Grain of Salt or Complete Overhaul?

I've recently had my work critiqued and annihilated twice. I've been eager to find a critique partner who writes the same genre as I do. I need someone to read my work with fresh eyes and give me an honest opinion. Unfortunately, I'm getting a little too much honesty. People can be downright cruel.
I try to take their advice under serious consideration; look at it with an open mind you might say, but when I go back and read my work, I fall in love all over again. I just don't see what is so awful. I love my writing. I think it flows nicely. I love the dialog (this is my strong point and I've never heard anything to the contrary.) I read it over and over and I simply cannot see anything that would constitute a public flogging.
Yes, I want to improve my writing.
Yes, I want other writer's opinions of my work.
Yes, I have every intention of taking their advice to heart and making the necessary changes to make my novels appealing to the masses.
But I have to admit, folks: I'm in love with my stories and my characters and as we all know, love is blind.
What's a writer to do when they can't see past the end of their keyboard?

The Genre Swamp

99.9% of the time, the work of genre fiction writers does not fit neatly into one designated category. Not knowing exactly where you belong can be so frustrating. Especially for a writer. For example: I like to say my novel Wallflower is a Paranormal, romance, mystery, fantasy. Although that sums it up for others to understand what they're about to read, it doesn't help the author to know how to market it.
As an author seeking representation, do I categorize Wallflower as a Paranormal Romance? Sounds fine, but what about the fantasy aspect of it? Fantasy commonly uses things like gnomes and fairies in some invented kingdom. My story deals with a girl who's half ghost and half tangibly real on modern day Earth. Although it has a fantastic theme, it doesn't really fit the general Fantasy genre.
And what about the mystery in my story? My two protagonists get themselves in trouble when they inadvertently connect a series of assaults and killings to one man in their own hometown. Does this mean I should query agents that represent Mystery?
It's enough to pull your hair out.
No one's book fits neatly in one box. So how do you sort it out?
Two words: Critique Partner
In this department, I am lacking. As of now, the tiny town I live in isn't exactly bursting at the seams with writer to writer interaction. That's why I'm so thankful for the internet. A world of fellow writers awaits at my fingertips and believe me, I've scoured the planet for my perfect match.
I was beginning to think that I was an anomaly, that no one writes the same sort of stories I do. But I've found new hope in two new websites I've recently discovered.
I'd like to introduce you to Crit Partner Match.com. This website is like a dating service for writers, only you're not looking to marry them, you're looking to find a like-minded critique partner. I've spent hours upon hours lost on this site. Aside from finding a CP, you can post questions on their forums, start your own blog and join study groups and contests. Very much worth your efforts.
Last, but most definitely not least, is a new beta site called Bookcountry.com. Started by the well known publisher Penguin Books, Book Country offers a vast network of resources for writers. This site concentrates on sharing your work with other writers for reviews and critiques. You can post some or all of your work on your profile. Others can find your work using the impressive "genre map" that tells the reader exactly where your book fits in.  Aside from sharing your work, the detailed profiles they offer help you find like-minded writers to connect with all over the world.
As of now, this site is free to join. Be sure to tell a friend and help this site grow, but be warned: you will spend hours glued to this site. There's so much to see and take in that it will easily eat up your afternoon, heck your whole day. (Just ask my husband. He went without dinner all week.)
I've babbled enough, but I'd like to finish by saying that I'm no closer to finding out where I fit in. I'm hoping that with the feedback I receive from these two sites, I'll be better equipped to target the most appropriate agents.
TTYS

Uncensored Writing

What would happen if you were to "let it all hang out" writing-wise? Are you the type of writer that buffers their prose in an effort to keep anyone from being offended or, God forbid, letting the world see that you too can be crass and without manners? I can think of a time or two in which I sugar-coated my writing. I wouldn't want to ruffle anyone's feathers now, would I?
Well, what's wrong with a little ruffling, or rocking if you happen to be in a boat? While you're in the water, make some waves, why don't ya'. (Gotta' love the cliche'.)
In my last post I mentioned a writing exercise that may help some people cast off their writing inhibitions, as it were. This exercise was initially intended to stop writers from chronically self-editing their book on the first draft. But after completing the exercise, I was pleased to find that the exercise had a pleasant side effect. It forces your words to lie naked and exposed in all their uncensored glory.
At first I tried blindfolding myself, starting the kitchen timer and diving in to the exercise. After two minutes, I lost my place on the keyboard and had to peek out from under my blindfold in order to reorient myself. When I looked at the monitor, I was dismayed to find that I had been typing one letter off for the entire two minutes. (BTW, when you do that, it looks a lot like German.) So, grumbling a few choice words, I cast aside the blindfold, reset the timer and turned the monitor away from my view so I couldn't watch what I was typing. Below is 10 minutes of my storytelling at it's first uncensored blush, typos and all:

Our story starts out like any other: quiet and unassuming in a quiet and unassuming town located in America’s heartland. A village really. The town didn’t consist of much. If you were to blink, you’d miss it.

