First off, I smashed my pinky finger yesterday, so it's making typing a pain in the butt. If you didn't already see the drama on Facebook, I was unpacking groceries and when I lifted the ice cream out of the bag, I misjudged the distance to the underside of the cabinets. Got stuck between a cabinet and a brick of chocolate ice cream.
Anyway, this last week hasn't been the most productive. But here goes...
I wrote about 2100 words on the beginning of Djinn 3.
Then I got distracted working on the edits for Wrongful Termination because I got a wild hair to rewrite the beginning of that.
I did manage to get some more submissions out. Just one or two a day - and not every single day - but it's something. One of them did result in a response...
I got an email back from an agent's assistant asking me for a tiny bit of clarification. Also, they said they liked the beginning, though, so that's something. We'll see if my response encourages them to ask for more pages. I've got my fingers crossed but I'm not holding my breath.
So that's the long and the short of the week. Nothing much worth talking about in the old personal life. (At least nothing I'm willing to spend any time yammering about here on the blog.) Everyone's still alive, so that's something.
What happened to you this past week? Remember, even if it was craptastic, try to think of something positive, even if it's only 'I managed not to piss anyone off this week'.
Showing posts with label query. Show all posts
Showing posts with label query. Show all posts
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Rebaiting the Hook
I don't know how many of you have been fishing, so bear with me here.
You've got the perfect spot picked out right where the fish traditionally are. Maybe it's like our old fishing hole - not far from the bridge, just around a bend, under a leaning tree. You set out with your tackle box, your rods, and your bait. It's a beautiful day for fishing. So you set up your chair, bait your hook, attach your bobber and cast that sucker into just the right spot. And you wait.
And you wait.
Sometimes you see the bobber jiggle a little, but no strikes. Just more waiting. After a time, you reel in to see if you can figure out the problem. Often, you're reeling in an empty hook because all the little fishies have nibbled your bait off. Occasionally, you see your bait looking just like it had when you threw it in the first time, only wetter. So, you rebait your hook or not, and cast again.
After a few hours of this with still no fish on your stringer, you reel in again and maybe try a different bait. Maybe the bass aren't biting on nightcrawlers today. Maybe they want a different kind of worm. Maybe they're looking for a fat frog or a chunky bug - which you can provide in the form of a lure. You ditch the bobber, add some sinkers, and try the cast and reel method.
Sounds a lot like where I'm at in the querying. Well, actually, right now I'm at the rebait your hook method. Not quite sure what the analogy would be for using a lure. It's possible I just don't have any lures in my tacklebox (i.e. tasty reasons why an agent would want me over Author X). All I have is my hook and my bait. I have to hope that will be enough.
To that end, I'm swapping out that drowned nightcrawler I've been using for a lively little redworm, and casting again. We'll see if anyone bites.
You've got the perfect spot picked out right where the fish traditionally are. Maybe it's like our old fishing hole - not far from the bridge, just around a bend, under a leaning tree. You set out with your tackle box, your rods, and your bait. It's a beautiful day for fishing. So you set up your chair, bait your hook, attach your bobber and cast that sucker into just the right spot. And you wait.
And you wait.
Sometimes you see the bobber jiggle a little, but no strikes. Just more waiting. After a time, you reel in to see if you can figure out the problem. Often, you're reeling in an empty hook because all the little fishies have nibbled your bait off. Occasionally, you see your bait looking just like it had when you threw it in the first time, only wetter. So, you rebait your hook or not, and cast again.
After a few hours of this with still no fish on your stringer, you reel in again and maybe try a different bait. Maybe the bass aren't biting on nightcrawlers today. Maybe they want a different kind of worm. Maybe they're looking for a fat frog or a chunky bug - which you can provide in the form of a lure. You ditch the bobber, add some sinkers, and try the cast and reel method.
Sounds a lot like where I'm at in the querying. Well, actually, right now I'm at the rebait your hook method. Not quite sure what the analogy would be for using a lure. It's possible I just don't have any lures in my tacklebox (i.e. tasty reasons why an agent would want me over Author X). All I have is my hook and my bait. I have to hope that will be enough.
To that end, I'm swapping out that drowned nightcrawler I've been using for a lively little redworm, and casting again. We'll see if anyone bites.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Sunday Update - Week 5
Well, it hasn't been the best of weeks here, but I'll try to make this as positive as I can make it - even if I have to spin it up a little.
I finally got a response from the publisher I've been waiting on for 16 months. The answer was that I can now proceed with querying again. And so I have. Back out into the world. Maybe this time will be the charm. Also good news is that my book was in the top 6% of all submissions (maybe even lower a percentage since the last update they gave on submissions left to decide on was a month ago and I was one of the last they contacted).
As I said, I'm querying again. The first four went out. I'm using the Premium Membership functions at QueryTracker to both research the agents for a good fit, and to keep track of my submissions. It's only $25 a year or if you don't want to do a year, it's $8 for three months. Works for me, man.
I had some weird shit happen a couple days ago which totally took my mind off just about everything else, which is always good.
In writing news, I rolled over 60K yesterday. Not the biggest week I've had, but like I said, stuff happened which by necessity, made the word count slip. Still, 10K for the week is nothing to sneeze at. And hey, I wrote 60K words from 1/3 to 2/1, so I'm calling it a win. I'm still hoping to have this rewrite completed by Valentine's Day. And out of those29 days, I wrote every day but three. So...
I managed to keep up with my resolutions through January. 1) Take my writing more seriously. Check. 2) Reduce irritation from my life. Check. 3) Take myself for who I am. Okay, so this isn't a full check. But at least I'm not berating myself for every freakin' pound. Like Popeye, I am what I am.
As for reading, I read 12 books in January! Most of them were ebooks - which read quicker for me - but I did manage some hardcopy books, too.
And that's all the positivity I have this morning. How did your week go? Remember, with these posts, you can talk about anything you want, but try to find something positive or try to find a positive in your negatives - even if it's only "I fell down, but being flat on the ground made it possible for me to see a tiny flower up close." ;o)
I finally got a response from the publisher I've been waiting on for 16 months. The answer was that I can now proceed with querying again. And so I have. Back out into the world. Maybe this time will be the charm. Also good news is that my book was in the top 6% of all submissions (maybe even lower a percentage since the last update they gave on submissions left to decide on was a month ago and I was one of the last they contacted).
As I said, I'm querying again. The first four went out. I'm using the Premium Membership functions at QueryTracker to both research the agents for a good fit, and to keep track of my submissions. It's only $25 a year or if you don't want to do a year, it's $8 for three months. Works for me, man.
I had some weird shit happen a couple days ago which totally took my mind off just about everything else, which is always good.
In writing news, I rolled over 60K yesterday. Not the biggest week I've had, but like I said, stuff happened which by necessity, made the word count slip. Still, 10K for the week is nothing to sneeze at. And hey, I wrote 60K words from 1/3 to 2/1, so I'm calling it a win. I'm still hoping to have this rewrite completed by Valentine's Day. And out of those29 days, I wrote every day but three. So...
I managed to keep up with my resolutions through January. 1) Take my writing more seriously. Check. 2) Reduce irritation from my life. Check. 3) Take myself for who I am. Okay, so this isn't a full check. But at least I'm not berating myself for every freakin' pound. Like Popeye, I am what I am.
As for reading, I read 12 books in January! Most of them were ebooks - which read quicker for me - but I did manage some hardcopy books, too.
