tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post3733413494288509264..comments2024-03-28T08:14:28.881-04:00Comments on Authoress: Friday FricasseeAuthoresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09223228949688667517noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-68120768781091258542014-02-18T18:34:25.386-05:002014-02-18T18:34:25.386-05:00LOL. That's how I felt before giving birth to ...LOL. That's how I felt before giving birth to each of my babies. Kind of--we're moving on, but the push and prep are over, and this is never really going to happen. No advice, but I can definitely relate. Heidi Tighenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-41752172177480892992014-02-17T22:05:46.491-05:002014-02-17T22:05:46.491-05:00It may be that you're encountering the dream i...It may be that you're encountering the dream in a new way. It's like visiting a new place. You picture yourself there and plan all the things you'll do and see, but it's different when you're there. It becomes less fantasy and more practicality. "How do I get to the Eiffel Tower?" is a question of bus schedules, not scrimping pennies.<br /><br />As you said, you're still writing and working; you're still riding the bus. And the Eiffel Tower is still there. It just might take a special sunset or a glass of Burgundy to kindle a slightly different dream.Kelsey Beachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12500526637612455354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-87011233159575098202014-02-17T15:59:11.521-05:002014-02-17T15:59:11.521-05:00Ohhhh Authoress!! I love your vulnerability and se...Ohhhh Authoress!! I love your vulnerability and sensitivity-- and I'm sure that is what makes you the beautiful writer that you are. Celebrate and love that in yourself, because it is the secret seed of your talent. <br /><br />After five years of writing seriously, and many many, many rejections I finally signed with a wonderful agent in December. My book is now on submission and I am finding this whole process an excellent exercise in letting go. Yes, I am definitely that person you described--excited, eager, ecstatic at times-- and I allow myself to be because I want to enjoy this moment. I am also carefully reminding myself to enjoy it for what it is. Just this. Just getting to this point is truly amazing and as harrrrd as it is I am trying my very best to let go of the outcome. I truly believe that there is a larger plan and planner at work here- God is journeying right alongside us- giving us these desires and helping us grow along the way. <br /><br />What's amazing is--look at how successful you already are in the writing world and community! I mean, seriously- this kind of successful blog is a not a normal, easy accomplishment. I'm wondering if you have considered, without judgment, all of the possibilities presented before you. With the platform you have established for yourself, you are standing in quite a powerful and wonderful position. I would encourage you to follow the deep place within you--follow your spirit. What is it saying to you? If you feel from the depths of your soul that traditional publishing is still the ultimate dream, then do that and trust yourself as you continue on. Or if you feel like you might be in a great place to delve into the world of indie publishing, then I would allow yourself to explore that without prejudice- As you know, the publishing landscape is changing at a rapid pace. <br /><br />Either way, (or both? hybrid Authoress, anyone?) I'm going to throw out an idea -- and I HAVE NO IDEA if it's a good one or not--it just came to me and it could be TERRIBLE-- but have you thought of unveiling your identity before you become published? Perhaps the whole anonymous thing is taking its toll on you? Maybe establishing a name for yourself and owning your awesomeness publicly would open doors or other avenues or help in some other type of way? Maybe NOT, though--maybe the anonymity is what gives you space--breathing room-- time--peace? <br /><br />I don't know. But I wanted to take the time to comment because you deserve to know that YOU ARE AN AMAZING CONTRIBUTOR to the writing world and community. You are kind and authentic and talented and genuine. Thank you for being you, and for alllllll that you do.sparrownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-9702488494899571382014-02-16T14:53:20.787-05:002014-02-16T14:53:20.787-05:00I'm right there with you. The difference is I ...I'm right there with you. The difference is I am yet to even find an agent. A bad one a long time ago, but that's another story. I read a quote recently that said (and I'm paraphrasing)the world is full of artists that gave up right before they made it. So I try to push through. It's all we can do. Push through and live for the moments of joy when it all comes together and confirms we are doing exactly what we are meant to do.Leighnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-55920892929967915022014-02-15T20:37:56.597-05:002014-02-15T20:37:56.597-05:00It is not the loneliness or the lack determination...It is not the loneliness or the lack determination, what sometimes makes dreams feel blank to me is that when they are realized will anyone care?<br />To answer that question, yes, people will care. <br /><br />I guess this is where good friends are useful because they will offer support. Phillipnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-60414443781791491612014-02-15T16:45:56.096-05:002014-02-15T16:45:56.096-05:00I edge in on this feeling of blankness, but so far...I edge in on this feeling of blankness, but so far, for me, it's gone away every time It's reared its head. But I'm "only" five years and about 7 books in (and only four I've queried).