The one who writes…..
Author: Noreen Lace
Noreen Lace's fiction and poetry have appeared in national as well as international journals. Her latest work, How to Throw a Psychic a Surprise Party, explores love and family with a touch of mystical realism.
Create an Intention Board
Visualization, scientists believe, is important in achieving what it is you desire.
If you’re concerned about an interview – picture it first
Concerned about completing an assignment? – visualize it finished!
What do you want to happen in the near future?
Sometimes these are large goals – end result goals, and that’s good. We see the big picture. What about the little picture?
- Cut pictures out of magazines (old school) or collect images, text, videos from online and make an intention board for the next few months.
This deals with a little bit of realism. If you’re not writing and you choose a photo of you at a book signing, that’s the end result. Perhaps keep that photo, but put it on the larger board.
- Right now, make an intention board smaller. If you’re not writing and you’d like to write more, place a photo of a person sitting at the computer or typewriter. Imagine what else you want there. You a steam cup of tea? A tray of snacks? Your cat purring at your side? Make this an enjoyable experience. What needs to be there to make this as enjoyable as possible.
I’d love for you to share your results in our newly formed group: Writing 365. Join us!
Share this:
Professionalism
Some people do not understand the basic rules of professionalism. Speaking to, writing, or responding to an editor or publisher should be undertaken with care. These people are our colleagues in the best sense of the word.
I’ve worked with a few literary journals and have talked to editors at others. The things authors say and do completely surprised me.
I’ve only had a single editor be so completely unprofessional I became embarrassed for her (and forwarded her email to her boss). On the other hand, I’ve dealt with a number of writers who have taken pride in their unprofessional behaviors.
One writer posted a snarky response (he supposedly emailed) to an editor. Whether he actually wrote that to an editor is one thing, it’s quite another message to post it on social media for all to see. He may have felt he had won the battle, so to speak, but what he actually did was show how unprofessional he behaved with a colleague, and what a risk other editors or publishers might find him to work with.
We can disagree with editors, publishers, other writers, but there’s no reason to verbally attack or otherwise be rude to anyone in the industry. Taking your private issues with public companies to social media is a mistake on any number of levels. Just like employers look at social media sites, so do publishers.
I had one publisher ask me for all my 
social media links. While some writers told me not to hand it over, I felt it was part of my job to have these available to people in the industry. I maintain social media sites for this reason. Publishers don’t want to just know if writers have a following, but how they’re interacting with readers, writers, and others on those social media sites.
Being rude in an email, speaking arrogantly on a call, and posting disagreements publicly will not further a career.
I do understand it’s quite popular in our society of late to act like an arse and expect to be treated like a king/queen; however, it gives a poor impression and people will not want to work with a person who acts like a spoiled child.
Share this:
More about interviewing….
If an author agrees to do an interview, the professional thing is to follow through.
However, life gets busy.
If for some reason you’ve changed your mind or can not follow through, you should notify the person:
- “I’m sorry, I’ve found myself under too many deadlines and am unable to do the promised interview.”
I’ve had a number of authors agree to interviews, then not follow through. While life does get busy, if you are presenting yourself as a professional writer and want to be promoted as such, then keep your interviewer updated.
Creating a poor impression does not work in any author’s favor. If the interviewer hears of any other opportunities and the author did not follow through in one way or another, the interviewer has no reason to push the author’s name forward to the next level, interview, or event coordinator.
Share this:
Before you Interview….
I’ve given a number of interviews, answered questions, sent the suggested pictures, bio. links, and information, only to never hear from the once-interested-party again and to never see the interview in print.
It takes a lot of time to answer all these questions and collect the information/links requested, only to see nothing come from the work.
Some authors keep a digital file of pre-written answers to popular questions; however, my feelings and ideas change and I don’t want any two interviews to sound the same. I want my readers to look forward to a new interview, wondering what crazy thing I might say next.
There’s not much a writer can do about the never-appearing interview. We can’t ask for the person to guarantee us a spot on their blog, magazine, or other. The only thing we might do is ask more questions up front, while being polite as possible:
- Thank you so much, I would love to give you an interview. May I ask when and where this will appear?
