#mywritepath

[jmlaime]

Random updates to wrap up April and welcome May: 🖋- I am beyond happy about using my pen name, and for the changes I’ve implemented on this account. I’ve started unfollowing every account that doesn’t directly feed my creative, writerly life because ✨I’m only on here to talk about books, writing, and creating.✨ Okay, yes, I follow cute animals, too. It’s called “balance”.) 🌌- I am *serious* about a buddy read/book club for Big Magic. It would be the perfect overlap of my professional skills and my heart’s passion!! I’m thinking starting around midsummer (June 24) for a month so that it would be right on the mid year! Thoughts on this?? Pls share below. 💖- I’ve been inspired by a former student/current colleague (you know who you are 😉) to try a new approach to healing my PTSD. The process is emotionally painful yet effective. (More on this some day.) ✍️- New therapy is helping me untangle my relationship with writing. I’m able to see the natural space between my writing & the outcomes of the writing. 📚 - Since creativity is expansive, I have room for more than one story at once. One of those stories is an old idea prodding me nonstop. Clocked ~1300 words last night!! 🌸- Rainy day orchid. Swipe to see sunny day orchid 🙃 #bigmagic #inspirationforwriters #lifeasawriter #lifeasacreative #writerlift #writingroutine #amcreatingworldswithmywords #thewritingprocess #mywritepath #pathtopublication #writingjourney #literarylifestyle #intentionalcreativity #introvertwriter #imakestuffup #storymagic #writermagic #writingismagic #fellowcreativeminds #wwtsalumni #writergram #amwritingfantasy #writerproblems #lifeofawriter #writersconnection #novelist #writerswrite #literary #fantasywriter #writingislife https://www.instagram.com/p/CdBv1p-LdaO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath Day 10 A Dream Worth Fighting For It didn’t hit me until I took this picture at my local Barnes and Noble a few months ago that my dream had come true. Ten years of writing, getting rejections, feeling hope, and then defeat, as I worked day after day to create the right book. I wish I could go back to younger me and tell her to hang in there. That even though it’d be years before she’d reached her goal, she’d get there. One day she’d stand in the YA aisle and hands shaking, tears running down her cheeks, she’d take this picture of her book babies next to each other on the shelf. It’s what I tell other writers just starting out when they ask about my journey. I tell them that I got crushed a lot along the way, but because of my will to succeed, and the support of so many friends, I refused to give up. I hope that if you’re reading this, you’ll look back at my path and remember that even though it’s a struggle, it CAN happen for you. Just continue to write, believe, and dream. Any day now, your “yes” could be on its way! 💗 #writingjourney #pathtopublication #aspiringwriter #writingdream #yawriter #storyteller #amwriting #writergram #writersofig #authorsofig #authorgram https://www.instagram.com/p/B_S0pWYAAWT/?igshid=1vsuj4qs9tazj

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath Day 9 Your reviews I wish I had some sage advice when it comes to reviews. People are always saying reviews are for readers, that is very true, but as an author it’s hard not to read them. A big part of you wants to know if people are getting your story. Connecting with your characters. It’s a very hard line to walk. Truthfully, for Nothing But Sky I read everything. I rejoiced at the 5 stars and cringed at the less than favorable reviews. In fact, those less than complimentary reviews stayed with me for hours, even days later. It sucked the joy out of what should have been a triumph. I learned my lesson then that I shouldn’t read reviews unless they came from trades- which I couldn’t avoid because my publicist sent them to me. I had to embrace the fact that once the story was on shelves it was no longer mine. With time this has become easier to accept, but I’ll admit that when I catch a glimpse of a review, a biting comment still stings. The only difference now is that I’m smart enough not to go searching for them. #pathtopublication #bookreviews #yawriter #storyteller #authorlife #writerlife #writersofinstagram #igauthor #igauthorlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B_QJO4xADZn/?igshid=9ab1nzsv8109

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath Day 9 Your reviews I wish I had some sage advice when it comes to reviews. People are always saying reviews are for readers, that is very true, but as an author it’s hard not to read them. A big part of you wants to know if people are getting your story. Connecting with your characters. It’s a very hard line to walk. Truthfully, for Nothing But Sky I read everything. I rejoiced at the 5 stars and cringed at the less than favorable reviews. In fact, those less than complimentary reviews stayed with me for hours, even days later. It sucked the joy out of what should have been a triumph. I learned my lesson then that I shouldn’t read reviews unless they came from trades- which I couldn’t avoid because my publicist sent them to me. I had to embrace the fact that once the story was on shelves it was no longer mine. With time this has become easier to accept, but I’ll admit that when I catch a glimpse of a review, a biting comment still stings. The only difference now is that I’m smart enough not to go searching for them. #pathtopublication #bookreviews #yawriter #storyteller #authorlife #writerlife #writersofinstagram #igauthor #igauthorlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B_QJO4xADZn/?igshid=9ab1nzsv8109