To the west of this town, A vast patchwork of corn fields reached up and around to the north all the way to the horizon. In the South was the Hastings Popcorn plant. And in the west, the little town of Hastings sat, looking like dollhouse miniatures. This town may not look it, but it was growing rapidly. The population sign at the edge of town had always read: Hastings, population 1,302. But recently, just the last five years or so, the sign read: Hastings population 1,302 ½. The ½ was added in red spray paint. This was a scandal in Hastings. Grafitti was the worst crime to have ever been seen here. But there the vandalism stayed. The town didn’t have the funds to pay for a new sign.

With Hasting’s growth, came a lot of children. If you look into the census records, I’m sure you would find that Hastings had more children than adults. The schools were bursting at the seams with young kids, teenagers, tall kids, chubby kids, athletic kids,  dirty kids. All kinds of kids. For the most part, they got along fine if not for the occasional scrap on the playground. Hastings was proud of their children; featuring them in the local rag when they won the track meet, spelling bee or or made it a month without any caveties.  Hastings was proud of all of their kids except one. You wouldn’t know it, but there was one child that no one in Hastings liked to talk about. As if it were a dirty word, no one mentioned the name Rosie Hawthorne. To do so would bring a pox on your family.

I like this little exercise. The words that I put on paper are more like the way that I think. It is as if I'm holding a microphone and reciting a seat-of-the-pants story for the audience. If you would like to see your writing in a new light, I highly recommend this exercise. Set the timer for 10 minutes or more and go for it. For more details on this exercise, please review my previous post. 

Write happy, write often and never give up. :-) 

The Inner Writer vs. the Inner Editor

Yes, I've heard it before, but I didn't listen. As a writer, I educate myself by reading articles and blogs as well as attending as many classes and conferences as I can afford. On more than one occasion, I've been told NOT to edit as I write. "First blush is the best" they say. Don't interrupt the muse or distract it by going back and tweeking the last paragraph.

Well this is hard for me. Very hard.

I don't expect a perfect first draft, but I do expect something that's readable, if not remotely resembling the finished product.

If you're anything like me, you'll finish a paragraph or two and go back and read it over. For me, this helps realign my thinking with the plot ahead. I become so completely immersed in the subject at hand, I need to be reminded where I'm going with this.

Well, yesterday I received my daily email/writing prompt from savvyauthors.com. It laid out a detailed exercise of free writing for 10 minutes. (10 minutes is just an example, but you can set the time however long you want.) They suggest that you set your kitchen timer, or your watch for a ten minute alarm, sit down with a notebook and write without self-editing for the set duration.

"Write the first thing that pops into your mind." They said. "Don't pause to reflect or come up with a better adjective, just write. And above all, don't go back for corrections. If you misspell something, leave it. No matter what you write, leave it."

Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? I'm not sure I can pull it off, but I will admit that I spend entirely too much time self-editing on a first draft. I wonder what it would look like if I just scribbled down the uncensored words in my head. I think I'll try it.

What about you?

Are you a chronic self-editor or perfectionist? Or are you the "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" kind of person? Let me know. Hopefully, I'll post the results of my 10 minute exercise later today.

Ta-ta!

A Golden Rule for Writers??

As a blustering storms builds outside my window, a similar cold and cantankerous storm brews within me and I feel compelled to share my plight with you.

As you can see, it's been a while since I've posted anything new on my blog. This is because I haven't been writing lately.Oh sure, a little bit here and there. I've posted an entry on the monthly WEbook writing challenge and I've done some editing and reviews for a few fellow writers, but as for my novel in progress: Nothing.

Mind you, this is not for lack of inspiration or motivation. Those things still rage in me like the Amazon during rainy season. My problem is different. There's something in the storyline of The Swamplands that's hanging me up to the point that I don't want to write a word until I can put my finger on the exact nature of the problem.

