Writing Tidbits by Delilah S. Dawson

I had the pleasure of meeting today's guest post writer back in January. (See where I blogged about it here.) She's super cool, a Georgia author (gotta support the home state!), and she's into Steampunk. 

And she was kind enough to give us some information on writing! Yay!! I'm not a writer by any stretch of the imagination but I love to hear about the writing process...so I'm thrilled with today's post!

So...here's Delilah S. Dawson!

(Photo from Delilah's Blog, isn't she gorgeous?!)

Writing Tidbits: You're a Unicorn!

As I sit here with four different Word documents open on my laptop, it's hard to remember what my life was like before I became a writer. It's almost as if a switch in my brain suddenly flicked on, and since then, I've been constantly obsessed. If I'm not working on a contracted book in my paranormal romance Blud series for Pocket or revising my YA for Simon Pulse, I'm working on guest blogs, short stories, e-novellas, or the next big, shiny idea.

But if I had to start all over again, here are 10 things I would do differently:

1. Nothing

Hard to believe, right? But I wouldn't change any part of my writing journey, even the mistakes. There's a saying that all writers are unicorns, meaning every person's experience is unique and special. We write different types of stories in different genres. We use different methods of plotting—or just write by the seat of our pants. Some people rely on critique partners or writing groups, while others hire an editor or search out a literary agent. Some people dream of being traditionally published, while others relish the complete control self-publishing can offer. But we all have one thing in common: we want to tell the world our stories.

If you'd like to write a book, there's no big secret to doing so. You start writing and keep writing until you're done, and there's nothing in the world that should stop you. Sit down and write every day, even if it's only ten words and each one hurts worse than a root canal. Take a writing class, buy a book on storycraft, or join NaNoWriMo, which is National Novel Writing Month and consumes hundreds of thousands of aspiring novelists each November. And always remember that all first drafts suck; even Stephen King's first drafts suck. Just get the words out and worry about fixing it later.

I keep a RESOURCES page on my blog where you can find links to all the websites and books I used to become a traditionally published author with four books, three e-novellas, and an anthology under my belt. In 2009, I had a horrible first book and no idea what I was doing. On May 3 of 2013, I'm having a big party in Atlanta to celebrate the launch of the second book in my series. And I don't have a degree in English, an MFA, any shiny awards, or a deep, personal knowledge that I was born to be a writer. I just have tenacity and Google.

If you ever have a writing question, come find me on Twitter, @DelilahSDawson. If I don't know the answer, I can help you find it. After all, we unicorns must stick together.

Thanks so much for having me, Alli! Readers can always find me at my blog, www.delilahsdawson.com, or on Twitter,http://www.twitter.com/DelilahSDawson. 

My next e-novella in the world of Sang is THE PECULIAR PETS OF MISS PLEASANCE, out now with Pocket, and the next book in Sang is out April 30, WICKED AS SHE WANTS. Oh, and if you like artisan perfumes, check out the scents based on my characters at Villainess Soaps!

*I just want to thank Delilah again for stopping by Alli's World. I'm super excited to hear more about the YA novel she's working on, as YA is my heart. Also, I saw this guest post she did the other day and I really liked it too! So check it out! Happy Friday y'all! ~Alli

Seven Urban Fantasy Authors at Avid

Yesterday MrCaptKirk and I attended "Meet Seven Urban Fantasy Authors" at our local indie bookstore, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia. (If you are ever in the area, I recommend checking out this little shop. The owner, Janet, and all her employees are super nice and knowledgeable.) 

I honestly almost forgot about this event until the morning of and last minute we decided to go. I am so happy we made the trek to town, it was totally worth it! I mean seven, that's 7, authors in one event?! Yes, please. Also, I'm always super stoked to meet and support local, homegrown Georgia authors so this was a perfect event for such.

Love this place! Avid Bookshop, Athens, Georgia.

The 7 author line up!

Authors and their books from left to right: 

Kalayna Price -- the Alex Craft novels, 

Rachel Aaron -- the Eli Monpress fantasy series , 

Jenn Bennett -- the Arcadia Bell urban fantasy series , 

Alex Hughes -- Clean, 

Delilah S. Dawson -- Wicked as They Come, 

Janice Hardy -- The Healing Wars middle grade series, 

& 

James R. Tuck -- the Deacon Chalk urban fantasy series.

~~~

The evening started with the authors introducing themselves and then read excerpts from their respective novels. (Of course this lead to us buy more books than we planned. :-)

Then there was a q & a/discussion time. All of the authors in attendance had some very interesting insights to the publishing industry.

Two bits of advice and encouragement from the authors that really stuck out to me:

1. Every writer is a unicorn and every writer is also normal. (Meaning there is no one "typical" way of getting published, each author's journey is different but also the same.)

2. Life is too short to read bad books. (I felt like this released me from some level of guilt I carry for not finishing books I start but just don't/can't finish.)

So the Mr and I had ourselves a nice night out, not too far from home. I really appreciate what Avid brings to the community and hope to attend more events there soon!

Are there any events near you that you're looking forward to or recently attended? This can be book related or otherwise. I want to hear about them in the comments below!

Have a FABULOUS week y'all!