The blog of fantasy fiction author and writer Tarah L. Wolff

I’m looking for a cover designer for my book. I officially have a plan but it cannot begin until I have a fabulous cover for Embraced by Darkness. I have queried several artists I found through DeviantArt (my old stomping grounds) and have made some progress. One fantastic artist told me she does commissions for free but I sense she is suspecting something different than what I am going to throw at her. Most excellent digital artists on DeviantArt get commissions to do profiles sketches of fantasy-sci-fi game characters/not a big job in comparison to what I want on my book cover. After I get the cover done for my book I officialy have a plan.

That’s right – I have a plan.

The plan starts with me not being humble at all. I am a web designer and I know how to get to first page Google within two months. I also know how to create a website that sells. These things I have not considered thoroughly enough as being assets for selling becoming a published novelist. I came upon a pdf file of some poor writer who self-published through lulu and failed miserably (several times) the end of the pdf was that she was finally happy with her book covers and she sold a couple a month etc. I looked at her website and her book covers and could not believe she sold any a month. It also just so happens that I’ve been an editor and layout/print designer for eight years. Funny how until I read that pdf that none of this became very obvious to me. I have the experience in the industry to already know not to make the mistakes that she made. I also have enough experience in the industry that I know most people buy books online these days.

That’s right – Most people buy books online now.

Book stores are barely surviving. I know this because I’ve been in the industry close enough, for long enough, that most people buy online these days. And most of them buy used books from Amazon (if they’re smart -  I just bought a used Stephen King book for 1 cent yesterday).

On top of all of that my writers’ group (The Jackpine Writers’ Bloc) has several ISBNs more than they will ever need and are willing to give me one for free for my book. On top of that my aunt happens to be the most incredibly thorough editor I have ever seen and she’s already told me she would edit my book for me. Take note on my last sentence because on top of everything else I think this kind of editing is really what separates the shitty self published books from the publishing company books. Because of the cover, my layout design and Sharon’s professional editing. My book will not look self published but professionally finished. Also if I publish through Lulu with an ISBN I can use their marketing tools for free and that means: A Free Amazon Listing.

So Far I’ve Only Spent $15

That’s right. Only $15 and that’s for the domain registration because we have our own server and that means free hosting for me. Does it seem a little like I haven’t utilized the tools that have been given to me in the past? You’re damned right. But, I also haven’t had a finished book in the past so regardless of what I’m capable of: I won’t push or try to sell a book I’m not proud of. But now, if you haven’t noticed, I’m just about done with my book and I have the time and I can afford $15 to get my website up.

So, Here’s the Plan.

1. Register the domain embracedbydarkness.com ($15)
2. Commission an incredible bad-ass cover. ($?)
3. Get my aunt to edit my book for me. ($?)
4. Use the cover graphics to create a stunning website at the domain. ($0)
5. Launch the book on lulu (with lulu marketing) and the website ($0)
6. Pay per click advertising on Facebook using bad ass cover ($?)
7. Pay for banner advertising on DeviantArt using bad ass cover for 1 to forever ($20 per month)

Now, a couple of things I already have wrong that you may point out. First off, I really need to get my book on lulu and get lulu marketing going ASAP long before I do anything else (besides getting my domain name) because lulu marketing (getting my book in amazon listings etc.) can take up to eight weeks and I would really rather have all of the finished and set before I start paying for advertising. Regardless though, I won’t put my book up in lulu until the cover is finished so that’s priority #1 and, God knows, I’ve got absolutely no money. So, as I hope that someone may give me a commissioned cover for free, I know that that is really far fetched.

Wondering why I chose Deviantart Ads?

I bought Banner Advertising through Deviantart years ago when I was selling photography prints (or trying to). I sold a few but that wasn’t the point. The point was that I got over a thousand clicks a day for only $20 a month. It was impressive. And the Deviantart people are my kind of people. Most of them are fantasy gamers that are very much so online rats like the rest of us. In other words, the people on DA are the kind of people who would buy a fantasy book online, and God knows they would notice bad ass cover graphics in an ad and fucking click on it to take them to my even more bad ass website.

