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Category Archives: Pep Talk

Be passionate about your writing – Taylor Hondos

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Dear Writers,

I hope this pep talk will inspire you and keep you going during this time.

I want to say how proud I am of all of you and most of all, impressed. I have never participated in NaNoWriMo, but I will be participating next year! Life is a busy thing and I am so impressed that you have decided to dedicate this month to writing. Congratulations.

As a writer, I find it hard to settle down into the writing mode during the day, so I choose to write at night. In a way, my senses come alive and the recollections of the day brings me ideas. This works for me but most importantly, what works for you? As a start, find the time of day that works best for you.

It’s always scary when you sit down and write a novel but don’t be afraid because if this story is something you’re passionate about then you will prevail. There comes a time when I don’t want to write, so I read. Sometimes it is best to just relax and not think about writing for a moment. After I do this, I sit down and I’m ready to write. My inspiration comes from those moments of peace and quiet. When I take long drives, or sit in silence, or even stare outside, my mind is calm, until an idea springs up. Then my mind is racing and I nearly jump into my seat to write it down.

Sometimes (and somehow) the hardest thing to do is begin to write; to find the desire or courage to start writing. For this, I feel like I have found my antidote. I tell myself why I began to write this book. I sit down in front of my computer and open the tab of my book. From there, I read the chapter I am on. Somehow, this gets my heart into the book and it goes from there. It is best if I write every day to keep the passion alive. My advice is to write every day, so the passion is kindled.

In my experience, if you’re passionate about what you’re writing, then you can make it to the end. My best advice is that if you feel like your work is falling a little flat, then step back from it for an hour or even the rest of the day. Relax. Do something you love or spend time with positive people and come back refreshed to write.

When you make it to the end, the feeling is nothing short of euphoria.  The feeling of accomplishment will last a lifetime. So sit back and write this novel because you CAN do it.

I wish you the best of luck and remember to feel proud of what you accomplish.

Yours truly,

Taylor Hondos

 

taylorProfessional life-contemplator, book enthusiast and coffee drinker. Taylor Hondos lives in North Carolina with her family and dog, Blackie. When she am not writing, you can find her reading in the corner, searching endlessly for new books to read or binge watching Sex and the City. “Antidote” is her first novel.

Learn more at – http://www.taylorhondos.com/ 

About Antidote

Life sucks, and then you rot. No one knows how Dermadecatis is contracted, but its existence has changed everything for 18-year-old Lena, in this riveting debut from Taylor Hondos.

No contact with other people.

Masks must be worn in public at all times.

Four months ago men, women and children alike began to rot from the inside out, and the world as we know it changed forever. Life goes on, but now everything revolves around the need to survive and find a cure for Dermadecatis, the disease that Lena Alona’s father discovered.

Unfortunately for Lena and everyone else who is desperate to survive, her father’s secrets died when he did.

Pep Talk: Being Published Doesn’t Legitimize Your Writing – Kyra Nelson

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Sometimes I’m embarrassed to tell people I’m a writer. This is not a good thing. Yet, I think it’s something that a lot of writers struggle with. Why do we do this? Why is it hard to own up to the fact that we like to write stories?

I tend to think that once I have an agent, I’ll feel more legitimate and I won’t be afraid to tell people that I’m a writer. Or maybe when I have a book deal. Or maybe when I’m published. Maybe if I hit the bestsellers list…

This is a stupid mentality to have. I feel like nobody will take me seriously as an author unless I’m published. But people can say they like playing basketball even if they aren’t in the NBA. They can say they like playing piano without being a concert pianist. What makes writing different?

I think it’s because writing seems like this sort of mystical process. People know that a basketball player has to master their jump shot and a pianist has to master their scales. Everyone is aware just how many hours it takes to master these skills. Nobody seems to know what skills a writer has to practice, though, or just how many hours go into learning how to write.

Because most people don’t understand what it takes to be a great writer, they tend to think anybody could write a book if they felt like it. That attitude rubs off on us writers and gives us unrealistic expectations about our craft. We feel like our writing isn’t worth mentioning unless it’s been somehow legitimized by the publishing industry, be that through having an agent or having great sales.

The truth is, though, that if you write, you’re a writer. You don’t need to wait for some sort of legitimization from the publishing industry or the reading community or whoever to claim authorhood. I have a personal goal to own my love of writing more than I do now. I hope you do too.

Because you’re a writer. And even if nobody else recognizes it, that’s pretty cool.

snow profileKyra Nelson in a YA author and freelance editor. She spent two years interning for A+B Works literary agency and has helped teach publishing industry classes at Brigham Young University. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in linguistics and is researching vocabulary in YA literature.

