Heather Lin's Blog, page 3

Sunday Smoothie Recipe

I’ve been into smoothies lately. It’s a fun, tasty way to get those nutrients I’m too lazy to consume like an actual adult. On the weekends, I make an extra special smoothie, and I decided to write/illustrate the recipe just for you folks.

Step 1:

Put a banana, collard greens (because your husband thought it was kale), and a handful of frozen strawberries in a blender.

Step 2:

Add some milk!

Step 3:

Add some Rumplemintz berry schnapps!

Step 4:

Turn on blender.

Step 5:

Drank!

Step 6:

Get back to slightly-intoxicated writing.

Happy Sunday!

Pick a Battle Cry

So I didn’t make it onto a Pitch Wars team. And that’s fine. I’m genuinely happy for everyone who did. I’m a little disappointed, of course, because it’s just about impossible for contestants not to get their hopes up. (And, honestly, that’s half the fun!)

But I’m writing this post to share something I’ve learned in the five years I’ve been trying to make a career out of all these love stories swimming around in my head: No one has it figured out.

Advice in the writing world is subjective. No aspiring writer, published writer, agent, or publisher can tell you how to get where you’re trying to go, much as they try.

Some writers are discovered by accident. Some writers query to five agents and all five want them. Some pitch/query to sixty agents before one chooses them. Some self-publish and make enough to pay the mortgage; some self-publish and make millions; some self-publish and are lucky to recoup the cash they spent on cover art. Some find their agents at conferences while others who have never attended one sell a novel via snail mail on their first try.

Some get where they’re going thanks to contests like Pitch Wars and SYTYCW.

It’s hard. It’s hard to see these miracles happen for someone else when it’s all you’ve craved for a very long time. But you have to believe your time will come, and when it does it will be by a combination of you, the agent/editor in question, and good old-fashioned luck.

There are too many variables to possibly control. What some agents hate, others will specifically ask for. For example, rhetorical questions. I used it once, three years ago, and it got me a positive, personal response from Jessica Faust of BookEnds, LLC. So, yeah, some agents won’t like it, but others will.

Most agents will tell you not to worry so much about voice in your synopsis. It’s just to lay out the details of the book. They’ll look for voice in your manuscript. But I read on one agent’s submission guidelines that a synopsis had better be just as entertaining as the book or she won’t look at the MS.

The list goes on and on, and, honestly, you can do everything right, everything by the book, and have a fabulous manuscript—but maybe the agent in question just isn’t in the mood for your book that day. Maybe the publisher you submitted to has enough western romances to last them the next three years.

You will never know the whys or the hows. You will face self-doubt and want to give up, but in the end the only thing you can possibly count on on your publication journey is you.

You have to be consistent, and that means being persistent. If you’re truly passionate, if you believe in yourself and your work (most days), and you keep trying to get where you want to be you’ll get there.

One day will be the right day. The moon and the stars will align and you’ll click with an agent. An editor will save your MS from the slush pile and give it a chance.

Everything will fall into place, and it will be your turn to get that miracle.

You just have to keep at it.

So pick a battle cry. When the volatile force that is the publishing industry knocks you down, get back up. Keep trying.

We got this.

 

#PitchWars Bio

I’ve always felt bad about my lack of commitment to extracurricular activities. In school, I tried aiki jitsu, soccer, softball, field hockey, theater, choir, and horseback riding, and I just never stuck with any of it.

Although I do still enjoy singing in the shower.

Very recently, I realized I have stuck with something—writing. I wrote and illustrated a book when I was about six, all about my new bike (It was called My New Bike, actually, because genius). I wrote a Princess Guinevere and the Jewel Riders fanfic around the same time, before I even knew what a fanfic was.

I spent many hours at my best friend’s house when I was a teenager writing boyband fanfiction, and my poetry made it into the school’s literary journal.

Soon, I was writing original works, and during my sophomore year of college, in 2008, I began pursuing publication.

I fell in love with the romance genre after reading The Bachelor trilogy by Carly Phillips, and since the majority of what I like to read and write has at least some element of romance, I felt like I’d found my calling.

Under the pen name Heather Lin, I won two Bettersex.com erotic short story contests, had my work accepted by a few paying websites, and I’ve had stories in three e-anthologies and three print anthologies. Two of my short erotic romance stories, called Scandal and Strangers, are currently available as e-books from New Concepts Publishing.

Writing is my passion. The ideas are always flowing, and I can barely go a day without jotting something down, even when I’m trying desperately to force myself to take a break! I have two short stories and a short novel submitted, plus I’m participating in Pitch Wars with a second novel.

I’m anxious to have my longer, more romantic, works noticed by a savvy agent and/or big-name publisher, and I really think the help of an experienced mentor could help make my dream of a career in romance writing a reality.

On a less writer-y note, I’m married to my college sweetheart. We met my freshman year in 2006 and were married in the spring of 2012. I dragged his butt to Delaware because that’s where I was born and raised, and most of my enormous family is settled here. (Apparently my great-great-grandfather is buried two miles from my parents’ house. Weird coincidence.)

