My Own Walden Pond

If we're friends on Facebook or Twitter, then you've read my regular status updates saying, "I'm off to the river."

I go there for two primary purposes: 1) To be with my family, or  2) To get away from my family.

When I go with my family, we waterski, kayak, boat, swim and do all manner of outdoor sports and family bonding type things.  (No, those kids are not all mine. Whew. I only have 3)



When I go by myself, it's to write.

The river house is on an island in the Colorado River near Matagorda, Texas. The island only hosts 14 houses, so there is no cable of any kind. No TV, no internet. Heaven.

You have to get to it by cable car (tramway) or by boat. The cable car only holds a few folks at a time:



Below is the view from the cable car:



I call the river house my own Walden Pond.

Now, you remember of course, for a couple of years in the mid 1840's, Henry David Thoreau lived on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Being one of those deep thinking types, the writer/philosopher sequestered himself away to ...well brood and write.  Transcendental thought doesn't come easy, you know.  Well, neither does teen fiction. (It's a joke. Laugh. I'm certainly no Thoreau.)

For the sake of amusement, I will now pictorially compare Thoreau's Walden Pond to mine.

Thoreau's cabin:



My cabin (Psst! Mine has running water and bathrooms. I'll only take roughing it so far):



The old road to Concord:



The old road to my river house (Thoreau did not have Jedi light sabers. Score another point for me):



Placid Walden pond in the Spring:



Placid Colorado River in the Spring:



Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without a retreat that allows me to get away from it all.  Not having internet is a huge asset to someone like me who is easily distracted.  It's also a gorgeous, natural place to hike around and relax between hammering out chapters.

Starbucks, Panera, the bookstore... None of those places work for me.

Nature works for me.

What works for you?  How/where do you go to get away from things so you can focus?

Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers - Interview with Michelle Mclean

I met Michelle Mclean several years ago through the online writers' resource, QueryTracker. We chatted on the forum and got to know and support each other as we started our writing careers. I've even had the good fortune to meet her face-to-face.

One of the things about Michelle that struck me right away is her willingness to help others, which is why it was no surprise her first published book is aimed at doing just that--helping students and writers find a clear easy path to effective writing.

MIchelle's book, Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers, was recently released, and I was thrilled she agreed to answer some questions here.  I want to get the word out about this book for folks like me, who have children struggling though the maze of term papers and essays or for those fighting those assignments themselves.


Michelle has donated a cool swag bag to celebrate her release, so make a comment below to be eligible for the drawing to win this!

With no further ado, here's Michelle:

Q: What is your book about? What does it include?

Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers is a fun, user-friendly book that guides the reader, step by step, through writing a dozen different types of essays, including the dreaded SAT essay. Using straightforward, plain English, this book shows the reader exactly what they need to do, from start to finish, and includes rough draft, edited, and final draft versions of every type of essay discussed. This book also provides chapters that include tips and instruction on researching, proofreading, and citations.

Q: Why is your book different from others out there?

Unlike other books that are so full of technical jargon they confuse more than help, my book uses straightforward language and simple steps to guide students through the essay writing process. There is a huge difference between telling someone what to do, and SHOWING them how to do it. Instead of giving general tips on how to write each type of essay, my book shows students what they need to do, leading them through every step of the writing process with easy-to-follow details and examples.

Q: Who is your target audience?

Homeschooled, junior high, high school, and college students, teachers, and writers. And anyone else who might want or need to write an essay, paper, or narrative non-fiction piece.

Q: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Probably that they take a lot more work than I expected. I always had this vision of sitting down, cranking out a book, and seeing it on a shelf. I didn’t expect the endless edits, agonizing hours trying to choose the exact right word, and the seemingly endless bouts of waiting for one thing or another. In this one aspect of my life, at least, I’ve become a pretty patient person :)

Q: What do you love to do, besides writing?

Reading, hands down :) I am also a huge music lover and play the piano. And my family always comes first. As nuts as they make me, my kids are the loves of my life :) Of course, I’m pretty good at combining everything. When the kids are taking their bath, I’m usually on the bathroom floor reading while they splash around :)

Q: Do you have any advice for other writers who may be just starting out?

