My post on Monday started the juices flowing in my brain cells. How do authors inject back-story into a story without stopping the flow and pace of the scene?
As writers, we all know that beginners tend to write their back-story as the first chapter. *raises hand* {guilty!} But the more stories you write the more you learn to leave off the page.
Yes, back-story develops the character of the story. And yes, you need to know your character's back-story, but for the most part the reader doesn't need ALL this information, maybe only 1-2% of this. And the reader definitely doesn't need it right at the beginning of the story.
Tangent #1: It's just like research. The writer spends hours upon hours of learning XXX, but only uses the information to add color to the story. Was the research needed? Yes. But did the reader need to know everything the writer does about XXX? Uh, sorry, but NO.
Tangent #2 warning: Years ago, I sat on a Federal jury involving racial discrimination. Tangent on the tangent, tangent #2b: In Oklahoma, when you get called to Federal jury duty you are 'on call' for four weeks. Every Friday night you call in to see if you've been selected in their jury lottery. Two out of four weeks, I WON! Oh, wait. I don't really think that's 'winning'. What really sucked about it was I worked the 11-7 shift in a hospital--and I worked weekends that month. Major suckage having to work Sunday night and show up down-freakin'-town for jury duty on Monday morning.
Back to my original tangent #2: The racial discrimination case took place at a rebar factory. Those pieces of thick steel posts they lay in cement to strengthen it. Yeah, you know what I mean. I had to sit through hours upon hours of them detailing how to make rebar. Don't know WHY they went into so much detail, but it sure put me to sleep. This falls in the TMI (too much information) category.
Much like back-story. So how do you weave in the important information?
In the story I showcased on Monday took place in the 1700's and the wife of a Calvary officer was telling him how to ride his horse. 1) this didn't make sense, 2) why would a wife be telling him how to ride his own horse, 3) as a reader this REALLY pulled me out of the story.
I discovered later that this female had the back-story to pull off this scene (raised on a stud farm), but the reader was missing a vital part of the back-story. I didn't know this history, so the scene didn't make sense, and I vocalized it in my judging comments.
My suggestion was to add a sentence in the female's POV. Of course, this is just an example and might or might not work for the story, but it is a way of showing enough back-story without slowing the forward momentum. Something like this:
Rage flowed over her as her husband abused her deceased Papa's prized stud.
1) this sentence shows her closeness to her father by calling him Papa, plus you know he's dead
2) Papa raised horses. I think the term stud is a little more detailed versus the term stallion
3) Husband is bad man. Anyone who abuses animals should die, plus he probably abuses the humans in the family.
4) She reacts with rage, which ultimately ends up with her voicing her opinion. This could have dire consequences (a possible beating) and she can't run away (Papa's dead)
This example shows the reader back-story without the detail of boring back-story. The reader files it in their subconscious and when the character acts out, then it makes sense.
It just goes to show that every word does count. Writers need to be aware how they weave back-story into the novel without jarring the reader.
Write on!
7/27/09
My Contest Judge is an Idiot!
This topic comes up every couple of months on various loops across RWA land. I was going to respond to the topic on the loop, but thought, 'Hey, I don't have a topic for today. I'll use this one!'
Romance writers are lucky. They have a very large supportive organization that holds a National contest for published and unpublished writers, Rita's and Golden Heart. This contest idea has a trickle down effect, in which many RWA chapters also hold contests. These contests run the gamut from query letter to synopsis to first XX # of pages to steamy scenes--it is a romance contest so what else would you expect--to HEA ending.
RWA chapters win because contests make their chapter money, which is used for the benefit of the chapter: special speakers, retreats, conferences, etc. But their reputation is also at stake. If they get lousy judges, or have a lousy score sheet, or their final judges aren't impressive, they can take a financial hit. In today's electronic world, chapter's don't loose very much except in the area of making money. Virtually everyone working on the contest does it as a volunteer. There is nothing to mail unless the final judge insists upon paper submissions. And even with mailing 3-5 entries up to 30 pages each, how much does that really cost?? Not a huge amount, considering contests are charging $20-35 per contest entry. Pure gravy.
Today I'm going to concentrate on the judge's portion of the equation. I will be speaking as a judge, instead of as a contest entrant in response to some of the judge's comment. Of course, everything is subjective, including entrant interpretation of comments. And therein is the inherent problem.
--This is a subjective business. Tastes differ even within a genre.
--Judges HAVE to follow the score sheet instructions, though I've started fudging scores in the last couple of years. There is no sense in marking someone a 1 out of five, when a 3 will get the point across. There is no way an entry full of 3's will final in a contest. Along with the fact that giving someone 5's across the board won't guarantee a final. This has happened a few times. I've loved a story; it's very clean and ready to publish, BUT it doesn't even final. It's heart-breaking for a judge. When I come across an entry that I love, I sign it and put my email address down, hoping the entrant will add me to their newsletter mailing list. I WANT to see their book in print.
--Judges take their own personal experiences to the table, BUT my personal experiences may not be the same as the contest entrant's experiences with the same topic.
--For example: A writer friend (WF) wrote an obese character documenting her trials and tribulations. A judge took exception to this, complaining that the author had no idea what it was like to be obese. WF HAD been obese, but lost 100+ pounds and kept it off for 25 years. Just because the writer's experience doesn't match the judge's experience doesn't make it wrong--only different.
--another story: Susan Grant wrote her first book about an airline pilot making contact with an alien ship. The judge didn't think a pilot would do what that character did. What the writer didn't know was that Susan Grant was, and still is, a pilot. She flies the huge honkin' planes from the west coast to Asia and Australia. She knows EXACTLY how a pilot would act.
--another WF wrote about a journalist and got dinged in a contest, 'because journalists don't do that'. Guess what, kiddos? Yep. WF is a journalist.
--Judges unintentionally channel what they see on television and what they read into their opinions. We all know that TV messes things up. They film what makes good TV, not necessarily what is real. As a judge you should take everything with a grain of salt. The key is to temper your answer. And with luck, maybe the writer won't take offense to the criticism.
--it's all about word choice. When I pick up a vampire contest entry, but the vamp can walk around in sunlight, you'd better give me a valid reason. This doesn't mean tons of back story, but a reasonable explanation. I totally got sucked into the Blade movies. Wesley Snipes is a daywalker. How? Daily injections. Makes sense. No super-duper explanations. Just a sentence or actions within a scene will do it.
Judges do the best that they can. When they first start judging, they are pretty harsh in their comments because they don't know how to temper them. Speaking for myself, I saw a dramatic improvement in my own writing after I started judging.
Judging contests gives you perspective into what agents and editors see every day. There is a lot of stuff that is submitted that isn't ready for submission. As a judge it's your job to gently point out questionable areas.
