School's in session. 5 Tips I've learned so far about my mediocre writing career.

I know I have no merits, and really no standing reason why I should give any tips at all about being an aspiring writer, but since I AM an aspiring writer and living through it, maybe I am more qualified to discuss it than someone who has published ten bestsellers already and is well on their way into their career...to the point that their no longer aspiring, nor even perspiring any more. 

So for what it's worth, here are five tips for aspiring writers.

1) Don't quit your day job...but don't let your day job fire your hopeful writing job:  Contrary to the name of the blog (Christian Quits His Day Job)...it's a bit of irony, because I sit here now at my day job writing this blog post. What I mean to say his, don't forget to write, and don't ever let your job...no matter what you do, be it lawyer, policeman or astronaut...don't ever let your day job get in the way of writing at least 5 days out of the week. Writing takes practice as well as up keep, so don't forget to exercise it like I should be exercising the rest of my body (BUT that's another story)

2) Start with short stories if you can't get to a full novel: For me, I will have an idea pop into my head and think, "THAT'D BE AN AWESOME STORY!" but obviously I don't have time to write ten different stories at a time given I have a full time job, a full time family and a full Hulu and Netflix queue. BUT I do have time to pen a 10k word or even 1K word short story. This helps to develop my characters, and eventually may blossom into a full-length manuscript. At least I know I have some ammo in my belt should the occasion ever arise.

3) Share your work with the public, friends, and your neighbor's cat if you must: The gift of writing is not to be held onto like a selfish talent, but it should be shared with everyone you can. You shouldn't ever be ashamed of your writing, no matter how silly you think the idea might be. What would JK Rowling have done if she thought it would be silly sharing a story about witches and wizards and butterbeer with the world? Share it, even if it gets criticized like a fascist sexist president, share it until no one else will listen, and then find a new audience to share it with!

4) Continue to learn, and be humble enough to know you're not perfect: A writing class, or local writer's group is the perfect venue to receive other perspectives on the world of writing. There are lots of genres, plots, and character types, and taking the time to learn and accept change can only open your world and help you see what things you might be doing wrong. The following quote sums it up perfectly I think:

5) Take breaks from writing but never take a hiatus: The difference, I am referring to, is that it's okay to take a few days away, or even weeks, but don't get to the point that you say, "Someday I'll write that story, or someday I will get back into writing." Someday is basically the equivalent of "No day" and you will never fulfill your dream of no longer being an aspiring writer. Breaks are great, it allows meditation, self-reflection, and regrouping, but ALWAYS do so with a specific return date to writing. Kind of like a mini vacation that you know will end, and you will have to get back on that ship and get going. 

I hope these five tips will help some writer in the world struggling as I am to bring my works to the world. NEVER GIVE UP and ALWAYS KEEP WRITING!

-C

Query Letter 3 - HOPEFULLY my final version!!!!

I'm hoping this one will be the ONE. Thanks to some fellow writers for their tips, I was able to piece together what I feel is a perfect query letter for my manuscript. Granted, it really is NOT perfect, but at least I personally am not questioning myself, and I feel confident sending it out to agents. Now, it really is only a question of IF the manuscript itself is not catching the attention of agents. But I feel like I've taken one of the factors of rejection out of the equation now. 

PRESENTING:

Dear AGENTXXXXXX,

    First of all, I wanted to thank you in advance for your hard work and the time you put in for aspiring authors. I have made good use of your blog in my evolution as an aspiring author, and I feel that of all the agents, you are definitely looking out for us as writers. Today, I wanted to submit my debut novel, I am Unbroken, which is part one of a series, The Otherworld Series. I feel as though it would be a great fit for your representation, as it is similar in style to XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    I am Unbroken is a contemporary YA fiction, most relevant to the urban fantasy genre. It currently totals 100,000 words. Those readers enjoying such titles as Alice in Zombieland or The Vampire Diaries will identify with its writing. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the 1st person point of view of the main character, Gavin Ashmore. I feel that YA readers will readily be engaged with him from the beginning, as he experiences many of the struggles that every teen has to deal with, including stepparents, popularity contests, and bullies.  Not only that, but he has to put up with puberty while trying his best to save the entire world, both the living and the dead one.

    Sixteen-year-old Gavin Ashmore had always suspected his family was different, maybe even insane to the point of hearing voices and seeing “ghosts.”  His own father had even walked out on the family in a fit of paranoia when Gavin was younger, insisting that someone was after him, putting their whole family in danger.

    But lifelong loner Gavin doesn’t believe, won’t believe any of it. He has other mundane teenage drama to deal with – his politician step-father, the class bullies, and rolling his eyes as the cheerleaders “LOL” with each other.  That’s why he takes it upon himself to wish for a different life on his sixteenth birthday.

    But Gavin wasn’t prepared for how different his life was about to become.

