Drag out your hooker boots, girlfriends, because it's Wylde Wednesday here Between The Sheets! (Hey you, yeah you! Put those fuzzy cuffs away. Only police issue here!)

I was going to talk about rejection, but the girls at Writers Gone Wild beat me to it. But take a drink of your vodka gimlets. Maybe two, I'll wait. We're going to talk about negative reviews and what to do about them as an author. Yeah, okay, one more drink. You'll need it.

1. Not everyone is going to like what you write even if you win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Be prepared.

2. Not all of the crit that you get will be constructive. I wish it was, but it doesn't work that way.

3. Some of the people who don't like your work will leave reviews that read like a second grader with a really big, red crayon scribbled all over a newspaper where your Malamute took a steaming pile after raiding the trashcan on chili night.

Now, does it suck? Sure. But what do you do? Think back to the many recent debacles of writer meltdowns. I'm not going to name any, but if you think really hard, I'm sure a few will come to you. And you get embarrassed for these authors don't you? You don't want that to be you. As a writer, you're in the public eye and in a sense, you are "always on". Anything that you say on the internet is always there. Even if you take it down, it can be found.

So someone tells you that the book sucked rashed up donkey balls. Well, that's hurtful and made of douche that they would put it that way, but it's their honest opinion and they are entitled to it. Freedom of speech applies not just to the stuff we like to hear. Rather than let it poke you in your soft places, ask what about it sucked. If they can't tell you, chuck it like used toilet paper and move on. Say that you're sorry they didn't like it, but thanks for reading.

If they have specific things that they didn't like, thank them for pointing it out and again, "Sorry that you didn't like it, but thanks for reading."

Anything else and you're going to alienate your readers. Sure, you write for yourself, but you sell for the market and that's the readers.

There's been a movement in the publishing world recently and it seems like it's authors against readers. Reviewers are being lit up like Roman candles for expressing their honest opinions- authors freaking out on Amazon and Goodreads for a one star review. We have to remember that these are the people who pay us to write. Have all the creative angst you like, but keep it to yourself and your support system. Will one bad review ruin your career? No. Will one meltdown? Maybe.

After a certain author's freakout over a review, as a reader, I quit buying her work. She struck me as a self-righteous prima donna bitch and I refuse to ever give her any more of my money. She could write the next batch of Commandments, God's lips right to her ear and I wouldn't spit on her if she was on fire.If she'd just left that review alone, I probably would have thought nothing more about it and went on about the business of reading her work.

On the other hand, readers/reviewers, being made of bitch is nothing but bad behavior. So, you didn't like it. Okay, it happens. I've read plenty of books I didn't care for. Did I write the author and flay off enough skin to make a Snuggy? No. Could I? Yes. I've got a tongue with more venom than the deadliest snake. If you want the author to write to your expectations of excellence, you have to make it clear what those are. "You suck my ass" doesn't exactly help anyone. Leave an honest review, or crit, but tell us why you didn't like it. Otherwise, you just look like a troll.

This business, like any other, is full of angels and devils. You decide which one you want to be and stick with it. We've got to support each other, but we can't expect a gold star just for showing up. That's not how it works. No lie that it hurts, sometimes it feels like you just got cored out like the new guy on the cell block. I've been there, we all have. You just have to keep believing in your work, and build a strong support system.

As an editor, I've read some horrible tripe. Stuff I thought was too bad to line my cat's litter box. Would I ever phrase it that way? Certainly not. Honest, yes. Cruel, no. I try to treat all the authors I've worked with as I'd like to be treated. Even when I feel personally offended that something so awful would ever see the light of day.

*grin* As a writer, some of my early work was horrible. I can admit that freely. There are some reviews to prove it. And you know what, I want to improve my craft and I think I have. But we're always learning, or we should be and I tried to learn from my reviews. Even when they burned like The Inquisition.

And last, but not least, don't forget that opinions are like buttholes. Everyone has one. In the end, (hehee, more butt humor) the people that are nasty look like the trolls that they are, the honest readers are just that, and you, you'll be smelling like a rose and those readers who may not have liked your first book, they're going to be willing to give something else you wrote a shot because you're gracious and classy.