But I will tell you this. Every judge has her pet peeves. Mine are horses. If you write something that doesn't make sense involving horses, I will say something in no uncertain terms. I still remember a contest entry, roughly the 1700's, where the wife of a Calvary officer was telling her husband how to ride his horse??? Come on! Yeah, I blew a gasket on that one. Pure common sense should have stopped that scene from being written.
Anyway, judges try their best when they judge a contest. As an entrant we should try to learn from the judges comments, apply what makes sense, and toss the rest.
Write on!
Romance writers are lucky. They have a very large supportive organization that holds a National contest for published and unpublished writers, Rita's and Golden Heart. This contest idea has a trickle down effect, in which many RWA chapters also hold contests. These contests run the gamut from query letter to synopsis to first XX # of pages to steamy scenes--it is a romance contest so what else would you expect--to HEA ending.
RWA chapters win because contests make their chapter money, which is used for the benefit of the chapter: special speakers, retreats, conferences, etc. But their reputation is also at stake. If they get lousy judges, or have a lousy score sheet, or their final judges aren't impressive, they can take a financial hit. In today's electronic world, chapter's don't loose very much except in the area of making money. Virtually everyone working on the contest does it as a volunteer. There is nothing to mail unless the final judge insists upon paper submissions. And even with mailing 3-5 entries up to 30 pages each, how much does that really cost?? Not a huge amount, considering contests are charging $20-35 per contest entry. Pure gravy.
Today I'm going to concentrate on the judge's portion of the equation. I will be speaking as a judge, instead of as a contest entrant in response to some of the judge's comment. Of course, everything is subjective, including entrant interpretation of comments. And therein is the inherent problem.
--This is a subjective business. Tastes differ even within a genre.
--Judges HAVE to follow the score sheet instructions, though I've started fudging scores in the last couple of years. There is no sense in marking someone a 1 out of five, when a 3 will get the point across. There is no way an entry full of 3's will final in a contest. Along with the fact that giving someone 5's across the board won't guarantee a final. This has happened a few times. I've loved a story; it's very clean and ready to publish, BUT it doesn't even final. It's heart-breaking for a judge. When I come across an entry that I love, I sign it and put my email address down, hoping the entrant will add me to their newsletter mailing list. I WANT to see their book in print.
--Judges take their own personal experiences to the table, BUT my personal experiences may not be the same as the contest entrant's experiences with the same topic.
--For example: A writer friend (WF) wrote an obese character documenting her trials and tribulations. A judge took exception to this, complaining that the author had no idea what it was like to be obese. WF HAD been obese, but lost 100+ pounds and kept it off for 25 years. Just because the writer's experience doesn't match the judge's experience doesn't make it wrong--only different.
--another story: Susan Grant wrote her first book about an airline pilot making contact with an alien ship. The judge didn't think a pilot would do what that character did. What the writer didn't know was that Susan Grant was, and still is, a pilot. She flies the huge honkin' planes from the west coast to Asia and Australia. She knows EXACTLY how a pilot would act.
--another WF wrote about a journalist and got dinged in a contest, 'because journalists don't do that'. Guess what, kiddos? Yep. WF is a journalist.
--Judges unintentionally channel what they see on television and what they read into their opinions. We all know that TV messes things up. They film what makes good TV, not necessarily what is real. As a judge you should take everything with a grain of salt. The key is to temper your answer. And with luck, maybe the writer won't take offense to the criticism.
--it's all about word choice. When I pick up a vampire contest entry, but the vamp can walk around in sunlight, you'd better give me a valid reason. This doesn't mean tons of back story, but a reasonable explanation. I totally got sucked into the Blade movies. Wesley Snipes is a daywalker. How? Daily injections. Makes sense. No super-duper explanations. Just a sentence or actions within a scene will do it.
Judges do the best that they can. When they first start judging, they are pretty harsh in their comments because they don't know how to temper them. Speaking for myself, I saw a dramatic improvement in my own writing after I started judging.
Judging contests gives you perspective into what agents and editors see every day. There is a lot of stuff that is submitted that isn't ready for submission. As a judge it's your job to gently point out questionable areas.
But I will tell you this. Every judge has her pet peeves. Mine are horses. If you write something that doesn't make sense involving horses, I will say something in no uncertain terms. I still remember a contest entry, roughly the 1700's, where the wife of a Calvary officer was telling her husband how to ride his horse??? Come on! Yeah, I blew a gasket on that one. Pure common sense should have stopped that scene from being written.
Anyway, judges try their best when they judge a contest. As an entrant we should try to learn from the judges comments, apply what makes sense, and toss the rest.
Write on!
7/24/09
Candace Haven's Write Workshop
I have no idea where I heard about Candace Haven's workshop.
Maybe it was Facebook. Candy left a link to subscribe to the yahoo group, but it isn't the first time I'd heard about it. One of my former RWI chapter mates, Deanna Ponder mentioned doing her workshop.
Every day for two weeks, Candy pulls a word count number or # of pages to revise out of a hat. Do the daily challenge and you succeed. Go over the daily challenge and you can bank your extra words/pages for another day--kind of like Weight Watchers. You save your extra points for that one big splurge you plan on the entire week. I try not to write on the weekends. That's my family time, so I'll be using my banked points. BUT I'm a miserly son-of-a-gun and don't want to give up my words. So if the count is easily doable (<1000 words) I'll make a point of doing it so I don't spend my words.
It has all the goodies in it that I like:
--no money
--self-paced, up to a point
--challenging
--Yahell is silent
No money is involved. I love freebies. Candace Haven's definitely earned her 2009 PRO Mentor of the Year honor with this one. Love it!
Self-paced. Just like regular BIAW's you only get out of the challenge by how you decide to tackle it. Do it half-assed, then you don't get the positive effects from it. Plus you can do the revised pages challenge if you aren't working on something new.
Challenging. Every day a new number is drawn. Yesterday's draw was the biggest, 3265 words. Now if I had been on this loop prior to May 2009, I'd have been freaking over this word count, but in May I did Barbara's BIAW and logged in 15,000 words in only five days. I knew I could do this.
Yahoo is suspiciously silent. Candy's had some problems with people not getting the messages. I'm one of them, but I don't mind. All I do is head over to the Write Workshop yahoo group and find out today's count. When I'm done for the day I post to the Write Workshop Chat group.
I don't need anyone's 'YAY!' Congrats. blah, blah, blah--and I don't get them since I'm new to the group and many of the members have formed their friendships.
--I get my satisfaction from meeting the challenge head on and defeating it.
So as soon as I learn what today's challenge is, I'm going to be . . .
Writing on.
Today's challenge: 862 words--Easy-Peasy, I'm going to go over to add to my banked word count. :-)
Maybe it was Facebook. Candy left a link to subscribe to the yahoo group, but it isn't the first time I'd heard about it. One of my former RWI chapter mates, Deanna Ponder mentioned doing her workshop.