And that's all the positivity I have this morning. How did your week go? Remember, with these posts, you can talk about anything you want, but try to find something positive or try to find a positive in your negatives - even if it's only "I fell down, but being flat on the ground made it possible for me to see a tiny flower up close." ;o)
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Query Letter Help?
Anyone got a minute to look over this query letter I've reworked for Djinnocide? I don't want to send it to a group site for crit. I just need to know if I've headed in the right direction with this damn thing and I'm too close to see it.
Cuz, like, I hate it and every previous incarnation of it. Hate it with the flame of a thousand rugburns.
Let me know either in comments or via email. (If you've already read the book, that would be a big plus, but if not, you can at least tell me if the letter makes you want to read it.)
Cuz, like, I hate it and every previous incarnation of it. Hate it with the flame of a thousand rugburns.
Let me know either in comments or via email. (If you've already read the book, that would be a big plus, but if not, you can at least tell me if the letter makes you want to read it.)
Friday, May 17, 2013
There's Successful and then There's Me
There are several places on the web where you can find examples of successful queries. Over the years, I've studied these. I pour over them and then compare what these successful authors are writing in their queries versus what I'm writing in mine - you know to try and figure out why these people are getting agents' attention and I'm not.
Personally, I can't see any difference.
Oh sure, back when I was a wet-behind-the-ears newbie, there was a huge difference. My early queries blew chunks in a major way. But these days, with 9 years of working at this under my belt, my queries pretty much follow the same general course as these successful queries. The only differences are in the subject matter.
The subject matter....
Yeah. I thought about that, too. This, of course, leads to comparing my writing to actual published books I'm reading. Again, I'm not really seeing the difference. Some of my stuff seems better than some published stuff I've read. Some published stuff seems better. Most of the time, my stuff is about on par with the stuff publishing houses are putting on the shelves.
Okay, so maybe my urban fantasies aren't quite as gritty or as spicy. Maybe there's something cerebral mine have that others don't. Maybe there's something cerebral they have that I don't. And yeah, my suspense isn't quite 'romantic'. I don't bill it as romantic suspense, though, so I don't think that's the problem. Suspense with romantic elements - if the agent says they're looking for it - and straight suspense if they aren't.
My daughter once told me that there weren't enough bodies in my urban fantasy. I added more, but not too many more because the book isn't really meant to be a gore fest.
Over the years, I've had an untold number of writers look at my queries and my books. I get a few suggestions, but usually they're nothing major, and I do get kudos.
I guess this morning I'm just running that hamster wheel in my head of why I'm not garnering interest. True, I've only been back to querying for a short time, but it's less about what's happening now than what's been happening for years. And yeah, I know the hamster wheel never does anyone any good. It's just got me stymied. I've tried to do everything the way I'm supposed to do it.
:shrug: Maybe that's the problem.
No questions to ask here. And not looking for suggestions. Just blowing off some steam and getting my mental exercise running on the wheel. If you want to blow off your own steam in the comments, feel free.
PS. I'm not feeling down about any of this. I'm just curious and trying to think things out. I do this from time to time.
Personally, I can't see any difference.
Oh sure, back when I was a wet-behind-the-ears newbie, there was a huge difference. My early queries blew chunks in a major way. But these days, with 9 years of working at this under my belt, my queries pretty much follow the same general course as these successful queries. The only differences are in the subject matter.
The subject matter....
Yeah. I thought about that, too. This, of course, leads to comparing my writing to actual published books I'm reading. Again, I'm not really seeing the difference. Some of my stuff seems better than some published stuff I've read. Some published stuff seems better. Most of the time, my stuff is about on par with the stuff publishing houses are putting on the shelves.
Okay, so maybe my urban fantasies aren't quite as gritty or as spicy. Maybe there's something cerebral mine have that others don't. Maybe there's something cerebral they have that I don't. And yeah, my suspense isn't quite 'romantic'. I don't bill it as romantic suspense, though, so I don't think that's the problem. Suspense with romantic elements - if the agent says they're looking for it - and straight suspense if they aren't.
My daughter once told me that there weren't enough bodies in my urban fantasy. I added more, but not too many more because the book isn't really meant to be a gore fest.
Over the years, I've had an untold number of writers look at my queries and my books. I get a few suggestions, but usually they're nothing major, and I do get kudos.
I guess this morning I'm just running that hamster wheel in my head of why I'm not garnering interest. True, I've only been back to querying for a short time, but it's less about what's happening now than what's been happening for years. And yeah, I know the hamster wheel never does anyone any good. It's just got me stymied. I've tried to do everything the way I'm supposed to do it.
:shrug: Maybe that's the problem.
No questions to ask here. And not looking for suggestions. Just blowing off some steam and getting my mental exercise running on the wheel. If you want to blow off your own steam in the comments, feel free.
PS. I'm not feeling down about any of this. I'm just curious and trying to think things out. I do this from time to time.
Friday, May 10, 2013
On the Trail Again
:whipcrack:
I'm on the submission trail again. Over on QueryTracker*, I'm working through the list of agents that represent suspense - prioritizing who gets queries in what order, and who I'm not going to query because they're not a good fit. 200 agents. Tonight I got through page 4, which means 160 down and 40 to go. I had planned on not querying any of them until Monday, but I found two today that seemed like such a good fit, I couldn't help but shoot queries right off to them.
I'll get those other 4 done tomorrow morning and then set it all aside so I can get some re-writing done on RTL.
And maybe talk the husband into a drive somewhere or a walk or something.
Monday, I'll pare down the top half of the agents and send out queries to a select group of those. More a day or two after that, and so on, until I get a nibble or I feel like I need to re-adjust my query. (Not again, please for the sake of all that's holy, not again.)
What am I querying? Dying Embers. It's gotten some positive nibbles in the past, but I always just wimped out after too-few rejections. This time I'm gonna ride that horse until she drops, and then I'm going to drag the carcass across the finish line. This sucker will be published if I have to do it my own goddamned self. So there. Everyone who's read it loved it - and they weren't even family. Some of them were even published authors. Double so there. =op
Yeah, I'm feeling a little immature and bratty tonight. You wanna make somethin' of it**?
;o)
Have a great weekend, if I don't see ya around the webs.
*If you don't use QueryTracker, you really should try it. And if you try it and like it, it's worth paying for the premium membership. Seriously worth it.
** All in jest, I assure you. Which just underscores the fact that I am full ofpiss and vinegar... vim and vigor tonight.
I'm on the submission trail again. Over on QueryTracker*, I'm working through the list of agents that represent suspense - prioritizing who gets queries in what order, and who I'm not going to query because they're not a good fit. 200 agents. Tonight I got through page 4, which means 160 down and 40 to go. I had planned on not querying any of them until Monday, but I found two today that seemed like such a good fit, I couldn't help but shoot queries right off to them.
I'll get those other 4 done tomorrow morning and then set it all aside so I can get some re-writing done on RTL.
And maybe talk the husband into a drive somewhere or a walk or something.
Monday, I'll pare down the top half of the agents and send out queries to a select group of those. More a day or two after that, and so on, until I get a nibble or I feel like I need to re-adjust my query. (Not again, please for the sake of all that's holy, not again.)
What am I querying? Dying Embers. It's gotten some positive nibbles in the past, but I always just wimped out after too-few rejections. This time I'm gonna ride that horse until she drops, and then I'm going to drag the carcass across the finish line. This sucker will be published if I have to do it my own goddamned self. So there. Everyone who's read it loved it - and they weren't even family. Some of them were even published authors. Double so there. =op
Yeah, I'm feeling a little immature and bratty tonight. You wanna make somethin' of it**?
;o)
Have a great weekend, if I don't see ya around the webs.
