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PERSONAL UPDATES
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In addition to what I shared above:
- I'm
having a hell of time writing the introduction to my book. Right now it
feels forced and superficial - I don't really connect with the reader
in a meaningful way...and others seem to agree. Some feedback I
recently received: "If she emphasized
the difficulties she had rather than her successes - it might make her
a little more relatable, and less obviously A-type." OUCH! I agree with
the feedback, but reading that reminded me of something very important:
part of becoming a published author means opening myself up to
criticism. Not just of my work, but of ME and how I come across.
- I
know that to make my introduction better it needs to have more truth in
it. To that end, I've set a goal to do at least one "truth writing"
exercise per week, even if I decide not to post on my blog. What is a
truth-writing? For me it's the kind of writing where I'm doing more
channeling than thinking. Writing that comes from the heart; where I
let go of instructing, teaching or "adding value" and just express what
I'm thinking or feeling on the deepest, truthiest level that I
can possibly reach. I want to do more of this because it feels amazing,
and these are the posts that really resonate with people. They often
feel the most vulnerable, but for every time I've nervously hit
"publish" on a "truth" post, I've been blown away by the response and
how much it seems to resonate.
- I was interviewed at BlogcastFM about starting a blog and finding a literary agent - take a listen! (it's about 45 minutes long)
-------------------------------
Q&A
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These three questions were submitted by my amazing friend, Andrea Owen of Live Your Ideal Life:
Did
you hire a book coach, consultant, mentor? At first I thought I didn't
need one, but if I want to get this thing going before my kids are in
college, I think I might benefit from one. I don't have one
mentor, but I've made a point to continuously schedule calls with
published authors throughout this process. I've probably spoken with 15
published authors in the last year, and connect with more at every
chance I get. Each one has had great advice and experience to offer,
and I've found it helpful to interview numerous people since every
author's path is so unique. That said, I do think having one or two
mentors (or a coach) would be extremely helpful - there were many times
where I had various coaches assign big book steps as "homework" -
things like cold querying literary agents - that I would have never
done without them challenging me. Long story short? YES - get a book
mentor or coach. I think it will really, really help! And this goes
to all of you - feel free to reach out to me any time with questions
(even though I'm not a published author YET).
Did you have a plan (probably, knowing you) or did you just start writing?
I
just started writing, and I'm so glad I did! I felt inspired and I just
went for it. The hardest part is starting. If you feel the urge, just
go for it! You can ALWAYS go back and edit or make a plan later. But
sometimes planning is just a way of procrastinating. I say get to the
writing, and the plan will unfold as you go.
How did you find your literary agent? What is usually their commission rate?
The
standard commission rate is 15% (of the advance and royalties). I sent
about 10 query emails and scheduled interview calls with three agents
who were interested in signing me. I was ready to sign with a guy in
New York, so I hired a lawyer (whom I got connected to from a family
member in the entertainment business) to look over the agreement. The
laywer said one of his good friends is also a literary agent
(well-known, been in the business for a long time), and asked if I'd be
interested in speaking with her. He sent her my query email, she wrote
back right away, and the rest is history! I ended up going with her
instead - something about the trusted network and her experience felt
really good.
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QUOTES
-------------------------------
Great big, innovative, world changing ideas...are plentiful. People who take tiny little baby steps towards them, are rare.
You are so acing this life,
-The Universe (http://tut.com)
"Don't
say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of
hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur,
Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and
Albert Einstein."
-H. Jackson Brown Jr.
-------------------------------
READER TIP
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Tandem Writing
"I
discovered a tactic I call "tandem writing" during which two writers
agree to a block of time (three to four hours max) to write at the same
time on their respective projects and check in at each hour interval
with a quick email ("xxx character's dialogue isn't coming out right.
otherwise, things going OK. onward!"). It helps keep my butt planted in
the chair and in front of the laptop. Commitment to another writer who
is counting on you works. As a journalist, I never had problems because
of DEADLINES, those are a great motivator! But my first book is a
different beast and no one is cracking the whip. It has to come from
me."
-Toni Logan
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RESOURCES
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Books:
Links/Blog Posts:
SXSW Must-See Videos:
------------------------------- STANDING LINKS
-------------------------------
I've tagged many more articles and resources in Delicious:
Questions for me about the book project (or anything else)? Ask away on Formspring! (Allows others to benefit from your question too)
Requests for specific content in future emails? Reply and let me know.
I think that's it for now! Best of luck with all of your projects and creative pursuits until we talk again :)
Jenny
http://twitter.com/Jenny_Blake 
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