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Rejected Rockstars: Great Writers Who've Gotten the Boot

"Why you gotta be so rude?" Just for fun, and because we all need a little pick-me-up every now and then, I've decided to compile a list of amazing authors who've seen more rejection than a lot of us who are just starting out in the querying process.  In the beginning, each and every rejection (or lack of response) can feel so personally brutal. I find that it helps to defer to the greatness of writers who have already blazed these trails. I find their stories so inspirational because they were able to continue submitting their work time and again, even after people told them that their ideas sucked.  Doing this research made me more convinced than ever that persistence and self-confidence are probably two of the most important traits that a writer can have. So without further ado, my picks for rejected rockstars: 1. Carrie , by Stephen King - Rejected 30 times. 2. Twilight , by Stephenie Meyer - Rejected 14 times.  3. And to Think I Saw It On

Memories of a newspaper staff writer and why I learned to bite

You know the saying, her bark was worse than her bite? Well let me tell you something. When I started writing for my student newspaper's Arts & Entertainment section, I was eager to jump in head first. The only problem was that the ideas I was pitching either weren't accepted by my editor or once I'd finished writing them, they got rejected for the print version. I was like a little yapping dog who wanted to play, but no one would take me seriously. Don't get me wrong, a few of them did finally make it to print, and I did understand that the A&E section had a huge space issue. Most of it usually went to the "hardcore" news, not so much what movies people were watching that weekend. But when I started to analyze the pieces that were making it into the paper, I realized that most of them were written by a select handful of writers who had more...bite... than I did. What I mean by that is they had this sort of sharp wit and sarcasm that I felt that

Writing Goals: September

I've seen a lot of writers participating in this monthly goal challenge and thought I'd weigh in. Not only is it fun to share, but declaring your goals publicly keeps you somewhat accountable as well. This month I'd like to get 1/3 of the way through the first draft of my novel. Is it a lofty goal? I'm not sure...I've known other writers who seem to be able to write an entire draft in a weekend flat and sometimes I feel a bit on a slow side. However, since writing is not my full time job I feel that 3 months is a decent goal for me. Since some writing days are much more productive than others, this allows me those occasions when writing day are disturbed or completed thrown out the window. Hey, life happens.  What's your September goal? I'm also very curious to know how quickly everyone else writes. Is 3 months for a first draft reasonable?

Writers: 4 Ways You Could Be Driving Yourself a Little Bonkers

We all need a little crazy sometimes, right? Well fear not. I've compiled a list of easy to follow instructions that will get you well on your way to that mini meltdown. Let's get started! 1. Set an unrealistic deadline - Why give yourself enough time to finish that project? Take that deadline and cut it in half right now! Five chapters this week? Make it ten! After all, how do you think those "overnight" success stories happened anyway? With a big cup of coffee and an all night writing session, that's how! 2. Put pressure on yourself - The more, the better! Focus on that unrealistic deadline and squeeze your creative juices dry trying to accommodate it. Let the stress flow through you, my friend. 3. Compare yourself to others - Why are there so many writers out there making great money while you're still stuck on revising your first novel? Wonder to yourself why other writers tweets are so much wittier than yours. Why not just change yourself, so y

On Characters: How to flesh them out and keep them organized

When I wrote my first novel, I still had quite a bit of learning to do. I consider the entire process one big educational experience. When I wrote my first draft, I didn't feel like I knew my characters very well. As a result, some scenes were difficult to get right. Reactions and dialogue didn't seem genuine. For the second draft, I decided to go through the process of fleshing out the characters and as one would imagine, had a much easier time writing after that. The experience taught me that writing without fleshing out one's characters is like marrying a stranger. You just don't know what you're getting yourself into. For my current writing project, I decided to start on the right foot. Not only did I want to get to know my characters, but I knew that I needed to keep this information organized. Main Characters: I did some research online and found several character worksheets. They usually vary a little bit, but I took from them what I needed. Mos

On Musical Inspiration: Great Writing Songs

A lot of writers talk about their favorite writing soundtracks and for good reason. Music stirs up so many emotions that help when you are brainstorming different plot points or character reactions. Personally, I use a project-by-project method when building a playlist. When I start something new, I'm automatically on the lookout for great songs to spark different emotions that I'll need when writing. I love YouTube because I can make myself an inspiration playlist and just sit back and let the creativity flow. I thought it might be fun to share some of my all-time favorite writing soundtracks and some that are inspiring my current work. Finding Neverland - Tempo varies, but a lot of great piano work that always tends to sweep me away. Edward Scissorhands - I love the entire soundtrack, but there is one score in particular that pulls at my creative heart strings every time.  One Tree Hill - Whether or not you are a fan of the show, if you are looking for gre

Split

There was a tree that stood alone It had been split in two With fortitude it lingered Past the bolt that shot it through In winter, rain, storm or shine Both halves stood fixed by roots The left side weak and broken The right tall and absolute The seasons passed The summer went And soon snow piled high On top the left side hanging low Beneath the harsh cold sky Its branches snapped Its bark howled too The right side lost control The left side landed, roots exposed It died a half made whole - C.R. Shuler

The Ruthless Writer

"Be ruthless about protecting writing days, i.e., do not cave in to endless requests to have "essential" and "long overdue" meetings on those days. The funny thing is that, although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance. I must therefore guard the time allotted to writing as a Hungarian Horntail guards its firstborn egg." - J.K. Rowling Amazing quote by J.K. Rowling which hits the nail right on the head. It seems whether you write full time or not, one can never seem to get enough hours to actually sit down and put fingers to keyboard. As for myself, I work a full time job and write on certain nights and weekends. I am always saying to myself where does the time go? I've recently started using a pretty

A poetic mantra

And I'm Back in the Game...