*If you don't use QueryTracker, you really should try it. And if you try it and like it, it's worth paying for the premium membership. Seriously worth it.
** All in jest, I assure you. Which just underscores the fact that I am full of
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Unexpected Positive
So, I was sitting around the house this weekend when an email arrived from a friend of mine. It was in regard to that Twitter thing I did on Friday. She was asking if I had any bites. When I told her I hadn't, she expressed surprise - natch - and wondered why a particular agent hadn't snapped me up. Then she suggested I query this particular agent directly.
Needless to say, I was hesitant. I've got lot going on, and... okay, I'll come right on and say it... I was afraid. This gal seemed awesome, but her querytracker listing didn't say she wanted suspense. (And the last thing anyone needs is another rejection.) My friendkicked me in the ass nudged me to send a query anyway - pointing out an article where it specifically says the gal's looking for my genre.
I hemmed and hawed, but promised to send a query. I had planned on waiting until Monday, but Sunday night, I got a wild hair, gathered my materials together, tweaked the query letter and sent that puppy off. I wasn't expecting anything to come of it.
I got a reply around lunch on Monday. She wanted a full! Coulda knocked me over with a feather.
Anyway, after the Hubs went back to work, I sent out the full and the synopsis she asked for. Keep your fingers crossed.
But well wishes isn't why I'm writing this post. (Well, they're always nice, but not my main goal here.) I wanted to let you know so you can maybe see that sometimes, when you least expect it, good things can happen.
So, send those queries out. Even if you're crazy busy. Even if you're pretty sure they're not the right agent for your manuscript - because the information out there says they aren't. Even if you don't think you can take one more rejection. Because you never know. You could get a request for full.
And who knows? It might turn into an offer of representation. Stranger things have happened.
I'm not holding my breath, but I am crossing my fingers. ;o)
Needless to say, I was hesitant. I've got lot going on, and... okay, I'll come right on and say it... I was afraid. This gal seemed awesome, but her querytracker listing didn't say she wanted suspense. (And the last thing anyone needs is another rejection.) My friend
I hemmed and hawed, but promised to send a query. I had planned on waiting until Monday, but Sunday night, I got a wild hair, gathered my materials together, tweaked the query letter and sent that puppy off. I wasn't expecting anything to come of it.
I got a reply around lunch on Monday. She wanted a full! Coulda knocked me over with a feather.
Anyway, after the Hubs went back to work, I sent out the full and the synopsis she asked for. Keep your fingers crossed.
But well wishes isn't why I'm writing this post. (Well, they're always nice, but not my main goal here.) I wanted to let you know so you can maybe see that sometimes, when you least expect it, good things can happen.
So, send those queries out. Even if you're crazy busy. Even if you're pretty sure they're not the right agent for your manuscript - because the information out there says they aren't. Even if you don't think you can take one more rejection. Because you never know. You could get a request for full.
And who knows? It might turn into an offer of representation. Stranger things have happened.
I'm not holding my breath, but I am crossing my fingers. ;o)
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Wise Words from Mom
My mom is a wise woman. During our chat yesterday, I was relaying some industry news and bemoaning the fact that I'm too busy to act on it. Here's how it went down:
Me: (griping about my busyness)...and a friend just sent me information about a new agent who'd be perfect for me, but I have so much going on right now...
Mom: Don't you have a book you could send without having to work on it? You've been at this a while.
Me: Well, I guess... but every time I open those older books, I see stuff I could change... because ya know, with every book I've written I've gotten better and...
Mom: At some point you need to stop changing them and just send them out.
That's not verbatim, but that's the gist.
Wise words.
I'm still not going to do send out a submission right now - but that's because the Point 2 I talked about has begun and life's about to get a little strange. But I do see my mom's point. I need to get off my ass, quit frittering around with the tweaking, and just keep sending stuff out.
Cuz Mom said so. ;o)
Me: (griping about my busyness)...and a friend just sent me information about a new agent who'd be perfect for me, but I have so much going on right now...
Mom: Don't you have a book you could send without having to work on it? You've been at this a while.
Me: Well, I guess... but every time I open those older books, I see stuff I could change... because ya know, with every book I've written I've gotten better and...
Mom: At some point you need to stop changing them and just send them out.
That's not verbatim, but that's the gist.
Wise words.
I'm still not going to do send out a submission right now - but that's because the Point 2 I talked about has begun and life's about to get a little strange. But I do see my mom's point. I need to get off my ass, quit frittering around with the tweaking, and just keep sending stuff out.
Cuz Mom said so. ;o)
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The Truth and the Guilt and a Vow
I'd like to go back to a point I made in my last post. I've been thinking about this a lot since I wrote it, and I think I might've only just skimmed the reality in my fumbling attempt to understand this.
If you missed it, what I said was: I wonder if other writers ever wonder if perhaps the reason agents are shifting to a 'no response means no' reaction to query letters is because as a whole agents are sick of being the bearers of bad news - as well as the targets for all the potentially postal writers out there. Or maybe it's just that as a culture we seem to shy away from saying anything that might hurt someone else's feelings - even if it helps them in the long run.
But the more I think about it, the deeper it goes. For instance, this morning a blog pal of mine posted her query letter and the first 150 words of her book, looking for helpful comments. The other comments before mine were all 'this is really good' type comments, but I posted what I thought - which was basically that her query and her 150 were both pretty good, but they didn't seem to go with each other very well.
I hit Enter and the guilt set in.
Even though I did what the writer asked, I felt awful about being critical of her work. I could tell she worked really really hard on what she was offering up. Like I said, both pieces were polished and well-written. Apart they seemed to stand perfectly well. Together they missed the mark. And this person is so funny and nice, I felt like a shit for saying it.
Maybe that's the feeling agents are trying to avoid when they go with a 'no response means no' (NRMN) policy regarding queries. Can't say that I blame them really. No matter how well-worded their form letters may be, someone somewhere is going to get their feelings hurt. I mean, just look at me and that rejection I talked about a couple weeks ago. He was perfectly awesome telling me what he really thought, and then I went and spoiled it by getting my feelings all dented. Of course, his words helped me in the long run, but in that moment, I became a whiny baby. "How dare you?!"
Waaa
Now, as I consider this and many other things, I wonder if maybe agents are using a 'NRMN' as much to protect the overly-sensitive feelings we writers tend to have sometimes as to protect themselves . Perhaps if we band together, pull up our big-girl panties and take our lumps, agents can go back to saying what they really think - instead of just avoiding the truth.
Unfortunately, in order for this to really work, everyone would have to be on board. All it takes is onetotal loon bad apple to spoil it. But, I swear before the internet and everybody on it, that I won't be one of those writers. Give me the truth. It's the only way I'll learn.
(And as for the people who think giving someone the truth is a license to be mean? Well, we'll discuss that at another time. Needless to say, I don't allow that crap here.)
What about you? Are you ready for the truth? Will you stand with me as someone who is ready to hear the truth and let it make you a better writer? Will you stand as someone who is ready to give the truth if that's what someone really wants to hear?
If you missed it, what I said was: I wonder if other writers ever wonder if perhaps the reason agents are shifting to a 'no response means no' reaction to query letters is because as a whole agents are sick of being the bearers of bad news - as well as the targets for all the potentially postal writers out there. Or maybe it's just that as a culture we seem to shy away from saying anything that might hurt someone else's feelings - even if it helps them in the long run.
But the more I think about it, the deeper it goes. For instance, this morning a blog pal of mine posted her query letter and the first 150 words of her book, looking for helpful comments. The other comments before mine were all 'this is really good' type comments, but I posted what I thought - which was basically that her query and her 150 were both pretty good, but they didn't seem to go with each other very well.
