I started writing long before the Internet, and before you think I’m an old codger the ‘net has only been around fifteen odd years! If writing is a lonely occupation now, back then there were no forums where I could discuss my word count, or grumble about slow-to-reply agents. There was nothing, and I was stumbling about with my little Amstrad computer (good old Alan Sugar), writing novels with the word count something in the region of 300,000.

I’m glad to say my word count is under control now, and when the Internet arrived it was easier to find information on my chosen profession. And with Facebook and Twitter agents and publishers were no longer faceless, and there were other writers like me!

Indie presses, eBooks, and POD soon followed and the writing forum I was a member of offered to POD Eden. I had previously found an agent for Eden, but because of its originality the agent failed to place it with a publishing house, and so instead I thought I’d experiment with POD. It meant I’d have to do all my own marketing, and a few years ago this would have frightened me ridged, but honestly it’s been great. The entire process has been a learning curve.

I started blogging for the first time in 2008 on the launch of Eden, and looked for ways to get myself “seen”. I wrote articles, short stories for magazines and offered an editing service on my blog. Word soon got round and people began to contact me for support/articles.

I now offer to feature new writers and their books on my blog. It works both ways. I get my name “out there” and writers can use my audience to their advantage.

I am still open to submissions. Send me a short bio, blurb of your book, include links to blog/website that you want published and I’ll get back to you. Sometimes I will send out questions, this just gives a bit of variety to my posts. I am trying to do two features a week and it will help me enormously if you send things via email rather than attachment.

Blog: http://louisewise.blogspot.com/

Email: louisewise3@ntlworld.com

Eden on Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/c2Lh45 or Amazon.com:http://amzn.to/9lowsQ

Louise Wise: Proposals by Email

Dear Agent,
Please find attached my idea for a novel called: Twinned. It’s in PDF because I don’t want you to steal my idea!!!
My mum says it’s brilliant! It is a thriller about a woman who falls for a man who has a twin who is a wanted man. To spice things up the woman also discovers she is a twin (separated at birth), and the sister traces her and falls in love with the criminal twin!!!!
Let me know what you think,
Regards, Sarah

Dear Agent,
Just to let you know I’ve thought of a sequel to Twinned. It’s about the twins marrying one another and going on a life of crime with their twin children. View the attached and let me know what you think ASAP.
Regards, Sarah

Dear Agent,
Forgot to add, the sequel is called Twinned Again.
Sarah.

Dear Agent,
I’m concerned you haven’t contacted me about my ideas for Twinned and Twinned Again that I emailed the other day. I’m sure you can’t be that busy that you can’t press the reply button!!!
Regards, Sarah

Dear Agent,
Why haven’t you replied? It’s very rude. Mum thinks it’s a conspiracy or new authorism or something. Is it?
Regards, Sarah

Dear Agey,
I am getting very worried now. Maybe you haven’t received my novel and it went into spam? I know this can happen because it happens a lot to me . Please check your spam box. BTW I’ve changed the genre to romance.
Sarah

Dear Age,
Just in case you have lost Twinned and Twinned Again here is another attachment !!!!
The opening is a little slow because I have to introduce two sets of twins and their twin off-spring (the criminal twin and his wife have triplets!!!!), but on page ten it’s really good!! Oh, I’ve made the characters older so the children have more to do in the story. Mum thinks it’ll defo be a bestseller now!!!
Best, Sarah

A,
The genre is now a YA. Think I’ll focus on the kids of the story rather than the parents.
Sar.
Yo!
Just to let you know my friends on facebook said they will buy my book once you publish it. Can you tell me when that will be please?
S xx

Hi A,
I’ve wrote the second chapter now and have sent that as attached. It’s copywrited so don’t get any ideas!!!!! This chapter focuses on the triplets. They have taken on their dad’s life of crime, so this one is more thriller than romance. Not sure how it will pan out tbh. Will you get back to me this week? I really, really REALLY need to know what you think before I continue further.
Sxxxxxxxx

A,
Have you replied? If you have I haven’t received it. Can you forward your reply again?
Thanks
S

A,
Disregard the previous email and chapter two. The triplets Jan, Fran and Ann are now boys called Jack, Zach and Mac!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love Sar xx.

AGENT
NOT HEARD FROM YOU AS YET!!!! STILL WAITING!!!
SARAH

Dear Mr Agent,
I am thinking about reporting you. This wait (four days and five hours) is outrageous. May I remain you that if it wasn’t for writers like me you’d be out of a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sarah Higgenbottom

Agent,
You aren’t going to reply are you?
People are SO rude!!!!!!!!!!!! I am taking my novel ideas to another agency. This is YOUR loss.
Goodbye
Ms Higgenbottom

Famed author Anne Rice once gave this advice to new writers: “There are no rules in this profession. Do what is good for you. Read books and watch films that stimulate your writing. In your writing, go where the pain is; go where the pleasure is; go where the excitement is. Believe in your own original approach, voice, characters, story. Ignore critics. Have nerve. Be stubborn.”

In most cases, these words couldn’t ring more true. A few writer colleagues discussed their ideas of developing their respective novels with me, and confused by the conflicted feedback she’d received on her manuscript, one had shelved her own project for some time  She’s once again dusting off the respective manuscript, encouraged by telling her story first, and  working on the editing details later. “Just write,” I told her.

We all read the books, the blogs, attend the conferences, frequent the message boards and websites, attend the writer’s groups and conferences, yet we’re still left scratching our heads in bemusement as to if we’re creating our work the “right” way.

Maybe that’s the problem—we’re so focused on turning out the perfect manuscript and getting published that we’ve lost focus of the true purpose of potential books: to tell our stories.

Some writers tend to think in order to “sell” their work, they must dash out something that’s the current “trend,” but once the market is saturated with a specific genre, your work will remain on the slush pile for an undetermined amount of time.

