THE CRUSADE OF THE LOST MANUSCRIPTS - by Janice M. Wilson

MY NOVEL!  JUST KILL ME ALREADY!

A few years ago, back in the day when laptops were rarely seen and only a lucky few had them, much less a home computer – I watched a movie about a writer who had put his entire newly written novel onto his laptop.  In a few seconds he managed to trip and the laptop went flying out of his hands onto the street. Before he could stand up a truck ran over the computer, flattening it and the novel was gone forever.  The anguish the man suffered was properly conveyed on the screen, and I’m sure every writer in the world could feel his pain.

What am I going to do now?

I sat there wondering – didn’t he at least print that novel or save it on a floppy? (I just aged myself even more, didn’t I?)

All that hard work -  95,000 words - and I never even had it printed!

Well, I took it to heart. I made a regular habit to back up my writings religiously to a computer, flash drive (these days), and at least 1 email to myself to save it electronically.   The latter I did mostly for access purposes to write on something from wherever I am.  Now we have ‘clouds’, but by either email or uploading into cyberspace, it still saved my work regardless of the reason.

THEN I WAS ROBBED!

"Where's the diary, Dr. Jones?
"WHAT DIARY?"
"You have it - in your pocket."

Bandits supposedly broke into my house and stole all the electronics in the house (mine and a roommates), including my laptop.

I feel so............nothing. 

I had backed up everything up until about 4 weeks before the break in.

My flashdrive was (thankfully!) in another location of the house, and inconspicuously hidden, so the backed up work was not all lost. Not all, but that’s another whole story.

Thank God I remembered where he kept the extra copy!

And they couldn’t take my back-ups on email.   I changed my passwords immediately anyway but still – it was tucked away in e-pockets they never would know about.

They will never find it - right HERE!

The only thing I lost were updated drafts of a few things I had written that last few weeks up to the day of the break-in.  That I would have to rewrite again. (sigghhhh)

I need what's in here - on the paper, Dr. Jones!

PLUS – the laptop had a password login protection.  If they still got in, then stolen my copyrights – I’d have proof of about 98% of it that it was mine.  Snagged.  Done deal.  Pay up at the court window.

Snagged! Turn over the rights, son!

I miss some of those things I just about finished, and now have to re-start from old drafts.  This crime was not just of techy value, but a jab to the soul, a crime of the heart.

My new work is gone.

But take heart - this evolved me too, so good things came out of it.

The Importance of our Creative Work

Each piece is a new baby, needing attention, some love for it from the heart, sunlight and growth (editing), and to be seen.  I took a lot of time brain storming and crafting each piece, which entitles any artist to be very upset when work is plagiarized or entirely disappears.

Willie was right! This diamond is so perfect, it glows!

Not just written pieces but all kinds of art work should be photographed, logged and saved in several different places.

How dependent I had become to digital.

This robbery also showed me just how much I had become dependent on digital.  Too dependent.  I was forced to revert to my old legal pad and good pens days, the good old days.

Let me tell you – I still wrote a lot by hand.  I even appreciated being able to write on a tablet of paper when I would have previously been worried about knocking over drinks onto my laptop, but it wasn’t a problem for a few weeks.

Oh be serious!....I'm perfectly able to...........write.......um...without my compu......ummmm.

Plus I had the written proof of a few new ideas that are MINE!

I started 4 stories on paper.  (Of course when I finally got a laptop I typed them into documents.)  By sheer determination to keep going despite my lack of digital freedom.  

I'm going back in - by hand!

It took some getting used to again, and my mind was faster than my hand so it was a little frustrating and I had to keep making little notes of bigger points/plots so I didn’t forget anything, but I still managed to write at least 1 legal pad full of stories.

Drawing....(ehem) DRAFTING ideas for a story.  Yep!

I had to – or I would have burst.

Crap - She waited too long!

Inventory it!

Keep some kind of manuscript log.  This is another way of not only keeping dibs on what you send out into the cold dark cyber world, but a simple spreadsheet can help you keep track of when it was sent, to whom, how long of a response time to expect, simultaneous submissions allowed, money earned or spent, contests, etc. 

I know I sent that story to an anthology sometime in.......

Make it work for you!  And back that up into a hidden corner as well.

........and now I just have to find that manuscript in a shoe box in my garage....
.....it's in here somewhere....

Tag it!

