One Writer's Jew Year Resolutions

So, the Jewish New Year is here, y'all. Every year at the beginning of autumn, Jews get together and reflect on how they haven't behaved as well as they could have, or had the best outlook on things, and what changes they need to make.

It's not only about Jewish stuff, or religious stuff. In fact, that's not usually even the stuff that matters most. Thinking about that had me thinking about the past five weeks of my writing life, since I started querying.

While I think I have a pretty decent attitude most of the time, there have been moments when that I haven't been my best writer self. I won't go into details, because I'm sure those of you who have felt stuck or frustrated at any stage of your writing can imagine, or have been there yourself. (And my writing besties have seen some bad attitude-ing firsthand.)

Anyway. It's the New Year, and this one is going to be awesome. I'm hoping, by this time next year, I'll be one step closer to publication. Whatever that means. But I think the only way I'm going to get there is if I really focus to digging in for the long haul. So, here are the things I'm resolving to focus on as a writer at the beginning of this year:

Humility - No matter how good I think my stuff is, or how solid of a handle I think I have on things - I don't. There's always more to learn. Most of all, no one owes me anything. I have to learn to accept that, no matter how hard I work, I might never see my work in print. I am a goal-oriented person, so this is really tough for me. Daily I have to take time to remind myself that I'm doing this for love of writing, so so so much more than for anything else.

Perspective - This is a business, and rejection is nothing personal. And even though I have a better handle on things than lots of people, I'm still so far behind the pack of pros.

Patience -  I am a little fish in a huuuuge pond. Compared to so many thousands of other writers, I haven't been doing this for long at all. I need to be patient with myself, with my writing, with the agents I'm asking to consider it.

Determination - No matter how many glaring problems my CPs point out with my writing, or  how many rejections I get, or how much my wrists ache, or how many times I rewrite an opening, or how stubborn the writer's block, if I really, really want to see my work in print, I must accept that it will never happen if I give up.

Whew! Those are some big ones.

Anything you're hoping to improve about your writerly self in the near future? If you share, I will feel like less of a jerk. *bats eyes*

The Obsession Factor: Supporting Characters

There's only so much writing, waiting, and nail-biting those of us in the querying trenches can do to sustain our passion for the craft. Eventually, one has to turn to daydreaming.

Sometimes I like to daydream about When I've Arrived. What does that look like in my flighty head? For some people, it would be signing a book deal with a Big Six publishing house. Maybe it means having all five-star reviews on Amazon (miraculously.) Maybe hitting the NYT bestseller list.

Know how I'll know When I've Arrived? Fanfiction.

I mean, seriously. All those other factors mean that people want to buy your book. Hopefully the read the whole thing, and you pray they like it. But you really don't know those things, do you? No. Not unless some obsessed fan is writing fanfiction about your story and characters.

It all comes down to the Obsession Factor. Do people close your book and wish there was more? Do they wonder what your main character wore on his first day of school? Do they imagine themselves living in the world you've created?

 And, the sub-factor I want to talk about today - are your supporting characters so awesome and fascinating that your readers can't stop thinking about their stories?

Raise your hand if you loved TWILIGHT. Go ahead, this is a blog, no one can see you. Okay. Now put your hand down if you didn't give two figs about Alice and Jasper or Carlisle and Esme. That's what I thought. You're arm's starting to ache, isn't it?

How about Ron and Hermione? Don't tell me you've never thought about how Ron would propose to her. Or what about Ginny? Did she really go for that last year at Hogwarts? Neville and Luna? They totally got together, right?

I'll tell you, my phenom-of-a-CP Chessie does an awesome job with this. I mean, her main characters are great, blah blah, great story, etc., but know who I really love? Two of the supporting characters. I wish they were in the book more, which says a lot. The boy is so cute and the girl is so kickass and they are so sweetly in love that I just squee every time they show up on the page. (My other CP, Gina, does a bang-up job too.  Mmmm....Jeremy....)

When Chessie drew this picture of them DANCING! Geez. I almost wrote some fanfiction. (But I didn't. I swear.)


Maybe that's because I'm lucky. If I beg Chessie for scenes from future books enough, she gives them to me.  If only that worked for every other story that grabs us with the supporting characters just as much as the main ones (or sometimes more?)

Your turn! What is your favorite book that has the Supporting Characters Obsession Factor?