Don’t give up. The publishing world is not for the faint of heart. It’s full of hard work, heartbreaking rejections, waiting upon endless waiting, and agonizing edits. But the rewards for hanging in there are incredible. So, if this is what you truly want to do, don’t give up. No matter what.

I'm thrilled for Michelle and am excited about her book release.

If you know anyone taking the SAT or in the position where he/she needs to write an organized piece, whether it be a college entrance essay or a middle grade thesis paper, Michelle's book is a fabulous resource. You can read more about Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers at the following links:

Michelle McLean's Website

Michelle's Blog

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Borders


Be sure to leave a comment below to win the giveaway package in the picture above!

The Clothes Make the Man...or Woman.

I was going through my old blog posts from my Wordpress account and came across this one. It's a couple of years old. My twins are now in seventh and eighth grade. It's relevant though. I still work in the same uniform:  

Work Clothes

My husband wears a suit and tie in court every day. My kids carefully select what they wear to convey who they are when they go to work--which for them is school.  We wear clothes that set the right image and enable us to do our job best.

So, I work in pajamas.

On days I write, I get the kids off to school, shower and put on a clean pair of pajamas.  The reason is two-fold: 1) I am comfortable 2) It keeps me at the keyboard and prevents me from shopping or leaving the house.

Except for last Friday. Yep. My work uniform choice backfired.

One of my 12 year-old twins had an after school party at a pool near my house. This isn't a neighborhood club, mind you; it's a high-dollar exclusive private country club to which my family belonged when I was a child, so complete ignorance isn't an excuse on my part.  I knew the setting.

I've had kids at this school for 9 years, and I thought I had the party routine down. Not.

The kids were taken to the country club after school by parent volunteers--great; more time to write.  I pound out the words until 4:30, which is when I leave so I can be one of the first in line to pick up my son. I assume the teachers and chaperones would have the kids ready to go and would be placing them in cars like they had at other functions. Wrong.

I arrive  and there is no line. I watch from the safety of my car while parents (dressed to the nines) park their cars and stride into the country club.

Heart sinks. A twinge of nausea. Crap, I'm wearing pajamas.

Remaining calm, I decide to keep my eye out for someone that I know so I can flag her over to beg her to retrieve my progeny. No luck. You'd think out of over 100 kids, I'd recognize someone's parent.

By the time I concede defeat and accept the fact I am going to have to go public in my pajamas, every parent has arrived and is hanging out at the pool.  I should have gone in right when I got there, grabbed the kid and beat it out. Now, I had to join a social melee of epic proportions.

So, I'm not fully-fluffed and in makeup. Nope. I'm au natural sporting a ponytail, a blue T shirt, and black pajama pants--my work clothes. In all fairness, they are lounge pants, not true pajama pants, so there are not little sheep or sleepy teddy bears on them, but still.

Hoping for the best, I launch mission "Get In Quick and Get the Hell Out." The mission fails.

It takes almost 30 minutes to find my son and get him out of the club. I am seen by and chat with almost everyone there. I must have heard, "You look so cute," two dozen times. "You look so cute" translates to "WTF?" in social speak.

My family thought it was hilarious. I do too, now that I'm comfortably cute in my own home again.

What do you wear to work?  Any "you look so cute" moments of your own?

A Must Read: The Writer's Guide to Psychology by Carolyn Kaufman

I met Carolyn Kaufman online through the Querytracker.net forum several years ago. We hit it off right away and became critique partners, which has been a delight and blessing to me. Carolyn is a kick-ass writer with a brilliant mind.

When she said she was writing a non-fiction for writers about psychology, I was a little bit cynical because I assumed it would be one of those dry technical manuals full of psychobabble that I avoid like past-dated milk. When she sent the first chapter to me, I was amazed. It wasn’t boring or dry at all. It was fantastic. Beta reading chapters from this book was of far greater benefit to me than it was to Carolyn. I couldn’t wait for the next chapter to come.

