Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Badass Writer



Writer’s Digest Magazine web site is a favorite read of mine.  I’ve read many articles over the past few years that have helped me think and grow as a writer.  One recent article caught my attention. It was written by Brian A. Klems in May of 2015 called 7 Reasons Writing a Book Makes You a Badass.  I smile at the idea of being a badass.  In his article, he lists (no kidding), seven ideas about being a writer of a book.  I’ll break them down here and tell how they apply to me.

1.    Writing a book is hard. – Yep. It is.  The hardest part for me is making the time to write.  I need to have quiet and zero distractions.  Not easy to attain. Also, trying to come up with feasible ideas that don’t sound contrived takes A LOT of brainstorming.  My mind is a busy place full of lots of characters trying to figure things out.

2.    Editing is painful. – I have edited my book soooo many times.  I’ve had trusted people read it and then I've edited from their ideas and comments too.  Sometimes I’ve had to cut out really cool stuff, but mostly, I have to beef up scenes.  Thank goodness for beta readers because, ya know, they can’t read my mind, and if it’s not in print, it’s not in the story.

3.    Knowing when you are “finished” is impossible. – I’ve got probably at least ten printed out drafts of my 188 page, 50,000 word book.  I’ve edited it so many times that the first draft looks like a Reader’s Digest condensed version of my final draft---which I THINK is finally completed. Now it’s time to take that next biiiiggggg step and find an agent. GAA!

4.    Cold-querying agents is scary. – Oh yes. Yes it is.  I haven’t pulled the trigger on that just yet. I’ve looked through lots of information and I’ve found that many agents are from New York.  I don’t have anything against New York, but I’m not sending anything that way just yet.  My first query will go to a Minneapolis based company.  I feel save in the mid-west.

5.    Rejection is everywhere (and yet you still carry on.) – People who love my book know me.  They have history with me.  Not so with a business deal.  I will have to pitch myself over and over again.  I would like to keep a positive attitude and think of every rejection as one step closer to my goal.  Since I haven’t sent anything out yet, I haven’t been rejected yet… so that positive attitude could end up being apple pie in the sky…

6.    Getting paid for your work is harder than ever. –There are so many ways out there to publish a book.  Therefore traditional publishers are p-i-c-k-y about what projects they accept.  Also, if I get lucky enough to sell my story, I’ll have to prove that I can generate more before they will take me on.  That’s a scary thought!

7.    Accomplishing a dream is rare – and awesome. – I jumped into writing this book with a drink in my hand, Ernest Hemingway style.  I don’t recommend drinking while writing, but  it’s what got me to say “What the hell. Quit wasting time and just go at it.”  And I did, therefore, I am a badass. J

The following is a little blurb about my book.

In the Ink of Time, By Nadine Roth

In the Ink of Time is the story of  roughneck Otto Daniel, the victim of horrific oil rig accident. An explosion sends his burning body into Prudhoe Bay where he has an unsettling vision.  Upon recovery, he wanders the northwest coast of the United States trying to find answers to unknown questions, and ends up working for the exotic Hazel Himmel, owner of Jinxie’s Tattoo Karma. When unexplainable events take them to startling places, Otto and Hazel decide that they cannot stop until they have some answers.

This adult paranormal fiction novel of 50,000 words would appeal to readers of  the 44 series by Jools Sinclair and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. In the tradition of Stephen King’s 11/22/63, where traveling between the past and present can be momentary, Otto and Hazel, find themselves having very little control over where they go and how long they’ll stay.  Unlike other time travel stories where the goal is to change the past or correct the future, this story is about Otto and Hazel, two lost people who become clues to a mystery they didn’t even know they were solving.


I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

As always, Be Good to Yourself.

~Nadine


http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-reasons-writing-a-book-makes-you-a-badass

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