Although those answers, as someone who has played interviewer, are hard to pin down.
Interviews do take time, and having your hard work unused is disappointing, but not participating is risking a chance for promotion. And promotion is a writer’s best friend.
My live interview……can be found here:
Share this:
Is Writing Still Fun?
We started writing because writing was fun. We have the power to create worlds out of words. We create people and have them fall in love, face their fears, win, lose, and try again. We live many lives!
How can we do that better? Edit.
Oh, no, there she goes again, talking about work.
Writing is the fun part. Editing is the work and will take more time than creation.
One top complaint from editors is a lack of basic editing. How many times have you sent a text message or email containing some sort of mistake only spotted after? We are forgiven because we all make mistakes; however, editors expect near perfection.
I submitted a story (Bowie and the Basket Case, to be published by ID Press this month); It was accepted on the condition that I listen to suggestions from the editor.
I’d read the story easily 100 times. My friend read it. Another friend critiqued it. 
– all before I submitted it!
I said yes, the whole time wondering what might be questioned.
The editor responded something akin to, “Page 10, paragraph 3: I think you meant than, yet it reads that.”
There were a few other things; however, I was shocked at this tiny error!
Spell check and grammar check never found it, of course. My friends, my editor, and myself didn’t catch it. Mistakes are easy to make, harder to see. (as in life, right?!)
Have fun writing.
Then get to work: Edit. Edit. Edit.
Share this:
Say Yes to the ReDress
In some writers’ groups, when I’ve mentioned that I’d been contacted by an editor who requested changes, there came about a rise of instantaneous resistance.
- You didn’t say yes, did you?
- Why are you letting them change your work?
- You’re not going to let them change your words, are you?
- Sounds like you’re selling out!
So far, whenever an editor has contacted me about changes, the changes were minor: a comma here, a synonym there, once a nick-name which they ended up leaving in.
One of the these editors worked for The Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Journal ($1.00 Stories). I believe him to be more experienced 
and credentialed in the requirements of publishable writing.
I willingly listened.
So before your writer hackles rise – listen, consider, then decide. Be polite and professional.
Share this:
Write….
Share this:
Writer Services – Required or Rip-off?
Many companies (and writers) offer services to writers. Having someone edit your story is a good idea. Having an agent or company help you with setting up a strong structure might be helpful.
However, what is there to protect writers from poor service, someone setting up shop without valid prior experience? I’ve heard many, many stories of poor editors, promised services left undelivered, etc.
I don’t think writers should have to pay for interviews or reviews – yet some writers have found themselves suckered into these “services” with the promise of sales.
The writer needs to do some background research, ask for credentials and satisfied (perhaps even unsatisfied) customers to chat with before purchasing services. Don’t go by the reviews the company or person promotes on their own website, unless you can reach out to those people personally. Too bad there’s not a yelp for writer’s service.
Recently, I did my own research on a few companies. I googled the “authors” they’d used as their positive reviews. The first author/service reviewer I couldn’t find at all – not on amazon, no website. It well could be she uses a pseudonym, but why would she not use a name people could find? Another reviewer claimed to have gone from no sales to 100,000 sales in a month’s time span. When I googled this author, they had one ebook available for purchase. It did not rank very high according to the sales figures I have access too; I found the claim to be overstated. While he may have doubled or tripled his sales, I don’t see any evidence that he has become a best seller on any available websites or lists. Consider the reason authors might make these claims: to be featured on the website in order to garner more readers and sales.
Do your research, writers. If a writer or service, company, or agent won’t or can’t supply you with references or a tax id # or a business license #, what’s your evidence they can do the promised job?
Share this:
How much time should it take?
Don’t focus on the time, the weeks, or the future. Focus on the now.
Meaning: Don’t focus on the end of your story or the concerns about editing, about rewriting, publishing, stay with the here and now. Work on your story one page at a time, one day at a time, and go at your own pace.
The tortoise actually wins the race, kids!
Noreen Lace 
You must be logged in to post a comment.