Pretty Pictures

Just a quick pop in to let you know I’m still here!

Nearly done with my Q2 entry for WotF 2011... Hopefully it goes as well as Q2 2010 did for me.  :)

Nearly ready to send of my first Illustrators of the Future entry, too.  I really have no predictions for how that one’ll go.

And, I remembered I promised a few of you some wedding pics, so here’s a couple:

 This is the wedding party waiting in the rain, lol.  This characterizes my wedding in one frame: wet, colorful, and happy.

My flower girl's basket full of stems to hand out to the ladies.

My dad 'n' me on the way to the tent where my fiancé and the guests were waiting.

My husband and I on the beach after the ceremony.

Hopefully I’ll be back with a meatier post soon-- I know you all want something you can sink your teeth into.

~Marina

Rejections with the goal of 100: 21



Lessons in Rejection: Brought to You by American Idol

I’m officially back from my hiatus!  Yay!  To start off the new year, I’d like to talk about rejection.

Ok, I’ll admit it.  I’m one of those people who’s on the fence when it comes to American Idol.  I could take it or leave it, especially since during the gut of the season (when the episodes are two hours long) I fast forward through more than half the show.

But, that being said, there are some valuable lessons to be learned from the preliminary competition--those gut-wrenching, heart breaking auditions.

Half the people we get to see are rejected, and less than half of them take it well.

Similarly, a lot of writers don’t know how to take rejection well.  In fact, they take it down right poorly, and behave badly as a result.

Now, I decided to write this blog post, comparing the two “audition” and rejection processes, because I’ve seen writers (specifically those who are no good at getting rejected) complain about how ridiculous the people on American Idol act when they get booted.  Let’s see if we can open those eyes and show them why their behavior ain’t so different.

Below are all of the variations of post-rejection behavior I can think of.  If you’ve got another, let me know!

1.  On Idol: “I can sing something else” or “Let me try it one more time.”

Who these writers are: The type that wants to send in revised versions after the story has been rejected. 

Why this is “taking it poorly”: They already said no, and you don’t know why.  If you did know why, you would have fixed it before you submitted it, not after.  That means any revisions you do to try to appease one editor probably won’t make a lick of difference in the quality of your work.  Check off the market and move on.

2.  On Idol: “What can I do differently?” and, subsequently, “Ok, let me do that for you now...”

Who these writers are: The type that writes back after a form rejection to demand why the story was rejected.  Also, the type that writes back immediately after receiving a personal rejection with the “fixed” version.

Why this is “taking it poorly”:  These people don’t owe you anything.  Freelance writing, whether it be fiction or non, is like being a door-to-door salesman.  Or worse, a telemarketer.  You’re trying to sell a stranger a product they didn’t ask you for.  How often do you just say “no thanks” and shut the door?  I know people who hang up the phone without a word once they realize someone’s trying to sell them something.  Do you owe the salesman an explanation as to why you don’t want to buy their product?  Hell no, right?  That would be a waste of time.

And part B, the people who say, “Ok, look, I’ve fixed it per your request” (when no such request was made)?  They’re door-to-door salesmen who come back!  Any sort of feedback is a parting gift.  In the dating world, it’s equivalent to your date telling you at the end of the night that next time, you might want to wear deodorant.  He doesn’t want to go out with you again, but he’s giving you a tip that’ll help with the next guy.

3. On Idol: “They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Who these writers are: People who take it personally, because they think they’re perfect. 

Why this is “taking it poorly”:  “How dare they reject me?”  Well, they didn’t reject you.  They rejected something you did, which is not the end-all-be-all of you (at least, I hope not).  This person tends to reject any and all criticisms.  They have the biggest egos, and the thinnest stilts on which to place them.  They refuse to improve, deciding instead that everyone around them is stupid; everyone else needs to evolve their tastes to be able to appreciate the wonder that is The Author.  Arrogance incarnate. 

4. On Idol: “It has nothing to do with my singing, you don’t like me because...”

Who these writers are: The type that believes only people who are already professionals get published, that freelance is closed to the amateur.  Mostly these are newbies who believe in all those lovely writing myths.

Why this is “taking it poorly”:  Because it’s just one giant excuse.  It’s the writer refusing to see the real problem.  This attitude is a roadblock to improvement.  Instead of trying to figure out what you can do to force a publisher to take a chance on an unknown quantity such as yourself (by learning the most you can about how to craft a great story--and then successfully applying that knowledge), you say “I can’t.”  “I can’t” is always a self-fulfilling prophecy.  You’re right, if you say you can’t, you really can’t.  Change your attitude!

