Mary Jo, So great to see you on RU as a Visiting Professor!!!

Congrats on signing your 4th book contract. Such a great accomplishment.

What keeps me tapping on the keys? Everything. For every negative thing in publishing, there are a dozen different positive and uplifting reasons to write. I have met so many incredibly supportive and kind people in the the romance community. They keep me alive and striving to better and better myself.

I love writing, the community, the readers, librarians, bloggers…

Congrats again! So incredibly happy for you!

Tracey

Thanks for the words of wisdom and encouragement, Mary Jo. Also, congratulations on your latest book contract! Woo Hoo!

You’re so right–it’s a great idea to keep writing materials stashed in convenient places because you never know when the inspiration might hit and if you wait too long, it might be gone

Congratulations on your debut here at RU!

Your story is the perfect example of advice I always give: If you can quit, do. Somehow, the real writers can’t quit. Congratulations on being one of them!

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Mary Jo. It will inspire so many writers.

What keeps me writing? The characters who wake me up at 4 a.m. begging to tell their stories.

Congratulations on your 4th book!

Morning Mary Jo!

It’s so nice seeing you giving the lecture today! =) Congrats on your books – and best of luck on sales!

I have a pocket/desk full of cocktail napkins with little snippets on them of story ideas/dialogue/names I want to use (I work in a restaurant). I try to transcribe them into my “ideas” file when I get home along with a little description as to what story it should go in…but I admit I’m way behind. And occasionally a few make it into the washing machine in my pants pocket and never see the light of day again. Those ones are lost forever….

What keeps me going? Friends offering encouragement. My brain that won’t turn off. Just an inner drive that’s been pushing for three years now….one that’s getting louder and louder. =)

Thanks for a great column Mary Jo!

carrie

Great post MJ! I’m an MJ too
As an actress, you’d think I’d be comfortable with rejection (or at least numb to it) – having suffered the slings and arrows of many an audition…but somehow my writing is more personal, and the rejection cuts deeper. I keep going though – and stories like yours strengthen my resolve, so thank you so very much for sharing.
Also – the lines and bits of stories that come anytime /anywhere…YES! Having lost too many ideas by not capturing them on paper soon enough, I started e-mailing myself from my phone, since that seems to be the only thing I always have on me

Good morning, MJ! I loved this post. It made me laugh out loud at times.

I tried to quit once. Two weeks later I got a book deal. I think that’s the way this business works. It waits for us to get so frustrated that we don’t know what to do and then something fantastic happens.

Those fantastic moments are what keep me going. When I’m sitting at the keyboard creating characters and situations that will drive them crazy, I’m in heaven. There’s no better feeling for me and that’s what I always remind myself when I’m feeling down.

Thanks for being with us and congrats on your new contract!

I need to take your advice about stashing notebooks in various places. I often get a great idea/piece of dialogue popping into my head at the most inopportune moment…then it is GONE.

Congratulations on your success and best of luck for your future.

Thanks for sharing.

You’re so right about the addiction. I always seem to get my best ideas just before I go to sleep or in the middle of the night. I now keep a notepad by my bed and scribble enough to make me remember the rest. One suggestion: If you get an idea while driving, for all our sakes, Pull Over and into a parking lot! LOLOL

Thanks Tracey!

Glad you’ve found the positive vibes. I enjoyed your reading of Checkmate, My Lord last night at the Lady Jane Salon in Naperville!

Thanks Pamala!

My husband is a Neil Young fan. According to Neil, he drops everything if a song pops into his head. Good advice from a master.

Thanks Blythe!

Enjoyed your reading from Captive of the Border Lord last night at Lady Jane’s salon in Naperville!

Thanks Christy!

I woke up this morning planning to erase the 1000 words I wrote yesterday. My heroine had another idea and decided to skip the party scene I wrote.

Thanks Carrie!

I saw a documentary about Woody Allen. He keeps script ideas on scraps of paper. He throws them in a drawer and goes through it every couple of weeks.

Thanks Melonie!

Writing is deeply personal. A woman in my writers’ group refers to her stories as her babies. She loves them, but has to let them go, hoping the world will be kind. Love the e-mail idea!

Thanks Adrienne!

There is a time factor to writing. To be truthful, in my case, some is a waste of time. But when something clicks, it’s a blast.

Thanks Jamie,

My desk is littered with notebooks. Each is open to a certain page, pertaining to a certain story. It looks like chaos, but no one is allowed to move anything.

Thanks Ann!

When I wake up, I beeline to my desk. If my children speak, I ignore them. According to my daughter, she can tell when I’m “thinking.” As for driving, I’m too busy singing with the radio for ideas. lol

Hello, Mary Jo!

I have notebooks all over the house, too. I jot down ideas that pop into my head on the back of a receipt and sometimes, when I’m watching a movie I hit the pause button to scribble a thought. Writers understand this type of behavior. I’ve got a giant folder of articles I’ve printed from newspapers ranging from murders to men’s grooming because I know that one day, these crazy bits will make it into a book.

Thanks for your support of RU and for blogging with us today!

Thanks for the invite, Jennifer!

I save magazine cover stories. I have an old article about yoga. I’m sure it will come in handy someday.

Great post, Mary Jo! Isn’t it funny how so many people seem to have no appreciation for the difficulty of not only writing a book, but also submitting it after slogging through the query and synopsis-writing process?

I can see it now – a new reality show called “America’s Next Hot Writer.” Only thing is, I don’t think there are any shortcuts or magic formulas to writing a successful book.

I’m sorry about your bad experience with the contest circuit. My critique partners and I have had both good and bad experiences with contests. I don’t think it hurts to enter, but I’m not sure how useful contests are when your goal is to sell. They do help you develop a thick skin, that’s for sure!

Congratulations on your new release and good luck with your writing career!

Thanks Becke!

Many people have finished manuscripts. Waiting to find the right editor is nerve wracking. I like your idea for the reality show!

A big thank you to Mary Jo for blogging with us today. Many thanks to those of you who dropped in and commented!

Thanks again RU!!!

Excellent post! To a thick hide, I’d add discipline and tenacity. Being a writer also means not being afraid to say “no,” often, to be protective of your writing time and energy.

Thanks for a solid post!

Dario