Of course, this is all just my opinion. *wink*

Getting the Buy-In

If you know anything about marketing, you know that the importance of "buy-in" is big when you're trying to sell a product. Buy-in is sort of like the emotional connection or relationship a potential buyer sees with a product. It's something that connects their success to its purchase. They buy based on that connection.

And buy-in is important to we authors as well (from several angles). I'll just address the family buy-in that aspiring (and established) authors may want to consider (if they don't already).

I'll be honest--it's easy to get family members to buy-in to you working as a writer once you've landed a contract, gotten that first chunk of change and are facing deadlines. At that point you've already proven your value as related to contributing to the household income.

But what do you do BEFORE that first contract? How do you prove to your spouse or in laws (or whatevers) that writing is something you SHOULD have the time and support to pursue?

1. Do a little research: What do you personally get out of writing OTHER THAN potential monetary gain? Do you feel more fulfilled? Are you more productive in other ways if you wrote 1000 creative words in a day? Are you happier after you've written? Make note of that!
2. Can you set goals that show you'll finish a writing project (this was a biggee with my hubby--I'm notorious for not completing things)?
3. Can you still meet the needs of others in your household while meeting your own writing needs? If not, think about what may need to be adjusted.
4. What do you REALLY want or need from your writing to be satisfied? Not everyone needs to be published to be fulfilled, but some do. Be honest with yourself.
5. Arrange a time to sit down with your family and talk about why writing's important to you:

• use those notes about how it makes you feel and makes things around the house better to help get your family's buy-in
  
• show connections between things other household members do for personal fulfillment and your writing
• set clear goals for yourself with your family's input (also helps with buy-in)
• share a bit of your dream with them--why it matters and how it deepens your connection with them and makes you a better person in the relationship

Throughout the process, be willing to listen, be positive and and willing to compromise. Life is hectic, any time a family member wants to carve out additional "me time" the family may get defensive. But if you show how your writing will benefit them--without mentioning potential future earnings--you'll have a good shot at a supportive response. They'll buy-in to your project because they can connect to it in a new way.

Good luck!
~Shannon

Muse Monday--What's in a word?

"Marsha, I love you."

"No, John, you don't!"

"But I do! Really!"

"Oh. Well. Then I guess I love you, too."

"So let's get married."

"Yes, Let's do."

"Kiss, kiss."

The End.

Emotions.

More specifically, writing emotions. Ought to be a piece of cake. After all, who hasn't felt mad, happy, afraid, or in love?

"If you're a romance writer who relies on emotional words carry your character's journey, then chances are you've failed at youre genre." (paraphrased from author/editor Alicia Rasley)

Yeah, I know. She's right. Blows, doesn't it?

Writing realistic depictions of emotion that spring to life on the page is one of most difficult lessons to learn as an author. Yet, there is no more important lesson to learn, particularly for those who want to write moving love stories.

I was fortunate enough to attend a day conference a while back presented by editor/author Alicia Rasley. She's a brilliant teacher, and certainly lives up to her reputation for holding her audience in the palm of her hand.

Much of our discussion was about emotion in writing. I walked way with two "aha" moments, particulary when it comes to building up to those dramatic, emotional moments that define love stories.

1) Trust your reader's intelligence. Never. Ever. Spoon feed.

2) Remove the emotional words from your scene and try again. Once done, you are forced to rely on your character's actions to carry the emotion.

Ah, now we're back to the wisdom we should have learned from our writing 101, but may have forgotten---action is everything, baby. And once again, I'm leaning on a classic movie clip to distract you guys from the fact that this post is woefully short on content because...I'm on deadline. :)

Life

Writers write; everyone else makes excuses. But there are times when that thing called *LIFE* limits how much we can realistically expect to accomplish. I’m in one of those periods when *LIFE* is happening fast and furious around me. I’m preparing to sell a home, buy a home, move 1600 miles, and start a new job, as well as waiting for the results of the Dorchester Publishing/Textnovel.com America’s Next Best Celler contest. Here's my schedule for the few weeks:

