Bite your tongue

Hey hey, I’m over at Writer Unboxed today! Wanna check out my post, maybe leave me some love? Sweet, thanks! Here’s a teaser:

As writers, we’re used to having the last word. (“The End,” right?) In fact, we’re used to having every word. In our stories, we get to give voice to all of our thoughts, opinions, and experiences – be they fictional or otherwise. We hold the mic, and we don’t have to share.

Until we want to get published, that is.

Assuming that’s your goal, then suddenly there are going to be a lot of people grabbing the mic and telling you what’s what. Your friends, family, critique partners, potential agents and editors, and worst of all, your own Internal Editor. That’s a lot of voices competing for attention – the uproar can be overwhelming. My first inclination is usually to try and grab the mic back, to wrest the situation under my control again.

But here’s what I’ve learned (from years of being proven wrong): it’s better to bite your tongue.

Read the rest…


13 responses to “Bite your tongue”

  1. T.S. Bazelli Avatar

    Ooh off to check it out :D

  2. Kimberly Franklin Avatar

    What a teaser! I’m off to read the rest.

  3. Sonja Avatar

    Maybe your blog and my blog should get together and complain about our cheating ways. I guess you don’t “step out” nearly as much as I do. Then again, I didn’t let five strangers have their way with my blog while I went on a cruise….

  4. Liz Czukas Avatar

    You naughty tease! Sounds like a great post–I’m off!

    – Liz

  5. Kristan Avatar

    Sonja-
    What makes you think our blogs don’t already do that? :P

    (And there was MAJOR lol-ing to your comment, btw!)

  6. Jon Avatar

    Hey Kristan,

    Thanks for the great post over at Writer Unboxed — and I just found your blog through there. I’m excited to read your multicultural YA already. We need more Asian authors in the genre (or half in your case)!

    Is Twenty Something and/or Eraser available on anything other than Kindle? Thanks!

  7. Kristan Avatar

    Hi Jon! Glad to do my (half-)part. ;P

    At the moment, 20SW and the Eraser are both Amazon only… but with the Kindle programs/apps available for pretty much every computer and smartphone out there, I’ve found that other venues (Smashwords, even iTunes) don’t make much difference for a no-name author. (Still, I’ll probably put 20SW back up at Smashwords soon. I took it down at the suggestion of an agent, but then she passed on the ms.)

    Thanks for asking, and thanks for saying hi! :)

  8. Jonathan Avatar

    Great post! Congrats. That picture they pared it with, though…creepy!

  9. Kristan Avatar

    LOL you thought it was creepy? I picked it, and it was one of the friendlier looking ones of the “shh” pose, I thought. :P

  10. Jon Avatar

    Cool thanks, I’ll try to get it even though I hate reading on the iPhone. I’m super curious about “New Adult” as a genre!

  11. Samantha Bennett Avatar

    Excellent teaser. Worked. Love your thoughts on tongue biting. :)

  12. Larramie Avatar

    THAT was brilliant post!

  13. Kristan Avatar

    Thanks, y’all!