The Ebb and Flow of Writing- I'm So In the Story! Or Not

If you caught my last blog you know that I've recently been in a sweet spot with my wip. For the last two or so weeks I have been IN THE STORY. For the first time in a long time I wrote like I meant it. I said I would write like it was my job and I did gal-darn-it. I wrote for hours in a stretch. Hours! Three, five, seven, not at all concerned about the pain in my butt or the throbbing of my arms because I was IN THE STORY. I'd go to bed at night thinking about what I wrote that day and what I needed to write next. I woke up the next morning thinking about what I wrote the day before and what I wanted to write next. And then I'd write it. I was IN THE STORY when I showered, did the dishes, drove my daughter around.

I have to say it was gloriously fabulous.

And then I finished it. Did a round of revisions and sent it off to betas.

I couldn't sleep that night.

Now what would I do. It took me two days to kind of sort of disengage my mind from THE STORY.  Ugh, real life can no longer be put on hold. Now that I'm out of THE STORY, I feel a little deflated.

This is how it is with the writing life. There's a natural rhythm. You can't be in the zone all the time. Sometimes you need to give your mind a break and focus on the mundaine like house and office needs.

Sometimes the writing isn't gloriously fabulous and it's a major feat to knock off one decent sentence.  Learning to ride the wave, whether it's high and exciting or being sucked back into the ocean is what it's all about.

So I'm celebrating my recent high, taking a few days to manage my home, get back into my exercise routine (which I complete blew off last week) and read a few books.

Then I'll take a look at what I'm going to work on next. Hopefully it'll be a wonderful slide, but maybe it will just be old fashion discipline. Either way, I'm a writer and I will write.


How about you? Are you riding the wave?

In the Zone

I've been in the zone.

I had an idea for a three book series and wrote the first book. Editorial feedback was basically this: cut a certain subplot, combine the three book ideas into one book and make the protagonist older.

Always up for a challenge, I started this task. Thankfully I'm in a season right now where I have big chunks of space to write, and basically that's why I've been sort of MIA this week in the blogosphere. I'V BEEN WRITING. And it feels great.

I whipped through part two, and almost completed part three. Then I have to go back and re-write part one, fuse all the parts into one whole and then of course, re-write, re-write, re-write.

I know from experience that writing isn't always like this. A lot of times it's hard slugging, so when you get a good slippery section, you just want to slide.

How about you? Are you in the zone, sliding along? Or are you in a time of slugging away?

Things That Matter Take Effort

Writing a book takes effort. Hatching an egg takes effort.

Are you working as hard as this little guy?

Significant Other Blogfest

Thanks to DL Hammons and Talli Roland for hosting the Significant Other Blogfest--Here's what my dear husband, Norm Strauss, had to say about what it's like living with me!

What’s it like being married to a writer? Well first of all, for me it’s an eerily long, familiar feeling. I recognize the distant look in the eyes.  I work as a songwriter and have been writing songs since before we were married. Back then I was writing at a frantic pace of about 3-5 songs per week at least (that’s a lot). At that time I could only imagine what it was like trying live with someone who was often lost in another world, trying to imagine new characters, plot lines, turns of phrase etc. Well, when my wife started taking up writing years later I found myself looking at somewhat familiar territory only from another angle. Except she spends even more time staring into space, writing little notes, staring at her laptop and checking emails than I do.

Second, I think it has had the effect of enriching us both. A good writer is aware of the world around them. For example you have to foster a fascination with people if you want to be good at developing characters. From my observation, my wife has become a more perceptive and fascinating person since she started writing. (She was already quite mesmerizing). This spills over to the rest of us in what becomes normal conversation in our house. Whether it’s after a movie or documentary we watched together or just about life in general.  In researching for her books she has spent large amounts of time studying history, ancient religions and other topics. When we travel to Europe there is more intentional talk about history and cultural differences because she is simply more aware and has a curiosity for it all. I benefit because through her I in turn also become more conscious of the world around me.

Thirdly, I have to mention the mood swings. Hang on boy, because one email can change your day. Keep the red wine cupboard stocked and be ready to be the cook that night whether it’s to celebrate or placate. Actually it’s not so bad and I totally get it. Besides, red wine is good for the cholesterol and I have the capacity to eat a lot of curry chicken dishes.

My wife is a good writer. I read a lot and I can tell you what good writing is and what it’s not.  Her work compares with anything that I have read from top writers.  So here’s what I think:  To be a good writer you need to stare into space a lot while your cat sits on your lap. You also need to be perceptive and not live in a vacuum. You also need fine food and drink. That’s some good advice.

