Still learning how to pitch and deal with curve balls.

Another "pitch" contest. Another learning experience. It's a little bit like the lottery, you just don't want to get too excited but you get caught in the moment. What if? What if an editor likes the idea behind your pitch (even if your "throw" was not that amazing). What if you were asked for more chapters, your manuscript? I recently got caught up in such a moment and experienced the highs and lows of it in record time. In the end I went back to work on my rewrites of the first three books of my series. I was full of conflicting emotions yet this morning when I woke up I realized (again) that it's all about loving what I write, getting that uplifring feeling of writing a story, of creating a tale. I would love to be published so others could enjoy my stories. I still believe it's a questions of being at the right place at the right time. Tomorrow I will go back to my recent pitch, read the comments an editor left me and practice. That's all I can do. Practice my pitch :)

Learning how to pitch

Obviously I'm not a natural blogger.
It's been months, but I really want to stick with it.
I've netered two "pitch" contests this week and it has proven to be a wonderful exercise and a learning experience. I'm not very good at summarizing, especially my stories. With the opportunity to pitch my novel "Reborn by Blood" in 1-3 I've proven to myself that I can do this. It will help me refine my query letters.
In the meantime, i'm rewriting the first two novels of the series and working on the third.

Major rewrites

From one writing contest to the next, a comment keeps coming back about the main character, one that would have me change her in quite a major way. Part of me wants to take a stand for her while the other part sort of knows what to change next. Yet, it's a littlle bit like "killing" part of that character, and after mourning last night, I started a new "draft", copying my existing file, and rewriting.
What those writing contests are teaching me is that judges are as subjective as readers and it's an excellent exercise not only for myself, but also to harden my "shell" as a writer.
I persist with these books of mine, because I believe in the story.

inspiration

I have been reading for a long time. I have read all sorts of fiction, non-fiction and academic books.
I have also been writing for years but for me the real fiction writing started in 2005 with the first pages of what now is a paranormal romance series. I am not published yet but I’m working on it
In the last few years I have been more selective in my reading, opting for urban fantasy, paranormal romance, vampire novels and more recently futuristic romantic suspense.
As a reader, I have many favourite authors and it would be difficult to pick just one.
But as a writer I have recently found out that only several writers have truly inspired my writing in their own way.
Caitlin Murphy (C.E.Murphy) through her storytelling. When I finished reading “Hands of Flame” the third and final book of her Negotiator trilogy, I was floored. I kept saying to myself. “This was such a great story! I don’t know what I can read after that? Never mind, write anything!” For several days, I was not reading or writing, just recording my impressions in my journal. I eventually moved beyond that.
The books of Sherrilyn Kenyon (The Dark-Hunter series) and Rachel Caine (the Weather Wardens) have inspired me through the world-building and research found in those books. Again, I found myself being “thought” and enlightened about good fiction writing and amazing storytelling.
I have also found in the books of Diana Rowland the kind of storytelling that I aspire to, When I read her Kara Gillian books, I did so in awe but also found myself inspired and pushed to better my own writing.
Yet, I now have started reading J.D. Robb “In Death” books and it feels like I am being thought elements of good story writing. Every book I’ve read so far, I’ve done so as a reader and a writer, a double-reading where every time I stumble upon a good scene or character, I take a step back from my initial reaction as a reader and ask myself, “Why did this scene/character make you gasp, want to cry or laugh?”.
Now, in the middle of some rewrites and new writings, I am fuelled and energized by what I have learned so far from those five authors to whom I already owe a lot as a writer and a reader.
No doubt I’m bound to uncover more through future books but I felt the need to share this with you today.

First person POV

I have to admit it. I keep coming back to writing with a first person point of view. I recently started writing a new short story, determined to do this from a third person perspective. Five pages later, without realizing what I had done, I had switched back to first person mode. I know there's some pitfalls in writing that way, but this is where I find my voice, with "I".

The First Five Pages

It has come to my attention that the first five pages of a novel are the most important. Well, some authors and books suggest it's the first page or the first three pages, but more and more I hear five is the number.
I've started looking at my finished manuscripts and my current WIP to work and tailor those first pages to be exciting enouigh for potential readers not to mention agents.
Yet, as I go through this exercise I feel some guilt, some disloyalty to my stories. I don't want to lose the essence of those first pages I wrote so feverishly months, years ago.
Again, I try to find some balance because I do want to get published, yet I want to keep some artistic integrity.
Is it about integrity or being published? Are both possible?
More to come.
Annie

Rewrites and rejections

It's easy to lose sight of the joy of writing and storytelling when you focus too much on submissions, rejections and rewrites.
Ialways have to remind myself that the rejectiojns come from a subjective reader.
I have been in rewrites mode for the past couple of months now and this weekend I shifted my focus back to my third "Reborn by Blood" book, a WIP.
I'm reconnecting with the characters at a more intimate level, a draft level, a painting in the making and this brings me back to the joy of creating.
I would love for my books to be read, but I still take a lot of pleasure and pride in reading my own words.