Hello Everyone,
It is the first Wednesday of the month, and IWSG Time.
IWSG is a writer support group created and led by Alex Cavanaugh. It 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:
Still Outstanding
Submission to The Colorado Gold Writing Contest for Emerging Writers – May 31, 2018
Submission to the New Writers Scheme for Emerging Writers – June 29, 2018
New Submission
Submission: I was given the opportunity to submit the first five thousand words of my manuscript, A Time to Love, to Simon & Schuster in the U.K. I sent it in June 26thand I am waiting on the results.
Pitfalls to Avoid
As a new writer, I knew I had good stories in me, and I entered the writing world wearing rose coloured glasses. To be exact, I was blind. Heck, I’d been spinning tales that popped up in my imagination for years. However, and here comes the catch, I had paid little to no attention to the mechanics that belong to writing. Yes, grammar is one of those tools, but even more critical are the viewpoint, sentence styling, structure, and pacing.
I sent out my first draft without consulting any editor, and I promptly got rejections. I now believe whoever they were, read the first three lines, puked, and sent out the standard rejection letter with the hope that I did not submit anything to them again.
Since then, I have learned better, thank God. I know that the first draft is the beginning of your odyssey and not the end. I understand that an excellent critique team that reads every chapter of your book is a godsend, and I have learned to love editors, regardless of their area of expertise. These precious people, who return my work filled with questions written in red, have become my favourite people. I’ve learned that they were created to help me grow and mature into the writer that slumbers inside of me.
Wishing everyone a beautiful month of August and be safe.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G
