Sustaining your Soul

Good morning. Since I took the job at Monster's school, I've had the opportunity to meet lots of people. Most of them Moms. Some of them work, some of them don't. Lots of them volunteer at the school like I do. (There's lots of stuff to do.)

I've always worked. All my life. I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't. Writing is a job. So that's what I do now. I had an interesting question from one of the Moms last week. She asked, "What do you do when you're NOT writing."

I kind of laughed. "What do you mean? I clean my house." And you guys know what I'm talking about here.

She said, "No. Not like that. What do you do for fun?"

I said, "I write."

She said, "No, I mean, don't you do other stuff? Like scrap book, or bake cookies, or paint. Surely, you can't write all the time. Doesn't that get boring?"

How could I explain it to her. Even when I was working all those years, even when I worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time, I always wrote. (I have a cedar chest full of manuscripts -- all of them garbage, but mine nonetheless.)

I can't NOT write. I think if someone took away my keyboard I would die. (Yes, the same goes for pen and paper, chalk, crayon, pencil, hieroglyphics.) I cannot ever think of my life in any circumstance and not write. Sure, I may not have written every day when I was younger, sure, I have many many unfinished manuscripts, but I always wrote. It's not something I DO, but rather, it's part of WHO I am.

It sustains my soul.

I'm sure if I searched I could find oh-so-many-quotes on the subject with words to describe it like passion, fulfillment, joy. It completes me.

When I was younger I always maintained, that when a job stopped being fun, I would quit. No matter the pay, the hours, the benefits. And I did. If I can't have fun at work, then why bother. I'm not going to my grave like my forebears before me, working 40 hours a week at a job I despise just to put bread on the table and hope for two weeks off in the summer. Sure I made money, sometimes lots of money, but that's not what it's all about for me. I've also been poor as a church mouse and happier than I could ever be.

Now that I'm here, in this job as a writer/author/publisher, sure it gets to be trying at times. Sure, working through a block, or a formatting issue makes me want to scream sometimes, but I could never give it up. Never Never Never. Only when it stops being fun.

Writing sustains me. Without it, I wouldn't know who I am. And just for fun, I did another experiment. We know that I just finished writing the end on my latest novel. It's now with critters and readers and I just have to wait until it comes back until I can further it along. I officially sent it out on Monday the 17th. For the rest of that week, I cleaned my house. (Yes, it took that long.) Once that was finished, I looked around for something to do.

I thought about reading a book. (How long has it been since I read for pleasure and not critique?)

I thought about going shopping and picking out some new clothes. (My wardrobe is atrocious. I should be on that show What NOT to Wear.)

I thought about ripping the wallpaper down in my bathroom and painting.

I thought about rearranging the furniture again.

Guess what I did? Nothing. I watched the Downton Abbey marathon a few Sundays ago and that was pretty much it on my fun-scale. Monday morning I found myself back on the computer, scratching out an outline for another title.

Some people say I'm dedicated to my craft. Some people say I'm crazy. Some people say I'm boring because that's all I do is write.

I say I'm sustaining my soul.

Tell me -- Can you not write? Does it sustain you? Is there something else you'd rather be doing than writing? (And yeah, we all have dreams of winning the lottery and traveling the world, but after that? What then?)

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014

What We Are -- A Gift Before I Go

Good Morning. I had a very interesting discussion with some friends at school the other day and I thought I would share it with you before I take off for the month. I'm going to hit the keyboard for my own version of NaNo. With my research finished, I need to concentrate on writing Richard's story. I kept telling myself I wanted to get his book done by Thanksgiving and just look at the time....

As you all know, the release of my book WHEN SUCH FRIENDS WERE MET was for the school. A fund raising event, so to speak. The book's characters were based on people at the school and family and friends of the two teachers who won the prize. One of the lesser characters was a woman named Mrs. Joyner -- who is the cafeteria lady at the school. Debbie had no idea I had put her in the book until it was published.

Anyway, she bought a copy and read the book. I hadn't spoken to her in awhile and last Friday I went down to the caf to find Melissa. Well, Debbie was there and hugged me and told me how fantastic the book was, how fabulous it was to be a part of it all, and what a wonderful writer I was.

I said thank you, of course, but brushed it off. I don't think of myself as anything other than a Jane Austen wanna-be. I'm not a New York bestselling author. I haven't gotten onto any lists in famous newspapers. I just write my books and am exceedingly grateful to the readers who buy them.

Debbie continued to heap on the praise -- telling me I'm so smart that I could write such a great book. How hard it must be to do all that research. How wonderful it is that I can take just simple words and turn them into such a creative endeavor.