One of the first things the Detective asked me was the description of the laptop and did I have any kind of ID numbers saved so they can maybe track it and capture the criminal and my property.

I didn’t have those numbers, although I did lock the screen and changed all my passwords. Still, that was a dumb move on my part.   Learn from my mistake here.  Take pictures of all S/N numbers, Windows Product ID, service ID and the kind of computer you have and all the tags on it.

I'll laser my name onto my laptop!

Same for your smaller toys.  Send yourself an email to several places with those pics and typed information, load it in the clouds, hire a personal security team to guard it or hide it in your shoes.  Whatever way you fancy, keep some kind of documentation records of your pertinent toys, and keep them relatively accessible in case of a robber or plagiarist.

If this (God-forbid) ever happens to me again – they will be BUSTED quickly!

I want my laptop back!  YOU would have done the same!

I Have To Create

SIMPLY PUT-  I HAVE TO WRITE or I will implode or something equally horrific! No robbers, doctors, surgeons, faith healers, or plagiarizers could possibly stop this disease I have.  I really don’t want them to try either.

(See my story in September about NEVER KEEPING A WRITER FROM WRITING!)

Triple-quadruple backup everything!

The Good News!

I did finally get a new computer – and it took 2 months but well worth the wait because it was exactly what I needed for so many things!

I know it's my medallion but it's for my new laptop!

I had to save for it and do some research, dodging several slick salespeople, and serious flash saving but I did it, sacrificing some needs and comforts to buy it!

At last - back on the Wifi and writing again!

The prize to the one who finds my old computer!

Oh, I would kiss him for a lot less of a reason!

Life After Blogging

I recognize the irony of writing a blog post to talk about how I'm going to be blogging less.

I do.

But...I'm going to write this anyway, despite the self-consciousness inherent in public proclamations. It's uncomfortable, but I'll deal.

"And From Here Onward, I Will Be Doing Thus And So"

Yeah, whatever. Just get on with it already. And I will get on with my revised approach to blogging   just as soon as I take a couple minutes to explain why.

I've been blogging more-or-less consistently for six years, and overall, it's fun. I like it. I mean, some days it's like pulling teeth, but capturing my thoughts on a subject and condensing them to 500 - 1000 words is a good exercise.

And when people read and respond, it's golden!

So why do I want to do less of something I obviously enjoy? Because I'm primarily a fiction writer, not a blogger, and if I'm going to be writing 500 - 1000 words on a regular basis, I'd like to be working on books, not blog posts.

There are only so many hours in a day.

Blogging was my way of easing myself into writing fiction. Back in 2009 - 2010 I had a couple of blogs I posted to infrequently, and as far as I could tell, no one read them but me. They got me writing, and more importantly, they got me used to the idea that others might read my writing, so they served their purpose.

My first novella was published in 2012, and to help promote it I took a blogging class with Kristen Lamb. I learned a ton from her and made some long-standing friends in that class. Kristen teaches her students to build their audience by blogging regularly about the things they're passionate about. Over the last few years I've tried to follow that model, but it's a challenge.

At the end of last year, my blogging energy was low, but I renewed my commitment by developing a business plan (jump HERE to check it out). I started  posting to my blogger site several times a week as part of my strategy to broaden my social media reach. In addition, I'm part of two group blogs, here with the RelentlessWriters and with the SpellboundScribes so I had plenty of opportunity to throw my words up on the interwebs and let people know I'm here.

Since I'm passionate about all things writing, I did opinion pieces, discussed craft, wrote book reviews, and serialized a couple short stories. My blog was linked to Triberr, and when I published a post there'd be 30-40 other bloggers who'd tweet the link. So yay! My brand was getting out there, but despite some success, again my enthusiasm sputtered.

Actually, the sputtering started after King Stud came out. See, I love that book, and I'm absolutely pleased and excited by everyone who bought a copy. It's just that there weren't very many of you. The reviews were solid, the cover art rocks, and I was blogging my butt off to support it, but not getting a whole lot of return.

I had a new publisher, Evernight, and the authors' group enthusiastically supports each other, so I started posting new release promos from other authors. As much as I love spreading the news when my friends have new releases, I started to feel like my blog was mostly about advertising, and not about ME.

And really, it's all about ME.