My hang up is also hanging me up. By that I mean that I feel guilty for not writing. Anyone who has written or is in the process of writing a novel has probably heard the Golden Rule of writing. "You must write every day, even if it's only a few lines. You must write."

Well, I'm here to say that I disagree with that.

Sure, a writer should write something every day, but when a writer is in a funk like I am at the moment, I don't believe that they should dare write a single word in their current forming novel. In this less-than-genuine state, I truly believe that anything written in your novel will be sub-par; marred, at best. When you're not "in the zone" your prose will reflect that.

By all means, write other things; poems, short stories, enter contests. Just don't touch that novel until your issue is resolved. Think about if folks: If you go slopping through your N.I.P. in a state of mediocre placidity, you'll have to go back and edit the crap out of the crap you created later on. That to me seems like a waste of time and a travesty to your characters and plot.

Relax. Work on other projects. Just keep your novel in the back of your mind at all times, searching for the cure to whatever ails it. It will come to you. BUT do not listen to those that demand productiveness at the expense of quality. Join me in this revolutionary thought: "Let your muse lead the way."

Have a great day everyone!

Checkov's Gun vs. Red Herring

I've recently familiarized myself with the theory and practice of what writers call "Checkov's Gun". I'm writing this blog today because I'm constantly surprised and invigorated by these little writing secrets and cliches I've come across.

Do you know what a red herring is?

How about a MacGuffin?

Checkov's Gun is another one of those intriguing little anecdotes that gives a name to something that writers know about, but didn't know what to call it.

Checkov's gun refers to the use of introducing a seemingly benign item or object early on in the story that turns out to play a pivotal role in the plot later on. (See link above for more info.)

A red herring is the opposite of Checkov's Gun. A red herring is a useless, meaningless object, person or occurrence that diverts your attention away from the truth or the suspect or the issue at hand. If not done properly, a red herring could lead to holes in the plot of the story and confuse the reader.

In one of my books, (and I'm not telling which one) I used a red herring to make an innocent person look guilty. If I didn't use this little trick, the plot would be thin and extremely predictable. So, red herrings can be useful if used properly.

I'd like to thank my friend Jessie for allowing me to participate in her recent workshop "Stargate Deconstruction". The movie Stargate has several excellent examples of Checkov's Gun. It was this workshop that introduced me to the concept.

Before I knew what Checkov's Gun was, I identified the concept in books and movies. I tried to explain it to my non-writer husband. All I got was a polite nod loaded with extreme disinterest. I suppose it's only
fascinating to writers and that's okay.

Red herrings and Checkov's Gun are both useful tools to make your stories richer and more dramatic. At the very least, I feel like a better writer just knowing what they are and how to identify them. I hope I was able to help you as well.

BFN

What Do They Mean, Cover Letter?

As any writer in the thick of querying agents, I come across a few surprises when I research each agency's submission guidelines. Just when I start getting into a routine of knowing exactly what I'm doing, up pops something new that snaps me back to attention.

Sometimes, they want your query attached in a certain format or file type. Sometimes they request your query be put in an attachment rather than in the body of the email. Sometimes vice-versa. But the one request that has always stumped me is when the agent/publisher asks for a cover letter. Everyone's heard of a cover letter when applying for a job. Most people know what that entails. I'm referring to a literary cover letter.

What's in a cover letter?

What are they looking for?

So I searched the internet. Would you believe I couldn't find anything? I asked my writer friends. Everyone drew a blank. I was actually passing up the agencies that asked for a cover letter simply because there was no information on how to create one.

Finally, I happened upon an article that spelled it out nicely for me. Hooray!! Here's the answer to the burning question:

A standard submission cover letter in the body of your email.

* Start the email by writing your contact information in the top left corner: Real name, address, phone, email address, title of the work, pen name if any, genre or category, and the word count of your manuscript according to MS Word. Don't round, and don't use "approximately 55,000 words." Please use the actual word count.

* Include your web or blog URL and any publication credits you may have.

* And don't forget the most important part-that short blurb that will pique our interest and make us eager to read more. Or at least give us your best attempt. We'll still read your manuscript even if the blurb isn't perfect.

How about that? My options have now vastly improved and I even get to practice my elevator pitch with a cover letter.

So there's your lesson for today folks. Now you won't feel like a twit when they so casually ask you for a cover letter. :-)