3 Factors That Influence How Much Editing a Book Gets

No writer—whether newbie or multi-published—is capable of writing a perfect first draft. Even though we’d like to think our books are made of all sweetness and sugar, we only have to put our manuscript under the scrutiny of a skilled and objective editor or fellow writer to quickly learn that our book has faults—and lots of them.

Recently, Sally Hepworth sent me a few really great questions. She asked: "How much does a book change from first draft to when it hits the shelf? Is it recognizable? Are you embarrassed of your first version?"

While I didn’t keep detailed records of all of the changes in my first two books, I can give estimates. With my debut book, The Preacher’s Bride, about one-fourth of the book was changed in one form or another between my very first draft and what now sits on shelves.

With my second book, The Doctor’s Lady (releasing SEPT. 1st!!), I ended up changing much more than I anticipated. When all was said and done, I probably deleted and rewrote close to one-third of the manuscript—all in bits and pieces here and there.

You’d expect that with each subsequent book the need for editing would diminish rather than increase—and hopefully that will be true over the long haul as we strive to grow in our writing skills. But, ultimately, every author will need some level of editing. The exact amount will depend upon a number of factors:

First, some of the need for editing will depend on a writer’s level of experience. I’m a “young” author and am still discovering what my readers like. Slowly but surely, I’m learning to create likable heroes and heroines and other elements that comprise a satisfying romance. I’m also figuring out my publisher’s expectations. With our first few published books, most of us will have a learning curve. Agents and editors realize that newer authors will need more directing and shaping—which is one of the reasons they can only take on a certain number of debut authors at one time.

Second, every author has a different writing and self-editing process. Some write very precisely during the first draft and won’t need much overhauling of their stories. Others write loosely knowing they’ll have to spend an enormous amount of effort getting the story “right” during the editing phase. I happen to write slowly and carefully with my first drafts and so my own self-editing doesn’t involve any big changes. I also incorporate suggestions from my critique partner—which helps tighten my book, but again, usually doesn’t require major rewriting.

Third, every publishing house offers different levels of editing. Some smaller houses may not have a large or experienced in-house editing staff. Due to the tight economy, bigger publishers might be short-staffed. Once, when I was whining about my edits to my agent, she remarked that while many publishing houses are cutting back on edits mine has actually increased theirs—which says a lot about their dedication to quality fiction. They require about 4 different levels of in-house editing—which is a lot of work!

In summary, I think every book that makes its way to publication (whether traditionally or self-published) should look different than the first draft. If it doesn’t, then it probably didn’t receive enough editing. As I said, nobody can write a perfect first draft. 

Am I embarrassed by my first drafts? Well, let me just say, I’m glad I didn’t rush to self-publish them! I’m grateful for all of the editing, even though it was painful at times. Are my stories edited so much that I wouldn’t recognize them anymore? No. The basic plots and stories are still the same. But the editing takes them from something readers will merely like to something readers can love.

The sign in the picture above sums up the editing process: We can't view having to do a lot of editing as failure. Rather, finding all of the problems within our manuscripts is an opportunity for us to take our books beyond ordinary and make them great.

What about you? Are you surprised by the amount of editing a book needs? How much have your books changed over time? Are they recognizable from your first drafts?

*Photo credit: flickr

Getting Jitters While Waiting For Feedback on Our Books

I had a migraine early last week. Often my migraines are a direct result of a build-up of stress. But since I didn’t have anything major going on, I had to stop for a minute and try to figure out what had stressed me out.

It didn’t take me long to realize I’d been plagued with second book jitters. I’d started getting reports that people were picking up copies of The Doctor’s Lady. Amazon had shipped pre-orders and others were starting to find the book on shelves. Even though it doesn’t officially release until this Thursday, September 1st, the book has already begun to make its way into reader hands.

As I learned that more and more people were reading the book, the stress and worries started to escalate. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Will they like this new book?” and “How will they like it in comparison with my first?”

I chewed my fingernails to nubs. I paced the floor. I tossed and turned in my sleep. I couldn’t eat.

Okay, so maybe not really! But, as I waited for the first reports of what people thought of the book, I was scared. During that silent interval (when people were reading), I decided that one of the things I like the LEAST about being an author is waiting for the initial reports on a new release.

We all have to wait for the verdict on our books at some point or another. Maybe we’re waiting for our critique partner or a contest judge to read our manuscript. Perhaps we’re waiting on an agent or an editor or a committee. Once we get past all of those initial tests on our books, then we face the ultimate test—the reader.

That waiting is stressful, isn’t it?

We spend weeks and weeks writing the book, analyzing the plot, and developing characters. We put so much of ourselves into every page—often into nearly every word. After pouring out incredible amounts time and effort and love into a story, we long for affirmation and positive feedback that what we’ve written resonates with readers. The affirmation validates us, our skills, and all of the work we’ve put into the book.

No matter how much we try to tell ourselves that we don’t care what others think, that we’re writing to please ourselves, or for a bigger purpose, the bottom line is that we want happy readers. It’s a natural reaction to hold our breath (or in my case get a migraine!) as we wait to find out if readers will indeed be happy.

Fortunately, the initial responses to The Doctor’s Lady have been positive. Kate Burnett (who works for Christianbook.com) read the book last weekend and said this on Twitter: “I finished @JodyHedlund's new book The Doctor's Lady in the wee hours of the morning, last night. Loved it! Thanks for a great story, Jody!” Holly Weiss (a talented book reviewer) wrote up her Amazon review and gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

Other friends and fellow writers also began to report back to me with kind words (and pictures—see the slide show in the sidebar!). And slowly I began to relax and breathe easy again.

But what if readers don’t like what we write? What if it doesn’t resonate? What if we get disappointing feedback? 

How can we brace ourselves for those times when we get negative feedback? When readers (or agents or contest judges, etc.) don’t like what we’ve written?

Here are several things I’ve been telling myself in preparation for negative feedback:

• If we’ve done the very best we can, then we have to let it go. I gave The Doctor’s Lady everything I had. I poured all my energy and heart into the book. Now I have to let it go, knowing I did the best I could for where I was at in my writing skill at the time I wrote it.

• Tell ourselves we’ll do better on the next book. With every book I write, I make it my goal to improve in some way. I don’t want to remain stagnant or in the same spot. We all have room to grow no matter how long we’ve been writing.

• Remember, the book won’t resonate with everyone and that’s normal. Of course fellow writers will read with objective eyes and will likely find more to critique. Hopefully most die-hard genre readers will enjoy the book. But we have to remember that readers are subjective, and what we write won’t always resonate with everyone all the time.

So what about you? Do you ever get stressed out wondering what people will think about your manuscript? What do you tell yourself to calm your nerves?

How I Do It: Ask For Help

The question I hear most often is this, “How do you do it? How do you manage five kids, homeschooling, and your writing?”

Lately, I’ve been sharing some of my secrets for how I do it. In one post, I shared about the need to ease into more responsibility (versus jumping in too deep at the start). In the last post, I talked about the importance of living intentionally, but also giving ourselves breathing room.