I hit Enter and the guilt set in.
Even though I did what the writer asked, I felt awful about being critical of her work. I could tell she worked really really hard on what she was offering up. Like I said, both pieces were polished and well-written. Apart they seemed to stand perfectly well. Together they missed the mark. And this person is so funny and nice, I felt like a shit for saying it.
Maybe that's the feeling agents are trying to avoid when they go with a 'no response means no' (NRMN) policy regarding queries. Can't say that I blame them really. No matter how well-worded their form letters may be, someone somewhere is going to get their feelings hurt. I mean, just look at me and that rejection I talked about a couple weeks ago. He was perfectly awesome telling me what he really thought, and then I went and spoiled it by getting my feelings all dented. Of course, his words helped me in the long run, but in that moment, I became a whiny baby. "How dare you?!"
Waaa
Now, as I consider this and many other things, I wonder if maybe agents are using a 'NRMN' as much to protect the overly-sensitive feelings we writers tend to have sometimes as to protect themselves . Perhaps if we band together, pull up our big-girl panties and take our lumps, agents can go back to saying what they really think - instead of just avoiding the truth.
Unfortunately, in order for this to really work, everyone would have to be on board. All it takes is one
(And as for the people who think giving someone the truth is a license to be mean? Well, we'll discuss that at another time. Needless to say, I don't allow that crap here.)
What about you? Are you ready for the truth? Will you stand with me as someone who is ready to hear the truth and let it make you a better writer? Will you stand as someone who is ready to give the truth if that's what someone really wants to hear?
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Like a Band-Aid - Right Off!
I know this is my blog quote for today, but it bears repeating...
"After rejection—misery, then thoughts of revenge, and finally, oh well, another try elsewhere." - Mason Cooley
Kinda poignant considering yesterday.
There I was typing furiously on my WIP when I happened to reach a pause point, and what I do when I reach those points is... you guessed it... check my email. Here's how that went...
Wow I have an email in my Agent box. I open my Agent box, but for some reason it's sitting on the last email I read and not the new one. I can see who it's from but not what it says yet. Okay cool, this guy who everyone on QueryTracker seems to get immediate helpful feedback from has written me back. Of course that thought occurs to me and then I immediately get nauseous.
What if it isn't as good as everyone else has gotten? But I make myself open it anyway, because what the hell else am I doing this for, right? If you never open mail because you're afraid of rejection, you'll never get the acceptances. So, I opened it...
And it was bad.
Misery. And thoughts of ice cream sundaes danced in my head. The sweet siren song of something gooey and chocolatey and carmely - maybe with crushed cookie bits... But I digress. Needless to say, I felt like dog doo. Especially since there I was, actually writing in the middle of the day of my own free will. I was being a good little writer. Besides, what he said was just mean. And so wrong. I mean, who the hell does this guy think he is???
Thoughts of Revenge. Or in my case, getting pissed. (Angry for those of you in the UK, not drunk. Although that was a thought at the time.) I whipped myself into a fine fury. All thoughts of sundaes danced away. I did what any fifth grader would do in a situation like this. I said "Oh yeah, well I'll show you." And I immediately whipped out a new query letter, showing him exactly why his estimation of my work was so damn wrong. After all, he was basing his whole damn decision on the query letter for petesakes...
Which meant he wasn't condemning my work. He was condemning the version of my work I offered him in those 250 words. And he was right.
The moral of this story and, I hope, the happy ending is that the query letter I churned out in my little melodrama is ten times better than my old letter. (Yes, I've had outside objective confirmation of this, so don't think I'm going off half-cocked.) It will be going out in today's round of queries. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
And to the above agent (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons)... Thank you. You were blunt and to the point, and while your words might've stung like ripping a band-aid off a particularly hairy patch of skin, in the end they helped me.
To the agents who're still considering that other letter, the story really is better than that lame ass thing represents. So, I'd really appreciate it if you gave me a shot. Read my work and then decide.
P.S. The above is an example of something we all could do when we get what we feel are hurtful comments. Blow off steam, vent to a friend, and then ask ourselves if the comment really was hurtful. Sometimes the most hurtful comments are pointing to things we need to change.
Have you ever gotten a hurtful comment that in retrospect was actually helpful?
And for your reader pleasure, hop on over to my other blog Tabula Rasa where I've posted the first three pages of Dying Embers and see what All The Hubbub is about.
* Bonus points if you can name the sitcom I got this post title from.
"After rejection—misery, then thoughts of revenge, and finally, oh well, another try elsewhere." - Mason Cooley
Kinda poignant considering yesterday.
There I was typing furiously on my WIP when I happened to reach a pause point, and what I do when I reach those points is... you guessed it... check my email. Here's how that went...
Wow I have an email in my Agent box. I open my Agent box, but for some reason it's sitting on the last email I read and not the new one. I can see who it's from but not what it says yet. Okay cool, this guy who everyone on QueryTracker seems to get immediate helpful feedback from has written me back. Of course that thought occurs to me and then I immediately get nauseous.
What if it isn't as good as everyone else has gotten? But I make myself open it anyway, because what the hell else am I doing this for, right? If you never open mail because you're afraid of rejection, you'll never get the acceptances. So, I opened it...
And it was bad.
Misery. And thoughts of ice cream sundaes danced in my head. The sweet siren song of something gooey and chocolatey and carmely - maybe with crushed cookie bits... But I digress. Needless to say, I felt like dog doo. Especially since there I was, actually writing in the middle of the day of my own free will. I was being a good little writer. Besides, what he said was just mean. And so wrong. I mean, who the hell does this guy think he is???
Thoughts of Revenge. Or in my case, getting pissed. (Angry for those of you in the UK, not drunk. Although that was a thought at the time.) I whipped myself into a fine fury. All thoughts of sundaes danced away. I did what any fifth grader would do in a situation like this. I said "Oh yeah, well I'll show you." And I immediately whipped out a new query letter, showing him exactly why his estimation of my work was so damn wrong. After all, he was basing his whole damn decision on the query letter for petesakes...
Which meant he wasn't condemning my work. He was condemning the version of my work I offered him in those 250 words. And he was right.
The moral of this story and, I hope, the happy ending is that the query letter I churned out in my little melodrama is ten times better than my old letter. (Yes, I've had outside objective confirmation of this, so don't think I'm going off half-cocked.) It will be going out in today's round of queries. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
And to the above agent (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons)... Thank you. You were blunt and to the point, and while your words might've stung like ripping a band-aid off a particularly hairy patch of skin, in the end they helped me.
To the agents who're still considering that other letter, the story really is better than that lame ass thing represents. So, I'd really appreciate it if you gave me a shot. Read my work and then decide.
P.S. The above is an example of something we all could do when we get what we feel are hurtful comments. Blow off steam, vent to a friend, and then ask ourselves if the comment really was hurtful. Sometimes the most hurtful comments are pointing to things we need to change.
Have you ever gotten a hurtful comment that in retrospect was actually helpful?
And for your reader pleasure, hop on over to my other blog Tabula Rasa where I've posted the first three pages of Dying Embers and see what All The Hubbub is about.
* Bonus points if you can name the sitcom I got this post title from.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Checking the Ol' Email
I don't know how the rest of the world goes about it, but I've heard people talk about 'checking their email' constantly through this query process. Personally, from the moment my computer goes on in the morning - before I've even had my first cup of coffee* - to the moment my computer goes down for the night, both my email programs are open. (Okay, maybe not the exact moment, because I have to wait for Outlook to load and then I have to wait for my Firefox to load so I can access my gmail - but you get the gist.)
