To podcast or not to podcast - that is the question.

Where I Am: I think I've been at my computer so long, I've become part of it, like the sailors aboard Davy Jones' ship.

What I'm Listening To: My Sims music and my whirling thoughts



I just finished up with a Writer's Digest Webinar on the subject of podcasting your writing in order to reach your readers.

*blinks*

I honestly don't know how I feel about all I learned today. It totallly flies in the face of what one ordinarily thinks of publishing and so on. In this case, author Seth Harwood created his own fanbase which ultimately led to publication of his books. He did this by putting his books online as free serial audiobook podcasts. Obviously, this worked for him. Look him up on Amazon or Google him and you will find he's done very well. He also founded CrimeWAV and co-founded Author Boot Camp with this same idea in mind.

So, do I serialize my book and make it available as a free audio podcast? I don't know. I would like to build the author's platform that is so often suggested. I just don't know if this is the method that I will really most enjoy and be most comfortable following. It does give me a lot to think about. Thankfully, this isn't one of those decisions I must make, you know, NOW. I can ponder it, read about it (yes, I did order Christina Katz' book after her kind and helpful comment on my last blog post), and generally research the heck out of it.

I could, of course, try a seriously modified approach and make audio files of some of my short stories available. It doesn't have the same appeal as a serialized book, I know, but I could get my feet wet that way and consider what I'm comfortable putting out there. That would have the added advantage of something I could try right away as I complete the editing and polishing of my novel.

Argh. For the moment, however, I'm going to go give my poor brain a rest.

Speak to me of platforms.

Where Am I: trapped in the pale glow of my laptop screen

What Am I Listening To: the sounds of My Sims Racing which is incongruous at best



So, the Writer's Platform, huh? It was inevitable that this should come up, really. I'm a new writer, after all, and like nearly all writers, I'd like to be published in the not-so-distant future. I say 'nearly all' because I do know a handful of delightful but sometimes incomprehensible people who write like mad without ever intending to show their work to anyone. I love them even when I boggle at them.

At any rate, here I am without so much as a plank, let alone a platform, to stand on. Obviously, this blog and my associated website (http://www.sjgordononline.com) are my attempts to build. However, I am aware that simply having a blog, a site, a Twitter account, and a Facebook page to not a platform make. Someone has to look at all this stuff, you know? Not only that, I have to provide frequent updates that are actually of interest to more than myself.

But, hey! No pressure! Right? Oy.

I have to admit, I'm still largely baffled by the whole idea of building a platform. I'm not clear on precisely what I'm after here. I know I should have lovely readers for my blog. I know people should be visiting my site. But I have so many other questions yet to be addressed. If you Google my name, should it be the very first thing that pops up on the results page? How do I get it to be the very first thing that pops up on the results page? Am I supposed to be posting samples of my work? How in the world do I determine what is interesting content for my readers? How do I get the following of readers I pretty obviously should have? When, in the midst of all this self-promotion, am I supposed to write the darned books? Do I worry about this platform building after I've begun to query (which doesn't really sound right to me)? Do I hold off on queries until the platform is fairly solid?

ACK!

I guess I'll seek out answers to these mysteries when I need a break from the rather wearying process of editing the heck out of my manuscript. Any and all advice from my readers (are you out there?) would be much appreciated.

*smooch*

Why? Why, why, why?

Where Am I: at the dining room table - they'll have to eat elsewhere

What Am I Listening To: Phineas and Ferb in the background



A seemingly harmless thread over at the Absolute Write Water Cooler got me thinking (now, just keep your smart remarks on that subject to yourselves, please). The question was simple. Would you use your real name or a pen name on your published work?

I am surprised by the number of women (who include myself) who have chosen to use their initials because (though there may be other reasons, as well) they are women writing in a male dominated genre and feel the readers/editors/reviewers will not view them as favorably as their male counterparts.

HARUMPH!

I don't like this, people! Why should there be any difference? How often have we heard that the most important thing is to write a great story? Sure, we need to be thoughtful when crafting our queries and selecting agents or editors to approach. It isn't a bad idea to build some sort of online presence as well (yet another reason for this blog, right?). But none of that matters if the story doesn't wow the reader. So, can someone please explain to me why anyone should feel that gender indicated by their name should have any influence over the success of their writing?

I don't have any clever hypothesis on this one. I don't have any brilliant articles to link or quote. I just have a sense of indignation that this should even be a consideration.

