IWSG: My final post

Oops, I nearly forgot about this.

Well, as the title suggests, I will be bowing out of IWSG. At least for now...

With two two-book deals secured in the last month; one with Breathless Press to turn my debut book into a series, and one with Carina UK (Harlequin) for my YA series, I'm not feeling all that insecure any more.

I also don't feel like I have all that much more I can offer in terms of advice. My journey to publication and my various insecurities have been pretty well documented, so that just leaves me to say "thanks" and "ta-ta for now".

Good luck to my fellow IWSG'ers, and hang in there.

IWSG: Foibles

March already!

Wow. Time for another IWSG post then...

What is the IWSG and how do I join?

Have you ever had a hatred of something, possibly even a borderline phobia, that could potentially affect your decision making process when it comes to your career?

I don't mean anything risky or potentially life-threatening, just something ordinary, that other folk have no issue with whatsoever. The kind of thing that makes people look at you like you have two heads when you confess you have an issue with it.

For me, it's telephones.

I hate them.

Well, not the phone itself per sé - try and separate me from my mobile and it could result in a fight to the death - but I don't use the darn thing for talking to people. Good grief, no, the very idea triggers a rush of anxiety and makes my stomach clench.

I can begrudgingly use the phone to make an appointment, or resolve an issue, I just can't stand "chatting" on the thing. No thanks. It makes me feel trapped like a caged animal. Yet I'll happily make a quick call to meet you somewhere face-to-face, assuming a text message isn't suitable or instant enough.

So how on earth could my phobi-hatred of phones affect my writing career?

Well...you see...one of the publishers I have on my wishlist always offers a contract by phone. Or Skype. Always. (GAH!) Never in writing from what I can gather, and  it's even known as 'the call', like it's some big eureka-type experience. (Which I accept it is in some ways.)

Could I bring myself to submit to a publisher, when the possibility of good news and the offer a contract fills me with absolute dread?

No, honestly - could I? - because I'm really not sure.

The fact that the publisher insists on actually speaking to their authors, rather than engaging in emails or web-chat, could push them down the pecking order in favour of a publisher who happily engages in other methods of communication.

It's a funny old conundrum, isn't it?

You can stop looking at me like I have two heads now. Please?! I'm sure I'm not the only one :-/

Which brings me back to my opening question; do you have any foibles, or phobias, that could potentially affect your career?

IWSG: Excuses Excuses...

Here we go again on the first Wednesday of the month, which means...

What is it, and how do I join?

So what to talk about this month?

How about something I think most writers struggle with at some point?

Procrastination! 

I can come up with excuse after excuse about why I haven't written much this year yet, no really, see for yourself...

There was the BETA reading of a novel; the critiquing of manuscripts for friends; final edits on my alter-ego's anthology piece; kids birthdays; school closures thanks to snow; still adjusting to a new routine thanks to my daughter's revised nursery schedule; catching up on my 'essential' reading; quality family time at weekends; and let's not forget, not wanting to waste quality time with my daughter in the afternoons seeing as she starts school in September; maybe even burnout after the Christmas chaos, etc.

Okay, but so what?

Huh?

That accounts for a lot of the time, fair cop, but what about the rest? You know, the evenings once the kids were in bed, the ten minutes or more I snatched here and there when the kids were engrossed in something. What was I doing then? It's not like I watch television and there's only been the occasional early night.

So what was I doing?

Err...if I wasn't reading a book, I was probably surfing the Internet; reading blogs, or most likely, hanging out on Facebook. Okay, I see my point, I lack discipline. (And yes, I do give myself lectures LOL) But I never intended to write 'seriously' until September anyway, that's when I can treat it like a job and go to work every day.

Yes, I know, yet another excuse.

It's not like much has changed compared to last year when I managed to get two pieces written and contracted. I've got ideas galore but they're not going to write themselves. There are still several months until September, do I really want to leave it that long until I make another submission? Have a gap of at least a year before my next book is published?

The sad things is, I know all the things I *should* be doing - I've read lots of blogs on it, d'oh! - but my problem is putting it into practice and making a habit of it.

So what can I do to help myself?

The internet is definitely my downfall, particularly in those two hours a day I get child-free. I really ought to be using that time to write, so if I cannot bring myself to hit the wi-fi 'off' button on my laptop, and it's not possible to use my office yet, what about taking myself out instead? What is to stop me from packing my laptop in the car when I dash out on the school run, then heading to one of the local libraries to write until it's time to do the Nursery run?

It's going to take a while to learn new habits, and I know drastic action would work short-term but would then begin to slip, so I'm going to concentrate on just one thing at a time. If I can get that two-hour window sorted, so that I'm writing every weekday term-time, I should be able to produce a decent amount of work. Maybe then I can tackle my social network addition...

What tips and tricks to you employ to make sure you write regularly?

IWSG: What a Difference A Year Makes

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it's time for...

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Seeing as it's also the start of a new year, I thought it would be good to look back over the past year.

If you'd have told me twelve months ago, that I would be published by Christmas and have a second contract under my belt by this time, I'd have probably laughed. Quite possibly, hysterical laughter, bordering on maniacal. Not because I didn't believe in my writing, but because it has all happened so fast, without the mass rejections I'd prepared myself for beforehand.