I am so pleased she agreed to let me be a stop on her book release blog tour for THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment and Human Behavior.

On this stop on her blog tour, Carolyn shares her advice for writers who aspire to publish. Be sure to check out the information on her book at the bottom of this post.

* * *

What I’ve Learned: Advice for Writers Who Aspire to Publish--Carolyn Kaufman

1. Treat everyone well at every step along the publishing path.

That includes your crit buddies, agents and their assistants, editors, publicists, and anyone else you encounter along the way. How well you write is important, but I genuinely believe professionalism is nearly as important. If you’re arrogant, entitled, mean, petty, or refuse to be a team player, nobody is going to want to work with you. There’s a reason most authors’ Acknowledgements page is lengthy – they didn’t reach the finish line (of publication) alone.

2. Be open to honest feedback.

Realize that criticism of your idea or writing isn’t criticism of you. Also realize that you are not objective about your work, and that the only way you’re going to see those flaws that are hidden from you is to rely on other people. The only way you’re going to grow as a writer is to really listen and consider what others have to say – especially when their feedback isn’t all glowing. (In fact, if all you’re getting is glowing feedback, you’re not getting honest feedback. Everybody’s work has rough edges. And if you’re not getting honest feedback, it’s because you’ve somehow sent the message that you don’t want or can’t handle honest feedback. So take a step back and decide how important publication is to you. If you’re determined to get there, you need to find a way to hear and utilize constructive criticism.)

3. Control your image: be conscientious about what you share online.

This is a good general rule, but it’s doubly important when you’re trying to convince people – agents, editors, potential readers – that you’re a professional. Thanks to books (and films) like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, we all know that Hunter S. Thompson was heavily into drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, the same image might not do much for you if you’re writing YA or MG or even a nice nonfiction book on scrapbooking. Even if you are writing edgy material, you don’t want unsavory personal choices to overshadow your work, a la Jessica Simpson or Britney Spears.

4. Get excited about promoting your work – or at least be willing and able.

These days, more likely than not you will be handling some if not all of your book’s publicity. This usually begins even before you find representation, in that agents and editors are looking for writers (especially nonfiction writers) with a platform.

What’s a platform? Name recognition, a following, and/or proven expertise or celebrity. I have my doctorate in clinical psychology, which was certainly a boon in my quest to publish a writing/psychology book, but it wasn’t enough. I spent a couple of years building name recognition and a following through outlets like networking with other writers (my most important resource was the QueryTracker.net forum), websites (ArchetypeWriting.com) and blogs (Querytracker.blogspot.com), by working with the media (I worked with a PR firm to reach journalists, and yes, that cost money), and by writing articles for syndication (which was a bigger deal a few years ago than it is now). And once my book was sold, I didn’t stop. I am verbal about letting everyone know I like to work with the media, and that I have a book coming out, which has led to additional opportunities, including television, invitations to speak, and even a regular blog at PsychologyToday.com.

5. Always be ready to promote your upcoming book, even early on.

You never know who’s going to be that crucial contact, so make or have business cards made, carry them with you everywhere you go, and don’t be shy about whipping one out and passing it over to anyone who might be interested. I’ve given business cards (which have my book cover and website address printed on the back) to everyone from news reporters to admired authors who were signing a book for me to people who heard me mention the book in passing and expressed interest, right down to people who were trying to figure out which business card stock to buy in Staples.

6. Get started on another book.

If your first idea doesn’t sell, move on to another one. The Writer’s Guide to Psychology wasn’t the first book idea I had – it was just the first one strong enough to grow into a true book. I’m extremely methodical about preparing a proposal – I spend months researching and writing, and I want to know exactly what’s going into each and every chapter – so I’m pretty committed to finding the book a home once I reach that stage. Other writers find it fairly easy to write up their ideas and send them out without doing that kind of preliminary work.

When you’re working so hard on one book – writing it, editing it, promoting it – it feels like your entire world. The truth is, though, that if you want to be more than a one-hit wonder, you will eventually need to write another book. Try to get that next proposal ready before everyone forgets who you are!

