My writing has taken a back seat to life these past few weeks. Life, death, boyfriend, being there for my friends - all took top priority.
Come April 6th, it's all gonna shift baby. Life is gonna move on back and writing is going to be front and center. By the end of May, I have two goals:
1. Complete the first draft of FRIENDS WITH DEATH
2. Shrink THE UNICORN TAMER by 20,000 words.
I have - once again - halted the query process. My number 1 concern right now is running out of MG agents to query. Last week, I learned that a friend-of-a-friend, who is a super duper talented woman, is working for the excellent Andrea Brown literary agency! Mary - said talented lady - has offered to crit my ms and query which is beyond generous. So I'm taking a break from querying so I can shrink my ms to a more appropriate MG size, apply Stephen Barbara's advice, and wait for Mary's crit.
April is going to be the month of 70,000 words and I'm pumped!
Do you guys have trouble balancing family, friends, sleep, work, pilates, video games, TV, showering, writing, editing, etc. as well?
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Twitter Teaser Tuesday!
Twitter Teaser Tuesday! If you want to play too, please tweet & entice us with an excerpt. #TTT
"She held out a fist and opened her fingers slowly, palm up. Bright, orange flames danced gaily in her hand. Like a moth attracted to the light, Ben couldn’t help but look over at his wife who had suppressed this gift for close to 13 years." #TTT
"She held out a fist and opened her fingers slowly, palm up. Bright, orange flames danced gaily in her hand. Like a moth attracted to the light, Ben couldn’t help but look over at his wife who had suppressed this gift for close to 13 years." #TTT
Monday, March 30, 2009
I Found My Happy Writing Place, but I Can't Afford It
I was at Homewood Winery in Sonoma, sitting outside on a tall, wooden table with an English lab gnawing on a pinecone at my feet. I was sipping sauvignon blanc, enjoying the sun on my skin, and gazing out at the newly-sprung flowers when it hit me: I could probably finish my novel if I had my laptop right then and there. I've found my happy writing place. Even though I've still got at least 60% of the book to write, I was inspired and content and fueled by the perfect weather in the perfect location.
Unfortunately, California wine country comes with a hefty price tag. What's your happy writing place?
Unfortunately, California wine country comes with a hefty price tag. What's your happy writing place?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
An Agent's Critique
I promised to keep you posted so here we go:
In February, I agonized for weeks over how many $1 "lottery tickets" I wanted to buy to win a manuscript critique by super-agent Mr. Stephen Barbara. The critique was worth A LOT to me because it'd be the first time a professional pair of eyes would read my story. With the economy the way it is though, I didn't want to spend too much. If it were an auction, at least I'd know that my $200 will either win me something or I would lose the bid, but get to keep my money. With a lottery on the other hand ... if you buy $200 worth of lottery tickets and your number doesn't come up, game over.
Anywho, I spent an amount I was comfortable with (if you're wondering, I did not spend $200) and on the night of the drawing, refreshed the results page like mad. To my extreme delight, I won and Mr. Barbara contacted me a couple days later. Wee!
I have to admit, a big part of me hoped that he would fall in love with my story and that the critique would turn into an offer of representation - a girl can dream, right?
Even though that didn't happen, I still bounced with joy over the feedback he gave me. BONUS: he said some very nice things:
"In terms of my critique, I think you have a big premise here and potentially, a novel with a strong chance to succeed in the market ... I also like your line by line writing."
Another SUPER-DUPER-BONUS: he recommended a handful of agents he thinks may like my story.
He was very kind, very professional, and as he listed the things I could work on, I nodded along. This was what I was hoping for: some direction.
Even though his feedback was my-novel-specific, I thought I'd share some of his great advice to help you with your writing.
1. To help improve pacing, he recommended that I read books by Eoin Colfer and Kenneth Oppel - authors he called "masters of tension." He stressed the importance of moving the story forward and establishing a strong and urgent sense of pace.
2. Avoid genre cliches - show readers something they haven't seen before! Got a gorgeous vampire in your story? A white wizard? Sprinkle them with *special* dust and make them edgy and different. Fantasy is a crowded market and you don't want to be "stale."
3. As your heroes get stronger toward the end of the book, be aware that there will be a lot less tension. To counter the strength of your protag, make the obstacles greater. Basically, the big, bad, nasty monster needs to grow, too. It'll make the battle at the end much more powerful.
Hope this helps you!
In February, I agonized for weeks over how many $1 "lottery tickets" I wanted to buy to win a manuscript critique by super-agent Mr. Stephen Barbara. The critique was worth A LOT to me because it'd be the first time a professional pair of eyes would read my story. With the economy the way it is though, I didn't want to spend too much. If it were an auction, at least I'd know that my $200 will either win me something or I would lose the bid, but get to keep my money. With a lottery on the other hand ... if you buy $200 worth of lottery tickets and your number doesn't come up, game over.
Anywho, I spent an amount I was comfortable with (if you're wondering, I did not spend $200) and on the night of the drawing, refreshed the results page like mad. To my extreme delight, I won and Mr. Barbara contacted me a couple days later. Wee!
