Getting Back to Me

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
--E.E. Cummings

We are all little sponges.

We pick up little dew drops of environment, attitude, and mannerisms all the time. We may not notice these little additions but these things affect us.

How do we know which droplets come from within and those that come from without?

It is not always a bad thing to pick up other things. We become more tolerant, more rounded, when we learn to see things through other people’s eyes. We are more patient and kind. We forgive others. We learn to accept people as they are instead of being disappointed that they aren’t who we want them to be.

But at what point must we stop absorbing and become our own kind of solid? It is well and good to understand and love another person but are we being understanding and loving towards ourselves?

Since I’m a writer, I relate many things to writing. As a writer, I’ve had to allow my work to be viewed and critiqued by others. This is a good thing. You can’t see your own imperfections as easily as someone else can. You need a bit of a barrier to see your work clearly. Once you get your feedback, you revise and edit, reshaping your manuscript into something better than it was.

But what if it isn’t?

What if in an effort to improve, you’ve lost sight of what makes it yours? When do we learn to draw the line between improvement and imposter?

For me, finding this place means going back to the spark of my story; the conception. What attraction did it hold in the first place? What was that cataclysmic joining of images that bloomed inside my heart and caused it to race? If I can remember that, I can find my way back to me.

Why does this work for me? Because it was me and me alone that witnessed the potential life of my story. It was a hidden seed in my heart that I knew could sprout life. Everyone can take an idea and make a story from it (many of which can be spectacular stories) but each person has their vision—their dream—and it is unique.

Let’s put it this way: If I died today, who would finish my story? It can be done, certainly, but not the same way I would have done it. You can have every single detail plotted out, every scene prepared—and yet, it will not be my voice that sings the song. Does that mean it won’t be good? NO! I know there are talented writers who could do just as good, if not better, than I could. But it will still be different.

I haven’t been around much because I am getting back to me. I am finding myself and the nexus of my story. I’m witnessing that burst of creation in all it’s preternatural glory and marveling over the explosion of life. I am seeing my characters as I first saw them and reveling in the dying light cast over her features, the suppressed starvation in his stony soul—in essence, I am exposing myself to the distilled lifeblood that first endeared this story to me.

Let me entreat you to do the same. Whether you write or not, remember that your gifts are yours alone. No one will ever do what you can do in the manner you will do it. Be it a thoughtful word to a loved one, a batch of cookies made to uplift, an anonymous smile to a stranger during rush-hour traffic—YOU ARE UNIQUE.

The world would have us believe that we are disposable or replaceable. You are not. Yours is a signature scrawled in timeless ink. I’d like to share a bit of a story with you from a picture book by Sally Kahler Phillips. It’s called Nonsense!

And what would you say if ever you’re told
That you’re not good enough or you’re dim or too bold
or you’re not very special, you’re strange or too shy?
What will you say in reply?
Will you sniffle and sigh and assume that they’re right?
Will you kick, will you cry, and perhaps pick a fight?
Of course not! Instead, you’ll know just what to do
When you hear something truly untrue
“Nonsense!” you’ll say. Shout it loud, shout it far!
Only YOU can decide who you are!”

One of my favorite lines from a book is:
"When it comes to individual destiny, there is no power greater in the universe than the conviction of the human soul to make a choice." –The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters

If we are what we choose to be, then choose to be you. Be the you that exists in the very center of your cells, the miniscule universes that are the magic of your DNA—in other words, be the you that only you are. And if you’ve lost your you? Seek “you” out. Remember and recreate. Get back to you…

…because no one can do it like you can.

With love and belief,

L.T.

Make being rude fun!

“It is a mistake that there is no bath that will cure people’s manners, but drowning would help.”
--Mark Twain

If your characters are anything like mine, they’re probably rude little suckers. I’m talking about interrupting or being interrupted. You know, that little thing where the dialogue ends like this:

“Did you just—”

If your characters are rude or rudely interrupted often, you may come across this little problem in MS Word:

“Did you just—“

Oh! Did you see it? The Reverse Flip! That’s right! The quotation marks that are flipped the wrong way! Want to know a quick fix? Instead of going back every time to add in the proper around of hyphens, try this instead:

In Microsoft Word (2003) open up one of your documents that has the correct quotation marks with hyphens (or copy this —”) and copy just the hyphens and the correct ending quotation marks. Then go to TOOLS and then AUTOCORRECT OPTIONS. You’ll see a little box that says “Replace text as you type.” Make sure that lil’ sucker is checked. Beneath it are some empty boxes that say REPLACE: and WITH:

For my own ease, I put three hyphens in the REPLACE: box. You can choose whatever keys you’d like to use but I find that since I’m already typing hyphens, I might as well just use three of them. In the WITH: box, just hit ctrl V (which is the quick key for “paste”) and your correct hyphens and quotation marks should be inside. Hit the OKAY button and VOILA! You’re done!

