I am going to let everyone in on a publishing house secret.  The fewer times an editor sees the words was and were, the better your chances are of getting published.  The dirty little secret about these two little words is that they kill your creativity.  Editors and readers want descriptive words and phrases, not flat statements. 

For example: no one "was walking"  they ambled or strolled.  

Write your work, develop your story, then groom your wording.  Find as many imaginative ways as you can to eliminate these submission killing two little words.

That is the ultimate question? You have now been through the heart rending process of actually getting to the stage you have a book. Now, the real work begins. Due to the massive amount of information on the Internet and the growing number of publishing venues, there are lots of new books coming out every day. No matter what publishing venue you took, the terrible truth is that no one knows you or your book better than you do. You need to be prepared to self promote. People want to talk to the writer not the sales clerk at the store. Plan on doing conventions, book signings, and interviews. There is no substitute for meeting your fans face to face. Fans also want something a little more, so it never hurts to have pens, buttons, or other promotional items available. They are normally inexpensive and a great way to help your fans spread the word about your work.

Recently, a recurring question has come up again.  How do you have time to write?

Unless you are retired or truly blessed financially, you have a day job of some kind.  You also have family, friends, and life in general to deal with.  It is amazing how quickly the day passes, night falls, and suddenly it’s bedtime because tomorrow you will do it all again.  So, once again, how do you have time to write?

I have few simple techniques that work for me:
Turn off the texting and cell phone.
Turn off the television or use it as background sound.  Just don’t watch it.
Shut down the email, MySpace, FaceBook, and every other online distraction.  Disconnect from the Internet if necessary.
If needed, move your computer or laptop out into the family area so that you are still present, but you can still spend time at the keyboard.  (You may find that fewer distractions can also add to quality family time.)

Basically, it is all going to come down to motivation and time management.  If you are really serious about writing, you will find the time.  It is just like any other artistic effort, it is going to take a little sacrifice and determination. 

You need to set up your work area to avoid delays in getting started.  Writing also needs to become a habit.  Try to pick the same time every day to write.  Explain to the family and friends that for the next two hours you are “at work” and you will get back to them when you are “off duty”.  It’s your work, fight for it, and make it happen.
 

Once the exposition has set the stage, something needs to drive the story forward.  Detail and daily activity rarely provide the type of push most stories need.  This is where conflict, complications, or goals need to be introduced as quickly as possible.

It can be a very difficult lesson to learn, but a story needs to get out of the gate quickly.  Avoid pages of "development" material.  You have plenty of time later to fill in the gaps as your story line or plot develops.  Where you don't have time or space is the beginning.

In the case of a conflict story, honestly, you don't have to fully explain why there is a conflict before showing it.  Let the history of the conflict be discovered by both the characters and readers as the story grows.

If you are using complications, come out of the gate swinging.  As a matter of fact, the complications should be introduced right up front in the exposition.

Goals may take a bit more set up or they can as easy as a one-line introduction that just boldly lays it out on table.

Write your story.  Get the whole thing out on the screen, then go back and start rearranging how and where you want to reveal your plot elements.  You will find that evenly spacing out the background and detail of your story, you can avoid those dreaded slow spots. 

If a reader has to grind through page after page of detail or explanation before getting to the "good stuff" chances are you will loose their interest. 

Know your audience and give them what they want.

Exposition is the two-dollar word for the start of your story.  Honestly, I can't shout enough about how important this is.  If you are trying to sell a story, you only have about three paragraphs to grab someone's attention.   If you miss them early, it gets harder with each paragraph to pull them into the story.  A great opening can actually buy you some time to develop your story.  The reader is already in and wants to know more. 

Every writing panel I do someone asks, "How do you write the great opening?"

Actually, I usually don't worry about it.  I just pick a point in the story and start writing.  Once I have finished the story or chapter, I go back to the beginning.  I find that the opening lines are best designed and written after you know what kind of action you are trying to introduce. 

On occasion, I come up with a great opening line first.  I write it down immediately because those inspirations rarely come along while you are sitting at the computer.  Trust me, if you don't write it down you will forget it by the time you get to your desk.  Once you get in the habit, you will wind up with a pile of great openings waiting for stories to go with them.  Think of them as writing security.  You will always have a project to work on.

As I attend conventions, I get to hear a lot of stories and books being pitched.  If you are trying to sell a manuscript to a publisher or trying to get your short story into an anthology there are a few things you need to know because no one ever said publishing was fair.  You need to make the most of any opportunity that may drift your way.

The One Minute Pitch - No, I am not kidding.  You should have a one paragraph pitch with a mouth full of teeth that takes about one minute to say.  Honestly, this may be all the time you get before the publisher/editor gets distracted by another shiny object.  I know, one paragraph doesn't do your work justice.  Well, tough, the choice is deliver the pitch or get lost in the slush pile.

Professional Presentation - Never pitch from an empty wagon.  Those nice, clear-fronted report covers are a wonderful place to put your One Minute Pitch, Synopsis, and first three chapters.  Please make sure that your contact info is easily seen and, for heavens sake, please edit this to within an inch of its life.  Nothing will kill your chances faster than a sloppy manuscript.

Page One - Let's face it, the further someone has to read to catch on to your story line, the lower your chances are of getting published.  To be brutally honest, if you haven't hooked your reader by paragraph three your chances of getting published are bleak.

