Skip to main content

Writer's Triathlon

Happy Tuesday All,

Wow, it's really been awhile and I apologize. I'm still polishing, but getting closer to being done. Should be done soon (I hope).

Someone once told me that writing wasn't a sprint that it was a marathon.

I thought about that and decided that it was more than a marathon. It was a triathlon.

Now why do I say that? Because each stage of writing has its own events and a triathlon has 3 events and I can break down the basic outline for getting a book out into 3 events (this is a very simplistic breakdown, by the way):

Event One:  Writing/Brainstorming.  -- This is the idea and warm up...maybe it's a simple event or maybe it takes awhile.

Event Two:  Editing . Editing is its own event because there's many stages to it. I'm going to use swimming references:  Freestyle--your basic edits / Breaststroke -- more complicated, maybe a critique partner's comments or something to that effect / The Butterfly--the extra complicated, in-depth, polishing, and shaping up the story for that final event.

Event Three:  Querying and publishing. Technically these could be 2 separate events, but since this is a triathlon and generally--if you're blessed and lucky querying leads to publishing. This is where you write those query letters and send them off to agents and editors. This is where the whole contract signing, proofing and ARC-reading and finally publishing comes in.

You reach the Finish Line is when it's all completed and a person can actually buy your book off the shelf. (Of course this includes a whole different event--which is usually things like promotion and book tours and the like).

The bottom line? It takes time. It's not like you sit down and it's written and polished in 2 days. It's a process and you have to take that time so you put out your best work. After all, you wouldn't want to send out anything less than as best as you can possibly do. Which is why there's the process. It's designed to help writers put forth the best effort/writing they can.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Have A Tip-Top Tuesday!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Spotlight On Author: Loretta Wheeler

Happy Tuesday Everyone, There's a gem of an author I've had the privilege of coming across...I'm talking about my friend, Loretta Wheeler. She's a sweetheart and very talented author. I enjoyed her YA Paranormal novella, The Pan Man immensely. And, she also writes Romance. So without further ado, come into my parlor and meet Loretta Wheeler: Me:  In your YA novelette, The Pan Man , you mention Pan's looking for his long lost soul mate. What made you choose Pan out of all the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses? Loretta:  I chose the Greek god Pan, because of the connection with the music. I found later on in the story, (my stories take over and write themselves usually) it applied even more than I realized because of the band's name. I won't mention the name of the band in here, because it's part of the surprise ending. Me:  You're mostly known for your Romance stories. How would you describe your writing style? Hot, suspenseful, sensual, sw...

It's Worth A Fortune

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Does anyone remember the song If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies ? I can't remember when or how I was first introduced to this song, but it's a fun song. So, how about if you had a million dollars? What would you do with it? Of course there's the responsible things to do with a million dollars--pay off debts, and such like that. Then there's the question of whether or not you give to charities, and how much. But, suppose you answered all those questions and you still had quite a lot left; what would you do with it? Maybe I'd go to Disney World. I've wanted to go, and I've never been able to. Or, perhaps I'd go to Germany and England, and Belgium (three of the countries my ancestors are from). Travel around seeing family and friends I don't see often. There's all kinds of possibilities. So, what about you? What would you do with a million dollars? Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Spotlight On Author: Christie Craig

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Sorry about the delay in getting Christie Craig's email interview up. Normally I can just copy and paste interviews from my email into my blog, but this time my blog would NOT let me paste the interview! So everything has to be done manually, which takes longer. Anyway, let me introduce you to Christie Craig: I met her through the NWHRWA , which we're both members of. She's a real sweetheart. Funny, fun, and makes you feel comfortable (you don't feel shy or uncomfortable because she has a very hospitable presence about her). She's also very helpful, offers great advice and encouragement (I know this from experience, she's been very encouraging to me). Christie is a multi-published author of both fiction and nonfiction. Her works include things like Divorced, Desperate & Delicious and her up-coming non-fiction (with elements of fiction) work, Wild, Wicked And Wanton: 101 Ways To Love Like You're In A Romance Novel ...due out this ...