I'm Elle Strauss--Except When I'm Not

Yesterday I talked about Tiana Smith's blog where she aptly taught on SEO = search engine optimization She also mentioned that using your own name in your blog post titles is good for getting traffic to your blog. So, I thought, hey, I should do that at least once.

What's interesting about my name? Well, for one. It's not. Elle is a nick name, or a pseudonym, or nom de plume, if you prefer.

Why do I use a pen name? I have a couple reasons for this. The first and main reason is I wanted a name that was easy to remember and spell. If you've gone through your whole life spelling your name and correcting pronunciation, you may relate to this.

 (Here is where I have to apologize to my own daughter for saddling her with a name that gives her the exact same problems! Sorry DD!!)

The second reason is that, with the amount of time authors have to spend on line these days, building platform and what not, I just felt more comfortable with the extra layer of privacy a pen name gives when it comes to the internet. It's just a personal thing.

So the thing with names is that they're usually not yours alone. Probably there are other people in the world with your name, at least first and last. There is even one other person in the world--New Jersey to be exact--that shares my uncommon legal name. Same spelling and everything. Weird.

There are a couple of people who share my nick name. There is another Elle Strauss out there, two if Google is to be trusted, both in the fashion industry. Who knew. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you view it) I have no interest in fashion whatsoever. I will never pay more than 75.00 for a purse (and even that is on the steep side).  Dido for jeans or boots or whatever. I mean, it's not like I look like a haus frau (I don't think), I just stick with the classics and a reasonable budget.

So, just in case Google hasn't got it yet. That's Elle Strauss - author.

What's in your name?

Anchor Words, BookBaby and Other Things of Interest

Today is list day because, though lists are traditionally left for Fridays, this Friday is:

1) Significant Other Blog Fest. Yes, my DH has written something enticing about yours truly, and I will be posting it here on Friday. It's not too late to join the fest. See DL Hammons for more details on the significant other blogfest.

2) Did you notice how I linked the blogfest to the words significant other blogfest and not to DL Hammons? Well, there is a reason for this. I think. It has to do with a term that's just recently come to my attention: ANCHOR WORDS. What does that mean? My first encounter with the term happened when Vanessa Jones guest posted on my blog. I linked her blog to her name--like I usually did at the time-- and she kindly emailed me to ask me to switch the link to the anchor words. Huh? I complied taking a guess at what she meant.

Then I came across Tiana Smith's blog where she aptly taught on SEO = search engine optimization. In other words how to get people to more likely stumble across your blog. She gives 10 points on how to do this and guess what number six is? Anchor words. I'm not going to pretend like I totally get this, so go check out her blog for more info. But don't go HERE. (You'll see what I mean when you read her blog).

3) Have you heard of CD BABY?  Well, if you're a musician (or married to one) you'd know it's where all independent music artists go to sell their CD's.  And now they've introduced BOOKBABY, for independent authors. This company will help you sell your e-book for  iPad, Kindle, Nook, and Sony Reader.
If you decide to go this route, I'd love to hear from you, and how you feel it worked.

*I have no idea why the font suddenly got smaller--squinting*


4)I'm excited that THE SONG has gotten over 1000 views in just four days. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't go Here, go There.


5)I Could Care Less or I Couldn't Care Less? If you care (har, har) Brian A. Klems cares to let you know!


That's it.  Let me know if you have any questions/comments--I love hearing from you!!

Spreading Book Love for LK Madigan

Like so many of you, I was really moved by Lisa Madigan's recent blog post where she announced the news that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

My heart ached as I read it. I also felt a little ashamed. I have a confession to make. And I know I risk coming off really shallow here. When I heard about the release of her latest book, THE MERMAID'S MIRROR, I wasn't super thrilled. Not that I'm not happy when books are released it's just that this was a mermaid book, and I was writing a mermaid book!  Oh, no, I'd already missed the mermaid boat before my book even had a chance to be read by editors.

Of course, now I'm completely ashamed by my heart's attitude.

Being healthy is better than being published.  This is a hard way to learn this lesson.

So, I am joining with the Debs to help spread the book love. They are hosting a contest and there are PRIZES!

They are giving away forty sets of L.K.'s books, Flash Burnout (which won the William C. Morris Award)  and The Mermaid's Mirror.

Jennifer Brown has the list of things you can do but I'll post the list here as well.