From that point onward, you should be able to just use your three little hyphens to produce the perfect interruption! No more wasting time and energy just to cut people off. Do it in style! Join me and talk over those you love!

“Any questions? Feel free to email me. It’s on the sidebar. In the mean time, please feel free to interrupt whenever you—”

Tell me a Tale…

“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you do have to get started to be great.”
--Les Brown

I read a post a few weeks ago by by Julie Coulter Bellon called Remembering the Journey. It was all about appreciating the journey that we take as writers and celebrating all of the little milestones alone the way. Julie’s posts always move me but this was something I honestly hadn’t put a lot of thought into. I mean, all of those things matter but because I’m not too far in the game yet, I didn’t have a lot of milestones to report.

I’m happy to say that today, I have a milestone to report. Today I submitted my first two partial manuscript requests. Yep, at 2:05 PM and 2:07 PM the emails went out. It’s too late to recall them. It is out of my hands for the nonce.

As for how I’m feeling about it? Well, I’m nervous and anxious but I’m trying to do as so many people have suggested: get back to the computer and type, type, type. If I throw myself into work, I won’t have time to obsess.

What about you? What are some of your milestones and do you remember how you felt when you passed them?

Lappy Heaven

“I’m glad I did it, partly because it was worth it, but mostly because I shall never have to do it again.”
--Mark Twain


I better not have to do it again!

Good news, friends! I just received my replacement computer. While it’s not ready for use quite yet (must wait for the General to perform his magic) it shall shortly be. Let the writing commence!

I’ll finally be able to get back to a regular writing/emailing/posting schedule.


Not as handsome as his predecessor, I will admit, but he’ll do in a pinch. He does have better hard drive space and slightly better specs than the lappy of old but there’s something to be said for the exterior. (Heids…I’m watchin’ those comments. I assure you. My relationship with the lappy is strictly platonic!)

The important thing is that I’ll be able to write again. Well, write more than I have been. (The General provided an excellent alternative during the interim, an alphasmart. It was a wonderful Mother’s Day gift!)

In the mean time, let us have a moment of silence for the passing of my former lappy.


Farewell, faithful Lappy. May you pass peacefully into that happy land of 1’s and 0’s. 10101010.

101 10 1010,

L.T.

Five Bucks and some Butterflies

“It is a nervous work. The state that you need to write is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of.”
--Shirley Hazzard

That about sums up how I felt all day Saturday at LDStorymakers.

Why? Because I entered the First Chapters Contest—the first contest I’d ever submitted my work to. Yes, I’m part of a critique group and I’ve exposed my work before but not to anonymous judges; people who would evaluate my skill as a writer and give feedback that would tell me whether it was crap or not.

Before I get too far into that, for those of you who don’t know anything about this particular contest, allow me to explain. The First Chapters contest was for first chapters (duh, me!) that were evaluated on their merit of :

• Opening Hook (does the story pull the reader in)
• Conflict (what’s at stake in the story and how is the tension used?)
• Characters (Are these characters compelling people who the reader cares about?)
• Setting & Mood (Does this story make the reader feel like they are there?)
• Pace & Style (How well does the writer move the story along?)
• Resolution/Read-on Prompts (Do you want to keep reading?)
• Mechanics (Grammar, Spelling, etc.)
• Overall Enjoyment (Would you buy this story?)

It’s enough to give any writer mutant butterflies the size of Canada. (No offense, Kim. =] ) Cool as the prizes were, the reason I entered this contest is because of this one line from the contest announcement:

“All entrants will receive a completed judge’s critique form on their work.”

That’s all I really wanted to take away from this contest. Not only did each entrant get one of those, they got FIVE of those. There were five judges for each category who all worked their tails off to give us the best feedback possible. I am grateful to each and every one of those people who dealt with an enormous amount of submissions and did their very best to be fair. The feedback I’ve received has not only encouraged me in my endeavors, it’s also spurred me to write better.

So what happened with my piece? It placed third in the Sci-fi/Fantasy/Speculative category. I was stunned and honored. I never expected to place anywhere in the contest and I was floored. The full list is HERE and you can get a glimpse of my real name. (The L.T. in L.T. Elliot.)

Want to know how nervous I was? The winners were announced via PowerPoint, beginning with the title of the piece and then followed by the author’s name. When my title flashed up there, my mind went blank. My fabulous critique group burst into applause, smiling and waving me up to the front of the room. That walk was the longest one of my life. It was like walking naked down the hallway of your high school or something.

Want to know how professional I was? When the fabulous Jaime Theler shook my hand and the wonderful Julie Bellon handed me my certificates, they both said something to me and it was like I was deaf. I just said, “Thank you.” To which Julie said something that I totally didn’t hear so I said, “Thank you,” again. Yeah, I’m a moron. What she was trying to tell me was, “You dropped your ribbon!” And me with my deer-in-the-headlights expression just kept mumbling, “Thank you.”