Today, I’m going to share another trick I have for managing all of my responsibilities. Here it is: I don’t manage everything. At least not by myself.

I have help.

No. I don’t have a live-in nanny. And no, I don’t have a full time maid—although I’d love for someone to bequeath one or the other to me in their will! And actually while they’re bequeathing, I wouldn’t mind a a chauffeur to drive my kids to all of their activities and a full time chef to prepare something besides frozen waffles and boxed mac & cheese.

Alas, I have none of the above. I’m the nanny, maid, chauffeur, and chef all wrapped into one—in addition to being a full time teacher and writer.

The reality is that I can’t do each of the jobs and do them well. I just can’t. Believe me, I’ve tried. And I’ve failed.

Although I’m independent and have a difficult time asking for help, over the years I’ve learned that I need support if I’m going to succeed. I’ve also learned that help can come in many different shapes and sizes, but that I can’t be afraid to ask for it.

We need support if we’re going to succeed.

We all need to surround ourselves with people who believe in us and what we’re doing. For example, in the ten years I’ve been homeschooling, I’ve become close to a group of women who are all going through the same challenges that come with home-teaching. Without their support, commiserating, and sharing of ideas, I likely would have quit long ago.
 
Same with my writing. If I didn’t have family and other writers who encouraged and believed in me, I’d have a difficult time withstanding the pressures and the criticism that come. Because they do come. There will always be people in our lives who don’t understand the things that are important to us, who think we should be doing something different, or who will point out the negatives.

Help comes in different shapes and sizes.

Over the past several years, my help has come in a variety of ways. First, I’ve enlisted the support of my husband. Since I gladly and willingly support him in his work, I only asked that he do the same for me. While it’s taken some time and plenty of conversations, we’re both learning to work together as a team in handling the many responsibilities of running a large family. In other words, he helps clean, runs errands, and even cooks some of the meals, so that the work is more manageable for both of us.

Second, I’ve worked at training my children to pitch in and help. In recent years, my older children (14 & 12) can handle more chores around the house. They do things like mow the lawn, fold & put away laundry, and meal preparation. I’ve even paid them to help watch my younger two children so that I can have more concentrated writing time.

My point is that, we often have more help at our fingertips than we realize. Which brings me to the next point . . .

We can’t be afraid (or ashamed) to ask for help.

We need to have open communication—especially with our families—about our desire for help. Sometimes it takes time for them to understand our passions, dreams, and subsequent needs, and we’ll have to patiently educate them. However, they won’t ever know what our needs are unless we actually have those conversations.

When I’ve opened up with friends about some of my scheduling struggles, they’ve gone out of their way to help me—particularly with the transporting of my kids to various activities. I’ve begun to realize that my friends and family want to help, but that they won’t know what I need unless I ask.

My Summary: So there you have it. Another one of the secrets of how I manage—I enlist the support and help of those around me. The bottom line is that we need each other. We can mutually edify and support one another. And in doing so lighten the burden’s we all have.

How about you? Do you try to handle too much on your own? Is it difficult for you to accept help? Or are you learning to share your needs and gain the support of those around you?

P.S. The winner of this week's signed copy of The Doctor's Lady is Carol Moncado. Congratulations, Carol! Remember, if you didn't win, there will still be LOTS & LOTS of opportunities to win a copy of my book during my blog tour! Check out my News & Events Page for all of the stops!

The Difficulty of Finding Story Ideas That Publishers Like

In today’s ever-changing publishing industry, oftentimes writers end up feeling that getting a traditional publisher’s attention is almost impossible.

Sometimes we wish we could be a fly on the wall in an editor’s office so that we could hear what kinds of stories they’re looking for, what interests them, or what doesn’t.

Because honestly, figuring out the “right” story or a break-in book feels like a shot in the dark. We go to all the work of writing a story, only to be given one excuse or another (See this post: Are Agents & Publishers Too Picky?)

Naomi Rawlings said this in a recent comment: “Publishers say they want fresh stories, but if your story is too fresh, they'll say they don't have a reader base and it isn't marketable enough. On the flip side, if you have a story set in a tried and true setting, say a western or prairie or Alaskan gold rush, a new writer may well hear his/her story isn't original enough and the industry is glutted. So what should new writers write to get publisher attention?”

We get mixed messages that leave us confused, hurt, and maybe even angry.

So, what’s a writer to do? What stories are publishers looking for? Do they really want fresh or do they want the tried-and-true?

First, let me just say, I’m not a publisher (surprise, I know!), and I don’t have any connections to publishers (except the one I’m contracted with). So, I’m not trying to defend the traditional publishing industry, not trying to sway anyone to consider it (if they’re happily self-pubbed), and not saying I like things the way they are.

The fact is, even as a contracted author, I still have a difficult time finding ideas that my publisher thinks will translate into a saleable book. My agent recently sent a new proposal to my publisher with six brand new book ideas I’d researched. But during a committee meeting, my editors were able to easily toss several of the ideas into the already-been-done and readers-won’t-like-this piles. And these were stories I thought were original but still ones readers would enjoy.

But the thing is, my publisher tracks sales on my books on a daily basis. They watch closely and count every sale in every possible format (paperback, ebooks, bookclubs, etc). Based on the statistics they can see overall patterns in what their particular readers are buying, what they like, and what doesn’t sell so well. They do take chances from time to time, and some of those books do well and other don’t. In this tight economy, they can’t afford to go out on a limb too often.

In other words, publishers are trying to print books that the majority of their readers will like. And while it’s not always easy to predict, they look at sales figures and the market to help them make decisions.

So what’s my point?

First, those of us seeking traditional publication need to pay attention to what kinds of books are commercially viable. We’ll need to be aware of what’s selling and why. We’ll have to keep the readers' needs in mind as we sift through our story ideas.

Second, we can stay fresh and original with the-tried-and-true. Fellow Bethany House author, Anne Mateer recently finished reading my new book. She sent me an email and pointed out how the basic plots of our books are similar. Her debut book, Wings of a Dream, has a young woman taking care of a widower’s four children (similar to my plot in The Preacher’s Bride). And our second books have some elements that are the same too. But . . . even though we both have plot commonalities, we’ve dressed up our books differently. Our voices and styles are unique. We’ve each added our special flavor to our stories. In other words, we can take well beloved plots and make them stand out.

Third, we have to be market-savvy but also tell the story we’re passionate about. When we write a well-crafted, riveting, page-turning novel that flows out of the passions in our heart, then even if it falls slightly outside the box, publishers might be willing to give the book a try. Sometimes, story trumps all. However, when bigger traditional publishers decide they aren’t able to take the financial risk, then we might consider a smaller niche publisher or even self-publishing.

My Summary: Writers pursuing traditional publication will need to consider the financial constraints inherent to the industry—which means we can’t write just anything and hope for a contract. But the beauty of today’s ever-expanding technology is that publication options are growing. Writers don’t have to “fit” the traditional standards in order to see their book in readers’ hands.

