NaNoWriMo-Never Give Up

I’m going to step a little outside of the box today, to hopefully give each of you a little shot of encouragement. As I thought about what to say to my fellow authors out there to boost you through the work of NaNoWriMo, while you’re writing your hearts out, I could only think about the most recent lesson I have learned about this writing thing: every book has a journey.

My newest release that comes out on November 30th, BENEATH THE SURFACE, has been with me a long time. I started writing it in 2007, in a flurry of excitement because it was the first book that truly let my erotic voice shine through. It was certainly not the conventional Harlequin story I’d been writing up to that point. Heck it opened with an almost sex scene – with the villain. *Gasp*

After a pitch, I was able to gain the interest of an editor. With hard work I finished the full and sent in – which began the waiting part of the process. Y’all know what I’m talking about. In 2009, I was astonished when it finalled in the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart contest. Not just because it was chosen, but because it finalled in the Series Contemporary category – a category that at the time favored Harlequins exclusively. With that sex scene front and center, no less!

I notified the editor – surely now she would read it. After all, she’d had it a year already. But no. After two years, I finally pulled the book so I could submit it elsewhere.

It was rejected by 2 more epubs before finding an editor who loved it at a third. It went through light edits and I was offered a contract – that never materialized. My editor left, and the senior editor assured me she would assign me to another. After a year with that company, I finally pulled the book again.

Talk about discouragement. The kind that makes your question a lot, but I loved this book, felt like it was even stronger after the changes I’d made. Why was I running into wall after wall?

BENEATH THE SURFACE took a back seat while I published other books with Harlequin. I started publishing independently with my Backstage Pass series, specifically because I wanted to write something outside of the box, just for myself.

I enjoyed the process so much that I decided to publish BENEATH THE SURFACE that way too. Throughout all the nerves and struggle and hassle and waiting – I never gave up on this book. I doubted myself, doubted my ability to get on the page what I wanted the reader to see. But every time I read through this book, I felt that it was good, worthy of finding its own readers.

Since I’m not great with craft articles like my fellow Nice Girls, let me just encourage you as you push to get words on the page. No book is perfect. No book becomes an “overnight success” overnight. Just because you don’t publish immediately doesn’t mean it won’t happen—even if its not on your timing or your chosen path.
But it will happen – one word at a time, one step at a time, one decision at a time. In the words of Jason Nesmith from Galaxy Quest, NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER.

So let’s give each other a boost today! How do you keep your motivation going through the hard work and waiting? I’ll give one commenter the choice of an ebook from one of my backlist books!

 

The Nice Girls Writing Naughty NaNo Event is right now, November 12th through the 26th. Leave a comment to win daily prizes from the Nice Girls, as well as a spot in our grand prize drawing for a $25 gift card from All Romance eBooks!

Thanks for reading!

Every commenter during the entire event is also entered to win our grand prize, a$25 gift card to ALL Romance eBooks.

Prizes from all the Nice Girls up for grabs:

• Leela Lou Dahlin, her NaNoWriMo novel, Rumor Has It
• Ella Sheridan: $10 Gift Card for Amazon
• A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder: Copy of Sealed By Fire(or choice of backlist)
• Angel Payne: Free e-copy of either No Prince Charming or No More Masquerade
• Harlowe Wilde: e-copy of Kitty Kitty Bang Bang & $5 Amazon gift card
• Dani Wade: Choice of one of her backlist books
• Nona Raines: e-copy of Her Perfect Man and Don’t Let Go (or another of her backlist)
• Tina Christopher: one of her books
• Dakota Trace: prize to be determined
• Lara Archer: $10 Amazon e-gift card
• Taige Crenshaw: $10 All Romance ebook e-gift card

 

From the fabulous A.Catherine Noon: Join me today on Beyond the Veil where I talk about the eight things I’ve learned being a Municipal Liaison for NaNoWriMo.  Please don’t leave me out in the cold all by myself, (and it’s pretty darned cold here in Chicago at 18 degrees during the day – brrr!).  I even have a question for you!  I’d love to see you there!