How sport relates to writing (yes, it really does)

Nobody who knows me will be surprised that today I am relating writing to sport.

Today my beloved West Ham United (bless me, no one can accuse me of being a glory fan!!) are playing for the chance to be in the play off final in the Championship. Basically what this means is we were not good enough to be promoted automatically and so have to play off for the final place in the Premier League.

So in my analogy the Premier League is published author status--everyone else wants to be up there with the big boys and girls. Those who have already been promoted have done their revisions and had their manuscript bought (like the very wonderful Maya Minx). Those in the play offs, like West Ham, are doing their revisions (like the incredibly talented Sally Minx, Romy Minx and Sri Minx) and the best thing about the publishing business is rather than there being only one spot to be filled in published paradise there's as many as needed!

Those who fail in the play offs will have their revised manuscript rejected, those who didn't reach the play offs have rejections. However, there will be another season/another manuscript and so another chance to reach the Premier League. Some of those authors currently up there in published paradise may stop writing or concentrate on other things so there are always opportunities for those who want it badly enough.

It's a season long campaign, it's not all about one game/one story, it's about improving week on week. It's about finding new players/plots when the ones you have are not working out. It's about writing cracking dialogue/having players regularly scoring goals. It's about being brave enough to delete the stuff that isn't working/letting players go. But most of all it's about having that one story that hits the right editor's desk at the right time all wrapped up in sparkling writing. It's about having a Robin van Persie right there in your word document ... kinda!!

Now feel free to comment and tell me I am mad (I already know this!) or tell me what you relate writing to in order to make it all make sense :-)

May Hotties Poll

Anyone who knows me knows I am not a sport fan, with the exception of Formula One motor racing. And the last sport on earth I'll actually consider sitting though an entire game of is golf. That said, I'm reconsidering my position on this sport ... and this is why:


German Martin Kaymer:

Australian Adam Scott:

Californian Rickie Fowler:

Italian Matteo Manassero:

US player Steve Stricker:

Australian Jason Day:

Colombian Camilo Villegas:

And the #1 ranked golfer in 2011, Englishman Luke Donald:

It's actually going to be a pretty tough call this month. Unlike our previous poll which was a total walk-over for A Man Called Valance.

Author Spotlight - Jennifer Shirk

Jennifer Shirk has been a long-time friend of this blog, so we're delighted to have her here today to talk about her second release through Avalon Books, Sunny Days for Sam. This New Jersey mom (who is currently raising four hermit crabs!) is also published by Samhain.

What is your writing process?

Well, early morning I’m online checking email, FB, blogs, Twitter, etc... Then about 10 or 10:30 I start writing and work until lunchtime. If I have time and don’t need to do errands or any cleaning, then I’ll go back and try to write some more until the kiddo comes home from school.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I haven’t found a method exactly. Some days it’s easy to stay on track because you like the way a chapter is going. Other days, I DO go shoe shopping. LOL

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

Oh, I’m glad you asked! I am a P90x graduate and have been continuing the workouts still. I love it, because it makes me do weights, which is something that is so important to maintain muscle, but something I would neglect if it wasn’t part of the program. I workout every morning from 8-9AM—unless sick.

Do you believe in writer's block?

No. I think it should be called writer’s procrastination. LOL

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book?

Yes. I used to work in a pharmacy where there was a high theft of condoms. So I decided to use that as a backdrop scene in my second book, GEORGIE ON HIS MIND.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

Well, before you’re published, you think everything will be great once that happens. But then you quickly learn there’s more to the story that just that. Now you have different concerns, like sales, promotions, and reviews, which are even more stressful.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

With every book, you learn what worked and what didn’t and make adjustments. I always try to add something new. This year, I hired a book tour coordinator—Goddess Fish promotions—to get in front of some new faces that are not part of my normal blog and FB following.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Reviews and word of mouth are the best kind of promotions you can get, so when you do a giveaway, always encourage your winner to do a review for you—good or bad. 

What did you learn while writing this book?