1. adding her books onto your goodreads shelf.
2. blogging. linking, tweeting about this contest.
3. adding reviews to sites or on your blog if you've
read lisa's novels. vlog about it!
4. telling your friends about lisa's books if you've read them.
5. buying her wonderful books for yourself, for a friend.
6. checking them out from your local library, requesting them
if they aren't carried.
7. generally spreading the Book Love, however and any
way you can. 

Go to www.feastofawesome.com  and tell them what you did to enter. Contest ends January 31st.

I join my prayers and good wishes with the rest of you, hoping for a miracle recovery for Lisa and peace for her family.

Songwriters are Writers Too: William and Kate Song!!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you've probably picked up that I'm married to a musician/singer/songwriter. My husband, Norm Strauss, has collaborated on a song to celebrate Prince William and Kate Middleton's upcoming wedding. It's jazzy and romantic and even if you're not a fan of the monarchy, I bet you will still love this song. Check it out and pass it on!






Ps: It's for sale on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/will...

I Turned It Off

Okay,  I tried Intense Debate and it worked great yesterday--yay! But it's not working today... Boo! I don't like the inconsistancy and I if I can't trust it to work properly every day, then it has to go.

Sorry to all my blog readers who visited today and couldn't comment!!  I've turned the regular blogger commenting feature back on.

Maybe Blogger is listening, just maybe. They are asking for our input: How to make blogger better. Go vote for THREADED COMMENTS.


Cheers
Elle

The Road to Publication Is Like a Swashbuckler Adventure

First you have to write and write and write and write (ad nauseum). This may take years. (And if you're Elle Strauss, it takes years and years....)

Then you have to enter the query wars, battling for the attention of an agent. Kristen Nelson recently posted Nelson Literary Agency's stats for 2010. They received over 36,000 queries (yes, that's the right amount of zeros!) in 2010. That's a lot of people looking to find representation for something they wrote and love. Of that number only NINE new clients were acquired.

9/36,000! That's .00025%. These are insurmountable odds. So, if you have an agent, even if you don't have a book deal, you need to pat yourself on the back!

Then, once you have an agent, you must woo the affections of an editor. Editors are busy people. They have lots and lots and lots of people clamoring for their attention. You have to get in line. Or rather, in a pile. It can take a long time. I've been out on submission for almost a year. I'm not getting any younger, people!

Make no mistake about it. Publishing is not for the faint of heart.

And then, when you've finally got your agent and an editor and a shiny, lovely book in your hands with your name on it, you have to deal with this: Piracy.

Can you believe it? After all those years and all that work, your own professed fans shamelessly rob you?

If you don't believe me, you need to read "Free Books Aren't Free" by Saundra Mitchell. She gives us numbers, her very own personal numbers as to how many books are stolen from her per year and how it's almost ruined her career. Very sobering stuff.

And she's not alone. Many other authors chimed in to say they are faced with the same thing.

It makes me wonder why I should even bother?

I'm not sure what can be done, but if we don't do anything, then the "book terrorists" have won.

Even if it's too keep shouting loud and clear: If you want to keep reading good new books, DON'T STEAL FROM AUTHORS!

What do you think?

FOOTNOTE: If you're having trouble with the commenting system, please let me know at ellestraussbooks at gmail dot com. Thanks!

Watch Your Mouth

There's an interesting phenomena in the YA writers blogging world and it has to do with freedom of speech--which is kind of ironic when you think that writing about our thoughts and opinions, even in the form of fiction, is what we do.

Back in December I came across a couple blogs that got me thinking, though I haven't had time to address the issue until now, on what the unspoken rules are when it comes to what we can say and what we can't. (Yes, I am aware of the pun and irony in that statement).

First of all, let me say that I am an advocate of  the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all." It's a good social rule.

It's also kind of a gag order.  I think a better or additional rule of thumb is, "If you have something to say, say it nicely," because so often it's not "what we say, but how we say it," or to go further, "speak the truth in love."

When it comes to blogging and writing and if you are an aspiring writer, you really, really, really don't want to peeve anyone off, because, let's face it, they might be the ones to give you a leg up in your publishing dreams.

jschancellor at Welcome to to the Asylum summed up the politics of publishing in fine fashion and cautions us to not burn bridges. Quote: "There are rules of etiquette. There are rules for even getting to enter into the game, let alone win. But, you hear all sorts of contradictory things about breaking rules, or the consequences of being a follower. SO what’s the answer? How do you know what to do and when to do it?" jshancellor gives us 10 points answering this question.

