What To Do To Be Published by Marie Dry

This week we have author Marie Dry talking about how to be published! And she has a new release, Alien Betrayed. 




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WHAT TO DO TO BE PUBLISHED

People always ask me what one should do to be published and when I say just sit down and write and get that story down on the page I get this puppy dog look. Like I’m withholding some crucial information and if I would only give that up anyone can be published.
Unfortunately there is no magic formula apart from BICHOK. Butt In Chair Hands On Keyboard. Sitting down and writing and struggling with the story and character is the only way to get a rough draft done. And then again sitting down and editing is the only way to get that book ready for an editor.

That said, there are a few things that can help you in your writing journey.

For me finding Cassandra L. Shaw on RWA’s critique partner scheme and having her as my critique partner, made a huge difference. A critique partner needs to tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. Leave your poor friends and family alone. They don’t understand the importance of giving feedback in time for you to continue with your story and don’t have the technical knowledge to pick up on things that need to be improved. And they won’t want to hurt your feelings and will tell you it’s very nice. Though if that doesn’t kill your enthusiasm for writing nothing will.

The next step forward for me was joining writer’s organizations like RWA, ROSA, Savvy Authors and a few yahoo writers groups. Suddenly I was connected and chatted with people struggling with exactly the same issues as I did.

Through Cassandra and the writers groups I belonged to I learned about Mary Buckham’ s online classes, beginners and advanced online classes at Savvy Authors and Margie Lawson’s excellent editing online classes.
I was lucky enough that the right people came across my path at just the right time to take me a step forward every time I needed it.

Now I’m off to do the next step in my writer’s journey. BICHOK!

Alien Betrayed

In a bleak and apocalyptic future, where the Zyrgin Warriors are getting ready to conquer Earth, Marcie is sent to infiltrate the alien stronghold in the Rocky Mountains, only to be betrayed by her own people. Instead of stealing the alien’s technology and accomplishing her mission of causing mayhem and destruction among them, she is captured by Larz, an arrogant alien, who wreaks havoc with her heart when he insists that she will be his woman. Still, he may no longer want her when he discovers her secrets…ones she doesn’t even know she has.



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37 comments:

  1. always nice to be appreciated - but that goes two way of course.

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  2. This reader is so very grateful to the writers who put in the hard yards. Thank you.

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    1. Elephant's Child, it's really hard work but it never feels like it because I love every process of writing. Even the worrying when a character gives me a hard time and if feels as if the story isn't working.

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  3. Sit down and write a good book. How simple is that? :-) Love what you said here.

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    1. Cleemckenzie, when I finished my first story something changed in my mind. I suddenly had more confidence in myself. Just knowing that I managed to finish a book gave me a feeling of accomplishment. The editing part of writing is important to produce a good book and not one that readers warn each other about, but there's no way to edit nothing.

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    2. I agree. Just knowing you can do it is a huge boost. I never thought I'd write a whole book. I thought reading a whole one was a major accomplishment. Here's to more books completed!

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  4. BICHOK is so important! Great advice :)

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    1. Jemi, it's so simple but the best advice anyone gave me was to write every day even it its ten minutes. At a conference someone was telling me how she struggled to get in a word count every day and deal with family and work as well. I suggested she do 500 words a day. That way she had a feeling of accomplishment if she did more but didn't feel like a failure because she couldn't do 3000 words a night. She contacted me a few months later and said she almost had a manuscript. She would sometimes hide in the bathroom to get her 500 words but it was doable.

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  5. You have to write a book first to get published. And there's so many ways to get published, too. Not one way is the surefire way.

    Having critique partners/beta readers is a must.

    Great post!

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    1. Thanks Chrys, I literally made every mistake in the book. I needed all the courses I took and it sometimes felt as if it took me double the time it took everyone else to grasp certain aspects of the craft. I'm glad I persevered.

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  6. Hi Kelly! This is the second post I've read this morning about getting published and much of the info is the same, except the other one stressed the 2 Rs--Reading and Writing. I think reading is so important. But it's very hard work. I'm about to do a Margie Lawson class too. She's fantastic!

    All the best with your book!

    Denise :-)

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    1. Denise, Margie Lawson's classes are really good. I agree with the reading. I had such a hectic schedule between working writing and looking after my mom that I stopped reading for about two years and it harmed my writing. Now I make sure to make time for filling the well.

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  7. I appreciate Marie's advice and insight. So true! There's no substitute for just sitting down and writing. And what would we do without good critique partners? Kelly, thanks for hosting and sharing this with us. Have a great week!

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    1. Karen, meeting Cassandra made a huge difference to me. She told me about Margie's course and the pitch opportunities at Savvy Authors where I pitched my first book.

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  8. So good to have those critique partners!

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    1. Tammy, I agree. Wouldn't want to imagine not being able to talk to Cassandra every day.

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  9. Great advice, yes, write, write, write, and join a writing group or two, online and a local group - it makes all the difference!
    Good luck with your book, Marie!

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  10. I've definitely received that same disappointed look. I don't think most people understand the effort and dedication to truly write and polish something!

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    1. Meradeth, it's as if they think there's this magic formula you are keeping all to yourself. If there was it wouldn't have taken me seven years of hard work to get published.

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  11. Thank you Kelly for hosting me. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about my favorite subject.

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  12. Writer groups and classes are great.

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    1. Kelly I agree, though I listened to an interview by Jayne Ann Krentz once or it might have been a recorded session at RWA. Anyway she said to write and to be careful of writer groups because writers read their work out loud and everyone comments so you end up rewriting that chapter so you don't offend anyone there and in the process you lose your voice. I still think all the classes I joined helped me a lot and gave me a good foundation but I do think we need a period where we just write true to our characters and forget about craft and critique groups and just go with the story.

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  13. The first step is always BICHOK (or however one chooses to write the story). Congrats, Marie!

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    1. Thanks Cherie, I am a slow writer and I put out only one book a year so I frequently wish I was a plotter. Though to be truthful I love pantsing and seeing where the characters take me.

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  14. BICHOK, I've learned that more with this book than with any of my other ones. I just have to sit down and write.

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    1. S.P. I know what you mean. Especially when I hit the speed bumps I force myself to go on. If I am totally stuck on the WIP I work on something else but I never allow being stuck to be an excuse for me not to write. It scares me how many excuses my brain can come up with out of sheer fear.

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  15. Amen and seconded! If only there was a magic formula, eh? Here's to hard work and learning through each and every one of the struggles that pave the way! Oh, and to great CP's!

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    1. Chrystal. As much as I sometimes wish there was an easier way or formula to follow I love the struggle and agony and whole journey. And yay to great CPs.

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  16. Excellent advice and a great reminder right now. I need to get writing asap! :) Best of luck!
    ~Jess

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  17. love that hunky hulk-like alien!
    and well said, i love my CP, still choosing a good writing group to join... congrats!

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    1. Thanks Tara. Good luck with the search for a writing group. RWA has good online groups.

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  18. Non-writers also approach me wishing to hear something fast and easy. Wonderful post.

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    1. Medeia, I had some weird questions as well. I wish I wrote them all down.

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