Taking the Sting Out of a Rejection

You know, Twitter is an interesting....thing, program, or maybe a media outlet? What ever you want to call it the one thing that is true is that we can learn a great deal from it. I should correct that; we learn a great deal from those who are active on it.

As much as I like typing little updates and sharing with friends; that pales to the enjoyment I get from simply reading what others have to say. You can learn so much about the human thought process, emotions, and how people view the world around them. I am getting off topic but then again, this is the processes that lead me to my topic.

Today I was reading a number of tweets about agents and rejection letters. I know, we all say 'booooo' to rejection letters but this had a little more to it. The agent who was tweeting sympathized with authors and writers because of their frustration; not of getting rejected but of not having a reason for the rejection. We, who have submitted a manuscript, have received a rejection letter and we know first hand what she is talking about. After you receive a handful of those e-mails you begin to wonder what's wrong with your manuscript. It truly is a mystery because there is no guidance offered. This particular agent concluded that we, as writers, should continue submitting our work but to not expect anything to change - agents will not give guidance or reasons for rejections. This is a harsh truth we need to live with.

I don't know, maybe it's me, but I wouldn't say that I've been frustrated with rejection from agents. I see it as being a part of their job. That is what they do; they reject manuscripts until they find a handful that move them or can be sold to a publisher quickly (this is usually associated with a name that many recognize). No, I understand this is a business and agents must do what they have to survive in the world of publishing.

To be honest I would be much more frustrated if a critique group took my manuscript and tore it to shreds. Why is that? It is true that a critique group cannot get you published like an agent can but an agent's rejection leaves us hanging. It is very easy for us to think 'it didn't work for them but the story is good and well written.' Even after we get a dozen or so rejections we can still say the same thing because no reasons are given. In contrast to this, a critique group will give you reasons. You will not be hanging and wondering why they didn't like a part or why a section didn't flow smoothly because they will give you reasons.

Which is worse; being rejected with no reason or having problems identified with reasons? This could be seen as the chicken and the egg scenario because if we submit our manuscripts with the problems still in it then we will get rejected flat out but I'm looking at the process in which we get that information and how we react to it. This I find surprising, many will get angry and frustrated by an agents rejection but will either disregard or happily accept the negative feedback of a critique. For me it is a little opposite, I disregard the rejections from agents because there is simply nothing there to work with and really ponder on the feedback of critiques.

I really sweat when my work is in the hands of those critiquing it. That, in my opinion, is the moment of truth. If they come back with a truckload of negative feedback then I am faced with a possible major revision instead of celebrating the completion of a project. When I receive a rejection from an agent I usually read it a few times, file it away and move on to the next agent.

What I am really getting at here is this - getting rejected by an agent is not the end of the world or your project. Yes, it does sting because we know our manuscript is good but without guidance or a reason for the rejection it is just not helpful. With that said, if a critique group shreds our manuscript this too is not the end of the world; we just haven't reached the finish line yet but thankfully we now have some input to think about that just may get us there.

Party Time

I had all intentions of posting an article yesterday; however, my son is having a birthday party today so yesterday evening was spent getting prepared. His actual birthday is next Friday (28th) but that is also Memorial Day weekend. Anybody with a birthday close to a holiday knows how much of a pain that can be at times. We decided to celebrate it by inviting his friends this weekend and then have a little family thing on his actual birthday.

The great thing is that he has no clue his friends are coming over for a party so that will be a fun surprise. It is fun to watch the birthday come and go for young ones. To adults it is merely a day but to kids it is a celebration. What is he getting for his ninth birthday? I can't say that I know everything he is getting but as I write this he is flying down the hill in the backyard on a shiny new red bicycle. He looks like a pro with his helmet on. I know that one day he will have a ramp at the bottom to jump; with that said, you're young only once so as long as there are no major accidents all will be well.

I really enjoyed watching his eyes light up when he figured out we were giving him his bike. It is amazing how things can really grab their attention. Watching him caused me to think back to the time when I was young and wanted desperately to grow up and now, at times, it is just the opposite. We have memories to hold on to but I think as we grow older that fire and sparkle in our eyes gets a little harder to capture. This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest gifts children can give us because through them we can experience those moments one more time and they remind us just how easy it is to get excited about something.      