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath Day 8 Querying again There’s this quiet, unwritten rule in publishing. When things go wrong, you’re not supposed to talk about it. Your deal goes sideways, keep quiet. You part ways with your agent, don’t mention it. All of these things makes it harder to be a writer. There is this sort of belief that you can’t talk about the hard things. Now I’m not saying you should be able to air your dirty laundry, but it should be okay to talk when you’re having a hard time. I see this issue come up the most when a writer leaves their agent. There is this sort of pall of shame that taints that experience that isn’t fair. Many writers have break-ups with their agents for any number of reasons. It is a plain and simple fact of publishing. When I had to go back to the query trenches a second time, I felt more jaded. I understood how the process worked, and I was A LOT more picky about who I sent my work to. Knowing about this business has its pluses and minuses. You learn who is great to work with and maybe those to shy away from. But no matter how you handle it, going back to the trenches is no fun. After having two books published, I knew it was time to get back out there. I wrote something very different than my historical books, and I needed someone who would let me widen my brand. The quote I’ve shared is from that book. A YA Contemporary set in L.A. It still has a strong female lead, she’s just battling the paparazzi now instead of social boundaries. It took a few months until I finally connected with someone who got my story, but also understood my career goals. In the end, that’s what you want in an agent. Someone who can look past the current book and plan for your future. Don’t settle for any less. #pathtopublication #querying #publishing #writerlife #writersofinstagram #storyteller #yawriter #igauthor #igauthorlife https://www.instagram.com/p/B_NgwNjgZlO/?igshid=141esa8b8vnpb

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath Day 7: Research No matter what type of book you write, some element of research is required. Yes, it’s true that there is more with historical, but no matter the genre you still need tools to wordbuild. These are just a few of the books I used to do research for my second book, Across a Broken Shore. As you can tell by the flags, they were very helpful. Books weren’t the only resources I used. I watched documentaries and listened to oral histories to make sure my story was authentic. It does take a lot of time, and you fall down many rabbit holes, but it’s all worth it if you get a great story at the end! #acrossabrokenshore #yahistoricalfiction #yawriter #storyteller #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram #authorlife #pathtopublication https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Lc7phgXW2/?igshid=pqzl5gkouctz

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath Day 6 After the deal There are so many things that happen after you get a book deal. Contract negotiations. Do you keep English rights? World rights? How is your advance split up? This can all be new territory for a debut. It’s sort of mind boggling how much can go on before a contract is officially final. What happens next is eye-opening too. Usually what shows up is your edit letter. The timing on this varies. I know people who got their edit letter weeks after their deals. Others didn’t see it until months later. It depends on the house & how busy your editor is. Let’s say that your edit letter comes a month after your deal. This in my opinion is the hardest parts of the process. Most likely you’ve had a conversation with the editor about the changes, but in all honesty nothing prepared you for seeing it in black & white, & usually in multiple pages. At first, I freaked out. I’d spent years on this book and now I had weeks more of changes. It’s okay to have a small meltdown. Give yourself time. The best advice I can give is to make yourself a plan of how you plan to tackle the edits. I begin by writing a list with a box next to each item. I start with big picture changes regarding plot & conflict. I will then drill down to smaller things like character inconsistencies & dialogue issues. As I work, I go through and check off what I’ve completed. It helps organize things & gives me a sense of accomplishment. If you have questions or concerns, make a list. Have a conversation with your agent & discuss if a call with your editor is needed. Some agents may step out at this point and let you & the editor work one-on-one. The key is to communicate so everyone is on the same page. After your notes are clear, take a deep breath and start. Believe me, you can do it! #mywritepath #yawriter #writersofinstagram #storyteller #editletter https://www.instagram.com/p/B_IecyGgDII/?igshid=1hege8ctgighp

