How To Use An Apostrophe
A pictorial guide on how to correctly use apostrophes. Fun!
5 Ways To NOT Get Your Novel Published
1. Don’t be amazing - The single most common reason for novels not being published is that they are simply not amazing. Publishers have an almost unlimited supply of writers looking to get their books in print, so why would they publish anything but the very best writing? Your novel being good is just not good enough.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Fancy e-books
Publishing veteran resurfaces with e-book venture
Former HarperCollins honcho Jane Friedman steps into the future, launching Open Road Integrated Media to publish e-books drawn from known and amateur authors.
Super interesting read here.
Former HarperCollins honcho Jane Friedman steps into the future, launching Open Road Integrated Media to publish e-books drawn from known and amateur authors.
Super interesting read here.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A taste of what it feels like to have an agent!
I won Kelly Sonnack's 5-page crit in Cynthia Liu's "Take the Dare" auction and I think it's some of the best money I've ever spent. Not only did a bunch of kids get a bunch of books, but Kelly is sweet. She's also honest and has gone above and beyond the call of duty.
She's not only:
* critiqued my pitch
* answered really detailed questions I have about publishing/writing-related things
* thoroughly reviewed and provided feedback on my first 5 pages
* been supportive throughout this whole process
but she's also offering to:
* read both my 1st person pages and 3rd person pages to tell me which one is better
* have a phone conversation
* read the complete, polished manuscript
*falls over*
She's amazing and I'm so lucky. Not to mention so very scared. I want FRIENDS WITH DEATH to surpass her expectations. I'm so nervous, I'm having a little trouble writing. Which is why I'm reading (recently purchased GOING BOVINE) - to learn and better my craft.
Anyway, that's what I've been working on. I'm also, once again, wrestling with the decision of "should this story be told in 1st person or 3rd" and I'm trying to decide if I want to do NaNoWriMo this year. I have this WIP to finish and polish and my MG fantasy that I want to completely re-write so I don't know if I have the time to meet the 50,000 words in 30 days goal. I'm super tempted, though. How about you? Are you NaNoWriMo-ing?
She's not only:
* critiqued my pitch
* answered really detailed questions I have about publishing/writing-related things
* thoroughly reviewed and provided feedback on my first 5 pages
* been supportive throughout this whole process
but she's also offering to:
* read both my 1st person pages and 3rd person pages to tell me which one is better
* have a phone conversation
* read the complete, polished manuscript
*falls over*
She's amazing and I'm so lucky. Not to mention so very scared. I want FRIENDS WITH DEATH to surpass her expectations. I'm so nervous, I'm having a little trouble writing. Which is why I'm reading (recently purchased GOING BOVINE) - to learn and better my craft.
Anyway, that's what I've been working on. I'm also, once again, wrestling with the decision of "should this story be told in 1st person or 3rd" and I'm trying to decide if I want to do NaNoWriMo this year. I have this WIP to finish and polish and my MG fantasy that I want to completely re-write so I don't know if I have the time to meet the 50,000 words in 30 days goal. I'm super tempted, though. How about you? Are you NaNoWriMo-ing?
Friday, September 18, 2009
Blowing Off the Blog Dust
Yup, still alive! I hate to say it, but work has gotten in the way of writing. C'est la vie!
So yesterday, at 1AM, instead of going to bed like a good employee, I decided to give myself a challege: 20K in 7 days. SOUNDS CRAZY FUN, doesn't it? My WIP is about 55% complete and edited. Now, it's a race to the finish line!
In other, non-writely news, the Significant Other and I are trying to buy a house. I wish it was as easy as:
me: "Bank, I have this much. I would like to buy a house for this much. Please loan me the difference."
bank: *checks important things* "OK, I trust you. Here you go!" *poof loan*
me: "I like your house, Owner."
owner: "It costs $525,000."
me: "I'll give you $500,000 for it."
owner: "I won't go a penny below $515,000."
me: *ponders* *loves house* "It's a deal!" *gives Owner money*
me: la la la
So yesterday, at 1AM, instead of going to bed like a good employee, I decided to give myself a challege: 20K in 7 days. SOUNDS CRAZY FUN, doesn't it? My WIP is about 55% complete and edited. Now, it's a race to the finish line!
