By Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep
I hate to be the one to rain on your parade, but perhaps you might want to reach for your big black umbrella. As much as you’d like to think there’s some secret formula to getting published, the truth is actually quite simple.
Write. Edit. Repeat.
That’s it. No glittery sprinkling of fairy godmother dust. No particular This-Is-How-It’s-Done book for you to read. Not even a “Psst! Hey buddy! Step over here and I’ll whisper in your ear the surefire way to get published.”
Persistence is the key. You write a great story. You edit it. If that one doesn’t sell, then you write another. Edit it. And if that one doesn’t sell, flip open the lid of your laptop and write another. Keep doing this until the publishing world can no longer ignore you.
But that begs the question…how can you keep on being persistent when you don’t feel like it?
- Write the dialogue first.
Sometimes you just need to sit back and capture the voices in your head. It’s a good idea, though, to do this in a room by yourself. Admitting to others you’re listening to “the voices” is a one-way ticket to therapy.
- Write somewhere else.
Changing where you write is sometimes all the kick in the pants you’ll need to get going on your story again. Try a coffee shop. Go outside to a grassy knoll. Even hang out at your friend’s house when he’s not at home—but ask him first. Breaking and entering is a felony you don’t want on your record.
- Set a timer and have a reward handy.
Pavlov’s dog was no loser. That furry friend learned how to get a treat by doing the required work first. Be that dog. Set a timer and write, then when that bell dings, reward yourself with a treat.
Mixing things up like this are surefire ways to get you moving on the road to publication. How long will that take? It’s different for everyone. We all learn at different rates. Plus there’s a fair amount of being in the right place at the right time with the right book. You could get published next week or maybe not for another ten years. Who knows? It doesn’t really matter, though, because you’ll be too busy writing, editing, and repeating to get stressed out about it.
A war-torn countryside is no place for a lady—but Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause . . . to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart.
Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he’s offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort—but he’s the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought.
Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of historical romances: The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, and A Heart Deceived, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.