There's a Place for Trash

And it isn't with an agent or publisher. So many of you probably already know this, and I wish I had figured it out before I made the mistake, but I didn't. I queried trash. Yes, trash. My mom recently returned to me the first draft of my last project. I sat down on the floor of my study and giggled as I read. It was truly awful. This is the same awful I queried eighteen months ago. Seriously, what was I thinking?????? This is my first installment of Tuesday's Tips, and I figured why not start with the hardest and biggest lesson I've learned during my journey. I'm sure you've heard it said before, but it warrants repeating. DO NOT QUERY TOO SOON! It's really no surprise that I never found an agent after querying what I did. It stank! And by stank, I mean that it had no business ever being published. It was partly because of my writing, which was underdeveloped and mediocre at best, and partly because I didn't have a clue what I was doing. My Tuesday's Tip this week is to make sure you are 100% ready to query before you contact any agent or publisher. It would be better to wait years for a chance at publication than to blow your chances by submitting to soon. So, as cliche as it might seem, it's still the most important thing I've learned during my walk in the publishing industry. Throw the trash away to make room for the brilliance. So, have any of you ever queried your work before it was ready? If so, wouldn't you say that it's one of the biggest mistakes you made on the road to publication?

Now this is an interesting shoe!

Where in the heck did the designer come up with the idea? Acid trip? Sleep deprived stupor? What was he thinking? No, I'm only kidding. (Well, sort of...) Anyway, the idea, good or bad, came from somewhere, right? On Friday, my fellow blogger Sherrie blogged about the topic of where writers get their ideas. You can read the post here. I commented about how my good friend gave me my latest idea. I had encouraged said friend to write about it herself, but she claimed that she couldn't even write a grocery list, let alone an entire novel. So, I decided I'd take the topic on. Well, I ran into all kinds of problems. The topic itself was not necessarily unique, but the situation was. This made it worth pursuing, but I couldn't quite come up with a believable motivation for the main character. That is until I witnessed some bizarre behavior from my neighbors across the street. I won't go into any details, but let's just say that the behavior was the perfect motivation for my character to end up in the story line my friend envisioned. So, what is my point? Well, it's this: our ideas may be born in one light, but could come to fruition in another. We have to get out there and witness what goes on in the world around us before we can write about it. It's so easy for us writers to get wrapped up in our stories and forget that there are all kinds of things going on outside of our manuscripts. Taking a break and living life is just as important as honing our craft. Oh, and a little discreet people watching doesn't hurt either. Okay, okay, call it spying if you must, but still... Thanks for joining me for the first ever Monday's Miscellanea post. So, what do you think? Do you people watch? Do you soak up every detail of the world around you? How important do you think that is to writing?

There's A Time For Everything

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know this is a picture repeat, but that's me trying to maximize time and minimize stress. So, back to the title of this post--There's A Time For Everything. You know what time it is for me? Well, it's time to get organized. My writing time is sporadic, my workspace is a disaster, and my blogging is, at best, occasional. This isn't like me. I'm normally more on top of things. That being said, my goal this weekend is to get organized in all aspects. I plan on blocking out writing time, doing a complete overhaul of my workspace, and initiate a new blogging schedule. I'm thinking of a wordplay thing like this: Monday's Miscellanea--a day when you never know what you're going to hear from me, but it certainly will be interesting (I hope). Tuesday's Tips--a day when I will share with you something I've learned on my journey thus far. Wednesday's Websites--a day when I will share an interesting/helpful website or blog I've come across recently. Thursday's Thoughts--a friendly day of debate where I will share my thoughts on a timely topic and ask for your feedback. Friday's Fluffs--a day of fluffy inspiration. (We all need that, don't we?) I thought I'd give this a try as I attempt to get back into a regular blogging routine. Please keep in mind that this is all subject to change, but for now, this is my plan. So, what do you think? I'd love your feedback (good or bad). On another note, my aunt passed away Wednesday after a long battle with Alzheimer's. All of us who loved her are both saddened and thankful that she is now in a better place. Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as we lay this wonderful women to rest. We will do so with a mixture of tears and smiles. And, now, on a happier note, have a great weekend!

My Husband's Work Boots

Well, this isn't really his boot because I can't find my camera, but he wears something similar while he works fifteen hour days on the farm to support our family. Sure, his are muddier than this one, and that mud usually ends up on my kitchen floor. I gotta hand it to him, though. He does work hard so that I don't have to. Don't get me wrong; it's not like I sit around and do nothing. I spend my time writing. Some of you will remember when my blogger name was Lazy Writer. I chose this name not because I'm lazy when it comes to my writing, but because my writing makes me lazy when it comes to other areas of my life--cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. I changed this name because I decided it might give the wrong impression. I wouldn't want anyone to assume that I wrote in a lazy fashion, would I? Anyway, my point is this: my husband has suffered many injustices so that I can chase my dream. There was the time he walked into a house full of smoke because I burned the pasta while revising a paragraph. He simply shook his head and went and got take-out. Then, there are the times when he wears two different socks because there are no clean matching ones. He just shrugs and says, "No one can see my socks anyway." Let's not forget the time he cleaned the house himself after a long day in the icy cold so that he could have his buddies over to watch a football game. Yes, it's safe to say that he puts up with a lot because of my writing, and I think it's about time I thanked him for it. Because of him, I get to do what I love most. What about you? Is there someone out there who you should thank? I'll bet there is. So what are you waiting for?

I've Been On The Road

And my computer has been on the fritz. Neither make for good blogging. First, we went on a little mini vacation and had no access to the internet at the cabin we stayed in. Then, while we were away, our house was hit by lightning. Apparently, that isn't good for computers, even if they are turned off. My ethernet port was shot, and our router was blown. We found a temporary solution, but we were only able to get on the internet for moments at a time until yesterday. I'm happy to say that it is now permanently fixed, and I can't wait to get around to all of your blogs. During my forced blogging break, I taught two teenagers how to drive (yikes), finished the revisions on my manuscript (finally), sent my second child to high school and my third to middle school (boo-hoo), suffered from a ten day head cold (yuck), and turned forty (I hear it's the new 30). So, what have you all been up to? I'll be around visiting over the next couple of days and plan on getting back to a regular blogging schedule next week. I hope you all have had a fantastic summer, and I can't wait to catch up on all I have missed. Oh, if you haven't heard, one of my awesome crit buddies signed with an agent. Go by and congratulate K.M. Walton. I couldn't be happier for her.