What about you? Do you think your books are fresh enough but still tried-and-true? Or does your book fall outside of what most larger traditional publishers are willing to take a risk on?

P.S. Don't miss the opportunity to WIN A SIGNED COPY OF MY NEW BOOK, The Doctor's Lady! Head over to Trivia Question #3 for your chance to enter the drawing! Deadline is Thursday at 10 pm.

A Method in the Madness: Outlining As You Write

Some writers are plotters. They thrive on planning out their books in great detail, making outlines, filling out note cards, and making story boards.

Other writers are pantsers. They write by the seat-of-their pants. They start with a blank slate and let the story and characters take them where they will.

I’ve seen both types of writers—plotters and pantsers—do very well. If you were to read their final manuscripts, you likely wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. They both end up in the same place—with a delightful well-told story.

With that said, however, I will admit I’m neither of the above, that I’m really more of a combination. You might call me a plantser (plotter + pantser).

Before I start my first draft, I do a TON of research (as in weeks of reading and scouring books). But most historical writers have to do that. It’s just part of the nature of writing a book set in a different time and place.

And before I begin writing, I also do a TON of brainstorming. I pull out a new spiral notebook and jot down ideas as they come to me or as they arise from all my researching. I fill pages with lists of all kinds of wild and crazy possibilities.

Eventually I narrow down my plot and come up with a very rough sketch of how I’d like to see my book progress. I write a few brief ideas for each chapter. But usually those ideas are fluid and vague.

Of course, I also get to know my characters before starting the first draft. I need to have a good grasp of each of my character’s backstory, their personalities, quirks, goals, etc. I fill out most of an extensive character worksheet I’ve developed. (And you’re welcome to use it too! Check it out here.)

Once my characters come to life, I finally begin to have the feeling that I’m ready to write the story. I have a pretty good idea of the plot and where I’d like it to go, but I’ve also left plenty of room for the story to develop as I write (and my characters too). For me that’s one of the most enjoyable aspects of writing—seeing the story and characters become bigger and more dynamic than I could have ever initially imagined.

Yes, I love the freedom that comes from not having things too planned out. That’s the pantser in me. But I also need some direction when I actually sit down before a blank screen. And that’s where the plotter in me comes out.

Prior to writing a chapter, I write down what I hope to accomplish with each scene in that particular chapter (I usually have a couple of different scenes per chapter where I change location and/or POV). In other words, I outline each scene in chapter one, then write them. Outline the scenes in chapter two, then write them. And so on.

It’s in those chapter outlines that I get VERY detailed in my plotting. Here’s just some of what I include (in fact I’m taking this directly from a page of my current WIP’s notebook):

• Time & Place: (This helps me keep track of the story timeline and how well I’m varying my setting.)

• Point of View: (This helps me monitor how often I’m switching POV; I try to keep it fairly even throughout the book.)

• Hook: (How can I initially grab the reader’s attention?)

• Intensity: (Will this scene be high action or more contemplative? I want this to vary.)

• Read on Prompt: (How will I end the scene so that I make the reader want to keep going?)

• Mood: (What kind of mood do I hope to portray and what kinds of things will help with that?)

• Sensory details: (I brainstorm ways I can get most of the five sense into the scene, hopefully in ways that will match the mood.)

• Goals: (This is where I list any and everything that I hope to write in the scene including character details, plot points, minor characters, etc.)

I refer to this “outline” as I write the scene. It helps give gentle direction and keeps me from leaving out important points. By doing the plotting in small increments as I go, I’m able to allow the story the breathing room it needs to develop, but I’m also able to keep myself on track with where I need to go next.

How about you? Are you a panster, plotter, or a plantser? What’s your method for getting through the madness? 

P.S. This week I'm giving away one more signed copy of The Doctor's Lady! The book is inspired by true people from history. Head over to Trivia Question #3 to find out who inspired the story and for your chance to win!  

*Photo credit: flickr

The Doctor's Lady Book Giveaway!! Trivia Question #3

Trivia Question #3: The Doctor's Lady is inspired by true people from history. Can you guess who?

A. The Roman Emperor's sister Honoraria, who proposed marriage to Attila the Hun in order to save herself from lifelong imprisonment.

B. Joan of Arc in her last days before being burned at the stake as a heretic.

C. Doctor Whitman and his wife Narcissa who became the first white woman to travel overland west and cross the Continental Divide.


How to enter to win a signed copy of The Doctor's Lady:

1. Leave your answer to the above trivia question in a comment (or on my Facebook Page). Just an A, B, or C is fine!

2. Leave your email address in your comment so that I can contact you if you win.


How to be eligible for up to two extra entries:

1. If you hit the retweet button at the bottom of this post, you'll be eligible for an extra drawing. (Make sure you let me know that you posted to twitter in your comment!)

2. If you hit the facebook "like" button at the bottom of this post, you'll be eligible for an extra drawing. (Make sure you let me know that you posted to facebook in your comment!)


Contest deadline & restrictions:

1. Deadline: Thursday, August 25 at 10pm (Eastern Time). I will announce the winner on Friday's blog post.

2. Restrictions: Sorry that I'm only able to mail to those with a USA mailing address!


This is the last week to win a signed copy of The Doctor's Lady on my blog! 

But . . . I have great news! There will be plenty more chances to win the book throughout the months of September and October during my blog tour! Check out my News & Events page for a complete list of all of the places I'll be stopping and giving away books! Hope to see you there!

How I do It: Live Intentionally But With Breathing Space

The months of August and September are crazy busy for me—both personally as well as in my writing life.

As you know, I’m gearing up for the release of my second book, The Doctor’s Lady on Sept 1st. I’m not under any delusion about the difficulty I’ll face in promoting my book. Today’s publishing industry is exploding with new authors but is constantly shrinking in shelf space which means I need to do whatever I can to market my book and help it stand out from the masses.

Among many things, I’m attempting a blog tour. Although I had quite a number of interviews for my debut book, I'm currently planning an official, established schedule with lots of unique and fun appearances, an epic contest, and tons of book giveaways. I’m really excited about all of the upcoming events.

But . . . I’ve had to spend an enormous amount of time planning for the tour as well as writing the awesome guest posts and interview questions for participants. In addition, I’m trying to keep up with my own blog and have recently started the first draft of a new book. Not to mention emails and social media . . . Then there’s my local book signing and the national writers’ conference I’m attending in mid-September.

I’m sure you get my point. My writing life (like many of yours) is filled to overflowing. Then there’s also real life with three birthdays in the next two weeks and the start of school (among other things). But I won’t bore you with all those busy details!

How do I do it? How can a person hope to keep up with all that needs to be done without getting buried? Is it even possible?

Last week I talked about easing into more as one of the ways I’ve learned to manage many responsibilities. Another way I manage is by living intentionally.