January 4: Meet with movers for pre-move survey; get documents for Virginia closing notarized and delivered to FedEx; Dorchester elimination

January 6: Two office good-bye parties (current and previous jobs)

January 7: Movers pack and load my household goods

January 8: Last day of work at current job; closing on Virginia condo; dinner with my family; Dorchester elimination

January 9-11: Drive to San Antonio

January 12-14: Report to new job; prepare for business trip on Monday

January 15: Closing on Texas condo; final Dorchester elimination

January 18-22: Business trip to Miami for hearing

Oh, and sometime in there, no later than January 19, my household goods are supposed to arrive in San Antonio. In a perfect world, they’d arrive on January 15, so they could be delivered directly to my new home right after the closing. More likely, they’ll arrive while I'm in Miami, in which case they'll go into temporary storage for a few days and be delivered to the condo during the week of January 25.

Whew! Most of this activity is highly positive, but still…

I’m taking my trusty AlphaSmart 3000 with me on my various travels so I can write the 100 words a day I need to keep my brand new 2010 string alive at Club 100. Beyond that, *LIFE* will have to take precedence until I get back from Miami. And I’m okay with that.


**Posted by Saranna for Gail Hart

Bring it ON! My goals for the next 10 years.

It may seem a little far off, but decades around me just seem to pass by and crumble far too quickly. The '90s saw me finishing my education. The turning of this past decade saw me fall in love, get married, and have a small, yet somehow barely manageable, passel of kids. So, what's next? My career of course. My muse has been waiting impatiently for me to get the minutiae done so that he can take over, and I am giving him the next 10 years to get his groove on.

It is an amazing feeling to wake up on the first morning of not only a new year, but a new decade. Goals on a day like this have to be big.

Unfortunately, as my husband pointed out, my flighty ways don't play well with long-term planning. Never fear, I have an arsenal!

FOCUS BOARD--I make one of these every year, and every year, at least half the goals are accomplished. I don't do resolutions. My life changes far too much for me to set myself on something so feeble as a resolution. I need flexibility combined with the seriousness of a dominatrix with a whip. Fun, yet painful, a focus board is a collage imbued with your intent for the next year. You cut up magazines, letters, articles, pictures, what-have-you, and paste them onto a piece of poster board. As you paste, you focus your intentions, your will, into the focus board. "I am going to get an agent. I am finishing 3 novels this year. I am going to go to RWA. I am going to make time for writing first." Everything worded in a positive, and if possible, in present tense.

"All of my blogs are on time this year."

That's a starter. Except that I am already a day late.

That brings me to part TWO-DO NOT LET THE LITTLE THINGS SWAY YOU OFF COURSE. Success takes time. A rejection? Brush it off. See what you can change to make it better. Rejections aren't personal (unless you have made an ass of yourself on facebook and/or twitter. Be careful what you say on those traps of embarrassment). Use them as the tools they are. I am going to enter the RITA contest. The deadline for this round ends in 3 days, so I am out for that, but that gives me this whole year to get it done! Actually, that gives me 3 months to get it done, 2 more months to put it away and work on something else, 1 month to pull it out, reread, and polish, 2 more months to send it out to beta readers for some input, then another month to reedit, then another month to put it away while I work on other writings, then I am into November and December which are crazy holiday months, and I will have to compete for writing time with family obligations, so there are a few weeks shot, but with some more beta reading and polishing, I can send it out to the RITA judges and keep my fingers crossed.

Yeah, a year goes by quick.

That's why I'm giving myself 10 of them. By 2020, I will be a best-selling author of at least 10 books, more likely more since my goal is to create 2 (I will be going for 3!) books a year. I can do it. And if I, scatterbrained, always thinking of plots and characters and what-ifs, can do it, so can you.

I'd like to send out a special thank you to Ann Aguirre, author extraordinaire, for her timely article, These Laurels Are Not For Resting: Staying Productive and Meeting Deadlines, in the RWA Romance Writer's Report. Not only did she quote our very own Textnovel Diva, Shannon, but she got the creative juices flowing for this year. I will have Write Or Die on all of my home computers. I will write at least 2000 words a day.

Okay, decade, let's do this thing!