m totally in love with my hero. Every time I visit with him, I think about how hot and sexy he is and how he epitomizes the essence of what I love in a man. Sarcastic, witty, hot, sexy (I think I already mentioned that, but it bears mentioning again). I described him once to a writer pal that he had the adventuresome spirit of Indiana Jones, the sarcasm of Han Solo, and he looks like Clive Owen. Yum.

The hero I’m referring to is, of course, Dane Fortune. When I was working on the edits for book 1, A Bend In Time (now available at Samhain Publishing!), it made me want to write a third book. Have I mentioned how totally fabulous my editor was? She was really able to capture the essence of the characters and the story and inject a lot of humor that I loved. She managed to epitomize Dane and who he is and it made me fall for him all over again. I can see why Skye likes him so much. :D

I’m a firm believer you have to love your hero to write him well. Especially a romantic lead such as Dane. He’s a complicated character – a cold-blooded killer who actually has a heart. And he was difficult and easy to write all at the same time. At times, when I was writing in his POV, I could clearly hear his voice (part of being “in the zone”). It’s such an incredible feeling – a total rush. And when the concentration is broken, it really sucks.

Dane is someone to be afraid of if crossed, but yet someone who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. He’s charming and suave, witty and sarcastic. And he has a fierce protection of the things he views as his, including a certain sassy redhead (no, not me - I wish!).

Anyway, my point in all this is you simply MUST read the new version of Ransom & Fortune (formerly a serial with Inara Press). A Bend In Time is out now and the second one, A Break In Time, will be released Spring 2007. The storyline has been revamped just a smidge and the characters are so alive and so real you’d think they could leap off the page. The moment I start reading the story, no matter where I pick it up, I’m instantly transported back to that world. Maybe because I’m already close to the story and maybe because I know it so well.

I can tell you this: you will not be disappointed. And as for Dane… well… I love him. I do.

So what about you? Do you fall in love with your heroes?

Let me preface this by saying – “I’m weird.”

I can admit it. I see things from a different angle than most people. Often I read too much in certain aspects and underestimate others. As I have established with my last post I have an Uber-curious mind. I am not what you’d call “normal” – right girls, can you back me up on this?

Anyhoo – I digress…

I mentioned I recently went through some major revisions on one of my books at the request of an editor BEFORE she would offer a contract. I took a week to totally freaked out. Then another to contemplate it and then in a couple of days I whipped that puppy into shape.

I re-read the ENTIRE book to make sure that I tied in the changes throughout and much to my horror corrected all the minor little edits that I missed previously (I will say I have a program that reads the book back to me and I highly recommend it – I hadn’t used it before I sent it the first time – BIG MISTAKE – just eyeballing it, you WILL miss many small edits that your brain fixes while you read it off the screen – again I digress….)

One thing I discovered, I really liked the book. There is always the little niggle of self-doubt that what you write is crap and no one will like it, but as I went through the prose I fell back in love with the hero, routed for the heroine and booed the bad guy at every turn.

It was initially a five book series in a fictitious town in Wyoming. I have only completed the first book, have the barest ideas for 2-5. I had almost decided not to write the other four. I didn’t know how well I like book one – but after the re-read, I have renewed faith that it t’ain’t too bad!

On a totally different not – I want to remind EVERYone that Deadly Mistakes comes out in print December 19, 2006 available at Samhain’s bookstore as well as Amazon.com and selected Borders stores.

To celebrate, I am going to have a give-away every Tuesday leading up to it. Today – is a “Dirty Girl” box set. It has Lily body mist, 2 scented towelettes & a notebook. Next week is a “Dirty Girl on the go” gift set with Travel Diary, 2 luggage tags, towelettes & lip balm. And on the RELEASE DAY I will give away a signed copy of my first ever in print book – YAHOO!

I will draw names of all the comments – so tell me what you’re thinking!