Pep Talk: Getting Ready For NaNoWriMo – Hannah Davies

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It feels like we only just had Camp NaNoWriMo in July (where did August and most of September go?!) but in just over a month it’ll be National Novel Writing Month. Maybe you don’t know what story you’re planning on working on yet. Maybe you’ve picked but will more than likely change your mind another six times before going back to the same one you chose in the first place. Whether you’re a pantser or a plotter, there’s definitely some things you can be doing to get ready.

PINTEREST

It wouldn’t be a pep talk from me without a mention about Pinterest. This is an invaluable tool for the plotter or the pantser; you can start building inspiration for your story and if you have several ideas, using Pinterest is a really good radar for which story is holding your attention or tickling your muses the most. It’s also great to have a moodboard to fall back on during Nano if you get stuck or lack inspiration.

A WRITING COMMUNITY

This is something that’s really great about Camp Nano. Find some people who will also be attempting Nano. Make sure they’re going to encourage you, and that you can do the same. It doesn’t have to be a Taylor Swift size squad of authors – just a close few friends or peers that can keep you accountable and kick your butt if needs be. Also, remember that you need to be that friend in return.

START WRITING NOW

One of the biggest reasons I struggled with winning in the past was because for the month before November I didn’t write regularly. Try to get into the habit of writing every day or at least every other. Set small goals for yourself so that the bigger goals of Nano won’t seem so cray-cray.

DO SOME PLANNING (even if the thought of it makes you feel ill)

Whether you’re a pantser and just like to see where the story goes, or you’re the kind of writer that has a three hundred year backdated family tree for your characters, a little planning goes a long way. There’s lots of ways you can approach this:

  • Post-its with key scene ideas you have
  • Spider diagrams for characters
  • *whispers* an outline of your story arc if you like that sort of thing
  • Have I mentioned Pinterest?

PLAN SOME MORE (I’m sorry)

This time, I’m not talking about actually considering the main bones of a story, I’m talking about planning your month. Are you going to write every day? Will you fit it in before classes or work, or in the evening. Start thinking about when you write best, when you’re most energetic. If you know that for the first week you’re going to have early starts, plan around them. A little forward thinking will really help you out when you’re in the thick of it.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW

Software and stationary aren’t the be all and end all, but a writer should feel comfortable with their tools. If you’ve always used word but find you’re saving each chapter in a separate document and losing track, maybe something like Scrivener would work better for you. But remember – November 1st is not the time to start experimenting so if you want to try out something different this NaNoWriMo (such as Scrivener or WriteOrDie), make sure you test it out before.

GET READING

There are so many good writing guides out there with practical advice for aspiring authors. On Writing by Stephen King is a great one, and Erica Crouch is releasing a guide to help writers survive their first draft – just in time for Nano! In these prelude months, it’s a good time to start focusing and following the lead of authors who have been there and can offer some great tips.

READ SOME MORE

Read for fun too! They (whoever ‘they’ are) say, ‘read in your genre’. This might be tricky if you’re going to leave it to the last minute to choose a story, but if you continue to read the books you love, chances are your own prose will develop!

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

I know it sounds cheesy but a healthy body does really lead to a healthy mind. Start getting into the habit of getting enough sleep and drinking lots of water. This increases brain function which naturally leads to novels that are ten times more awesome*. Getting yourself in an endless cycle of writing until 4am and struggling through on energy drinks and junk food is a quick fix and probably not one that will see you through to a victory. Prioritize your health now and reap the benefits in November.

*not scientifically proven

hannahHannah Davies is an English Literature student and a junior editor at independent publisher PATCHWORK PRESS. When not working or studying, she can usually be found creating new recipes, marathoning TV series, or mothering everyone around her.

Hannah writes Young Adult and New Adult titles, generally science fiction, fantasy, or contemporary with magical twists. She’s a sucker for a retelling of any kind and loves to see ancient mythology brought to a modern setting.

Her debut short story was published in the PATCHWORK PRESS anthology Polaris Awakening in May 2015.

Pep Talk: Don’t Quit – Janice Gable Bashman

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I’m often asked at conferences and other speaking engagements: “How do you keep on writing when it is such a difficult business?”