Julie shook her head with a smile and then just pointed down at the floor. I finally saw what she was talking about and picked up the ribbon as fast as I could so that I could slink back to my chair to die of shame. Aren’t you so proud of me? Grace and Poise; my two main traits.

It was an honor to place and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I sure hope I didn’t come off as unhappy or snobbish—please just know that I was absolutely shell-shocked and suffered from temporary sensory deprivation.

I wish I could tell you the butterflies died there but they didn’t. About an hour after the luncheon/contest announcements, I had a pitch session with the amazing Lisa Mangum, from Deseret Book/Shadow Mountain. (By the way, her book The Hourglass Door, was just released. I’ve already bought and read my copy. I loved it! You will too! Go grab yourself a copy today!)

Lisa was wonderful. She discussed a lot of things with me about my manuscript and was very gracious (not to mention fun and relaxing! I had no reason to be anxious!) Since this post is already so long, I’ll just cut to the chase and say that she requested the first six chapters. I’m very grateful and VERY excited!

Right after my session with Lisa, I went back out into the hall where I was met with Rachel Ann Nunes, who I had met the day before and had no idea who she was. (To be fair, her name tag was giving her a spot of trouble and I couldn’t read it. Once we got it sorted out, I recognized her name right away!) Let me just tell you that Rachel is one fine lady and one of the friendliest women I’ve met.

Anyway, back to the story, Rachel was excited to hear how it went and when I told her, she flagged down Stacy Whitman, another editor at the conference. Long story short, Stacy was interested and granted me some of her time to talk shop. (She’s amazing, people. Really. I’ll go into depth about that some other time.)  She ended up requesting the first three chapters. I’ll let you know how it goes.

So that’s my story, friends. Is it any wonder that I can’t sleep? (Name that tune and I’ll give you five bucks. CGLearner, you’re not allowed.) =]

Please don’t think I’m bragging. I’m not. You’ll never know how hard it was to write this post. If it wasn’t for the fact that some people have asked me why I haven’t written about it earlier, I probably wouldn’t have said anything just because I don’t want to sound cocky. I’m extremely grateful and I owe it all to so many people. Thank you to all of you.

Love,
L.T.

Storymakers Post

My ultra-cool critique group and I went to Storymakers at the end of April. It’s taken me this long to write the post about it because of all the links. Well, and the computer trouble. Sorry for the wait and I’m apologizing in advance for the length of this post.

So what happened there? All things wonderful and terrifying. I began my 2 day conference with Bootcamp. We gathered at a table with a published author and many up-and-coming writers. (Shout out’s to: Deborah Talmage, Ali Cross, Jenn, Daron, Shanna, Cathy, and Graham.) Graham did awesome in the First Chapters contest, winning first place in the Youth Category for his piece, Lunaratus. Congrats Graham! Ali is having a great bit of success herself, having a piece of hers personally requested by the fabulous Lisa Mangum (of which there is more to come.) Everyone was helpful and the opportunity was a unique chance to work with people in our genres.

Following bootcamp, I got my choice of many wonderful classes/workshops taught by many wonderful authors:

Julie Wright, who just landed an agent! Way to go Julie! She also gave a wonderfully motivating speech about concrete and where we settle as writers. That’s post worthy on its own. Bug her on her site and she might repeat it for you! Annette Lyon taught one of the best grammar usage classes that I’ve ever attended. I was salivating over the geekiness. Ah…the word nerd. She’s wonderful. Skills aside, Annette is one gorgeous girl. Don’t let her comments about chipmunks fool you. She’s also genuinely kind. I want to be her clone.

Josi Kilpack taught us about playing nicely in the same sandbox. Useful skills for all people—not just writers. Not only does Josi play well in the sandbox, she classes it up. She’s the most down-to-earth author, despite her killer skills. It also needs to be said that she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Love ya, Josi. Heather Moore outlined the process from book conception to shelf-space debuts. I was dumbfounded and awestruck by her work ethic. Want to learn how to do it? Learn it from Heather.

James Dashner was NOT crying about the day he got The Call. It was allergies or something. But he does have the best pictures in his powerpoint presentations. Just sayin’. Jeff Savage not only gets props for the class on creating character bibles but also gave the BEST MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH EVER. I keep my bandana with me everywhere, Jeff. I’d also wave a glow-stick if you ever visited my school (which I don’t attend. But I would!)

Tristi Pinkston was a wonderful presenter on many things and did one of the best readings aloud I’ve ever heard. I linked the chapter she read in my last post (where you can also see when her latest book comes out!) Crystal Leichty let me join her bootcamp group the second day and she’s incredible. She’s a great writer and one of the prettiest pregnant women I’ve ever seen. She was always dressed in the cutest ensembles!