Every day for two weeks, Candy pulls a word count number or # of pages to revise out of a hat. Do the daily challenge and you succeed. Go over the daily challenge and you can bank your extra words/pages for another day--kind of like Weight Watchers. You save your extra points for that one big splurge you plan on the entire week. I try not to write on the weekends. That's my family time, so I'll be using my banked points. BUT I'm a miserly son-of-a-gun and don't want to give up my words. So if the count is easily doable (<1000 words) I'll make a point of doing it so I don't spend my words.
It has all the goodies in it that I like:
--no money
--self-paced, up to a point
--challenging
--Yahell is silent
No money is involved. I love freebies. Candace Haven's definitely earned her 2009 PRO Mentor of the Year honor with this one. Love it!
Self-paced. Just like regular BIAW's you only get out of the challenge by how you decide to tackle it. Do it half-assed, then you don't get the positive effects from it. Plus you can do the revised pages challenge if you aren't working on something new.
Challenging. Every day a new number is drawn. Yesterday's draw was the biggest, 3265 words. Now if I had been on this loop prior to May 2009, I'd have been freaking over this word count, but in May I did Barbara's BIAW and logged in 15,000 words in only five days. I knew I could do this.
Yahoo is suspiciously silent. Candy's had some problems with people not getting the messages. I'm one of them, but I don't mind. All I do is head over to the Write Workshop yahoo group and find out today's count. When I'm done for the day I post to the Write Workshop Chat group.
I don't need anyone's 'YAY!' Congrats. blah, blah, blah--and I don't get them since I'm new to the group and many of the members have formed their friendships.
--I get my satisfaction from meeting the challenge head on and defeating it.
So as soon as I learn what today's challenge is, I'm going to be . . .
Writing on.
Today's challenge: 862 words--Easy-Peasy, I'm going to go over to add to my banked word count. :-)
7/22/09
Don't Write What You Know--Write Your Passion!
This last weekend I was writing to condense my five page synopsis into a two page synopsis. The one thing I noticed about myself in this process was that I ACTUALLY liked going over this story again.
--and I can honestly say that hasn't been the case with all my stories.
In May 2008, my writing life changed. I wrote my first picture book/easy reader story. It's called Peter's Messy Room. Peter is a fly, not a regular run-of-the-mill house fly, but a green bottle fly living in the country. Peter changed my focus as a writer. In this last year, I've written seven other Peter stories, one faerie story--The Faerie Who Lost His Wings, and one middle grade story--MISSING: One Garden Gnome.
I love all these stories, and enjoy revisiting each and every one of them. I could NEVER say that about my romances. Oh, they were okay, but there was always something about them that I couldn't put my finger on, some problem that I couldn't fix, something about them made me cringe and want to put them away . . . forever.
The missing element in those stories was passion.
Oh, I liked writing them. And I certainly love reading them. But I wasn't passionate about my writing romances. I never felt the need as a writer to make certain the characters had their HEA (Happily Ever After). Oh, I finished the story with the requisite HEA, but I didn't want to look at those stories again--still don't.
My writing was missing that one elusive spark that makes it stand out.
Many editors and agents will tell a newbie writer to write what you know. Writing to the current market is crazy since the new books hitting the shelf were bought one to two years ago. I can't write what I know because in the real world unicorns, gnomes, and faeries don't exist, though this lovely environmental artist , Sally J. Smith, might change your mind! What I can write about is my passion. I have a passion for fantasy intermingling with real life. I love escapism in books that I read and in movies that I watch. Real life is depressing. I want to experience fun and happiness when I escape, and that is what I want to bring to the reader.
--A chance to escape into a new world and experience new and fantastical creatures.
Oh, gotta go. Rory Leafhopper, esquire, First Gnome to the Princess of Celestia, wants a refill on his coffee and I'm the only one big enough to handle the eye dropper without scalding myself.
Write on!
--and I can honestly say that hasn't been the case with all my stories.
In May 2008, my writing life changed. I wrote my first picture book/easy reader story. It's called Peter's Messy Room. Peter is a fly, not a regular run-of-the-mill house fly, but a green bottle fly living in the country. Peter changed my focus as a writer. In this last year, I've written seven other Peter stories, one faerie story--The Faerie Who Lost His Wings, and one middle grade story--MISSING: One Garden Gnome.
I love all these stories, and enjoy revisiting each and every one of them. I could NEVER say that about my romances. Oh, they were okay, but there was always something about them that I couldn't put my finger on, some problem that I couldn't fix, something about them made me cringe and want to put them away . . . forever.
The missing element in those stories was passion.
Oh, I liked writing them. And I certainly love reading them. But I wasn't passionate about my writing romances. I never felt the need as a writer to make certain the characters had their HEA (Happily Ever After). Oh, I finished the story with the requisite HEA, but I didn't want to look at those stories again--still don't.
My writing was missing that one elusive spark that makes it stand out.
Many editors and agents will tell a newbie writer to write what you know. Writing to the current market is crazy since the new books hitting the shelf were bought one to two years ago. I can't write what I know because in the real world unicorns, gnomes, and faeries don't exist, though this lovely environmental artist , Sally J. Smith, might change your mind! What I can write about is my passion. I have a passion for fantasy intermingling with real life. I love escapism in books that I read and in movies that I watch. Real life is depressing. I want to experience fun and happiness when I escape, and that is what I want to bring to the reader.
--A chance to escape into a new world and experience new and fantastical creatures.
Oh, gotta go. Rory Leafhopper, esquire, First Gnome to the Princess of Celestia, wants a refill on his coffee and I'm the only one big enough to handle the eye dropper without scalding myself.
Write on!
7/20/09
Synopses
Awhile back I commented that every author should have a couple of different lengths of synopses for each of their novels, along with a good query letter.
I have an excellent query letter (after numerous ass-whoopin's from my buddy Jody-check out her blog, she's got snark down to an art!), which could also be a 'mini-synopsis' except it doesn't give away the ending. I honestly think this is my best query letter. Trust me, I've had enough stinkers to finally recognize a 'good' one.
--One, Jody had read MOGG (short for MISSING: One Garden Gnome, don'cha know) and knew the story.
--Two, she kept pushing me to try harder, to use better descriptors, etc., and did an incredible job making my query better without trying to rewrite MY query (VERY difficult to do, but she's the best!)
--Three, I'm sure there's a three, but it's early and I'm drawing a blank.
Anyhoo, so far I have 20 basic queries floating around--I've recieved two rejections, and one partial request (YAY! query works!). And I still have about 15 more agents I want to query, but they all want some form of synopsis along with the query, and/or pages. Every agent is different. At this point in the relationship (i.e. there IS NO relationship) the author must play by the agent's rules.