Earlier in the month, Miranda Kenneally at YA5 took the opposite position in a post called Walking on Eggshells. All the Time. She starts off by giving examples on how that by nature she is opinionated and unafraid to speak her mind.

Except when it comes to publishing.

Quote: "People at work respect me for my opinions.

But most of the time, I’m scared to death to talk about how I really feel about publishing and books on the market."
 
She's referring mainly to book bloggers/reviewers and also to how, once a writer gets an agent, they have a harder time getting honest critiques of their work.


What do we need?  I think we need  freedom of speech mixed with kindness. Is it possible?

What do you think? Have you stopped speaking your mind on-line? Or do you just say what you want no matter what?

EDIT: Valarie Greary wrote recently on   My Non-Quandry About Book Reviews
and why she doesn't have a problem with writing book reviews. Go check it out!

Intense Debate, My DH Agrees to Blab About Me, Ask Me Your Questions, and What In the World Are We Doing In Romania?

Last week Roni Loren blogged about a new commenting option called Intense Debate. You may remember my rant on Bloggers deficient commenting system a short while ago, so I'm happy to see that Roni had good success with her trial run. No reason not to try it out, so here is my trial run. Leave a comment and respond to other people's comments, and I'll let you know how it works. Apparently you have to enter your name and email the first time you comment, but after that you don't have to again. It's a little extra work up front but I think it's worth it to have effective discussions. I'll be out for a lot of the day, but I'll definitely respond to everyone by the end of the day.

DL Hammons is hosting a Significant Other Blog Fest. This is a chance for your significant other to guest blog on your blog and tell the rest of us what it's like for them to support a writer (through all our crazy ups and downs). My hubby has agreed to do this. I'm a little scared. But mostly, I'm excited.  And I look forward to getting to know some of you better through the eyes of your significant other.  And if he or she would prefer, you can interview them. Check out DL's site for more info.

I know today's blog is a bit of a ramble, but this is what is on my mind and heart. Romania. My hubby and I have been going to Romania regularly since 1997. That's a long time. We support good friends who actually moved there and live there full time and the humanitarian work that they are overseeing is super exciting. Well, Hubby and I are going back in May. I'm stoked. You can check out the stuff we do HERE. I'll definitely be blogging about my trip when it gets closer.

Here's where I open up for your questions.  I purposely don't have a blog devoted to just questions because, eek, what if no one asks anything??? So, if you have a question, ask away!! I'll post the answers later on this week.

UPDATE: Not a good idea to ask for questions when testing a new commenting system and finding out late in the day it's not working. Will re-schedule day for questions. :)

What's up with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn These Days?

I happen to be reading TOM SAWYER at the moment, as a reference for the MG wip I'm working on, and wouldn't you know it's suddenly become News Worthy Controversy? A publisher wants to rewrite the original versions to change the N-word to "slave".

I can understand both sides: the change-it camp wants to make the classics politically correct so as to not offend readers, especially African American children.

The leave-it camp considers the changes an effort to sanitize history and rally that we have a lot to learn about society in the 1800's when it was written, and also that it provides good discussion.

I don't think I've read full original versions of Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn before now. I know I've read them, but I'm sure they've always been abridged or "retold" children's version, so when I came across the first n-word a couple days ago, I was a little surprised, just because it's not a word you come across often in children's literature.

But it did make me understand the thinking back then and how long its taken us to get this far. I think if I had read the word "slave", it wouldn't have stirred any emotion.

I'm not African American, though. Would I feel differently if I were?

Tom Sawyer also uses the term "honest injun" as a vow, should this be changed too? Doesn't it offend Native Americans?


And what about the censorship debate? Isn't this a form of censorship?

And speaking of abridged and "retold" children's versions of the books, haven't we already done this? If teachers and parents are concerned about the effect the original version may have on their children, there are alternatives out there. 

What do you think? Should the n-word stay in future printings of the original versions or should it be changed?

Post Script: some of my FB commenters think it has to do with sales and not political correctness--that schools won't buy the current version, so they are offering an alternative in order to keep sales up--what do you think about that?

New Year, New Agent

Actually, I kind of have two agents right now (I know, and some of you would be happy with just one!) If you haven't heard the news, Natalie Fischer is changing agencies.

Sometimes change is good. I'm very excited for Natalie as she pursues agenting adventures at her new home with the Bradford Literary Agency (her official move over is Feb 22nd).

I'm also very excited to be working with Taylor Martindale at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (officially as of Feb 22nd, but we're pow wowing together now). We had a great hour long talk in December about all my projects and what our plans are for the new year.  She's an amazing person and I'm delighted with the connection we made.

