Adventures in Writing

It happened again last night

Yesterday was a long day, filled with potty-training a two-year old, 4th grade homework, fixing meals, cleaning house and refereeing a den of 8-year old cub scouts.   By the time ten o'clock rolled around, I was lying in bed eagerly waiting for sleep to claim me.  That's when it happened...again.  I recognized that proverbial knock on the door of my imagination and rolled over determined to ignore it.  Several minutes later, I finally cracked the door to tell whoever it was to skedaddle.  

"Hello," said a young man who peered at me through the thin line of the doorway .  "I apologize for the hour but if you don't mind, I need to tell you a few things."  I shook my head and tried to shut the door in his face, but he stiff-armed it open.  "Just a moment of your time, ma'am.  Then I'll be outta you're hair."

But I knew if I let him in, it wouldn't be just a minute and I was exhausted.  "No, please.  Not tonight.  I'm tired. Can't it wait?"

"I don't expect so," he answered calmly, and then, through the crack of the doorway, he began to tell me about himself––where he came from, his family, his farm, but mostly he told me about a girl.  

After twenty minutes, I gave up, crawled out of bed and invited him to take a seat while I booted up my laptop.  

These late night visits aren't doing much for the ole' beauty sleep. 
 

Lifestyle? Am I Ready?

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine, Becky, who is also an aspiring author.  We discussed several things, but what stood out to me was the idea of writing becoming a lifestyle, not just a hobby.  Twenty minutes later, I came across this post by Rachelle Gardner.  

"If you're going to get an agent, get a publisher, and do all the work necessary to help that book sell while writing even more books, you'll need to adopt an attitude and a frame of mind that says, "I'm a writer." It permeates your life, even if your life is already full with a career and a family and whatever else you do...

...All of this takes incredible time and effort.

You can't simply write a novel in your spare time, mail it off to a few editors, then go back to your life and let the publisher take it from there. I'm not sure if those days really existed, but if they did, they're long gone. Getting published and helping your book to reach decent sales numbers requires a commitment. It may be the equivalent of a part-time job.

If you have a family, a job and other commitments in your life, consider carefully whether this is the direction you want to pursue. Do you want to make it a lifestyle?

If not, that's okay. Maybe the life of "published author" isn't for you; or maybe this simply isn't the right season of your life. It's your choice, but be sure you're making your choices based on the facts.

And the fact is, the way to succeed as an author is to make it part of your daily life, part of who you are. It really does take that kind of mindset."

Am I ready for that––this lifestyle change?  I've been dodging this question for a while now. Posting this may not be the best idea––I mean, what if an agent read this, and felt that I'm uncertain what I want?  But then I realized, if I were an agent, I'd want authors that knew the importance of this decision and really made a choice, rather than having unsatisfied expectations on both ends.

It's time for a decision.

Baby #2

I am currently awaiting the queries that I have out to agents.  While I've definitely had my share of rejections, I've also received some encouraging requests for additional material, but the a vast majority haven't come back either way.  Ah, the waiting.  I've mentioned how I love it, right?

I just read a blog addressing this exact subject:  

"The waiting is the hardest. Cyber stalking your email, while not an arrestable offense, will not help. It's always and forever important to remain professional. Remember, you're trying to show hardened professionals in this business that you can survive and do so well. So, just move one. Write the next book, and the one after that, and the one after that, and while you're at it and having fun doing what you love, write one just for fun that you know will never get published."

The idea of starting again, on something new is so dang overwhelming, I want to curl up in my dark closet with a pound of chocolate for company.  It's kinda like just after you've given birth to a nearly ten pound baby and some ridiculously intrusive person asks, "Are you ready for baby number two?"  I have urges to either poke them with a sharp stick or burst into tears.

But, having said all that, I actually did have a second, third and eventually fourth baby, but it took time.  I'm sure I'll give writing another go as well, but, I will need to get out of the delivery room first.

 

I Wrote a Book: Part Two

I've gotten this question quite a lot lately:  "So what is your book about?"  In an effort to answer this questions I will post a part of my query letter.  The purpose of a query letter is to introduce your book to the agent in a form similar to a book's jacket cover synopsis.  Here is mine query paragraph describing the essence of my book.

There isn't much Kate Donovan hates more than to draw attention to herself, and yet that's just what she does when she foils an attempted high school shooting; a feat made possible through Kate’s ability to read minds.  The ensuing glances and pointed thoughts from her fellow students invade and bombard Kate, shaking her like a rag doll.  For this and many other reasons, Kate has spent years striving for a life inconsequentiality, but the shooting changed all that.  

Kate’s life grows even more troubling when Alex, a mysterious stranger, appears.  He reveals that he shares Kate's ability and that she is in serious danger.  Alex explains that Kate’s mother, a woman she hardly remembers, could Read too and that she was murdered by assassins that target Readers.  These killers will return for Kate to either recruit or kill her.