Meanwhile, I’m still working on Embraced by Darkness

I finished the first thorough read through and then speed read through the book again cutting and cutting and cutting. Last time I updated my blog the book was over 170,000 words now its down to about 163,000. That’s still not good enough for me. I am determined to cut the book down to at least 150,00 but if I could get it under 150,00 than I believe I’ll have a real something that I could sell to an agency or a publishing company.

But I’m not just cutting thoughtlessly: with every cut I am trying to improve the book. I am reading a book right now (because despite that I am pouring everything I’ve got into my own book I am always reading something besides) called Getting Into Character by Brandalinn Collins. It’s a book focusing on what a novelist can learn from actors on how to develop three dimensional characters. It’s really got me thinking and I’ve been jotting notes down while I read it in bed as I get ideas to change Embraced by Darkness, especially Osondrous, and make it more clear and focused.

I can’t tell you how much I look forward to being able to start a book from scratch. I have learned so much from having to go through this monster so many times. I know one thing for certain: I never want to have to do this again. Any book I write from here on out I am going to have a concise and very clear plan from start finish, from scene to scene. I will never write willynilly again. My boyfriends been joking, “At this point you could have just re-written the whole thing and not had so much damned editing and cutting to do.” Very depressingly, but at this point, he’s right. But there’s no going back now.

Meanwhile. Once the book is done. As you might imagine. I am going to be sending out to every Fantasy/Sci-fi agent I can find. Hopefully, somewhere, I am going to be noticed. What really terrifies me is that I better start working on the sequel.

I started this blog entry the night before last, after I had spent several hours looking for scfi-fi/fantasy places to be published and I still had part 4 of my book to go through. I felt good and I was so enthused that I named the blog post “Actual Hope” though I got nothing else written in it. I found eight places (mostly magazines) that pay and accept scfi-fi/fantasy stories. I’m excited about it and have already sent off one of my short stories for consideration. I have plans to work on four more and get those sent off as soon as possible. I’ll be so excited if just one of them gets accepted. What’s really neat is that most of them urge for novel excerpts so I’m already working on pulling some stories out of The Death of Eliana and I’m working on the same for Embraced by Darkness. For some reason all of this has made me feel pretty good. I’ve also bought some cheap back issues of most of the places; research is a must.

Meanwhile I also found seven different scfi-fi and fantasy publishing companies that accept unsolicited submissions. Woot! Though I know the reaction I’m probably going to get from all of them. “Your book’s too damn long. We can’t publish anything over 120 thousand words.” Still, knowing that those publishing houses are out there, looking for books like I want to write, and being willing to take unagented submissions is pretty fucking awesome.

And I have been working on my book. I said in the beginning of this post that the night before last I was down to Part 4 – the end of the book. If you can believe it, I’m feeling pretty good about how the whole thing is reading. There was some doubt throughout the beginning of the book and, of course, I need to work on those places. But, last night, I finished it.

I finished the first complete read-through after putting my book back together!

Without a doubt, the last half of my book is a better read than the first half. I’m hoping I can cut even more but as it stands the book is now down to 173,052 from 236,743 when I started this last push a few months ago.  That’s sixty thousand words that I’ve managed to cut. My boyfriend has taken to teasing, “How much did you delete of all your hard work today? Did it go well?” And I’ll say, “Oh yeah, I just love slaughtering it!” But, the truth of the matter is, that I’m actually not deleting any real substance from the book. Any real writer will know that what I’m doing is just improving what’s already there.

I literally sit and think, “How can I say that in less words?”

The biggest hardship I ran into in this last read through is that, because Karalay’s story is shorter, things were happening for her way before they were spurred to happen for the other characters. I.E. Karalay was reacting to Osondrous becoming queen before she actually became queen. Now, I know a lot of books do that deliberately and there was a part of me that wanted to leave it because the book was so happy and organized as it was. But, I decided, that because of the scope and size of my book, I needed to help my readers out and keep my three characters as close to the same time line as I could. So I had to change my method in Part 1 of the book.