When I think about the periods in my life when I’m not living intentionally, those are the times when I allow myself to be swept along by my moods or the urgency of activities. I float from one thing to another, without seeing any real progress. I don’t have any focus, I’m easily distracted, and I spend way too much time on social media instead of doing things that really matter. Usually I end up frustrated and irritable.

On the other hand, when I decide I need to buckle down and get intentional, I’m always much more satisfied and productive. The dictionary defines intention as: a determination to act in a certain way. We resolve ahead of time what we're going to do, and then we do it. We're purposeful, make plans, and carry them through.

Yes, I accomplish more when I'm living intentionally. But I’m not an ultra-planner. I don’t have monthly, yearly, or 5 year goals (at least not written down). I don’t schedule out each hour of my day in a calendar (not that there’s anything wrong with doing that).

In other words, we don’t have to go from one extreme—complete disorganization with our goals and time—to the other extreme—planning out every second of our lives. We will probably only frustrate ourselves with unrealistic expectations if we do.

Instead, we can find a middle ground, one where we live intentionally, but still give ourselves breathing space. Here are just a few things I do to be intentional but not fanatical about my writing responsibilities:

• In the mornings, I take stock of my upcoming day and try to determine where I can block in a chunk of writing time for my WIP (work-in-progress).

• When I’m writing a first draft, I give myself the goal of 1000 words a day (6 days a week), but if I fall short one day, I simply try to make up the words by the end of the week.

• During my designated WIP writing time, I turn off email notifications, Tweetdeck, and anything else that might distract me. And I only allow myself to check it halfway through my time, and then only briefly.

• I write my blog posts a week ahead, usually on the three different weekdays that I have the most work time so that I don’t have to sacrifice WIP writing time.

• I give myself the weekly goal of trying to write one or two interviews as well as edit and return those I did the week before.

• When I start to fall short, or get off focus, I stop, take stock of the situation, and try to look at what I need to do differently to make it work.

The point is—I have to give myself some weekly and daily goals, or I probably will wander aimlessly. I want to approach my work, my family, my life with intentionality. I don’t want to look back some day on how I lived (or my writing career) and have regrets.

But at the same time I don’t want to turn into a robot. I don’t want to burden myself so much with planning and schedules and goals that I forget to enjoy breathing, and meandering, and detouring.

How about you? Are you living intentionally enough? What kinds of things do you do in your writing and life to be intentional? Do you need to give yourself a little more breathing room?

P.S. The winner of this week's signed copy of The Doctor's Lady is Sara! Congratulations, Sara! And thank you to everyone for playing along!! Come back next week for one more Trivia Question & one more chance to win!

Are Agents & Publishers Too Picky?

If you’ve ever been rejected, you can’t help but wonder, “Are agents and publishers too picky?”

My debut book, The Preacher’s Bride, was rejected many times before finally garnering interest. And during the series of rejections, I had two main questions: “Am I getting rejected because of the quality of my writing?” or “Am I getting rejected because of my story idea?”

Now that I’m on the other side of the publication fence, my questions have been answered. I’ve learned that the quality of my writing was up to par (at least I think so, since The Preacher’s Bride has done well in sales and awards!).

But there was some hesitation about the story, the setting, and the time period of the book. Before offering me a contract, my publisher had to think long and hard about whether my book was the type that would interest their readers.

Of course, most agents and editors don’t have the time to offer a lot of feedback (if any) when they decline a project. So if they indicate that our writing skills aren’t strong enough then we really need to take that to heart and buckle down and work on improving.

But when we’re certain our writing skills are at a publishable level (we’ve started finaling in contests, we get positive feedback from objective sources, etc), and we still get rejections, we’ll often hear things like:

• This book won’t fit with the needs of our readers.
• It’s too similar to other projects we have right now.
• It’s too different and we don’t want to take a chance.
• The setting, time period, or subject matter won’t sell well.
• The genre isn’t clear.
• The story just didn’t resonate or grab me enough.

Are publishers and editors just being too picky when they cite those reasons for passing on a manuscript? Shouldn’t they be willing to take more of a chance? Try new things? Give new and fresh ideas a shot? After all, think about how many out-of-the-box stories have gone on to have huge commercial success?

The longer I’m immersed in the industry and the more I learn about the business aspect, the more I understand why publishers and agents must be so picky. In fact, I foresee the need for publishers to become even more choosey if they hope to succeed in today’s changing market.

Why? Why do they need to be so particular?

Here are several lessons I’ve learned:

1. Debut authors are a huge investment.

Whenever a publisher gives a contract to a debut author, they’re taking a risk. They have to pay out an enormous amount of money (for the advance, editing, cover, marketing, etc.) before the author brings in a dime. With all of the authors competing for a reader’s affection, there’s just no guarantee of recapping the money they’ve invested.

2. An author’s brand still sells a book.

If you look at the bestseller lists, they’re top heavy with brand name authors—usually those who have been writing a long time and continually put out books that readers fall in love with. Those are the bread and butter authors for publishing houses. We, smaller & newer authors, rely on them for our existence. They help foot our bills—at least until our brand becomes more established.

3. It takes many books, a lot of time, and hard work to develop a strong brand.

Even if an author occasionally makes the bestseller list, like I have, it still takes a long time and a lot of work to build a strong brand. My agent pointed out to me recently that I have only a fraction of the readership that I could have, and that I’ll continue to need to work hard at marketing each book. I’m still very much at the beginning of my writing career and have a long way to go to develop my name and readership.

4. The growth of e-readers and cheap e-books is changing the nature of building a readership.

With the growth of e-readers and the ease of buying cheap e-books, traditional publishers have more competition for a reader’s already overloaded time and attention. The fact is, as more and more books inundate the market (via e-publishing or traditional), all authors everywhere will have to work harder to obtain and maintain readers.

My Summary: In light of all of the above points, publishers and agents must be choosey in order to survive. This is a tough business for all of us—writers, publishers, and agents.

If your book is rejected because of the pickiness that is apart of traditional publication, you may just need to keep writing until you find your “break in” book. Or you may need to consider a smaller niche publisher or even self-publishing.

Whatever route you choose, it will be hard. There are no easy paths in today’s writing industry.

What about you? Do you think traditional publishers and agents are too picky? Are they justified in being choosey? Or do you think the system is unfair?

*Photo Credit: Flickr


In celebration of the countdown to the release of my book on Sept. 1, I'm giving away a signed copy of The Doctor's Lady this week! Click here to enter the drawing!

Dear Readers: Your Favorite Authors LOVE You!

I love my readers. The longer I’m a published author, the more I realize just how much my readers mean to me.

Last week, I got my first email from a reader regarding my upcoming release, The Doctor’s Lady. This reader, Amanda Barratt, found my book on the shelf (already!) and purchased a couple of copies (and she’s giving away one today on her blog, so head over!). She read the book in just a few days’ time and emailed me to let me know her thoughts.

She said this about my book: “It is one of the most well written, engaging novels I have read all year! Your characters were sympathetic and well written, and the romance was so well developed!! Loved all the historical details too! You certainly have written another award winner!” 