I usually tell the story about the Magic Pencil. It’s about how when I was young I’d look at a pencil and think it was magical. I imagined all the words the pencil could write, all the stories it could create. Then I thought of all the magic pencils out in the world and all the books they had written. I wanted a magic pencil of my own so I could create that magic. Of course, I realized the magic wasn’t in the pencil, but I never imagined I could possess that magic. I had always thought it belonged to others. Until one day I realized that magic was inside me.

In order to keep on writing when it’s such a difficult business, you have to hold onto the magic you feel when writing. It will lead to inspiration and a desire to continue creating stories.

But as we all know, there’s more to it than magic. You also need to:

  1. Remember Why You Are Writing—You write because you love to write, because you have something meaningful to say. Write the story you want to tell and the story you would want to read, the story that makes you feel excited. It takes a long time to write (and research) a novel and you need that excitement to sustain you. When writing PREDATOR, I had to research bog bodies (how they were preserved and how the people died—most were murdered) and the Benandanti mythology (an actual folkloric belief that certain families of Italy and Livonia were werewolves who fought against evil). Then I had to figure out how to give the Benandanti mythology a new twist and combined it with a modern scientific approach to mutation and the science of transgenics. Once I figured that out, I created a story that was fast-paced with lots of action, romance, and suspense, so that I could make the book a fun read, not only for myself but for my readers.
  1. Believe in Yourself—Believe that you can write what you set out to write and that you are good enough. Have faith that you can do it, even during those times when it seems like your goals are out of reach. They are not as far away as you think.
  1. Remember that Publishing is a Business—Try not to take rejection too personally. There are dozens of reasons why your book may be rejected. Don’t automatically assume it’s because you’re a horrible writer.
  1. Be Persistent— Push through the tough times. Your first novel may not get published; the second or third may not either. Look at it as a learning experience, time you have put into mastering your craft. Then buckle up for another great ride and write the next book.

As Andre Dubus said in the following quote, which I have taped to my computer monitor:

“Don’t quit. It’s very easy to quit during the first 10 years. Nobody cares whether you write or not, and it’s very hard to write when nobody cares on way or the other. You can’t get fired if you don’t write, and most of the time you don’t get rewarded if you do. But don’t quit.”

janice bashmanJanice Gable Bashman is the Bram Stoker nominated author of Predator (Month9Books 2014) and Wanted Undead or Alive, with New York Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry (Citadel Press 2010). She is publisher of The Big Thrill (International Thriller Writers’ magazine). Her short fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Mystery Writers of America, Horror Writers Association, and the International Thriller Writers, where she serves on the board of directors as Vice President, Technology.

Pep Talk: Suck It Up – Bethany Crandell

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Feeling blue about this whole ‘writer’ thing, eh?

Well, if you were hoping for a delicate, stroke-your-hair kind of pep-talk over a bottle of chardonnay and some scented candles, than I’ve got some bad news for you.  I’m not here to soothe your writerly woes*. In fact, the only reason I’m here is to tell you the truth about being a writer…and exactly why you can’t quit.

Here’s the skinny: Being a writer sucks.

It sucks to fall face first into a plot hole you can’t seem to climb out of.

It sucks when agents (finally!) respond to your toiled-over query with a generic, “It’s not right for me,” email.

It sucks when yesterday your manuscript was a brilliant, future best-seller and today it’s little more than a 12 point, double-spaced pile of horse sh*t.

It sucks when everyone you know is getting a new agent/deal/sale/option.

It sucks that no one in your real life understands why you’re so stressed/anxious/depressed all the time.

It sucks that SUBJECTIVE has become a four letter word.

See…it sucks.

Except for when it doesn’t.

Like that day when your characters finally kiss. The giggles that escape your blushing cheeks the very moment your fingers pause on the keyboard and their lips press against the other’s for the first time doesn’t suck at all. In fact, it’s pretty amazing.

And that feeling you get when someone not related/married/in-debt to you reads your book and tells you they loved it…that doesn’t suck either. Not at all.

And of course there’s that indescribable sense of accomplishment that comes when you type those glorious words, THE END, and it finally dawns on you that you’ve done something huge; something that is completely unique and born solely from your own imagination. Something that no one else in the world can claim as their own. That most definitely does not suck.

Of course there will be days when you think the struggle isn’t worth it anymore. You will scream to the heavens that it’s not fair, or that life would be so much easier if you didn’t want this so bad. Thing is…you do want it, bad, and no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to shake that desire because being a storyteller is in your DNA. It’s literally part of the fabric that makes you who you are; it’s sandwiched right there between the color of your eyes and your disdain for Lionel Richie. And even if you abandon your notebook forever, you would still be crafting stories in your head and in your heart. So the way I see it, you might as well get them on paper because at least then there’s a chance you’ll get paid for them. (Seven-figure deals…obviously).