Maybe? Yeah, no. It's not all about me, but when it came down to it, I felt like my efforts were contributing a lot of noise without saying very much. At the same time, I've noticed that the writers I admire most only blog when they have something to say. They don't apologize for posting infrequently, either. Their best  posts are framed as "this caught my attention and this is what I think about it". And then they write something really good.

Sorry I forgot my blog again!

There may be some writers who've found success with the blogsalot strategy, but it's not working for me. I don't know if the problem is consistency or quality or maybe it's my expectations. At any rate, the framework I built my business plan around was plan-do-check-act, which gives me the flexibility to try something new if I'm not meeting my goals.

For the next few months, at least, I'm only going to blog when I have something to say, and I'm not going to feel bad about it. I'm going to focus on writing and improving my craft. I'll honor my group blog commitments, and I'll blog to support my upcoming releases, but I've disconnected from Triberr and I'm not going to stack promo posts.

I do feel a little guilty (eldest child of an Irish-Catholic family and all) but overall I'm relieved. I've got two upcoming releases - Home for the Holidays, a benefit anthology supporting the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth in NYC, and The Secret of Obedience, an m/m novella that'll be out at the end of the month from Evernight so I'll be busy with promotion and working on my next project.

I also recently started a mailing list, figuring that would be a way of letting interested people know what Liv Rancourt is up to. Jump HERE if you'd like to sign up. (No spam, I promise! Just excerpts and freebies and giveaways!) Again, it's about flexibility. I'm going to keep trying new ideas till I find something that clicks.

What works for you? Blogging? Facebook? Twitter? Leave me a comment so I can steal your ideas. (lol!)

A day in the life of a writer...

So it's time for NaNoWriMo, that annual event where something on the order of 300,000 writers set themselves the goal of completing a 50,000 word novel in the month of November.

300,000 writers, but I'm not one of them.

I'm tempted, but in the five years since I've been writing more-or-less seriously, it always seems like I've got a big revision project planned for November, rather than drafting something new. I'm a great #NaNo cheerleader, though!

One of the other Relentless Writers was on our Facebook page looking for writing companionship this morning, and my comment was a laundry list of all the reasons I wouldn't be writing today. Which got me thinking about all the things that go into being a working writer, the things that DON'T involve putting words on the page.

With that in mind, here's my to-do list for today...

Quick background...Here at Chez Rancourt we're in the middle of a major remodel, and this week we're having the hardwoods on the main floor refinished. I'm typing this on my son's gaming desktop in the basement, my lovely king-sized Sleep Number bed is set up a couple feet behind me, and the whole place is vibrating with the sound of heavy machinery. Granted, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event (I HOPE!), but it does illustrate how you sometimes have to fit your passion in and around real life...

0400 - I'm awake because my brain hasn't made the leap to standard time. I check my phone - yes, I'm one of those freaks - and see there's a message from a free-lance editor I've been trying to contact. Yay! I lay back down and try to get more sleep, but end up reading the book I've agreed to review.

0600 - The son's alarm goes off. He's in the guest room so I hear it and get up. He just turned sixteen and he's getting ready for his driving test, which means I get to ride in the passenger seat while he drives to school. Riding in the rain at rush hour with a teen driver is not for the faint of heart, however I do appreciate the fact that it's daylight. Thank you, time change. Before we leave the house I reply to the editor, and on the way to school she emails me back. That project moves a step further.

0800 - After dropping the kid off, I drive across town to our veterinarian's office, where Ed the puppy is going to have his manhood revised. Sorry Ed. I get there early and coax the little dude into a kennel, then do some more reading while I wait for the vet to arrive. She assures me they can manage him so I take off, and right about the time I get home she calls to tell me he's freaking out and won't let them near the kennel. Did I mention he's a feisty German Shepherd? I drive back to the vet's but this time I bring my secret weapon, my oldest kid, the Puppy Whisperer. Within about 12 seconds of our arrival, she's got a muzzle on the puppy and things are back on track. I read - I'm only to about the 40% point and the book releases today - and then take my kid out for breakfast as a reward.

1000 - Back home to write a blog post. I download Gimp to the desktop so I can make a thematically appropriate image for the post, and also so I can work on some teaser promos for one of my two upcoming releases. I've got the edits back on one of the releases, but going through them will take longer than I have right now.

From here I'm going to describe how I think things will happen. This is all subject to change...

