Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A Brief Hiatus

Actually, I prefer the term "interlude." It sounds much more mysterious and adventurous. 



But hiatus describes my next two weeks much better. Back in December I went "dark," Firefly style. Well, this time I'm stepping back from the blog to do something on the opposite spectrum of re-vamping my website. I'm hopping on an airplane and soaring through blue--hopefully--skies to serve as a missionary for seven days.

Where I'm going Internet exists, but there's not a plethora of free WiFi spots like in the states. So, no posts, no quips, no photos. 


Not until I get back, at least.

So, sayonara, for now. See you in mid April!



Friday, March 27, 2015

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Y Chromosone

For my next book, I'll be slipping into the male point of view. Half of the time, anyway. Considering I have no experience being, thinking, and acting like a guy, some research is in order.


Why can't I just wing it, you wonder? At our core, all people are the same, right?

Well, we all have a heart and brain, if that's what you mean. But time and time again, life has taught me that men and women think differently. Period.

So, readers, it's my turn to ask some advice of the manly population...

How do you think?

Follow up post on how to actually "go manly" in POV to come ;)

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Got Grease?

With one day until spring, I decided to add something new to my beauty regimen last night.


A coconut oil hair mask.

Because I'm an overachiever, I didn't wash out the oil after fifteen minutes. Instead, I secured a large hand towel around my head and left the oil in my hair overnight. My family commenced to giving me weird looks as I shuffled off to my bedroom. My dad dubbed me "Aunt Jamima" and asked for some pancakes at 5AM this morning, before he left for work.


Funny.

After washing the coconut oil out and letting my hair air dry as I did some cleaning (and procrastinated on book plotting, of course), I had a sneaking suspicion something was... off. I checked my mirror and found my hair super slick, super greasy looking. Since I'm actually going out in public today, I had a mini "oh my gosh!" moment. I attempted a fix with a rolled up bandanna headband. My bangs were so oily they stuck STRAIGHT UP.


Time for some damage control.

After some serious flexibility (no joke, after today I could entertain as a contortionist!), I managed to stick my head under my bath tub tap and re-shampoo my hair. While I lathered suds, I prayed this would wash the oil out of my hair.

Did it? Yes. What have I learned? Coconut oil is great for your hair--mine feels fantastic! But it also leaves a serious residue that just one shampoo won't cure.

I'm going to stay away from any out-of-routine beauty treatments for a little while.

A week, at least.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Ignore The 20%

Lately I've been talking about criticism. A lot.


Tired of it yet?

Though it's no wonder. I'm entering into the dreaded phase of writing known as "editing." All good writers are aware that to edit properly, beta readers are necessary. In fact, I got one of my first critiques back on Sunday night. As I mentioned a few posts ago, I always have mixed feelings when it comes to getting opinions back from people, even if they offer awesome ideas--which this one did!


Luckily I had a friend who responded to my annoying "Are you awake?" text. He's not a writer or even a fiction reader, so it may seem weird that I go to him for advice about writing matters. A quote from one of his texts will clear up any confusion.

After a message of mine complaining how difficult it is to have a job that requires honest opinions, he replied with the following.

"Remember whatever you do, 20% of the population will dislike you. That's the law of nature and [there's] nothing you can do to change it. The other 80% will love you. That's Pareto's Principle."

 His text made me think.


I get so defensive about my book when people critique it because I want everyone to like it--love it--as much as I do.

Hello, Emily, dearest, that's never going to happen. Just a glance at Goodreads' plethora of one to five star reviews is proof of that.

So, readers, writers, entrepreneurs of the world, as you venture forth into unknown (and critiqueable) territory keep Pareto's Principle in mind...

And ignore that silly 20%.

Check out my friend's website for more awesomeness. You know, if he ever posts anything.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Don't Be My Critic

Whenever someone tries to give me advice or suggest a change, I pull a Sherlock.


After I'm finished being offended for a few hours, I reread the part they suggested a tweak and relent to their "rightness." My family knows I do this. In fact, Sunday my mom pointed it out to me while we were sitting on the couch going through my lesson plans for a missionary trip to Jamaica. She thought I should change a word. I thought I should keep it the same. "You're going to go back and change that later, aren't you?" she asked.


No comment.


It's safe to say I've got a pride problem, that's the only reason I'm so grumpy when people criticize me. It gets even worse when query writing approaches. I started that a week ago and my sister's response was, "Oh no! You're going to be so mean!" Yikes.

My inability to take criticism well is a flaw I need to work on. How? Other than forcing myself to swallow criticism with a smile and digest it later, I can't think of much else. Wish me luck! I'll be getting edits back on THESE WICKED WATERS soon. Then I'll be editing my query letter.

Not sure which is worse.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Trust It

Sorry for being MIA last week. This thing called snow kept me from accessing reliable internet.


Since I couldn't fulfill my writerly responsibilities, I took last week as a sort of "vacation." From blogging and such anyway. Now I'm back and, like I seem to do on a regular basis, changing plans. Again.


A few posts ago (on my date with Flynn!), I said I would be working on my next book, FRACTURED STARS. Well, something didn't feel right about it. The book itself is the first of a trilogy so lots of planning will be involved. Honestly, I'm not ready for that level of commitment!

So, I trusted my instincts. An idea that simmered in the back of my mind before I started THESE WICKED WATERS has scraped its way to the forefront. This week, planning and plotting starts for my sixth book, WISHES, MAYBE. Stay tuned for details!

Just a quick bit of advice to all you writers out there, do what I did: trust your instincts! Whether it's editing, a plot point, or a new book idea. You know you and your story best. Don't let other people or your own laziness keep you from writing the best book you can!