Writing Whoopsies!

The lovely ladies of OPWFT have all decided to collectively post some writing/publishing industry uh-ohs we've personally committed on our path to publication, and due to people probably not having the time to sit and listen to me cry over spilled milk all day, I'll keep it brief.

1.) Procrastination: We've all been there. You're manuscript is screaming at you from your laptop "Come finish me!", and yet we sit there, allowing our time to be used for all things OTHER THAN WRITING. I'm guilty of this. I'll have a kick ass way to wrap up a story, but movies, shopping, or reality TV always suck away my free time. Sometimes, I just need a swift kick in the ass, and luckily I have amazing crit partners that do that (You know who you are!!), which gets my lazy butt back on track.

Don't have any of those? Find some! Without support, you'll never keep your sanity in this biz. Believe me.

2.) Jumping The Gun: Okay, so not everyone does this, but I myself am guilty of it. When you finish an MS, you want to know "Is this the one?", and before you realize what you've done, your fingers have hit the send button. Now, I'm not just talking about submitting queries here, but sending out your MS to betas before you've combed through it thoroughly with a fine tooth comb.(Sowwy betas)

My advice here, if it's great when you're done, imagine how awesome it can be once you step back, and take a look with a critical eye. Easier said than done, right? I'm with you on that. But I'm going to try and behave myself from now on. No sending stuff out before it's actually ready.

Okay, so now you know some of my boo-boo's, and hopefully you've learned a tiny tid bit from me to help you hone your craft.

Happy Writing,
Annie