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog posts than you know that I decided to break the book into four parts and omit chapters all together. In each part of the book I ended up going from Osondrous to Karalay to Jezaline to Osondrous to Karalay to Jezaline and then moved on to the next part. But because of Karalay’s shorter story and the fact that she HAD to end my book and the fact that she was the main character in my Epilogue I decided to pull half of her story out of Part 1 and move all of her story down. So Part 1 is now going from Osondrous to  Jezaline to Osondrous to Karalay to Jezaline and then moving on to Part 2. See diagram. None of the other Parts have changed but I feel this was necessary and the fact of the matter is, no one reading the book is going to care or notice.

I want to cut more.

It’s painful and it’s true. I need to cut more and I want to cut more. There are two places in the book I hope I can slice more of it out, maybe not more than a few thousand words but if I can get the book down into the hundred and sixty thousand word area I think it will look better. Really anything shorter than it is now will look better to publishers.

But I’m not going to start cutting rashly. I’m going to read through it, one more time, and cut as I go. I hate to say it, and it does pain me quite a bit, but the truth of the matter is the places I’m thinking of cutting are out of Jezaline and Karalay’s stories which is pretty frustrating because Osondrous has the most words in the book. But, as I’m typing this I am thinking of a place in Osondrous’ story too that I noticed. When I read through it again I really hope I can cut them down without mercy and maybe “crosses fingers” even cut another ten thousand words out of the book.

So, wish me luck!

It’s that time of the year again. The Jackpine Writers’ Bloc put out its call for submissions for The Talking Stick Volume 19 on January 1st. For those of you writers who are either from Minnesota, or have a close connection to the area, you should consider submitting. Winning prizes for each of the three categories (Fiction, Creative nonfiction and Poetry) is $500 and for second place it is $100. Not to mention all pieces that get chosen are read and critiqued by our fantastic celebrity judges. And there is no reading fee to submit.

Submission Guidelines

I both look forward to and loathe this time of the year. It’s always fun to be on the Editorial Board. When Sharon and I took over the work of The Talking Stick, our only condition was that we could always be on the Editorial board to choose the submissions every year. Without a doubt, it is the most enjoyable part of the process. On top of that, neither one of us wanted to have to work on a book for the rest of the year when we didn’t have a say as to what was being published or sent to the judges.

So, I’m on the Editorial Board again this year. The call for submissions ends March 1st so the five members on the Editorial Board will meet in March some time to determine what gets put in the book. It’s a long day for us. We’re given the submissions to read a week or two before we meet and just getting the submissions read through two or three times is the biggest job. Just imagine one to five submissions from nearly two hundred writers ranging anywhere from one page to fifteen pages each. Big job. But, I look forward to it every year. It’s wonderful to read other peoples writing, though, I admit, I don’t give the poor writers much of a chance.

I can’t help it. Last year, the fiction was gaggingly difficult to read. Fiction, every year, is always the poorest category. I have less and less tolerance for obvious mistakes that should be corrected before submitting. I just can’t believe that we, as editors, are offered so little respect that we’re sent works that were obviously never even read through a second time. Have writers no shame? No dignity? No consideration for the people that want to publish them?

And my biggest, deepest pet peeve, is the complete lack of respect of writers to even bother reading our submission guidelines. We literally have hundreds of works submitted by hundreds of writers to wade through – the submission guidelines are there to make our lives easier. For anyone here that is considering submitting to The Talking Stick, know this: You’re work will be thrown out  if you do not follow our submissions guidelines.

The worst thing you can do to an editor is vary from the default fonts of every Word Processor. Times, or Arial, will help you get published. Don’t use any other kind of font.