I have a sixteen-year-old cat named October…

…and I’m currently working as a nanny for an adorable and sometimes too-clever two-year-old. I like coffee (especially Wawa Pumpkin Spice), and I am one of those horrible people who had their house decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving.

I’ve also recently discovered Twitter! Follow @heatherlin88 for fun convos, randomness, and…well…I can’t promise much else.

Check out the bios of other Pitch Wars potential mentees here!

Trashy Romance

I’ve found that when people ask me what I write, I immediately answer “trashy romance” with a shrug and a sheepish grin.

I admittedly struggle with embracing the genre, simply because it gets a bad rap.

But why? Why should I feel like writing a romance novel is less than writing a literary novel? A sci-fi/fantasy novel? A picture book?

The goal of a writer is to detail the human experience. Have we become so jaded that stories of hope, love, and damn good sex have to be looked down upon? Or is it that sex is still seen as a base act, and therefore any artistic expression of it has to be seen as a base production?

I’m not sure if it was the men of the world, the  snobs, the critics, or the prudes that decided romances are “trashy” but I love reading them and I love writing them.

I also enjoy reading novels like The Lovely Bones, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, The Secret Life of Bees, On Writing, and The Hobbit. I enjoy writing poetry. I have a degree in English Literature and graduated Magna Cum Laude, if it makes you feel better.

The fact of the matter is, romance is one thing that every race, every nation, every era, every genre, and every person has in common. Lost love, found love, puppy love, forever love, platonic love, orgasmic love.

It’s the most important part of the human experience.

I recently attended a workshop during which author Judith E. French pointed out that “the oldest profession” is, in fact, storytelling. I think there’s something to be said for the fact that the next oldest profession, the one people usually think of, is prostitution—a profession that caters to lonely souls looking for love.

Or, if you don’t want to be so romantic about it, a profession that caters to horny dudes.

In any case, it’s a man and a woman (or a man and a man, or a woman and a woman, or several of each, etc.) meeting to satisfy urges that can only be satisfied by joining with another person.

Everyone can relate to romance. From the dawn of time, from that moment way back in the caveman days when mating became emotional, love and sex and stories about love and sex have thrived. They will continue to thrive.

I’m proud and happy to be a part of such a strong and meaningful genre, in whatever capacity that may be.

I won’t pretend I’ll write the next Romeo & Juliet or even the next 50 Shades of Grey, but I’ll continue writing snapshots of this all-important human experience—stories of men and women struggling through life and, because it’s human nature, choosing to take on life together, as a team. In love.

NaNoWriMo

It’s that time again!

I failed National Novel Writing Month the last two years, but I do appreciate that someone, somewhere, designated this month to focus on writing. It’s also my birthday month. Coincidence? Probably.

It’s nearly impossible for anyone, including established writers, to finish a novel in just one month (especially around the holidays), but I do love this time of year for a few reasons:

Motivation. If you have an idea for a story, you have a start date. November 1st. It’s time to stop thinking and start doing.
Networking. You get to meet a lot of like-minded writer folk, via the internet and also during write-ins. I tend to be a bit of a hermit myself, but if networking is your thing, NaNoWriMo is great for it.
Confidence. Solely because of the time crunch, NaNoWriMo forces you to write without second-guessing yourself. You just don’t have the time to reread what you’ve written and criticize yourself. You don’t have time to start another novel, so just go with the flow. By the end, you may decide it’s not so bad after all.

For me, NaNoWriMo usually turns into NaFiYoMoFoNoMo (National Finish Your Motherfuckin’ Novel Month). This year, it’s NaEdYoMoFoNoMo (National Edit Your Motherfuckin’ Novel(s) Month).

It is writing-related, and I am doing it in November. So although I’m not writing a novel and am therefore not officially participating, my thoughts are with all of you NaNoWriMo-ers, NaFiYoMoFoNoMo-ers, and NaEdYoMoFoNoMo-ers.

And I just want to say GOOD LUCK!

Go win this thing!

Kick some novel-writing ass!

I know how exciting it is to watch that word meter, and I know how exciting it is to finally finish a novel that’s been stuck in your heart and/or brain for far too long (even though I don’t know what it’s like to do that in November).

Meanwhile, I’ll be editing, querying, and short story-ing like a maniac.

Before you hire an editor…

You may notice I’ve added an Editing Services tab to the menu.

At the urging of my writer friends and ever-supportive husband, I’ve finally decided to offer my services to the public. I’ve been writing since I was about six (a fully-illustrated book all about my new bike–a very deep piece of literature), so my skills have had nineteen years to develop.

I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literary Studies in 2010, which involved taking the following classes (with my final grade in parentheses):

Writing About Literature (4)
Creative Writing (3.5)
Language/Linguistics (4)
Advanced Composition (4)
Poetry Writing (4)

Any writer will tell you one of the most important parts of writing is reading, and I also took twelve literature classes, all of which resulted in a final grade of 3.5 or 4.

I’ve been writing professionally for about five years, and in that short time frame I’ve published approximately twenty short stories, poems, and novels under the pen name Heather Lin and an additional twenty or so short stories, poems, blog posts (not including personal), and even newspaper articles under my given name. None of these include self-published works.