<br /><br />I hope you manage to make the best of the lack of stress you're feeling. At least there is something positive in this.<br /><br />I guess just keep going and see what happens. Maybe this is actually a good thing. Stress is not a terribly helpful feeling.<br /><br />Good luck!Sarah Hipplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09127310898615441853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-44876143545617486932014-02-15T12:40:15.819-05:002014-02-15T12:40:15.819-05:00Up until last year I'd only actively pursued p...Up until last year I'd only actively pursued publication a few times, but I've planned on being a successful author at least since I was 10 years old. And one particular experience I've had in the past few years certainly makes me relate to how you're feeling right now.<br /><br />I've worked on one of my novels on and off for many, many years. And for years I assumed that getting it published was just a matter of finally getting approval from the world's pickiest beta reader, as well as getting it to meet my own standards (in other words, making myself stop picking at it!), and then just following the steps of the process for getting an agent and a publisher. Since I had many reasons to be confident that the book was strong and the manuscript very polished, I imagined that once I called it done, within a few years I'd be holding a copy of the book in my hands. <br /><br />Long story short, when I started doing research on agents and queries, I found out that there were a couple of things about the structure of this book that might make it very difficult to sell, especially as a first novel. Needless to say, that took the wind out of my sails. And just like you, I'd been fantasizing about that launch party for years (down to details about the food and the music!). :(<br /><br />So although I'm querying that book, I'm hardly doing so with bated breath. I've almost reconciled myself to the idea that the next book (or the next one after that!) will have to be the one to get me an agent. However, another bit of reality that I've come to grips with recently is that many of my favorite books (the ones that are most similar to what I write) often garner critical acclaim, but aren't big sellers. And these days most agents seem pretty leery of anything that doesn't have 'broad appeal'. One can hardly blame them, since they have to make a living, but it makes it difficult for those who are going to go on writing the books they're passionate about even if they don't have a big market -- but who still really want those books out there where people can read and enjoy them.<br /><br />So I understand what it's like to reach a point where the fulfillment of the dream no longer feels imminent -- and that it's impossible to keep that level of excitement going. My defense at this point is to plan to have so many books publication-ready in the next few years that surely one of them will get through! And although I'd prefer not to have to self-publish (for the same reasons you've talked about), I'm also reconciling myself to the possibility of being a hybrid author. I figure that if I wait until I have one or two books traditionally published, it might work to ride that wave and bring out several others on my own shortly afterwards. Though that isn't the way I'd really like my career to go, I see having that option as kind of like having an ace in your back pocket.<br /><br />Hang in there! We're all in this together. :)L.C. McGeheehttp://lcmcgehee.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-45468029577886888382014-02-15T08:55:59.953-05:002014-02-15T08:55:59.953-05:00Wonderful Authoress,
We have all been there. We w...Wonderful Authoress,<br /><br />We have all been there. We will all be there again. It is the way of us. (Well, maybe not Stephen King.)<br /><br />You have a glass of wine at night and try not to beat yourself up. You have a cup of tea or coffee in the morning and motivate yourself.<br /><br />You go for a long walk -- and you keep thinking and walking, walking and thinking. And at some point something in your project will jolt your mind, motivate your soul. And you will get excited again and push forward.<br /><br />And you will have coffee and wine to celebrate that, too.<br /><br />Good luck.David Ryanhttp://www.davidaryan.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-66139980506301588922014-02-15T04:57:25.556-05:002014-02-15T04:57:25.556-05:00Hi, Authoress, Thanks for being so honest about th...Hi, Authoress, Thanks for being so honest about the way you're feeling at the moment. And I know that feeling. I felt sad and a little better? when I read your post. Writing is a solitary pursuit and the bubble we create around ourselves is as destructive as it is necessary. The isolation of writing distorts reality; our dreams of publication and all that we think will follow keeps us at the wheel, yet I know an author who has twice been on the New York Times Bestseller list and has a series out at the moment, who still receives rejections, feels low when her latest ms is turned down and wonders how she can turn the tide. She continues to write for hours every day, constantly coming up with new ideas and angles. She once told me, forget being famous, forget book signings, forget dreams of financial freedom. It's all about the writing. And when I'm feeling cast-adrift or imprisoned in my bubble, I try to remember that as I write. You have a passion for words, Authoress. I guess it's all that matters, because eventually that passion will take you where the universe wants you to be. Please don't stop believing in yourself. The 'blank' will fade. Valentina Hepburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01671574149855533471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-75794702653694510402014-02-14T23:25:57.353-05:002014-02-14T23:25:57.353-05:00I don't know what I can say that others haven&...I don't know what I can say that others haven't already said. Just know that you aren't alone. There are so many ups and downs that I think it's normal to feel numb sometimes.