5. On Idol: “But I’m a recording artist!”

Who these writers are: People who self-publish because “that’ll show those big greedy publishing houses, I’ll make millions on my own!  Then won’t they be sorry if they don’t publish my next book...”  (NOTE: this is a very specific breed of the self-published, and does not at all reflect everyone who chooses to self-publish.)

Why this is “taking it poorly”:  Oh really, you’ve already chosen the “better rout” by bypassing those great, greedy fingers in New York?  So what are you doing here?  Putting a self-published book on a writing resume does not count (unless, of course, it’s a reprint).  Publishers and Agents alike frown upon this big time.  So, if you’re looking for them to represent or invest in your work, don’t wave your disregard for the process in their face.  Even if you don’t out right say it’s self-published, they can easily find out.  Believe it or not, there is a large quality gap between the majority of people self publishing and the majority of people publishing traditionally.  But these people don’t see it: “I think it’s good, so it must be!”

These are also the type of people who aren’t upfront with the fact that they’re books are self-published, something that really irks me personally.  I’ve met several people who, when I tell them I’m a writer trying to get published, they say “Oh, I’ve got a published book, it’s a...”  I get all excited because I’m thinking, hey, here’s someone who might be interested in showing me the ropes, someone I could learn from, how cool!  Then I find out their book is self-published and they’ve never tried to get anything else published in their life.  They did it just so they could say “I’m published.”  This is dishonest, and is a slap in the face to all those people who toil for years to get published professionally.  It’s hard work, and in the end you get something to show for it.  Just finishing a manuscript does not mean you’ve accomplished enough to hold yourself in the ranks of all those people sitting on the shelves of Barns and Noble, yet that’s what they’re trying to claim.  Full disclosure, people!!!  (Ok, mini-rant over.)

6. On Idol: ”I got two nos and one yes,” (when they really received three nos.)

Who these writers are: The type that only hears what they want to hear.  They’re the people who jump onto message boards at three in the morning to post the “personal” rejection they just received--and lo and behold it’s a form rejection you’ve seen a billion times.  Again, mostly these people are newbies who are looking for some semblance of encouragement.  Not necessarily bad, but still delusional. 

Why this is “taking it poorly”:  Because they need a reality check.  They need to grow some thick skin asap because this industry is tough.  People don’t have to like your work, and to begin with most people won’t.  The sooner you realize that not everyone wants to pat you on the back about the good things (while glossing over the bad), the better.  There doesn’t have to be a silver lining behind every rejection--unless you count the fact that you get to send the story to a new market!

7.  On Idol:  “Thank you for your time.”

This is the correct response to rejection, 100% of the time!  It is the only correct answer!  And guess what, as a writer, you tell the editor this before they reject your work.  That means a rejection requires no response from you whatsoever!  Yay for everyone who takes rejection this way; it is the hallmark of a well rounded, mature individual.

~Marina

Rejections, goal 100: 16

PS.  I also added one WotF honorable mention to my achievements last year :-)

This Year in the Life...

Hello, Hello all.  This is probably going to mark the beginning of a short hiatus from the web for me.  I’m getting married soon and will be off on wonderful adventures for a while.

So, quick end-o-the-year writing re-cap:

*Thirty two short story outlines were created.

*Sixteen Stories made it to the writing stage (no less than 2,000 words in the document at this time).

*Ten stories made it from beginning to end.  Six completed to my satisfaction.

*Six stories currently making submissions rounds-- 2 novelettes and 4 shorts.

*Seventeen submissions made, equaling no acceptances, 12 thus-far rejections, and one WotF Finalist. 

*And then tens of thousands of words spent on three stuttering novels...

Which all adds up to...

Me needing to get myself in check!  Those numbers are pathetic, man.  I’m doing this full time, do those look like full time accomplishments?

I know I’m incredibly slow when it comes to the editing stage-- fixing consistency errors, believability issues, etc.  I don’t re-write things, but I do a good deal of chopping and adding. I’m sure as time passes I’ll get quicker, and also not need to do as much fixing.  That all comes with writing maturity that I probably don’t have yet.

Though my daily writing goal (set only a few months ago) was 2,000 words, on average I made 1,000.  Not so bad, but I definitely need to force myself to meet the goal.  What’s the point of having a goal if I don’t have the gumption to make myself reach it?  So, that has to change.

