An Amazing Day in the Writerly Life of Mara

Today is definitely one of those days. It's one of those days where everything just lines up perfectly in my writerly world. Heirs of War is with my editor. I overcame the roadblock I was banging my head against for Altar of Reality and wrote around 5k today (there's hope, CampNaNo!). That puts me at around 25k for the book (15k for CampNaNo).

And best of all? I started planning my blog tour today. Thanks to the wonderful folks at The Blog Tour Exchange, I had about two dozen different contacts to email for my tour. Couple that with the already amazing writerly friends I have, and now my blog tour is halfway booked on the first day.

Even better yet? I already have five reviewers lined up. I am totally over the moon.

Why? Because here's the secret truth about a lot of writers: We might love our characters and the stories we are telling, but we aren't confident that you will. I am terrible at blurb/query writing, and I am iffy about my first page. I'm still contemplating rewriting that cursed first page one last time in the hopes of setting up the story better.

So what was my worry? That the tour wouldn't garner a lot of interest because people would read my blurb and say "Meh.". But instead I have people offering to read it. Maybe that shouldn't be such a big deal, but I see people begging for reviews online all the time (FYI: Asking once or twice is not begging, but asking every day is. IMO), so I figured I'd have a hard time getting reviews for the tour.

This day has taught me that the writing community really is one of the best communities out there. Without their support, I think I would be absolutely crazy. Instead, I am floating on cloud nine and looking forward to what is bound to be one of the most stressful times in my writerly life: the debut of my first book.

(Be sure to check back next month for a complete tour schedule, and for the cover reveal on August 30th.)

The Ups and Downs of My Writerly World

I'm sitting here, thinking I should take a nap before I set off for my evening plans. Why is a nap necessary? Well, in case you don't follow me on Facebook, here's the long and short of it:

My doctor tells me I have carpal tunnel AND tendonitis. Because, you know, I'm an overachiever like that.

So my meds make me really sleepy and it is seriously hard to type with this thing on. But I have to wear it for three weeks. And I still have the nerve conduction study to look forward to. *grumble*

That's pretty much the "down" part of my writerly world right now. The "up" part is what is keeping me awake right now. I set my release date for Heirs of War. September 13th! The cover reveal will be August 30th. I know, I know...that's cutting it closer than most. But I have a reason for that. A reason that involves even MORE good news and excitement.

Wattpad has agreed to feature Heirs of War starting September 11th! If I could dance a jig without threatening to break something or cause myself further injury, I would. As part of their promotion, they will be doing a "Cover-Off", which will help me decide which cover to use. Because, honestly, sometimes Gretchen is just too good. Since the cover-off is the deciding factor, I won't be revealing the cover until around a week after.

And, to keep the good news rolling, one of my nearest and dearest is also setting up another marketing promotion type thing for me, which she informed me of last night. More on that as it unfolds. :)

So where will I be in the weeks before my book launches? At DragonCon, of course, waving my fangirl flag high and proud. I just found out I'll have a bit more money than I expected to spend, which means my dream of being in the middle of one of the sexiest sandwiches ever for a fangirl (James Marsters + John Barrowman....Yup: Captain Jack and Spike!!) might be coming true.

Now...what was I saying about that nap? Oh, right. Not likely! =D

P.S. I redesigned the blog, too. Hope you guys like it!

The Paranoia That Accompanies Posting Your Work Online

As I talked about in my last blog, I decided to post Heirs of War on Wattpad as I edit. I've posted all the way up to chapter 16 and am currently banging my head against the brick wall that is chapter 17 and the changes that need to be made.

But I digress. So, I've been trying to become active in the Wattpad community because, well, that's what you do. I tried to do the same with Figment, but in getting so overwhelmed by spam, I just deleted my account. Which I feel bad about because I promised some people I would read their story. One thing I have learned to be annoyed by is the people in the writing community who want something for nothing. Don't expect people to read your work or comment on your work in a contest if you aren't willing to do the same. Make a commitment to the community and you will reap the rewards.

That's a soapbox for another day, I suppose. Because the point of this blog is all about writerly insecurity. Yup, I has it. I didn't think I did. Well, not that bad anyway. But man does this whole read counts and voting system really screw with a novice writer's head. I might even blame it for my current dilemma with chapter 17. You see, I have (currently) 155 reads according to my title page with the blurb. Does that mean 155 people have read that page, or total for the story? No clue. I explored the site but didn't find an answer, got frustrated, and went back to writing.

Moving on. Chapter 1 has 61 reads, and chapters 2 and 16 have 9. But! Some of the in between chapters have as little as 2 reads. Does that mean people are skipping around? Or the reads count is inaccurate? No clue.

Moving on. Out of 61 reads, I only have 2 votes (both by people I know). Does this mean it sucks? Or do people wait until the story is complete to vote for it? No clue.