<br /><br />But then I get caught up in a new character's story, and finding that story makes me feel again.<br /><br />XO Myrna Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13534358757278599925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-58012375679376156452014-02-14T19:36:04.123-05:002014-02-14T19:36:04.123-05:00My goodness, you've certainly hit a nerve with...My goodness, you've certainly hit a nerve with today's post. Having followed your blog for sometime, I believe you are just coming off a major project. A project that went through multiple and major revision. You, your agent, your agent's assistant, and numerous others nit-picked it nigh onto death. While you love it, you probably can't stand the sight of it anymore. Now it's finally done. What a relief. Thank goodness.<br /><br />But the well of energy needed to push the project through to completion is absolutely empty. <br />It should be, you've worked incredibly hard for a long time.<br /><br />Feeling blank for a time allows the well to refill. Not just with energy, but with creativity, enthusiasm and joy. Give it some time.<br /><br />Though instant success wasn't your destiny, perhaps taking the time to learn and hone your craft will prove more valuable in the long run of your writing career.MargotGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-70314432513299597472014-02-14T19:16:36.816-05:002014-02-14T19:16:36.816-05:00They say 'those that can do and those that can...They say 'those that can do and those that can't teach'.<br />That was for art school. <br /><br />First book published, "What does it feel like to be an overnight success?"<br />Ahah., if only you knew how much of this isn't true. There is no such thing as an overnight success and if there was, how scary would be the next hump be. Mostly it's hard work.<br /><br />Do you know somebody who says: When I retire I'm also going to write a (insert here).<br />Oh no you're not! You are going to be searching for rosebugs with a torch when you retire. If you wait to then you are not a writer.<br /><br />Authoress two or three weeks ago you wrote that whatever you do you write. Beginning middle and end. Publishing is only a bonus. But the main game is all those characters waiting at your gates of heaven to escape from your head.<br /><br />Today you are asking because you want reassurance you aren't the only one to dream the dream.<br /><br />But it's not a dream. Its a bare statement.<br /><br />I WRITE THEREFOR I AM.<br /><br />Zara Penney<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-27608008827559763272014-02-14T18:02:11.922-05:002014-02-14T18:02:11.922-05:00I find that all dreams are that way. We get to a ...I find that all dreams are that way. We get to a point where it is like we are running in quicksand. The blankness is where we just seem to loss our drive for a moment or the need to keep running. So we sink thinking we will let fate take its path. But dreamers and doer, can't just let go and just about when we are going to be sunk, we take one more big deep breath and begin to fight again.<br />I have been trying to get my first novel into the Breakthrough Novel contest by Amazon. It was what, five years ago got me to finish my first novel. It has let me down a path of self realization of what I wanted from my art. I don't know if I am going to get it done this year or not but I am giving it the old "can't beat me" try. It is a dream to see my book as a book, even an e-book that others could read.<br />We can all do our dreams but sometimes what started out one way ends up a totally different way.<br />Blank is good because fate or the gods or your god likes to throw surprises and no one can truly see their future. When I see blank, I know my dream is coming true.<br />Good luck and have fun. Catch you on the last page.Eliza Boutnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-33535920440713901762014-02-14T17:30:50.389-05:002014-02-14T17:30:50.389-05:00Uh-ho, somebody needs some chocolate. Stat!
The p...Uh-ho, somebody needs some chocolate. Stat!<br /><br />The previous posters have covered it so well, there's not much left to say, except that you attract an extremely wise and talented crowd. I, too, have been at this, oh, forever, but my journey has been different, because it was coupled with a life-threatening illness that took away my ability to write.<br /><br />But here I am- healthy, writing, even making money at it when I try. If I conquered this, why can't I continue on and achieve even more? <br /><br />Over the years, I have taken many, many breaks; some to recharge cosmically, some to take classes and gain new knowledge. Writing can be draining because you are constantly reaching into your soul, and sometimes, your soul needs a break.