IWSG...

I'm back to the IWSG post! Woohoo! If you want to know more about this or want to find the list of other participants, please visit Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog here.

This month, the optional question is:

How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?

I am choosing to do my own insecure thing this month.

Over the last few years, I have quietly been working with Midian Entertainment on a massive project. It hasn't been until recently that we've been allowed to share, do book cover reveals, etc.

My role in all of this is basically a writer, an editor, a publisher, and an adviser. I'm also currently acting as a marketing manager, trying to build a following on Twitter without really having given the public much to look at and go all on faith.

I wear a lot of hats. My writing has sort of come to a standstill due to multiple reasons. I'm not complaining, I'm just wanting to get back to it.

My constant fear is, will everything I've done be good enough? Will this just bomb entirely and if it does, how will it affect me? I'm pretty sure I know how it will affect me...  and it won't be good.

I have grown as a writer over the last several years. I've worked to hone my craft. I just haven't been able to put anything out into the world until now to prove that. So will I still be viewed as a hack fantasy writer who couldn't cut it so she self published? I still don't have the third book finished! Which... is in the works.

See? Lots of insecurities as I step into these new roles in my writing career.

How about you? Comment down below. And don't forget to visit the other participants!

Have a great day!

Needing My Fix...

The one thing I hate most about moving, is when all of my creative stuff is packed away. I haven't crafted anything in almost a month, now. My computer is packed away. All I have out is my cute little tablet.

Thank goodness it has a keyboard!! Otherwise, posting would be an autocorrect nightmare.

The other good thing, is I'm able to continue writing. Gotta love having the MS Word app.

I'm getting excited for the release of BREED. I'm still looking for a countdown banner to put up here. In the meantime, I can share the link to the website at the very least!.

I'll share that link at the end of this post.

One of our authors will be debuting with a series based on the Fae. In August, she'll be releasing her very first self-pubbed MG ghost story. I will host a giveaway at that time, so be sure to check back here often!

Hope you are all having a great Monday and had a good weekend!

BREED Website

I'm Sorry?...

I'm a little stunned.

You guys know me, I don't always comment on your blogs, but when I see something you've posted and it hits me like a ton of bricks, I have to add my two cents.

So here it is.

First of all, let me just link you to this post here about an indie author who went on a review rant. This post will link to another where you can see the details of it all.

Second, let me state right here and now that if I offered up to review your book and haven't AND you have not heard from me about it. I'm sorry.

Last thing I need is someone listing me as their source of angst. I mean... I can be, but not in this instance!

Now for the rest of my two cents. It doesn't matter if you are an indie author or traditionally published author. If you ask me to review your book (because hey, I've reviewed books here) please keep in mind that I have stuff to do with my own book, my work, my family. Even with *gasp!* other books. If I can't finish your book, for whatever reason, I will try again. If I still can't, I will email you. Personally, I don't like to give a bad review. I'll give you my review in private if it comes to that point, not for all the world to see simply because I know how hard it is to shake off negativity.

I also am seeing a trend in some of the indie authors out there (not that any of them have contacted me personally) that have the frame of mind that they're somehow better than traditionally published authors. Writers as a whole are pretty humble creatures. We don't expect anything or think we're entitled to special treatment because we write. So why have that attitude? Are you so jaded by the publishing industry that you would turn on your readers and fellow authors? If that's the case, stop writing and find something else to do. Otherwise, stop whining and work on your book. Hire an editor, join a critique group, make your self published book the best it can be to avoid getting bad reviews.

I try to review books I read, whether asked to do the review or not. If I like the book, I am going to review it. There were a couple of reviews I did that were not glowing, rave reviews when I was helping another reviewer on their blog, but I didn't enjoy posting them. I did contact the person I was helping and said, "I can't do this anymore, some of these books are soooo bad!"

If indie authors want to maintain respect, let me suggest that you act in a professional manner. Act like a published author! Don't call people thieves or liars if they did not review your book. Not everyone will contact you if they don't like your work, they'll just drop it, ignore you and hope you'll go away. If you really want that bad review, it can be done. But why would you?

Tips on professionalism:

* Politely email the people and ask if they've had a chance to read your work, if not, when can they do so? If they have, but didn't like your material, either thank them for their time or ask for constructive criticism.

* Don't bad mouth people, their blogs, their books, etc. Karma will come back to you. People will see you acting petty and think, "Wow, I am NOT going to read their book if they're going to be like this..."

* What you post on the internet will find a way to remain on here FOREVER. So, with that in mind... THINK about what you post before you post it. I'm sure I have stuff out there I would LOVE to take down...

* Treat people how you want to be treated. The Golden Rule. If someone offers up a review of your book, offer one in return if they are a writer. If they're not a writer, link to their blog or website. Support the people that support YOU. However, if they don't follow through on their review promise, don't get pissy. Again, politely email them and say, "Hey, you promised a review for a review. If you are unable to review my book, I will not be able to uphold the deal we had." Of course... maybe try not to sound so rude... But people will read things online in their own voice and you may end up coming across snarky anyway. So begin with "I'm not trying to be rude."

Overall, no one is entitled to anything more than anyone else in this business. Yes, indie authors seem to have a harder time of it because of the route they choose. But I know several indie authors and respect the hell out of them because of taking this route. I also respect them because they ACT PROFESSIONALLY. No matter what route you take, this is a difficult enough of an industry as it is, why add to it? Writers have been pretty good about supporting their fellow writers. I really don't see a need for such competitiveness in this field because readers will choose what they like, no matter what. Not everyone is going to like your book to begin with and it isn't your job to force them to like it. Take it in stride.

And I hope everyone reminds me of this when I get my bad reviews. Hehe!