This is where the synopsis part comes in. This particular requesting agent wants a two page synopsis.
Uh, I only have a five page synopsis. This is the very resion why I suggested having a long (5-10 pgs) and short (2-3 pgs) synopsis plus a one page single-spaced synopsis. It's a good way to cover all the bases since no agent is alike in there preferences.
So I wrote my two page synopsis this last weekend between running errands, laundry, cleaning house, and swimming and relaxing with the family.
BUT the partial (synopsis and pages) will be waiting for the agent when she opens her computer today.
Write on!
I have an excellent query letter (after numerous ass-whoopin's from my buddy Jody-check out her blog, she's got snark down to an art!), which could also be a 'mini-synopsis' except it doesn't give away the ending. I honestly think this is my best query letter. Trust me, I've had enough stinkers to finally recognize a 'good' one.
--One, Jody had read MOGG (short for MISSING: One Garden Gnome, don'cha know) and knew the story.
--Two, she kept pushing me to try harder, to use better descriptors, etc., and did an incredible job making my query better without trying to rewrite MY query (VERY difficult to do, but she's the best!)
--Three, I'm sure there's a three, but it's early and I'm drawing a blank.
Anyhoo, so far I have 20 basic queries floating around--I've recieved two rejections, and one partial request (YAY! query works!). And I still have about 15 more agents I want to query, but they all want some form of synopsis along with the query, and/or pages. Every agent is different. At this point in the relationship (i.e. there IS NO relationship) the author must play by the agent's rules.
This is where the synopsis part comes in. This particular requesting agent wants a two page synopsis.
Uh, I only have a five page synopsis. This is the very resion why I suggested having a long (5-10 pgs) and short (2-3 pgs) synopsis plus a one page single-spaced synopsis. It's a good way to cover all the bases since no agent is alike in there preferences.
So I wrote my two page synopsis this last weekend between running errands, laundry, cleaning house, and swimming and relaxing with the family.
BUT the partial (synopsis and pages) will be waiting for the agent when she opens her computer today.
Write on!
7/15/09
Gun Shy
Well . . . I'm ready to query . . . I guess. I was ready, but Jody hasn't gotten back to me with her comments about query version #3B. (Just kidding, Jods! I still have a synopsis to write!)
I HATE this part of the process. I get all excited about querying my precious story. I deliberate which agent would be the best choice in large agencies. I obsess over each agent's personal query requirement. And then I hit send.
--Yes, I only send equeries. Sorry, but I think it's totally asinine to waste money on paper and postage. If an agency hasn't gotten with the electronic times, then I wouldn't want to be represented by them anyway!
Sometimes it doesn't take long for the rejections to start rolling in. Sometimes I never hear back AT ALL (Personal pet peeve of mine--at least have the courtesy of an auto-response that it was rec'd!).
Revamp query and try next batch of agents. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I've been in this hot seat before and it doesn't get any easier. MISSING: One Garden Gnome is my fifth complete manuscript, but that doesn't count my picture book rejections or the first two stories that I only queried minimally. It's the part of the business that is extremely frustrating because if you do get a rejection it is usually a form letter--well, at least all mine have been with only a rare exception.
So as a writer you don't know WHY the story is being rejected. It could be anything from the plot needing a major overhaul, to they just bought something similar, to just didn't strike the agent's fancy. Shoot, for all we know, it could be just because the query wasn't enticing enough!
Rejections happen. Develop a thick skin. Just because you get published doesn't mean the rejections stop. From what I've heard it gets worse with every Joe-Schmoe dissing your book on Amazon's link.
And if all else fails.
Write on!
I HATE this part of the process. I get all excited about querying my precious story. I deliberate which agent would be the best choice in large agencies. I obsess over each agent's personal query requirement. And then I hit send.
--Yes, I only send equeries. Sorry, but I think it's totally asinine to waste money on paper and postage. If an agency hasn't gotten with the electronic times, then I wouldn't want to be represented by them anyway!
Sometimes it doesn't take long for the rejections to start rolling in. Sometimes I never hear back AT ALL (Personal pet peeve of mine--at least have the courtesy of an auto-response that it was rec'd!).
Revamp query and try next batch of agents. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I've been in this hot seat before and it doesn't get any easier. MISSING: One Garden Gnome is my fifth complete manuscript, but that doesn't count my picture book rejections or the first two stories that I only queried minimally. It's the part of the business that is extremely frustrating because if you do get a rejection it is usually a form letter--well, at least all mine have been with only a rare exception.
So as a writer you don't know WHY the story is being rejected. It could be anything from the plot needing a major overhaul, to they just bought something similar, to just didn't strike the agent's fancy. Shoot, for all we know, it could be just because the query wasn't enticing enough!
Rejections happen. Develop a thick skin. Just because you get published doesn't mean the rejections stop. From what I've heard it gets worse with every Joe-Schmoe dissing your book on Amazon's link.
And if all else fails.
Write on!
7/13/09
Black Out
Our neighborhood had a black out last night. Which really isn't surprising considering we've been having 100+ degree days. So why wasn't I asleep and blissfully unaware?
--Well, it all has to do with the hubster's UPS on his computer--it chirps--every three seconds.
And the black out didn't just happen. We had about six power surge brown outs prior to the 'black out', and each and every time, the darn UPS started chirping.
I should have known it would be one of those nights. Around midnight--I went to bed between ten and ten-thirty--I woke to this strange clicking sound.
--geriatric dog was 'running' on the wood floor in our open office loft area. She'd been running/twitching a lot recently while asleep, but this time she was close enough to the stairs that her nails ticked the wood constantly. I don't even want to see the damage.
--at 2:00 AM, brown outs and subsequent chirping started--six separate times.
--2:25 total black out. Peeked out the window and everyone was dark (and probably blissfully unaware)
**PSO called with updated info this afternoon: Black out due to fire about a mile away. 756 customers without electricity. All were back up by 6 AM** Can't complain about them, they took care of the problem and then alerted all affected customers to the situation. Three Cheers for PSO!
This is when my peanut brain started working overtime. I had a fridge and two freezers full of food having just stocked up at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart. Hubster is throwing a work party for his employees and he wanted a cake, so I made him a 'Lemon Curd Layer Cake', a three layer cake that must be refrigerated. This is a Bon Appetit recipe that involves numerous processes, one of which was making about eight cups of lemon curd (it was terribly good!). The curd was used in the cake AND the frosting, plus in-between the layers of cake and on top. The frosting was whipping cream and lemon curd. So it gets warm--frosting becomes liquefied. The lemon curd is made with egg yolk, and though cooked, it needs to be kept refrigerated.
Why worry about something I had no control over? I finally decided that I needed to defrost the freezer anyway, so I'd get a fresh, clean start. What else can you do? Nothing except toss the food and get over it.