I'm never not connected. All I have to do is walk by the 'puter to see if I have a little envelope in my tray or if there's a new number next to my Inbox tab. Easy peasy.
Now, I do have Outlook set up in such a way that query responses go into their own little folder**, which for some reason doesn't put a little envelope in my tray. In that respect, I do have to click over to Outlook and see if there are any shiny numbers next to my Agents folder. (And yeah, I'm doing that every few minutes like some kind of junkie waiting for her fix to arrive via the interwebs.)
It's only been a week since the first queries went out, so I'm not totally spazzing out yet. I've been sending a couple here and a couple there - no big carpet-bombing strafe for me. Slow and steady.
I'll spazz later.
How are things in your world? Checking the email boxes or just chillin'? How do you handle the juggling of email?
* Speaking of coffee - check out Lydia Kang's Medical Mondays post about caffeine. (Really. It's okay. She's not a coffee hater.)
** I had to because the stupid program was throwing all my query responses last year into the Junk folder. Nothing like mixing rejections with offers to enlarge a penis I don't have. :shudder: Thanks, Microsoft. Dorkbutts.
I'm never not connected. All I have to do is walk by the 'puter to see if I have a little envelope in my tray or if there's a new number next to my Inbox tab. Easy peasy.
Now, I do have Outlook set up in such a way that query responses go into their own little folder**, which for some reason doesn't put a little envelope in my tray. In that respect, I do have to click over to Outlook and see if there are any shiny numbers next to my Agents folder. (And yeah, I'm doing that every few minutes like some kind of junkie waiting for her fix to arrive via the interwebs.)
It's only been a week since the first queries went out, so I'm not totally spazzing out yet. I've been sending a couple here and a couple there - no big carpet-bombing strafe for me. Slow and steady.
I'll spazz later.
How are things in your world? Checking the email boxes or just chillin'? How do you handle the juggling of email?
* Speaking of coffee - check out Lydia Kang's Medical Mondays post about caffeine. (Really. It's okay. She's not a coffee hater.)
** I had to because the stupid program was throwing all my query responses last year into the Junk folder. Nothing like mixing rejections with offers to enlarge a penis I don't have. :shudder: Thanks, Microsoft. Dorkbutts.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Abject Terror, Nausea, Palpitations? Must Be Query Time
Pray to whatever god you call yours for me. And if you have no god, keep a positive thought in your head. Because today I will be wading back into the query pool.
Okay, so maybe this morning I won't be wading in. I have agent research to do. Which means, at least this time around, a Premium Membership over at QueryTracker.net. Hell, it's only $25 (or one Amazon book order) a year and I just happen to have that amount available in my book order account. I'll get that done today* and get started pulling information to plug into the Access database I created.
And then once I have a few good agents on my list, off the queries go.
:urp:
Anyone got some Pepto?
Okay, so maybe this morning I won't be wading in. I have agent research to do. Which means, at least this time around, a Premium Membership over at QueryTracker.net. Hell, it's only $25 (or one Amazon book order) a year and I just happen to have that amount available in my book order account. I'll get that done today* and get started pulling information to plug into the Access database I created.
And then once I have a few good agents on my list, off the queries go.
:urp:
Anyone got some Pepto?
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
You're an Agent And This is Crazy...
...But here's my query, so call me maybe.
:smirk: I couldn't resist jumping on the bandwagon with this one. Hey, if the Olympic swim team can borrow the song for their video, I can at least snatch the line for my blog post title. ;o)
Okay, so I was talking with a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless unless she decides to out herself in the comments). She's been reading a book I sent out for query a couple years ago, that I got discouraged about. I didn't send it to her to critique. We were just chatting and I said 'Hey, you should probably read my suspense one of these days'. She found a free spot in her busy life and asked to see it.
Last night she wrote me to tell me she's almost done and asked the eternal question. "WHY did you stop querying this?"
So I told her the long, sad* stupid story. Actually, the short version is Jessica Faust rejected my full and then I got all defeatist.
And Ms. Faust's comments weren't bad. They were actually really nice. I just got all tangled up in my head with my own self-doubt and decided 'You have no business writing suspense'. After which, I stopped production on the half-edited book I was tweaking and the half-written WIP I was working on.
They sit on my hard drive giving me the stink-eye every time I scroll past their folders. And I don't blame them. I deserve a little stink-eye from those books. They're good ideas. They ought to be finished and sent out into the world.
As for Dying Embers (aka Manhunter - if you've been around the blog that long), I never should've walked away and left it lying in the dust. After all, as my friend pointed out, Ms. Faust requested the full for a reason. So, as soon as I screw my courage to the sticking post, I will send it out into the world again.
What about you? Have you ever let a little discouragement stop you from going after something?
PS. If you haven't seen that video of the swimmers lip-syncing to 'Call Me Maybe', it's hilarious.
*sad as in pathetic, not depressing... well, unless you count that being pathetic is often depressing.
:smirk: I couldn't resist jumping on the bandwagon with this one. Hey, if the Olympic swim team can borrow the song for their video, I can at least snatch the line for my blog post title. ;o)
Okay, so I was talking with a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless unless she decides to out herself in the comments). She's been reading a book I sent out for query a couple years ago, that I got discouraged about. I didn't send it to her to critique. We were just chatting and I said 'Hey, you should probably read my suspense one of these days'. She found a free spot in her busy life and asked to see it.
Last night she wrote me to tell me she's almost done and asked the eternal question. "WHY did you stop querying this?"
So I told her the long, sad* stupid story. Actually, the short version is Jessica Faust rejected my full and then I got all defeatist.
And Ms. Faust's comments weren't bad. They were actually really nice. I just got all tangled up in my head with my own self-doubt and decided 'You have no business writing suspense'. After which, I stopped production on the half-edited book I was tweaking and the half-written WIP I was working on.
They sit on my hard drive giving me the stink-eye every time I scroll past their folders. And I don't blame them. I deserve a little stink-eye from those books. They're good ideas. They ought to be finished and sent out into the world.
As for Dying Embers (aka Manhunter - if you've been around the blog that long), I never should've walked away and left it lying in the dust. After all, as my friend pointed out, Ms. Faust requested the full for a reason. So, as soon as I screw my courage to the sticking post, I will send it out into the world again.
What about you? Have you ever let a little discouragement stop you from going after something?
PS. If you haven't seen that video of the swimmers lip-syncing to 'Call Me Maybe', it's hilarious.
*sad as in pathetic, not depressing... well, unless you count that being pathetic is often depressing.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
What Happens Next
You may or may not have caught my post yesterday. I'm finished with the first draft of the book I'm calling Djinn 2. Judging from the comments, there may have been a bit of confusion. For that, I apologize. Writers always strive for clarity. Let's just say that, even though I work very hard to achieve clarity in my fiction, I don't always achieve it in my blog posts.
So, what happens next when I finish a first draft?
I let it sit. I leave it alone. I try to forget about it so when I go back I can look at it with fresh eyes. Sometimes that takes a month or two. Sometimes it only take a couple weeks. This time? Well, we'll see.
In the meantime, I'll be working on the edits for Djinnocide - the first book in the series. I've been working on this book on and off since i started the thing in September of 2009. Since then, I've rewritten it twice. This will be the umpteenth edit of the last and best incarnation. The one I hope will launch me into the ranks of the agented, and propel my career so that I can actually publish this series.