<br /><br />You will go down in history as The Dream Coach, because of all the writers you have unselfishly helped to achieve their dreams. You have so much to teach, so much to give, and so much yet to achieve. <br /><br />You are young, dear grasshopper- your time will come. And when it does, we will all be there to toast you!DJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14359760998871484565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-91743787893746403322014-02-14T16:54:40.507-05:002014-02-14T16:54:40.507-05:00This is perhaps a bit off-topic, though it immedia...This is perhaps a bit off-topic, though it immediately came to mind when I read your post. <br /><br />I just read a blog where a writer said she was frustrated with little to no sales of her books. She then "deconstructed" a book from a very niche genre that appeared to sell well and used it as a guide to write her own book in that niche genre. She used the same cover designer. Sampled amazon blurbs and back cover copy and rewrote as her own. She put it on Amazon as self-pub and it started selling.<br /><br />Where this got interesting was the comments section, and the original author whose work was "deconstructed" had her own tactful but firm response that a bit too much was lifted from her work without credit. <br /><br />I think we get desperate when the dream doesn't work. Or we get bitter and think, screw it, I'll write what makes money. I actually don't see an issue with learning to write genre fiction that makes money, so long as the work is truly original. I would never fault somebody for taking freelance jobs, so why not write in a money-making genre? But it's almost like a slice of that dream dies with the reality of what sells and what doesn't.<br /><br />(it almost ALMOST makes me want to write a New Adult novel* under a pen name.)<br /><br />Our dreams are very personal. This biz is so subjective and doesn't offer enough kudos for the time we spend fretting and slaving over a project that might never go anywhere. I suppose we all have to determine our limits, and offer ourselves grace. <br /><br />*I've read a few great NA titles so this is not a bust on the entire genre, but more on its very fast rise to popularityStephscohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06328839483008086049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-26899754249902072762014-02-14T16:52:44.181-05:002014-02-14T16:52:44.181-05:00Writing is fairly new for me, but many years ago t...Writing is fairly new for me, but many years ago this is how I felt about my acting career. After ten years of auditions through my agent, submitting on my own, subscribing to Dramalogue and Variety,taking workshops, performing in plays and having a B.A. degree-emphasis: acting.I was burnt out on trying and my dream was dying. Death and Birth,sometimes you've got to give in to that cycle. Something has to die in order for something new to be born. For me, a whole new dream was born-and it wasn't on the big screen or the stage.It was a rebirth of the core of my dream: to move people and to be moved. Which led to my own business in a beautiful ocean side town where other dreams were born like writing children's books.So what's your core dream? Does it light you up from the inside out? Can you allow it to be expressed in a whole new way? Here's to your new adventure!C.E. Aegeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10311566837851376984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-53123144703896362122014-02-14T16:43:55.370-05:002014-02-14T16:43:55.370-05:00When I feel bogged like that, I start asking quest...When I feel bogged like that, I start asking questions, following my curiosity. Or I 'refill the well' doing something like drawing or walking. <br />If I follow the questions and answers I experience a sort of synchronicity, where I'll be thinking about something and I'll get images or phrases from unexpected sources. I keep a log of these, because even when I'm just talking to myself, on some level the universe must be listening. Note, I don't think of myself as psychic, and I sure wish I knew, but I suspect it's just the innate pattern-recognition in the brain. <br /><br />Julia Cameron addresses some of your difficulty, if you haven't read the Artist's Way (and I've never done all the exercises) it's extraordinarily helpful. <br /><br />Above all, just write. And let others read, even if you're scared. This thing we do is not about lunch and parties and jazz singers. This is about the words and the stories and the feelings and the characters. if even ONE person is touched, that's enough for me. <br />Alana Dillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13087231337381347438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-57879722250841676782014-02-14T16:39:51.168-05:002014-02-14T16:39:51.168-05:00Thank you, Miss Snark, for writing down (better th...Thank you, Miss Snark, for writing down (better than I ever could) exactly what I'm feeling. I too, have been writing for a long time, and have even won a couple of awards, but getting an agent seems to be something reserved for "other people," other extraordinary, talented, lucky, beautiful 20-year-olds who were writing books while they were still in their mother's womb.<br /><br />If it's any consolation, I just read that Erin Morgenstern of NIGHT CIRCUS went through many rejections before she found an agent (who asked for major revisions).<br /><br />Garth Stein of THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN suffered many, many rejections before he found an agent.<br /><br />Writing is kind of like having children: there's so much excitement when you produce a baby. Then the realities of parenting hit you and the magic wears off. Till the next pregnancy.<br /><br />Hang in there, all of you beautiful writers who say what you mean and mean what you say! Rejection is all part of paring away the non-essential in ourselves and discovering greater inner resources.