Aside from the fridge/freezer issues, I began to think about the critters and what I'd have to do if we didn't get some air conditioning. I'd have to bring the guinea pig downstairs. I have a geriatric cat (19) and dog (11), neither of them go outdoors, so they couldn't tolerate the heat. Plus the fish--the koi in the pond would eventually die, but our beta, Bubbles, would survive. I have family in town, but two already have pets and the other two have allergies.
My MIL would take the dog--I think she has a soft spot for Katie. She might even take the Rocky (the pig), but the cat was a toughie.
--3 AM the electricity turns back on. YAY! And I blissfully fall asleep only to wake up at my 'normal' time of 6 AM.
I'm beat. Katie trots out to get the morning paper--Thank God for that little blessing. I feed the aforementioned critters and brew some coffee. I have another tough decision to make.
--Which coffee cup? Goofy, Tigger, Eeyore, Micky, Minny, or the Tower of Terror one. I definitely am feeling very Eeyore at the moment, but. . .
Tower of Terror won! It's a BIG mug. Plus it fit my mood. I feel like someone snapped my elevator wires and I'm plummeting to my death.
--Maybe another cuppa joe will help.
Write on!
--Well, it all has to do with the hubster's UPS on his computer--it chirps--every three seconds.
And the black out didn't just happen. We had about six power surge brown outs prior to the 'black out', and each and every time, the darn UPS started chirping.
I should have known it would be one of those nights. Around midnight--I went to bed between ten and ten-thirty--I woke to this strange clicking sound.
--geriatric dog was 'running' on the wood floor in our open office loft area. She'd been running/twitching a lot recently while asleep, but this time she was close enough to the stairs that her nails ticked the wood constantly. I don't even want to see the damage.
--at 2:00 AM, brown outs and subsequent chirping started--six separate times.
--2:25 total black out. Peeked out the window and everyone was dark (and probably blissfully unaware)
**PSO called with updated info this afternoon: Black out due to fire about a mile away. 756 customers without electricity. All were back up by 6 AM** Can't complain about them, they took care of the problem and then alerted all affected customers to the situation. Three Cheers for PSO!
This is when my peanut brain started working overtime. I had a fridge and two freezers full of food having just stocked up at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart. Hubster is throwing a work party for his employees and he wanted a cake, so I made him a 'Lemon Curd Layer Cake', a three layer cake that must be refrigerated. This is a Bon Appetit recipe that involves numerous processes, one of which was making about eight cups of lemon curd (it was terribly good!). The curd was used in the cake AND the frosting, plus in-between the layers of cake and on top. The frosting was whipping cream and lemon curd. So it gets warm--frosting becomes liquefied. The lemon curd is made with egg yolk, and though cooked, it needs to be kept refrigerated.
Why worry about something I had no control over? I finally decided that I needed to defrost the freezer anyway, so I'd get a fresh, clean start. What else can you do? Nothing except toss the food and get over it.
Aside from the fridge/freezer issues, I began to think about the critters and what I'd have to do if we didn't get some air conditioning. I'd have to bring the guinea pig downstairs. I have a geriatric cat (19) and dog (11), neither of them go outdoors, so they couldn't tolerate the heat. Plus the fish--the koi in the pond would eventually die, but our beta, Bubbles, would survive. I have family in town, but two already have pets and the other two have allergies.
My MIL would take the dog--I think she has a soft spot for Katie. She might even take the Rocky (the pig), but the cat was a toughie.
--3 AM the electricity turns back on. YAY! And I blissfully fall asleep only to wake up at my 'normal' time of 6 AM.
I'm beat. Katie trots out to get the morning paper--Thank God for that little blessing. I feed the aforementioned critters and brew some coffee. I have another tough decision to make.
--Which coffee cup? Goofy, Tigger, Eeyore, Micky, Minny, or the Tower of Terror one. I definitely am feeling very Eeyore at the moment, but. . .
Tower of Terror won! It's a BIG mug. Plus it fit my mood. I feel like someone snapped my elevator wires and I'm plummeting to my death.
--Maybe another cuppa joe will help.
Write on!
7/10/09
Zoo babies
What is it with this week?!
It must be the driving to and from the zoo twice a day that has fritzed out any and all able bodied brain cells. *sigh* It ends up being around 18 miles one direction, so I'm logging in over 72 miles that I normally don't drive, plus traffic. I don't like traffic. Guess I'm spoiled. Even when I worked I had odd hours (11 PM-7 shift, 5 AM-1:30, and then 6:30 AM-3) and didn't have to deal with traffic.
But I did get to look at a few of the new zoo babies today. There was the Diana Guenon monkey baby, plus the three adults. I got a quick glance at the lion cubs, but they were resting and all you could see were the ears. They are a lot bigger than the picture I found, weighing in around forty pounds. Mom lion pinned her gaze on me--creepy scary--I know they're well fed, but . . . yeah, that creepy. The penguins were swimming. And the flamingo babies look like big fat grey/white powderpuffs.
I've been to the zoo a lot as we have a season pass, so my goal was to check everything out after I dropped the kiddo off at zoo camp. I hoofed it around the zoo getting my daily walk in before heading back to the car. I was sweating from my shins, my scalp, and backs of my knees. My shirt had back and boobage sweat marks. Yeah, not pretty. When I got into the car the temperature registered 90 degrees--at 9:45 in the morning. They expect it to get over a hundred today with a heat index between 113-115, which means drink lots of water, don't do much of anything outside, and just chill out.
Now, to sort through the pile of suggestions for my query letter and start improving it . . . again. Next week will be synopsis week, unless I can figure out a way to procrastinate.
Write on!
It must be the driving to and from the zoo twice a day that has fritzed out any and all able bodied brain cells. *sigh* It ends up being around 18 miles one direction, so I'm logging in over 72 miles that I normally don't drive, plus traffic. I don't like traffic. Guess I'm spoiled. Even when I worked I had odd hours (11 PM-7 shift, 5 AM-1:30, and then 6:30 AM-3) and didn't have to deal with traffic.
But I did get to look at a few of the new zoo babies today. There was the Diana Guenon monkey baby, plus the three adults. I got a quick glance at the lion cubs, but they were resting and all you could see were the ears. They are a lot bigger than the picture I found, weighing in around forty pounds. Mom lion pinned her gaze on me--creepy scary--I know they're well fed, but . . . yeah, that creepy. The penguins were swimming. And the flamingo babies look like big fat grey/white powderpuffs.
I've been to the zoo a lot as we have a season pass, so my goal was to check everything out after I dropped the kiddo off at zoo camp. I hoofed it around the zoo getting my daily walk in before heading back to the car. I was sweating from my shins, my scalp, and backs of my knees. My shirt had back and boobage sweat marks. Yeah, not pretty. When I got into the car the temperature registered 90 degrees--at 9:45 in the morning. They expect it to get over a hundred today with a heat index between 113-115, which means drink lots of water, don't do much of anything outside, and just chill out.