Now, I also have a tendency to write 1,000 words one day, and get rid of them the next.  Sure, it’s practice, but it’s not product.

Also getting in the way was life, as I discussed a little previously.  I’m supposed to be writing every weekday, but some times I didn’t have the time to do more than a couple of sentences, which sucks (and I don’t count those as days I wrote).  But, that means I have to find the time no matter what, even when my day is full.  No excuses.

And, I have focus issues!  I am easily distracted.  Not cool.  I’ve been working on an entry for the Illustrators of the Future contest, and that’s eaten a little into my writing time.  It takes me way longer to get a finished illustration than it does a finished story, believe it or not.  I can do one in a month if that’s all I do.  So, if I miraculously win, quality won’t be sacrificed. 

So, come the new year I need to get it together.  That’s it. 

Have a great holiday season, guys!  See you next year!

~Marina

Emotions going "Whole-Sale"?

So, bear with me a moment, I’m going to talk a little tragedy, but it really does relate to writing, you’ll see.  (And forgive me if I go all train-o-thought on you.)

I’ve been a bit subdued on-line wise lately, and it’s because I’ve got two major stresses in my life taking up most of my time.

One: My grandparent’s illness.  My grandfather just passed away a couple of days ago from Alzheimer’s complications.  He is the second grand parent I’ve had pass away this year, and it’s been tough.  He’s survived by his wife, who also has dementia. 

Two: My wedding is just around the corner.  Getting plans finalized is a hassle.

My wedding has gone hand in hand with tragedy in the family since the beginning.  But, what I’ve realized is that instead of tainting the happiness of my marriage, the impending wedding has actually served to soften the blow of my loved one’s passing.

My great-grandmother died the day after I bought my wedding dress, but that doesn’t mean my excitement about it was short lived.  I am so thankful I was able to tell her about it before she passed away (she was far too sick to leave the house, of course).  I had flown back to Oregon to go wedding dress shopping with my mom and grandma, and my great-grandma lived just long enough that I was able to share it with her.

So, the writing point:  When death accompanies birth or marriage in books, it almost always signifies more impending tragedy, or some sort of emotional black-cloud that looms over the event. 

Having experienced what I have in the past year this theme is (for me, I realize other people react to tragedy differently) unrealistic. 

Instead of lamenting that my grandparents can’t come to my wedding, I’m eternally grateful that they got to meet my fiancé and be part of the preparations before they died.

Now, I can see the sentiment being “black cloud” if the deaths were unexpected or sudden.  Neither of the ones I’m talking about were.  My great grandmother was 97, my grandfather had been sick for years. 

So, perhaps that’s the difference.

What’s I’m trying to get at is emotional situations in writing should not be treated “whole-sale,” and they often are.

Not everyone grieves the same way.  Not everyone loves the same way.  There is no equation for feeling, no “this event = this emotion.”

As a writer, I need to get into a character’s head and know how they would specifically react to given situations.  As a reader, I often see sets of standard-reaction-cards being put in place of real emotions in stories.

Why is this?

I think it comes from the same place clichéd sayings come from.  We see it repeatedly, and it becomes an ingrained, knee-jerk description (like “knee-jerk,” for example).   It’s not the most effective way to get the point across, but it’s convenient.

In plots and prose, convenient is a dirty word.

So, how to overcome it?

When you’re in that moment, feeling those feelings, write it down.  When I was grieving for my great-grandmother, that’s what I did.  Just an hour after she died I knew I wanted to capture what I was going through in words (to be honest, more so for my personal sake than my writing’s, but it translates well).

On my wedding day, I plan to have a note-pad on stand by.

The key to this exercise is not to use any words that are standardly associated with the feeling.  If you can’t find a more specific way to write it, at least use little-used synonyms.  This will divorce your thinking from the whole-sale carbon copies.

I’ve found this to be a very good way to stay genuine and not have stereotypical pseudo-feelings creep into my work as much as they would other wise.

Have you ever done this before?  If not, maybe you’ll find it useful too.  Hope so!

~Marina

Rejections with the goal of 100: a measly 9

The Funny Thing About Being Funny

After all the praise I gave the place, Barns and Noble goes and interrupts my Mojo.  What did they do?  They took away all my outlets!  Screwed nice little safety plates over the lot of them.  So now I’ve been forced to either buy a second battery for my laptop (which my fiancé is skeptical will ever get charged), or find a new place to get in the groove. 