Melissa then jumped into the conversation and said that she could never do anything like that. She loves to read (and has read all my books) but she couldn't write. "I think all you writers out there are gifts from God. You think up these stories and share them with the world. Without you guys, the world would be a very dull place. All we would have is television. So boring."

So, there you have it. We -- writers -- are gifts from God. Isn't that nice?

Tell me -- What's the best compliment you've ever gotten about your writing?

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I'll see you when I get back.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2013

I Took a Job Part Two -- A Ray of Hope

Good morning. Yes, I know, last week I was whining about my stupidness in taking over the Gift Card Coordinator position at my daughter's school. This week, I'm feeling a little differently.

Yes, I may have possibly bit off more than I could chew, but I'm settling in. I was at school W-Th-F from 7:30 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon. All three days after I got home, I worked on promotions, ideas, and letters to other parents. I also wrote my "speech" for the Executive Board Meeting for tonight (that I've been tweaking ever since) and another for the BIG PTO meeting next Tuesday outlining all I'm going to do. I also have to re-write the official "manual" that we use (because it is a freaking nightmare and I can't make heads or tails out of it). And quite honestly, I'm exhausted. Writing books is one thing, but being in the real world again is kind of scary. (The Ultimate Recluse -- yes that's me)

However, there is a bright spot. I'm starting to feel like a "whole" person again.

Since we moved down to NC six years ago, I haven't worked outside the home. Yes, I consider myself a full-time writer, and that is my official "job" but I don't have to leave my house. Sure I go out for groceries and shopping, but that's pretty much where my "social activities" end. I don't really "talk" to anyone. Yeah, sure, a conversation here and there with my neighbor about the snakes in his chicken coop, or chatting about the weather with the postmistress, but nothing of any real value. (Which truthfully is why I blog. I need the social interaction and why I miss you all so much when I'm off on hiatus.)

In taking this position at the school, I've found that I'm returning to my pre-Monster state -- where I was a viable part of a community. Where my ideas were met with enthusiasm, where I could state a case for something I believe in and find camaraderie, where I'm not just Monster's mother, but a bona-fide person in my own right. It's been thrilling.

In taking on this position, I find my creativity challenged in ways I haven't used for a very long time. Sure I bitch about how much work this all is, but honestly, it's fun. See, the girl I took over for (Tina) has done nothing but do the job for the last three years. She hasn't put any forward motion into it, hasn't wanted to. I can understand that -- she has 3 kids under the age of 8 and to say she's frazzled is an understatement.

I, on the other hand, have many ideas on how the Gift Card Coordinator position should be run and have implemented at least three of them since last Wednesday. All have been met with unbridled enthusiasm. (Which, quite frankly, is a little unsettling. If even the littlest things I do can have such a response, then either their bar has been set quite low, or I am particularly brilliant. I think I'd rather go with the former.)

I've also been "blessed" by everyone one who now knows I'm the new coordinator. As in, "God Bless You for taking on the task." "We're blessed to have you do this." "What a blessing it is to have you here." And hey, not that I'm overly fond of all that religion, but I won't turn down a blessing. You never know when you'll need it right?

I just wanted to tell you, I'm not feeling as crazed as I was last week.Yeah, sure, the job is still a little overwhelming, but I'm making strides, and so far, not faltering (unless you count the reconciling sheets I have to do. Ugh, it's all math.) But so far, I feel pretty good. I have every confidence that once I know my way around the books, I'll be able to get this job down to four hours two days a week. And then I can finish my next masterpiece. lol

I'm starting to feel like my "old self" again. I'm starting to feel like ME. Yay me!

And just one more thing.

I finished that "school project story" too and published it. (For those of you who don't know, I offered a prize for the school auction last April "Be A Character in a Story" and one of the teachers won it.) I decided to write it and then donate part of the proceeds back to the school. It's not my typical Regency romance, more about how two teachers find their way in 1809, but there is a little romance so as not to disappoint my regular readers.

This too, has been met with much enthusiasm and I'm actually going to do a real book signing for the paperback version on October 18 at the school's Fall Festival. So if you're anywhere near Winston-Salem around 4pm on October 18, stop by and say hello.

If any of you would like to read it for a review, I'll gladly send you a copy. (novella length word count 25K) I need all the reviews I can get. It's for charity and I'd like to see this do well.

So that's all the news that I have. Thanks for all your support last week. This is why I continue to blog. With all of you having my back, I am truly blessed. You can't find friends like this on Face Book or Twitter.

