La-Tessa Montgomery

I reached another milestone in my journey towards publication. Yesterday, late afternoon-ish, in the midst of a very trying day, I received my very first rejection letter.

And oddly enough, it made me feel better.  Yes, I have been accused  of being strange (in fact I was told to my face quite emphatically this very thing yesterday by a friend  ), but it my mood actually improved after I read it. 

Yes, I’m disappointed that the very first agent I pitched to, and sent my very first submission packet  to, didn’t connect with my writing as I’d hoped.  But this is more than a simple “Thanks, but no thanks”, it’s  badge of courage, as well as part of the progress.  Several of my writing buddies were very supportive of me in accomplishing this milestone and have the courage to “put myself out there” as they put it.

Rejections are par the course for writers.  Success in the publishing game is all relative.  You can be hot today and not two weeks from now.   Many authors, after selling one, or several, books  find themselves in a position where they’re having a tough time selling  their new book(s).

So cheers to me on my very first, and probably not last , rejection letter and to me accomplishing one of my writing goals for this year. Woohoo!   So in the spirit of true perseverance, I will carry on with my wip, polish it up til it shines, and shop it around again.  Who knows, I still have one more submission package out there so there’s hope I may get a request for a full.

After a couple of weeks of preparation where I completely reevaluated by contemporary romance. Once I thought about what it was I wanted to do and the general direction I wanted to take, I tucked in and: redefined my characters (I had a lot to learn about them apparently), reshaped their GMC’s, drafted out a timeline, then worked on my W Plot. 

Once I got these 4 things done, I had the foundation I needed to do my synopsis.  The synopsis took a lot of work, even though I told myself to keep it high level and to concentrate on just moving the story from beginning to middle to end.  So 4 hours and 7 pages later I had the complete synopsis in my hand.  (And yes, it took me 2 hrs longer than I’d planned to finish it).

So today, I woke up with a plan.  A plan to get through at least the prologue and first chapter of the new & improved draft.  Silly me, I went into this little challenge  thinking this would be a breeze since I already had (in theory) the prologue through chapters 7 already done (from the previous draft).  Let me tell you, small changes to an outline can have a huge impact to the actual chapters.  So about 6 hrs later (probably more, but I refuse to acknowledge that I have now been sitting on my butt in one spot for over 6 hrs), I have my new prologue and chapter 1 down in the books.

CHA-CHING!!

I had to do a fair amount of deleting (painful), re-writing & tweaking of old words (time consuming) and addition (which was flowed much better than I’d thought).  I produced 4.895 words today, a personal best for me; yet one I don’t think I will ever try to do again.

You may or may not know, but I have been actively working on my first contemporary romance novel.  I spent some time getting my characters and plot together, then I hit the ground running.  I ran into a few snags here and there, but I pushed through it because that’s what writers do.  Then I got to the halfway mark and felt I was pushed into a corner.  Things were not moving along fast enough for me, I wasn’t feeling a particular element of the plot and I was far more interested in working on a new project I’ve been brainstorming.  Not a good sign.

So last week while chatting with my CP, I told her of an earlier version on my story and something clicked.   I turned away from an idea in favor of what I thought was a better plot point.  Now, 12 months later, I’m going back to my original idea because apparently that new idea was NOT the way to go.

So I’ve started over by rethinking the plot and doing some indepth character development.  I must say, I am really feeling a better energy surrounding this project now so I am beginning Worth Fighting For anew.  My goal is to complete my first draft within the next 4 to 5 weeks.  I know I can do it, I have fresh energy & motivation on my side, plus I have close to 50,000 words from the first draft that can be salvaged in some way, shape or form. 

I’ve reset my word counter, untied myself from the current draft (which was much harder than I thought) and now it’s time for me to get busy.  Today is Day 1 on my new journey with this project.

Nina Simone said it best with:

     It’s a new dawn
     It’s a new day
     It’s a new life
     For me
     And I’m feeling good

2009 marked my first full year of taking my writing seriously and actively pursuing my goal of becoming a published author.  I started the year with a set of goals and a plan.  I looked over my 2009 writing year and I have some things to be proud of, and some things to work on.  It’s these things I learned about myself that shaped my writing goals for 2010.

My overall objective for this year as a writer is to the cultivate my strengths while depreciating my weakness.  This means eliminating distractions, excuses, and negativity (especially the self-generated kind).  Actually, as I think about it, this is no longer my goal for this year; this now is my main focus as a writer, period. 