So, my fellow writers, do yourself a solid and suck it up. I promise it’s worth it.

 

*(And for the record, despite my above bluntness, I am not that friend who will tell you that your butt looks big in your jeans. Although…come on, we both know that just because you can get into the jeans doesn’t mean they actually fit.)

bethany crandellBethany and her husband Terry live in San Diego with their two daughters and a chocolate Labrador who has no consideration for personal space. She writes Young Adult novels because the feelings that come with life’s ‘first’ times are too good not to relive again and again. Bethany eats too much guacamole, thrives on tear-inducing laughter, and is still waiting for Jake Ryan to show up at her door

Pep Talk: Never Forget Why You Write – Katie Sise

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You write because you love to write, and don’t ever forget it: It’s what makes you a writer.

I understand wanting to be published, because it was the thing I wanted for so many years, just like maybe you do now. But the further I get into publishing, the more I realize how important it is to remember that I write because it’s my love. So wherever you are on your way to your publishing goals, this post is to remind you to always remember your love of writing, because it’s by far the most wonderful and precious part of the process, and it deserves to be protected.

Writing the story is where the joy is: Putting pencil to paper; watching the plot unfold; and creating characters from scratch. When you catch yourself feeling dissatisfaction with something you’ve believe is lacking from your writing career, (like having an agent or a publishing contract), focus on the joy of writing and the luxury of being able to do it every single day.

It’s all about the writing.

I bet, if you’re like me, that you’ve felt the desire to write since you were a child. Maybe you’ve been writing every day since you learned how. Just think about how pure that desire is. Creativity is like that – it’s a mix of love and joy, and sometimes even spirituality. Writing makes us feel connected. So don’t mistake being published as the thing that makes you a writer. You’re a writer because you write. If you’re continuously putting pencil to paper to create stories that you love, then you’re just as much of a writer as I am, or any other author whose name you’ve seen on bookstores’ shelves.

I’m not saying that being published isn’t a worthy goal, because it is. Having ambitious goals can create great things, and you must be the one to set those goals for yourself. But finding the value of where you are now in your creative process is one of the greatest things that writing has taught me. And if you’re thinking: easy for you to say, I promise you, I’ve been there. After college, my practical college roommates landed great jobs and law school admissions while I stocked potato chips on the shelves of Wal-Mart for my Uncle Doug’s potato chip company so I could save enough money to move to New York City and become a writer/actress. (My hair smelled like snack food for three months straight.) It was a long but great road to getting published, because I got to write the whole time, every day! No one could stop me from writing! And no one can stop you!

Another thing: I need this post just as much as you do.

That feeling of, “I’ll just be happy when I get there,” is a force to be reckoned with, and sometimes, in the moment of looking for that next big thing that would make me happy in my career, I forget about the thing that actually makes me happy: the writing.

So lets make a promise together: every time we convince ourselves that we need an outside show of approval, whether that’s getting an agent, getting published, or having a book made into a movie-musical starring Neil Patrick Harris, lets take a deep breath, honor the present moment, honor the true value in creating, and honor our true love: writing.

Then lets write.

 Katharine_Sise_242Katharine “Katie” Sise is a New York City based author, jewelry designer and television host. Years ago, at age twenty-four— after dropping a rare and very expensive bottle of champagne on her way to deliver it to Robert De Niro’s table—she realized she needed a way to fund her acting and writing career that didn’t involve balancing a tray full of cocktails. Katharine’s first book, Creative Girl: The Ultimate Guide for Turning Talent and Creativity into a Real Career (Perseus/Running Press) was published September 2010. Her YA novels The Boyfriend App (2013) and The Pretty App (2015) were published by Balzer and Bray. She lives in New York City with her family.

Pep Talk: Keep a Writing Journal

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I’ve talked about writing journals before, even vlogged about them. But the reality is, I can’t get enough. The idea is to go out and get yourself a journal, any journal will do, but I think the prettier the better. And use that journal to write only about writing, specifically your writing. I try to write in it about every other day or so, just to quickly talk about how my writing is going, or why I haven’t been writing, or why I’m excited about what I’m currently working on. Anything goes. The point is to check in and hold yourself accountable.

Use your writing journal to get yourself motivated to do more with your writing time… I always want to have something positive to report to my writing journal, even if it’s just a fun new idea, or 500 words of progress on my current WIP. Then all you need to do is write down the date and start scribbling in an update about your writing, your ideas, your breakthroughts and challenges. It can lead to some really interesting breakthroughs, and also help to keep you thinking about writing even when you aren’t sitting down and working on your current project.