Tell me -- Have you ever taken on a job that you regretted, but then found it was the best thing you could have done for yourself?

Anne Gallagher (c) 2013

Responding to a Negative Review

Okay, if you've self-published, we've all heard, NEVER EVER respond to a negative review. And as someone who's gotten more than her fair share, I never did. I was lucky enough to get reviews in the first place so I just figured any review was better than none. And it's true for the most part. People who buy books, look at reviews as a gauge. First it's the reviews, then it's the price.* (more on this phenomenon next week, because it's a fascinating topic.)

A couple of weeks ago, I received a review that was more like a rant and picked apart every single thing I did wrong in my stories. Now, I don't claim to be the next Jane Austen, and my critique partners don't read Regency romance (except mine and I like it that way) so the things the reviewer picked apart were - I hate to admit - dead on.

(Truthfully, this review had my blood pressure through the roof because she also claimed I didn't do enough research. OMG this tore me up inside. I have spent countless hours on research.)

These were not editing mistakes, or typos, or formatting, these mistakes were within the context of the story that Regency writers should know. (Which I did, but chose to ignore because, well, actually there are too many excuses to list. Suffice it to say, I wanted to write my books MY way and not be like everybody else.) Which I will never do again.

That being said, I decided to tackle the monumental task of rewriting all of my novellas. It's not so much using "find and replace", it's the task of rereading every single word and changing what needs to be changed. I spent three 12-hour days doing this. Because as you know, once you revise, then you have to republish.

(And if you want to know what's actually involved in that enterprise, take a look at my Anne Gallagher blog, because I've spelled it out quite concisely. For those of you who are thinking about self-publishing, you might want to read this because it will tell you that you really really really need to make sure you have an excellent copy to publish on the first go-round.)

For those of you who have a publisher behind you, you know what it means to have copy edits and galleys, and other revisions you need to do to get the book perfect before anyone sees a word of it. For a self-publisher (on a budget) I rely on my critique partners. I have one for grammar and punctuation, one for overall story content, and one I rely on as a copy editor. As I have stated, they are totally made of awesome and I wouldn't change them for the world.

Anyway, I revised all the stories. Then I republished them. Then I wrote a disclaimer and tacked that up front and center on my Amazon author page as well as the book pages and into every single book I revised.

To My Readers ~

In writing any kind of book, research is needed. In writing an historical romance novel, research is critical. In all my books, I have done exhaustive study into the era known as the Regency Period. I strive to make the historical facts I intersperse throughout my stories interesting for you. That I sometimes take liberties with those facts is my right as an author, because, after all, this is fiction.

That said, I do not hold strictly to the more formal aspect of addressing titled characters with their proper designation. Nor do I firmly adhere to other elements of the period – clothing, food, rank, or architecture. For some purists of the genre, they find this unacceptable. I find it makes for easier reading. However, I try to keep as much to the era as possible.

My books are meant to entertain and written with that purpose in mind. I hope you like them for what they are – and what they are intended to be. An enjoyable diversion from your everyday lives.

Now, because I thought this was kind of a drastic measure, (this review was hurting my sales, and no one is going to mess with my sales) I wrote to one of the leading professionals in the business to see if this was a stupid idea or not. She said it was a ballsy move, but thought it might work. "Try it and see what happens" was the response. (I also spoke with a few other friends and they agreed.) What could it hurt.

I also decided to "comment" to the reviewer and tell her what I'd done. Another thing you should NEVER EVER do. And she responded kindly, and said that she didn't mean to rant about it, but it was driving her crazy. Which, when I read some big authors out of New York, the stuff they throw in their books makes me fling them across the room. So I know how she feels.

I'm trying my best to put out a quality product. That said, in this new publishing world, with the ability to revise and republish, hey why not. New readers come along every single day. And if I can snag a few more fans, then 36 hours work to rewrite them is a drop in the bucket.

And some of you may ask, "Well, why didn't you put out a quality product in the FIRST place?" And my answer is -- I thought I had. I don't know about you, but after reading a manuscript 10,000 times, the only thing I want to do when I get it back from my critters is make the changes and upload it. I'm sick of looking at it and I want to move on.

When I first saw this review, I thought seriously (for about an hour) to write to you all and ask for your help, either writing your own reviews and posting them, or clicking on the "does this review help you" button at the bottom of the review and saying no. But that's just childish. I mean, yeah, this review was devastating, but I'm not in high school anymore. I can fight my own battles.

