Word-of-the-Year Series: Believe & Balance

Welcome to the continuing Rockville8 word-of-the-year series. We’ve heard so many great words from members of the group and the life philosophy behind the choice of each of those words, that I’ve walked away inspired each week. It’s been an encouraging series for me to read.
I’m a pretty driven person. I set goals every January and I push hard to meet those self-imposed deadlines for myself. Therefore, when this conversation came up about choosing a word for the year, I only had to think of the goals I’d set for myself this year to choose my word. Well, actually, my two words. I couldn’t settle on one because I’d had such diverse goals this year. The two words I settled on this year that embody my goals are BELIEVE and BALANCE.

BELIEVE is such a great word because its scope is so great. I am a woman of faith, so believing as it’s related to faith and religion has been fairly easy for me since I was a child. The spiritual has always been important to me. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t BELIEVE in God. However, the harder aspect of the word for me to practice is related to my writing career. I’m a practical person. If I have a goal, I’ve always been able to envision all the steps it will take to achieve that goal. This mindset often hinders my ability to BELIEVE that my dream of becoming a best-selling author will ever turn into a reality since the steps to becoming a successful published author seem so daunting in today’s market.

So I decided this would be the year that I chose to BELIEVE it could really happen--this is the year where I BELIEVE I will be published. I’m doing all the right things. I’m writing and finishing polished manuscripts, submitting those stories to publishers and agents, networking, and building connections within the romance genre. Now it’s time to put my faith into action and see what happens.

The second word I’ve claimed is BALANCE. Since I’m goal-oriented, I tend to hyper-focus. I’m not very balanced. I have a hard time relaxing or just “being.” I can get lots of work done in the course of a week, month, quarter, or year. However, oftentimes, to achieve those word-count goals I’v set for myself--while working a full-time job and managing a family--other areas of my life have suffered.

My “fluffy” quotient rose exponentially over the past five years. Weight I’d gained during my three pregnancies never went away. And the more manuscripts I finished, the less exercise I got and the more I just ate without thinking about the food I consumd. So to achieve BALANCE this year, I’m working on my health--eating better, dieting, exercising. Already, I see a difference in my energy levels and how I’m feeling. Physical wellness is an important part of any balanced writer’s arsenal. If I don’t take care of my body now, I won’t be able to write into my Golden Years when I have the glorious luxury of time.

BALANCE is also necessary where my family commitments are concerned. My boys are teenagers. They’re pretty independent. They can cook their own meals, do their own laundry, and pick up after themselves. Yay! This is such a change from those years when they were little and needed so much from me while I tried to squirrel away an hour here and there to write. I now have more independence, too. Plus, more time to write. However, my boys still need me. BALANCE gives me permission to spend the time I need with them to enjoy the young men they’ve become and are becoming, while still making my dream of writing a reality.

Instead of taking every weekend to write, I’m learning to manage my time differently. I’m taking more breaks between manuscripts--a reward to myself when I finish a project. I try to write a few hours during the week, when I can, so that I don’t need to be away all day on Saturday and Sunday to write to make up for the time I didn’t get to write during the week.

I’ve also started to work intentional reading back into my morning routine. I’m an avid reader. I love to read. I binge when I’m not writing. But to keep the well full, both emotionally and mentally, I need to read on a regular basis, not just when I’m not working on a project. We can only expand genres and take our own story-telling to the next step if we underestand what’s currently being written within those genres. In that morning time, I’m reading both fiction and the how-to non-fiction books I adore. Talk about starting your day off right. Getting ready for work is much better after I’ve enjoyed a chapter of a good book. All throughout the day, my mind returns to that book, that story. How cool.

And, I’m working on learning to stop to smell the roses. My focus on BALANCE has lead me back to yoga, long walks, meditation, and expanding the contemplative life I love so much.

All-in-all, good results for concentrating on two simple words. I highly recommend it!

Tell me what you do to practice BALANCE in your own life--writing or otherwise. And I’d especially love to hear what you do to help you BELIEVE a successful writing life is possible for you. I’m always looking for “angels” to inspire me and keep me going. Tell me your story. I’d love to listen.