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath Day 6 After the deal There are so many things that happen after you get a book deal. Contract negotiations. Do you keep English rights? World rights? How is your advance split up? This can all be new territory for a debut. It’s sort of mind boggling how much can go on before a contract is officially final. What happens next is eye-opening too. Usually what shows up is your edit letter. The timing on this varies. I know people who got their edit letter weeks after their deals. Others didn’t see it until months later. It really depends on the house and how busy your editor is. Let’s say that your edit letter comes a month after your deal. This in my opinion can be one of the hardest parts of the process. Most likely you’ve had a conversation with the editor about what changes they want to see, but in all honesty nothing prepared you for seeing it in black & white, and usually in multiple pages. At first, I freaked out. I’d spent years on this book and now I had weeks more of changes. It’s okay to have a small meltdown. Give yourself time. Let the notes simmer in your brain. The best advice I can give is to make yourself a plan of how you are going to tackle the edits. I begin by writing a list with a box next to each item. Usually the first thing I look at are big picture changes regarding plot & conflict. I will eventually drill down to smaller things like character inconsistencies and dialogue issues. As I work, I go through and check off what I’ve completed. It helps organize things and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Again, this part of the process can be overwhelming. Give yourself time to let the notes marinate. If you have questions and/or concerns, make a list. After, have a conversation with your agent & discuss if a call with your editor is needed. Some agents may even step out at this point and let you and the editor work one-on-one. The key is to communicate so everyone is on the same page. After your notes are clear, take a deep breath and start. Believe me, if you’ve written and sold a book, you are more than ready to tackle an edit letter! #authorlife #writersofinstagram #editletter #writingcommunity #yawriter https://www.instagram.com/p/B_IdcMLAxHq/?igshid=31jx3xy7vxrz

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath Day 6 After the deal There are so many things that happen after you get a book deal. Contract negotiations. Do you keep English rights? World rights? How is your advance split up? This can all be new territory for a debut. It’s sort of mind boggling how much can go on before a contract is officially final. What happens next is eye-opening too. Usually what shows up is your edit letter. The timing on this varies. I know people who got their edit letter weeks after their deals. Others didn’t see it until months later. It really depends on the house and how busy your editor is. Let’s say that your edit letter comes a month after your deal. This in my opinion can be one of the hardest parts of the process. Most likely you’ve had a conversation with the editor about what changes they want to see, but in all honesty nothing can prepare you for seeing it in black & white, and usually in multiple pages. At first, I freaked out. I’d spent years on this book and now I had weeks more of changes. It’s okay to have a small meltdown. Give yourself time. Let the notes simmer in your brain. The best advice I can give is to make yourself a plan of how you are going to tackle the edits. I begin by writing a list with a box next to each item. Usually the first thing I look at are big picture changes regarding plot & conflict. I will eventually drill down to smaller things like character inconsistencies and dialogue issues. As I work, I go through and check off what I’ve completed. It helps organize things and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Again, this part of the process can be overwhelming. Give yourself time to let the notes marinate. If you have questions and concerns, make a list. After, have a conversation with your agent & discuss if a call with your editor is needed. Some agents may even step out at this point and let you and the editor work one-on-one. The key is to communicate so everyone is on the same page. After your notes are clear, take a deep breath and start. Believe me, if you’ve written and sold a book, you are more than ready to tackle an edit letter! #authorlife #writerlife #editletter #writersofinstagram #storyteller https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Ics76gV82/?igshid=j25vrrgdwb5y

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath : Day 5 Near misses and listening to your gut. If you’ve followed me on social media for a while, or read my blog, you know that my path to publication was not easy. I went on sub in December of 2014. I was on sub for over 18 months. I made two major revisions to NOTHING BUT SKY during that time. I even got an R&R, but in the end what the editor asked me to do did not fall in line with my vision for the book. So after much sadness, I knew the book had met its submission end. To say I was sick and sad would be putting it mildly. I knew there was a place for my book in the market, but I could never seem to get my “yes”. I gave up on it for a while, tried to write something new, but nothing came together. I ended up parting amicably with my agent, but Grace and Henry still haunted my dreams. They were simply characters who wouldn’t let go. I went back to the book and sent it to an editor friend who gave me great notes and told me I should keep trying. In one final effort, I sent the manuscript out to smaller presses who took unsolicited manuscripts. A few months later I was contacted by Flux and was told they were considering my book. A few weeks later, I got a call while I was in Costco. Flux wanted the book!!! I screamed. I cried. I frightened all the old women in the arctic cold produce room. 🥶 (You’ll get this if you’ve ever been to Costco!) That would only be the beginning of the process, but I felt like all those years of hoping and praying had finally paid off. Now the real work was ahead of me! #pathtopublication #writerlife #authorlife #storyteller #yastoryteller #yawriter #writingjourney #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram #authorsofinstagram #yaauthor https://www.instagram.com/p/B_F9FY0AYSy/?igshid=uy72j5u19jz8

