Hello Everyone,
It is the first Wednesday of the
month and IWSG Time has come around again.
IWSG, a writer’s support group, which
was created by Alex Cavanaugh, is a big help to many of us who do not mind sharing
our insecurities, our successes or giving encouragement and help to
others.
So, if you are interested and would
like to join, the link below will lead you directly to us:
My report:
I did not submit any new stories this
month.
Submissions still out:
1. Two stories to Glimmer Train
2. My first chapter to SF RWA in
their Heart to Heart Contest.
3. Still
have two outstanding stories that I have not yet heard whether they are accepted
or rejected. So I am still waiting.
4. Submitted
one short story to Wordhaus, an online publication. Should be getting an answer
sometime this month.
I am chugging along with my
rewrite/revision of my manuscript. I have extended the submission date once
again. I am not ready to send it to my
writing coach/book editor. I need to recheck whether my writing is strong and
also the show and tell ratio in terms of harmonizing together. Like I said below, in my answer to the
newsletter question, my gut is telling me not quite.
My blogs are alive and well.
I enjoy posting once every two weeks on my blogs and once a
month on this one. I might add another category to this blog and blog twice a month but I am not sure.
The Voices In My Head
I am adapting, learning how to process as I process change. It is scary and exhilarating. No one fear comes at me; I think all of my
fears are doing double time to keep me from moving farther out. The voices in
my head punish. To ignore them makes it worse. The fears get stronger as I
progress forward, but I am learning to live with them and to keep looking
upward.
Our Newsletter Question for the Month of October.
Our question for this month is when do you know your story
is ready? To be quite honest with you, I
think this is an incredibly subjective question with no right answer because it
deals with what I call your gut feeling.
It is something that says after months or years of hard work on your
manuscript, I have gone beyond my very best and reached a stage of excellence,
which cannot be topped.
To feel your story is ready has nothing to do with perfection;
it has to do with a conclusion derived from your gut. No one else can tell you; it is a treaty
between you and your spirit that says all is well.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
You must stop letting fear go before you, Pat, you don't have a spirit of fear. I am so proud of where you have come. Keep believing that God gave you the talent and be prepared for great things. Do not be afraid of success, it is part of the gift. What can man do to you anyway, right? Breathe deep, and let the Lord work. Sometimes our trepidation can block His reward. You are on the threshold of a new beginning! Spread your wings and let Him lift you above the turmoil in your mind! I love your writing, as do so many others! You have great talent! Fly, my friend, fly!!! I love you!
ReplyDeleteMy Dear Friend,
DeleteThank you so much for your loyalty and belief in me. It does make a big difference. I guess that is one of the things I am being forced to do. To step out there and trust just like Peter did when he got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat
How you described knowing when your story is ready is excellent. I do believe it has to do with us more than the actual story.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chrys. Yes, I so agree. I believe it has much more to deal with us than we think.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Yes, it is a gut feeling mixed with complete dread, of course. ;-)Good luck with all of your submissions.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennifer. I like your expression, gut feeling mixed with dread.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Listen to that gut! Absolutely.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lee. Yes, I will. Some of my sentences were not as strong as they should have been. I know all sentences don't have to be strong but in the right spots, they should be. My gut feeling said, look again. Therefore, the need to re read and re- style some sentences.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Hope those re-writes are going well and that you're finding the right way to put those words down to create the sentences the way you want.
DeleteIt definitely comes down to your gut. If you don't feel good about the story, you shouldn't be putting it out there.
ReplyDeleteI'm hopeful for you on those short story submissions.
Thank you, Crystal. I hope that all of my short stories get accepted too, but I will be more than happy with two or three getting accepted.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Some is better than none. And for the rest, there's cheese. =)
DeleteThe gut feeling is exactly right! Some stories take more work than others. I also rely on my critique partners to tell me when to stop nitpicking! Good luck with all your submissions. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christine. I have critique partners too, but have to admit when it comes to submitting, it my gut that counts.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
It's great that you have submissions out there. Waiting is the worst part. Good luck with your revisions! Swat those fears away and keep going. Never give up! You'll get there. Your gut will know when your story is ready to go. Keep the faith and write on.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lori, for this very encouraging word. Sometimes, I tend to move too fast, thinking that it is a linear run to being published, but that is not so. Success is never linear.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
I have always called myself a seat-of-our-pants writer because that is often how I get my best stuff. When I just let go and keep my fingers moving the best things happen.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathleen. That is exactly what I need to do, let go and jump out there.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
My story is ready when I get that feeling like finding the last piece of a puzzle - Click...it's done. Just as you said, Pat, a "gut" feeling.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandra. That gut feeling is very important.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Definitely gut--so much of wriitng is about your gut feelings. Good luck on your submissions!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michelle. I will be glad when I here something. I hope it is positive but not hearing anything at all is nerve wracking.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Sounds like you've got a lot of irons in the fire. And you're so right to go with your instincts.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your muse much creativity this month:)
Thank you, Sandra. I am writing a lot these days and doing lots of submissions. Thanks for wishing me creativity for the month of October. I need it.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Sounds like things are coming along for you. You certainly have been busy.