So, it's all good. I'm excited about what 2011 holds for all three of us.

What Kind of Blogger Are You? (And My Own Identity Crisis)

I admit that I’m going through some kind of blogger identity crisis. What kind of blogger am I anyway?  I’ve been blogging for over a year and during that time I’ve experimented with my “look” and my “style”, trying to determine exactly what that is.

This last year has also given me time to watch what others do. Some bloggers (and I’m referring here primarily to the on-line MG/YA writing community) are book reviewers. Reviewing books it their primary focus and they are good at it.  Other bloggers become known for their helpful writing tips and advice. Some just share their own personal musings about everything and anything writing related.

Then there is the time dedicated to blogging. Some post five days a week, rain or shine. Others are on a three day a week schedule. And many are on no schedule at all, they just post when they feel like it.

Personality plays a big part. Some bloggers are like blogging celebrities. They have charisma that draws people to their blogs and it doesn’t seem to matter if they are agented or not, or if they have a book deal or not. They are just blog cool. Other bloggers want to hang around them and these bloggers have oodles of commenters no matter what they post about. If they sneeze in the direction of their computers, thirty people will comment with a “Bless You and Gusundheit”.  

So, yeah, I'm not one of those.

I knew up front that I wouldn’t be a book reviewer. I thought maybe I could be a resource for writers and I tried this all last fall.  I’m not sure if it helped other writers but it did help me. :) But the question remained, is this the right direction for me? There are a lot of bloggers that blog on writing and with more expertise.

So, I find I’ve come full circle. I started out tentatively blogging about writing and life when I felt I had something to say, and that is the place I’m returning to.

At least for now.

How about you?  Have you ever questioned your blogging identity?  What kind of blogger are you?

Goals and Confessions Take 2

Goals and Confessions was the title of my blog post on January 01, 2010 and I think it might become an annual event.

Since last year was the first year I publicly posted my writing goals, it was easy to go back and look at what they were. I have to say I was being very conservative.

 Here they are: I will continue to query my completed YA widely, I will go back to an old WIP and work on revisions until it is completed, then query it widely.

Can you get any safer than that?  My confessions were unsurprising—I was lamenting how long I’d been at the writing dream (since the time of Dos and 5” floppy disks and micro fiche) and maybe, just maybe it was time to find a new dream.

Obviously, I’d decided to keep at it, since I’d written that blog and here I am, still.

How did I do? Well, with goals like that, I couldn’t exactly fail. I did query my YA widely and I did revise the second manuscript.

But happily I didn’t have to query the second book, because the first book, CLOCKWISE garnered me an agent!!!

Happy dance.

That was February. There was still the whole rest of the year to go.  So, then what happened?

Let’s do a quick year in review:

Spring: Clockwise and Playing with Matches go out on submission (read several months of soul sucking fruitless waiting). Also start New YA.

Summer: continue writing New YA, continue soul sucking waiting.

Fall: finish New YA, Agent Awesome sends it out on subs (stopped holding breath on previous submissions—now all hope is placed on New YA) Start revisions on Trunked Historical YA novel.

Fall part 2: editorial feedback points to need for massive re-write of New YA

Fall part 3: Self-Doubt reaches new heights

Winter: receive surprising agent news I couldn’t share, but outlook still positive for Elle Strauss. Finish first new draft of Trunked Historical YA novel, send off to beta readers. Acceptance that book deal is not in the works for 2010. Outline for MG novel. Hear back from beta readers that Trunked Historical YA novel needs lots of work. Start writing MG novel.

The End.

What I learned in 2010?

1. Getting an agent doesn’t equate quick book sale. Like a lot of testimonies will lead you to believe. In fact, most authors have a long slow road to publication even after signing with an agent.

2. Don’t skip Beta Readers!! (note New YA went on subs without this very important step).

3.  Writing is reward in itself. (I believe this most of the time. And I am pleased with how much I got written this year).

4. There’s always next year.

Goals for 2011:

I’m going to be bolder this year.

1. Sell a book!!!

2. Write a MG book (actually this is more like an extreme makeover of a MG I wrote years ago. The idea wasn’t bad but the writing really was.) Send to betas.

3. Re-write (New) YA novel. Send to Betas.

4. Hopefully one or both of these books will be worthy of going out on subs.

5. Revise historicals

6. Sell a book!!!

Four of these goals are things I can control. It’s up to me if they happen or not. The first one (and sixth) I can’t control. I can only hope. And pray.

What about you? Are you going to declare your goals for this year?