ACCEPTED

Even more important than acceptance from an editor, is the writer's acceptance of feedback for their writing. Some writers can't take it. And it keeps them from achieving their dreams.

The truth is that if you want to write, you're going to have to learn to take criticism. First from your critique group. Then from editors. Then from reviewers. Then from readers. You can't please everybody. And you shouldn't. But you should be able to look at the feedback objectively and ask, "What did I do to illicit such a response?"

I learned this the hard way. I had an editor request my very first novel manuscript. Then they requested revisions. I made the revisions and sent it back in. Sounds promising, right? Then I got an agent...who told me to withdraw my manuscript from submission and make even more changes. I chose not to listen to her.

So what should I have done differently? I should have walked through the steps that any victim has to take to become accountable for self-improvement...

1. Denial--Did I read that right? She wants me to withdraw my manuscript when I made all the changes the editor asked for? Rediculous.

2. Blame--She doesn't get it. She's not my target audience.

3. I Can't--I can't change that because then I'd have to change everything else, and it would ruin the story.

4. Wait and Hope--I'll just cross my fingers and hope they buy this book.

5. Acceptance--My agent thinks my manuscript needs more work.

6. Own It--If it needs work, I'm the one who has to do it.

7. Make a Plan--How can I tweak the manuscript to be stronger without losing its original flavor?

8. Get On With It--I should have withdrawn, made changes, and resubmitted like my agent suggested.

So I discovered these steps while waiting for the response from the editor. Which prepared me for the rejection I received. Since then, I've made changes. And recently the manuscript was requested by Random House. Still waiting to hear back. But you can bet that I'll be ready to accept any criticisms they might have. And I'll be a better writer because of it.

SIMIL-EASE

You wanna make your writing fresh? You wanna find your voice? You wanna delight your readers? Then stay away from similes that are cliche. Don't say:

It was as hard as a rock.
or
He smokes like a chimney.

Here's an exercise to help you think outside the box. Make two columns on a piece of paper. On the left list random adjetives. On the right list nouns. Then mix and match to find new creative ways to describe your stories.

We tried this at one writer's group I taught, and everyone loved the outcome--lots of analogies that weren't as old as dirt...

She wore whimsey like a tutu.
and
It was as if he had a toybox full of humor.

Your turn to be creative. Then share the wealth of your words with us.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Writing can get lonely. And only other writers will understand your passion/obsession. It's so important to network. That's how I got my agent. That's how I got the first request from an editor for my manuscript. That's how I got a scholarship to a writing conference. That's how I met my amazing critique partner. That's how I got to judge the Genesis book contest. If you aren't sharing ideas and information with other writers, then you are missing many opportunities.

For this reason Borderline Publishing put on an author appreciation coffee this past Friday. Thanks to all who showed up for the event. I enjoyed getting to know you better. And I loved watching the connections that were made. One fantasy author connected with a sci-fi author who was able to help in getting him into local sci-fi convention Fandemonium to speak on the author panel. Then I introduced two other ladies who have a similar audience and now want to do their book launch parties together. And of course, Di loved showing off her picture in the newspaper. Such enthusiasm is contagious.

I encourage all writers to find a way to connect with others. Look for a writer's conference or join a Yahoo group. Or hey, sign up for the writing class I'll be teaching through community ed this spring. And if you can't wait that long, meet me at Red Letter Books at 10:00 this Saturday to learn about plotting your novel. ;-) It's the second session in my six-week-series. Hope to see you there.

BORDERLINE AUTHOR IN THE NEWS

I nominated Di Baird's book The Old Man Who Talked to the Trees for the Idaho Book of the Year Award. Her picture book isn't only adorable, but educational and based on Idaho state history as well as the renovation of the capitol building. She's been making school appearances and speaking at events like a luncheon for the wives of state representatives. Here she signs copies of her book at the State Capitol Rotunda during the Buy Idaho Presentations. You can read the article in today's Press-Tribune.



Other exciting Borderline news includes one of our authors having her book picked up by a traditonal press. I'll fill you in on the details when I can. Or you can just head over to our author's appreciation coffee today and find out for yourself. See here for more information.

DARN DESCRIPTION

One of the weakest points in my writing is description. I always wanna get to the good stuff. And I get impatient. Even when I read a book, I tend to think of description as speed bumps.

But good description can really make your work stand out. It pulls the reader into your story. There are two rules I use to help guide me through the process of writing description. The first one I got from Bethany House editor Karen Schurrer and the second from author Sherrie Lord.

1. Describe things from your character's perspective. I once heard of a place being described as so cold your nose hairs froze and felt like a toothbrush was jammed up each nostril. Now that is an interesting perspective, and it tells you about the character as well as the cold.