Thank you, Herr Gutenberg!

Where I Am: in my favorite chair, where I do most of my writing

What I'm Listening To: something baroque-ish - dunno what


If you haven't paid a visit to the blog, "Outside the Box" (link in my side bar to the left near the bottom), you should hop over now. Laurie posted an interesting observation on how the changes in communication have changed the world. As she pointed out, there are only three hundred years between the quill and ink and the text message. It boggles the mind.

This lead me to think about how we developed our abilities to communicate so rapidly and in such varied ways. This led me to post long-windedly to Laurie's blog, letting her enjoy my rambling thoughts. I have to tell you, folks, I think we need to thank Gutenberg and his movable type press.

Here. I'll link you to Laurie's entry so you, too, can try to follow my sometimes wandering reason.

http://lauriewipperfurth.blogspot.com/2010/05/letters-in-limbo.html


So, thanks, Herr Gutenberg! I bow deeply before you.

Why I Love My Writing Group

Where I Am: family room

What I'm Listening To: nothing right now, which is rather peaceful


I will, no doubt, mention my writing group more than once over the course of time. Why? Because I really do love them. Wonderful people, talented writers, and definitely good friends. I'm very grateful.


For the past several years, in fact, since the beginning of my efforts to fashion myself into a writer, I've had the good fortune to be involved with a group of people who were walking the same path as I. Our numbers have fluctuated slightly over time due to demands of the real world, but on the whole, we've steadily met once a week to discuss our projects and help each other along. Let me give you an example of one of our meetings.

To begin with, we are scattered, literally, over the globe, so we make use of a free online instant messaging program. This sounds impersonal, but it isn't really. We have played with webcams and mics at various times. They're amusing but the truth is, the text chats are more practical. We keep hard copies of our chats so our notes are always available to us as we write. By the way, I don't suppose I need to mention the challenges of having members in three or four different time zones on both sides of the International Dateline, do I?

Before we actually meet online, we have looked over the text to be discussed at our meeting. We take turns each week. If it is my turn, I send whatever I've been working on to the other members a couple of days before we meet. Thank goodness for email! We all have time to review the work, make some notes, and be ready to discuss it in detail. Once we're together in an online chat, we go over our notes. This usually spurs additional discussion about where the story is going, what the characters are like, what the author in question might do differently, what has been done well, and so forth. The number one rule is respect for each other's work. I know, I know. DUH. But it still needs to be said. It's important. Our writing is an extension of the workings of our minds and it's personal, you know?

The next important thing to remember is that the author is never obliged to take all the advice of the group. In the end, my story is my story and while I might consider a change suggested by my group, if it just doesn't fit with my vision, I don't need to use it. Still, if the group sees an issue, I'd be mightily dim to ignore their advice completely. So, suggestions are given due consideration.

This is great, don't you think? It's an open exchange of ideas and we've had lots of really creative things come out of our discussion. Knots in plot threads have been untangled, road blocks have been blasted away. Good stuff. This is so wonderful for a writer, I think.

Writing is a solitary pursuit, really. No matter how often we may log on to a writing forum (I suggest the Absolute Write Water Cooler, by the way. Find the link on the margin of this page.) or how often we meet with a writing group, our work is our own. In the end, our stories fly or flop by our own efforts. So, when we do find a group of people with whom we can exchange ideas and are willing to hear us whine, that's worth a lot.

I've been fortunate enough to find such a group and that, my friends, is why I really love my writing group.

Editing the Novel of DOOM

Where I Am: spread all over the dining room table (well, my laptop, manuscript, and other papers - not me personally)

What I'm Listening To: silence and a constant inner monologue that goes something like, "Erk. Oh, seriously? Geez..."



Editing. Ugh. I'm sure I don't have any new things to add to the litany of whining that generally makes up any conversation between writers on the subject of editing. Suffice to say, I don't like it either.

What does interest me is the totally different perspective I have on a scene that I wrote lo, these many months ago, now that I've had some time to separate myself from it. Sometimes, I think, "Eh, doesn't stink, but it's a little clunky." Other times, I think, "Okay. I'll buy that." There are even a few rare and wonderful moments when I read a few lines and just grin from ear to ear. "YES!" Right now, I'm grappling with a scene that just makes me cringe. I don't know what in the world I was thinking when I wrote it. It's bad. BAD, I tell you. It's like every new author boo-boo ever known all in the span of about three paragraphs. Whoa.