From Julie Hill’s Astrology for Writers, Editor’s and Filmmakers (and I’ve snipped a bit)

December is all about Jupiter, the Magnificent Benefic, moving from Scorpio to Sadge. Jupiter in Sadge is a double whammy, conjoined twins, douple coupons, companions fly free sort of aspect. That is, you get more than you bargain for wherever Sadge falls in your chart. For Geminis, this is about relationships with people who do more for you than you could ever imagine. For Sagittarius, it is about being bigger than your biggest britches for all of 2007. It’s the lottery gone mad, the presents under the tree streaming beyond the living room. OY!
All celebrations, Hanukkah, Eid, Kwansaa too, are all being over the top.

Over. The. Top. Interesting. *note to self see where Sadge falls in my chart*

In the tradition of Over the Top and National Lampoon I’m going to do something different today. You know how when you fill out those fun quizzes it asks for your best Christmas memory? Your happiest? Etc Etc *gag*

Well, today I want your worst!!!!!!!! That’s right, your WORST CHRISTMAS EVER!!! It can be sad, it can be poignant, it can be so funny I blow hot tea out my nose, I don’t care. Give me your worst Christmas memory. In return 1 Lucky Winner will get autographed cover flat of Hands On and a mini Total Bitch Kit (I’ll post a picture later). You’ve got until …let’s say Wedneday…and I’ll be doing this again next Monday over at the LSB Blog, too, so that’s two chances to win.

I’d go first but I can’t decide which is the worst. Ohhhhhhhhhh Never mind! OMG I wish I had the photo of me (or not) but I think one of the worst Christmases ever took place about 11 years ago. You see #2 son was due Dec 15 but he was late….VERY VERY LATE. And you know it’s hard to be Jolly when your fat but is that pregnant, you have NOTHING to wear except a black unitard and a flannel shirt (which I still own LOL), you can barely move, and your husband thinks Christmas is all about him. It was NOT JOLLY. Jolly was five days later (Dec 30) when they cut me open and pulled the little terror OUT.

Since Mik brought up the subject (and I’ve got nothing better to blog about… ), let’s talk about REJECTION.

If you’re a wannabee author, or just getting started, and you’re involved with writing chat rooms, message boards, and author support groups, I’ve got news for you.  (And please remember, this is just my opinion).

Despite what your writing buddies say, There Is No Such Thing As A “Good” Rejection.

If anybody tells you differently, they’re trying to make you feel better.  Nothing wrong with that, of course.  But it’s a little like having them come to visit you in the hospital after a car crash and saying, “Well, good thing you only lost one leg in the accident!” 

Rejections are hard.  They’re part of the process, unless you’re one of the “chosen ones”, but they still hurt.  They punch a hole in your heart and shred your confidence, that belief in yourself you need to get there in the first place.

Sure, some are easier to take than others.  Like learning to walk—you WILL fall, hurt the butt, scrape the knees, stub the toes, bang into sharp edges.

The worst rejections are the ones that never garner a response at all, as if they fell off the face of the earth.  This is followed closely by the dreaded form letter.  No comments, no feedback, no clue.  I hear a lot of newbie writers despair about this.  “If only they’d tell me something!”

Well, as one who’s still a dues-paying member of the Wannabees, I’m here to tell ya—it ain’t necessarily so.  I, and I’m sure some of you, have gotten feedback from submissions that made me just as frustrated as none at all.

Examples?

“Good plot, interesting characters, and you’ve obviously got talent.  But you take much too long to get to the sex, dear.”  ~~(response from agent to first–yes, FIRST–15 pages of a SWEET romance).

“You have a lyrical voice, intriguing plot, and I absolutely adore your characters.  I read this manuscript over several times and loved each reading—but I’m afraid it’s not for us.” ~~(editor at small press who made me go “HUH??” and develop a taste for Southern Comfort).

“In response to your question as to whether any of the five manuscripts you’ve submitted per my requests could be revised and re-submitted, I’m afraid my answer would have to be no.  Although I love your writing and the novels were very impressive, it’s simply easier for me to evaluate new work.  I look forward to your next submission.” ~~(editor at large press after 2 years’ worth of submissions—so glad it was easier for HER). 

I’ve heard rejections that were so glowing, the writer was SURE they were on the verge of success.  But those ‘glowing rejections’ went on for years and years.  Very wearing on the psyche.  Rejection is hard, even if you teeter on the edge a bit before you fall in.  You fall, either way.

Just watch those sharp edges.