When I got her email (along with her picture holding the book—see the slideshow in the sidebar!), I wished I could crawl through cyberland and give her a big hug. I’ve been plagued with insecurity over this book and have been afraid that readers wouldn’t like it. So her email was a huge encouragement.

Which brings me to the point of today’s post. I don’t think readers realize how much authors love them.

Authors can’t survive very well without readers. As much as writers like to say things like, “Write for yourself,” we all know that we wouldn’t pursue publication if we didn’t want people to read our words and find some meaning in them.

The bottom line is that writers rely on readers, need them, and value their encouragement—often much more than readers realize. So dear readers, on behalf of all writers, please know how much we appreciate you!

Here are several things readers do that get authors really excited (at least that really excite me!):

     When readers send the author a personal note.

I save every email, facebook message, and handwritten note that readers send me. In fact, my publisher asked if I had a few that I would be willing to pass along to them so that they could read them to their staff—because even publishers appreciate affirmation and feedback on all they invest in their authors. I had a hard time choosing which notes to send because they’re all so meaningful to me.

When readers write a review for an online bookstore or blog.

Many readers are silent and distant admirers. And that’s okay. I realize not everyone is going to want to go public with their praise of a book. But writers appreciate every positive review they get. Even if we can’t individually acknowledge or respond to every review, I am always thrilled when someone takes the time to post one.

Bestselling author, Jude Deveraux, left a comment in a recent post and she said this about Amazon reviews she got for a series she’d written: “Women who loved the book didn't write a good review. If they wrote at all, it was a sentence or two. But others, with lots of malice, wrote horrible things about my books, my characters, and me personally.”

Her comment brings to light the fact that it’s usually easier for us to point out the negatives we see. Often we justify our reviews, thinking others deserve to know the “truth.” But writers appreciate when readers are just as liberal with their praise as they are with their criticisms.

When readers connect on Facebook or Twitter.

I like having real connections with people. But I usually won’t know a reader is lurking unless they jump off the sidelines and send me a comment or tweet. Call me corny, but I even like hearing simple details like this message I got last week on Twitter: “Finally got a #Kindle. The first book I purchased was The Preacher's Bride by @JodyHedlund! Can't wait to read it!” Or this one: “Bought @JodyHedlund The Doctor's Lady yesterday & I can't wait to start reading it!”

Those kinds of short messages can go a LONG way in bolstering the shaky confidence of writers who labor so hard over each book and yet battle insecurity, poor sales, low advances, and obscurity on a daily basis.

So my dear readers, thank you for all you do to encourage me (and other writers) in so many ways. The writing journey wouldn’t be nearly as fulfilling if it weren’t for you! YOU make us want to continue to write and pour out our hearts into our stories! Thank you!

Question for readers: Did you realize how much authors value your feedback? How can we show you our appreciation better?

Question for writers: What do you appreciate most about readers? What are some things readers do that excite you?

Don't miss this week's chance to win a signed copy of The Doctor's Lady! Answer Trivia Question #2 to enter the drawing!

The Doctor's Lady Book Giveaway!! Trivia Question #2

Trivia Question #2: Where are the characters traveling during the length of the book? (See my Books page if you need a little help!)

A. Overland across the United States to the wild and unsettled Oregon Country

B. Millions of miles to a space station on Pluto

C. Deep into a secret underwater city located in the Mariana Trench


How to enter to win a signed copy of The Doctor's Lady:

1. Leave your answer to the above trivia question in a comment (or on my Facebook Page). Just an A, B, or C is fine!

2. Leave your email address in your comment so that I can contact you if you win.


How to be eligible for up to two extra entries:

1. If you hit the retweet button at the bottom of this post, you'll be eligible for an extra drawing. (Make sure you let me know that you posted to twitter in your comment!)

2. If you hit the facebook "like" button at the bottom of this post, you'll be eligible for an extra drawing. (Make sure you let me know that you posted to facebook in your comment!)


Contest deadline & restrictions:

1. Deadline: Thursday, August 18 at 10pm (Eastern Time). I will announce the winner on Friday's blog post.

2. Restrictions: Sorry that I'm only able to mail to those with a USA mailing address!


Only a couple more weeks until the release of The Doctor's Lady! I'm super excited that some readers are already starting to receive their copies and are sending me their pictures (see the side of my blog for a peek at the slide show). When you get your book, I'd love to get a picture of you!

Wishing everyone the  best of luck in this week's trivia contest!

How I Do It: Ease Into More Responsibility

When my twins were babies, I loved dressing them in matching outfits. I’d stick bows in their hair and make cute ponytails that stood straight up on the tops of their heads. When I’d take them out in the double stroller, people would always stop to admire them.

I could never figure out why people asked, “Are they girls or boys?” I wanted to say, “Why in the world would I dress them in pink and put bows in their hair if they’re boys?” But of course, I was always polite.

Yes, there were admirers I wanted to escort over to the Pearle Vision Store. But then, on the flip side, there were plenty who saw the enormity of my situation—especially because I also had my two-year old son tagging along. They would say, “You’ve got your hands full, don’t you?”

And, when I look back to those days of managing twin babies and an active two year old, I get dizzy thinking about how much work it was! At one point, with three children under two years of age, changing diapers was a full time job.

Somehow through all the craziness, I survived. I even went on to have two more children. And now, whenever I go anywhere with my whole gang, invariably someone will say, “How do you handle five children?”

When they find out that not only do I have five kids, but that I homeschool AND am a full time writer, their incredulous tone rises in pitch as they stammer, “What? How can you possibly do all of that?”

So, how does one manage multiple responsibilities? (Without going crazy?)

It’s not easy. I’m the first to admit it. I won’t pretend my life is bliss.

But managing multiple responsibilities is NOT an impossibility. One of the lessons I’ve learned about juggling a lot of different demands is this: We have to ease our way in to more.

Here’s what I mean:

1. Start at the beginning.

I didn’t start with five kids all at once. I began with one. Over the first couple of years, I became comfortable learning how to be a mom to one child. When I became confident and efficient with him, only then did I think about adding another. I’d learned the ropes and was ready for more responsibility.

And I didn’t start with a big house full of possessions. When I was first married, we lived in an tiny apartment with mismatched used furniture. Eventually we accumulated more stuff and moved to a very small starter home. Only when we were more established did we think about buying a larger home that could accommodate our growing family.

My point is that in whatever we’re doing, we need to start at the beginning. It’s easy to look at those who have more, do more, or are further along than we are, and to think we need to be like them. In those situations, we need to remember that once upon a time, they too had to start at the beginning.

2. Move forward in small increments.

The first year I was married, I could hardly boil water without burning it. And yet, for my first Thanksgiving I attempted a huge dinner for my brother and a friend. Guess how it turned out?

You’re right. It was a disaster! I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. In the end, I had to saw half-frozen meat off the carcass and cook the slabs in the microwave. We ended up having a few scarce pieces of rubbery turkey with our lukewarm and gravy-less mashed potatoes.