I suppose I should rejoice that I can recognize the problems now. I've come a long way, baby. Really, I am pleased about that part. But, oh my goodness, rewriting that section is daunting. It's that whole fragile self-confidence thing again.

"If it was that terrible then and you didn't see it, what terrible thing are you doing now that you still don't see?"

Thank goodness I have several good friends waiting in the wings to critique this thing for me. Good friends who will tell me the truth, even if it is embarrassing for all concerned.

Now, back to work.

Self-Doubt Is So Predictable

Where I Am: family room (where I usually am this time of evening)

What I'm Listening To: the parrot chattering in the next room


This isn't anything new. I know it's not. In fact, I've experienced varieties of this before. It's the Ever-Horrible Self-Doubt. Ungh.

You know the scenario, right? You stare at your manuscript and think, "Dear heavens, what was I thinking? What ever made me believe this was a good idea? Do I even know what I'm doing here? Geez..." This goes on for awhile until you drag yourself off to bed where a decent night's sleep restores your sense of humor about the whole thing.

Tonight, I am having a new round of doubts. My first draft is complete and I've begun the editing. If you'd asked me a few hours ago, I'd have told you it was coming along well and that I felt I had a pretty good handle on what needed to be done. That, however, was a few hours ago. Now, I'm not so sure. Worse still, I feel as if I may have, through my inexperience and questionable skill, led another writer astray. Logically, I know this is nonsense. My manuscript is on the right track, I'm not completely lacking in skill (though I am inexperienced), and I haven't led anyone anywhere.

The problem is, a manuscript that I have critiqued extensively has been turned down again, this time after a request for a partial. The agent liked the premise but felt the writing didn't draw her in. To this, I thought, "WHAT??? How? Why? Did we read the same book?" *SIGH*

Doggone it, I think this manuscript is good. Now, if this was the first agent who said he/she was not drawn into the story, I'd ignore it. But since this has been said several times now, I guess notice must be taken. Frankly, I feel guilty about it. I didn't think it was hard to get into. I enjoyed it. Does this mean that the manuscript is fine and simply hasn't found its home yet or does it mean I am woefully incompetent? Tonight, I am unsure of the answer.

I expect that a good night's sleep will be the cure for this crisis as it has been for the others. Tomorrow, it will likely look a lot better and, who knows? I may even have some exciting new insights or something. Stranger things have happened. But for the moment, I feel inept, inadequate, and a lot of other 'in' words that aren't good things to feel.

You know, I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Where I Am: family room

What I'm Listening To: some program on the History Channel about what happens to stuff when humans are all gone - my husband's choice


I started something of a firestorm over at the Absolute Write Water Cooler the other day (for those of you unfamiliar with this wonderful place, it's a great forum board for writers and can be found here http://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.php ) totally unintentionally. I posted a link to a recent post written by Diana Gabaldon on her own blog. In that post, she blasted fanfiction and all writers of fanfiction. Ms. Gabaldon doesn't just dislike the idea, she REALLY HATES it. If you haven't seen the post and would like to, here's a link. http://voyagesoftheartemis.blogspot.com/2010/05/fan-fiction-and-moral-conundrums.html


Now, my initial reaction was amusement that Ms. Gabaldon was so worked up over the problem. My next reaction was a mixture of embarassment and disappointment that she would choose what, in my mind, seemed unfortunate ways of describing her distaste. My personal feeling was that it lacked some grace and professionalism. After all, the writers of those fanfiction stories are her fans.

When I posted the link at AW, I wanted to see what, if anything, other writers thought about the subject. Well, more than 300 replies (as of this writing) later, I can tell you that tempers are running high. Some dislike the air of entitlement on the part of the fans that they believe it should be okay to write stories based on the work of an author. Some dislike the air of entitlement on the part of the authors that they should have total control over the way their fans see the characters and settings. For my part, I expressed my opinion early on (I don't mind fanfiction and would be flattered if fans wrote based on my work but would never write fanfiction based on the work of an author who has expressed a dislike for it - basic respect there) and then sat back to watch the discussion unfold. I like spirited discussion, after all.

However, this evening, I noticed another thread in the forum on the subject of used book stores and libraries. In it, the poster wondered how published authors feel about sales of used books and readers borrowing a book from the library since these represent no royalty income for the author. It's a fair question, really, and the replies were predictably tolerant and along the lines of, "I'm okay with it."