I have to admit, a big part of me hoped that he would fall in love with my story and that the critique would turn into an offer of representation - a girl can dream, right?
Even though that didn't happen, I still bounced with joy over the feedback he gave me. BONUS: he said some very nice things:
"In terms of my critique, I think you have a big premise here and potentially, a novel with a strong chance to succeed in the market ... I also like your line by line writing."
Another SUPER-DUPER-BONUS: he recommended a handful of agents he thinks may like my story.
He was very kind, very professional, and as he listed the things I could work on, I nodded along. This was what I was hoping for: some direction.
Even though his feedback was my-novel-specific, I thought I'd share some of his great advice to help you with your writing.
1. To help improve pacing, he recommended that I read books by Eoin Colfer and Kenneth Oppel - authors he called "masters of tension." He stressed the importance of moving the story forward and establishing a strong and urgent sense of pace.
2. Avoid genre cliches - show readers something they haven't seen before! Got a gorgeous vampire in your story? A white wizard? Sprinkle them with *special* dust and make them edgy and different. Fantasy is a crowded market and you don't want to be "stale."
3. As your heroes get stronger toward the end of the book, be aware that there will be a lot less tension. To counter the strength of your protag, make the obstacles greater. Basically, the big, bad, nasty monster needs to grow, too. It'll make the battle at the end much more powerful.
Hope this helps you!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Twitter Teaser Tuesday!
I unofficially declare today & every Tues: Twitter Teaser Tuesday! If you want to play too, please tweet & entice us with an excerpt. #TTT
"With a laugh in his eyes, Christoph said, 'Girls will do that to you. Make you sweat out of places you didn’t even know you had.'" #TTT
"With a laugh in his eyes, Christoph said, 'Girls will do that to you. Make you sweat out of places you didn’t even know you had.'" #TTT
Thursday, March 19, 2009
How Harry Potter Was Pitched to Editors
This video makes me giggle!
Editor: So her book's about a magic kid and he goes to school ...
Agent: *magic school*
Editor: And they do sports?
Agent: Oh yes.
Editor: Tennis?
Agent: No.
Editor: Football?
Agent: (pause) *magic football*
Editor: So what is the plot?
Agent: He's trying to avenge his parents' magic death!
Editor: Right.
Agent: *magic death*
Editor: So her book's about a magic kid and he goes to school ...
Agent: *magic school*
Editor: And they do sports?
Agent: Oh yes.
Editor: Tennis?
Agent: No.
Editor: Football?
Agent: (pause) *magic football*
Editor: So what is the plot?
Agent: He's trying to avenge his parents' magic death!
Editor: Right.
Agent: *magic death*
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Two Awesome Guys Whose Names Begin With 'N'
Agent Nathan Bransford teaches about character arcs (really, really essential writing stuff, folks) and answers questions in a cool interview.
and! One of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, has a video interview on colbertnation.com! His prose makes my heart skip beats. If only I could write half as well as him ...
So what's up this week?
Did not make the ABNA cut, but am not too bummed about it. I think I prefer the traditional agent route anyway. On the query note, received a rejection on a query I sent in November and have not sent anymore out. Would love to, but am not in love with my query. Don't know if I ever will be. Still waiting to hear back from Ms. Cornier and Mr. Barbara. Have reached the 20,000 mark on FRIENDS WITH DEATH, but have not written anything new in two days. Signed up for a Match.com account (for my protag), but got overwhelmed by all the single boys.
Oh, and Happy St. Paddy's Day! I'm sorta bummed that the cafe is not serving brisket and cabbage. Hm. Green beer would make it better, but I don't know where I can get my little hands on some. I also completely forgot to wear green which is weird because I happen to own many a green things. On a happier note, it feels like Christmas! squee! Just learned about all the spiffy new iPhone OS 3.0 updates. Finally, foto text messaging and copy and paste! Hurrah!
and! One of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, has a video interview on colbertnation.com! His prose makes my heart skip beats. If only I could write half as well as him ...
So what's up this week?
Did not make the ABNA cut, but am not too bummed about it. I think I prefer the traditional agent route anyway. On the query note, received a rejection on a query I sent in November and have not sent anymore out. Would love to, but am not in love with my query. Don't know if I ever will be. Still waiting to hear back from Ms. Cornier and Mr. Barbara. Have reached the 20,000 mark on FRIENDS WITH DEATH, but have not written anything new in two days. Signed up for a Match.com account (for my protag), but got overwhelmed by all the single boys.
Oh, and Happy St. Paddy's Day! I'm sorta bummed that the cafe is not serving brisket and cabbage. Hm. Green beer would make it better, but I don't know where I can get my little hands on some. I also completely forgot to wear green which is weird because I happen to own many a green things. On a happier note, it feels like Christmas! squee! Just learned about all the spiffy new iPhone OS 3.0 updates. Finally, foto text messaging and copy and paste! Hurrah!
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