While I'm working on the edits for Djinnocide, I'll be perfecting my query materials. When I get done with the edits and the polishing - hopefully by March because I don't think I have any deep editing left (unless my beta readers and crit partners tell me differently) - I will query for Djinnocide and begin the first round of edits on Djinn 2.
Or if I'm still too close to Djinn 2 to see the flaws, I will work on a different unedited manuscript. (Lord knows I have plenty to choose from.) And I'll still be sending out submissions.
So, that's the plan. What do you do when you finish a manuscript? Do you let it simmer or do you dive right into edits? If you haven't finished one yet, do you have a plan for what you'll do once yours is done?
So, what happens next when I finish a first draft?
I let it sit. I leave it alone. I try to forget about it so when I go back I can look at it with fresh eyes. Sometimes that takes a month or two. Sometimes it only take a couple weeks. This time? Well, we'll see.
In the meantime, I'll be working on the edits for Djinnocide - the first book in the series. I've been working on this book on and off since i started the thing in September of 2009. Since then, I've rewritten it twice. This will be the umpteenth edit of the last and best incarnation. The one I hope will launch me into the ranks of the agented, and propel my career so that I can actually publish this series.
While I'm working on the edits for Djinnocide, I'll be perfecting my query materials. When I get done with the edits and the polishing - hopefully by March because I don't think I have any deep editing left (unless my beta readers and crit partners tell me differently) - I will query for Djinnocide and begin the first round of edits on Djinn 2.
Or if I'm still too close to Djinn 2 to see the flaws, I will work on a different unedited manuscript. (Lord knows I have plenty to choose from.) And I'll still be sending out submissions.
So, that's the plan. What do you do when you finish a manuscript? Do you let it simmer or do you dive right into edits? If you haven't finished one yet, do you have a plan for what you'll do once yours is done?
Monday, July 25, 2011
Take All the Time You Need
You might not know this about me, but I lurk around query critique websites. Sometimes I comment. Sometimes I just read other people's queries, trying to learn from their mistakes, or I read the comments trying to learn better ways to do things. One thing I've noticed - that I've been guilty of myself - is that the queriers don't seem to take enough time to absorb comments before they churn out another version of their query. It's especially troubling when the query goes up one day and the revision goes up the next - and nothing has really changed.
People, people, people. Come on.
I, of all people, know how hard it is to be patient. I want it done and I want it done now. If it has problems, I will fix them, turn it around and crank it out. And more often than not, the newer version still sucks hard. The main cause? I didn't take enough time.
Take the time you need to digest what people are telling you. If what they're saying is that you need a major rewrite, take all the time you need - and recognize that 'all the time' is going to be a helluva lot longer than 24 hours. Even if you work non-stop for 24 hours. (Something you should never do, because if you're at that kind of frantic stage, you need to step away and gain perspective anyway.)
Anything good takes time. Learning takes time. Allow yourself time to learn and grow and get good. It may be frustrating, but it's so worth it in the long run.
People, people, people. Come on.
I, of all people, know how hard it is to be patient. I want it done and I want it done now. If it has problems, I will fix them, turn it around and crank it out. And more often than not, the newer version still sucks hard. The main cause? I didn't take enough time.
Take the time you need to digest what people are telling you. If what they're saying is that you need a major rewrite, take all the time you need - and recognize that 'all the time' is going to be a helluva lot longer than 24 hours. Even if you work non-stop for 24 hours. (Something you should never do, because if you're at that kind of frantic stage, you need to step away and gain perspective anyway.)
Anything good takes time. Learning takes time. Allow yourself time to learn and grow and get good. It may be frustrating, but it's so worth it in the long run.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Freaking Out a Little
Okay, so here's the deal. You might've guessed that I'm smack in the middle of a crisis of self-confidence. (Or you might not have. I skipped posting a lot of the worst of it.) I know it's not rational, but right now, I think everything I write sucks. In fact, the little voice in the back of my head... You know the one... keeps telling me that everything I've ever written sucks and the future ain't lookin' too good either. (Henceforth, this place shall be known as the ES Zone.)
Enter yesterday morning. I opened my Outlook and watched the universe deposit a shiny new email in my 'Agent' box. (Yes, I'm such a geek. I trained my Outlook to place anything with the word 'query' in the subject into its own box.) Of course, with as negative as I've been feeling, it had to be a rejection.
Except it wasn't.
You'd think my first reaction would be one of glee. You know, jumping around, doing the Snoopy dance, celebrating a little before I sent my awesome packet out. My reaction wasn't even close to that. I think my first thought was 'Sunuvabitch' and then, 'How in the world am I going to send out a quality packet with any confidence if I think everything sucks right now'. I couldn't even look at the damn thing to make sure I was wrong. Hell, I'm at the point where I even think my grocery lists are lame.
Don't get me wrong. I know I loved this story when I first wrote it. I loved it even more when I rewrote it to make the middle sing. Now? Well, the ES Zone doesn't allow for love. It sure as hell doesn't allow for objectivity. It just sucks everything into the same pool and leeches the wonder out of it.
So, I was freaking out a little.
I didn't tell my husband. I didn't say a word to Mom. I just ran around on the little hamster wheel in my head, thinking "As god is my witness, I don't know what to do." I debated sending out a blanket email beseeching people for help. I briefly pondered the idea of writing the nice agent a lovely letter asking her to be patient while I rewrote everything I'd ever written - because, of course, I stink on ice.
Instead, I cleaned. I scrubbed the kitchen floor by hand. I dust-mopped and swept and vacuumed. I beat rugs until I was covered in a thin layer of dust. When I was too tired to move, I flopped on the couch and read while I watched TV. Later, I delved deeper into my family tree - discovering a spot where my suspicions were confirmed. (I knew at some point I'd find cross-breeding in my direct descendent line.) Finally, as my husband was heading off to the nice warm bed I wanted to climb into, I screwed my courage up, pulled my big girl panties on, and got to work.
I'm trying to forge through the ES Zone - re-reading with an eye toward fatal errors, but not changing anything major because I know I'm being Super Subjective Sally right now. My fingers itch to wipe everything away and start over - using someone else's brain and hands because mine suck so bad - but I'm pushing ahead. Just because I'm in the ES Zone doesn't mean I actually suck. I'm just not objective at the moment. (Yeah, yeah. I don't suck. I'm just not being objective. That's the ticket.)
Here's hoping the agent isn't hanging out in the ES Zone herself. Now THAT would truly suck.
If all goes well, the submission materials will be going out today or tomorrow. Wish me luck.
Update: 6:55pm - Submission package sent. I looked everything over and I did the best I could. Thanks, Everyone, for your well wishes and luck. We'll see how it goes from here.
Enter yesterday morning. I opened my Outlook and watched the universe deposit a shiny new email in my 'Agent' box. (Yes, I'm such a geek. I trained my Outlook to place anything with the word 'query' in the subject into its own box.) Of course, with as negative as I've been feeling, it had to be a rejection.
Except it wasn't.
You'd think my first reaction would be one of glee. You know, jumping around, doing the Snoopy dance, celebrating a little before I sent my awesome packet out. My reaction wasn't even close to that. I think my first thought was 'Sunuvabitch' and then, 'How in the world am I going to send out a quality packet with any confidence if I think everything sucks right now'. I couldn't even look at the damn thing to make sure I was wrong. Hell, I'm at the point where I even think my grocery lists are lame.
Don't get me wrong. I know I loved this story when I first wrote it. I loved it even more when I rewrote it to make the middle sing. Now? Well, the ES Zone doesn't allow for love. It sure as hell doesn't allow for objectivity. It just sucks everything into the same pool and leeches the wonder out of it.