So, this lead me to wonder about entitlement. I didn't see any replies from authors bemoaning the loss of revenue due to used book sales and I think this is a good thing. After all, I'd many times rather see a book change hands than see a book thrown away. But, do authors have a right to resent this royalty-less transaction? If, as some on the first thread argued, the author should be able to totally posess the characters and settings of the book and not have them in any way altered or misrepresented by a fan writing fanfiction, why do they not also have the right to expect some remuneration for every sale of every copy of the book, even used, or expect some sort of payment for each time the book is borrowed from the library?

Now, lest this sound really petty, I should point out that a musician is paid each time their music is used in a public arena. My own experience with this is in church music. In my past life, creating song sheets for congregational use at weekend services was a part of my job and I had to keep track of each time a song was used. This was reported on, as I recall, a quarterly or maybe semi-annual basis to the music publishing company and the composer was paid royalties based on the number of times the music was used.

So, why not authors?

Let me be clear. I'm fine with fanfiction that carries an appropriate disclaimer and makes no attempt to earn money for the fan writing. In fact, I wrote a bit of fanfiction myself as a means of working on some writing skills I felt to be exceptionally lacking. I do think that if the author expresses a dislike for fanfiction and makes it clear that she would prefer her fans desist, I really, really think they should. Respect, right? The author can be civil about it and the fans should comply even though there may not be a legal requirement they do so (this seems to be settled on a case by case basis so it's unclear to me if there is a legal issue here). I'm equally fine with used book sales and library usage because it is utterly impractical not to be. How would you regulate the sales of books at the millions of jumble sales across the U. S. each weekend? You couldn't. There's just no way. So, I think the author must roll with it and derive some pleasure from the fact that the book isn't in the garbage but finding a home with a new reader. The story goes on, right?

However, this leaves me pondering the ways in which we view our work and how we behave about it. Am I okay with used book sales because I can't help it or because I'm in favor of affordable books for all? I believe it's the latter but since I am not yet published, I'm not really tested, am I? I believe I'm okay with fans wanting to try their hand at shuffling my characters around in a story but, as I say, I've never been tested (oh, to have this problem before me!).

When does this sense of entitlement lead us, as authors, into a bad place? When does it guide us fairly?

You know, I just don't know the answer to that.

Does 'Cozy' Make You a Lightweight?

Where I Am: family room

What I'm Listening To: My family watching 'Phineas and Ferb' in the background



I've been thinking about subgenres lately. Of course, my current project is a mystery. That much is easily identifiable. I'm thinking the dead body appearing in chapter one probably clinches it. You might think this enough but it turns out, it's really not. Agents do, in fact, want to know where your book would appear on the shelves of a bookstore. So, I've been trying to figure out just where my protagonist, Ellen, and her pals would sit.

First of all, I eliminated the obvious. It isn't true crime. It isn't thriller, either. Not enough gore for that. Is it YA? Well, I'm not 100% sure. I think not. There are some definitely adult things going on, even if they're off camera. The next thought was that it is, perhaps, a cozy mystery.

Hmmm...

Well, in the strict, traditional definition of the subgenre, it doesn't quite qualify but the argument can still be made. For one thing, we do see a murder occur, right there 'on camera', so to speak. Admittedly, this is not the case for all of the deaths. Nor does all the violence occur in the presence of the reader. Some does, other instances are discovered after the fact. The main characters are, in fact, amateur. I will also concede that sex, which doesn't play a super huge role in the story in the first place, happens behind the Mother of All Fade To Black moments. Still, there is no question in the reader's mind about what has taken place.

So, is it cozy or is it amateur sleuth? I guess that is going to be up to the interpretation of the agents I query. This leads me to my big question, though. Is a cozy mystery a bad thing? Is it less of a mystery, less of a book because it lacks the level of violence and bloodshed to allow it to be called a thriller?

For myself, I'd say, no. Certainly, thrillers are pretty popular and if that's the sort of story that sends your pulse racing, there are plenty of books available to you. However, thrillers aren't to my taste. I'm what my friends fondly (I hope it's fondly) call a 'big cheese weenie'. Gory stuff gives me nightmares.

