Writing is Expensive...

WRITING IS EASIER WHEN YOU HAVE MONEY…

Okay, that is not entirely true, but when the time comes that you have to pay for someone to edit your crazy ramblings, money makes all the difference in the world. You could go with a high-end editor who you trust will catch everything, or you could go with a low-end editor who you pray will catch just enough of your mistakes that your writing is not distracting to the reader.

Recently, our family has been hit by several financial responsibilities and to add to that burden, I have chosen to stay at home with the boys, eliminating our second income. If only writing paid as much and I could continue not to worry. But ah, some things must take a backseat. And so my writing must take its turn as well. I have decided to continue publishing my MG manuscript in July, but without the aid of any paid editors at this time. So basically, it will not be perfect. But I am okay with that. I never got in this business because I wanted to make money. I am a good enough writer to catch most mistakes most normal non-writer readers would notice, and so I must press on with what I have.

And oddly, I am peace with that decision. The great thing about self-publishing is that if errors are found, they can be fixed easily enough. As far as making a mark on the world although, I feel this book will not be the one, which is sad because it is amazing and full of sentimental moments that kids do not get enough of in entertaining, everyday writings of middle-grade authors.

I hope that my small base of fans will still support me and I will earn just enough to keep writing.  That’s the goal. Feed my need. Writing has become much more important since I have made the decision to stay at home. It will be my only outlet, and it will be much more personal when that writing is rejected by others. It will also push me that much more to do better and to become better.

Cheers to making the right decision, even when the world tells you it is ridiculous and hard. Cheers to writing and the brave world of self-discovery that it is.

Cheers! 

Jenny

Editing is Hard....

Sometimes editing makes me want to crawl in a hole and die. 

I just submitted my MG Novel to an editor, expensive and exciting, and I am waiting to see if they are the perfect match. While I wait, I am going through lots of edits for my YA romance/mystery “Diving for Love”.

And phew, I am in the thick of edits. Hundreds of little things to change and a handful of big rocks to mull over and apply throughout the whole manuscript. And as I make these big changes, deadly thoughts often come into a new author’s mind to give up.

It’s too hard.

They hate my writing. 

Your students write better than you do. (This one comes more than you’d think.)

And I could give up, but I wasn’t made for that!

If you are going to keep going, you have to start looking for the reasons why you love writing. And my biggest motivator is going back to those favorite chapters or scenes that you wrote that were spot on…and brilliant.

So as I continue to write in a mud puddle of inky mess, here are some brilliant one-liners from my current WIP that I love and that help me remember that I need to keep going with this writing thing. 

These excerpts are pulled from the chapter where the main character is meeting her new love interest’s mom who is kind of a witch! Fun, right? 

The door opened, and a lady dressed in a knee-length black dress and clickety hills peered out at me. Skinny as a fishing rod with short blonde hair that fell in waves around her shoulders. She was the perfect opposite of a modern housewife. Manicured nails that had probably never touched more than mineral bath water, hair that was completely in place, and clothes that never went on sale.

She blinked a few times before looking at the plate of cookies like they were chocolate-covered cockroaches. She noticeably gritted her teeth, making her look like a skinny horse chewing on straw.

Mrs. Williams face straightened immediately and the fake smile came back. “Well aren’t you as cute as a bug.” Her sugary, sweet temperament set my teeth on edge, and I couldn’t help picturing myself in bug form, being squashed by her stiletto heels.

A few seconds after, the door swung open and I turned to see Mrs. Williams coming toward me, her green eyes flashing. She looked like a bull ready to attack, and I didn’t want to become aftermath on Sam’s front lawn.

Comment below and I’ll message you the whole chapter