Where The Heart Lies (WTHL)
Mostly, I will be focusing on writing novels, but there I might also talk about writing poetry or short stories.
Read a few posts, like if you like, follow if you will. Above all just have fun :]
Posting mainly on Thursdays with some reblogs and commentary smattered throughout the week.
Goodreads
NaNoWriMo
Twitter: Official Twitter account of Where The Heart Lies
I have two hands anyway…
Set your dials to jaw-dropping for The Library of Parliament in Canada.
(via stepchildofthesun)
So we’ve covered keeping your work safe, keeping informed on your story, and keeping from procrastinating.
What else do you need to stay on track?
4. Focus on what you want to do with your piece.
If you’re writing for a specific reason, don’t forget that. If it’s a story about love or hate or anything like that, remember what you want to say or what kind of idea you want to convey, and try to present that in the best way you can. It doesn’t have to be obvious (some of the best short stories I’ve read are actually really subtle with the big ideas), but it should be easily found. It doesn’t have to be explicitly stated in your work, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be clear, but it shouldn’t be so obscure and hidden that your readers get lost trying to find it.
5. Don’t give up.
Whatever you’re writing, don’t give up. Sometimes it’ll feel like you’ll never be able to fully put into words the ideas that you want to.
The big secret that no one really ever says: that’s okay.
It’s okay to not know where to go, to be stuck in one place and not know what to write. It’s completely okay to have Writer’s Block. It’s fine if you get up from your chair, go outside, and take a walk. It’s alright if you want to listen to music or bake cookies or read a book or watch TV.
The only thing that’s not ok is to give it up, to put down the pen and not write. If you get up and walk away, then at some point, make sure you come back, sit back down, and get those words out. If there’s a story in you, if it’s begging and kicking and screaming to come out, not sitting down and not writing a word is a surefire way to make sure it never sees the light of day. It’s hard to write when you feel like you can’t, but if you have something to say, then there’s really only one choice.
Write.
Happy Writing,
J
soulothought asked you:I’m looking to publish my work (after been told since I was 12 that I should) how do I spot the real deal from the others?
Firstly, make sure you read this post on what to do after you’ve finished your manuscript, and make sure you don’t skip a step!
If by “real deal” you mean publishers, my personal advice is that you don’t begin your search with publishers. Start with agents (which you can read about in the post I linked). Literary agents make connections to editors at publishing houses so that you don’t sit in the “slush pile”, hoping and waiting and waiting some more to be seen. The slush pile is manuscript purgatory and there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be seen.
A reputable agent will have a history of their recent sales available on a website or on publisher’s marketplace where you can easily access it. The same should apply to publishers (if you do decide to query them directly). Many agents/agencies and editors are connected through blogs and twitter. Make sure you do all your research before you submit to anyone.
Keep in mind a legitimate agent and publisher will NEVER ask for you to pay for anything before your book is sold (the case used to be a little bit different before the digital age, I’ve heard, but in all my experiences, I haven’t come across any agent ever asking for money before the book reaches the shelves). You might even find someone who reads your manuscript and tells you, “Hey, I think the big publishing houses will fall over themselves to get their hands on this, but first I need $1000 for this editing service to make it even better…” NO. This is a scam.
An agent’s goal is to make a commission off of your book when it sells (as is a publisher’s). Typically what I’ve seen of agent commissions ranges about 15%, to give you an idea of what to expect, and these terms will be plain in the contract. If anyone requests you pay before they provide you feedback, run. It might be tempting, because scam artists are really good at tempting you and they’ll know exactly what to say to hit you in the backs of your knees, but run.
Heck, the editing services may actually make your manuscript better. I’ve seen people claim this, and there are legitimate editing services that don’t operate under the guise of an agency, but the fact of the matter is that utilizing editing services (especially the predators who promise to give you the loot of a thousand publishing houses) doesn’t guarantee your manuscript will sell to anyone, and most people who buy into these scams end up $1000 poorer with (possibly) a revised manuscript that still won’t sell.
So, in short, here’s how you can typically discern the reputable from the repugnant:
- Agents and editors won’t ask you for money until your book sells.
- Agents and editors showcase their sales and clients where you can easily access.
- Agents and editors will have positive feedback from such sites as Agent Query, Query Tracker, Absolute Write, and Literary Rambles
- The great majority of agents and editors these days have websites, blogs, twitters, and/or other forms of social media.
- Agents and editors do not advertise their services via google or facebook or the like — they don’t need to. Any time you see a “get your book published!” advertisement, avoid all eye contact with it.
To maximize your chances with interesting a literary agent, make sure you follow the steps of revision and critique partners I mention in the topmost link. Make sure your query is pristine. Make sure you do all your research. This could make all the difference.
Good luck!
(via fuckyourwritinghabits)
(via keyboardsmashwriters)
We heard how our grandfathers chased after our grandmothers and envied it. We read about countless men running into a battle that they believed that they wouldn’t come out of alive. We spoke all of the words that we hoped a lover would whisper in our ear. We fell in love with a dead breed of men. We walked into the woods at night by ourselves and didn’t shake in our boots.
We became the men we wanted to marry.
(via notbecauseofvictories)
1. It’s time for you and Writer’s Block to part ways. Write a letter breaking up with Writer’s Block, starting out with, “Dear Writer’s Block, it’s not you, it’s me … .”
2. You and your three closest friends decide to go camping. You arrive and set up camp nearly three miles away from where you left your car. Late that evening, as you sit around the campfire roasting marshmallows, one of your friends reveals a deep dark secret that turns what was to be a fun weekend into one of the scariest weekends of your life.
3. Two men stop you on your way into your local post office. One flashes a badge at you. They tell you about a top secret sting operation they are about to execute and they need your help. They can’t give you any of the details, only that you are to walk into the post office, go up to the counter with the gentleman named Bert working it, and you have to say to him, “My stamps are looking a bit square these days, if you know what I mean.” Write what happens next.
4. Pretend you are a recovering alcoholic who falls off the wagon while attending your high school reunion. Start your story with “I hadn’t had a drink in nearly 10 years” and end it with “If only I could remember where I left my pants.”
5. You’re cleaning out your garage and, hidden away in a back corner, you find an old shoebox. The box is heavier than it should be. When you open it up, you find cash—$40,000, to be exact. Where did the cash come from, who hid it there and why?
6. When you were little, you could swear there was a monster under your bed–but no one believed you. On the eve of your 30th birthday, you hear noises coming from under your bed once again. The monster is back and has an important message to deliver to you.
7. You’re late for work because you overslept, but your boss hates over-sleepers. He does love entertaining stories, so create the most outlandish excuse as to why you were late.
01. vhs or beta - bring on the comets || 02. 30 seconds to mars - kings and queens || 03. young the giant - garands || 04. the temper trap - sweet disposition || 05. gotye - eyes wide open || 06. walk the moon - anna sun || 07. snow patrol - just say yes || 08. kings of leon - the end || 09. the verve - bittersweet symphony || 10. the black keys - lonely boy || 11. of monsters and men - dirty paws || 12. onerepublic - the good life || 13. muse - starlight || 14. john mayer - edge of desire || 15. frank ocean - strawberry swing || 16. death cab for cutie - no sunlight || 17. civil twilight - letters from the sky || 18. atlas genius - on a day
(via sassygaywerewolves)