In other, non-writely news, the Significant Other and I are trying to buy a house. I wish it was as easy as:
me: "Bank, I have this much. I would like to buy a house for this much. Please loan me the difference."
bank: *checks important things* "OK, I trust you. Here you go!" *poof loan*
me: "I like your house, Owner."
owner: "It costs $525,000."
me: "I'll give you $500,000 for it."
owner: "I won't go a penny below $515,000."
me: *ponders* *loves house* "It's a deal!" *gives Owner money*
me: la la la
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
AS YOU WISH Debuts Today!!
I don't remember how I stumbled upon Jackson's Pearce's blog, but I did, just about a year ago. I follow her antics daily. She's funny, brilliant, charismatic, and makes the best darn paper puppets ever:
Her first book, AS YOU WISH, is out today! Please help her celebrate by buying the book!
Read about Jackson's journey to publication here and DON'T STOP WRITING!!
Her first book, AS YOU WISH, is out today! Please help her celebrate by buying the book!
Read about Jackson's journey to publication here and DON'T STOP WRITING!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
My Favorite Book This Year
thus far ...
is Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER. It was lyrical, lovely, and sad.
The talented Ms. Stiefvater has created an animated storyboard trailer for her other novel, BALLAD.
Go forth and read, watch, and dream.
is Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER. It was lyrical, lovely, and sad.
The talented Ms. Stiefvater has created an animated storyboard trailer for her other novel, BALLAD.
Go forth and read, watch, and dream.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Blog Highlights: Bent on Books
I write every single day. I wish I could say that I'm adding to my WIP's word count every day, but sometimes, those words just don't want to come. But still ... I need to write. It's who I am.
I don't count emails so there are 3 other places where I write: christinepuddin.yelp.com, my personal journal, and here, my public blog.
So, I'm way behind on Twitter and Google Reader - which annoys me to no end. I think I may be a bit OCD. I wonder if every writer is. Anyway, I thought I'd combine everything (my need to write, being behind on Reader, being behind on my own blog) and highlight one of the 81 blogs I follow. So if you're interested in writer-ly, agent-ly, publish-y topics, here's what I learned recently from "Bent on Books" ...
Great advice from Agent Jenny Bent:
"You know how you always hear don't write for the market? It's true. Even for the practical reason that by the time you've finished writing the market has usually changed."
"So the plan is two-fold. First, write the book of your heart. Don't worry about the market. At the same time, pay attention to the market in every way you can. Watch bestseller lists, read industry news. When you're done with the book, put your knowledge of the market to use and figure out how what's going on in the market matches your particular genre/style/characters/plot. Preparation will meet opportunity. You'll make your own luck. And the great thing is that the way the market shifts and changes, the windows are always opening up."
"If you can't sell your book to a traditional publisher get it out there however you can. So many of my clients self-published first: Laurie Notaro, Will Clarke, Frank Daniels. In fact, go check this out: http://www.myspace.com/nfrankdaniels . Frank's first novel, FUTUREPROOF was published this month by HarperCollins, and the story of how he got there is pretty amazing."
I don't count emails so there are 3 other places where I write: christinepuddin.yelp.com, my personal journal, and here, my public blog.
So, I'm way behind on Twitter and Google Reader - which annoys me to no end. I think I may be a bit OCD. I wonder if every writer is. Anyway, I thought I'd combine everything (my need to write, being behind on Reader, being behind on my own blog) and highlight one of the 81 blogs I follow. So if you're interested in writer-ly, agent-ly, publish-y topics, here's what I learned recently from "Bent on Books" ...
Great advice from Agent Jenny Bent:
"You know how you always hear don't write for the market? It's true. Even for the practical reason that by the time you've finished writing the market has usually changed."
"So the plan is two-fold. First, write the book of your heart. Don't worry about the market. At the same time, pay attention to the market in every way you can. Watch bestseller lists, read industry news. When you're done with the book, put your knowledge of the market to use and figure out how what's going on in the market matches your particular genre/style/characters/plot. Preparation will meet opportunity. You'll make your own luck. And the great thing is that the way the market shifts and changes, the windows are always opening up."
"If you can't sell your book to a traditional publisher get it out there however you can. So many of my clients self-published first: Laurie Notaro, Will Clarke, Frank Daniels. In fact, go check this out: http://www.myspace.com/nfrankdaniels . Frank's first novel, FUTUREPROOF was published this month by HarperCollins, and the story of how he got there is pretty amazing."
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