ReplyDeleteFollowing your gut feeling is always wise. :)
Thank you, Cherie. Yes, I am writing and that is so important, just to be able to write.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
I liked what you said about knowing in your gut. It is subjective. I think it's just my hindsight of remembering all the times that I sent things out too soon that makes me second-guess myself.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your submissions! And keep looking up! Blessings!
Thank you, Jenni. And yes, I will keep looking upward. That is a necessity.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Sometimes things are undefinable and trusting your gut is an excellent way to look at it. Good luck with your submissions and writing.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, it is, Suzanne. Thank you. When it comes down to submitting, I trust my gut more than anything else, because the final responsibility of what and when I submit lies by me.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Timeous for me Pat - a tricky thing knowing when ready is ready. The time will come when you know it is right. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this - it's immensely useful to me. I hope my gut instinct doesn't let me down -
ReplyDeleteThank you my dear Susan. I don't believe our gut lets us down, if we are really in tune with it. I do believe we do a lot of things and ignore our gut feeling. We listen to others rather than heeding the gut feeling within us.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Great answer. The author has to believe it is ready.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tamara. I sincerely hope you are fine.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
I've learned to trust my gut too. Love your "report." You are doing well in keeping your writing alive and healthy. You go, GRRL!
ReplyDeleteJQ Rose
Thank you, J.Q.
DeleteOne of your sentences written in the anthology for romance and mystery authors where you and other authors share some excellent advice helped me follow my gut. You said, you got a joy of restyling and rewriting sentences. That helped me because my gut was telling me that some of my sentences were too weak, and I needed to re work them. That is now what I am in the process of doing.
I am happy I have that book in my iPad. So thanks for sharing some of your experience.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat
More than one writer has mentioned 'gut' feeling for this question. I think experience helps the gut know what the gut knows.
ReplyDeleteYes, Susan. I so agree. Experience helps the gut know what the gut knows.
DeleteLike the way you said that.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat
Yep! I totally agree.
ReplyDeleteI hope your submissions come back with positive answers!
Thank you, Loni. I hope my submissions come back with positive answers also. If you hear a scream, it will be me, sending out an around the world yippee.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Congratulations and good luck with your submissions and writing. It is hard to know when the end is, but eventually you get there! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Yolanda. I sincerely hope I get there soon. The road has been awfully long.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
I agree, there's a lot of gut feeling when it comes to deciding whether or not a story is ready.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lynda. There is an awful amount of gut in knowing when your book is finished. By the way, I am looking forward to receiving my daily devotional for next year.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Wishing you the best on the items you have out on submission and for the works you have in progress.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it's not easy knowing when a story is ready, or rather, there's no "one fit for all" formula way of knowing. It's subjective and each person has to do their best to find a way to reach that place of letting the story move on to the next step in getting out to the world.
Thank you, Angela. You are so right. There is NO one fit for all in the world of writing. It is highly subjective.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Most of us have written something similar about knowing when a work is ready. Some instinct. But don't let doubt cloud that instinct. We can second guess ourselves til Doom's Day. Trust your work.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Diane. I do my best not to react out of fear or doubt, because as you say, when we do, we second guess ourselves. I need to start trusting my work more.
DeleteShalom aleichem,
Pat
Congrats on all the submissions you have out! I wish you good luck on all of them! Yes, deciding when a story is ready is really a gut feeling. Wouldn't it be nice if they had one of those meat-thermometer thingies that popped up from our stories and said, "It's done now!" lol
ReplyDeleteWith all of the projects you have going on, I'm sure something good will come through soon. Sounds like you have great instincts and you just need to keep following your gut!
ReplyDeleteJulie
Thanks for visiting my blog. I enjoy mind mapping. I use Scapple and Inspiration 9. Inspiration 9 has more bells and whistles but I think I like Scapple created by the people who created Scrivener best and its the least expensive.
ReplyDeleteI survived the hurricane and the move. Its good to be back online too.
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit
A very practical answer to the IWSG question of the month. Writing is all very subjective from style to technique to subject matter. Some outside input is helpful, but in the end I think we are our own best judge of what we are trying to achieve.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Hi Pat! Sorry I'm late popping by to see you. I do hope you are keeping that fear at bay, where it belongs. Love your response to the month's question. Take good care and good luck with your busy schedule! Keep smiling.
ReplyDeleteSorry it's taken so long to get to your IWSG post. Better late than never???
ReplyDeleteAs always, I love your checklist of things being done or looked after.
In a way, I understand what you mean by knowing to finish by listening to your gut. But many times, I self-doubt and decide to double and triple check. I'm still worried things I write are never good enough. And that's even for simple blog posts. You can imagine my thinking on my stories.