This was my goal as we entered 2012:

"I have two manuscripts on the go at the moment, 'The Masquerade Must Die' and 'Love in the Aisles', and I intend to finish the first draft of at least one of them during 2012.

Ideally, I will also revise and edit one of them and get my first query letter sent out but I don't want to go as far as making that a resolution - I would much rather wait until I had a worthy manuscript than rush it off because of a self-imposed deadline. Maybe I'll have it ready in time for next year's Mills and Boon New Voices competition and can go down that route instead, maybe not. I'll just have to wait and see how it goes."

So how did I do?

Well, The Masquerade Must Die is now called Pussy Kat, Pussy Kat (Where Have You Been?) and it will be book two in my self-published Peer Pressure series. Although this story is fully outlined, I suspect it will be 2014 before I can really get stuck into this one. What of Love in the Aisles then? Sadly, that too is languishing 'in the pipeline', having been shoved aside by one project after another. I will get to it, but it isn't one of my priority projects.

Instead, I started Their Last Goodbye and got 35,000 words into it. I even sent off a chapter and synopsis for the Mills & Boon Romance Fast Track, but wasn't at all surprised when it was rejected. Until I heard back from M&B, it was stuck in limbo as I couldn't really proceed in case I completely needed to change the heat level to suit them.

Then came the submission call-out for Christmas themed stories and it got rudely shoved to one side. It was almost like a switch flicking on, and I suddenly got it... writing, I mean. Overnight, my writing improved dramatically. Christmas is Cancelled became the first manuscript I ever typed 'the end' on, achieving my goal for the year. It was, of course, snatched up by Breathless Press (not to mention the contract I turned down from another epublisher) and meant I finished the year as a published author.

After that, I got the idea for my Peer Pressure series, but rather than go into that again, you can read all about it here. Now, it's back to Their Last Goodbye as the characters are getting upset at being ignored, and a dog barking inside your gets a little bit irritating. The story has already been back on the cutting room floor once, with the first couple of chapters getting a complete overhaul, and reading much better now as a result.

Later this year, my youngest starts school full-time so I will be able to make the switch from hobby to career, and I have to be honest, I can't wait. I even have my office ready and waiting so I can physically 'go' to work. In the meantime, I have to remember to make the most of her whilst she is at home as I will miss her enormously when she's at school all day. For now then, my writing time is limited to the two hours she is at nursery school and evenings, with the occasional weekend.

After the reaction, reviews and response I've had to Christmas is Cancelled, I am really starting to believe in myself - albeit in a paranoid, what if I can't match it, kind of way - but I know I am writing some good stuff right now and look forward to sharing it with the world.

Bring on the next twelve months!

IWSG: Rookie Nerves Taking Hold

If you saw my blog post a couple of weeks ago introducing the 'Insecure Writer's Support Group' (see here), then you'll know that today is the day...

I actually have a little confession.

I joined the IWSG a year ago, if not longer, but um... I didn't read 'the rules' properly and got kicked out when I failed to post the required blog posts. Whoops! I'd better get it right this time then.

So, with it being the first Wednesday of the month, I now have to share some of my more neurotic ramblings--or insightful advice (ha!)--with you all.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

As it so happens, I am getting more neurotic by the day...

Each new day brings me closer to 'release day' and by then, I dread to think what loop-the-loops my nerves will be engaging in. My work... my little story... is going to be out there for all to see.

Everyone! 

Not just family and friends, who will hopefully say nice things or at least try to pull their punches a little, but the general public too. I'm just a faceless stranger to them, a stranger that just so happened to type a few (if 40,000+ equates to a few) words into the computer and then hit send.

Will they like it? Will they hate it? Will they write reviews full of vitriol and tear my little story to shreds? Will they write a review at all? Will they even finish the story or will my book make it onto the dreaded 'could-not-finish' shelf on Goodreads?

See... I told you I was getting a bit neurotic.

I'm being realistic as well though.

It's my first book and I know it won't please everyone; nobody knows what to expect from me for a start. Some readers will like it, some will not, and I can only hope there are very few haters.

I know there were little things I was thinking of doing with the story if I hadn't run out of time, but I imagine that is the same for most authors, regardless of how long they have been published. I can hand on heart say I'd be happy if my book averaged 3 stars, although more would be nice of course, but I really hope it doesn't scrape just one or barely reach two.

And as I scan over what I've already written, one word keeps jumping out at me... hope.

Even if it does receive more bad reviews than good, I mustn't give up. I mustn't lose hope. I have already achieved far more than I could have imagined this time a year ago, back when I was still dusting off my notepad and searching for a pen.

My New Year's resolution for this year was to finish a manuscript, that's all, yet here I am having turned down a book deal with one publisher and accepted two contracts from another. In a little over two weeks, I will be a 'published author' and that is something I can be proud of regardless of how many stars my book receives.

There is always going to be room for improvement, I am still learning my craft after all. I can't even write 'seriously' until my littlest starts school next September but I have so many projects and plans that I cannot wait to get stuck into and share with you. I just hope you'll all stick around and give me a chance...

Christmas is Cancelled will be available from December 21st, from Breathless Press and all major ebook retailers.

Keep your eyes peeled for details of my blog tour, kicking off on December 9th and running right through until New Year's Eve. And in the meantime, here is my book trailer again...

IWSG: What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to the ISWG page and display the badge in your post.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

The Twitter hashtag is #IWSG