Writing Disappointments

Every day for months, I've been visiting Webook to check the stats on my Page To Fame entry.  It got past round one and went sailing into round two with ratings WAY up in the 90 percent range.  As the weeks and months passed, the avid readers had all come and left their glowing commentaries and the hard-sells had come calling.  After probably two months or more in the 80 and 90 percent ratings stage, the percentage started falling.  I started getting some rather obnoxious comments like "Should I call her Lisbeth or Dexter?"  Really?  Okay.

Over half the people who rated said the story was unique and the characters were interesting.

Yesterday, I checked my submission to find that with 60 percent of readers voting either pretty good or heavenly, I hadn't made it to Round Three.  Now, here's where I'm confused.

1 percent rated the story lousy.  Okay, I'm on board with that.

18 percent said not great.  Eh, I'm fine with that too, can't please all the people all the time right?

31 percent said so-so.  Hey, I'm all for that, after all FIVE pages of a book?  If I can get that many so-so's out of five pages, I'm okay right?

48 percent said pretty good.  Yay!

8 percent said heavenly.  More yay!

Now, I ask you as uninvolved third parties, how does that mean a book isn't good enough to proceed to the next round of judging?  I know that Webook has a "state of the art" rating system, but really?  In the real world, if you've got a book on the market and SIXTY percent of the readers like the book, how is that not a successful attempt at writing?

I'm really trying not to be too disappointed, but honestly I don't understand how that rating system can be right.  I'm not bitter honestly.  I was surprised that it made it past round one, which probably if I'm honest, got my hopes up for it going all the way.  I don't know.  I'm a little bummed, I'll admit it.

As writers, we ALL want our work to be read, appreciated, loved even.  Validation is a wonderful thing.

It's gonna be hard now to dive back in knowing that the masses (or the system at Webook) didn't validate my efforts.  I'm not giving up.  Hell no.  I'm way too stubborn and headstrong for that, but I'm disappointed.  Confused.  Yeah, a little upset.

So I'm asking a favor.  Yeah, again, cuz you guys are the bestest and I love you and trust you to be brutally honest with me.  I posted the first chapter of my book a while back, here.  I know it's a lot to read, but I need some honest feedback.  What you liked, what you didn't like.  What I need to work on.  I would appreciate this more than about anything right now.  I really need some honest opinions so that I can take another look at the story and see if it's worth continuing to work on.

Thank you Nathan Bransford!

The following post was written by Nathan Bransford, published author and tweeted only seconds ago.  It's a fantastic look at writing!

Check out his blog at:  http://blog.nathanbransford.com/


The Nine Circles of Writing Hell


We have all probably started ill-fated novels that, shall we say, did not go where we wanted them to go. For one reason or another, either our will or our preparation or the idea failed us, and sure enough, they ended up in novel hell.

Based on the Nine Circles of Hell in Dante's Divine Comedy, here are the nine circles of writing hell.

Save your novel from these sins, my fellow writers! Repent before it is too late!



First Circle - Limbo

Hello shiny idea for a novel! Should I write you? Should I not write you? Maybe I'll write a few pages and see how you go. Should I... oohhh Farmville.


Second Circle - Lust

Novel, you are so brilliant, you shine like a beautiful bright beacon, nay, like filigree sparkling in the darkest of unlit nights. Everything you do is wonderful, to change but one of your words you would be a sin unto mankind. Whatever you want novel, whether it's second person stream of consciousness or an illogical plot twist or overwrought prose that makes people blush, you can have it, please take it, it's yours. I LOVE YOU, NOVEL.


Third Circle - Gluttony

No time to eat. No time to work. No time for breaks. No time to attend to essential hygiene. Twenty-six-hours straight. MUST. WRITE. NOVEL. I. WILL. NOT. BURN. OUT.

Okay, I'm starting to get burned out...


Fourth Circle - Greed

Dude, Stephenie Meyer wrote that vampire book in like six weeks or something and now she's a gagillionaire. How hard can it be?!


Fifth Circle - Anger

I hate agents, I hate query letters, I hate rejection letters, I hate editors, I hate published authors, I hate unpublished authors, I hate periods, I hate exclamation points, I hate semi-colons, I hate paper, I hate words, I hate the space between words, and most of all, I HATE THIS FREAKING NOVEL!!!


Sixth Circle - Heresy

You know what novel I don't like? THE GREAT GATSBY. I mean, what's the big deal?! Green lights and drunks and parties and blah blah blah? What a bunch of trash. I threw that book across the room. That Scott person needs to get a clue, I can't believe anyone published him. And DON'T GET ME STARTED on how much editing he needed.


Seventh Circle - Violence

Oh, you think you're reeeeallll clever, don't you, Manuscript. You think you're smart and witty and amazing and your characters are funny and you're going to make people cry. Well, how about I introduce you to my friend MR. SHREDDER!!! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha.....


Eighth Circle - Fraud

Oprah won't REALLY care if I make up this memoir...


Ninth Circle - Treachery

This novel doesn't need revisions. I don't need to write a good query letter. Who needs to take the time to research agents? This novel is gold, baby, gold!!

What could possibly go wrong?

Feed My Addiction!

Okay, so I'm plugging along here and I realize that some of my randomness is too random even for a random blog about random topics.  How's that for random?

Plus, I really love pin up art.

So I made a new blog.  Yep.  Another one.

I'll probably want to shoot myself before too much longer, but until then, here's a linkie to get there!

WHEN you get there (not if peeps, when) you can pick up the button thingy to add to your page too if you want!