I’m going to go back to the subject of reading Fiction. I am apprehensive to attack the Fiction and it grows worse every year. I use to really try, sit down with every story and try to find the good. I’m no longer like that. Because I have become a fiction writer and it is my passion, I have absolutely no tolerance for stupid mistakes. I often wonder, don’t writers ever read? Because, so often when I’m reading terrible Fiction, the biggest mistake that is pointed out to me is the complete lack of knowledge. Sentence structure, story structure. A complete lack of Writing basics. Don’t writers ever read? And that leaves me even more ticked because it becomes obvious, with the very worst stories, that these writers don’t think they need to read. Don’t think they need to learn any kind of writing basics. They actually believe that their work is so incredible that they have nothing to learn.

Well, they have nothing worth publishing then either.

I’m sounding very cold-hearted. Fair enough. I am being cold-hearted but only because I am one of the other writers. The writer who has gone to every class, read every Pulitzer prize winning novel, tried to become a better writer, and year after year respected the craft and never submitted anything with so much as a single spell check error. Never submitted anything that hadn’t had hours of my blood, sweat and tears, poured into it. These other writers, aren’t writers in my opinion. These folks who think they can sit down and whip something up. These writers who half-ass it, not bothering even so much to learn what “Story Structure” means. They make the rest of us look bad.

Creative Nonfiction.

If there is one category we put off reading year after year. It is Creative nonfiction. As much as I loathe crappy fiction there is nothing worse than wading through hundreds of the most boring creative nonfiction you can imagine. Don’t get me wrong, there is good fiction and creative nonfiction in the book every year (works that are worth publishing). But, where the one main mistake fiction writers commit every year is not even knowing fiction writing basics, creative nonfiction writers make the mistake of writing something no one else can stay awake reading. In other words, writing something no one else could give a rats ass about. So often, we get memoir writing and not creative writing in any way. Where that writers family may get a kick out of that particular piece, the rest of us, who don’t know who Uncle Harry is, could give a rat’s ass. So, year after year, we all have loathed reading the creative nonfiction to such an extent that we finally reduced the word count by several hundred. Hallelujah! I’m actually looking forward to it this year because of that.

The most difficult choice. Print quality writing or a quality story?

It is the most difficult choice and it is getting worse by the year. Publish a boring, crap story that was written well or publish the terribly written decent story that kept us reading despite the sentence mistakes? It is a very hard choice. And this is usually where we have out biggest arguments on the Editorial Board. Where one person liked that story because she has a puppy too the rest of the Editorial Board is shaking there heads because they won’t be caught publishing such poor writing. That is my biggest problem with all editors. Not enough of them read without bias but instead, publish those crappy, poorly written stories about two years because they too, have a toddler. I refuse to be that editor. In the end, because I value quality writing above all else, I vote to throw everything else out and just hope, every year, that there will be enough pieces that combine good story along with good writing. Because this is about words. Good words.

So I’m working through the final line edit of my monster book. And I am plagued. It feels so much like the longer I work on this the more I doubt my decisians, myself, my writing, my book.

Rejection

I’ve been dealing with a lot of rejection lately. Where I thought I was a shoe in to at least get a couple of short stories and poems published this year. They were all rejected. All of them.

The rejections are hard. Probably the hardest part of being a writer and the most absolute part of being a writer. You will be rejected; constantly. I know I am a decent writer. I know what I’ve submitted this year and in the past have been solid writing. However, I have come up against the wall of Minnesota. The wall that says, “We just don’t want what you write.” I can’t tell you how many times I have been rejected and then later met and the editor and I thought, “No wonder.” They didn’t want what I’m writing.

My writing is too cutting edge, too hard core, too in your face, too rock. And it always will be. In Minnesota what gets published again and again are vacation stories. Inspirational stories. Stories about working on your little log cabin. Stories written by baby boomers. I am rejected before I even start.

So do I change my writing?

Do I write the cutesy shit that makes me gag so I get published?