Side note: As proof, I'll offer a quick anecdote. When my husband and I saw "The Mummy" in the theater years ago, the rampaging scarab beetles gave me a case of the Galloping Willies. The memory still makes me shiver. To offset that creepy crawly feeling, I came home and watched the Disney version of "Cinderella." That night, I dreamed I was chased by scarab beetles all singing 'Cinderelly' in squeaky mouse voices. Ugh.

So, give me a cozy mystery any day. I love a good Miss Marple tale. But the market in general? Well, I honestly don't know. As you might imagine, I'm researching to learn what I can and I'll certainly be watching for agents who express interest in amateur sleuthing and cozy mysteries.

But I have to ask myself, does it matter? Even if I discovered that my manuscript is woefully unmarketable, would I rewrite it with plenty of blood, guts, and psychotic violence to help it find a publishing home? In truth, I don't think I could. To do that, I think I'd destroy some very important parts of my characters. No, I think I'd put the manuscript away for the time being and begin a new story, instead. I've put my beloved Ellen Keely and her friends through quite a bit as it is and such a massive alteration in the story would be too much.

So, lightweight or not, I think I'm going to have to stay the course on this one. If this isn't what the publishers are after right now, so be it. Perhaps the market will change in the future and give Ellen her time in the sun. But, in my heart of hearts, I think there will always be a market for the light, fun, bumbling sort of amateur detective. Therefore, Ellen and I do not despair but wear our Featherweight badges with pride.

Whoa. Time Vortex, maybe?

Where I Am: at home in my favorite chair

What I'm Listening To: Blessed Silence



Amazing. It's amazing to me the way time passes. Someday, I'm going to unravel the mysteries of how it is that time, which I know to be relative (thank you, Dr. Einstein), doesn't seem to relate to me. Harumph.

What this means is, I don't know where it went. Time marched on, apparently right past me, and here we are on the last day of April and I honestly don't know how it all happened. Whoof.

Anyway...

I do have an excuse for being sort of lost. I have completed the draft of If It Walks Like a Duck and I am hugely excited about this. WOO! I'm currently working on editing which is daunting but also gratifying. It feels good to be cleaning up the messy parts and turning convoluted margin notes into clean text. But I am trying to keep things in perspective. I have a long way to go.

Ever mindful of the future, I've been encouraging myself with ideas of Ellen Keely's next adventure. See, I'm really hoping that by the time people finish reading about Ellen's first foray into the world of mystery, they will be as eager as I am to find out what she will do next. To that end, while my conscious mind is working through knotty problems in the Duck draft, my subsconcious is having a bit of fun with early details of what it has, for the moment, named Dead In Dog Years, the second installment of the Ellen Keely mysteries.

Exciting, no?

I'd love to stay and chat, but I have some editing I'm eager to get done today. Let's meet again soon. :P

The Importance of Being Careful

Where Am I: favorite chair

Listening To: coverage on the latest in Haiti



Proofreading. We all know this is a good idea, yeah? We're careful about this, aren't we? Sure! Honest! I'm careful. CAREFUL! Well, except for that one short short I sent in to the Writer's Digest "Your Story" competition last week. I thought I'd done such a good job, too. I stayed true to their prompt, was well within the word limit and I even felt pretty pleased about how clever I'd been with the plot. So, what was my downfall? The title brought me low.

I generally get my title for whatever I'm writing late in the process. In this case, I really didn't have a title when I'd finished. So, I sat staring at it and thinking about it for awhile, put it away, brought it back out and looked at it some more. Finally, I put a title to it (nothing overly inspired, I'm sad to say) and sent it off with a feeling of relief that I'd done it. It wasn't until later that I noticed there was a TYPO IN MY TITLE!

It wasn't the sort of thing that the spell-checker would catch and I just wasn't careful enough. I didn't catch it either. I could make some excuses, I suppose, but that's all they'd be. Excuses. The truth is, I blew it. I broke one of the most basic rules. I just didn't proofread properly. I think it is very likely that it will keep anyone from even considering my otherwise (hopefully) clever story.

Lesson learned, believe me. Lesson most definitely learned. If I was reasonably careful before, I will be trebly so, now. Attention to detail is so important for a writer. So many things depend on the writer's accuracy, you know? For the reader, inconsistencies and mistakes are so distracting. They take the reader out of the story and really, that's the death of a good tale, in my humble opinion.

So, I have learned another important, albeit painful, lesson on being meticulous. I guess that's not really so bad.

I need a brain snake.