    An unknown force of evil stirs against Gavin after his sixteenth birthday. Little does he know, but he is one of many in a long line of Ashmore's that has received the title of Unbroken, as well as the role of being the curse bearer. This curse acts as collateral to keep one of the most dangerous beings, known as Cain, stuck between the living and dead worlds, thus imprisoning him in a nearly impenetrable cell.  As with anything, there is still one provision to break Cain free, and that lies within the very heart of Gavin Ashmore.

    Along the way, Gavin encounters allies, friends and even hot guardian angels.  He falls in love with his own guardian angel, Alina, and because of Gavin's innate abilities, he is able to become Alina's guardian angel in turn, restoring her humanity once again, and only through her does Gavin begin himself to live life as his father always taught him.    

    But as with any great story, sacrifices will have to be made.

    The ultimate question is will the curse be broken, or will it ultimately break Gavin?

    In trade, I am a dentist, but my heart has always been in writing. I have published several articles in various dental journals, and have even won scholarships by writing essays. However, I am seeking to do more with my passion of writing, and so I turn to you for your help to make this dream come true.

   Thank you so much for your time, which I know is precious. While I have included a sample of the first chapter of my manuscript, a partial or full manuscript is ready at your request. 

   Thank you and Merry Christmas!

I would love any comments you have regarding room for improvement, or if you like it. THANKS!!!!

-C

Nothing quite like...

There is absolutely nothing so refreshing in the world as finishing another work week, getting the kids to bed, letting the dog out, and THEN finally GETTING TO WRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

It's amazing what a stress relief writing can be for the soul. Life's demands can be so taxing at times, I could never have imagined disconnecting from them by connecting on my computer and typing away. Throughout the day, I will be doing a root canal on somebody (these things take hours sometimes) and I'll find my mind wandering, thinking about plot lines, tangents, and characters that are born in my literary worlds. The moment stress hits, my escape pod to my created worlds saves me, so I can deal with another demand, another expectation.

Writing is healing.

As Voltaire said, "Writing is the painting of the voice." I feel it is a way for us to creatively have an output, when many of us writers have day jobs with common stresses, writing enables us to channel our emotions from the day, be it happiness, sadness, or shame. Our characters begin to reflect our personal lives, and each one, whether they be good or evil, have some part of us ingrained into them when they are born.

Writing is healthy.

This little infographic says it all (infographics.com)

That last part sums it up perfectly...writing gets you into a "zone," a place where you can unwind, meditate, and figure out life with its crazy twists and turns. 

And that's why I love writing...no matter how many times agents reject me. 

I don't write for agents of publishers. I write for myself.

-C

Query Letter Version 2 -- (Not my most recent version)

Hello all,

   I just wanted to take a second and post for you a follow up from yesterday's post to show you a progression of my query letter. I have yet to hear anything positive from agent's, not even a partial request, so I thought it best to go back to the drawing board. This was my second attempt, which I'm not super psyched about, but you'll get the idea of how it evolved with time and a little elbow grease. Message me with more tips if you have them - I really appreciate the responses I got with the last post...so here we go! FYI I also changed the title of my novel to have a more catchy #hashtaggy sort  of name (not that "hashtaggy" is a word, but in this day and age anything goes, right?)

  Dear AGENT:

Sixteen-year-old Gavin Ashmore had always suspected his family was different, maybe even insane to the point of hearing voices and seeing “ghosts.”  His own father had even walked out on the family when he was younger, insisting that someone was after him, putting their whole family in danger.

But lifelong loner Gavin doesn’t believe, won’t believe any of it. He has other mundane teenage drama to deal with – his politician step-father, the class bullies, and rolling his eyes as the cheerleaders “LOL” with each other.  That’s why he takes it upon himself to wish for a different life on his sixteenth birthday.

But Gavin wasn’t prepared for how different his life was about to become.

For one, there’s his newly discovered, beautiful guardian angel, Alina, who saves him from certain death, propelling Gavin full throttle into the Otherworld, the realm of spirits who have unfinished business on earth. Second, there’s the evil spirit Cain, trying to resurrect himself to deal with some centuries-long grudge and take over the world. Third, there’s that little bit about Gavin being the Unbroken, a curse bearer that stands as the only hurdle stopping Cain from fulfilling his darkest desires. Puberty was nothing compared to this dramatic change. Life was about to be different for Gavin Ashmore...big time.

My debut novel, I Am Unbroken (100,000 words) is a contemporary YA fiction, entering the mind of a teenage boy dealing with many of the challenges that confront teens today, such as step parents, popularity, life goals, love and death. The dynamic love interest between the protagonist, Gavin, and his guardian angel creates a whole host of interesting possibilities that should entertain any young adult.  

Even though I’ve entered the professional world with a career in dentistry, I feel as though deeply ingrained within me is a passion to create worlds, characters, and plots through literature. My day is filled with anxious patients and caring for my little girls at home, but sitting down at the keyboard to write a few lines disconnects me from that world of reality and lets me enter into a whole new one that’s my own making. I hope to have the opportunity to share this world with others.

Thank you in advance for your consideration, as well as your time, which I know is precious. While I have included a sample of my first chapter, a full manuscript is available for you upon request.

Sincerely,

NEVER Give up!