Now after twenty years of marriage, thankfully, I can whip a large Thanksgiving meal together with no problem. But it’s taken years and years of growing in cooking skills to get to the point of being able to do that.

We can’t skip over all of the valuable steps that come in the learning process. We have to take each baby step in progression. And we shouldn’t expect to handle the work of a seasoned veteran if we’re not one.

3. Let the new responsibilities challenge us to grow.

Over the years, I’ve had to adjust with each new responsibility. I’ve had to make sacrifices, stop certain hobbies, or let go of activities to make room in my life for the additions.

There are times when we add more responsibility to our lives that we’ll have to let go of something else. We can’t keep adding and adding without taking other things away—or else we’ll get to the point where we’ve crammed too much in and are ready to break.

However, if we gradually add more, we can stretch ourselves a little bit with each new responsibility. Our hearts, minds, and bodies will slowly grow stronger and better able to cope with the weight and pressures of what we’re adding.

Summary: There you have it! Ease your way into more—one of my secrets for how I manage multiple responsibilities. Of course, there are many other “tricks” I’ve learned over the years. But I’ll save those for another day!

How about you? Have you ever thought of the concept of easing your way in to more? Or have you tried to tackle too much too soon?

And the winner of Trivia Question #1 is Lynn L. Hall!  She wins a signed copy of The Doctor's Lady! Congratulations! And thank you to everyone who entered the drawing! Come back next week for another chance to win!

4 Keys to Unlocking Your Creativity

During the eighteen plus hours of driving I did last week, I had the chance to listen to Anne of Green Gables. I have to admit, it was the DVD version. As I drove, my kids watched it on our little dropdown DVD lifesaver—I mean, player.

Even while listening to a really abridged movie version of Anne of Green Gables, I was still reminded of how much I like the book, particularly the main character Anne Shirley. She was the epitome of creativity. Everywhere she went and in everything she did, her creative mind was always at work, spinning new tales, dreaming big dreams, weaving clever excuses, and using fancy words.

Anne Shirley was an inspiration to my early writing career. As a young girl, I wanted to be creative like her. Fortunately, I grew up in an environment that gave me the freedom and nourishment to be creative.

Now as an adult listening to the story of Anne of Green Gables again, I couldn’t keep from trying to understand what made Anne creative. What is the key to helping any of us be creative?

I’m not sure that there is one particular key. More likely, creativity develops from a compilation of a variety of factors. But as I thought about what's helped me the most, here are four key factors:

1. Give our minds a break from the constant barrage of media noise.

In our modern world, there are numerous voices clamoring in our heads and demanding our attention—TV, movies, video games, internet, etc. The constant prattle around us doesn’t allow for the quiet time our minds need to cultivate creativity.

When I was growing up, my parents limited my TV viewing. In fact, for quite a few years we didn’t even have a television, which made me somewhat of an oddity among my friends.

But because I had plenty of media-free time, I had the quietness to contemplate, reflect, and dream. The limitations had a profound effect on my fostering my ability to play and think creatively. As a result,  I still restrict the amount of media noise in my home for myself and my children.

2. Build downtime into our schedules.

If we’re running around all the time from one activity to the next, then we sacrifice the downtime that’s necessary for facilitating creativity. In a culture that thrives on busyness, we may have to actually pencil  free time into our schedules.

Because I limit the number of outside activities that my kids can be involved in, they have plenty of free-play at home. If they ever tell me they’re bored, I say, “Good. Now’s your chance to be creative.” 

We can’t hope to fuel our creativity (or our children’s) if we’re always rushing from one event to the next without giving our bodies and brains a break.

3. See the creative possibilities that surround us.

As I analyzed Anne of Green Gables during my recent trip, I realized that Anne was always seeing the creative possibilities around her. She could peer beyond the ordinary, simple, and mundane to the romance, glamor, and life that transcended normalcy. Whether a lake, field, or tree, she could paint a picture with words that brought that particular object to life in a way that made it seem truly grand and beautiful.

How often do we take the time to examine the things around us and see beyond the ordinary to the possibilities that exist?

4. Practice using our imaginations on a regular basis.

I think Anne Shirley’s favorite phrase was, “I can imagine . . .” And indeed she was always imagining something. For example at the beginning when she was talking with Matthew Cuthbert about her ugly orphanage dress she said, “I went to work and imagined that I had on the most beautiful pale blue silk dress because when you are imagining you might as well imagine something worthwhile.”

Anne’s imagination was her constant companion. And it made me realize that the more we use our imaginations, the easier it gets to go deeper, be wilder, and freer in our stories. Like any other muscle, our brains need a regular workout to grow stronger and more creative. When we’re strengthening our imagination on a consistent basis, instead of using up our ideas, we’ll be constantly developing new fresh ones.

My Summary: Creativity is something we can cultivate if we carve out the space and time, if we work at seeing the world around us through new eyes, and if we make a regular habit of asking, “what if?”

What has influenced your creativity? And what are you doing to keep cultivating creativity in your life (and the lives of your children)? Are you shutting out the media noises and building in downtime? How well do you see the world through fresh eyes?

P.S. Remember to answer this week's easy trivia question for a chance to win a signed copy of The Doctor's Lady! The deadline for this week's giveaway is Thursday, August 11 at 10pm (Eastern Time). Click here to play along!

The Inevitable Traffic Jams on the Journey to Publication

Last week I had to be away from home due to a family emergency. The week was tense and stressful, but I was glad I could help my dear mother through a difficult time. If you didn’t see me around cyberland as much as usual, that’s why. (Plus I had very spotty internet connection, which was a huge trial too!)

During the long nine-hour drive home, I chugged coffee and worked hard to stay awake—especially because my kids were along and I wanted to drive safely for them. As I crossed the border into Michigan, I finally started to breathe easier. I was on the home stretch. 

Or so I thought . . . Only an hour away from my town in the center of the state, I got stuck in two traffic jams. In ninety-plus degree heat, there I sat on the interstate in a bumper-to-bumper crawl. A legless tortoise could have gone faster. 

As I tapped the steering wheel and craned my neck to see what was causing the hold-up, I realized I could allow myself to go crazy with the frustration of waiting, or I could sit back and take it in stride. Either way, I wouldn’t be able to change the fact that I couldn’t go anywhere.

Many writers are zipping down the highway with the end destination of publication. And yet, just when we think we’re getting close to reaching our dream, the road narrows, goes down to one lane, and is no longer wide enough for everyone. 

As we merge, we get stuck in an epic writers' traffic jam. Writers who once could move along at their own pace suddenly screech to a near-halt and find themselves in a massive clog of other writers, unable to move forward or go back. 

Let’s face it, the highways that lead to “Agent City” and “Traditional Publication Town” are popular and busy and can’t accommodate everyone at the same time. Therefore, in today’s mammoth, somewhat antiquated writing industry, traffic jams have become an inevitable part of the journey. 