So to help me reach my goal this year, here are some specific, concrete goals I will strive to complete in 2010:

1.  Set a writing schedule and stick to it
2.  Read my top 3 craft books
3.  Complete at least 2 manuscripts this year
4.  Send least 5 queries or submissions this year
5.  Set up my office
6.  Create a binder to better track my writing activities (workshops, conventions, receipts, etc.)

So here’s to a success year.

Ok, it’s the last day of the year. My first year of actively writing and working on my novel. I set some goals Jan 1 of this year, and I’ve been updating my progress throughout the year, but it’s time to do one final recap on the year:

Goal 1: Write for one hour a day, minimum
Ahhh…yeah,  I soo sucked at this goal. I had my moments and long stretches of time where I did this, but not consistently enough for me to say I accomplished this goal with any amount of honesty at all.

Goal 2: Have at least 2 completed manuscripts by Dec 31, 2009
I gotta say no to this one as well.  At one point in time, somewhere around Qtr 2, I just knew I would accomplish this task. But alas, I fell short.  As of right now, today, I am currently reworking a plot point to my current wip, which means I have to redo and tweak all of what I currently have.  Since this change makes the story much better for me, I am very excited about this understanding and know I will be able to wrap up my contemporary romance very soon (you have to come back for my 2010 Writing Goals to see when though.)

Goal 3: Query/Submit at least one manuscript this year
Yes, I successfully completed this goal!  I had the opportunity to pitch my book several times this year and received four requests!  I’m still waiting for the results, but in the meantime, I am plugging along. 

Goal 4: Enter at least one contest
I knocked this goal out of the part by entering not one, but four contests.  I didn’t do so well on the first three, but I received some great feedback.  I make some adjustments, and more importantly decided to trust my gut.  It all worked out because I ended up placing in the fourth contest.  Woohoo!

Goal 5: Cycle through my craft books
Hmm, this one is tough to yay or nay.  The purpose of this goal was for me to continue to improve my knowledge and application of the craft of writing.   I got through one craft book, and about one forth through another.   However, I did improve my craft knowledge by attending two great conferences this year (RWA Nationals in DC and Moonlight & Magnolias in Atlanta), attending some workshops, and participating in several author, agent, and publisher chats.  So, I didn’t get through the core craft books I wanted to read through, but I still learned a lot of new things over the year.

So this is my 2009 Writing Year in review, goal wise.  Definitely didn’t make two of my goals, definitely made one, and I’m about 50/50 on the last one.

Overall, I learned a lot about myself this year.  The most important thing being that I CANNOT write at home.  I believe it was Einstein that said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  Well, just let me say I was more than a bit insane this year in thinking I could successfully ignore all the distractions that reside in my house (chores, the kids, the dog, the hubby, the internet-lol) and write at home.  :-)  But I can do some writing related things at home and be productive. 

Some other keys things I discovered this year is my writing “Golden Time”, a very good brainstorming kit, the fun part of writing, as well as the low part, and I’ve learned to have more trust in myself, my instincts, and my writing.  

So all in all, I had a good 2009 writing wise, I didn’t accomplish all I set out to, but I’ve come further in my journey than I was on Jan 1, 2009.

I did it. 

I pulled the trigger and hit the “Send” button this morning, emailing my first two submission packets off.

Oddly enough, I’m not feeling nervous and anxious, like I thought I would be.  Instead, I’m feeling good, confident in the quality of submission.  Now, let’s hope they see something in my manuscript and are interested.

Now, time to get back to polishing the current wip, plotting out my next one, and cracking out the words on my NaNo project as I await feedback.

After a hard & very distracting weekend, I think I finally got a hold of my mojo again. 
(Excuse me while I do the happy dance.)

Mr. Mojo, not to be confusesd with The Muse, was been elusive the past few weeks, escaping me at every turn.  Taunting me with quotes, ala Capt. Jack Sparrow, like  ”You will always remember this day as the day you almost caught Mr. Mojo”. 

LOL– seriously, it’s been like a bad super hero comic book.

But anywho, I got a great start on my chapter 1 re-write,  although due to some unforeseen issues, I did not make all 3 of my writing goals for the weekend.  But with my CP’s blessing (I think) I did earn 1 chapter from LOVER AVENGED. 