About The Book

References to psychological issues appear in thousands of books, television shows, and films, yet most of these portrayals are inaccurate in some way. (For example, a recent study claims that only 5 in 400 film portrayals of psychiatric treatment are on track.) The Writer's Guide to Psychology helps novelists and screenwriters, as well as producers and journalists, use psychology accurately in their stories. From how shrinks think to what electroshock therapy really looks like and why psychopaths kill, the book uses myth-busting illustrations from fiction and includes sidebars on things like character development, controversial and cutting-edge treatments, and common pitfalls to avoid.

What Other Writers Are Saying

Advance praise for The Writer’s Guide to Psychology is from great psychological thriller writers like Jonathan Kellerman and Jilliane Hoffman, and early reviews from the New York Journal of Books (who did not just one but two ), are extremely positive.

"This book should be in every writer’s professional library and every clinician’s too—whether writers or not," writes the first reviewer. "Succinct and clear, never becoming too esoteric or theoretical for the layperson to understand, [Kaufman's] skill in the writing craft is clear as she entertains as well as informs the reader with her snappy and conversational style." (http://tinyurl.com/nyjbwgtp1)

Adds the second reviewer, "Her depth of demonstrated knowledge in the field of psychology/psychiatry is extraordinary, particularly the methodology used to piece together the various components of the puzzle that makes this book a fascinating read... The style and information presented capture the reader from the first few pages of the book, leaving us wishing for more books by this captivating author." (http://tinyurl.com/nyjbwgtp)

* * *

Other stops on Carolyn’s blog tour can be found at these links: Murder By 4, Elana Johnson Blogspot, Christine Fonseca, Author.

If you do not see a way to read comments or leave one of your own at the bottom of this post, please click here: COMMENT

Oh, The Reality of It All

I grew up focused on the fine arts, and like acting and vocal music, writing is one of those professions where loads of people with no training or background in the field dream of making it big.

At least once a week, someone approaches me about his or her book (usually one that is only in the planning stages), and asks me how to get it published. That question is unanswerable. Every path is different. It involves talent, luck, hard work (lots and lots of hard work), a thick skin, and almost inhuman perseverance.

Invariably, those rare authors who made it big on the first try under freakish circumstances are the ones cited by these folks who tell me they are taking up the mantle of author so they can quit their day jobs. I've bitten holes in my tongue from my efforts to not just lay it out there, citing the low odds and real numbers (like the average book advance is $4000). But hey, those huge NYT debuts really do happen, right?  So I continue biting my tongue.

Most writers have probably seen this video by now, but what makes it so amusing for me, is that right after I showed it to my husband, someone engaged me (while hubby was there) in a conversation that was pretty much word-for-word from this script (minus the "I wish I could kill you and get away with it," and "I have a gun in my car"), so dear hubby now has holes in his tongue too.  ;)

"Why didn't you just tell the ugly truth about how hard it is?" My husband asked after the person I mentioned earlier walked away. 

Because I can't. It's not my job to crush dreams that might become reality. Hey, that person might draw the winning publishing lotto ticket with his/her yet unwritten novel in a genre he/she "doesn't really read." 

The reality is this: no two paths are the same. No two books are the same. The odds of failure are great, but that is true of most things worth doing.

We hear about those huge advances, overnight successes, preempts, and auctions. What we don't hear much of is the other side. The side that is far more common than the instant sales. The side most writers aren't brave enough to write about.

Hats off to Natalie Whipple, who had the guts to put her story out there this week in two posts:

"What Happens When it IS You"

"What I've Learned from Being on Submission"

When people ask me how to get published or ask me to introduce them to my agent, I will continue to be positive, because had I known the odds when I set out on this journey, I'm pretty sure I'd have never queried that first novel.

But I still would have written it.

Were I never to sell another book, I'd still write.

The business is a rough one full of heartbreak, but it also brings with it satisfaction and joy. I will continue looking for that joy whatever my publishing future holds.

Hang in there, Natalie Whipple. I'll be shouting hooray louder than anyone when you sell.