Do you have anything to add to this? Did I not review a book for you and contact you? By all means, leave comments. Not the best way to start off the week, but hope you all have a good week regardless.

Best E-Mail Ever...

Okay, well, second best email ever! I got a notice from Publish America yesterday that my book has not sold a single copy in over a year.

Woot!

I know, strange thing to be happy about. But seriously, I have been waiting for this day for some time now. They are releasing my rights back to me two years early!!!!

OMG!!! I'm so happy and excited and it couldn't have come at a better time.

I no longer have that Damocles Sword hanging over my head.

I just had to share! Woohoo! ::Does the happy dance::

Insecure Writer's Support Group...

Hi there, I'm an insecure writer and my name is Mel.

I know, I've already done a similar post like this, with that beginning.

So what am I insecure about in my writing? The better question would be what am I NOT insecure about in my writing. I worry and stress over the smallest things. I worry about how I am ending my sentences. Am I using a preposition? Am I changing tense again in the middle of a sentence? Because I am prone to do that very thing.

Most of all, I worry that my plot is too weak, that people will just look at it and say, "Oh for the love of God how did this manage to get published???" and throw it away.

I worry about even getting published. I'm constantly worrying and changing things to make the story stronger. I have about a half dozen or so characters I have to juggle and discovered my focus is on two of them more than the others in the first book.

So how do I fix all of this? I revise and rework those sentence structures I am so worried about. My plot may seem weak, but in all actuality, it is the basest of urges. War has been started for lesser reasons.

I know I will eventually be published. I just have to work at it and listen to the suggestions (if I get any) when rejected.

As for my characters, this first part of the story is supposed to focus on the two right now. The focus shifts later on and everyone gets their chance in the spotlight. So it works out.

The thing is, the more I worry and stress, the more I push myself to write better, cleaner stories. I have a tendency to change POV right in the middle of something and have now cleared up that little habit by sticking to the POV I am in.

Write your story, get it all out before you go back to polish it up. If you don't get it all out, sometimes you won't know where it is going to lead. Don't be afraid to make a mistake.

I've made one of the biggest mistakes I could have ever made in my writing career. Early on I didn't do my research on the publisher and I got scammed. But it has made me a better writer. I have done everything in my power to fix that mistake. I've changed the whole story, which I would never have done had I kept going the way I was going. Talk about major plot holes.... But because I changed the story, I have an even stronger one. One that I find more captivating and hope others feel the same.

The thing that making that mistake has helped me with the most? My confidence. I never would have thought I could be a blogger, get on Twitter or FaceBook and do what I do. I would never have created a website. And I certainly never thought I would have the amount of followers I have. I am so very grateful for each and every one of you, even if you don't always read my posts or leave a comment. I try very hard to read all of your posts and comment, but there are only so many hours in a day.

Be sure to check back next week. I have lots of insecurities. :D

Getting Close...

So I'm getting close to closing in on my final word count. I'm getting excited to show my beta readers the changes I've made, the couple of additions I have put in. I'm hoping the feedback is good. I'm sure it still needs work. I think the over all flow of it has improved, though.

I'll have to give it a good once over, because as well all know, spell check doesn't catch correctly spelled words used in the wrong context. Are/our, heed/head... yeah. Those.

I am getting nervous about working on the query, the long synopsis...

Okay. Not nervous.

Scared. As. Hell.

Yeah, that about sums it up.

What do you do to calm the nerves, ease the mind while querying? Do you work on something else? Do you bite your nails? Call people names?

Tell me what you do!

It's Hard To Be Humble...

Unless of course you're a writer.

I don't think I've met an egotistical writer. At least not an up and coming one. Not that published, established authors are egomaniacs. They're confident in their craft.

As an unpublished author, hopefully soon to be published, I can be confident. Egotistical... not so much. Yes, this is my "baby" I am presenting to the world. People will be kind but some will be downright mean. Let's face it, if people don't like a book and get to write a review, they get to hide behind their computer monitor and be as snarky as they want.

It is sort of like having another kid. You give birth to it, raise it and send it out into the world hoping you have done a good job. That this child will be a productive member of society.

While your book isn't your child, you certainly are presenting it to the world. Your name is all over that book and what's inside is a complete and total representation of... wait for it... YOU.

*Gasp!*

So now it begs the question: Did you represent yourself well?

Doesn't matter if you are self-published or went through a publisher. Did you represent yourself well? Did you polish that work to a shine? Did you edit, revise and edit again? Did you send it out to people? Did you get feedback? And most importantly... did you listen?

I'm learning that while I may be a good writer, I STILL have room for improvement. I think back to when I started writing and let me just say: WOW.

It's like looking back at my artwork from when I was a kid to now. The scribbling outside of the lines to working my butt off for perfection.

So, I can sit here before you and say, "Man, I love my characters!" or "I love this part!" and it won't come across as egotistical. At least I hope it won't. I'm just proud of the work I have done and will be just as proud when I am published and see my name on the cover. Just like I would be proud of my own kids.

Are you proud of what you've done?

Opinions Are Like...

Flowers. They're everywhere! And you thought I was going to say something else, didn't you?

So here is what I want to know from everyone out there who writes. Published or unpublished.

What do you think of self-publishing eBooks?

Do you think it is okay? Do you not like people who self-publish? Have you self-published your work and either regretted it or it was the best decision you ever made?

What is the better route? Querying and waiting, getting the rejection and querying again until you are accepted somewhere OR just self-publishing your work as an eBook with a paperback option?

Should you query for a certain amount of time and then if no one accepts your work go the self-publishing route?

I really am looking for some honest feedback on this. Please leave your comments and participate in the poll. I appreciate everyone's opinion but I also don't want this turning into a huge, nasty debate. (Good thing we aren't talking politics or religion, eh?) So play nice!