Now, to sort through the pile of suggestions for my query letter and start improving it . . . again. Next week will be synopsis week, unless I can figure out a way to procrastinate.
Write on!
7/8/09
Judging Contests
Well, shoot! I forgot what day of the week it is! Blog day Wednesday.
What to write about? What to write about? What to -- ah, ha!
I've been dicking around trying to write my query and synopsis for MOGG, but have managed to find a good way to procrastinate . . .
Judge a contest!
Not just one contest, but two! For a grand total of ten submissions in the last two weeks! YAY! And though I request Paranormal or Historical, both judging panels sent to me were paranormal and there were no duplicates! Another YAY! And I actually got some really, really good ones. Triple YAY! And none of them made me want to jab a hot poker in my eye! Quadruple YAY!
I love romance--nothing is better in this world. I tried to write romance--can't. But I read romance--voraciously. And these were all paranormal romances. Four of them were excellent and of publishable quality IMHO. The rest fell into the okay category and needed some work. None of them were hideous. Trust me, over the 8 years that I've judged contests--I have run into some hideous entries, mainly due to the entrant being a newbie and not running the story through a crit group--and true, the entrant may not have access to writer friends or a crit group, but I usually try to guide them in the right direction.
BUT if you're trying to break into romance don't just read the books just out on the shelves of your local B & N (those were bought two years ago!), judge contests in your genre. You will learn more about your writing than you will ever want to admit outloud. Plus you'll have the added bonus of seeing the same stuff that editors and agents are seeing. You'll learn why agents are sick and tired of the same old, same old, because you aren't the only one to have thought about a daywalking vampire zombie shapeshifter.
Thus it all comes down to execution. How you tell the story is paramount--even more than it ever was.
Here are a few things I learned this week:
1) if you write paranormal make the paranormal element integral to the story, not superficial. If you can make the elf/vamp/zombie/shifter a human and it doesn't change anything, think up a new story plot.
2) a routine time-travel doesn't cut it any longer--it's been done--A LOT. There has to be a new and unique twist to the story. Just putting on a ring/walking into a closet/maze is so been there, done that. The butterfly effect can be a real challenge, but it also makes the story interesting.
3) polish, polish, polish--if you change your character's name make certain you change ALL instances of the name
4) Make certain your MC (main character) has sufficient motivation. Motivation CAN change throughout the story. Just make certain it's strong enough to start the plot ball rolling.
5) think outside the box--really, really outside the box--the best submissions that I read had multiple plotlines that tied together
6) If you are writing a synopsis for a romance, make certain you hit all the romance plot points and conclusion
Editors and agents aren't looking for another Nora Roberts or Jayne Ann Krentz, they already have those wonderful writers. They are looking for something new and different. They are looking for you and your unique twist to the same old story.
Write on!
What to write about? What to write about? What to -- ah, ha!
I've been dicking around trying to write my query and synopsis for MOGG, but have managed to find a good way to procrastinate . . .
Judge a contest!
Not just one contest, but two! For a grand total of ten submissions in the last two weeks! YAY! And though I request Paranormal or Historical, both judging panels sent to me were paranormal and there were no duplicates! Another YAY! And I actually got some really, really good ones. Triple YAY! And none of them made me want to jab a hot poker in my eye! Quadruple YAY!
I love romance--nothing is better in this world. I tried to write romance--can't. But I read romance--voraciously. And these were all paranormal romances. Four of them were excellent and of publishable quality IMHO. The rest fell into the okay category and needed some work. None of them were hideous. Trust me, over the 8 years that I've judged contests--I have run into some hideous entries, mainly due to the entrant being a newbie and not running the story through a crit group--and true, the entrant may not have access to writer friends or a crit group, but I usually try to guide them in the right direction.
BUT if you're trying to break into romance don't just read the books just out on the shelves of your local B & N (those were bought two years ago!), judge contests in your genre. You will learn more about your writing than you will ever want to admit outloud. Plus you'll have the added bonus of seeing the same stuff that editors and agents are seeing. You'll learn why agents are sick and tired of the same old, same old, because you aren't the only one to have thought about a daywalking vampire zombie shapeshifter.
Thus it all comes down to execution. How you tell the story is paramount--even more than it ever was.
Here are a few things I learned this week:
1) if you write paranormal make the paranormal element integral to the story, not superficial. If you can make the elf/vamp/zombie/shifter a human and it doesn't change anything, think up a new story plot.
2) a routine time-travel doesn't cut it any longer--it's been done--A LOT. There has to be a new and unique twist to the story. Just putting on a ring/walking into a closet/maze is so been there, done that. The butterfly effect can be a real challenge, but it also makes the story interesting.
3) polish, polish, polish--if you change your character's name make certain you change ALL instances of the name
4) Make certain your MC (main character) has sufficient motivation. Motivation CAN change throughout the story. Just make certain it's strong enough to start the plot ball rolling.
5) think outside the box--really, really outside the box--the best submissions that I read had multiple plotlines that tied together
6) If you are writing a synopsis for a romance, make certain you hit all the romance plot points and conclusion
Editors and agents aren't looking for another Nora Roberts or Jayne Ann Krentz, they already have those wonderful writers. They are looking for something new and different. They are looking for you and your unique twist to the same old story.
Write on!
7/6/09
Zoo Camp for Kiddo
Blogging late today. I hope all the links work--my Internet kept going up and down when I was looking and linking.
Just dropped the kiddo off at zoo camp. The camp is called Meet the Predators and she'll be occupied M-F, 9-4 pm. This is the first year that they are offering all day camp for the younger crowd. The teenagers have a cool camp that I'd LOVE to do which is zoo keeper boot camp and covers everything from feeding, cleaning, training, etc. As a former pooper-scooper who worked at the local vet clinic all through high school, I could really get into this camp!
The really neat part about the Predator camp is that our zoo has lion cubs about five months old. Hopefully, the kids will be able to get a little more up close and personal than just watching them through the bars. We've had a few of our bears die recently and our polar bear is . . . uhm, . . . being 'used' by another zoo to make babies. If momma polar bear gets preggers, we get dibs on one of the pups. YAY!
Believe it or not, our little zoo is one of the most fertile zoos in the country. Most of the animals are on birth control because there's a whole lotta action going on. We had two baby chimps born in 2008 (both mom's were on BC). I think the last time we had babies was twenty years ago. Our golden-headed Lion Tamarin's churn out a couple of litters a year. We have a two-toed sloth that has one baby a year. Our elephant is the #1 elephant in the country and his sperm is used for AI all over the place. The only problem we've had was with the jaguars. The male mangled the female's paw and it had to be amputated. We traded that male with another zoo for a more docile male. It seems the female at the other zoo was too aggressive, so this is a win-win for both zoos.