Write what you know, not what’s “in style.” There’s a story that’s run through your subconscious for months (or years, if you will), characters yearning to be created and developed. Why not share them with the world? Who cares if they aren’t the “current trend?” It’s your work in progress; make it your creation!

There’s no guarantee that your work will get noticed by a publishing house sooner, but it won’t be competing with thousands of other stories with the same theme. Sometimes, it’s good to write a novel about a subject that isn’t trendy or cool, but at the same time, can grab a reader’s attention and tell an amazing story from the first chapter to the final sentence of the last page.

Pay attention to advice and feedback, but don’t take all of it literally. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself into a frenzy and just become frustrated. Try incorporating a few of those suggestions into your work. If the ideas improve your manuscript, by all means, use them. If not, it’s fine in some cases to skip suggestions.

Yes, novels are written for readers to enjoy and take them away from the world’s woes, but at the same time, it’s also good to bring something to the market that is original and exciting. Who knows, your book could begin the next big trend, but  not if you don’t take risks and bring your own voice and excitement into the mix. I’ll see you soon on the book shelves and Kindle!

L. Anne Carrington is the author of The Cruiserweight. More by L. Anne Carrington can be found on her blog.

The other night my daughter and I were watching a movie. Another daughter came in and stood in front of us, pointing at her side, she said, “Where exactly could a person be shot in this area without it hitting any vital organs?” Daughter number one and I gave this some consideration and then we all discussed the placement of organs and the best place for a person to be shot and not suffer any permanent damage. Daughter number two went back to her room and number one and I continued watching the movie. It wasn’t until later that it occurred to me how this conversation would have been viewed by most people. It would have seemed a little odd for sure.

We’re not a family of psychopaths, just a family of writers. Three out of four of my daughters are writers. They learned from a young age that a bad grade in science or math could be quickly forgotten if they made a good grade on a paper that they had written. Should I have done that? No! Not at all. Science and math are important. But writing, writing is life! What can I say? I’ve always loved to write.

I sometimes feel a little disconnected from the real world because I am watching people and listening to them, not because I’m interested in them, but because I am seeing them as possible characters in a book. I lose track of conversations because I’m trying to think of exactly how you would spell a word to give it the exact inflection that the person speaking does.

When I’m looking at a beautiful sunset, I’m enjoying it, but I’m also describing it in my head. Is the purple more violet or lavender? Is the sun the color of an orange Popsicle or more like the yolk of a sunny side up egg?

I think maybe there’s a gene that makes people want to write. I think that same gene also makes them just a little bit crazy. I’ve never met a writer who wasn’t just a tad bit off. They don’t just march to a different drummer—they have a whole orchestra made up of dozens of wild characters playing a tune that leads them merrily along.

The next time you’re standing in a line, look at the people around you. Is there someone standing there with a far-a-way look in their eyes? Do they look just a little perplexed, like they’re trying to figure out the meaning of life? It’s probably just a writer writing the scene into his book, maybe trying to decide how to write the dialogue that he’s listening to. Watch out if he focuses on you…you could become a serial killer or a worse yet a victim in his next book.

Janice Ivy is the author of ‘Taking out the Trailer Trash‘ and a excellent Writer’s Tag contributor.

July 4th 2K10

It’s my best friend’s birthday and I’m using my girlfriend’s laptop.

Even though it’s still a mac, it doesn’t feel like mine. It’s not mine. The keys are different, the something, is different. Something is wrong. Something feels odd. Lately, everything has felt odd in my life. Lately, every night is spent tossing and turning with wonderment and a side of regret. I think in a lot of ways it’s my emotional state. Something always comes back to something.

The other day I felt so sure of myself, so, on top of my game that I felt I had nailed it, I had finally made a statement in life and someone on my dream list of agents would come to me with that phone call we’ve all been waiting for and say, “let’s do it. Me and you, we’re a team and we’re going to change the world with this motherfucker.” and what? I get rejected, again. Again. I get it, I understand that rejection makes you work harder and humble. Rejection makes you a better you and no one will be able to touch you after you know heartache some kind of twisted Bob Dylan logic. Ok, it makes sense.

Trust me, I get it. But, where do we go from here? I’m not asking for Twilight’s money, I’m asking for a shot. A legitimate shot at the people. I want to see my words in bold face print with someone’s blurb adding to the idea that is my art.

Where I am now? I’m sitting in the dark post best friend drinking session with a small blow up with my girlfriend and that idea that I want so bad isn’t happening. I’m miserable. I’m all kinds of miserable in all colors, shapes and sizes. Is it my job that makes me feel like I do? Absolutely not.

I have a great job with two of the best bosses a person could ask for.

It’s my drive as person.

It’s my living coffin. I write these posts with one thing in mind: exorcism. I want to clear my head and I want someone to see me with the goalie mask off and see how bad I want it vs the idea I project.

I scour my mind to explain myself. Some who read my blogs agree, most decide to twitter elsewhere or care about a Lohan dress malfunction but, whatever, I gotta keep the hustle alive.

What else can I do? Every day I wake up and wonder what’s the difference between being terminally ill, knowing you’re a a failure or being a perfectly living person and working their ass off to be the guy on top but to no result? Where do you go? You could blow your brains out ala O’toole and hope someone realizes your version of “Confederacy of dunces” is as good as his was or you wake up and toil in the real world and hope, letter after fucking letter or email, that someone with pull, anyone, will see you for person you are, the person will not die. The person who gives the finger back to its own reflection.

If I can’t keep my head out of the water, the sharks will get me.

Robert Dean is a freelance writer, author and poet from New Orleans, LA. He is the author of In the arms of nightmares on Slush Pile Reader.