Where I Am: In the dining room, supervising math homework

Listening To: Homework woes and funny things that happened at school today



I really do need a brain snake. I don't mean the sort of snake that hisses, eats mice, and occasionally sheds its skin. I mean one of those flexible metal coiled metal snakes that you use to clear out a blocked pipe. I need one of those for my brain.

I don't think I actually have writer's block. I know there are those who don't believe there is such a thing, in the first place. I don't know. If there is, I don't think that's my problem. I have a pretty detailed outline of my novel, honestly. I know what I need and want to write. I'm feeling pretty good about where I am in the story and where I'm going. I'm pleased about the length, I love my characters, and I'm just generally pretty happy with the whole thing. However, I seem totally unable to get anything written. I don't think it's a block so much as a clog. So, how do I get past that clog? To do that, I'm thinking I should probably know what caused the clog to form, yeah?

I wrote a blog entry a couple days ago about how I don't believe there is a magical formula that gives a writer the thick skin they need to face the criticism and rejection that is both inevitable and necessary. Yes, I said necessary. How else do we grow? I stand by what I said. I think one has to just keep putting oneself out there, take what comes, try to learn from it, and keep right on writing. The problem with my theory is that it is very easy to say and devilishly hard to do. I think this might be the source of my current clog.

The first draft of my first novel is nearing completion after a long, hard slog. My poor, long-suffering main character has had to try to fit herself into no fewer than four very different storylines. Poor Ellen. I've taken her and her best friends through a lot of things and I'm going to have to rough her up still more before there is resolution for her. I've worked on this story for such a long time, I'm having trouble getting my head around what it will be like when I actually finish. I'm going to have to edit. Eep! I'm both eager to begin and dreading what I might have to do. Then, even after I slog through the editing, I must face the query process. This is where that writer's version of stage fright rears its ugly head.

What does this have to do with me right now? Well, I tend to be a forward thinker. I like to look ahead and have a plan. So, I've looked ahead and, people, it's giving me a serious case of the gollywobbles. Should it? No, of course not. Am I wrong to worry? Eh, not really. You can't be rational about this sort of thing. It does make me think of a former employer and his all-time favorite advice about any difficult situation.

"Just show up."

I have to set the obsessing aside, show up, and write. I'm going to have to put my head down and forge ahead. I'm going to have to write blog posts (though that's really a pleasure), play with different prompts, and keep plugging away at my novel. I may have to throw out whole pages of text but I'm going to have to keep going. At some point, I'll write something that makes me proud. I have before and I will again. I'll work through the nerves eventually and when I do, the story will flow again.

In the meantime, I sure wish there really was a brain snake.

Eye of Newt and Hide of Rhino

Where Am I: Home in my favorite chair

Listening To: The lower decible sounds of my home - small mutterings from the parrot, crunching sounds from the guinea pig, hum of the HEPA filter, tick of the clock...



I was chatting with my best writing buddy the other evening. She has reached that enviable stage of sending queries to agents. This, naturally, is HUGELY exciting and, yes, I am a lovely shade of puce over the whole thing. Mostly, however, I'm excited. Such a lot of hours and so much energy has gone into her novel (a very clever historical fiction, by the way) and I really can't wait to hear how much the agents love it. You see, I know they will. She, on the other hand, seems less confident. I guess that isn't surprising. In fact, she likened it to sending her first born off to catch the bus on the very first day of school. She also mentioned feeling more than a little queasy. So much for that sense of accomplishment, huh?

That isn't to say, though, that she isn't excited. She definitely is. But she is having a serious case of nerves that amounts to the writer's equivalent of stage fright. Who can blame her? She has put herself right out there and asked to be told what professionals think of her work. Ack! How can a writer not be nervous? It did get me thinking about taking that risk and how to deal with the rejection slips that all writers get. I've had a few, myself, already since I have sent out a few short stories to magazines. They currently reside in a file drawer where theyboth haunt me and fill me with accomplishment. On the one hand, I did send something out. I'm proud of that. On the other, I still see the fact that they didn't want my story and that always comes with a low-murmured, "Ouch."

How many times have we been advised to develop a thick skin if we want to be successful writers? I've lost count. It's still sound advice and I do try but it has always seemed a very difficult and magical transformation. But I think I'm beginning to get it now.

It isn't so much a case of developing a thicker skin as it is a case of earning the battle scars that come from putting yourself out there. It isn't rhino skin. It's scar tissue. There really isn't a magical formula for that, now is there?