#TheEnd

Gosh, itching to insert Napolean Dynomite meme, what does that mean to you? A frightening thought for writers or beyond.

For this, the first week in July of 2018, The Insecure Writer’s Group posted on the glorious day of Tuesday, the 3rd…I, however, am posting on the enigmatic, as the enigma I am, day of Friday the 6th which means in seven more days Friday the 13th, and Jason, shall arrive… & precisely 6 days after, as in the 6th, turns into Thursday the 19th of July where a very cool writerly opportunity shall be hitting the #twitter #feeds. Yes, #BigBrother will also be holding eviction that night.

But, #Writers #Authors #Wordsmithy #Friends this could be an #AmazeBalls #Opportunity for #pitching that #manuscript! (2 #agents, NOT out the door, into the fire or even against your siblings head…) Just make sure it’s ready & varnished to a high-level spit-shined gleam that would make your Nana proud. Your elbow should be aching if, in all honesty, you’re ready. Joke, I do not.

Click here for more information. Thank you Insecure Writers Support Group!

Will I attend said event, “Oh’ hell no.” Not this year…I have attended #PitMad, a quarterly event, once before & my claim to fame came in a full #MS request, but alas, I sucked and rightly ’twas my 1st completed work lacking due diligence as an understudy should devote and fell full frontal. I’ve learned to suck-up said suckiness with a smile and thankfully my teeth still intact. All I’d genuinely accomplished, at that point, was proving to myself I could pen those magical two words #TheEnd and since then I’ve done so three more times, each with a little more flair than the last.

If you are into #twitter another great hashtag to follow is #MSWL, the manuscript wish list where literary agents in search of (? fill in the blank ?) spill their #tea. A major contention for these twitter events, or any submission standard, requires you to FOLLOWthe instructions, (usually, a recommended life requirement, unless, you are putting together furniture) if you fail at this your chances of having your brilliant masterpiece requested, let alone pondered, will be nada … NOT a good look … you’ve worked too hard to overlook this silly detail.

A marvelous coincidence this month is my post, for once, actually coincides with the #IWSG question of the month, which you can or can not, answer, a very intellectually and empowering notion, making choices can be difficult.

July 2018 Question of the month: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)? Let me tell you, straight up, they have CHANGED.

In the beginning, I wanted to see if I could finish a complete story idea, a minimum of 300 pages, 30 chapters @ 10 pages each…a novel approach, right? word count unknown, concept? what’s a concept? synopsis capsulized into 250-300 words-I got this. POV? third-person omniscient-open for interpretation and those who know no better, like me, back then hopping heads like a mother f’n proficient. Logline? give me a minute… Genre? Paranormal/Historical Romance-cause, I believe in love, the super-natural and happy endings-don’t you?

Once finished, I entered every contest, attended conferences, walked the street with this bad-boy till I turned peuce and literally killed the premise of work harder not smarter. Yes, that’s backward. I didn’t know any better, just to keep plugging away.

After two years, things began to make sense, settle in, percolate. Could I have self-published? of course. I know how to navigate the internet, conquer my computer and Google quite proficiently. But this isn’t where I’m at, yet, when I make the choice more than anything I want readers to keep coming back for more and more and write stellar reviews and tell their friends who’ll tell their friends and so on and so on. This will require rising above mediocrity.

(My Nana may be in heaven, but that girl has expectations that this chick, moi, refuses to let down.)

Yes, in the beginning, I wanted to pump out three books a year, exclaimed so as my intention, and one day I will, but, when I do they will be worthy, like, I’ve done everything possible to make my work phenom. And what does that mean? work and a literary professional who knows their shit and will lead you in the proper direction, one who isn’t afraid to call your work crap because they care and their love is the craft of writing, making what you produce touch on standards higher than mundane.

But it also comes with great words of caution as there are a gazillion “writerly type professionals” claiming to be story coaches, format, line and or content editors, all Googly educated and, even if well-intentioned, may be zero help in educating your cause for success in publication.

So today, as I come to #TheEnd punching in at 86,383 words what I’ve learned is this is just #TheBeginning to my first thoroughly researched and outlined WIP. Did I go, rogue? more than once. Did I stumble, fall off the wagon, get er’ done in FebYoWriMo? yes and no. Is it perfect? far from it. Will draft 1 turn into 7? Not this time. 😁

Write On! ❤ Jess