And not sure if I should move on. I'm wondering if maybe this whole Wattpad thing is creating more of a fuss in my head than it has the potential to give me reassurance that all my effort is worth it. I'm not willing to do the whole "Read/vote for my story, and I'll read/vote for yours" thing that annoyed me so much on Figment. I've got a list of stories I am going to critique, but I made it clear they owed me nothing but patience in return. If someone is going to read my story, I want it to be because they like it, not because of some deal.

Maybe that means I am the wrong kinda author for sites like that. I'm going to give Fictionpress a shot since they don't appear to have anything like the systems used on Wattpad and Figment. And I suppose I will keep posting on Wattpad until the story is done...but not with much confidence I will gain anything at this point.

Why I've Decided to Post on Wattpad

Now, I know this doesn't sound like a big deal. But it is, I swear.

The thing is, I have edited the crap out of Heirs of War. I've also queried the crap out of it. There are a few critique partners who still have it, and a few have offered their insights already. Of course, I know that you can't make everyone happy, so I've been working on incorporating some of those suggestions while I mull over a few others. I'm still working on that. I've also sent a sample to my editor friend to see what kind of editing she thinks it would need before self-publishing.

Where do I start??

Because that's what I've decided to do. Honestly, I think I decided it a while ago and was just querying out of habit. I mean, why else would I go ahead and hire a cover artist if I hadn't, somewhere in the back of my mind, decided self-publishing was the way to go? Gretchen is still working on the cover, but I'm using the last mockup she sent me in the meantime. Why? Because I can't help but show off all her awesome work.

I digress. You might be asking yourself why I would decide to post my MS on Wattpad since I am A) still editing, B) still waiting on my editor friend to get back to me along with CPs, and C) intending to self-publish anyway. The answer is simple, really.

To find out if it is worth it.

I know, I know. It sounds silly. I should have said something like "To help build an audience before I publish", which is part of the reason. But the real reason is simply validation. I've been trying to decide what to do with Heirs of War for months now, shying away from even looking at it because that question is so complicated. Do I self-publish and possibly shoot myself in the foot for future endeavors I might want to get published the traditional way? Do I rewrite the entire series to cater to the requests of the publishing world, telling the story of only one character instead of five? (Had multiple professionals advise this) Or do I shelve it completely, hoping something else I write works out better and opens the door for this to get published down the road?

Is your head spinning? I know mine has been. But then something funny happened when I watched the season finale of Doctor Who.

Who am I to argue with the Doctor?

I decided to write a one-shot fanfiction because this nagging little epilogue scene wouldn't leave me alone. I loved sharing that one moment of my fanfiction. I got reviews, the story gained followers, people favorited the story...And I was exhilarated. I wanted to write more. And believe it or not, that fanfiction helped me remember why I got into this gig to begin with.

I want to share my story, the story of these five girls embarking on five different epic journeys that will ultimately lead them all to the same path. Every trial, every romantic moment, every heartbreak, every loss--I am chomping at the bit to share these moments with all of you.

So I am going to do just that. And I am going to keep editing, keep incorporating my CPs' notes, chat with my editor friend, and gush over the new cover. When I get the finished product, I'll start the process of self-publishing. Or I'll just leave it there as I move on to book 2. Who knows? But for now, I'm just enjoying the ride.

You can find Heirs of War on Wattpad. Chapters will be posted as I finish editing them (this go round, anyway).

What the Heck Am I Doing?

Have you ever had one of those "Well, duh!" type epiphanies? The ones that come out of nowhere (usually in the wee hours of the morning when you have to be at work at 7am, of course), blindsiding you with how obvious this revelation should have been to you even though it has been hiding for months?

I had one of those last night. Complete with interrupted sleep (Which might explain the rambliness of at least this post. The others? I'll get back to you with an excuse later). I've been working on my YA Dystopian WIP for a couple of months now, letting Heirs of War sit on the backburner until I get done. I hate interrupting one story to work on another. It messes up my flow.

So I decided when I started the WIP that I would write it to finish with the first draft. After all, it's a YA book so it's not like it will be the 200k that HoW 2 is trying to be. Shouldn't take much time for someone used to 5-10k days like me. Right?

Wrong. Apparently there's this little thing called life that gets in the way. So months later, I am only 10k in. Not a big deal. I'll just push through. I had said that I would give HoW another edit this summer, but I can push it off. No problem.

Wrong again. Here's the epiphany I had: HoW is much closer to being publication-ready than my WIP. I am most likely going to end up self-publishing HoW, so basically it is waiting on me. I just received some AMAZING notes from a critique partner (ahemRachelahem), so I now have some solutions to problems I've been puzzling over for almost a year. So why wait? Why hold back in the hopes of finishing one story's rough draft when I might be close to the final draft of another?

So I've decided to shelve the WIP and finish HoW, getting it ready once and for all for publication. I shouldn't be so proud of this revelation since it really is the most obvious choice, but I am. I feel good about it. And one thing I have learned in this business so far is to hold on to that feeling. 

