Musings of a Novelista

After struggling with a cold most of this past weekend, I didn’t get a chance to do much of anything except lay in bed and float in and out of consciousness.

But yesterday, I stumbled across a LA Times essay by writer Dani Shapiro, A Writing Career Becomes Harder to Scale

She talks about how the landscape of writing has changed she since she started. Here’s an excerpt of her observation:

“But in the last several years, I’ve watched friends and colleagues suddenly find themselves without publishers after having brought out many books. Writers now use words like “track” and “mid-list” and “brand” and “platform.” They tweet and blog and make Facebook friends in the time they used to spend writing. Authors who stumble can find themselves quickly in dire straits. How, under these conditions, can a writer take the risks required to create something original and resonant and true?”

I find this observation interesting because aspiring writers find themselves in this conundrum. With the new digital age, writers are told that that they must do these things—have a blog and social network accounts to be accessible online to the potential readers, agents, and publishers. But in the end, does it help the writer or hurt the writer? Could this time be better spent on working and studying the craft?

It all comes down to perspective. It’s one thing to do those things because you enjoy them for their own benefits (as I do) and it’s another to do them because you think it’s required to get published.

There’s that word: Published.

As writers, this word is always in the back of our mind. But you must ask the question: What if I never get published?

Would you still write? Would you still be online and blog or update your status on Twitter? It’s more of a question of doing something because you want to connect with other writers who have the same interests and form relationships. It’s a total different thing if you are doing it to “get ahead” or “get noticed” or maybe even to “get published.”

Because what if nothing happens? What if you never get that book contract?

I love when Dani Shapiro references an essay by Ted Solotaroff:

“Perhaps there is a clue to be found near the end of Solotaroff’s essay: ‘Writing itself, if not misunderstood and abused, becomes a way of empowering the writing self. It converts anger and disappointment into deliberate and durable aggression, the writer’s main source of energy. It converts sorrow and self-pity into empathy, the writer’s main means of relating to otherness. Similarly, his wounded innocence turns into irony, his silliness into wit, his guilt into judgment, his oddness into originality, his perverseness into his stinger.’”

Writing is one of the few professions where the “measurement” of success— a book contract — is not guaranteed. But I also believe that publication is only a part of being a writer. Of course you want your words to be read. You want that book contract. But for me, it has to go deeper. Because you don’t know how long the journey will be or where it will end. You must have something else besides the promise of a contract to sustain you during those form rejections and close calls.

For me, I believe you have to love writing for its own sake. And you have to define your own definition of “success” when it comes to your writing.

So I’m revisiting my high school past with another edition of Flashback Friday. This time it’s a diary entry:

Dear Diary:


Hi! I just got finished taking my senior portraits! It doesn’t seem like I’m a senior does it? I’ve been keeping a diary since fifth grade! I would like to update some things for you.


I still have this thing going with stories from last year. I have finished one and I think it may be pretty good. That’s what Tracy said when she read it. Mariel, Jennifer, Kathy and some other girls read it this summer. Tracy is on newspaper staff with me so I trust her judgment better. She says I should let Mrs. Hobson read it. But it has a lot of curse words and bad things in it so I don’t think that’s a good idea. I want to graduate. Not be expelled.


The story was called “Love is A Four Lettered Word” but Tracy said that title was corny, so I changed it to “When Love is Around.”

After Tracy kept badgering me, I took out the curse words and one “bad” thing from the first chapter and gave it to Mrs. Hobson, our newspaper staff advisor and my English teacher. To my surprise, she suggested that I put it in the school newspaper as a short story. Later that year, during the Georgia High School Newspaper awards, that story won 3rd place for fiction.

That award gave me the spark to believe that I could write novels.

After college, I would choose a new title for my box of pages: “True Image.”

It would be several more years before I would decide to try writing fiction again. And this novel has always been special for me because it was the first project I completed and shared with others.

It is still one of the novels that I want to revise one day.

So this is the final part of my Critique Group blog series. In the first part, I talked about what makes a good critique group. Last week in the second part, I gave a few tips on how to give critique feedback.

This week, I’m going to talk about how to receive critique feedback, which can sometimes be the hardest part.

And I’m going to cheat just a little because just last week, I read an excellent post about receiving critique feedback by Jennifer R. Hubbard, author of the YA novel, The Secret Year (which has a fabulous lush cover that must be touched in person). She also has other related posts about critique groups as well.