So, I was freaking out a little.
I didn't tell my husband. I didn't say a word to Mom. I just ran around on the little hamster wheel in my head, thinking "As god is my witness, I don't know what to do." I debated sending out a blanket email beseeching people for help. I briefly pondered the idea of writing the nice agent a lovely letter asking her to be patient while I rewrote everything I'd ever written - because, of course, I stink on ice.
Instead, I cleaned. I scrubbed the kitchen floor by hand. I dust-mopped and swept and vacuumed. I beat rugs until I was covered in a thin layer of dust. When I was too tired to move, I flopped on the couch and read while I watched TV. Later, I delved deeper into my family tree - discovering a spot where my suspicions were confirmed. (I knew at some point I'd find cross-breeding in my direct descendent line.) Finally, as my husband was heading off to the nice warm bed I wanted to climb into, I screwed my courage up, pulled my big girl panties on, and got to work.
I'm trying to forge through the ES Zone - re-reading with an eye toward fatal errors, but not changing anything major because I know I'm being Super Subjective Sally right now. My fingers itch to wipe everything away and start over - using someone else's brain and hands because mine suck so bad - but I'm pushing ahead. Just because I'm in the ES Zone doesn't mean I actually suck. I'm just not objective at the moment. (Yeah, yeah. I don't suck. I'm just not being objective. That's the ticket.)
Here's hoping the agent isn't hanging out in the ES Zone herself. Now THAT would truly suck.
If all goes well, the submission materials will be going out today or tomorrow. Wish me luck.
Update: 6:55pm - Submission package sent. I looked everything over and I did the best I could. Thanks, Everyone, for your well wishes and luck. We'll see how it goes from here.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Busy Work
I spent the morning creating and updating databases with the submission info for my last three finished books. It was just busy work, but it felt good to do something productive. (And yes, it was necessary, but anything that's not writing these days is 'busy work'.)
As an aside, you gotta love Access. Really. Sure, it's a pain to actually create a new database, but once you have the thing laid out, you can use it for every book you want. I now have most of the data entered that I lost when I shifted computers last year. Data entry... funfunfun.
(And there are aspects of Access I'm not using that could make my life even easier, but right now, setting those things up would take more time than I have.)
On the upside, I now can access exactly who I queried for Manhunter and Blink so I don't re-query anyone when as I send those puppies out again. Yay me. (I still have to power up the old computer and thumb through data on there, but at least I won't step on my own tongue again - like I did with my lost queries from Spectacle*.)
Unfortunately now that I've spent 4 hours reading blogs, updating Access and reading the forums at Querytracker, I have computer brain. It actually feels like it's flat on one side and my eyes are going all squonky. Time to crochet, I guess.
What kind of busy work do you do when you're avoiding writing? Is there anything you let slide while you're writing only to find yourself totally behind when you really need that stuff?
*Due to the Great Computer Crash of 2006, I lost all my query data from both Spectacle and Caldera - my first two books. As a result, I ended up querying agents who already rejected me. D'oh. Here's hoping being more organized - and keeping redundant backup copies - will save me in the future.
ETA: Microsoft Access is the program I use to keep track of all my submission data. Here's a snapshot of it (click to make it larger):
It ain't pretty and it doesn't do all the nifty stuff my old pre-made contact management software did (like keep a running history for each contact), but it's a pretty good method for keeping track of submissions.
As an aside, you gotta love Access. Really. Sure, it's a pain to actually create a new database, but once you have the thing laid out, you can use it for every book you want. I now have most of the data entered that I lost when I shifted computers last year. Data entry... funfunfun.
(And there are aspects of Access I'm not using that could make my life even easier, but right now, setting those things up would take more time than I have.)
On the upside, I now can access exactly who I queried for Manhunter and Blink so I don't re-query anyone when as I send those puppies out again. Yay me. (I still have to power up the old computer and thumb through data on there, but at least I won't step on my own tongue again - like I did with my lost queries from Spectacle*.)
Unfortunately now that I've spent 4 hours reading blogs, updating Access and reading the forums at Querytracker, I have computer brain. It actually feels like it's flat on one side and my eyes are going all squonky. Time to crochet, I guess.
What kind of busy work do you do when you're avoiding writing? Is there anything you let slide while you're writing only to find yourself totally behind when you really need that stuff?
*Due to the Great Computer Crash of 2006, I lost all my query data from both Spectacle and Caldera - my first two books. As a result, I ended up querying agents who already rejected me. D'oh. Here's hoping being more organized - and keeping redundant backup copies - will save me in the future.
ETA: Microsoft Access is the program I use to keep track of all my submission data. Here's a snapshot of it (click to make it larger):
It ain't pretty and it doesn't do all the nifty stuff my old pre-made contact management software did (like keep a running history for each contact), but it's a pretty good method for keeping track of submissions.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Taking the Good Where You Can Find it
I got a rejection today. I know writers aren't supposed to blog about them, but I can't help myself. Sure, it was probably just a personalized form rejection, but I'm taking it as a positive. She said she liked my voice and my general premise. She just couldn't connect with the overall plot. She also took way longer to respond to my query than she has with other queriers. I'm telling myself it took longer because she was agonizing over her decision.
Heh. Works for me. These days I have to take the good where I can find it. Sometimes this biz threatens to suck the happy right out of me, and a good attitude is all I've got to hold onto, so I'm running with it.
Anything good - or sorta good - happen in your life lately?
Heh. Works for me. These days I have to take the good where I can find it. Sometimes this biz threatens to suck the happy right out of me, and a good attitude is all I've got to hold onto, so I'm running with it.
Anything good - or sorta good - happen in your life lately?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Who Am I?
I was thinking about my author bio this morning and I came to a realization. On paper, I'm boring.
Seriously. I'm a housewife, living in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. I spend most of my time in my house, dorking around on the internet, reading, crocheting and teaching my kid what few things I have left to impart on her High School Senior person. And, of course, doing writerly things.
Want to see what my bio paragraph looks like right now?
Yup. That's it. Total snooze-fest. It's also totally accurate. Sentence one tells what I do now. Sentence two tells what I used to do (and imparts a bit of what I'm still capable of, despite the fact that I am now boring). :yawn: That's me in a nutshell. Snooze-a-rama.
People I know don't find me boring - I hope. My Facebook and blog friends haven't given any indication that I'm a yawner to be around. Hell, I have more fun inside my head and around the house than anyone can imagine. I don't think I'm boring, but I can see how it might appear that way.
The problem is I have one paragraph to boil who I am into a rich and meaty stew any agent would be delighted to enjoy.
I've been places and done things way beyond the confines of this dinky place on the eastern plains of Colorado. I've driven the mean streets of Detroit and Flint. (Okay, yeah, I was too chicken to get out of the car, but wouldn't you be?) I've weathered the edge of a hurricane in my apartment in Tallahassee. I've explored the back roads - sometimes at the risk of great bodily harm - of the Wasatch Mountains. I've hung out with artists in their gallery in Salt Lake City. I've dined with the CEOs of multi-million dollar companies - once on a yacht on Lake Michigan under the glow of Chicago. I've driven through wildfire smoke so thick I could hardly see and tornado force winds where the tumbleweeds were blowing sideways as the car shook around me. I've endured frostbite and heat stroke and brain damage and physical therapy that would make a grown man cry (and judging from the other patients, it often did).
How do you take all the rich experiences of a life and turn them into a paragraph? Especially one that relates to writing? All the things I've done go into who I am and what I write. Those words up there in italics are totally accurate and at the same time, wholly insufficient.