I've officially started the process of plotting my second novel. Hold your applause, please. After a bit of a break, I am excited to get back into the swing of writing again. After recently finishing what I hoped would be the last revision of my first novel, I was a little fried, to be honest. I thought I'd spend some time in research mode: reading more books, learning more about the publishing industry and finding other writers out there who were in the same sort of "limbo" that I am. (Side note: If you are one of them, please hit me up! I'm anxious to hear about your journey and if you are having any luck getting published!) I've also been sending queries to literary agents. Searching for the right agent seems to be a full time job in and of itself, but I'm still hopeful that I will connect with an agent when the time is right. Anyway, I decided to take a break from my "break" and get back into writing. :) I'm very excited about th

A little bit further from childhood

My parents recently sold my childhood home. I knew it was coming, but I think it doesn't really hit you until you know you can never go back there again. I'll never have another excuse to drive down that street, or stop at the nearby gas station. It won't be any convenience for me to use that Dollar General, either. It's just weird. Luckily, I got to visit right before they moved everything out. The home is pretty old and beat up and nothing I'd want to move back into, to be honest. However walking through it I couldn't help but relive so many memories that happened in that house. The kitchen where my sister and I fought off the exploding mess of potato soup we made for the first time ever, trying to avoid the burn of potato-to-skin contact. The bathroom where one of my siblings would retreat during a round of tag, only to find a broom handle shoved under the door and waved emphatically as the tagger tried to hit his or her feet. The living room where

When information overload strikes the writer

Sometimes things seem so much simpler with a fluffy pen... People always say that knowledge is power. But when is the threat of too much knowledge damaging to your creative vision? Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the internet. Some days are amazing: I find just the right blog posts to fit my current mood and I learn so many wonderful new trends and ideas that I feel like I'm floating on a cloud of inspiration. The days I am not so fond of are the ones that during my surfing, I find that one thing that's been gnawing at me in the back of my mind. Writers probably know what I'm referring to. That fear that your book is too long or too short, or your genre is on its way out, or that agent you've been hoping to pitch to said something on twitter revealing they don't like your topic. Or maybe you find a brilliant writer the same age as you, who writes the same genre, who comes from the same background. Maybe you beat yourself up, asking why she&

How I find inspiration

Inspiration comes in so many forms. Sometimes it strikes when you least expect, in a way that you never would've guessed. For me, I have several tried and true methods of inspiration. Listening to music is a primary one. Sometimes it will come as a feeling I get, inspired by some great lyrics combined with an awesome melody. Other times, a song will convey a story that will get my wheels turning and I'll wonder how it ends or how it could've gone differently. Sometimes I'll allow myself to zone out in the car and just listen. That's usually when the ideas come. I am also an avid lover of dance. My favorite genres are contemporary and ballet. One of my short stories, The Water's Edge , was inspired by a contemporary dance performed on So You Think You Can Dance . Not only was the choreography beautiful, but I felt very personally connected to the theme. I can't reveal the routine, as my short story has a twist that would be ruined if I did so. However, it

Yep...these days occur a little more often than I'd like to admit. LOL

A word on rejection

As we all know, rejection is a part of life. A LARGE part of life. Whether hunting for a new job, pitching a story or an agent, we're all bound to face it eventually. Personally, I sometimes wonder if the ever-present possibility of the short, impersonal rejection letter is what makes a writer, well, a writer. Let me explain. Back when I was in school, before any of the creative writing students had put ourselves and work out there for the world to see, we were told that we would need to develop a thick skin. We decided, as a social experiment to poke a little harmless fun at the process. Instead of ripping up our rejection letters and lighting them on fire, we preserved them, kept them in binders. Heck, some of us even framed them and stuck them on the fridge. We wore them like war badges. Once, I decided to pitch a story to Glamour magazine. I knew it was a long shot, I hadn't really seen anything like what I was pitching in the magazine before. But I felt like I s

How I accidentally wrote a new adult novel

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I've only recently discovered the emerging literary genre of new adult fiction. I'm more embarrassed to admit that I've accidentally written one. What is new adult, you ask? Let me go back a couple of years ago to a fiction writing class I'd had in college. We had each just begun outlining our novels and I had grappled with the idea of a protagonist in her later teens just on the cusp of adulthood. Could I do this? Since young adult fiction had been (and still is) so wildly popular to all ages, I knew just how many stories were out there about young girls in high school. But a girl entering college? No one was doing this. Would anyone want to read my story about a girl trying to "figure things out" in the adult world? Would younger audiences relate to her? I didn't think an older demographic would fit my story, but there didn't seem to be an in between. I'll have to change her age,  I thought to myself