1200 - I'll pick the oldest up from her volunteer gig at the feral cat rescue and take her to catch the bus for school. Then I'll go to my BFFs house to wait for the furnace guy to show up, since she has to work today. I'll have my laptop with me, and with any luck I'll make some headway on the edits while I'm waiting.

1400 - I should be back home, and I should be editing. I've gotta get this project turned around, because tomorrow I'll be working the day job and the rest of the week will be complicated by the fact that we're going to have to move to my parents' house while they stain the floors. I've got two day jobs, technically. One's about 3/4 time and the other is per diem, and it seems like the busier I am with writing, the more they want me to work. Because that's how life rolls.

1600 - Pick up the Puppy Whisperer from school so she can come with me bring Ed home. I expect we'll all have a mellow evening huddled together in the basement. At least there won't be heavy machinery operating overhead. I'll finish the review book and maybe poke at some edits or work on some teasers. There's always something to do.

And that's the bottom line. There's always something to do. In the course of the day, I'll have exercised my people-management skills, my editing brain, my (limited) graphics talent, and (arguably) my humor-writing chops. I'll throw in some parenting and - since the husband has the flu - a little nursing on the side. I will also buy toilet paper, because we're out.

TMI?

But I won't be putting down 1600 words, which is what you need to average daily to make your NaNo goal. Maybe if they ran it in February...

Peace out!
Liv



So what about you? Are you doing NaNoWriMo? What's your secret for balancing work and writing and life?

How do you NaNo? Or rather, writing as a social exercise....

Writers, brace yourselves!

It's that time of the year again... pumpkins abound, ghosts and vampires and blue-clad Let-It-Go-singing toddlers all over the place...

Yes, that's right! It's almost November, time for the 

National Novel Writing Month! 

Our very own Lisa has already posted a bunch of stuff you can do before November 1st and that dreaded Empty Page moment. I'm not going to bother you with the Stack of Things To do Before You Embark on the Adventure (although I could tell you plenty about what I like to do beforehand...). 

Instead, I want to ask you (whether or not you plan to NaNo this year or if you ever did) about your social habits...your writerly social habits, that is. 

Many writing groups I've come across (ok, maybe that's because I DO, in fact, NaNo) have their roots in NaNoWriMo feedback/discussion/encouragement groups. Writing a novel in a month is very much set up as a social exercise, with twitter sprints and forums and a general sharing of the ways and woes of writing over 1600 words a day in order to reach that elusive 50 000 word deadline. 

So here's what I want to talk about today: How (much) do you talk about your writing? 

I have a few good friends who occasionally get thrown a chapter or two of what I'm working on. I'm also notoriously unable to finish my stories so there's no actual proper first draft of anything for anyone to read (bad Tessa, I know). Lots and lots of stories that hang somewhere between idea and three-quarters done, but nothing that deserves to be called "first draft" of anything. 

What I am known to do, however, is talk about writing in general, my characters (and how annoying they are at times), my (endless) list of ideas and all the little things that surround you when you write.

I blog both here and (occasionally) on my own blog, and I've been known to tweet (@tessasblurb), too. Lately I've been pretty bad at both, but I plan on pulling through this November. 

How do you do it? Do you talk about your writing? Online, with friends, with family? Who is allowed to read your work, and at which point do you let a story leave your hands to face the steely gaze of someone not you? 

I'm actually very leery of letting anyone read what I write - I'm always, always, absolutely convinced that my writing is rubbish, my story is inconsistent, and my characters are complete and utter (unlikeable) morons. I do give out bits and pieces, scenes, mostly, but hardly ever more. I also tend to get (very) stuck if I show my writing to someone when I'm only half done. 

Worst case scenario: letting family read it. I don't know why, but that thought really scares me. 

*shudders*

What about you? Anyone who's most definitely last on the list of who gets to read your story? Someone who's always first? 

And what about the flip side? Do you like giving feedback on other people's writing? Are you always completely honest or do you sugar-coat? Are you a "Grammar Nazi" or do you focus on the story and the characters? 

When you ask for feedback, what exactly are you looking for? Someone to proofread, or someone to tell you, honestly, where your story doesn't jibe? 

And here's a really difficult question: How do you deal with criticism? (I know I suck at not taking things personally, even though I KNOW I should not...)

Let me know what you think of the social side of writing, and the ins and outs of sharing your work (before it's published), I'd love to know! 

Ciao, 

Tessa