The Art of Patience
For a newbie writing is as an adventure, and it’s ludicrous
to assume the first attempt at anything is going to be perfect. Yes, there are those lucky ducks that work
hard and have the King Midas touch; the stars and the moon align in
synchronicity and everything they touch turn to gold. This is great! Who doesn’t love a success story? Unfortunately, these guys are in the minority.
Many new writers learn through trial and error, and
continually work at honing their craft.
In the beginning, I wrongfully believed the hardest part of writing
would be writing the book (you can chuckle now), but I’ve long since learned that
is actually the easy part. For me, the
hardest part of the entire process was learning the art of patience.
Okay, the manuscript is finished and you are ecstatic! So you move on to step two and begin editing
again and again and again and again...and again. Then you put it aside only to pick it up to
edit again, and again. If you’re
fortunate enough to have a beta reader, they will look it over for you so you
can edit again. Sigh. Yes, it’s extremely tedious and the
characters you love so much start getting on your nerves. But writing is an evolution, and although
laborious, editing is part of the process. Determination and patience are key.
Once the editing’s done, you’re anxious to contact anyone
and everyone with your baby. This is
when patience kicks in again. We need to
slow down. Now is the time to closely
examine who you want to submit your work to; review their guidelines, research whether
they accept your genre etc. Writing is a
business and writers wear many hats in order to protect their interests. Before acting in haste just to see your work
in print, take the time to learn the industry; ensure what you worked so hard
on doesn’t fall into the wrong scammy hands.
A simple, little Google search can save a writer years of heartache.
Writing and publishing from start to finish takes an extreme
amount of time, research and patience. As
a new writer, I truly didn’t appreciate just how much. So as you embark on your own journey,
remember to stay positive, focused, and last but not least, patient. At times, patience surely feels like an
enemy; but in the end, if we use our time wisely, it’s always on our side.
Flick
by Keira
Des Anges
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Leanna Matthews enjoys flying below the radar. She does well in
school, has a few close friends and hides the fact she’s an astral-traveling
telekinetic. But there’s no escaping her creepy dreams or Simora, the bizarre
little spirit lady, that suddenly pops out of nowhere to warn her against
keeping secrets and predicts an encounter with a sinister evil. For the first
time in forever someone…or something…is on to her.
But
life turns around when Leanna meets Piper one sunny afternoon. She’s
inexplicably drawn to him, almost as if she’s been waiting for him to come.
Forbidden to have a boyfriend Leanna throws caution to the wind, lying to her
family and friends to be with him, while ignoring Simora’s ominous message.
Yet
Piper has a secret of his own. He is on a mission and Leanna, unwittingly, is
the key.
EXCERPT:
He stood idly
by Ms. Fenson’s hedges, shifting around uncomfortably and looking at nothing
in-particular. After gazing at the sky,
he stared at his feet and pulled at the shrubs behind him – which unless he had
a death-wish, was an absolute no-no. Ms.
Fenson was a legend in her neighborhood and Leanna knew if this guy stood
anywhere near the hedges too long she’d most certainly come after him – and it
wouldn’t be pretty! Although notorious
for her loony behavior, no one denied Ms. Fenson took excellent care of her
yard and was fiercely protective of it - in a scary, mad-womanish sort of way.
I’ll just
walk by him, Leanna thought, trying to ignore the sudden tightness in her
chest. Anyway, who cares? He doesn’t know me from a hole in the ground.
With each
step, her legs turned to mush. But an
invisible force pulled her forward. The
pressure grew stronger, involuntarily pushing her along until she finally
passed him; her heart racing, her body stiffening…
“Hey!” he
called.
She stopped
abruptly. Was he talking to her? It was hard to focus; the thumping in her
ears grew nauseatingly louder. But since
there wasn’t anyone else around, he must be speaking to her. Leanna turned around uncertainly.
He casually
strolled over with his hands in his jean pockets. When they finally stood face-to-face,
Leanna’s breath caught.
He was even
more strikingly handsome up close. At
around 5'10, he wore his wavy hair cropped close to his head, and in spite of
his loose, red Ecko T-shirt, he sported a visibly muscular build. His chestnut eyes were splashed with the
tiniest specks of green and framed by long, dark eyelashes, in stark contrast
to his honey brown skin. They were the
most beautiful eyes Leanna had ever seen.
But it wasn’t the color that intrigued her. His eyes were clear and telling; their depths
ran deep. And for a fraction of a
moment, she could’ve swore she saw herself.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
By day, Keira
des Anges has the distinct pleasure of assisting teenagers with disabilities
find employment, empowering one life at a time. By night, she is a chew toy for
her dog and cat and avid reader of anything spooky, magical and totally out of
this world. She lives in sunny Florida
with her husband and two kids.
Twitter: @KeiradesAnges
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KeiraDesAnges
Website: www.keiradesanges.com
Book
Video: http://youtu.be/J0iUsTkB--w
Readers, Kiera is giving away one $50 Amazon or b&N gift certificate to a randomly chosen commenter. Three other random commenters will win $25 gift certificates so follow her tour and comment often. You can find her schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/09/virtual-book-tour-flick-by-keira-des.html
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