Unfortunately, when we’re in those hold-ups we have no control over how long we’ll have to wait or how fast the line moves. But . . . we do have control over our attitudes during the frustrating standstill. Here are several things we can do to make the most of the traffic jams:

    Distract ourselves.

When we’re waiting to hear back from an agent or publisher, it’s very hard not to check our email a hundred times an hour. We can drive ourselves crazy—just like constantly looking ahead in the traffic line to see if the end is finally in sight. We’ll only feed our impatience and stir up our discontentment.

We need to stop craning our necks to see the future. Instead we can look for ways to distract ourselves in the present: think about other things, study good books, read fiction how-to guides, brainstorm ideas—anything to take our minds off the situation.

    Stay productive.

It’s one thing to distract ourselves, but it’s another thing to keep working on tasks that will really help us.  We can get sidetracked with social media, our blogs, or a hundred and one other things. But we have to ask ourselves, are we staying productive in the work that will really help our careers?

During my waiting periods, I’ve found that the best thing I can do is to write another book. While The Preacher’s Bride sat in a slush pile for nine long months, I completed another manuscript. Then when agents and publishers started to show an interest in me, I had a second book to present to them. 

    Establish smaller milestones.

When we look too far ahead, it’s easy to get dissatisfied by the distance we still have to go. We start to wish we could trade places with those who are further along. And we grow discouraged with the slowness of the journey and the roadblocks before us.

Instead, we should look for ways we can still keep moving forward one inch at a time. We need to always keep writing in one form or another. I set daily and weekly word count goals. If I don’t meet the word count one day, I try to make up for it by the end of the week.

I also celebrate every time I reach a new milestone (no matter how big or small). This journey is tough, and we need to take every opportunity we can to give ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done.

How about you? Have you ever hit a traffic jam in your writing journey? What kinds of things have you done to keep yourself from going crazy during the waiting?

This week I'm giving away a signed copy of my next release, The Doctor's Lady (Sept. 1). Answer an easy trivia question to enter the drawing! Click here for rules and to enter.

The Doctor's Lady Book Giveaway!! Trivia Question #1

Trivia Question #1: What is the occupation of the HERO in The Doctor's Lady?

A. TV Reality Show Host

B. Doctor

C. Sky Diver


How to enter to win a signed copy of The Doctor's Lady:

1. Leave your answer to the above trivia question in a comment (or on my Facebook Page). Just an A, B, or C is fine!

2. Leave your email address in your comment so that I can contact you if you win.


How to be eligible for up to two extra entries:

1. If you hit the retweet button at the bottom of this post, you'll be eligible for an extra drawing. (Make sure you let me know that you posted to twitter in your comment!)

2. If you hit the facebook "like" button at the bottom of this post, you'll be eligible for an extra drawing. (Make sure you let me know that you posted to facebook in your comment!)


Contest deadline & restrictions:

1. Deadline: Thursday, August 11 at 10pm (Eastern Time). I will announce the winner on Friday's blog post.

2. Restrictions: Sorry that I'm only able to mail to those with a USA mailing address!


Good luck to everyone! And thanks for joining in the fun as I count down until the release of The Doctor's Lady on September 1st!

WINNER!!! The winner of Trivia Question #1 is Lynn L Hall!! Congratulations! :-)

Why Are So Many Writers Plagued With Insecurities?

I have a secret to share: I’m plagued with self-doubts.

Yes, even though I’m very close to having my second book  (The Doctor's Lady) out on shelves, I still battle self-doubts on a daily basis. And even though The Preacher’s Bride has won first place in two writer’s contests (Award of Excellence and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award) and finaled in the prestigious Carol Awards, I still have a difficult time believing in my ability as a writer.

In a recent post, The Barking-Dog Days of the Writer’s Life, I asked commentors to share some of the things that annoyed them most about the writing life. A number of writers expressed battles with self-doubt too, similar to my feelings.

Michelle DeRusha said, "I have lots of barking-dog moments: self-doubt, insecurity about my writing, frustration with how slowly the whole process moves, fear that I won't have any more ideas. I could go on!"

V.V. Denman said, "What annoys me most about the writing life is my inconsistent self confidence/doubt. One day I believe myself to be a great writer, the next I'm terrible. Neither of those produces memorable writing. I much prefer the days when I'm somewhere in between."

The various comments got me thinking about how self-doubts plague us at every stage of the journey, whether new writer, seasoned, agented, contracted, or multi-published. I always naively imagined that when I was published, made the bestseller list, and won some awards, I’d finally feel more confident, that my own writerly insecurities would fade away. You’d think with a couple of trophies on my desk, I’d be flying high.

But the doubts steadfastly remain.

Why?

Why are so many of us plagued with insecurities about our writing? Why do we believe our story to be a bestseller one day and the next day think it’s unworthy to line the cat litter box?

I’m not really sure that we as writers will ever be able to shake off the insecurity and doubts. They seem to be inherently woven into the job description of being a writer.

I think there are several reasons why writers are plagued with insecurities:

• The industry is volatile. With Borders recently closing all its stores and fading into oblivion, with ebooks outselling paperbacks on Amazon, and with the rise and fall of authors imitating sunrise and sunset, most of us are on edge. We know new changes are around the corner, but we don’t know whether they’ll effect our careers for the good or bad.

• Sales drive a career. The days of artists  having patrons who support them is long gone. As much as we’d like to ignore the business reality of the writing industry, we can’t. If we want to make it for the long haul, then we’ll need to have steady or increasing sales. And in a modern economy that fluctuates like a flushing toilet, steady is difficult to maintain.

• Art is subjective. When certain books rise to the top of the charts we can only scratch our heads wondering what things about the book made it a commercial success? Perhaps the book breaks fiction-writing rules. Perhaps it lacks an engaging story. We can’t always understand why "less than stellar" books make it, when we’ve worked so hard on ours and it isn’t going anywhere.

• Our own view of our work is clouded. Eileen Astels Watson described the phenomena well: "What's in our head at the time of writing often provides a cloud over what is actually written on the page. We just don't SEE the issues in print, because the story is so romantized in our heads at the time." The fact is, we won’t be able to see our work the way others do, and therefore we can’t help but wonder how we’re really doing, if we’re on track, and it’s all coming together the way we want.

Altogether, the insecurities surround us and bombard us on a daily basis from within and outside ourselves—no matter where we’re at in the journey. It’s precisely because of the insecurities that we need to be writing for a reason that transcends publication, fortune, and fame.

When we’re writing for a bigger purpose, deeper motives, and out of love of the creative process, then we’re able to toss those insecurities aside and say, "Who cares. I’m gonna keep on doing what I love no matter what happens around me."

What about you? What are some other things about the writing industry that cause you to have insecurities?

*Photo Credit: Flickr

Describing Appearances: Moving Beyond Eye & Hair Color

Lately I’ve been plotting and planning my next novel. As part of the process, I fill out an extensive character worksheet for my main characters.