Alex offers to teach Kate the skills she’ll need to survive and Kate accepts with the hope that she can return to her normal life afterward.  Once immersed into the world of Readers, Kate finds that nothing is as she expected.  She is forced to trust without Reading and is asked continually to stretch her ability into realms she couldn’t have envisioned.  Kate comes face to face with the truth behind her mother’s death and the betrayal nearly kills her.  Yet, in the end the choice remains with Kate.  Who will she be:  one who will hide––or one who will stand and fight?

So would you read a book like this?  Would your daughters or sons?

 

Plotting and What Not To Do and Fledglings

I recently came across an series of postings on PLOT by Author Laini Taylor.

Second thing:  Author, Rachelle Alpine gave some advice on WHAT NOT TO DO during the query process.  I'm really working on #1.  

And finally, I found this cartoon and I am sooo feeling like this right now.

 

Thoughts on Hiring an Editor

I have had no experience in hiring an editor and I've heard some say it's great and others advise being very careful.  Here is some advice from Rachelle Gardner which I find quite enlightening.

The Shortest Distance?

When I first heard about this book, I thought "I should read that."  Then I did nothing.  The second time it was recommended, I thought "I really need to read that."  And I did nothing.  The third time, I was told that if you want to learn about the process of publishing a book, read this, I didn't think, I clicked over to Amazon and bought a copy.  By Susan Page, The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book is supposed to be the best resource for people like me who are unpublished.  When it arrived today, I felt all giddy and excited.  Not that I expect a miracle, by any means, but I'm very anxious what this book can offer.

Have any of you out there, read this and if so, what did you think?

Query Stats

I thought I'd post some query statistics to allow anyone who actually reads this to see what I'm up against in getting published.  The following are stats from one agent who represents my genre.  She's a good agent and I'd love to work with her, so I am sending her my stuff today, but clearly I have my work cut out for me.

In the first three months of 2010, we received 1,297 queries...of those queries, we requested partials on 20 manuscripts...Out of those 20 partials, we requested 3 full manuscripts, all of which are currently under consideration. I didn’t sign any new clients in the first three months of 2010. Still, just to get a full request? We’re looking at only .2% of all queries received.

Yikes!  That's rough.  And that's only the first step.  If/When I get an agent, I still need to get a publishing house to be interested enough to invest in me.  Double yikes!

 

 Yup.  It's a bit like that.

Patience

I don't know what these chickens are waiting for, but I can relate.  Ask anyone––I hate waiting.  I've been postponing a trip to Walt Disney World because paying to wait in lines is like getting a hot poker in the eyeball.  So have a chuckle or two at my expense while I wait some more.  I'm nice like that.

 

Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

 
 The Help by Kathryn Stockett is my most recent read.  Set in Mississippi in the mid-1960s, The Help addresses the civil right movements through the prospectives of three protagonists––two black women that serve as maids in white households and a young white woman raised in such a home.  The voice is perfect, the characters vivid and the setting interesting.  

I don't have a lot of negatives, except for one thing.  One chapter is written almost like a newspaper article--third person and withdrawn.  It bothers me because all the other chapters are written in the voice of one of the three women.  This single chapter felt out of place and reminded that I was reading something someone wrote--it pulled me out of the world the author had created.  I don't know why she did that and I'm sure she has her reasons but I don't know what it would be.  This is the one and only real complaint I had with the book.  I'd highly recommend it and gave it 5 stars.

A Query Minefield

Where am I in the publishing process?  Well, I'm in the querying stage.  Querying simply means submitting work.  

I began researching agents seriously about August of last year.  I first searched out the literary agents that accepted my genre (Fiction/Young Adult) and then compiled a short list of those that I was most excited about.  I included all their submission guidelines in my little spreadsheet––I love spreadsheets–-they make me feel all warm and fuzzy.  

The reason I felt a spreadsheet was necessary is because every agent has a slightly different guideline for submitting.  Some want just a query, while others want a query, synopsis and 50 pages of the manuscript. Some agents will only accept email queries and others only take snail mail.  Most refuse to accept attachments, but a rare few require that your sample pages come attached.  Querying is like walking through a mine field.  One wrong move and...REJECTED!

But some may ask, what is a query?  Essentially, it's a cover letter introducing you and your manuscript to the agent.  The biggest and hardest part of the query is the "jacket-cover' blurb that condenses your 250+ page book down into 250 words.  Say it with me...EEK!

My best advice for writing a query is this:  Write the very best query you can and then put it away and a week or so later, start again with a blank slate.  Refine that version and then put away again.  After three or four times, pull up all the queries and see what works in each.  Try submitting that new and best version to a forum for comments, like on Absolute Write.