Last year, zoo camp was only half-days so I took my computer and hooked up at one of the outdoor shelter areas. When the drive is about an hour round-trip there was no sense in going back home only to turn around in an hour and a half to do it all again. It was really nice. The picnic table overlooked a lake and the Saimang gibbons would do their hooting and calling.
I don't really have a lot of writing to do this week. I DO need to write a decent query and synopsis for MOGG, finish judging a romance contest (five paranormals at 55 pages each--it is time consuming), and get caught up on some of my reading. Oh, yeah, I also need to get back into the exercising thing again. :-(
Along with this, I'm thinking about story #2. In MOGG, no one is really who they claim to be, while in #2 the theme might be what you see isn't always real.
Have fun this summer!
Write on!
Just dropped the kiddo off at zoo camp. The camp is called Meet the Predators and she'll be occupied M-F, 9-4 pm. This is the first year that they are offering all day camp for the younger crowd. The teenagers have a cool camp that I'd LOVE to do which is zoo keeper boot camp and covers everything from feeding, cleaning, training, etc. As a former pooper-scooper who worked at the local vet clinic all through high school, I could really get into this camp!
The really neat part about the Predator camp is that our zoo has lion cubs about five months old. Hopefully, the kids will be able to get a little more up close and personal than just watching them through the bars. We've had a few of our bears die recently and our polar bear is . . . uhm, . . . being 'used' by another zoo to make babies. If momma polar bear gets preggers, we get dibs on one of the pups. YAY!
Believe it or not, our little zoo is one of the most fertile zoos in the country. Most of the animals are on birth control because there's a whole lotta action going on. We had two baby chimps born in 2008 (both mom's were on BC). I think the last time we had babies was twenty years ago. Our golden-headed Lion Tamarin's churn out a couple of litters a year. We have a two-toed sloth that has one baby a year. Our elephant is the #1 elephant in the country and his sperm is used for AI all over the place. The only problem we've had was with the jaguars. The male mangled the female's paw and it had to be amputated. We traded that male with another zoo for a more docile male. It seems the female at the other zoo was too aggressive, so this is a win-win for both zoos.
Last year, zoo camp was only half-days so I took my computer and hooked up at one of the outdoor shelter areas. When the drive is about an hour round-trip there was no sense in going back home only to turn around in an hour and a half to do it all again. It was really nice. The picnic table overlooked a lake and the Saimang gibbons would do their hooting and calling.
I don't really have a lot of writing to do this week. I DO need to write a decent query and synopsis for MOGG, finish judging a romance contest (five paranormals at 55 pages each--it is time consuming), and get caught up on some of my reading. Oh, yeah, I also need to get back into the exercising thing again. :-(
Along with this, I'm thinking about story #2. In MOGG, no one is really who they claim to be, while in #2 the theme might be what you see isn't always real.
Have fun this summer!
Write on!
7/3/09
What do you Mean the Economy's in the Toilet?
This has been an interesting week for us, and as consumers, my hubster and I have done our part to support the ailing economy by purchasing three new items. These aren't totally frivolous items, but replacements for current products.
1) Your remember my blog post about berry picking and the subsequent pie incident? Scroll down to the oven part . . . no, not the pie juice overflowing and nearly setting off the smoke alarms, but the part where there are loud 'BOOM's involved. We have a 14-year old gas stove and I cook a decent amount of the time, which means over time there are problems with the ignition switches. When regulating the oven temperature the ignition kicks in and send a fresh bolus of gas through the lines the electric starter ignites the gas. Well, that's how it's SUPPOSED to work, but we seem to have a sticky starter and the gas builds up before igniting, producing the BOOM.
Now, I like to think we all agree that this is A BAD THING. So hubster researched stoves (my input: Gas stove top). I do the majority of the cooking, but I'm not into the next best gadget, he is. All I want is a gas stove top that has a low simmer burner for sauces, soups, stews, etc and a super heated burner for boiling water.
So our first shot into the ailing economy's arm is a brand spanking new GE Profile duel fuel convection oven. We stuck with the Profile series as it fits the rest of the appliances in this house. When we move, I'll start thinking about that Viking Range I want. Hubster found a deal online with a $100 discount and my new stove is on a truck and should be here within a few weeks.
2) We are having family over for the Fourth of July, somewhere between 17-20 people for a pool party/ BBQ. I only smoke ribs when there is a crowd, as it's a pain in the butt to do it when there are only three of us eating. I had my old smoker pre-marriage, @ 18 years. In fact, I think hubster put it together for me when we were dating--along with all sorts of emotional memories: I was smoking ribs three days before my birthday when Hubster proposed. *sniff, sniff* *wipes tear from eye*
Well, anyhoo, Bass Pro shop was having a sale on electric smokers, so we bought one. Seasoned it two nights ago and I think it will work quite well. I'll be smoking three huge racks of baby back ribs and some brisket, so I'll have to report back on how well it works.
3) Last Sunday (laundry day, you know) when I was making the bed with fresh sheets, I noticed the binding unraveling from our mattress. This binding was on the bottom of the mattress holding the bottom layer of fabric to the side fabric and the thread had come loose--zzziiippp! Yeah, touch it once, and it keeps unraveling. Well, we bought this mattress five years ago and it had a lifetime warranty. Dude came out to inspect it. Agreed, that it was a defect and said we would get a replacement mattress
--a couple of things to remember, mattress warranties are voided if the bed has any stains. Of course, the sales guy used the term 'coffee' when we were discussing how warranties are voided, probably because my 8-year old daughter was with us. I'm sure it's there in the fine print, but you don't really think about it at the time. So, he sold us this 'special' mattress cover they sell.
--mattress styles come and go, of course our mattress style was long gone. We had to do the flop and lay. Yeah, like that's how it is in real sleepy time--not.
--this furniture company give a two week satisfaction guarantee. We used it last time. We forked out the money for a Tempur-pedic mattress--HATED IT! I got hot--really hot, burst into flames type of hot, this close to total combustion. When you lay down on a Tempur-pedic, the mattress encases you, so if you want to flip over, you have to wake up, push out of your hole and then try to go to sleep again. After three nights of no sleep, I said take it back!
--the cost has only increased for this product. To get the same quality of mattress as we bought five years ago, we are going to have to plunk some money on the table. One grand poorer, we have a new mattress getting delivered today.
So what have you done lately to aid the economy? :-)
Next week, I'll . . .
Write on!
This weekend I'll have a Happy Fourth of July and hope you all do, too! Stay safe!