Well, his friends are starting to arrive so I better get going and join the fun. Have a great weekend everyone and if you have the opportunity to capture the fire in your eyes; grab on tightly and hold it as long as possible.

Creative Writer Blogger Award

Thank you to Mariana Blaser for this award. As the rules state, I must thank the person that gave me the award (which I did), nominate seven worthy people to carry on the award (okay, I just nominated five) and tell up to six creative and outrageous lies about myself and one outrageous truth (or the other way around). I haven't decided which way I will go with this one but I plan to make it interesting.

First for the nominations. I nominate the following:

Patrick Hester over at http://www.atfmb.com/
Clifton Hill over at http://clifton-hill.blogspot.com/
Small Footprints over at http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/
Eric over at http://workingmymuse.blogspot.com/
Jody Hedlund over at http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/

Now for the fun part. Six lies and one truth or one lie and six truths, I will let you decide.

• My wife and I got married after dating for only four months by the justice of the peace.
• Paranormal activity has followed me to all the homes I have lived in except two.
• I once drove from Virginia to Alaska during a break from college.
• I had my tonsils removed.....twice.
• Speaking from experience - alien abduction really happens.
• When I was young I had a dog. The local police wrote that same dog a ticket (on two different occasions) for barking.
• Right after I received my driver's license I hit my mom's car and my dad's truck in the driveway....at the same time.  

We can't forget the rules. Here they are, enjoy:
1. Thank the person who gave this to you.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth – or – switch it around and tell six outrageous truths and one outrageous lie.
5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Good luck, have fun and enjoy the creativity that follows.

Skill Versus Talent

I am still intrigued by the 'versus' concept and I hope you are enjoying them as well. Today we're looking at skill and talent. Can you have one without the other? Is one born from the other? Can we be successful with one or do we need both?

To begin, let's have a look at these two words a little closer.

Skill is defined as the ability to do something well, usually gained through training or experience and something that requires training and experience to do well, e.g. an art or trade.

Talent is defined as an unusual natural ability to do something well, especially in artistic areas that can be developed by training and a person or people with an exceptional ability.


To sum up, talent is something we are born with whereas skill is something we develop with time. The one thing that is similar between the two is that they both need to be developed. Which brings up the question; can a person with talent be developed quicker then a person with growing skill? Most of the time individuals are identified for their talent and then groomed to their fullest potential. Others feel a calling or challenge and dive headlong into developing that skill to conquer that challenge.

There are authors that, without a doubt, have talent but I am of the opinion that there are more who have developed their skill set. Authors such as William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe and many others would be in the list of talented authors. Their work is complex but move peoples emotions with ease and their voice comes out naturally. This, however, might surprise you but I think authors such as Stephen King (which actually might be a talent), J.K. Rowling, Danielle Steel and others are authors who worked to develop their skills in writing. How can you tell this? Each of their books improves on the other in voice, emotion and insight. These are things that come naturally to those with the talent which is ironic because the authors with natural talent improve on the characters, setting, complexity of plot and pushing the acceptable boundaries of society.

You may not agree with me but you can see what I'm driving at. At one point in time I would say you needed both talent and skill to be successful but today I'm not convinced. I can point to a lot of authors who are skilled and very successful. Heck, I can name some authors with little skill that are successful but that article is for another time. There are authors with the talent for weaving a story out there today but the strange thing is it takes time to recognize them. They don't rise to the top in a flash and then disappear; their work continues to grow as time passes by.

There may be some talented authors or writers reading this article write now; only time will tell. The thing we must remember is that both talent and skill takes work, experience and time to fully develop. We who are developing our skills may need to work harder but in the end we will see the fruits of our labor.

Sex and the Story

Did that get your attention? I bet it did and if it didn't...I don't really know what to say about that. Today, as I reclined in my office chair and thought about what I would write about a stray thought came to me. It was about sex. Granted a man thinks about sex once every twenty seconds I believe but this was a little different. I have often thought about sex in our stories.