Who am I? I'm a former road-warrior who's often gotten herself into scrapes she almost didn't get herself out of, who is willing to break herself into tiny pieces if it means getting the job done, who married a man she spent a total of six days in the physical presence of before the wedding and then moved 600 miles to the middle of nowhere to be with that man, who dropped everything to homeschool a child who was failing in the public education system. Sure, I live most of my life now in my head, but I have 40 years of life experiences that go way beyond what it says in that one little paragraph.
Who am I? I'm a writer.
Do anyone really need to know anything else?
Seriously. I'm a housewife, living in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. I spend most of my time in my house, dorking around on the internet, reading, crocheting and teaching my kid what few things I have left to impart on her High School Senior person. And, of course, doing writerly things.
Want to see what my bio paragraph looks like right now?
When I’m not writing full time, maintaining my blog, or doing other writerly things, I’m a housewife and homeschooler, who reads everything she can get her hands on and watches too much TV. Before I dropped into this semi-hermit existence, I spent the majority of my time in corporate America—schmoozing, consulting and administrating wherever my unfinished degree in Speech and Psychology would suit me best.
Yup. That's it. Total snooze-fest. It's also totally accurate. Sentence one tells what I do now. Sentence two tells what I used to do (and imparts a bit of what I'm still capable of, despite the fact that I am now boring). :yawn: That's me in a nutshell. Snooze-a-rama.
People I know don't find me boring - I hope. My Facebook and blog friends haven't given any indication that I'm a yawner to be around. Hell, I have more fun inside my head and around the house than anyone can imagine. I don't think I'm boring, but I can see how it might appear that way.
The problem is I have one paragraph to boil who I am into a rich and meaty stew any agent would be delighted to enjoy.
I've been places and done things way beyond the confines of this dinky place on the eastern plains of Colorado. I've driven the mean streets of Detroit and Flint. (Okay, yeah, I was too chicken to get out of the car, but wouldn't you be?) I've weathered the edge of a hurricane in my apartment in Tallahassee. I've explored the back roads - sometimes at the risk of great bodily harm - of the Wasatch Mountains. I've hung out with artists in their gallery in Salt Lake City. I've dined with the CEOs of multi-million dollar companies - once on a yacht on Lake Michigan under the glow of Chicago. I've driven through wildfire smoke so thick I could hardly see and tornado force winds where the tumbleweeds were blowing sideways as the car shook around me. I've endured frostbite and heat stroke and brain damage and physical therapy that would make a grown man cry (and judging from the other patients, it often did).
How do you take all the rich experiences of a life and turn them into a paragraph? Especially one that relates to writing? All the things I've done go into who I am and what I write. Those words up there in italics are totally accurate and at the same time, wholly insufficient.
Who am I? I'm a former road-warrior who's often gotten herself into scrapes she almost didn't get herself out of, who is willing to break herself into tiny pieces if it means getting the job done, who married a man she spent a total of six days in the physical presence of before the wedding and then moved 600 miles to the middle of nowhere to be with that man, who dropped everything to homeschool a child who was failing in the public education system. Sure, I live most of my life now in my head, but I have 40 years of life experiences that go way beyond what it says in that one little paragraph.
Who am I? I'm a writer.
Do anyone really need to know anything else?
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday Round Up
Well, as we come to the end of another eventful week, I thought I'd pop in and post a little somethin' about how this week went...
On the writing front, I'm still not doing it. It's actually nice to step away for a while. Although, I haven't stepped away entirely. I printed off the first chapter of my old buddy Caldera and determined it needs a total rewrite if it's ever going to see the light of day. (In fact, that sentiment is now written in big red letters across the top of that printed pile of steaming words.) Rather than jump into that, though, I thought about revisiting my other buddy Nano. That sucker has never really been finished - not even in the 'I don't know any better, so yeah, it's done' way.
And it just so happens Husband was watching a History Channel show on... Nanotechnology! It pretty much proved out the theories underlying my plot, so this manuscript is certainly viable. Now I just have to get it finished so I can get it out to agents before someone else makes it to market with a similar novel. My big stack of plot notecards is sitting on the coffee table next to my spot on the couch. They're taunting me. It's just such a monumental undertaking that it scares the crud out of me. Scared or not, I start tomorrow. And if I have to print the whole darned thing out - again - I will. So there. Take that you taciturn manuscript.
In personal news, I spent the week hashing out college stuff for Daughter. You know, things like where she wants to live vs where we can afford for her to live. How many meals she needs to eat a week. Finding out which dorm is the 'party dorm' so we can steer clear of it. Weeeee. We have until 3/1 to finish the housing app. Tick tock tick tock. She also finally got her scholarship application turned in. Oh, and we found out she didn't get into the Honors Program. 1300 kids applied, 350 got in. She's bummed, but the odds were against her anyway.
We also weathered a minor personal storm this week. No one died - even if I wanted to kill a couple people. We still have income, we still have a home, and we're all healthy. That's what's important. Right? Not whether certain anencephalic twerps wield their ignorance like an ogre with a club. :deep breath: Ahh, living well is the best revenge.
Back to the writing... Djinnocide is out there again. No news yet on any of the queries sent, and I'm still waiting on the person who's has my partial since last November to respond. (Yeah, I nudged her last week. Still nada.) As always, I won't be giving query stats out here for the world so see. If you really want to know, though, email me and we'll talk.
How are things going in your life? How's the writing treating you these days? Got anything to dish?
On the writing front, I'm still not doing it. It's actually nice to step away for a while. Although, I haven't stepped away entirely. I printed off the first chapter of my old buddy Caldera and determined it needs a total rewrite if it's ever going to see the light of day. (In fact, that sentiment is now written in big red letters across the top of that printed pile of steaming words.) Rather than jump into that, though, I thought about revisiting my other buddy Nano. That sucker has never really been finished - not even in the 'I don't know any better, so yeah, it's done' way.
And it just so happens Husband was watching a History Channel show on... Nanotechnology! It pretty much proved out the theories underlying my plot, so this manuscript is certainly viable. Now I just have to get it finished so I can get it out to agents before someone else makes it to market with a similar novel. My big stack of plot notecards is sitting on the coffee table next to my spot on the couch. They're taunting me. It's just such a monumental undertaking that it scares the crud out of me. Scared or not, I start tomorrow. And if I have to print the whole darned thing out - again - I will. So there. Take that you taciturn manuscript.
In personal news, I spent the week hashing out college stuff for Daughter. You know, things like where she wants to live vs where we can afford for her to live. How many meals she needs to eat a week. Finding out which dorm is the 'party dorm' so we can steer clear of it. Weeeee. We have until 3/1 to finish the housing app. Tick tock tick tock. She also finally got her scholarship application turned in. Oh, and we found out she didn't get into the Honors Program. 1300 kids applied, 350 got in. She's bummed, but the odds were against her anyway.
We also weathered a minor personal storm this week. No one died - even if I wanted to kill a couple people. We still have income, we still have a home, and we're all healthy. That's what's important. Right? Not whether certain anencephalic twerps wield their ignorance like an ogre with a club. :deep breath: Ahh, living well is the best revenge.
Back to the writing... Djinnocide is out there again. No news yet on any of the queries sent, and I'm still waiting on the person who's has my partial since last November to respond. (Yeah, I nudged her last week. Still nada.) As always, I won't be giving query stats out here for the world so see. If you really want to know, though, email me and we'll talk.
How are things going in your life? How's the writing treating you these days? Got anything to dish?
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