Synopsis - One page people, no, really, if your synopsis looks like a short story you should try again.  Two pages might fly if you really make it amazingly compelling.

Category - I can not stress this enough - do NOT ever say that there has never been a story like this before.  You just told your prospective publisher that no bookstore will ever stock it because they won't know where to put it.  First of all, yes, there is another story like it, I promise, and if there isn't - reread what I just said.  I hate to say this, but you have to be able to put your work in a category that fits on a bookstore shelf if you ever want to make it to one.

Opportunity - know your target.  You should be able to sit down and engage your prospective publisher in a conversation without ambushing them and putting them on the spot.  It is harder to turn down someone you have met and liked.

Attitude - Honestly, you are NOT doing them a favor.  No, really, they don't need you.  There are thousands of writers out there that would give their left leg to being sitting at the table with a publisher that might actually be interested.  If they have a suggestion for you, please listen, they might be telling you how to slip under the door into the world of the published author.

Courtesy - A guaranteed method of finding yourself blacklisted from a publisher and all their friends is to invade personal time and personal space.  Please ask before pouncing.

If you are an aspiring writer, please avoid the pitfalls and present your best work.  Be grateful for whatever advice you get even if it is a rejection.  Often, the next edit will be your best work and it just might get sold.

 

BabelCon is another young convention that I knew very little about before attending, but it was in Baton Rouge, LA. and I love the food down there, so, that meant we were going.  When we arrived, I was pleased to see that the hotel was in good shape, in a nice part of town, and had plenty of food nearby.  Not that any of that mattered for more than a few minutes.  We were greeted warmly and felt at home immediately. Saturday morning arrived and the costumes came out.  BabelCon has some the best Ren Fair, pirate, and Sci-Fi costumes that you will see anywhere.  Baton Rouge takes looking good very seriously.  We then discovered that no matter how many people you talked to, you never met a stranger.  I think we came home with hundreds of old friends that we had just met. I hit all my food goals while there.  I wanted crawfish, but I had never even thought about a ditch bug enchilada.  Trust me, it was a treat.  I also needed gumbo.  I found a fantastic bowl of duck and sausage gumbo at the hotel.  It was close to perfect once I added the crab stuffed mushrooms to the meal.  Finally, on Sunday morning, we hit the beignets in all their sugar coated, deep-fried decadence.  We made sure to tempt as many people as possible. I honestly can't wait for next year's BabelCon! Panels: Wizards, Witches, and Magic.  Allan Gilbreath and Chuck Dinkins. Raising Hell: Chaos Magic and Metaphysical Probabilities.  Allan Gilbreath and Melissa Duncan Monsters.  Allan Gilbreath and Melissa Duncan Midnight Ghost Stories: Allan Gilbreath and a lot of great people with bizarre stories. Believer vs. Skeptic.  Kalila Smith, Randy Richards, and Allan Gilbreath Thanks to everyone who came out to my panels.  You were all great!

I have to admit that I didn't know what to expect.  I'd never been to Hypericon before so I relied on the advice of friends and fans.  Needless to say, I had plenty of contradictory advice before I ever walked in the door.  Like most of the small conventions I know, it was a little disorganized and the hotel was not the best in town, but no one seemed to care.  The attendees, the staff, and the guests all just took everything in stride and a very good time was had by all.  The atmosphere of the Con turned out to comfortable and personable, sort of like sitting around the living room with pals.

I got to see a few old friends and fans and I got to meet a lot of new friends and fans.  Everyone seemed to be there to relax, have a little fun, and meet as many of us writer types as they could.  If you happen to be in Nashville area next year, this is nice Con to relax at and maybe even kick up your heels a bit.

Panels:  I had the wonderful pleasure of sharing the panel table with some truly great writers.

Cardboard Cutouts: Avoiding and Fixing Two-Dimensional Characters
Teri A. Jacobs, Glen Cook, Phillip Nutman, Steven Shrewsberry, & Allan Gilbreath

Hooked From the Start - How to hook the reader at the very beginning of a story.
Fran Friel, Sara Harvey, Elizabeth Donald, & Allan Gilbreath

All Things Vampiric
Sherrilyn Kenyon, J. F. Lewis, & Allan Gilbreath

I look forward to seeing everyone again at Hypericon 5.

Pacing is just how fast or slow your story is progressing. Fundamentally, pacing boils down to how many words it takes you describe your scene and advance your story. If you are working on a 9,000 word short story, you don't have a lot of room for lengthy explanations. If you are working your novel, you have more room to play.

Different genres commonly use different pacing. A mystery will need in-depth descriptions in order for your reader to have any chance at solving your twisted crime while an action adventure will feature more motion and less description. The real trick is to learn how to vary your pacing depending on the needs of your story.

To be brutally honest, I don't think any story can be done in a single session. It is too much pressure to get everything right in one pass. Think of writing like painting the wall. You have to prep the surface, then prime it. Once it is dry and ready, then you can paint. Even then, the job usually takes more than one coat.

Writing is much the same. First, you have to do your research and layout your plot points. Write your story without worring about editing as you go. Just let your story flow. Once the writing is done, you can edit and polish your work to a glorious finish.