If you’re an author with a newly published book, there’s no doubt you’ve heard this line from friends and family. “You’re going to be rich!” Rich with what exactly? Deadlines? Rewrites? A thousand rounds of edits? The feeling your computer screen has become a permanent fixture to your face because all you do is stare at it for hours and days on end until you’ve become pixel zombified? No, my friends, for the average writer, this gig won’t pay enough to cover rent.
Now, I’m not talking about the 1% out there who have managed to land a sweet contract with one of the big 5. You people know who you are. I’m talking about the rest of us poor souls who will forever fight a losing battle to get our books noticed in a drowning sea of about 130 million others. Doesn’t sound appealing, aye? So, why in the world would anyone put themselves through this madness?
The answer is much simpler than you might think. Because of you, the reader. Because we want to give something of ourselves to you. Because we have so many stories locked inside our brains, that all we really want to do is entertain you with them. And because if we don’t get them on paper, we will literally go insane. Finally, because we love what we do, and it isn’t about the money, silly.
Now that I’ve managed to jerk the rug out from under aspiring writer’s visions of grandeur, here is a list of the top ten things I’ve learned on my journey to becoming a better writer.
• Trust your editor. There’s a good chance he or she knows what they’re doing. The edits are not for you, they’re for your readers.
• When you finish your manuscript, put it away for a while. Once you pull it back out with fresh eyes, you’ll be amazed at your perception of it.
• I know it’s tempting, but adjectives are not necessarily your friend. Too many of them will slow down the pace of reading. Use the right word and make it count.
• Don’t send out a hundred submissions to various agents and publishers. I learned this lesson the hard way. Pick 15 agents or publishers to submit to. This way you haven’t littered the entire country with a terrible query letter before you make that discovery. And for the love of God, don’t just use a form query letter to send to all of them.
• Develop thick skin but open yourself to constructive criticism. You can’t grow into the best writer you can be without it.
• Read your favorite authors. They are your best example of what writing is supposed to look like.
• It is better to be rejected by a legitimate agent or publisher than to have a poorly written book thrown out into the world. Believe me, I wish I would have realized that in my earlier years.So…just take my word for it.
• You are going to have to market your books. And yes, you’re going to have to pay for it, just like you would if you were running a business. Most small publishers can’t afford the extra expense of marketing. But the good news is, you’re investing in yourself. And you are worth it.
• Don’t break the rules. Only people like Stephen King get to break the rules, and you’re not him.
• You don’t have to pay for fancy writing classes to become a better writer. I know the folks charging a pretty penny for these classes would strongly disagree with me. Good, old-fashioned experience is the key. How do you gain that? Read more books and pay attention to how the author writes them. Find free sources online to help you become a better writer. Pay attention to what your beta readers are trying to tell you. Trial and error. Make a thousand mistakes and learn from them. Yes, this takes time. But nothing worthwhile ever comes easy.
Spirit Walker Series
Book Two
Donnette Smith
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: 3/14/2022
ISBN: 978-1-5092-4082-1 Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5092-4083-8 Digital
Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 65,142
Cover Artist: Kristian Norris
Tagline: When your sixth sense speaks, believe it.
Book Description:
As a clairvoyant, Jenna Langley has foreseen her fair share of murder. But the night she is haunted by visions of a woman buried alive in a makeshift casket, nothing prepares her for the chilling reality that the victim she saw in her vision is herself.
Having survived a recent tragedy, and now tasked with the duty of planning her wedding, everyone attributes Jenna’s disturbing dreams to stress. Even her fiancé does his best to convince her she is perfectly safe.
But someone wants revenge and Jenna is the target of that obsession. Her only hope for survival is if her fiancé, Detective Cole Rainwater, can root out who wants her dead before time runs out.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/GH_Q-HoniLA
Excerpt:
At the same time
a sharp intake of breath filled her lungs, Jenna’s eyes snapped open. Blackness
surrounded her; panic set in instantly as soft whimpers set off a series of
echoes. It took a moment for it to sink in the sounds were her own.
Raising both
hands, her palms struck a hard object not a foot above her head. She slid her
palms over a rough surface, searching, feeling across the top and down the
sides of what felt like a wooden crate.
That embodied
her like a tomb.
She let go a
shriek, crying out in agony, “No! no! please, no!” There was no doubt she was
in the very place that stoked the deepest fear in her heart. Just the way her
vision forewarned. She was buried alive.
Although not a native Texan, Donnette Smith has spent more than half her life living in the Lone Star State. She is an entrepreneur and former business owner of Tailor Maid Services LLC.
After spending a few years working as a journalist for the Blue Ridge Tribune, she realized her love for writing romantic detective novels. Her stories cover a wide range of genres, from horror, time travel, mystery, fantasy, paranormal, and thriller. But one theme stays the same, there is always a detective solving a crime, and a gorgeous victim he would lay down his life to protect.
Donnette’s biggest fascination is with forensic science and crime scene investigations. Her first mystery/suspense novel, Lady Gabriella, was published in 2008. Her second novel was a horror/mystery/suspense titled Cunja and debuted in 2012.
Her latest released novel, book 1 of the Spirit Walker Series, Killing Dreams is a fantasy/romance story and became available in September of 2021. Book 2 of the Spirit Walker Series, Buried Alive, is soon to be released on March 14, 2022.
Thank you so much for having me today, Serena.
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