So along the lines of Jennifer’s six tips, here’s how I receive critique feedback:

Give Thanks. One summer I had a novel swap with four other writers. I really appreciated the time and energy these writers spent critiquing my work. Even if the feedback you receive is only a few pages, remember that person (especially if they are a writer) took the time to read your work and help you make it better.

Don’t Say Anything. I have a “friend” (okay it was me, LOL) who didn’t understand that it’s not your job to “explain” your writing. Readers won’t have that luxury when they’re reading your book. So especially in face-to-face meetings, keep quiet and listen. Only speak when the feedback is finished or if asked. This is crucial in a formal critique structure—by speaking you are wasting precious minutes that can be used for feedback.

Look for Trends. If you see the same comments or hear the same problems from different critiquers—perk up. There is something in your work that makes these readers stumble. This is a great indicator of where to target your focus during revisions.

Let It Sit. After a feedback session or a formal critique, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to tackle for revision. The best thing is to let it digest and think about the feedback first before trying to implement the suggestions into your work.

Try It Out. This is a valuable lesson that I’ve learned. Sometimes when I don’t necessarily agree with something, I try it out anyway. Worse case, it doesn’t work and I take it out. But you may be surprised at what you find—it may not be the exact change suggested but it could be the catalyst to making your story stronger.

Own The Words. In the end, it’s your novel. Own it. You are the only one who really knows what the story is about and what you are doing. So take the suggestions that resonate with you and disregard the rest. There are many ways to approach a novel. You as a writer have to find your way.

Sometimes receiving critique feedback can be nerve wracking—especially a formal one with an agent or an editor. But remember, the whole point of a critique is not praise. A critique is not about telling the writer how great they are (even though they could be fabulous). Critiques are not about the writer. It’s about the work. And what can be done to make it better.

Hope that this critique group series was helpful! I would love to hear what other writers do to help them manage critique feedback.

I have received not one—but two—great blog awards! And I never win anything. I swear.

The lovely Nathalie Mvondo over at Multiculturalism Rocks! gave me my first award last week: Your Blog is Over The Top!

According to the rules, after thanking the person who gave me the award, I can answer the following quiz (no more than two words) and pass the award on to 5 brilliantly over the top blogs that I love.




Where is your cell phone? Purse
Your hair? Long
Your mother? Classy
Your father? Funny
Your favorite food? Mexican
Your dream last night? Weird
Your favorite drink? Fresca
Your dream/goal? Happiness
What room are you in? Living room
Your hobby? Twitter (lol)
Your fear? Failure
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Multi-published
Where were you last night? Party
Something that you aren’t? Mean
Muffins? Banana Nut
Wish list item? Books
Where did you grow up? Winterville
Last thing you did? Revised
What are you wearing? Jeans
Your TV? Old
Your pets? Want one!
Friends? Great
Your life? Crazy busy
Your mood? Serene
Missing someone? No
Vehicle? Convertible
Something you’re not wearing? Hmm…
Your favorite store? Bookstore
Your favorite color? Green
When was the last time you laughed? Right now
Last time you cried? Can’t remember
Your best friend? Awesome
One place that I go to over and over? Work (lol)
One person who emails me regularly? My boss (lol)
Favorite place to eat? Thai Diner

So my choices for the Over the Top Blog Award goes to the following sites:

Medeia at Sharif Writes

Laura at Exercising the Write to Ramble

Anna at her self-titled blog

Jemi at Just Jemi

Tee at Pen to Page

My book twin Anna Staniszewski gave me my second award just yesterday: The Silver Lining Award.

So I’m passing along this award to 5 blogs that always help others in some way or focus on the good things in life and uplift others. For me, these blogs make me smile, provide some cool information, and share my love of writing.

So my choices for the Silver Lining Award goes to the following sites:




Jeannine at Write On

Rae at Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Publication

Nathalie at Multiculturalism Rocks!

Rita at Rita Writes History

Kristi at Write On!

You should definitely check out these blogs. They’re pretty cool. Awardees, it’s your choice to pass on the award love if you wish.

It’s almost that time again for The Brown Bookshelf’s annual campaign, 28 Days Later.

During the month of February, The Brown Bookshelf showcases the best in picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels written and/or illustrated by African Americans.

Be sure to check out the daily spotlights starting on February 1st. It should be an interesting month and a great opportunity to discover some books for kids and teens.

You can also go to the Brown Bookshelf blog and download the 28 Days Later poster.