Amidst a slurry of stall outs on my agent list, I decided to see what other famous authors had to go through before they got published. The link I found is very inspiring: 

http://www.anialexander.com/famousfailures/

A couple of the stand outs to me were:

John Grisham

He was a lawyer, who loved to write. His first book Time to Kill was written in 3 years and rejected by 27 different publishers. But now he is one of the bestselling authors with total copies of 250 million of his books sold.

 JK Rowling

She gave birth to Harry Potter and the guy made her famous and rich. But things were not that smooth in the beginning. 12 publishers before that rejected her manuscript. So if she gave up, let’s say after the 10th rejection we would never know that Harry even existed.

Margaret Mitchell

She received 38 rejections before Gone with the Wind was published and as a result sold 30 million copies.

Bottom line is, if any of these famous authors had given up in the process, hadn't just submitted their manuscripts to just that one more agent/publisher, the world would be a vastly different place without Butterbeer, twisted stories of lawyers, and Scarlet O'Hara's.  Just like that frog poster choking the stork that I grew up with in elementary school. NEVER GIVE UP! 

1st Draft of the Query Letter

The dreaded query letter...how do you some up your entire year plus' worth of writing into a few paragraphs. It's probably the hardest thing I've encountered, and I think the hardest part of it all is you never really know what the agents are thinking when they look at it, or if they even look at it.

So I thought it would be appropriate starting out if I place a copy of my first draft query letter as an example of how things can evolve over time. I haven't gotten any requests, partial or full, for this first one, so I thought a revision was needed. I will post that at a later date, and will hopefully hear back from some agents in the mean time.

Without further ado, here is my first query letter. Judge it how you will...critique is always welcome...

Dear AGENT XXXXXX:

When lifelong loner Gavin Ashmore makes the wish for his sixteenth birthday to be different, he never realized exactly how different his life was about to become.

For one, there’s his newly discovered, beautiful guardian angel, Alina, who saves him from certain death, propelling Gavin full throttle into the Otherworld, the realm of spirits who have unfinished business on earth. Second, there’s the evil spirit Cain, trying to resurrect himself to deal with some centuries-long grudge and take over the world. Third, there’s that little bit about Gavin being the Unbroken, a curse bearer that stands as the only hurdle stopping Cain from fulfilling his darkest desires. Puberty was nothing compared to this dramatic change. Life was about to be different for Gavin Ashmore...big time.

My debut novel, Gavin Ashmore and The Unbroken (100,000 words) is a contemporary YA fiction, entering the mind of a teenage boy dealing with many of the challenges that confront teens today, such as step parents, popularity, life goals, love and death. The dynamic love interest between the protagonist, Gavin, and his guardian angel creates a whole host of interesting possibilities that should entertain any young adult.  

Even though I’ve entered the professional world with a career in dentistry, I feel as though deeply ingrained within me is a passion to create worlds, characters, and plots through literature. My day is filled with anxious patients and caring for my little girls at home, but sitting down at the keyboard to write a few lines disconnects me from that world of reality and lets me enter into a whole new one that’s my own making. I hope to have the opportunity to share this world with others.

Thank you in advance for your consideration, as well as your time, which I know is precious. While I have included a sample of my first chapter, a full manuscript is available for you upon request.

Sincerely,

Christian Smith

What have you done in your query letter that works? Tweet me/message me and let me know. Thanks!

-C

Nothing Like a Fresh Jar of Peanut Butter

So there's nothing quite like opening a fresh jar of creamy, smooth, delicious peanut butter...

I was making my typical PB&J sandwich this morning when it dawned on me...I got to open a new jar of peanut butter! My day just improved a thousand fold! Unlike scraping the bottom of an old, well-used, flavor-deprived jar of peanut butter, I got to spread a brand new, never before jammed jar of peanut butter.

Before I use the word "peanut butter" again (That's the last time for now, I swear), I'd like to draw some similarities to how life works. Even though realistically my sandwich flavor factor would not increase by much because I used a new jar of the same old stuff, it is the very fact that it was a brand new, untouched jar that made my day that much better. 

What is it then that you can find to make your day fresh? Full of flavor? New and creamy?

I think the best part about starting something anew is the mere fact that it's fresh. It's something with endless possibility, untainted by days and days of grinding and using over and over again. The thought of beginning writing or reading a new book for that matter is the idea of endless possibilities. A new pay day comes and signals a fresh start, even though the paycheck is already pretty much used up. 

So the bottom line, and what I am going to incorporate into another busy day of doing root canals, the challenge for the day is to find your fresh jar of peanut butter. What is it that is going to make your day fresh? Is it that soda you've been thinking about? Is it something grander, like a new car? Or some other new toy? Or is it something much more sentimental? Like that phone call you've been meaning to make? Or that blog post you've been meaning to jot down? 

Whatever it is...find it and open it today, and then the most important thing. MAKE USE OF IT TODAY!

See...I didn't say peanut butter again...except for this sentence. Peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter. There...it's out of the system. Sorry if you're allergic to peanuts.

-C