1) Your remember my blog post about berry picking and the subsequent pie incident? Scroll down to the oven part . . . no, not the pie juice overflowing and nearly setting off the smoke alarms, but the part where there are loud 'BOOM's involved. We have a 14-year old gas stove and I cook a decent amount of the time, which means over time there are problems with the ignition switches. When regulating the oven temperature the ignition kicks in and send a fresh bolus of gas through the lines the electric starter ignites the gas. Well, that's how it's SUPPOSED to work, but we seem to have a sticky starter and the gas builds up before igniting, producing the BOOM.
Now, I like to think we all agree that this is A BAD THING. So hubster researched stoves (my input: Gas stove top). I do the majority of the cooking, but I'm not into the next best gadget, he is. All I want is a gas stove top that has a low simmer burner for sauces, soups, stews, etc and a super heated burner for boiling water.
So our first shot into the ailing economy's arm is a brand spanking new GE Profile duel fuel convection oven. We stuck with the Profile series as it fits the rest of the appliances in this house. When we move, I'll start thinking about that Viking Range I want. Hubster found a deal online with a $100 discount and my new stove is on a truck and should be here within a few weeks.
2) We are having family over for the Fourth of July, somewhere between 17-20 people for a pool party/ BBQ. I only smoke ribs when there is a crowd, as it's a pain in the butt to do it when there are only three of us eating. I had my old smoker pre-marriage, @ 18 years. In fact, I think hubster put it together for me when we were dating--along with all sorts of emotional memories: I was smoking ribs three days before my birthday when Hubster proposed. *sniff, sniff* *wipes tear from eye*
Well, anyhoo, Bass Pro shop was having a sale on electric smokers, so we bought one. Seasoned it two nights ago and I think it will work quite well. I'll be smoking three huge racks of baby back ribs and some brisket, so I'll have to report back on how well it works.
3) Last Sunday (laundry day, you know) when I was making the bed with fresh sheets, I noticed the binding unraveling from our mattress. This binding was on the bottom of the mattress holding the bottom layer of fabric to the side fabric and the thread had come loose--zzziiippp! Yeah, touch it once, and it keeps unraveling. Well, we bought this mattress five years ago and it had a lifetime warranty. Dude came out to inspect it. Agreed, that it was a defect and said we would get a replacement mattress
--a couple of things to remember, mattress warranties are voided if the bed has any stains. Of course, the sales guy used the term 'coffee' when we were discussing how warranties are voided, probably because my 8-year old daughter was with us. I'm sure it's there in the fine print, but you don't really think about it at the time. So, he sold us this 'special' mattress cover they sell.
--mattress styles come and go, of course our mattress style was long gone. We had to do the flop and lay. Yeah, like that's how it is in real sleepy time--not.
--this furniture company give a two week satisfaction guarantee. We used it last time. We forked out the money for a Tempur-pedic mattress--HATED IT! I got hot--really hot, burst into flames type of hot, this close to total combustion. When you lay down on a Tempur-pedic, the mattress encases you, so if you want to flip over, you have to wake up, push out of your hole and then try to go to sleep again. After three nights of no sleep, I said take it back!
--the cost has only increased for this product. To get the same quality of mattress as we bought five years ago, we are going to have to plunk some money on the table. One grand poorer, we have a new mattress getting delivered today.
So what have you done lately to aid the economy? :-)
Next week, I'll . . .
Write on!
This weekend I'll have a Happy Fourth of July and hope you all do, too! Stay safe!
7/1/09
SIGH . . .
MISSING: One Garden Gnome is in the mail, trucking it's way across the country to Delacorte Press in New York to be judged in the Delacorte Yearling contest for Middle-Grade Readers.
A few interesting stats about the contest:
--This is the 18th year for this contest, and was formerly known as the Marguerite de Angeli contest
--Award: $1500 cash prize and $7500 advance, plus bragging rights.
--since 1992 only 7 winners have been declared in those 17 years. Many years the award has gone unawarded
--Since 2000, only two books have won the award: 2004 Prizefighter en Mi Casa by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo, and in, 2007 Born to Fly by M. J. Ferrari
--Odds of my winning are virtually none
A few interesting stats about me in relation to this contest:
--I can meet a looming deadline: Granted, there was some freakage going on, but I DID IT!
--I think I finally found 'my' genre to write in
--I can write tremendous amounts of wordage in a two week period (> 30,000 words), puking it onto the page without an outline and only a loose idea where I was going with it.
--It is better to know your POV going into the story than to dick around with it during the story
--I can envision the cover of this novel: white background with Travelocity gnome statue centered on the page with Rory Leafhopper leaning against it with his arms and legs crossed. Never happened before.
--Puking out the story gave me 38K words. Second draft: 46K Third/polished draft: 47K Though tweaking will continue, I think I'm virtually finished with this story
--Idea conceived in late February 2009, some writing but mainly thinking accomplished in March and April 2009, with the majority of writing in May 2009, editing in June 2009
--If you have major POV changes it is better to rewrite it instead of trying to fix it, even if it is only a paragraph at a time.
--I still have problems writing emotion into the intense scenes, as I tend to rattle off what happens without digging deep.
--any additional edits will most likely involve deepening the emotional impact.
#1 thing I learned:
--don't say you can't do something until you really put your heart in it and try!
Write on!
--and I will be as I hammer out a synopsis and a query letter!
A few interesting stats about the contest:
--This is the 18th year for this contest, and was formerly known as the Marguerite de Angeli contest
--Award: $1500 cash prize and $7500 advance, plus bragging rights.
--since 1992 only 7 winners have been declared in those 17 years. Many years the award has gone unawarded
--Since 2000, only two books have won the award: 2004 Prizefighter en Mi Casa by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo, and in, 2007 Born to Fly by M. J. Ferrari
--Odds of my winning are virtually none
A few interesting stats about me in relation to this contest:
--I can meet a looming deadline: Granted, there was some freakage going on, but I DID IT!
--I think I finally found 'my' genre to write in
--I can write tremendous amounts of wordage in a two week period (> 30,000 words), puking it onto the page without an outline and only a loose idea where I was going with it.
--It is better to know your POV going into the story than to dick around with it during the story
--I can envision the cover of this novel: white background with Travelocity gnome statue centered on the page with Rory Leafhopper leaning against it with his arms and legs crossed. Never happened before.
--Puking out the story gave me 38K words. Second draft: 46K Third/polished draft: 47K Though tweaking will continue, I think I'm virtually finished with this story
--Idea conceived in late February 2009, some writing but mainly thinking accomplished in March and April 2009, with the majority of writing in May 2009, editing in June 2009
--If you have major POV changes it is better to rewrite it instead of trying to fix it, even if it is only a paragraph at a time.
--I still have problems writing emotion into the intense scenes, as I tend to rattle off what happens without digging deep.
--any additional edits will most likely involve deepening the emotional impact.
#1 thing I learned:
--don't say you can't do something until you really put your heart in it and try!
Write on!
--and I will be as I hammer out a synopsis and a query letter!
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