I’ve spent some time at the library, but it’s just not the same…

Yesterday I found my groove in a remarkable place: my house.  Wow, yes, I wrote from home.

4,000 words, to be not-exactly exact (plus a couple dozen or so).  That’s an eye-popping amount for me.

However, it may or may not have been truly productive, as I was taking a foray into comedic sci-fi.  It’s my second attempt.  The first humorous short story I wrote ended up failing miserably because, frankly, it was far too serious to be funny.  This one I’m trying to keep light and ridiculous.  We’ll see how it’s received.

I think comedy is extremely challenging.  So much of it is flow and timing, which is hard to get right in prose.  In a regular story, it usually isn’t such a big deal if the reader doesn’t read a line (or group of lines) exactly as you intended it to be read.  They may naturally pause in a different place, or think the emphasis lies on a different word.  What sounds one way to you may sound totally different to them, but it doesn’t create real problems.  In comedy it does.  What’s funny to the author may be stupid to the reader, and not just because of the content, but because of how it flows.

I’m trying to get this first draft edited so that my first readers can have a shot at it tonight.  Because I feel like I’m on shaky ground with this genre I seem to be able to separate myself from it more easily.  Because I’m not as confident with it, I’m more willing to chop and splice things to get them right.  If the readers tell me something’s not funny, out it’ll go!  I’m not going to coddle the pages and say, “no, not my precious words!” like I sometimes do…  Actually, I’m pretty good at acknowledging when a reader is right about something, but I usually put up a big fight before conceding.  Not this time.  If it’s bad, it’s bad, no argument from me.

Of course, there’s plenty in it I’ll be sad to see go if they don’t find it funny.  The bigger jokes I’ll probably try and rewrite to get the timing down.

Of course, there’s always the possibility of squid-in-the-mouth.  I think most newbie attempts at comedy fall into this category.  They venture beyond strange into un-laughably grotesque and un-relatable.    

I think there’s a pretty big consumer market for comedy out there, but so few people to fill it because it really is difficult.  That’s why it’s sad that professionals always apologize when they give awards to works of comedy, as though by virtue of what it is it should be unworthy of high-praise.  Hey, I think if it was something everybody could do there would be a lot more of it out there.  Those who can pull it off deserve to be acknowledged.

So, anyway, that’s my newest writing exercise.  Have you ventured into any new territory lately?

~Marina

Writers of the Future Q2 Results!

Nope, didn’t win.  Yeah, bummer, but I’m not super disappointed, to tell you the truth.  Well, I’m disappointed, but I don’t feel bad about it. 

From the beginning of my wait I refused to let myself fantasize about winning.  That kept me pretty positive.  When I got the call from Joni telling me I hadn’t won, I focused on the good things she had to tell me.  Two of the judges really liked it and had good things to say to her about it.  Awesome.  The contest would also like to hold onto it for possible inclusion in the anthology, which is definitely a plus. 

So, I’m not upset.  Actually, my fiancé was way more upset by the news than I was.  I had to remind him that KD Wentworth said it was the toughest quarter to date, and I was a contributor to that. 

You know how people at award shows always say, “It was an honor just to be nominated,” after they lose and they’ve got this tone in their voice that says, “Screw this award”? 

Well, it is an honor just to be nominated, and I really mean it.  There’s no way that I could have expected to come that close to winning in the short amount of time I’d been writing with a career in mind.

I realized about two weeks ago that my Q2 finalist was only the second short story I’d ever written for myself (not for school).  I thought some more and realized it was only the 7^th I’d written in my entire life, dating way back to that first one in 4^th grade. 

It was my first attempt at writing a short story after I’d made the commitment to a writing career (My Q1 entry was something I’d written four years previous).  Since I’d spent the first 6 months of this new career trying to spew out a novel, the short story attempt ended in a novelette, but still. 

I’d never tackled a story that spanned millennia before.  And I’d never written a story with 7 distinct POVs before.  And I’d never attempted to write anything in the realm of hard science before.

So, my Q2 entry was largely experimental.  I finished it feeling it had been an exploratory piece.  I felt it was a good story, but not something I’d built on a tried and tested foundation.

It was the most agreeable thing I’ve ever written.  It’s 13,000 words and I wrote it in three consecutive days.  Sure, for some people that’s no big deal, but up ‘til that point I’d been lucky to get in 1,000 words a day.