Do I pretend I’m a Grandma who remembers being taught how to cook from her grandma? Or a grand daughter who just can’t believe how sweet her daughter is? Do I pretend to find God in mere coincidence so someone will publish me? Do I pretend how amazing the water was on the lake last night even though it’s the same fucking water it’s always been?

I’m angry. I’m annoyed. I am hearing the same advice and truth I’ve given other writers a million times.

Good writing doesn’t get published. What the Editor likes gets published.

I am at a loss. You want to believe that if you work hard enough than you will get published. But that’s just not how it is. Day in and day out I am facing rejection. I am facing people telling me that my work is too realistic, too scary, too goth, too hard core, not sweet enough. How often have I seen people grimace with distaste not at my writing but at my story? How many times has my writing been so good that I have made people creeped out and even feel hate for one of my characters? Shouldn’t that be a good thing? The worst thing I can think of is that people would call my work “boring”. And yet, I’m getting rejected, while the most boring shit I’ve ever read is getting published. God forbid anyone publish something that pushes the envelope.

No one wants to read a hard story these days. I was sitting at a family gathering the other day and heard several adults there talking about how much they hate Stephen King’s books and how they only like books like Harry Potter and the Narnia series. I couldn’t say anything because what I would say to that would be nothing good.

Twilight.

I’m going to use the Twilight books as a comparison to what I would never do. Did I think the Twilights were okay? Of course, I’m a girl, who couldn’t love Edward? But by the last book I couldn’t stand them anymore. Not for the story but for the terrible disrespect of the story and the characters.

I guess I’ve been reading too many Pulitzer prize winning books. God knows, Twilight doesn’t compare. In fact Twilight looks like shit in comparison to Gilead (Marilyn Robinson) and the many other fantastic books that are out there to read today. I’ve come to the final realization of the major difference between the writer of the Twilight Series and the writer of Gilead and Good Housekeeping.

It’s About Respect.

When you read a book like Gilead you feel as though you are getting a real glimpse to a real person’s existence. You do not become the character, instead, you see the character. You see them in all of their incredible imperfections. In all of their grief and tragedy. In all of their triumphs and in their deaths. In the Twilight series, from the first sentence, it reads like fake fiction. The main character is an idiot. Stupid, one dimensional, shockingly unrealistic. Written in this way so the reader will become the main character. Written so the main character never rocks the boat, never makes a decision the reader wouldn’t like. never becomes a real person.

Gilead is an incredible show case of an author writing a story with unflinching respect for the main character and the decisions he must make, regardless of who doesn’t like it. Stephen King does this in all of his books as well. They are entirely character and story driven. You don’t become the character, you become their shadows. You follow them through all of their terrible and great days. And you stand in awe as the author lets those character make their decisions. And the author writes their stories without ever interrupting. Instead they read as though the authors don’t exist. It’s just the character, it’s just the story. And that is incredible to me.

Something like Twilight simply pisses me off. Where there is incredible writing in the world today, it’s a series like Twilight that the world wants to read. Regardless of good writing. No one gives a rat’s ass. The world wants a quick fix that they won’t have to think about, that won’t interfere or bother their little lives in anyway.

And Then There’s Me.

I don’t want to write a one dimensional, unrealistic, idiotic character that people can be. I want to write about a realistic, multi-dimensional person that people can see. I don’t want to write the easy stories. I don’t want to write boring shit that people forget. So, that makes me an absolute reject.

I want to be the writer of a Clockwork Orange and Animal Farm and Farenheit 451 of my generation. But I don’t think anyone will ever publish me to give me the chance. So I keep writing. I keep working. And I do hope that I will find the agent that appreciates this kind of writing. One day. I guess we’ll see.

The opinion of writers groups varies entirely across the board. There are some people, authors and writers, who swear by them as support structures and then there is a much, much larger majority (mostly of successful published authors) who believe writers groups are nothing less than highly destructive. In this post I’m going to explore the reasons why writers groups have got such a bad reputation and also why, in some cases, they have a very good reputation.