Rachel Ann Nunes did one of the best classes on Plot & Conflict. It was very detailed and thorough. I have to also mention that she’s got fabulous hair and is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I got to know her a little and I couldn’t love her better. I owe her a lot and I’ll explain that later.

Julie Bellon taught a class on self-editing and revision that changed my world. It was so incredible that I can’t even begin to explain it. Suffice it to say, if I ever make it through this journey, she gets a HUGE acknowledgement from me! Dean Lorey is a class act guy. Not only did he give a wonderful and funny speech but I got to spend some time with him and just talk it up. His books are amazing and my friends and I got a sneak-peek at the cover of his new project and I think it’s just AWESOME! He’s seriously incredible, people.

Stephanie Black is SO FRICKIN’ NICE! I love this woman. She sat at my lunch table and I had no idea who she was until about half way through and I saw her name tag. She’s so genuinely kind you wouldn’t believe it. She also won a Whitney Award for her book, Fool Me Twice and I cheered my guts out for her at home while I watched the live transcripts! Way to go Stephanie!

Stacy Whitman’s got one killer singing voice. (I’ll tell you about that sometime.) I got to spend a little extra time with Stacy (Thanks to Rachel Nunes!!) to talk about my MS. She asked to see the 1st three chapters. I’ll keep you updated. You just ought to know that Stacy is really smart and so kind. It wasn’t scary to talk to her at all and most editor meetings scare the bodily functions out of me!

The highlight of the weekend was meeting Kim from Temporary Insanity She is easily the warmest, kindest, most genuinely sweet person I’ve ever met. I’d journey to Canada ALL THE TIME to see her, she’s that fabulous. Her hugs and enthusiasm made my whole weekend. Kim, I love ya girl.

Debbie & Donna are Dashner fans that I met over at his site (click his link above.) They get props for the awesome Dashnog shirts they made to honor said Dashman. It was nice to finally meet them in person after we hogged up the comments section on James blog talking to each other. I’ve mentioned the wonderful Weston Elliot before but I got to meet her in person and hear all about her manuscript over lunch on Saturday. She’s not kidding when she said that truth was stranger than fiction and her MS will prove it!! I loved meeting her. It was an honor!

I’ve been a long-time fan of the fabulous Keith Fisher and sadly only had a small moment to see him. I’ve met him once before in person and I hope to get to know him better. He’s a damn fine writer and I adore his work. If you haven’t checked him out—Do it. (He usually posts on Saturdays. I wait all week for it.)

I learned something I didn’t know about Nichole Giles during a hallway chat moment. Should I tell? Hmmm…Maybe not! Okay, seriously, Nichole was part of a skit for Authors Incognito and you all should know that she has a beautiful singing voice. I will never hear Unwritten and not think about it. (I’ll ask her about the secret and maybe post it later! Want a hint? Both she and Ali share the same secret!)

Jaime Theler worked her tail off for Storymakers and the First Chapter Contest. We all owe her a huge debt of gratitude. “THANK YOU, JAIME!” She & Deborah (link above) wrote this exemplary book called: Parenting the Ephraim’s Child that is changing my life as we speak. I can’t thank them enough. Kirk Shaw is a funny guy and I was honored that he took one of my Dashnog buttons. You’re awesome Kirk!

I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Eowyn and it is a huge regret of mine. Someday soon, Eowyn, huh? I’d love that. She’s a wonderful bloggist and you should read her. Melanie J. is smokin’ hot (I’m not hitting on her, just stating facts) who can dress to the nines. She’s also SUPER nice and I LOVED meeting her. I’m so glad she came to Storymakers. I’ve followed her for a while but you can’t appreciate how incredible she is over the internet. (Well, you can try but she’s even more amazing in person!) I’ve learned a little bit more about her history and it must be said that she’s a strong, intelligent woman. I’m so glad to know her better.

Darvell Hunt wins the award for most creative acceptance ever! His alter-ego, D.D. Hunt won 4th place in the First Chapters Contest and accepted it with squeals of delight that caused a riot of laughter. See more about it HERE.

One of the greatest delights was meeting J.N. Future Author, a fellow Dashfan. He is warm, kind, funny, and a great hugger. I couldn’t have been more delighted. He is the kind of person that reaffirms my belief in humanity. His kindness and friendship are something I’ll always treasure. (And he’s a good lookin’ kid too!)

Well, this post is long enough. I just wanted to make sure I told you about the wonderful people I met and showed my appreciation for what they’ve done. In the next post, I’ll tell you what happened there with me specifically and I’ll also be telling you about how I met Heidi Ashworth in person. She’s just AWESOME! Stay tuned. Sorry for all the links and names and details. There’s a lot to say about all of it! I promise I’ll be more concise next time. (Also, If I forgot your name, please let me know!!)

Love to all,

L.T.