Most importantly, I am damn good at what I do.

I am a self-proclaimed lit snob.

I am the person that wants to take a red pen to professional publications and mail it back to the publisher.

I am the person lamenting the loss of the Oxford comma.

I am the person who finds a label like this

 

and posts it on the internet because I am that annoyed it was allowed to leave the factory.

If you’re the average person, my habits can get really annoying. If you’re in need of an editor, they’re an undeniable asset.

If you have a project you’d like me to consider, drop me a line.

But before you do…

…read On Writing by Stephen King. It is the best book about the craft I have ever read.

If you think you know all there is to know about writing, read it.

If you know nothing about writing, read it.

It will give you hope and something to relate to. It will teach you not just about the art of writing, but also about the industry. And there are a few poignant parts that nearly brought me to tears.

This is the first thing I recommend to any aspiring writer–young or old, horror fan or not.

After you read what King has to say, you may find your eyes are a little more open, and you may be able to do a lot of the trimming and correcting your work needs all on your own.

The “Average Girl” Trend

I’ve noticed a trend in the romance/erotica genre lately. I call it the average girl trend.

There seem to be a lot of heroines in romance/erotica novels lately who just can’t understand why the hero wants them. They’re so average, so unlike the pretty model-types, preferring jeans and t-shirts and anything but a glamorous lifestyle. Yet the hunky guy picks them. They can’t believe it! They’re so unpretty; how could this happen?

It bothers me for a few reasons.

Firstly, assuming a guy wants a done-up bimbo-type is kind of unfair and stereotypical.

Secondly, it propagates the us (average girls) vs. them (beautiful girls) attitude.

Thirdly, it makes the heroine seem insecure. Or like she’s fishing for compliments.

I want to see confident women who say “Hell yeah, he picked me. Because I’m fucking awesome!” Or who simply say nothing at all. I am of the opinion that if your writing is strong enough, it’s an issue that doesn’t even need to be addressed. Your readers can see why the hero picked the heroine. Her best qualities, both inside and out, should be made so apparent we can see exactly why the hero is interested in her. And why should she question it?

I do understand that, especially in the case of a famous man who’s used to having models on his arm, the heroine may think something along the lines of “Wow, maybe he’s not so shallow, after all.” or “Maybe his type of girl is different than I realized.” But, for God’s sake, don’t ask the “Why me?” question. Because it may very well just make him think “Hm. Good question. Why you?”

Think about it. Wouldn’t it make a hero seem just a little less virile if he said “Oh, but there are other guys who are so much hotter than I am! Why do you want to spend your time with me?” I can literally picture Fabio twirling his hair and it makes me sad.

No, we want to see men with swagger. Yes, I just used the word swagger. Half of what makes a guy sexy is the way he carries himself. It’s a mixture of confidence, attitude, and physical attraction. I can promise you a guy who’s got washboard abs but is a stuck-up prick drops down to a 2 on a 1-10 scale real quick. Just like a geeky guy who flashes a confident smile suddenly rises to a 7.

I would expect men to look at women in a similar way. A girl who’s hot but a total bitch is a 0. A girl who is pretty but lacks confidence will probably make them roll their eyes and second-guess their decision. “Is this chick going to need reassurance all the fucking time?”

I won’t say I’ll never write this. Envy and insecurity are very human emotions that do rear their ugly heads on occasion. And writing a good story is all about writing a human story. But I do think a woman constantly second-guessing herself detracts from the story.

It doesn’t help me see the man as more attractive because other, gorgeous women want him.

It doesn’t help me see the woman as more relatable because she’s an average girl like me.

Something like this should enhance the story rather than detract. The new girlfriend has a history with the old girlfriend. The heroine has a physical deformity that makes her extra self-conscious. The hero is known for having a certain type, and she isn’t it.

“You’re so hot; I’m so not!” is just not good enough in my book.

Fifty Shades of Hello

So I never really got into the whole 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon. I read the excerpt on Amazon and just couldn’t figure out what all the fuss was about. But I am quite sure I’ll be watching the movie because this guy is Christian Grey:

And this guy is his brother:

And they are pretty.

I was so mad when The Huntsman died in Once Upon a Time, and I am happy to see he’ll be resurrected in his very own porno.

I mean, totally legit mainstream movie…that’s all about sex.

I’ve never heard of Luke Grimes, but I’m excited to see what he can do!

Acting-wise. Of course I mean acting-wise.

Now for Something Completely Different

I've got a website! I'm leaving this blog live until I work out all the kinks, but be sure to check out my new internet home at HeatherLin.com.

Something New

Welcome to the official author page of Heather Lin.

I’m really excited to upgrade from my old blog to what I hope will be a cleaner, more organized website. Any feedback or suggestions are appreciated.

What’s new?

I just had a story published in House of Erotica’s Halloween-themed anthology, Witching Hour.

I’m on Twitter.

My Facebook page hit 100 fans. How cool is that?

I’m writing and editing like a mad woman.

Keep checking back for updates!