<br /><br />Robin Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02228078617839649885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-68020400404605074012014-02-14T16:22:49.846-05:002014-02-14T16:22:49.846-05:00I'm just now coming out of a blank state. Firs...I'm just now coming out of a blank state. First I was dejected. Then blank. Over 100 rejections on a story I was querying, 3 rewrites. But some new projects have given me a little bit hope back. It'll still probably be awhile before I can talk myself into trying again though. It always helps me to put my focus on another project. krystal janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02115542477066959046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-48639186512503992562014-02-14T15:59:25.909-05:002014-02-14T15:59:25.909-05:00Oy, I feel you. I poured my heart into my book (as...Oy, I feel you. I poured my heart into my book (as we all do) and devoured everything I could on the craft of writing. I queried for a year with no results, until a kind agent said she loved the concept, but it needed work. She proceeded to share three pages of notes! Her feedback resonated, and I did a major revision. The next round of querying went much better, and I received dozens of requests. I entered contests and won. Momentum was building. Then I received offers from agents! Choosing was brutal, but I picked one who has such an amazing track record I was "sure" to be published.<br /><br />You can tell what's coming, right? Over the course of a year, the book of my heart died a slow death. Lots of editors had lovely things to say, and we even went to acquisitions a few times, but no dice. That was six months ago and I can still barely talk about it. <br /><br />I'm working on another novel, but I have to be honest that I feel sucker punched knowing how brutally heartbreaking this business can be if you believe in your book so strongly. And that's the catch. You HAVE to believe it in, or the words don't come out right. I'm trying to trust in the process, but I can't help feeling a bit like a girl who has been dumped. <br /><br />Word to all the people who are letting yourselves be vulnerable and open. Keep on swimming! :-)Beth Christopherhttp://www.bethchristopher.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-35834905588219237882014-02-14T15:34:09.967-05:002014-02-14T15:34:09.967-05:00I feel your pain, Authoress, or rather you blankne...I feel your pain, Authoress, or rather you blankness. My dream of publishing feels like an imaginary friend- really nice to have, but sadly not real.SMKraftynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-69974400526323909272014-02-14T15:26:53.569-05:002014-02-14T15:26:53.569-05:00I get what you're going through--I'm in th...I get what you're going through--I'm in the years club, too--but I think there's a really good bit about it. I mean, I'd rather be in that blankness than obsessing about publication all the time like a coke-addict, or suffering that soul-crushing pain everytime rejection rolls around. The obsession stage really bothers me. When I--can't--think--of--anything--but--publishing, and fantasizing about it becomes almost like some sick "porn" thing, if you know what I mean (hopefully you don't). <br /><br />That's waaaaay too much.<br /><br />That's what drives writers crazy.<br /><br />Your psyche's deployed a defense mechanism, and that's good. I hate it when it feels like it's going on forever, though, in that blankness. Like business-as-usual, in the sense that this is almost your job. Like ten years from now, I'll be in the same place, still sub'ing, still going, and this limbo is an eternal state through which I'll just keep trudging like Sisyphis with his giant rock.<br /><br />That is lame. <br /><br />It's all back to that Langston Hughes poem: What happens to a dream deferred?<br /><br />Just don't let it wither like a raisin in the sun (which can happen in the blankness), or explode (which can happen in the obsession), and you'll be okay!Petre Panhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09116806277306186024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-19276582758229338642014-02-14T15:08:20.512-05:002014-02-14T15:08:20.512-05:00I know how you feel. I've also pursued it for ...I know how you feel. I've also pursued it for years, and the pursuing itself feels like part of your identity. But complacency is the devil! Take no prisoners. We are writers meant for publication. And it shall happen. Meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01830022835632315081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-44335353735345114332014-02-14T15:08:14.744-05:002014-02-14T15:08:14.744-05:00Oh, my, Authoress, you've touched a few raw ne...Oh, my, Authoress, you've touched a few raw nerves today. Your path and mine seem to bump edges every now and then, and this is one of our little deviations.<br /><br />It's what I've decided is 'past the Cinderella-magical-discovery-stage' of writing, and is into the 'hard-yakka(work), realistic, just 'keep plodding on' stage of being an author.<br /><br />Never give up (but of course, you won't, you love what you do). Never lose heart, just lose yourself in your storymaking. That's what matters in the end - the story.<br /><br />And don't forget what a difference you've made to the writing lives of many others - your altruism shines through.<br /><br />All the very best from Down Under.<br />Sheryl :) Sheryl Gwytherhttp://sherylgwyther.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3615675676021392217.post-42372426425048138592014-02-14T14:49:27.050-05:002014-02-14T14:49:27.050-05:00No, no, no!
Blame it on the full moon, blame it on...No, no, no!<br />Blame it on the full moon, blame it on too much chocolate, blame it on . . . whatever.<br />Just don't give up.<br />Never surrender.J D Wayenoreply@blogger.com