2. Pick only the three most insteresting features of a character or a setting that will give the reader a good idea on how to fill in the rest. Sherrie used the example of describing a kitchen as having a formica table, Felix the cat clock, and a bottle of dishsoap wearing an apron. Enough said.

Your turn. Pick a character and a setting then describe the setting from the experiences of your character.

COFFEE TALK

I love getting paid to talk to writers about their books. And now that I work in an office, I'm starting to love coffee too. So I'm especially going to love our author appreciation coffee coming up this Friday.

If you are interested in finding out more about what we do here at Borderline Publishing, come hear it from our author's themselves as we've opened the event up to the public. This will also give our authors the chance to network and brainstorm with each other. There's just some things about the lives of writers that only other writers can understand...

Where: Borderline Publishing
305 N. Steelhead Way off Emerlad between Maple Grove and Milwaukee
When: Friday, February 19
Time: 3:00-5:00
RSVP: Angela at 475-4950

GOT CHARACTER?

I love meeting quirky people in life. They give me such great ideas for creating characters in my writing. Like my friend who ate nothing but beef jerky for months after her husband left her. Or the two guys in my high school who literally looked like cavemen but carried their guitar cases filled with poetry to calligraphy class. Or my boss who uses the language of a trucker but talks baby talk to the office cat. (Love you, Martin.) These are the kinds of characters that bring a story to life. You can't make this stuff up. Or can you?

Here's an exercise you can try to help you get away from cliched characters. Start in the middle of a piece of paper by writing down your character's occupation: ballerina, doctor, bartender, etc. Circle the word then draw six to eight lines out from it leading to ideas typically associated with that kind of career. Some examples of ideas linked to a ballerina would be graceful, hair worn in a bun, strong, and healthy. Then link more ideas to each of those words. In the end, you have a cookie cutter character. This is not someone you want to base your story on.

So...cross out one of the links and make the exact opposite true for your character. What do you have now? A clumsy dancer? Maybe a ballerina that has short spiky hair she likes to dye funky colors? Or maybe she's weak from a disease that affects her performance. Or she loves junk food and loses her role in a ballet because the male ballerina can't lift her overhead anymore. You could go a million different directions here, and each one would each make a good story.

Whatever you do, don't leave your characters flat. Make them unique. Have them do things the readers won't expect while those who "know" them would just be like, "Yeah, that sounds like Natalie." These personality traints won't be easily forgotten. They will make your work stand out.

In one of my books I have a health food addict who dumps hot fudge on her cereal one morning, creating instant panic in those around her. As word spreads that she must be upset about something, a pregnant woman responds, "Hot fudge is actually good on Honey Nut Cheerios." It catches the reader by surprise, but those who know the pregnant woman don't even think twice. It's something they would have expected her to say.

Bringing your characters to life is not easy, but it can be fun. Why write about a pediatric doctor who loves kids when you could write about one who dispises anyone under four feet tall? Or a lifeguard who has nightmares of drowning? Or a comedian with anger issues? Let your imagination run wild, and share your ideas here.

A BORDERLINE MUST READ

Here's the gorgeous new cover for one of our best books from 2009. Historical fiction set in Idaho, STUMP is the story of a man who went fishing with dynamite to provide for his family, but ended up blowing off his hand, thus destroying his livelihood as a farmer and forcing him to turn to bare-knuckled boxing instead. Listed as the number one read in 2009 by The Rabid Reader, STUMP is also being picked up by Barnes and Noble. And as soon as it comes off the press this week, I'll be submitting it for Idaho Book of the Year. Very excited for this author.

LOVE OUR RAVING FANS

One of our new freelance editors comes with the background of being a literary agent. She's got experience and knowledge, and I'm so excited to work her. Apparently, the feeling is mutual. This is what she raved about Borderline Publishing:

• You allow authors to print a small amount of books, allowing them to print as they gain popularity and money.
• You offer the best of both worlds: they can make 100% of the profits selling their own books online, at bookstores, or on Amazon.com. But you also offer marketing to get books into major bookstores. I think this is an amazingly good deal. It's usually one or the other but not both.
• You make free to the public wonderful how-to talks on writing on Saturdays.
• Your business is local, and you have many years of experience.
• You print with quality, standards, and integrity.

Currently Rosemary and I are looking into teaching community ed. classes together. I'll keep you posted.

My first workshop this last weekend was fabulous--so nice to meet all you writers. :-) I apologize for my lack of blogging lately. Been home with a sick little girl. But I look forward to working with many of you. Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see here or anything I discussed on Saturday.