 Woo-hoo!! 

But I’m going to hold off until I’ve earned at least 3 chapters before I crack it open.  Only being able to read 1 chapter would drive me up the wall.  JR Ward is always leaving those chapters with some sort of hook and I wouldn’t be able to take it.  Although, just reading the 1 chapter would probably inspire me to push through my goals for the week though.

So I have 2 goals for this week, with 3 LOVER AVENGED chapters up as grabs as the reward.  I will report in next week on my progress.

‘Til then, lata

Today when I got home, my autographed copy of LOVER AVENGED by JR. Ward was sitting on my desk. 

Can you say “Woo- hoo”, because I know I did.

I’ve been waiting on this book’s release for more months than I care to remember.  I sooo want to tear into this book right now, but I know me.  The Black Dagger Brotherhood series is like the Harry Potter series for me in that whenever a new release comes out, I just have to devour it.

The problem, I have a whole list of things I’ve got to do in order to stay on target for the year.  And putting my energy into this book is just not the most prudent use of my time.   (And believe me,  it hurts me to have to say this.)

Now, I really need to finish the first draft of  my manuscript by July.  This goal has been made a bit tough because I’ve had  to scrap my first 2 chapters, and  do a new outline for the first 3.   So, I’ve decided to try a new method on myself.  Inspired by Jerry Oltion’s article, I’ve begun to embrace the fluidness my muse needs in order to be productive.

So here’s the deal, for each writing goal I accomplish by Sunday midday-ish, I get read a chapter of LOVER AVENGED.  I have 3 specific goals for the next 2.5 days, so that’s 3 chapters up for grabs.

I will continue, (ok let me amend that, I will try my hardest), to reward myself with a chapter for each goal, specific to my current wip, I accomplish.  Now, these books usually suck me in, and I’m done with them in a day or so.  So only being able to read a chapter at a time should be proper motivation for me to get through my rough draft.

Now, if only I can stick to this when I am about 4+chapters in, and it really starts to get good- LOL.

OK, I’m off to get a jump on my writing goals.

I got the contest results back this morning from the RSJ Aspiring Authors contest, and…

I didn’t place, but I scored much better than thought I would.  In fact, the feedback was very encouraging.  I’ve recently been battling writer’s block with this story, and the judges’ feedback, along with my CP’s, have helped spark the muse.

So I’m off to increase the word count. 

Ok, it’s the 4th month of the year and a great time for me to post my Qtr 1 progress. 

So far I have 7,538 words for my current wip, which is about a 13% completion rate.  Not bad considering all the things I have to juggle in order to write, but a definite far cry from where I wanted to be at the end of March.  I was shooting for something closer to 50%.  So needless to say, I’m running a little behind on that one… 

On a postive note, I did enter 3 different contests during the first quarter, which means I can totally cross that goal off my list.  Not to say I will not enter anymore contests this year, but still… An accomplished goal is an accomplished goal I say.  One was a relativly no stress contest where I entered my first 1,000 words each week in hopes of being a weekly winner.  I didn’t place in that one, but no worries.  I found quite a few little issues with my opening and I have since made some edits which makes it stronger.  

The next two were a bit more stressful to say the least.  I entered the Duel on the Delta contest, sponsored by my local writing chapter, River City Romance Writers, and the Aspriting Authors contest, sponsored by Romance Slam Jam.  I haven’t gotten any feedback from either of them yet, but I should here something within the next couple of weeks,. 

I don’t expect to final in them, but I will say they experience of preparing for and entering a writing contest has really showed me a lot about myself.  So regardless of what the results are, I am proud of myself for reaching this milestone in my writing career: producing something worthy of being judged–which is harder that you would think, believe me.

Ok, the second quarter has already started, so I will continue to work on my wip.  Hopefully, I will be closer to being 100%  done with it by the end of June.  I’ve also started brainstorming my paranormal, and I’m VERY excited about it.  I am currently in the worldbuilding phase and so far, so good.  My world is a bit complicated, as I have to work out the social structures, culture, and magic  for several species, as well as put my own twists on a couple of well know lores out there.   

So I am pumped for Qtr 2 and look forward to all I will accomplish.

Oh, and a special shout out to one of my critique partners for finaling  in a contest, and to another for completing her manuscript- WAY TO GO!!!

‘Till next time