Does the Race Really Go to the Swiftest?

In a world where the race goes to the swiftest, do you ever feel as if you're lagging behind? Struggling just to stay in the pack, never mind moving into the lead? Do you feel as if you're peddling as fast as you can and getting nowhere? Don't worry. You are not alone.

With all the advice out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed. It always has been, but now, with all the social media and the quick exchange of information from hundreds of thousands of people (dare I say millions) all at once, all the time, it's both better that it's ever been before and, somehow, worse.

Back a billion years ago, right after I sold my first book and became eligible to join the Published Author Network (PAN) of Romance Writers of America (RWA), I received a booklet containing advice about what to do after my first sale. The problem was, the booklet didn't arrive until just a few weeks before my first book was set to hit the shelves, and most of the advice was stuff I should have done weeks and months before. I remember staring at that booklet and feeling completely conflicted. I was exhilarated because I qualified to have the thing in the first place and but I also felt overwhelmed and a bit hopeless because it seemed to me that the advice had arrived too late to do me any good.

Yesterday, as I scrolled through the thousands of posts, tweets, and pictures and tweets, I found myself feeling much the same thing. I was exhilarated because, after years of living with an undiagnosed illness and the utter debilitating fatigue that came with it, I'm finally starting to feel well enough to make an effort to get my career back on track. But I'm also overwhelmed by the sheer volume of advice that's out there and feeling a little hopeless because in my weaker moments, it feels like too little, too late.

Part of my current issue, is that the publishing world has changed so much from when I first signed up for the race. Back then, it was all about getting your work in front of an agent and/or editor and what the Big 6 publishing houses wanted. Now, with the advent of independent publishing, there's so much more to learn it's mind-boggling.

That's okay. Really it is. Because while I have thoroughly enjoyed a 20+ year career working with a couple of the Big 6 publishing houses, and will continue as long as it's mutually beneficial, I'm also really excited by the freedom that going independent offers to authors. But going independent means that there are five or six other full-time jobs I need to take on to produce and promote my books in addition to the writing itself, which we all know is a more-than-full-time job.

And much of the "advice" available today doesn't come across as advice at all. It's demanding. It's delivered in the form of orders and rules. It's black-and-white, no questions asked dictates: 10 Things You Must Never Do or 25 Things You Must Do Immediately! because current wisdom says we must be bold, authoritative, and confident and we must never show weakness. (Oh what I wouldn't give for a touch of honest vulnerability!)

Much of this bold, authoritative, confident advice is worth listening to and considering, and even trying. But some of it doesn't make any sense at all (at least not to me). Some of it is counter-intuitive (why should it matter to my tweeting schedule how many people are following me on Twitter? Isn't the real factor that affects how many times my tweet will appear in their feed based on how many people they follow?) And a lot of it is conflicting: Don't use social media to promote your book is immediately followed by Always use social media to promote your book.


So maybe in this overloaded, overwhelming world some of the old rules should still apply:

• Be open. 
• By all means, listen. 
• Consider. 
• Especially if you're not exactly where you want to be in your career, be willing to try new things.
• Then keep what works 
• And discard the rest. 
• And write the best book you can

Ultimately, I'm not convinced that the race goes to the swiftest. I think the race really goes to s/he who doesn't give up. 

Monday Morning Meme

I found these questions on Write From Karen

1. Are you brunette? Blonde? Auburn? And is it natural? If you could pick any type of hair you wanted, the style and color, what would it be? (Can you link us to a picture?)

Well, let me see . . . what day is it? No, seriously, I'm brunette. And it's natural. Mostly. I started life as a brunette, grew briefly sort of golden blonde in my very early years, and then inched back to brunette by the time I was 9 or 10. If I could pick any type of hair I wanted, style and color....??? In my teenage years, I desperately wanted my hair to look like this:

Everybody else's hair looked like that, why didn't mine? The question practically consumed me for a couple of years, and I really resented those ancestors who had cursed me instead with thick, curly hair. In the years since, I've made peace with my hair -- mostly. And in the past two years, since my first grandchild was born (and her hair grew in to be golden blonde and curly) I've shut my mouth on every curly-haired complaint that rises to my lips. Not for the world will I say something that might hurt that child's feelings. How can I dislike my curly hair when hers is so cute? So now, if I could choose, I'd probably want my hair to look something like this:

2. How did your car get that little scratch/dent? (Because let’s face it, we ALL have car stories, right? If, for some reason you don’t, tell us about how someone else’s car got that scratch/dent).