Now, I also know, what I've done might not help you. Some people are going to leave bad reviews no matter what you write. One 2 star reviewer of mine insisted I wasn't anything like Mary Balogh. Yeah, and? I'm not her and don't write like her, nor will I ever write like her. I'm me. Other 2 star reviewers have complained my novellas are too short, that they should be turned into novels. Uh, no. They're called novellas for a reason. And then I have the people who say "same old same old, boy meets girl, they fall in love, so what..." Makes me want to scream, "Well why did you buy it if you KNOW how it's going to end?" So, you have to take the good with the bad. But the upside to this post is, if I didn't respond to this reviewer, I never would have gotten the stories revised and who knows how many other readers I'd have lost because of a few simple mistakes.

So, the old "rule" of not responding to negative reviews, in my case anyway, worked. I think. I hope. I pray.

Tell me -- What do you do about negative reviews? Do you go back in and change your stories? Or do you just leave them the way they are and hope for the best -- because they're YOUR stories and no one is going to tell you how to write? (I dealt with this anguish as well. It was not pretty to admit I dropped the ball.)

Anne Gallagher (c) 2013

The Image of a Writer's Life

Good Morning. Sorry I skipped out last week, but I've been super crazy nuts busy getting the old house painted. Still not done, I need more paint, but there's also wood to haul, a shed to clean, a bathroom to gut, and the downstairs I have yet to decide what to do with (graffiti would be an improvement).

All that being said, I wonder how big name authors spend their days -- writing in their air conditioned offices with a plethora of researchers, housekeepers, maids all catering to their every whim. Let's not forget they all have wonderful Scottish nannies to take care of the kids, and their spouses are marvels in the kitchen so they don't have to scrape together another round of mac and cheese and hot dogs.

I know most big name authors have schedules, and probably more than a few of them have maids and/or some kind of outside help, but I keep remembering Danielle Steele's appearance on Merv Griffin (remember him?) way back in the late 70's early 80's. She wore pearls and a long flowing chiffon something, could have been a gown for all I know, she kept playing with the scarf, flipping it between her fingers. She reminded me of Elizabeth Taylor. And then Merv did an expose on her house. California big, with a pool, and a view. Back then, she and Jackie Collins were big name authors. And I guess somehow, that's what stuck in my head. Glamorous, elegant, rich.

This image people have of writers is so not how it really is. Well, at least it's not for me. Like I have all this time to just write every day. Yeah, like that's possible when the kid is sick, the dogs pooped all over the carpet, the cat knocked down five of my african violets off the shelf, and my mother has been bitching the grass needs to be cut. Add the fact we're going back to school in less than a week, I'm dealing with financial bullshit from the ex, and it's raining -- AGAIN.

I know I'm whining. You know I'm whining. I think we're all entitled to it once and awhile.

The reason I bring this up at all is -- I had an outside interview last week. Our new house is in a golf community and they have a monthly newsletter. The woman who writes the letter is a friend of my mother's. Well, when she found out we lived here now, she called me and wanted to know what I was doing. When she met me five years ago, I was a caterer. When I told her I was now a writer she said, "How unusual."

What does that mean exactly?

Are we, as writers, unusual? Are the five million of us currently writing books weird, or kooky, or out of the ordinary? Sure we're introverts, sure we have our little rituals before we tackle those revisions, sure we don't speak to people between the hours of 8-1. Sure we eavesdrop on stranger's conversations, have a penchant for back booths and corner tables in coffee houses, and we might even push the bounds of research occasionally and have the Secret Service show up at our door. But does that really make us unusual?

I explained to Judith I wrote in a niche market, Regency romance, and that I had two novels and several short stories out, and I had also just published my first contemporary romance. She oohed and ahhed in all the right places, and then she asked, "So are you going back to catering anytime soon?"

Why do people automatically assume you won't be able to hack it as a writer? Why do people automatically assume you need to have a "job" because you also write? Back in the day, I was a waitress who wrote. Or a housekeeper who wrote. Or a chef who wrote. Now, I'm a writer. That's it. Just a writer.

The Image of a Writer's Life isn't glamorous. Well, at least not this writer. But I'll take a two hour nap after weed wacking, just so I don't ever have to go back to the "real world" again. I'll put up with disappointing reviews, and writer envy, and not meeting my word count, just so I can stay home. Perhaps agoraphobia is the culprit. Perhaps it's just my way of being the black sheep. Just a little unusual. It doesn't matter. I am who I am, and I'm a writer.

I wonder if Nora Roberts cuts her own grass?

Tell me -- what kind of reaction do you get when you tell people you're a writer?