Having it picked by KD was a proud moment for me, a real accomplishment in itself.  Even if I didn’t win, someone liked it.  A professional in the field liked it, and that means the world to me.

And now I’ve been told that two other judges liked it.  So I’ve got three stamps of approval.  It means I started off down the trail in the right direction.  If I keep putting one foot in front of the other I’ll reach the goal someday.

In summary, I didn’t win, but I’m still on top of the world :)

Congrats to the winners!  Especially regular WotF forum frequenter, Patty Jansen, who won first place :)

~Marina

That Magic Ten Percent

Or five percent, or twelve, or whatever arbitrary percentage you’d like. 

What magic percentage am I talking about?  It’s that thing, you know, “It.”

There’s a hot-button word that, in the writing community, gets a similar hair-raising, fervent reaction that the word “luck” does. 

Talent.

Mention it and someone automatically has an opinion--not usually about the context it was used in, but about the existence or non existence of this thing we mean when we say “talent.”

Usually when talent is mentioned two major factions (on message boards, blogs, etc.) arise:  There are those that believe you don’t get anywhere unless you’ve got this undefined thing called talent, and those who believe talent is a mental roadblock to success and nothing more.

I’ve seen professional writers say, “No one ever told me I was good at this when I was young, and look at me today, I’m making my living at it, therefore talent doesn’t exist.”

I’ve also seen professionals say, “You’ve either got it or you don’t.”

And, of course, newbies just pick whichever opinion appeals to them and then parrot it back to the masses.

I simultaneously agree and disagree with both camps.

When talking about talent, no one ever tries to define what they’re arguing about.  Talent seems to be an untouchable, mystical concept.  Some attempt to give it a fuzzy outline by calling it the ever more ambiguous “it-factor” and the like, but no real meat is ever put on this skeletal definition.  This is a problem.

Then they apply the concept to the mechanical act of writing; the physical placing of words on a page.  This is also a problem.

I believe talent has about as much to do with the physical act of writing as it has to do with a baby walking or a bird flying: none. 

Anyone willing to learn can be taught to communicate, and to do it well.  Some have to work harder at it than others, but that has more to do with aptitude than talent--no, the two aren’t synonyms in my book.  Your level of aptitude can change over time.  Your level of talent cannot.

So, how do I define talent?

Well, first, let’s get out of our Writer Heads.  Things always get clouded when you’re too close to the subject. 

Let’s pretend we’re all taking art 101, Basic Sketching Techniques.  Sure, some students show more initial aptitude than others, but the professor can show each of us over time how to see the lighting in a scene separate from the objects, and how to create texture, and how to compose a balanced picture.

Sketch artists are taught to see the world around them and use technique to reproduce it.  Just like a writer is taught how to put words to paper in a compelling order that makes a complete story.

Our art professor can teach us how to see the world in front of us.  What s/he can’t teach us is how to see the worlds that aren’t in front of us.

No one can teach you imagination.  And that’s where talent comes into play.

Yes, it can be honed and exercised, but it’s not a technique someone can give you.  They can teach you rhythm, effective ways to use different POVs, plotting, thematic enhancement, punctuation, why not to use “ly” words every chance you get…

But they can’t teach creativity.  Either you have a uniquely creative mind, or you don’t.

That being said, the most imaginative people are not automatically moved to the head of the to-be-published line.

Why?

Because hard work and practice matter!

I don’t care if you’ve got the most creative mind on the planet, if you don’t apply yourself and learn the nuts-and-bolts of properly communicating your ideas, you’re not going to make it anywhere.

And that’s why even people without super-duper-spanking-awesome imaginations have a real shot at seeing their writing dreams come true too.  It’s all in the execution.

Talent is like the frosting on the cake: It’s a sweet thing to have, but without a solid foundation, its just fluff.  In the end, readers need meat and potatoes to sustain themselves--great writing, great mechanics, great composition.

Talent certainly doesn’t make you “the chosen one,” but if you’ve got a strong work ethic and a great imagination, you might just have the edge it takes to rise above the rest.

So, it’s not really magic, and it’s not really a percent.  It’s more like a piece of a probability equation.  Are you more likely to get published if you’re “talented?”  Well, that depends on if you have the real “it-factor.”  And I think you know what that is.

~Marina

P.S. Totally my opinion, you're welcome to state yours too!

Number of rejections, goal of 100: 6