When Agents Call... Or the Art of the Phone Call Rejection

I know the most discouraging word in the English language. If you’re a writer, you know it, too. What is it? Shh! Don’t say it out loud. I’ll type it for you. Ready? Here it is: Rejection.

Rejections are the necessary evil of our profession. Of course, you can learn a lot about your writing from one. But I believe you can learn something more – especially from the best kind of rejection.

“What?” you say. “Rejections are all alike. They all mean no!”

You are so right. But not entirely. Sure, a rejection means your manuscript isn’t going to find a home with that particular editor or agent. However, a rejection can benefit your craft. More than that, though, it can benefit your career – especially if that rejection is a Phone Call Rejection.

If you’ve ever written a manuscript, polished it, described it in a query letter, and sent that query to an editor or agent, chances are your first brush with rejection didn’t involve a phone call. You received a Form Rejection. You know the one. It’s the letter or e-mail that began “Dear Author” and ended with “All the best...”

The Form Rejection is a good rejection. After all, it gets the job done. But you can’t glean a lot of useful information from it. Is this agent rejecting because she thinks your writing is flawed? Or does she simply have a full client list? You’ll never know from the Form Rejection. But keep writing and keep querying. Snag some requests. Because with those requests come a better kind of rejection – the Personalized Rejection.

In the Personalized Rejection, the editor or agent has been extremely kind. Though she hasn’t been paid for her time, she’s outlined a few comments about your work and sent them to you. She’s noted your strengths. More importantly, she’s highlighted a couple problems. A Personalized Rejection can be extremely helpful.

But the Phone Call Rejection can be more helpful still.

Because a Phone Call Rejection can be about more than just your writing.

In the relatively short time I’ve been querying, I’ve had the good fortune to receive Phone Call Rejections. When an editor or agent calls me, the first thing I do is pick myself up from the floor. The second thing I do is take notes. I jot down every bit of her critique. But the most important thing I can do is listen, because before this phone call, I only knew this publishing professional on paper. Naturally, she looks great in black and white. Her project list and her sales record are dazzling. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have queried her. But the Phone Call Rejection can breathe life into that profile.

And that can breathe life into your career.

So as you chat with this editor or agent, ask yourself...

Does she see your work in the same vein you do?
Her suggestion to add drunken werewolf zombies to your sweet, inspirational romance may mean she firmly believes you have the talent and skill to write outside the box and excel in the marketplace. Having an editor or agent who encourages you to step outside your comfort zone, and backs you with her abilities, can be a real asset. However, she may be trying to force you into a mold that doesn’t fit you, but that produces a product she’s used to selling. Finding an editor or agent who shares your goals is the key to a successful long-term working relationship.

Is she tactful?
Certainly, you’ll want an agent or editor who will tell you the truth. But the agent who is gruff with you may be gruff with editors. Alienated editors probably won’t be eager to work with her – or her clients. Perhaps you’d be better off removing her from your query list, despite her excellent sales statistics. After all, you want other publishing professionals to welcome your work, not to kill the messenger carrying it. You’ll come out ahead by recognizing this early on.

Is she presenting you with an opportunity?
Though she’s rejecting this project, she may invite you to revise this piece and resubmit it to her. Or, she may indicate she likes your style, though she doesn’t hold out much hope for this story. If that’s the case, she may be open to your sending her something new in the future. Either way, you’re in a better position than you were before – and that can take some of the sting out of the rejection.

Last but not least, keep in mind she’s forming impressions of you, too. Did you argue with her when she said your villain needed stronger motivation? She probably won’t look forward to talking to you again. Or did you thank her for her suggestions? To her, it’ll matter for next time. Because, chances are, if she’s given you a Phone Call Rejection, there will be a next time. And the next time won’t just be about your craft, or even your latest manuscript. It probably won’t be about rejection either. It’ll be about your career.

In the meantime, let the Eight know... What qualities are you looking for in an agent or editor?