By Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep
Here’s the thing about writing: there are no absolutes. That’s the beauty of art. That being said, however, there are some lines a writer should never cross. What exactly are those lines?
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- Do not break the trust of your reader by leaving them unfulfilled and unsatisfied.
Killing off favorite characters just for the gore of it or leaving the situations you created unresolved is a good way to get a roundhouse kick to the head from a reader. Don’t do it. **Waving my fingers in Jedi mind trick fashion** You will tie up plot threads. You will manage your characters with goals, motivations, and conflicts, not just whims.
- Don’t assume that just because you’ve had one success you deserve another.
Listen, Chachi, simply because you managed to sign one contract doesn’t mean the Cosmos owes you another one. Pride goeth before a fall. Publishers and readers are not in your debt. A humble heart is in order if you don’t want to alienate readers and publishers.
- Don’t give in to defeat.
Write. Write more. Then write some more. No matter what kind of reviews or sales or even what your mother said about your book last week, keep writing. Being an author is a tough gig but that doesn’t mean you should give in to despair. You know that saying about developing a tough skin? There’s a reason it’s a saying…because it’s true. Don’t give anyone the power to steal your writerly joy. It’s yours. Hold onto it with both hands.
- Rebutting a Bad Review is a bad idea.
Remember this old adage, little writer: silence is golden. Tattoo it on your forearm so it’s always in front of your face (but you might want to okay it with your mom first). Here’s the deal: you’re going to get some stinging reviews. It will happen. But that doesn’t mean you should respond out in the public arena, no matter how unfair the assessment of your writing is. If you do write an “enlightening” rebuttal, you’ll be seen as harboring sour grapes.
- Don’t expect it to be easy.
The publishing world is rough and tumble. Sometimes what you’re writing is a hot commodity. Sometimes it isn’t. One day your sales numbers are sky high. The next they’re down in the dumps. The ugly truth is writing is an emotional rollercoaster and it isn’t easy…but it’s always worth it.
Basically, keep in mind the common sense rule of doing unto others as you’d like them to do unto you. It’s not that hard to figure out. You got this!
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.