I have read a number of sex scenes in multiple books in multiple genres. I believe what is so difficult about writing these scenes, aside from the nature of the scene, is the varying degrees in which it can be written. I have read some that made me want to take a shower because I just felt dirty; some have made me desire a cold shower; and some have made me smile as I knew what was happening and how it would impact the story. There are more degrees I would think but these are the big ones in my opinion. What are the differences with these scene degrees?

The biggest difference in all three is the delivery. I strongly believe that sex scenes should be handled carefully and fit within the happenings of the story and current situation. With that said, there is a line that we should not cross. How do you know if you've crossed that line? When you are reading a book or your manuscript and you begin looking around to see who is nearby that might read what you are reading; I would say you are very close to that line. If you read a scene in a book that makes you not want to read anymore then that line has been crossed. It is in our delivery that a scene will be received as a 'sex scene' or two people making love.

How much detail is needed to get the point across and turn up the heat? This is the million dollar question when it comes to scenes like this. Too much detail and it is often referred to as filth; whereas, not enough detail loses the emotion, passion and fire of the situation. In my opinion, we are all grown adults; we know what happens, how it happens and everything in between so I don't think we need every little detail. I have often heard that we should picture the scene as we write it but I think writing a sex scene is more like foreplay. Hang on, allow me to explain. The heat and passion builds during the time leading up to the actual act, not the details of the act. Many may disagree but all I ask is that you think about it for a moment.

I believe there is a valid place for scenes like this in our stories. It is very valid in life so why not here? It can add a new level of emotion, tension and even intrigue to our stories if handle properly. A few things to think about when dealing with these scenes are:

• Does it fit the situation, flow and timing of the story? For example, a sex scene in the middle of a major battle between good and evil just wouldn't work.
• Does the level of detail take the focus away from the story? We want it to add substance not cause the reader to stop reading.
• Does it add to the story? If your characters fall for each other and make love will that add to the tension or give more depth to those characters or even set up the story for more twists and turns? If so, have fun; if not then maybe it will not work there.

To be honest, this article took me two days to write and I'm still not very comfortable writing it. I do have scenes like this in my novels as I attempted to establish relationships and even show character flaws but I'm not sure if I was successful. Maybe after a few people read it I will know.

Don't be afraid of these scenes, think about them and prepare them carefully so they add to your manuscript.

Learning From Contrast

The wheels began churning again this weekend. After a two week hiatus I picked up my manuscript, grabbed my pen and started the revision and editing process. Yes, I'm still a little old school and I printed my manuscript out to read but in the name of conservation I printed it on both sides of the paper so I used half of what I could have.

What I have found, so far, that really excites me is how quickly things jump out at me as I'm reading. For the first time I actually took a good first sentence and saw how to make it a great first sentence (in my opinion anyway). Oddly enough it seems as though this round is focused on flow rather then structure. Does this mean I have all the pieces in place and simply smoothing out the rough sections? At this point in time I'm not sure but I will know by the time I get to the end. It is enjoyable though to see the flow enhance and add to the story as you move through it.

I believe what really set the pace was the first paragraph. To be honest, I began to worry because I was spending so much time on each and every word. When I was done with it I sat back and gave it a read over with the revisions incorporated; what I found was very exciting. The first sentence dropped me right into the action, suspense and intrigue of the story while the rest of the paragraph began building the foundation and momentum. I know, this is what we need in every story but this time it really grabbed me. It will be interesting to see if it grabs the readers in the same way.

In contrast, my first novel was all over the place. I still have the first round of revisions and edits on the book shelf and it looks like someone cut their finger off over it. I spilled some red ink on that one because it had all sorts of changes needed such as the flow, the structure, some of the sequence and the list goes on and on. Is it because my second novel is in a different genre then the first or was it simply the fact that my first was well...my first? I think it is a mix of them both. I do feel more comfortable with my second novel; it seems easier to write and get absorbed in which is strange because I thought about the first for years before writing. That may be the answer right there.