The Ultimate Novel

Good Morning. Today I want to discuss The Ultimate Novel. The one book in the whole world that you would go through hell fire and back again for. The one that makes your heart race and keeps your fingers turning the pages. The one that you cannot put down, no matter how much the kids, the hubs, the dogs are screaming for dinner.

I'm talking about yours. Your book. The one that's kept you up well past bedtime going over that one niggly scene. The one that's fried your brain trying to find all the 'thats' and 'was' and 'just' and 'reallys'. The one that drove you to go to the optometrist for a new prescription because the dollar store cheapies just weren't cutting it anymore.

The Ultimate Novel that is either going to make, or break you.

I've written three. So far. I'm not broken, yet, but I'm also not made. It's been an ongoing battle to find the right words, to hone my craft, to distinguish between good writing and lazy writing. This writing thing I do keeps me up at night fine- tuning my scenes, my plot lines, my characters. It gives me ideas at the most inconvenient times, like a funeral, a graduation, Home Depot, and I'm usually without a piece of paper, so any scrap will do until I can get home and type away at the keyboard.

The Ulitmate Novel. I know when I let my beta readers finally read it, my stomach turns itself inside out a thousand times before I hear back from them. And you know, it's not about if the book is good or bad or needs work, it's about them reading it. It's about finally having an audience for something I've written.

That to me is what The Ultimate Novel is. It's not really about being published, or getting an agent, or even making the NY Times best seller list. It's about being read. It's about having someone tell me, "Hey, that was a pretty good book." It's about knowing that I touched someone else with something I've written. That alone is worth the hours struggling, writing, deleting, rewriting, editing, formatting.

What does The Ultimate Novel mean to you?

Better Than...

I'm a big fan of PBS. Actually it's only one of four television stations we get here at my house. Even when I had cable, I used to watch PBS.

Any-hoo, I'm also a big fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer. If you don't know who he is, you might want to find one of his books and take a gander. Prolific mind. He said something on one of his PBS shows that I've written down and keep on my bulletin board next to my desk. I suggest you write this down too.


I'M BETTER THAN I USED TO BE.


Yeah, I know. Funny how seven little words can change a lifetime of thinking.

In the last two weeks, since querying this new book, I have to keep reminding myself, (especially in light of the re-vision to MASQUERADE)

I'M BETTER THAN I USED TO BE.

I'm a better writer.
I'm a better querier.
I'm a better synopsis putter-togetherer.
I'm not so good at handling rejection, but I'm better than I used to be.

And that's really all there is to it. I may not be great, fantastic, fabulous, super-duper, awesome, inspirational, or even right-out-of-the-box-shiny, but you know what...

I'm better than I used to be.

How 'bout you? What are you better at than you used to be?

It Is Worth It -- A Public Thank You

On March 1, the Literary Lab launched its latest anthology, NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND. This is my second time being asked to contribute. (My first short story High Tide appears in the GENRE WARS ANTHOLOGY released last year.)

To say I am thrilled beyond words is an understatement. I am in the company this year, as well as last, with some of the most brilliant, innovative, and imaginative writers I have ever read.

As writers, we all stumble through rejections whether from critters, or agents, or publishers. Being chosen to participate for a second time has validated my very fragile ego and shown me, it is WORTH it. All the revising, writing, editing, late nights, early mornings, has shown me, with publication, it IS very much WORTH it.

My parents know I'm writing a book. They have never asked me about it, nor do they seem to care. Neither has ever asked -- How's it going? What are you writing? Is it finished? Neither also does not know, not only have I finished two books, I'm closing in quickly on a third. It seems we have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy at my house. Which is fine. They do not seem to think I will succeed. (Somedays, truthfully, neither do I.) Of course, it is my deepest desire to prove them wrong.

My mother and I were having a discussion last Friday about the latest shennanigans my ugly, horrible, evil, vile sister-in-law has pulled. She hates my guts, I hate hers right back. Every so often, my mother and I give ourselves a little laugh and figure out things to make her hate me even more. So I said,

"Why don't you call Brother and tell him I published a short story for the second time in an anthology."

(You know those cliches I talked about a few weeks back, quirky eyebrows, raking hands... here's another one -- mouth agape.)

My mother's mouth hung agape, her eyes went wide, and she said after a ten second delay, "You know I don't lie."

And I said, "It's not a lie. My short story was published in the NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND anthology and it's on sale at Amazon for $10-. He can go buy it right now."

Suffice to say, everything I have ever written up to this point, including this post has been WORTH IT, just to see that look on my mother's face.

So THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART

Domey Scott Michelle

For making my literary dreams come true.