Writing Journal Entry Ideas…
– new story ideas
– brainstorming
– progress reports
– working through challenges
– check-ins
– goal setting

If you’re looking for more information on writing journals, check out this great post by Susan Dennard, or this vlog I did a few months ago! Trust me, this is an idea worth exploring, and all it will cost you is ten minutes a day, and $2 for a cheap dollar store notebook. And it’s fun!

kellieKellie Sheridan is the founder of Write All Year and co-founder of Patchwork Press. She writes both young adult fiction, and books for other writers. Really, it’s all books all the time. She also works as a Book Manager at Booktrope and vlogs for the YAWordNerds. You can find her at kelliesheridan.com or on Twitter at @Kellie_Sheridan

 

Pep Talk: That Time I Almost Gave Up – Melissa Giorgio

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I always planned for the Silver Moon Saga to be a trilogy. After I finished writing THE SIGHT SEER, I loosely outlined the second and third books. I had titles and new characters I couldn’t wait to introduce, and a killer cliffhanger for the second book. But then time passed. In between getting an agent and landing a publishing deal, I wrote two more manuscripts. When it came time to ready THE SIGHT SEER for publication, I had to go back and reread it to refresh my memory. Newer, better ideas came to me, and I started tweaking the outlines for books two and three.

And that killer cliffhanger? I swapped it for an even better one.

At least, I thought it was a better one. “This will make them gasp!” I chuckled to myself as I wrote it. Unfortunately, when it came time to write book three, I was no longer laughing. “What did I do?” I moaned. “What was I thinking? Who ends a book like that? I don’t know what to do!”

To say I was overwhelmed is putting it mildly.

The original cliffhanger was about my main character, Gabi. It was a huge, shocking revelation that she would spend the third book dealing with. But the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like it. Instead, I made the cliffhanger about Rafe, Gabi’s demon-slaying boyfriend. But guess what I didn’t realize? In addition to solving all of Gabi’s problems in book three, I would also need to address Rafe’s problems.

And so the book grew. And grew. And grew.

It was a monster. A beast. The words wouldn’t stop coming. There were chapters upon chapters as I struggled to tie up every loose end. It was a mess, a disaster, and I kept crying, “Why did I end book two that way?! How did I break book three before I even started writing it?”

Yes, I’d broken my book. And I didn’t know how to fix it.

“Take a step back,” everyone said. “It’s not as bad as you think.”

“It’s worse than that!” I insisted. “It can’t be fixed! I should give up and never write again!”

Yeah, I was really that dramatic. It was bad, so bad. Thankfully my beta reader is also my best friend, and I trust her judgement. She read the messy, broken manuscript and told me it wasn’t as bad as I feared. Yes, I needed to fix things, but I could do it.

And so I worked on it. And worked on it. And worked on it. It took me nearly a year, seven drafts, and many, many emails to my beta (“How’s this scene?” “What about these changes?”), but I did it. I survived and the book survived. And I have to say, I’m pretty damn proud of that book. It’s still a beast, but at least it’s not broken.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, don’t despair. Breathe. Just remember that you can always change what you’ve written. While it would be nice to write a perfect manuscript from the start, it’s not going to happen. There will be rewrites. Many, many rewrites.

Your manuscript is not broken. You can fix it.

 

 

melissaMelissa Giorgio is a native New Yorker who graduated from Queens College with a degree in English. She’s always dreamed of being a writer and has been creating stories (mostly in her head) since she was a little girl. Also an avid reader, Melissa loves to devour thick YA novels. When not reading or writing, she enjoys watching animated films, listening to music by her favorite Japanese boy band, or exploring Manhattan. She is the author of the Silver Moon Saga and the Smoke and Mirrors series.

Pep Talk: Why Pinterest Is Bae – Hannah Davies

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I can hear you already: ‘Hannah, I do not need another social media distraction in my life. I am trying to be a writer, not a professional social media mogul. And also, please do not refer to Pinterest as your bae. Get an actual boyfriend.’

Valid objections. I can definitely see your points.

Distractions or delays to your writing come in all shapes and sizes – some we cannot control (children, appliances going on the fritz, other hobbies), and some we willingly let into our life (Netflix, ice cream, an obsession with [insert your current love here]). And it’s the latter that most of us find it really hard to battle, especially in today’s society where the Internet is just so tempting.