My writers group, my aunt, and I, have become something of celebrities in our writing piece of Minnesota. What we have become and done for many years is unprecedented. We have stayed together, kept motivated, welcome new members and all of our members have become published authors. We have also kept our fourteen year old book churning out year after year, publishing Minnesota authors (without a reading fee) and offering $1500 worth of prizes every year. We have no membership dues and rely mostly on benefits to keep us publishing and supporting Minnesota writers year after year. We are a nonprofit and we are proud of what we have accomplished. The Jackpine Writers’ Bloc.

Writers alone in the woods

There are many different types of writers that come and introduce themselves to our group. The one defining quality of almost all of them is that their writing has never been read by anyone outside their families. They have basically never conversed with other writers and are a little terrified. They hold their work against their chest like it’s a light sensitive baby and when they come to our monthly meetings and read it, they go either one way or the other.

Can’t take critisism

Writers who absolutely cannot take criticism and seem to believe that while they’ve been off writing alone in the woods they have become Hemmingways. While we sit through their reading we’re left giving critique and support to deaf ears. We find out soon enough that this writer came for only one thing. To read in front of other writers and have those other writers bow before their brilliance.

I absolutely cannot say this enough. Not only is your writing not great or interesting but the majority of it is downright SHIT. No matter how good it may or not be it can be IMPROVED. Until you’re willing to improve as a writer and hear criticism you are a complete waste of time to other writers. And you’re a complete waste of time to yourself and you will never improve as a writer. But I guess if you think you’re perfect at this point anyway than you don’t need to improve. Do you?

Giving Criticism

I’m one lucky chick to have several long time highly published authors in my group. And many avid readers/writers. They give unique and interesting advice and have helped me in the past. The major problem with most writers’ groups is that they become full of a few very crappy writers, and very closed minded people.

Be Warned.

These people have destroyed many writers to make themselves feel better about their own shitty work. No, this is not how it always is but I think all writers groups have this sad truth within them at least a little bit. Every writers group has people who like and or dislike certain genres of writing and write themselves in a very specific genre. They cannot help but judge your writing against what they like.

The hardest thing to find is someone who can comment objectively on just the technique and form of the writing and not on the subject. This is an extremely rare person and is almost impossible to find. Do I think I am one of these people? As much as I possibly can be.

Whether you like it or not.

Your writing will be shaped by the opinions of the writers group. If you’re willing to take critique you fill find your writing will begin to take on different shapes. Read as much as you can and get as many opinions as possible about your writing. You will be able to glean and apply and grow faster than anyone else alive in your art of writing.

The Bad.

The only problem with a writers group (assuming they are good authors and readers who know how to critique properly and not just be stupid assholes) is that you can take it one step to far. It is possible to start writing to appease the people in your writers group. Never allow this to happen. Find your voice and stick with it. For years I have been the only commercial fantasy fiction writer in my group and they simply haven’t been able to help me much. It’s tough for poets and memoir-ists to make an intelligent critique on fantasy commercial fiction. But they are wonderful people and great writers in their own genre and I’ve taken their criticism as I would from anyone on the street picking up my book and reading it. As most novelists know good readers are damn hard to find but my writers group remains there for me, my encouragement and my support.

I will say it again.

You simply can not read enough, write enough, and get your writing read by enough people. Learn to glean from comments. If twelve out of thirteen people don’t like that line, consider changing it. If only one person doesn’t like it than everyone is entitled to her/his opinion. Know who your readers are and don’t be surprise if the love poet isn’t that fond of your horror novel. Take nothing personally and all of those readers will at least give you one very important thing.

Thick skin.

You know you’re going to need it when you actually want to get published. Become apart of the writers community in your area. Become a part of the writers of this country. Know what you’re trying to get into, don’t be shy. The longer you hide behind those trees the harder it will be to break in to the industry. As long as you’re careful to stay objective, take every opinion worth a grain of salt, becoming a part of a writers community will benefit you.