My oldest daughter drove my car, a Volkswagen Rabbit, through the window of a 7-Eleven store when she was about 5. Luckily, she wasn't hurt and my car had only a few scratches. The 7-Eleven definitely got the worst of the deal.

3. In your opinion, what is the worst-tasting candy? Now, what is the best-tasting candy? How often do you eat candy? Do you keep it around your house? Do you allow your children to eat very much candy? The worst-tasting candy? Probably horehound drops. The best? Snickers Do I keep it around the house? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. And my children are grown, so I don't have a lot of say in their candy habits. 4. Are you easily agitated? What really makes your temper soar? Do you stay angry for a long time? Or do you get over it pretty fast? No, I don't think so. I can become agitated, but I don't get angry at the drop of a hat. My temper soars when I'm lied to. Lying is not only a betrayal, but it's insulting. The liar assumes that the other person will be stupid enough to believe what they're saying. I don't think I stay angry for a long time. I've learned that when someone or something makes me angry, the best thing for me to do is confront it, deal with it and get it over with. The only time I stay angry is when I allow a situation to remain unresolved. I've been known to get angry with my kids, deal with the issue, and then completely forget it ever happened.

One Writer's Tool Kit

Every once in a while, someone gives me a tool kit for writers. It's always very crafty and cute, and it contains things like a handful of lifesavers, an eraser, a tiny chocolate bar, and other clever things that make me smile. But what if I were creating a real tool kit for writers? What would I put in it? 1. A copy of Dwight Swain's book, Techniques of the Selling Writer. The examples are a little outdated, but this book is gold in my opinion, and it's much more powerful than any of its counterparts. 2. Paper. A case, at least. 3. A laptop computer. One of the really lovely things (again in my opinion) about being a writer for a living is that you can work anywhere. Being chained to a desk kind of wipes out that perk. 4. Toner. 5. A printer. 6. A copy of The Writers Journey, Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. I resisted this book for a long, long time just because I'm stubborn. I tend not to get excited about the latest fad, and this book was it for a while. When I finally did take the time to read it, much of what Vogler said made a great deal of sense. 7. Membership in a professional writer's organization. No organization is going to help you get published or stay published, but the association with other writers in this solitary business and the exchange of industry information is invaluable. 8. An extra measure of persistence. Talent is wonderful, but time after time I've seen persistent writers who appear to have a small amount of natural raw talent achieve publishing success while writers who seem to have a great deal of natural talent let their writing ability lie dormant. I'm grateful for every ounce of talent I've been blessed with, but over the years I've come to realize that an even greater gift is my desire and ability to keep going when the road gets rough. 9. A support system. I don't mean a cheering section filled with people who tell us how wonderfully we write, but a real live support system made up of people who understand why we don't answer the door and the phone, who don't try to talk us out of going to critique group or that writing group meeting, who don't interrupt when we're writing, who understand that a whisper is as loud as speaking in your regular voice when you are interrupting and that a five minute phone call can end your work day. These people get the fact that most of us can't write as quickly as we can type, and understand how much work we're doing when we're staring out the window, at the ceiling or into space. They don't have to read a word I write to be invaluable to me and to my career. 10. A never-ending gift certificate to an office supply store. I haven't met a writer yet who wasn't also addicted to office supplies :)

The Serene And Inviting Office

Three months ago, after a meeting with my critique group, I decided to redo my office and turn it into a peaceful place, a serene place, a place that drew me to it every morning and made me want to spend hours there. After all, writing is what I do. Don't I deserve a serene and inviting place in which to do it? I was so gung-ho, I pulled all of the paper and office supplies out of the closet, jerked out all of the drawers and shelves, piled everything on the floor, and got ready to reorganize. Then my daughter came home and announced that she wanted to get married, which completely derailed my Grand Reorganization Project. Before I could catch my breath after the wedding, my oldest daughter moved back in with her dog and two cats while she restructures her life, my youngest niece got married, and Sherry's Grand Office Redo was left sitting on the side of the road, nose down in a ditch. I came home from Atlanta, spent a few days catching up with myself, then took off to St. George, Utah, for a five-day writing retreat with my dearest friends and critique partners. It was sheer heaven, and we got a lot done but, needless to say, the Serene and Inviting Office Of My Dreams was left in that ditch until I got home. Now, finally!!! I'm ready to get back to my office and the mounds of stuff waiting for me to make sense of it all. But first I have to pick up and deliver dinner to my pregnant daughter and son-in-law, repot the African violets and hanging plants I bought for my entry way, and attend an online chat. But I swear the office is going to be first on my prioirity list . . . tomorrow!