No matter which way you look at it; it's all a learning experience. We learn about self, our writing, and our imagination when we really focus on the nuts and bolts of our story. It is hard work and sometimes my eyes bulge when I look at all the retyping I need to do. It is worth every keystroke and every deletion though because the day will come when we will be holding a completed, polished to a shine edition of our brainchild.

Avoiding a Computer Implosion

Yep, that was me yesterday. My computer was attached by a particularly nasty malware virus. In no time my computer went from race through cyberspace to life support. How did I attract or catch such a foe? Even now I really don't have a clue. I have an antivirus program and a firewall but this one made it through both of those. I checked my e-mail, got a cup of coffee, came back to start work and everything went nuts from there.

I discovered that the makers of these viruses are very smart and have figured out a way to use advertisements on hotmail, yahoo and other prominent sites to infect our computers. It gets even better; they can do it through Google adsense now! I believe it is safe to say that just about any website has the potential of hiding a virus of some sort.

Around five o'clock I finally had this thing under control. It was a tough fight but in the end I won the day. This virus did leave me with a parting gift; it rearranged my internet settings so I had to go through all of those just to log in to the net. Everything was wrapped up and ready to go this morning and, so far, everything is running smoothly.

As we continue in the computer age we must always remember to maintain our hardware and software while staying on top of what we are doing. Getting viruses and crazy things like that is part of life now but if we are prepared then the impact can be a lot less painful. How do we do that?

1.  Back-up your important files like your manuscript. In fact, have a back-up of your back-up. Keep them in a safe place.
2. Make sure your antivirus program is updated and current; most will do this automatically if selected.
3. Make sure you have a program that detects and deletes malware. Ever have one of those scare tactic antivirus software ads pop up on your computer that will not go away unless you turn off the computer? That is malware.
4. Make sure you delete your temporary Internet files and your Internet history folder. Viruses can track back through these files.
5. NEVER click on links from e-mails, networks or websites unless you are familiar with the source.

Luckily I didn't lose any files and my computer is running nicely but there are a lot of really bad viruses out there that can do a lot of damage. We rely on computers to write our manuscripts, connect with others and build our networks so it is very important that we keep our machines in top shape.

What If You Could Control What Others Thought?

Title: Mind Walker
Author: Roy McConnell
ISBN: 978-1-4401-6866-6
Genre: Action/Thriller
Pages: 228
Reviewed By: Brian Knight
Official Premium Promotional Services Rating:


Are you sure your thoughts are your own?

Wolf Ostermann is a powerful and wealthy man; he is also a man with an extraordinary gift. Unfortunately for the world, Wolf is driven by more power and greed. He knows nothing of mercy as he plans his moves for domination of those around him and those he can use. His plans include his daughter, Tara, but she has other plans and has no intention of giving in to his wishes. What she doesn’t know is that she is the only one that can stop the evil of her father.

To protect his investment Wolf hires Chris Landry, an ex-CIA operative, to guard Tara at all times. Soon a love blossoms between the two and they decide to escape together. However, Chris has no idea how deep Wolf’s deceptions run and soon he is second guessing his own life decisions.

A development with Tara only adds to Chris’s urgency to keep her away from Wolf. Wolf, on the other hand, has a different solution in mind. The chess game they play is fast and furious because they both no more then life is on the line; unbelievable power, money and a continuous domination by the Ostermann family is as well.

Chris must keep on his toes as assassins, spies, civilians manipulated by Wolf and even the United States military continue the relentless pursuit of him and Tara.

Can Chris protect Tara? Can they live a life without the interference of her father? Can they unravel the secret of his gift? What will it take to defeat Wolf?

From the first word, Roy McConnell’s passion for crafting a gripping tale takes center stage. Instantly, you are immersed in the action and thrills surrounding the characters. With each passing page, it is virtually impossible not to care for Chris and Tara in “Mind Walker.”

“Mind Walker” delivers nonstop action and thrills with an intriguing pinch of Science Fiction. The unique story, strong character development and plot carry it from page to page. This book is a must have for those seeking action, adventure and a thrill ride of a novel.

Author Roy McConnell’s debut novel, is sure to impress even the most avid action/thriller fan. I see a bright future for this up and coming author.

To find out more about this author and his novel please visit his site HERE.