That I can write a hero that is beyond your basic good-guy-beta kind.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

I love writing the children’s dialogue! Kids can get away with anything, so it’s especially fun to write what they’ll say.

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

I can totally see Sam wanting to have Sunny experience Europe. So he would take her on a 10 to 14 day trip to Paris, France and then on to Portofino, Italy. *sigh*

Sunny Days for Sam
By Jennifer Shirk

Sunnyva “Sunny” Fletcher is a firm believer in fairy tales. With the recent debt she’s acquired, the hope of something magical happening in her life is the only thing keeping her going. She needs a job fast. So when Sunny learns the sexy new vacationer in town is looking for a nanny, she starts to believe she just may have a fairy godmother after all!

Internet guru Sam Calloway is only in town for the summer and needs a nanny for his two small children. However, the beautiful and inexperienced Sunny is not exactly the kind of caregiver Sam has in mind. It doesn’t take long for Sunny’s tenderhearted and bubble-blowing ways to soon have the children—and Sam—enamored with her. She’s a dream come true. But after what Sam’s been through, he’s stopped believing in fairy tales long ago.

Sunny manages to work her way into Sam’s closed-off heart, but at the end of the summer, will the workaholic dad go back to his life in New York City, or will he decide his days are much sunnier here with Sunny?


Buy links:
Barnes and Noble

Amazon

You can find out more about Jennifer at her website or on her blog.

How do you keep going?

As the minxes and some other friends in the writing community know, I have a full time job (well at least more than 32 hrs/week most weeks), two demanding princesses 4 and 1, and oh yeah, a husband. How sad is that the poor guy is the last one on the list? :-)

But actually, it's writing that comes the last for me, literally, at the end of the day around 9 pm at which point I'm exhausted.
When I had revisions requested by an editor, somehow, I kept going even though it was the same exhaustion, kept working until I had them done.
Only that motivation is kinda lacking now.

I'm still working on the next WIP, but it's just a little bit harder to sit in front of the computer or look at the laptop and get some words done...Instead, at the end of the day when I'm tired, I want to read a book, watch may be a little mind numbing tv or just even get to bed early and catch, OMG, I don't know maybe 8 hours sleep....
And I have trained myself to think it's ok to give in now and then...or else the guilt is enormous, trained myself to give myself a break, that I will pick up the slack the next day..

And you know what?

I did, motivating myself came easy after a day off or a bit of a reading or catch up on tv....

What about you? Care to share some ways you keep yourself going when writing is the hardest to do?

Another truth I've accepted. On some days, writing is the hardest and I've given myself A-Ok to take a break that day and get refreshed....

Keep Dreaming...

You know that saying – "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"? That has never been more true or real to me than in the last two weeks. As some of you may know, (sorry if you're hearing this one too many times!) I sold to Harlequin M&B recently. But amid the euphoria of realising my dream, it occurred to me how easily all this could’ve come to nothing if I'd given up, given in or let myself be discouraged along the way.

Believe me, I've certainly come close in the past. Just before and after my second full rejection, I had several weeks of "what's the point?-ness", where my motivation was reduced to nil. It would've been so easy to throw the towel in and just give up.

Luckily, I have very supportive group of people around me who would ask, "So, how's the writing going? or, "Have you written anything lately? Tell me about it." My CPs also helped loads, often times indirectly. Sometimes just by being around someone who is excited about their own writing can give you the kick up the backside you need. If you don't have this background support, reading your favourite writer's latest book can induce envy, yes, but it can also get your juices flowing in ways nothing else can.

The moral of this story is, if I'd given up when the road seemed too tough, or the rejections too heart-breaking, I wouldn’t have sold. It's that simple.

So by all means, cry about those setbacks, moan, gorge on chocolate and cookies, use your laptop to watch endless YouTube clips of stunning, successful people while eating more cookies. But do it with the firm proviso that you're taking a break, recharging the batteries.

What you must not do is give up! Remember how many rejections JK Rowling received before she sold her first Harry Potter?

Exactly!

Keep Dreaming!

Keep writing!

Because it does happen.

And the odds are way better than winning the lottery, although that would be nice, too, lol.