But don't settle for my measley advice.  Google is your friend.  There are tons of agent blogs that will post successful queries or really UNsuccessful ones.  Take a look and see what the agents like.  I submitted my query to an agent blog for posting and comments.  I didn't really think anything would come of it.  But my query actually got picked to be posted.  My query is the second one of the two posted––the query signed D.W.  I got some good comments but didn't actually get the agent's advice. That was disappointing but still, I bettered by query with the experience.

Literary Agents are like College Degrees

Some of my family and friends have asked why I'm submitting my manuscript to a literary agent, instead of directly to the publishers.  I will offer my opinion and links to a few more reputable sources.

So, why are literary agents necessary?  Short answer:  Because literary agents act as gatekeepers to the publishing houses. 

 
A longer answer:  Getting an agent is like getting a college degree.

 
 In today's world, it's unlikely that you'll be successful without one.  Some say, "well, so-and-so got published without an agent."  Yes, I know.  And there are examples of people that are extremely successful without a college degree, but as you will agree, these people are the exception, not the rule.

There's a certain vetting process that happens while obtaining an agent.  The process is frought with mindless hoops, but in the end you (and your manuscript) will come through smarter and better prepared.  Publishers will see that you've done what it takes to get your "degree", proving that you might be someone they would "hire". 

I hope this answers your questions.  Where am I in the process?  Well, I'm still the geeky freshman at the back of the Publishing 101 class.  I hope I pass.

Beta Readers: The good, the bad and the ugly

A Beta Reader is a person who reads your written work for the purposes of improving it. When I first completed my manuscript, I was very hesitant to allow anyone to read it.  It was so frightening to have that part of myself 'out there'.  The idea of beta reading was crazy talk...at least at first.  

With time, I got over my fears (well, mostly).  I realized that during the brainstorming/creative phase, I needed cheerleaders around me––people who told me I was great, that my manuscript was awesome and gave me helpful, but safe critiques.  But now that I'm nearing the final stages, I needed something else.  I need a stranger.  Someone who won't care about hurting my feelings.  Someone who can be brutally honest, but in a constructive way.  This is where a beta reader comes in.  I found a great beta reader at Absolute Write.  If you have interest in doing this, please do yourself a favor and read the section on protecting yourself and your work in progress.

So, question for anyone out there actually reading this.  Am I alone in wanting a cheerleader first and then a critic later?  Do you want the cheerleaders all the time and never the honest type?  Or are you tougher than I am, and look for the harsh reality, no matter the circumstance?

 

My two favorite muppets.  I'll take criticism from them any day. 

I Wrote a Book

I wrote a book.  (A manuscript actually, as the term 'book' refers to published works, which this is not...yet.)

A while back, I came up with a concept for a book.  For fun, I decided to write it down but I had no intention of ever letting it see the light of day.  Within a week, I had several chapters written and the plot line for most of the story, but the end was still obscured in the mist of my imagination.  After two more weeks, I felt the need to tell someone.  I chose my sister.  She became a great cheerleader.  I don't think I would have finished had she not encouraged me.  I am very grateful to her.  

Anyway, I began writing in earnest.  I wrote and then wrote some more.  By the time I finished, I decided to be serious about seeing it publishing.  Then I realized I had two problems.

Problem #1:  I don't know anything about publishing a book.

Problem #2:  I don't have any writing credentials or a degree in English.  Remind me again why anyone would publish me?

Well, there isn't really an answer to problem #2, outside of writing something else and getting it published in a magazine or something.  Of course, to do that I'd probably need some kind of publishing history, right?  Hence the conundrum.  

So, I went back to the problem I could work on––#1.  I spent hours researching the publishing industry.  Hours.  And.  Hours.  Of.  Research.  One of the first thing I learned was that I needed a literary agent to represent my work to publishers.  Second, I learned my manuscript was entirely too long. Like Tolstoy long.  I began editing and in doing so, I learned a lot more about the writing craft.  I rewrote, edited and revised for several more months and then impatiently decided my manuscript was ready for submission to literary agents.  I knew the manuscript was still too long, but I submitted it anyway, along with a query, that I freely admit was total crap.

Amazingly, I had about six agents show interest.  In the end, I sent the full manuscript to three and received some very good feedback.  Good, in the fact that it taught me a lot. Essentially, they said what I already knew:  good concept but too long.

I took a break and shelved the whole thing.  After another two months, I decided to re-enter my writer's cocoon.  I did a beta read, which helped immensely and then began revising. Revisions took another two months and now I'm restarting the submission process by querying a select group of agents that I've researched.

So, that's the story for now.  Hopefully, I will have more to report as time passes.  Thanks for reading this very long entry––you deserve twenty brownie points.  A hundred if you clicked through to the links.