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath : Day 4 The Query Trenches I could probably wallpaper a room with the number of query rejections I’ve received. Over a period of about four years, I queried two books before I went out with what would become my debut. I made all the rookie mistakes at first. Not enough conflict or stakes in the query. My hook was too bland. There was really nothing about those first books that were truly unique. When I started querying for Nothing But Sky, I reached out to people I trusted and asked for feedback. After all the notes were compiled, I polished that query over and over. My process was simple. I’d send out five and see what my request rate was. If it was zero, I knew I either had trouble with my query or pages. I reworked, and revised, and sent again. As my request rate ticked up, I knew something was working. The process itself took a long time. I wasn’t one of the lucky ones who connected with an agent right away. My first offer of rep. came six months after I started. So hang in there, the process can take a while. One of the biggest things that got me through the trenches was having writer friends to lean on. Quite honestly, your family and friends can be sympathetic, but nobody really knows the visceral pain of getting a full manuscript request and then the agent turning it down then another writer. So build your community because you are going to need them. One last thing...I was sort of dismayed by the fact that as I queried there weren’t a lot of successful examples to look at online. I wanted to remedy this, so I asked my author friends to share theirs. I now have 50 successful queries on my blog so that writers can get a feel for what works. If you are in the trenches, feel free to stop by my blog and check out the QUITE THE QUERY series at amytruebloodauthor.com And remember, keep working and keep writing. I do really believe in this quote from Ray Bradbury and agree that if you continue to work, you WILL reach your goal one day.💗 #pathtopublication #query #writerlife #authorlife #storyteller #yastoryteller #yawriter #writingjourney #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B_DPZ2HgA7K/?igshid=1s3mhtnojrum5

[atruebloodwrites]

#mywritepath - Day 3 Let’s talk first drafts. My first rule: They should always be messy. I sometimes like to call that first try a zero draft. It’s not about perfection but getting the story out of my head and on paper. What I usually find is that as I revise most things change, except for my first chapter. With both my published books, and the one currently on sub, my initial idea for the opening scene stayed the same. Dialogue & action changed a little, but that first scene that originally popped into my head remained. For both Nothing But Sky and Across a Broken Shore, the openings came to me quickly. I knew when and where they were supposed to take place and what the conflict was. For most people though, that doesn’t happen. Sometimes you have to play with an open. Try several ideas before you find out where the story really begins for your characters. One thing I feel very fortunate with in regards to NBS, is that the initial draft of Chapter One included a line that would become the title. That doesn’t always happen as I learned with my sophomore novel (where I struggled a lot with the title). That’s okay too. Titles are fickle things and often you have to play with lots of ideas before one fits! #authorlife #writerlife #writerprobs #writingcommunity #writershelpingwriters #bookcommunity #storyteller #pathtopublication #igauthorlife #writersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B_AhqemA0qK/?igshid=15lrul6i1dmpd

[atruebloodwrites]

Excited to join @timesnewrachel’s #mywritepath project. 🧡 Having the chance to sign a book with your name on it is an incredible moment. 🧡 The journey for my debut, NOTHING BUT SKY was a long one, and over the next ten days I’ll share specific details. 🧡 Today I want to talk about chasing a dream. I think if you want to be a writer, you think about the day you’ll be able to sign a book with your name on it. 🧡 I came to the writing game very late. I’d worked in entertainment and advertising for years before I decided I wanted to focus on my passion. 🧡 As many writers do, they think that first book is going to be THE ONE. Then the rejections start coming and coming and coming. It really is a tough business and hard on the tender, creative heart. 🧡 Through all the ups and downs, I tried to remind myself why I wanted to write. That my stories would one day find their hands into readers’ hands. It would happen for me eventually, but there would be a lot of heartbreak before I got to place my biplane stamp & sign my name! 🧡 My story is a tale of perseverance, but also in the belief that some books you just can’t let go! 🧡 Stay tuned as I share more of my journey in the days ahead! And P.S. - it’s NEVER TOO LATE to follow your dreams! 🧡 🧡 🧡 #nothingbutsky #authorlife #writinglife #writerlife #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #pathtopublishing #storyteller #authorofinstagram #igauthorlife #followyourpassion https://www.instagram.com/p/B-72ZPwAFIs/?igshid=1cuyu3wuzuwjw