Why Third Person is My Writerly Comfy Blanky

I love writing third person. To me, it is so freeing. I love bouncing around from one character's head to the next. (Sometimes a little too much, as can be witnessed from the earlier drafts of Heirs of War). I've always written in third person. Maybe this habit stems from my first ventures into writing being in the form of scripts, or maybe I just enjoy pretending I'm the ever-omniscient (and in no way benevolent if you ask my characters) god of the world I've created. Who knows?

Either way, third person is definitely my preferred POV when writing. Which is exactly why I decided to write my new WIP (Altar of Reality) from the POV of the main character. Big deal, right? Oh, did I mention the main character is a teenager?

Before my beta readers remind me that Zelene and Ariana were both seventeen when Heirs of War started, I would like to stress that this teenager (sixteen, to be exact) is just your normal run-of-the-mill kinda gal. Biggest problem she has is epilepsy. That changes as the story moves on, but the point is she has no reason to be more mature than any other sixteen year old like Zelene did and like Ariana was forced to become with a quickness.

So, yeah...totally outside my comfort zone right now. And for the first time in my entire life I am having to force myself to sit down and write. With HoW, I had to force myself to stop. 10k days were pretty common to me. But this WIP is just supposed to be a much simpler tale in comparison, and yet it is so much harder to write.

I've been trying to figure that out as of late. I think it boils down to the same reason I don't blog a whole lot. It's not that I don't like talking about myself (well...mainly I just don't have much to say on that front. I write. A lot. The end.), but my personal story is so much more narrow than what I like. I love stories that are rich with characters, and I find that very hard to do with just one character telling the tale. Is it possible? Sure. I loved The Hunger Games and Vampire Academy, both of which have very lively worlds and characters with the story all told from one character's perspective. The question is: Can I do that?

Time (and beta readers) will tell. But for now, the moral of the story is this: Although the comfy blanky is, indeed, comfortable and safe, sometimes you really need to weather the storm without it. Because only then will you be faced with the questions I've talked about here, and only then will you start to grow as a writer.

My Husband, My Writerly Hero

I should get him a cape. Seriously.

You see, a couple of months ago, I dropped my laptop. On my arm. I know, I know, it's hard to picture, but somehow I accomplished this. My wrist was braced at the time (suspected carpal tunnel) and I was trying to stick it in my book bag one handed, using the injured arm to hold open the bag. It slipped from my good hand and landed straight on my arm, giving me a nice bruise the size of...well, something damn big.

I was more concerned for my laptop than my arm at the time, but the laptop seemed fine. Soon enough, my arm didn't. After doing my best impression of the one-armed cashier (and still managing to be faster than everyone else--seriously. My IPMs rock.) for a few weeks, I sucked it up and went to the doctor. Verdict: No break or fracture, but the mother of all contusions (essentially). So life went on. And CampNaNo was about to start right when I seem to have made a full recover. Win? Win.

Wrong. Funny thing started happening around the time I posted here saying I'd be participating in CampNaNo. I discovered that my hands felt really hot from typing. Really, really hot.Then I realized my laptop was awfully quiet. After closer inspection from probably the least observant writer in the world, it finally came to my attention that my exhaust fan had stopped working.

Panic ensued. My husband tried to set me up on his laptop and I tried to use my tablet. I fought with SkyDrive to show me the most updated version of my WIP (to no avail). I played video games and took out my frustrations on every baddy that crossed my path. But I felt naked--nay, empty, without my laptop.

My husband must have sensed my distress (or possibly took note of how much I was yelling at the electronics in the house), because he came to the rescue. He ordered a new fan, certain the old one had burned out, and spent an entire afternoon slaving over it until he found the vicious culprit responsible for the demise of my precious. 

Yup. A centimeter-long piece of plastic has kept me from any real writing (and peace of mind) for the past couple of weeks. Just goes to show you that even the smallest of obstacles can create a road block (or writerly block, as in my case) if you let it.

Where In The World Has Mara Been?

Wishing I had an awesome hat like Carmen Sandiego, actually.

No, not really. I wish life was that simple. I ended up taking an unintentional writerly break. We all need those now and again, I suppose. Vacation, sick time, or sometimes we just get stuck in our own heads for a bit.

But the bags are unpacked, the virus has run its course, and the fog of my mind has (somewhat) cleared. What does that mean? Well, I'm back of course!

Now, what am I up to? I'm sure there will be the inevitable blog tours to extend my "to read" list, but I'll also be posting about my new project and updates with Heirs of War as they come along. Right now I am 7k into my YA dystopian and using CampNaNo to finish it up this month. I'm really excited about this book because it is a much simpler story than Heirs of War, and much more marketable (I hope).

I've also got some exciting new developments ahead for Heirs of War as I move at a tortoise-like pace toward the goal of self-publishing. So, in short, I promise to keep this blog more up to date with actual information on my writerly exploits. I might even post an excerpt or two from the dystopian MS as they come.

For now, the night is young, I am a couple of paragraphs in, and jamming out to an excellent soundtrack list I made. Time to get to work!

Allons-y!