So why is Pinterest important for writers and why should you give it a chance? One big fat word: INSPIRATION.

I started using Pinterest maybe a year ago, and didn’t really get what it was about. At first, I thought it was a swankier looking version of Polyvore, which I’ve never managed to get on with particularly, but then as time went on, I figured out how to use it and eventually incorporated it into my writing process.

How? Boards. Maybe you have a cork board above your writing space, or a whiteboard, or just a wall you stick pictures to – well, Pinterest is a virtual version of that. Except you can have a board for each story, for each book series, for whatever you want and if you like to be clutter free and organised like me, it’s an OCD dream!

We all know that being inspired can make or break your writing groove. We can spend hours waiting for that lightning bolt to strike us and drive us to write an entire manuscript in one sitting. News flash: that probably won’t happen. Margaret Atwood said, ‘if I waited for inspiration, I would never write a word’ and that’s true, because it comes and goes like a changing wind. The truth is, as Jack London put it, ‘you can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.’

Pinterest is just one ‘club’ you can use to kick start your creative juices. I’ve lost count of the times where I’ve been stuck on a plot point, or lacking direction for a character and I’ve seen a picture or quote on Pinterest that’s made me go, ‘THAT’S IT!’. I also have friends (remember my other pep talk about how important they are??) who send me pins that they think might inspire me, and a fresh angle from an outside source has saved my story more than a few times!

There are also hundreds of boards devoted to character ideas, setting and location shots (for every genre), writing prompts, gifs of people using special abilities…whatever you need, I can bet you’ll find it there. And yes, you should be careful how much time you spend on there because if you get a taste for it, you can spend hours creating the perfect mood board when you should spend hours writing. However, if you’re disciplined, it can be a fantastic tool that could seriously make a difference in your writing routine!

 

hannahHannah Davies is an English Literature student, Junior Editor at independent publisher Patchwork Press and Creative Submission Editor for the University of Greenwich’s magazine Latitude Lookout. When not working or studying, she can usually be found creating new recipes, riding buses, or mothering everyone around her. Her debut short story Scorpio was published in the Patchwork Press anthology Polaris Awakening May 2015.

Pep Talk: What Do They Want From Me? – Cyn Balog

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When you were a young writer, you wrote the things you wanted to read. You didn’t know any better, didn’t have to put much thought into it. Back then, you figured, simply, that everyone liked the same things you did. A good story, the end. It was so easy. Your mind ran completely wild with ideas, and stories poured out of you.

Even now, it sounds simple enough—just write a story you’d love to see on the shelf. No problem. But selling it? Well, that has become the challenge. You hear things like, “There are too many stories like that out there” or “People don’t want stories like that anymore.”  Now, there are gatekeepers, telling you what you should and shouldn’t be writing.

At first, it was all about taking your idea and molding it to fit into what publishers wanted. Add romance, they’d say, you can’t have a paranormal without romance.  Add paranormal, they’d said, contemporary isn’t selling well.  Make the book longer/shorter/sweeter/darker/lighter . . . more not yours. More theirs. More like what they think people will like.

Now, that creative voice inside you, the one that told you anything was possible, has been all but drowned out by the louder voices that say, “No you can’t!”

Sometimes, you look at a blank page and instead of thinking what you’d like to write, you think first of what they want you to write.  Sometimes, you look at all the pages you’ve created over the years, and you can hardly recognize they came from your own hand. They’re good, yes.  But they’re not you.

Now, you feel like a puppet on a string, a dancing dog in a circus. You jump when they jump. They know better. The purpose is to sell. They want you to sell. They’re on your side. They want you to make the best book possible.

But maybe, just maybe, underneath all that rubble in your head, there’s a little glimmer of an old idea. Your idea. You know, the one you had wildly when it seemed like anything was possible? It was crazy, yes. It was irreverent. It would make people roll their eyes or laugh at you. But it survived, despite all the rules and “No you can’t’s” that have been piled atop of it.

You know that idea, right? It’s calling to you.

Maybe you can pull it out, dust it off, take it for a spin?

Maybe it’s what they’ve been looking for, all this time.

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Cyn Balog is the author of FAIRY TALE, SLEEPLESS, STARSTRUCK, TOUCHED, and  DEAD RIVER (Delacorte) and the forthcoming UNNATURAL DEEDS (Sourcebooks, 2016). She is also the author of the post-apocalyptic YA fantasies DROWNED and BURIED (Harlequin TEEN) under the pseudonym Nichola Reilly. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters. Visit her online at www.cynbalog.com.