In the planning stages, one of the things I try to do is get a clear picture of what my characters look like. I accomplish this in numerous ways. If my character doesn’t already have a real portrait from history, I pick one from photos of actors or models. I also fill in the physical description part of my character worksheet—making note of every detail (along with synonyms, similes, metaphors, and ways other characters might describe the person).

And yes, part of the description includes eye and hair color. I believe we as writers need to know as much as possible about our characters if we want them to come to life.

However, Michaela Tashjian brought up a great point in a recent review she did on my debut book, The Preacher’s Bride:  She said, “When it comes to physical description in many contemporary works, writers often resort to 'hair-colour-eye-colour' descriptions. This is a somewhat elementary approach. In The Preacher's Bride, Ms. Hedlund goes far beyond this scope of mediocre physical description of characters.”

Michaela sites a couple of examples from my book which I’ll share as well:

• Description of Vicar Burton on page 24: His breathing was wheezy, as though he struggled to catch his breath. Whenever this happened, his shoulders hunched further, and his chest sank inward like a bowl.

Michaela says: “The author gives us no description of Vicar Burton's hair, face, or eyes, and yet we have this vivid picture of the way he talks and breathes and are reminded of this every time he speaks up again in the book.”

• Description of Elizabeth’s suitor Samuel Muddle on page 29: Samuel pulled up his breeches, which had a habit if slipping below his protruding belly. He hitched them high above his waistline, as if to give them plenty of sliding room.

Michaela says: “Throughout the story, we are left with next to no description of Samuel except for his protruding belly and overlarge breeches; and yet we are not left wanting for more identification.”

Sometimes we can rely too much on hair and eye color in our descriptions of our characters to the neglect of other techniques. How can we go deeper? Here are some methods to keep in mind when describing our characters:

1. Main characters will likely need hair and eye descriptions (especially in certain genres like romance). In fact, we should help our readers to visualize our main characters correctly right from the start (versus confusing them two-thirds of the way through the book by springing an image on them that might not match the person they’ve already visualized). However, these kinds of basic descriptions can be done in creative snippets that are subtly woven in.

2. Minor characters will probably NOT need hair and eye descriptions (unless hair or eyes play a role in the plot). Otherwise, why bother mentioning them? We can pick much more creative ways to describe them—preferably with traits that add to the story in some way (whether mood, tension, etc.). Blake Snyder in Save The Cat describes this technique by saying, “Make sure every character has ‘A Limp and an Eyepatch’ . . . something memorable that will stick him in the reader’s mind.”

3. Give our characters unique tags. A tag is something that will help identify a character throughout the book. Tags can be physical (a bulbous nose), verbal (a particular phrase only that character uses), characteristic (timidity), or an action (nail-biting).

4. Remember description is only a small part of bringing a character to life. In fact, description alone is not enough. We must weave the sharing of their physical appearance among other techniques—how our characters react to situations, their goals, their method of handling conflict, the way they enjoy life, etc. All of these little things come together to leave an impression in the reader’s mind about who that person really is.

My Summary: Describing our characters is like most aspects of writing—we have to reject the easy (often clichéd) image that comes to our minds first. Instead we need to brainstorm, dig deeper, and find creative, interesting, and unique portrayals that will delight our readers.

How about you? Have you fallen into the eye and hair color description trap? How do you push deeper to find more unique ways of describing your characters?

The Birds & the Bees of Marketing

No one ever sat me down and explained the birds and the bees of marketing. In fact, most of what I’ve learned has come from experience and from fellow classmates on the playground of the writing world.

However, in an effort to spare you some hard knocks and embarrassment, I thought I’d share the basics of what I’ve learned so far:

1. Focus most of your attention online.

Guess how many book signings I did for The Preacher's Bride? Two. Yep. Only two. Guess how many I have planned for The Doctor's Lady? One. Why? Why haven’t I focused more attention on traveling around, visiting libraries, book clubs, etc?

Because most people have gone virtual. Very few of even the biggest name authors get turnouts at book signings or other events. When we struggle to find time to write much less market, we have to maximize our energy, be as efficient as we can, and protect our scared writing time. That means I’ve chosen to focus most of my marketing efforts in cyberland.

But . . . we can’t hope to succeed with online marketing if we use traditional tactics. The days of billboards, ads, and spam are over. Those methods are old-fashioned and won’t work in the virtual world. That’s why it’s so important for writers to learn the birds and bees of how to make online marketing work.

2. The Birds: Nurture your nest.

The first and most important aspect of online marketing is to build a welcoming nest (a home base) where we can begin to connect with others. For many writers, the home base is our blog because we can have open dialog and build connections with others in a way that just can’t be accomplished through other social media (although I have seen some authors do a fantastic job interacting on Facebook).

Once we have a nest, we need to nurture those who come to it. Our focus needs to be on finding ways to lift our wings and provide shelter and encouragement to those who enter our folds. Build friendships and mutually care for one another. Enjoy being social, and generously love those around us. When we’re doing that, eventually our flock will grow into a large family.

If we build and nurture our nest, then when it’s time for a book release or some other writer milestone, our “family” will be there to naturally help us, the same way we will be there for them.

3. The Bees: Generate buzz.

Yes, we need our nest. But . . . we can’t stop there. We have to make an effort to start the buzz about our books. Buzz is the chatter, the excitement, the hype that surrounds our book. The more people hear about our books and see the name, the more “important” the book grows throughout cyberland.

We can generate buzz in numerous ways. Here are just a few ways I’m buzzing about The Doctor’s Lady, which releases in less than a month:

• I put a countdown widget in my sidebar.

• I had a video trailer contest last week (see below for the two winners!).

• I’m doing weekly book giveaways (starting next week).

• I’m hosting a blog tour with LOTS of book giveaways for the months of Sept. & Oct. (see the list on my Events page).

• I’m kicking off release day (Sept. 1) with a bang by having a HUGE social network sharing contest that will last several weeks. (You will not want to miss this!)

• I’ll ask readers to send me pictures of them with my book and post them on my blog, website, and facebook.

• I’ll be tweeting and posting to facebook about the various above events.

In other words, I need to start the buzz—I can’t sit back and do nothing. I can’t wait for someone else to do the work for me. Rather, I need to step out of my comfort zone and gently send out the first buzz. And yet, the sound throughout cyberland will be like a whisper through my efforts alone.

But then my friends and online family will pick up the buzz and make it louder. With all of their generous support, the buzz will keep vibrating, growing stronger and being heard much further than I could ever hope to accomplish on my own.

So there you have it. The birds and the bees of online marketing! Nurture your nest, start some buzz. And watch what happens!

What about you? Are you building and nurturing a nest? And if you’re at the place where you need to start the buzz, what are some ways you’ve done that?

P.S. The winners of The Doctor's Lady Trailer Contest are: Caroline @Keep_Tha_Faith and Lisa Groves! Congratulations!! Thank you EVERYONE for joining in! I really enjoyed reading all of your thoughts about the trailer!